Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 363 (Part 1):

“Why the Temple?” Asuka asked.

He was aware that the Empire’s imperial family was not on friendly terms with the Temple. Although Asuka often seemed carefree, he was no fool—and from Helmut’s perspective, it was good news if the Empire and the Temple clashed.

“Back when His Majesty was still Crown Prince, the Temple took the opposite side from me and His Majesty. They supported a different heir, one they could more easily manipulate. Despite their outwardly noble façade, the Temple will use any means necessary against their enemies. Because of this, His Majesty and Grand Duke Farnese had to weather countless crises together.”

‘Hmm, so they really were a rotten bunch,’ Asuka thought, nodding as if in agreement.

The Crown Prince’s gaze toward Asuka was serious.

He was speaking to Asuka not just as a member of the imperial family, but also as the heir of Grand Duke Farnese—telling him what he needed to know.

“The Temple’s high priests don’t need to lift a finger. All they have to do is decide which imperial heir will benefit them most. Their believers and enforcers are the ones who handle all the dirty work. Over the years, those believers have become a force that even the Emperor cannot ignore.”

They were a foreign power meddling in the imperial succession. A Temple supposedly existing to protect the world had long since lost its original justification.

Yet they continued their machinations to retain their influence.

For the Temple of Lumen, having *their* believers rule over humankind was only natural, and the Empire was no exception.

In fact, the Empire itself was the key stronghold they needed to keep firmly under their control, lest they lose their power.

“After His Majesty ascended to the throne, they initially appeared to accept the outcome. But recently, they’ve started to rear their heads again. The fact that they were quiet for so long was the real anomaly. From nobles to commoners, their following is vast.”

Like roots spreading underground, their network stretched to every corner of the Empire. Some of those roots reached the very heart of imperial power.

“The Temple’s believers might hold noble titles, but they don’t serve the Empire. Their faith comes before patriotism. If the Temple decides to swallow the Empire, these people would happily hand over imperial secrets. The Temple’s gains are their gains.

His Majesty believes his duty is to rid the Empire of this entrenched corruption. To do that, it’s imperative to shrink the Temple’s power within the Empire.”

“You must be helping His Highness achieve that goal,” Asuka said.

It was only natural that the Crown Prince would carry out the Emperor’s will.

But what exactly had happened to make Michael visit the Crown Prince with such an apparently troublesome matter?

Asuka realized with some surprise that he was calling Michael by his name instead of ‘the Prince of Renosa.’ They weren’t exactly close.

‘We’re still related by blood, after all,’ he thought.

Asuka was distantly related to Charlotte and Helmut. When he recalled that fact, he felt strange.

Far yet somehow close. One way or another, their blood ties connected them.

It was interesting that all three of them—Helmut, Charlotte, and Asuka—had ended up in the swordsmanship department at Greta Academy.

It was as if that place had become the source of their shared connection.

The Crown Prince resumed speaking calmly.

“This time, a major corruption scandal was uncovered at a large Temple near Renosa’s border. We planned to punish those responsible and close it down. That’s why Michael came to see me.”

“He wants to prevent that Temple from being shut down? But even if it’s near the border, it’s still imperial territory, right?” Asuka asked.

That would be a clear case of meddling in imperial affairs by Renosa. The Crown Prince shook his head.

“But the issue isn’t that simple. People of Renosa also visit that Temple, and apparently the Grand Duchess of Renosa goes there a few times a year.

Michael came with letters signed by nobles—both from Renosa and our Empire—who don’t want the Temple closed. There are quite a lot of signatures.”

That alone showed that many nobles sided with the Temple. Even the Crown Prince couldn’t dismiss it outright.

Michael was not the sort to show up without solid backing.

The Crown Prince had foreseen, the moment he realized why Michael was there, that it would be a major headache.

Their private conversation had indeed gone in that direction.

Unlike Asuka, however, the Crown Prince didn’t see Michael in a negative light.

Of course, to someone as powerful as the Crown Prince, Michael would hardly reveal his worst side.

From the Crown Prince’s viewpoint, Michael was clever enough not to be blindly manipulated by the Temple, and too frail to pose any real threat to the Empire—even if he eventually became Grand Duke of Renosa.

Thanks to his frail constitution and poor health, Michael’s sharp mind might help him make Renosa a bit better, but he wouldn’t be able to expand it.

In the Crown Prince’s eyes, Michael was not a bad successor for Renosa.

Just as Charlotte, with no particular ambitions, was not a bad princess in her own right.

That was what he had always thought. Yet in one crucial matter, their opinions diverged.

Over the past few years, that one issue had grown increasingly significant.

And that one issue was the Temple.

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