Helmut: The Forsaken Child - H.F.C Chapter 369 (Part 1):

While Asuka was sinking under the burden of child support demands, Sian received both a special reward of 500,000 marks and an offer to become an Imperial Mage.

Of course, he refused. Unlike Asuka, however, he had received permission to leave the palace whenever he wished once the investigation concluded.

‘I’ve successfully secured my safety within the Empire.’

Sian nodded in satisfaction. Now, no matter what happened to that Asuka guy, he could leave at any time.

As soon as the investigation ended and he gained his freedom, he informed Alea and Helmut about everything that had transpired.

With this, the Imperial family had completely severed ties with the Temple.

Even if they didn’t directly confront them, the Emperor would surely think that the Temple could no longer be left unchecked.

And if there was a chance to weaken the Temple or take a stand against it, the Empire would surely lend its support.

Just like Basor, they wouldn’t stand idly by while being attacked.

This was the Empire, after all. The Emperor’s pride must have been shattered by this incident. How little must the Temple have thought of them to attempt something like this?

It took some time to resolve the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince. In truth, it wasn’t fully resolved at all.

“Find every single person involved in this incident!”

As soon as he learned of the events that had transpired the previous night, the Emperor, filled with rage, issued the command.

His order was clear: uncover evidence of the Temple’s involvement and identify those who had cooperated with them.

Under the command of the Imperial Knights and Imperial Mages, everything moved according to the Emperor’s will.

Because Sian had prevented their suicide, the masked assailants were subjected to brutal torture and mental magic, forcing them to confess everything they knew.

They were merely the tail, and reaching the head of the operation was no simple task.

The Imperial Mages tracked down and captured the fleeing higher-ups, interrogating them to reach the masterminds.

In the end, it turned out that several high-ranking nobles, known to be devout followers of the Temple, were involved.

Surprisingly, among those nobles was someone who had shown ambiguous but crucial support for the Emperor before he ascended the throne. It seemed the Temple had considered multiple possibilities.

These nobles were part of a devout group called the ‘Prayer Assembly,’ which only nobles could join.

This assembly, aimed at expanding the Temple’s influence within the Empire, placed outstanding commoners in leadership roles and established subordinate organizations to control them.

It was only natural that they had frequent contact with the Temple. They considered it an honor to be chosen as special devotees of Lumen.

To them, Lumen was their sovereign, and the High Priests who conveyed Lumen’s words were the leaders they should follow.

Their ability to discover information about the Imperial Library and the palace barriers was because one of them had once served as the head of the Imperial Library.

It had long been known that he had sided with the Temple.

A storm of blood was foretold. The nobles who had orchestrated the plot were imprisoned, awaiting execution, and depending on the severity of their involvement, their families were either stripped of their titles, executed, or exiled.

Yet, despite this, they all uniformly denied the Temple’s involvement.

Strictly speaking, the Temple had neither ordered nor intervened in the plot. There was no evidence of that.

When the members of the Prayer Assembly heard rumors of the Temple’s impending closure, they were outraged, and the Temple added fuel to the fire.

If the Temple’s closure could be prevented, the one who achieved it would become Lumen’s most faithful servant, they hinted.

The Temple had always maintained that the will of the gods was above that of humans. Why there was only one way to prevent the Temple’s closure, which was imminent, was something even the instigators couldn’t explain.

The Temple, as always, was a group that skillfully dropped hints.

The Emperor formally sent an envoy to the Temple demanding an explanation, and without waiting for their response, he ordered the immediate closure of several other Temples under review.

Three Temples near Renosa were shut down in an instant.

This caused an uproar among the devotees inside and outside the Empire. Chaos erupted within and outside the Empire. Naturally, the relationship between Renosa and the Imperial family, which had subtly sided with the Temple, became strained.

After all, the Crown Prince had nearly been assassinated in the heart of the Imperial Palace.

Even though Renosa shared the Imperial bloodline, it would be strange to let such an incident pass as if nothing had happened.

This incident would undoubtedly weaken Michael’s position.

He had unofficially visited the Crown Prince, which also meant that it wasn’t at the behest of the Grand Duke of Renosa.

Sian didn’t leave for Baden immediately but instead periodically reported to Helmut and Alea about the events unfolding in the Empire.

This was because they wanted it, and also because he couldn’t abandon Asuka for a particular reason.

“Well, everything is progressing smoothly. Except for Asuka, that is. Everyone is turning against the Temple, and the stronger the forces opposing the Temple become, the more advantageous it is for us.”

Otaku_Tensei

I'm currently Translating the following novel: Helmut: The Forsaken Child. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!

•