“I… I… Can I leave?”
The Seventh Prince of the Saint Luo Empire tried to stand up from his seat, wanting to slip away from here.
But the moment he rose, a minister approached and blocked his path.
The minister responsible for maintaining order stood in front of the Seventh Prince and asked in a cold tone, “Seventh Prince, is there something urgent you need to attend to?”
“I…”
The Seventh Prince glanced around.
By order of Emperor Gustav of the Saint Luo Empire, all members of the imperial family had been summoned to the capital and gathered inside an ancient temple. Besides the royals, ministers, nobles, and important figures from all walks of life were also present to witness an important ceremony.
The timid Seventh Prince had long felt that something was wrong. He had no interest in watching whatever ritual this was and simply wanted to escape.
“Seventh Prince, if I remember correctly, all members of the imperial family already visited the restroom before entering the temple. There shouldn’t be any need to go again,” the minister said, staring at him. “Or are you trying to use the excuse of needing the restroom to do something else?”
“No, no! I really need to go urgently!”
“Oh, is that so? Then I’ll arrange for someone to accompany you.”
The minister raised his hand and signaled. Soon, a palace maid approached.
The palace guard bowed to the Seventh Prince, but the prince felt a dangerous aura coming from the woman. This was definitely no ordinary maid.
“Take the Seventh Prince to the restroom. Take good care of him and make sure nothing goes wrong. Understood?” the minister instructed.
“Yes.”
The palace maid replied in a completely emotionless voice. She lifted her head and glanced at the Seventh Prince.
That single glance filled the Seventh Prince with fear. He quickly changed his mind. “N-No need! The ceremony is more important. I can hold it in.”
“Seventh Prince, are you sure you can hold it?” the minister pressed.
“Yes, yes, I’m sure!” The Seventh Prince nodded rapidly.
The minister gave a cold laugh and left with the palace maid.
The Seventh Prince lowered his head and cursed inwardly.
His own subordinates had long since been replaced by strangers. From what he observed, the same thing had happened to every other member of the imperial family. Each heir was being watched closely.
“What’s going on today? Why have all the imperial family members been gathered here?!”
“I heard it was His Majesty the Emperor’s order. He summoned all of them to witness something. Apparently, a divine oracle is about to descend and requires all members of the imperial family to be present.”
“Some didn’t come. They defied the order and were suppressed by the army.”
People who didn’t know the truth were whispering among themselves.
“Silence!”
Third Prince Kaiso suddenly shouted. His loud voice made everyone who had been talking immediately shut their mouths.
All eyes turned toward the entrance. They saw First Prince Soren following behind Emperor Gustav as they entered the temple.
Everyone bowed deeply, paying their respects to the Emperor.
“Why does Father seem a little… off?”
The Seventh Prince muttered in his heart. His usually majestic father now seemed completely lifeless, like a walking corpse. It was strangely unsettling.
“Thank you all for coming to the temple to participate in this important ceremony.”
Gustav stopped at the center of the temple and raised his hand.
“A few days ago, I dreamed of the noble God. In my dream, a vague divine oracle was left behind. Although I cannot fully interpret its meaning, I can sense that this command concerns the future of the human world. That is why we need everyone here to bear witness. We will have the saintess of the Holy Land act as God’s representative and convey the true meaning of the oracle to the world!”
Sophie, who had been waiting on the side, stepped forward in front of everyone. Dressed in pure white saintess robes, she radiated a sacred aura. Her pale golden eyes were captivating, and simply looking at her filled people’s hearts with reverence.
Just as the Emperor had said, it felt as though the one standing here was not merely a saintess, but an envoy sent down from the heavens.
“Saintess Sophie Shirleyford of the Holy Land recently received God’s grace and fully awakened under the blessing of glory,” Bishop Belon, who had accompanied her, explained to the crowd. “The ritual to interpret the divine oracle will now be carried out by Saintess Sophie.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Gustav nodded and led the First Prince to the side, giving the center of the temple to Sophie.
Everyone else, along with the other clerics surrounding the statue, half-knelt on the ground, their eyes fixed on the young saintess.
Sophie walked up to the statue and began a devout prayer.
She clasped her hands together and started singing a holy hymn.
As the ritual progressed, holy power gathered from all directions and concentrated upon the statue.
A breathtaking sight appeared. Behind the red-haired saintess, faint white wings materialized, pure and flawless like those of an angel. A golden curtain of light descended from the heavens, covering the sky above the temple.
It seemed as though everyone could hear the divine voice coming from paradise.
Whether they had believed in God before or not, upon hearing that voice, they all fell to their knees, weeping.
“The human world requires a new transformation. The emperor of old can no longer guide humanity toward the future. The right to rule must be passed to the next suitable successor.”
The sacred words spoken from Sophie’s mouth echoed directly in everyone’s hearts.
The divine oracle had now been fully revealed.
The heavenly voice receded like a tide, and the golden light faded along with it. The clerics stopped singing.
The ritual had ended. Everyone gradually came back to their senses, as if waking from a vivid dream.
“Since the noble God has delivered this divine oracle, then for the sake of humanity’s future, I naturally choose to relinquish my authority and pass it to a suitable successor.”
Gustav removed his crown and, together with the scepter symbolizing imperial authority, handed both to Soren, who stood beside him.
“Soren, my son. As my most favored successor, from this day forward, you shall be the Emperor of the Saint Luo Empire. Follow the divine oracle and continue guiding humanity toward the future!”
“As you command, Father.”
Soren held the scepter and placed the crown upon his head. His expression turned intensely emotional.
He struggled to control his feelings as he stepped forward in front of everyone.
“I shall take hold of everything. Following the divine oracle, I will become the new Emperor of the Saint Luo Empire!”
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