Chapter 8.1
‘Yes, it wouldn’t hurt to become close with the imperial family.’
In truth, the Skeleton King who met the Emperor had a mischievous smile in his eyes.
It couldn’t be helped.
Although it seemed like Eshua, his family, belonged to a wealthy Duke’s family, so what?
Is that the family’s money or his money?
Just like a fox digs nine burrows, the Skeleton King did the same. He was always the type to have multiple burrows for safety.
And this family, from the beginning, had its problems.
‘Does it make sense for a fake nanny to be attached to a Duke’s child?’
Why hasn’t anyone come to find the child until now? There may be something wrong with this body. For example, if he was an abandoned child, he wouldn’t expect a single penny.
Then it would be difficult.
In any case, his status would be forcibly changed by the gods. The Skeleton King intended to naturalize in the Holy Empire as citizen.
From now on, he will live as ‘Isaac Eshua’.
As for the demon subordinates? Well, those fellows have been toiling away for hundreds of years, and they’ve built up the infrastructure quite well.
Now, it shouldn’t be a problem even if they don’t have a head. In the first place, before going to the divine realm, he had already delegated everything to his direct subordinates.
Anyway, that was the situation.
Now that he has no money, the Emperor, the bigwig of the country he’s naturalizing in, would become a valuable source of funds.
It wasn’t an ‘Empire’ for nothing.
In that sense, he thought it would be good to pretend to be an innocent and naive Saint and cozy up to the Emperor… No, become close to him!
“You must not be deceived by such a demonic child, Your Majesty. Can a child who uses magic be a Saint?”
How dare that brat try to obstruct someone else’s plans?
Sure enough, the words of the Bishop stirred up a storm in the temple.
“The Saint using magic…!”
They were even determined to kill him!
They were priests who knew very well what magic meant in the Holy Empire.
‘Magic is the power of demons!’
As priests who associated magic with demons, they couldn’t help but waver.
However, the Emperor, on the contrary, seemed completely uninterested and even looked displeased at the Bishop.
“Just because someone uses magic doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a demon. You should know that better than anyone.”
When the Emperor said that, the Bishop, who had been bowing politely, looked at the Skeleton King as if suppressing him.
“So we should be even more certain. Magic and divine power are natural enemies to each other. In a situation where a child has already been confirmed as a Saint, there may be assassins who come to kill the Saint.”
Upon hearing this, the Emperor looked at the Bishop and let out a hollow laugh.
“Already confirmed child?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I couldn’t inform you in advance because it’s highly confidential, but the Pope has already designated the child from the
The Bishop looked at the Skeleton King, who was the twenty-fifth candidate, with a considerable amount of restraint.
At that sight, the Skeleton King furrowed his eyebrows.
The Saint has already been chosen?
‘Damn it, this really hurts me.’
Revenge aside, above all, the paladins had said this when they came here.
-If the identity of the Saint is revealed, what happens to the other candidates?
-Well, there may be those who bear grudges and aim for the Saint. They will be sent to the countryside so they will never see the light of day again. Of course, there is a high probability they will die in the process.
If this unlucky situation continued, not to mention revenge, he would disappear without a trace.
Of course, the Saint would be himself.
‘What is this crazy monster’s body if not the Saint?’
He could guarantee that much as the Demon King.
He would even stake his hair in this life.
The fakes were the ones who should be afraid.
‘Well, even if that’s the case, it seems they have no intention of considering me as a candidate.’
Sure enough, the Bishop glared at the Skeleton King like a beast.
“That fake should be sent to the inquisitor instead.”
Upon hearing those words, the Skeleton King let out a mocking laugh.
Ha ha ha, yes. That young friend with prematurely white hair is like that.
He’s trying to summon the inquisitor right now.
He’s even involving the family so they won’t feel lonely. He’s using his authority to forcefully push them to the executioner’s block.
The priests who used to adore the Skeleton King couldn’t even stop themselves from trembling. After all, in the human faction, there’s a saying that if you get involved with the inquisitor, you’ll wipe out your family up to the eighth cousin.
‘Especially in the holy faction, the Pope is an absolute existence.’
But there is a child designated by the highest authority? How many clergy members who can oppose that decision would there be?
As if feeling that the explanation was complete, the Bishop bowed his head to the Emperor and shouted.
“Summon the inquisitor immediately!”
The imperial knights, who had brought the Skeleton King this far, quickly pulled him close.
“Calling the inquisitor on a milk-fed baby! Are you thinking of killing him?”
“There’s no way he could be an assassin!”
“We, on the contrary, felt the divine energy from this person!”
“That’s right! This person is the punisher sent by the gods to eradicate the remnants of that detestable Skeleton King!”
“The punishment for that detestable Skeleton King!”
Hey, you detestable ones. You’re hugging me tightly, aren’t you?
‘But they’re doing well for paladins.’
So protect me quickly. Keep insisting that I’m the Saint!
He finally obtained this precious body that won’t turn to bone just by touching it. Do they think he’ll die like this?
However, the Bishop narrowed his eyes and looked at the Skeleton King with even more arrogance.
“I didn’t intend to mention this because it could cause concern, but there is also testimony that the child emitted magic.”
“…!”
The eyes of the priests who had admired the Skeleton King wavered as they looked at him.
“Magic, really…?”
“Wait. Could it be… Is it that?”
“No way, is that why you are leaving Eshua alone?”
The sudden change in atmosphere was unsettling.
Even the Skeleton King, whose eyebrows were usually only raised when it came to embezzlement, showed a fierce expression.
Ah, they want to ruin me by recklessly exposing someone else’s personal information.
There must be a money line right in front of him, he must be a baby who still needs to grow and behave obediently while drinking bean water. Do they think there’s nothing he can see?
He was the one who threw the patience and manners of a 10-year-old office worker in the trash after a year of living as a skeleton.
He might have thrown away his temper already, but this is inside the temple.
And that person was a Bishop who came from the headquarters of the Papal Office, where the Pope was. There was no need to deliberately step on avoidable crap.
Yes, let’s suppress the temper.
I am an innocent and forgiving Saint… An angelic Saint who forgives everything…
But it was right at that moment.
‘No, wait.’
The face of the Skeleton King, who had become a baby angel, suddenly turned into that of Satan.
‘Berit?’
Why does this name sound so familiar?
Where has he heard it before?
Where did he hear it?
Without a doubt, right at that moment, the Emperor let out a laugh as if he couldn’t contain his surprise.
“The Pope designating his own family’s child as a Saint. Isn’t it an obvious nepotism?”
Upon hearing those words, the Skeleton King’s face contorted.
That’s right, that Pope!
He deliberately tried to forget about those people he didn’t want to remember, but the name of every Pope in history was ‘Berit’.
In other words…
‘So, the Pope’s little brat was designated as a Saint?’
The Pope is pushing his own family members as Saints?
The Skeleton King felt a knot in his stomach.
Of course, he understood the situation.
After all, the
But a new existence called the
Depending on the circumstances, it could overshadow the Pope and hold a more prominent position.
Naturally, it would be more comfortable and reassuring to have his own family members in power! So, he could understand that ambition.
‘The Pope is Berit… The Saint is Berit…’
Damn it, I have to deal with these bastards properly!