The System’s rambling continued throughout the entire 12-hour parade.
When the first rays of dusk spread across the western sky, the golden and gem-adorned parade boat finally docked in front of the Temple.
The Temple, established two thousand years ago during the Old Federation era, bore the marks of time but showed no signs of war’s scars. The entire Temple was constructed from pure white marble, with weathered columns that nearly covered the entire Mount Olympus.
White stone steps spiraled up the mountain, and white-robed temple priests filed out.
These white-robed temple priests were different from the red-clad cardinals who managed the church. They did not handle secular affairs; their duties were limited to cleaning the Temple and daily prayers, making them the direct servants of the Holy Son, similar to the relationship between the Wolf Knights and the Kaises Emperor.
Even though Nero could replace the church officials with his own people, he could not touch these temple priests in the short term.
Nero pushed himself off the railing and began to descend from the parade boat.
The white-robed priests crossed their hands and bowed their heads in silence, waiting at the Temple entrance.
“Greetings, Your Majesty. The Holy Son and the priests of Delphi, under the holy light, await the arrival of our Emperor.”
According to the ritual, during the baptism, the Emperor could only bring one close guard into the Temple. Thus, the Wolf Knights dispersed around the Temple, forming a tight defense.
Nero ascended the white stone steps, moving through the grand and spacious corridors, and entered the Hall of Gods where the ceremony would be held.
Countless deities adorned the towering 19-meter-high pillars, their blank white eyes expressionless as they silently watched those who entered the Hall of Gods.
The deeper Nero ventured into the Temple, the more muted the external clamor became.
By the time he reached the closed doors of the innermost sanctuary, no sound of wind or birds could be heard.
“Your Majesty, please change your attire.”
A temple priest brought forward a red velvet cushion and laid it before Nero.
Nero removed his boots and stepped onto the cushion, allowing the White Wolf Knight to remove his thick ceremonial robe, revealing the inner layer of the baptismal white robe.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Another temple priest took the Emperor’s solid gold crown and carefully placed a meticulously crafted laurel wreath on Nero’s silver hair.
“Tbeg Zjpfras.”
C atlgv afwqif qglfra rqbxf eq.
“Cmmbgvlcu ab atf qgbabmbi obg wffalcu atf Lbis Vbc, Obgv Qtlaf Qbio Bcluta mjccba jmmbwqjcs sbe lcab atf rjcmaejgs.”
Ktf Qtlaf Qbio Bcluta, lc atf qgbmfrr bo vlrjgwlcu, ogbhf.
Rfgb aegcfv tlr mbiv ujhf abkjgvr atf xcffilcu qglfra.
Gfrqlaf tlr xcffilcu qbraegf, atf qglfra’r ojmf vlrqijsfv jc jggbujcmf jcv vlrvjlc regqjrrlcu atja bo atf mjgvlcji.
As a servant dwelling in the Temple with the Holy Son, he evidently considered himself among the gods. Given this belief, even an emperor commanding vast armies would naturally fail to impress such a person.
Nero had always disliked participating in Temple parades with his father and had a low opinion of the Holy Son, largely due to his interactions with these haughty priests.
“So, this is another new rule set by the Temple?”
Nero asked coldly.
“Out of respect for the Holy Son, I have stationed the Wolf Knights outside the Temple. Now you want me to enter the sanctuary alone, paving the way for any would-be assassins?”
“Your Excellency, the merciful and compassionate ruler of the galaxy, please calm your anger! It is not the Temple’s intention to defy the sacred Emperor, but the Holy Son has recently completed a period of seclusion and is in an unprecedentedly vulnerable state, both physically and mentally.
“The sanctuary, where the Holy Son bathes and resides, is closely linked to his spiritual power. Any impure presence, one stained with blood, entering the sanctuary could burden the Holy Son’s spirit. Lord White Wolf Knight is unmatched in valor on the battlefield, but I must respectfully inform you—”
Before the priest could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his jaw as Nero gripped it tightly and lifted his head.
“Do you want to know how many people I’ve killed?” Nero whispered menacingly, “I assure you, it’s no fewer than him. Even this hand that holds your jaw has strangled several lives.”
The priest’s expression turned panicked. “Please, I—”
“Am I also impure?”
“Please…please…”
The priest struggled to find words, desperately trying to defend his beloved master. However, despite facing the Holy Son’s otherworldly beauty daily, he found himself unable to speak under Nero’s piercing gaze.
Unlike the Holy Son, the young tyrant’s appearance was aggressively beautiful, almost intimidatingly so; his intense pigeon-blood red eyes seemed capable of cutting through one’s soul, forcing submission.
“Dear priest, remember this. The Temple could have faded into history with the Old Federation if Caesar had not chosen to elevate your master to godhood, granting the Temple unprecedented status and glory. Without the empire’s protection, the Temple would have collapsed in numerous religious wars, and you and your master would have been crucified and burned by heretics.
“If you want the Empire’s continued protection, understand its history first. The Kaises Family and the Wolf Knights have been inseparable since their inception. Wherever the Emperor’s iron hoof treads, the wolves’ footprints follow. Daring to bar the White Wolf Knight from the Temple is equivalent to obstructing the Emperor’s baptism. Do you know the penalty for treason under imperial law?”
The temple priest’s face turned bright red, and he could only stammer out a few jumbled words.
Nero no longer looked at him and casually tossed him aside.
“Alexei, follow me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He led the White Wolf Knight straight into the Temple, and no one dared to stop him.
The doors of the Temple slowly closed, leaving the temple priests outside.
There was a long, deserted passageway between the doors and the sanctuary.
The passage was narrow and dark, with no sound except for the faint clinking of the White Wolf Knight’s armor, occasionally echoing in the corridor.
Halfway through, the clinking sound suddenly slowed down.
“Alexei?”
Nero detected hesitation in the White Wolf Knight’s steps.
He turned back and saw that the knight had fallen several meters behind.
This was unprecedented; the White Wolf Knight had always followed closely, guarding him. Though the knight quickly caught up, the few seconds of hesitation were enough for Nero to stop and frown at him.
“What is it?” Nero asked. “Did you notice something unusual?”
“No, Your Majesty.” The White Wolf Knight’s voice was a bit muffled. “No… no anomaly.”
When the same thing happened a third time, Nero abruptly stopped, almost causing the daydreaming White Wolf Knight to bump into him.
“You don’t actually want to enter the sanctuary, do you?”
Nero’s tone turned cold.
“Is it because of the nonsense the priests spouted? Do you really think that one mere Wolf Knight entering the sanctuary could harm the Holy Son’s mental power? That’s just those temple priests trying to make things difficult for the Kaises Emperor they dislike.”
“No, Your Majesty, it’s not that. I just… suddenly…”
Suddenly what, the knight couldn’t say. The tall knight stood in the corridor, his wolf-headed helmet still menacing, but his posture was like a bewildered schoolboy. He seemed to want to follow Nero, but somehow couldn’t take even one step forward.
The System couldn’t hold back any longer: [Oh, don’t mind him, don’t mind him. He’s just worried about the Holy Son, after all. The White Wolf Knight is one of the main characters who secretly harbored feelings for the Holy Son since childhood. Hurry up, Teacher, I can’t wait to see the beautiful Holy Son—]
Nero ignored it and asked again, “Alexei, I just need to know your will. Do you not want to follow me into the Temple because you’re worried it might affect the Holy Son?”
The expression on the White Wolf Knight’s face was hidden under his helmet. After a long silence, he slowly nodded once. But then, as if suddenly waking up, he quickly shook his head.
“Of the Empire’s countless citizens, you are the only one I am unwilling to force.” Nero chuckled softly. “If your affection for the Holy Son can separate you from the Emperor you swore to protect, I will respect your choice.”
With that, he turned and walked deeper into the sanctuary.
Behind him came the sound of armor clinking, as if someone was trying to catch up.
Nero didn’t look back and said, “No need to follow.”
…
Uh-oh
“…if your affection for the Holy Son can separate you from the emperor you swore to protect…”
that hurt deeply
De alguma forma eu gosto muito de Nero e normalmente não sou fã de personagens frios. mas sinto que posso chamar Nero de meu filho e quero protegê-lo de qualquer perigo do mundo
Somehow I really like Nero and I’m not normally a fan of cold characters. but I feel like I can call Nero my son and I want to protect him from any danger in the world
Same!
oooooooo the tension is rising !! thank you for the chapter !!
Kinda have a suspicion that these people affection to the holy son was not natural…
I mean, how could a silver wolf knight who probably haven’t met the holy son himself would already harbor so much feeling to him? 🤔