喵绅HCMOIC士网页版

Chapter 124

The Empire had many medals, but not many were named after individuals.

Especially those awarded by major Imperial departments, selected recipients, and approved by the Imperial family.

There were several reasons for this.

Too much time had passed since the last time a new medal was created, or the argument that naming a medal after one person would diminish the achievements of those who came before.

Or, the concern that since all citizens of the Empire were to hold the Imperial family in the highest regard, a medal named after someone else might elevate that person’s status above the Imperial family.

Of course, this last reason was just speculation, not an official stance.

Nevertheless, there were a few medals named after great individuals.

However, all of them were deceased. There had never been a case where a medal was created for someone who was still alive and well, like in this situation.

“Hmm.”

“Can’t we just pretend this never happened?”

“If it were just two Medals of Honor, maybe. But this… this goes far beyond that level.”

Has anyone in the history of the Empire received the Legion of Honor from the elves? This was a feat that even the first emperor had not achieved. It was that significant.

The elves, with their pride and arrogance, had voluntarily offered him a medal. Many officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believed that such an event would never happen again.

Was it just the elves? Next was Lasker. They held their Twelve Knights in high esteem, and Karl had even received a sword from one of them.

Of course, they had intended to give it to Count Friedrich beforehand, but now only Karl held that qualification.

Furthermore, he remained undefeated against Lasker’s vaunted knights, albeit in friendly matches.

More than half of those victories were won in Lasker itself. They were as proud of their chivalry and honor as the elves, yet Karl had soundly defeated them.

And it didn’t end there. What came next far surpassed both the elves and Lasker.

“Have you heard the news? The 4th Diocese is holding prayer meetings praising Young Lord Karl Adelheit. They say he received the location of the Sacred relic through Goddess’s love.”

“Ugh! That’s why this is a problem. If we say a medal named after the Young Lord is an issue, do you think the Radiant Church will be happy?”

“Even so, this is premature. He’s still in his twenties. If he were in his fifties or sixties, it might be a different story, but there’s no precedent for this.”

The reason why national affairs were always slow and required countless discussions was simple.

They couldn’t leave behind a bad precedent. One wrong precedent could shake public sentiment and overturn the foundation of the nation. The issue of abuse was secondary.

That’s why Imperial officials, despite being criticized, strived not to leave behind such precedents.

The same was true in this case. They acknowledged that Karl’s achievements were remarkable. To deny it would be inhuman. But he was still alive.

And more importantly, he was too young. If they set this precedent, it could be misused in the future, potentially leading to a change in leadership.

Was this an overreaction, paranoia? They admitted it could be. But the worst-case scenario was always like that. They had to anticipate, predict, and work hard to prevent it.

“The Crown Prince seems quite positive about it.”

“His Majesty hasn’t said anything yet.”

“What does the Ministry of War say?”

“They said it would be an honor to have a medal named after someone who received the Medal of Honor twice, but they warned that it could strengthen the military’s influence and we should be cautious.”

That was exactly why this was so difficult.

After all, Karl leaned more towards martial prowess than scholarly pursuits. There were already enough medals for those who had made military contributions. Why create another one?

And even if they did, what about the hierarchy?

The Medal of Honor had been the most prestigious medal since the founding of the Empire.

Would they place a new medal above it? If so, what about those who had already received the Medal of Honor?

Would they need to give them the new medal as well? Placing it below the Medal of Honor was also problematic.

How could it be ranked lower when Karl had received the Medal of Honor twice? Considering the elves, Lasker, and the Radiant Church, it was simply impossible.

As the long and difficult discussion continued, unable to find a solution.

“Your Excellency, new information has arrived.”

“New information?”

“Yes. An official letter from the Radiant Church, or rather, the Holy See.”

The Minister of Home Affairs, wondering what this was about, examined the details.

Soon, he let out a sound, a sigh or an exclamation, it was unclear which.

* * *

“I-I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Please don’t apologize. I can’t bear to hear you apologize to our church’s benefactor. Young Lord Karl Adelheit, this is a handwritten letter from His Holiness the Pope himself.”

“No…”

A pure white envelope was held out to me, bearing a red seal.

My hands trembled for a moment. What was this feeling? Ah, right. It was similar to when I first met the Crown Prince and the Emperor.

Just thinking about that time gave me chills. I never imagined I would meet such figures in person.

‘Well, now the Crown Prince is my brother-in-law, and I wouldn’t mind seeing His Majesty again.’

Of course, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. One was the ruler of the Empire, the other, the future ruler.

And the one who sent me this letter was the central figure of the Radiant Church with its vast influence. It was impossible not to be nervous.

Honestly, I was still dumbfounded.

What? Who sent what? The Pope sent me a letter? And he wrote it himself?

For a moment, I wondered if I should kneel and pray. It was the Pope, after all.

However, the priests and paladins of the Radiant Church standing before me didn’t give me any such instructions.

So, I simply accepted the letter with a respectful demeanor and carefully unfolded it.

“…”

So, what did the Pope write to me?

“His Holiness wishes for you to attend the Feast of All Saints, the Holy Mass, which will be held this summer.”

“The Feast… you say.”

“Yes. If you accept, our Church will take care of everything else.”

Not only did the Pope send a letter himself, but he also extended an official invitation to the Feast. To me, a mere noble.

As far as I knew, this was an honor reserved for a select few who had shown exceptional devotion. I believed in the teachings of the Light, but I wasn’t that devout.

“Hahaha. Well, it’s an unprecedented honor. But am I really worthy of attending? I wouldn’t want to cause any trouble on such a sacred day.”

“Not at all. How could you say such a thing? Especially you, Young Lord Karl Adelheit.”

The priests were aghast, and the paladins shook their heads with stern expressions.

They said, ‘You recovered the Church’s sacred relic. You are a brother loved by the Goddess. Who in the Church would dare to think you shouldn’t attend?”

Well, everyone, I didn’t mean it literally. I was just being polite. So please don’t take it too seriously. I’m afraid you’ll start saying, ‘Who said that?! You! It was you! You Heretic! Purge! Burn him at the stake!’

“Ahem. How could I refuse such a joyous occasion? It’s summer, so I’ll be on break from my studies. I’ll gladly rush to the Holy See.”

“We are grateful for your words, Brother.”

“Oh, and may I keep this letter for myself? Since His Holiness wrote it himself, I would like to cherish it as a treasure forever.”

“Of course. It was sent to you by His Holiness, so naturally, it belongs to you.”

Right? That’s good. I’ll take this with me and give it to Selena’s grandfather.

He’s a very devout believer, isn’t he? He already thinks highly of me, and if I tell him that I received a handwritten letter from the Pope as his granddaughter’s (soon to be)husband, he’ll surely be delighted.

“Ah!”

As I was saying my goodbyes and about to return to the academy, a priest suddenly stopped me.

“Forgive me, Brother. There was something His Holiness added at the end that I forgot to mention.”

“It’s alright. What was it? The last words His Holiness had for me.”

“Well, there was an item that the Cardinals blessed recently.”

A blessing? Ah, this? I took out the greatsword from my bag, and the priest nodded.

“Yes! That’s it!”

“Why…?”

“His Holiness asked you to bring it with you.”

“This one?”

“Yes, Brother. After hearing the story, His Holiness wished to put a good finishing touch on it, so—”

So, the message relayed to me through the priests was that the Pope himself would bless the sword, as the Cardinals’ blessing wasn’t enough.

Oh my. At this rate, it might actually become a holy sword. With the blessings of the Cardinals and the Pope, it would be worthy of the name.

…No, wait. Strictly speaking, it’s not a holy sword. What should we call it?

A holy military greatsword? Anyway.