The prince narrowed his eyes at the monster in the distance, making no effort to hide his shock.
Though he had once been the Empress of the Empire, standing at the pinnacle of secular power, he knew little about this monster. That was only natural—the secular governments had long since reached an understanding: Transcendence belonged to the Holy See, while the secular world belonged to kings.
Even the vast Empire was no exception. Lords held nearly absolute authority over their territories, yet they did not reach into the transcendent world.
It was not because they lacked interest. The greed of nobles always exceeded everyone's expectations; it was because they could not do so.
Transcendent knowledge always carried Pollution. Without a systematic means of dealing with it, even simply learning about it could lead to corruption.
Even with the Empress's authority, all she could do was secure the loyalty of certain families. The Joan Family, for instance, produced Transcendents in nearly every generation and were staunch imperial loyalists, but those Transcendents still ultimately belonged to the Holy See.
If they had to choose between the Holy See and the imperial family, the Joan Family might hesitate, but the Transcendents within the family would certainly side with the Holy See.
For secular lords, the only path to contact with Transcendence was almost always through cults, such as Theus's collaboration with one.
The prince looked at Galahad and, unsurprisingly, found the same baffled expression on his face.
With the Empress's authority, she could help her subordinates gain access to Transcendence, but when it came to accumulated transcendent knowledge and foundations, the Empire could not compare to the Holy See.
That was why Isabella, even if she had to start all over again, still wanted to overthrow the Holy See—as long as the Holy