Ch.161Dangerous Prince

# 4th Prince, Matthias Wittelsbach.

He must be about sixteen years old by now.

Though a prince of the Empire, he was the black sheep who left for the Holy State, declaring he would live as a priest rather than as royalty.

They say Empress Isabella disapproved of Matthias’s studies abroad, but once he departed, she made substantial donations to the Holy State to ensure his well-being.

Was it maternal affection? Or did she have some other scheme in mind?

At the very least, it was from that time that the archbishops of the two churches began openly supporting Ernst’s faction.

After diligently completing his religious education in the Holy State, Matthias was ordained as an official priest of the Church of Saulite at an exceptionally young age.

Perhaps thanks to Carlos the Great’s bloodline, he apparently had sufficient talent as a priest…

But how much Isabella’s donations influenced that decision, only the Church would know.

—-

“I was against it, though.”

Lacy took a sip of holy water.

I’d wondered why it seemed oddly refreshing for water—apparently she had blessed it herself.

Drinking holy water like regular water—such extravagance would be impossible to imitate for anyone but her.

Perhaps that flawless, clear skin was the result.

“Why? Does the 4th Prince have some disqualifying factor?”

I didn’t know much about Matthias.

He was mentioned in the story and setting, but he wasn’t a character who directly appeared in the game.

“Nothing like that. The boy certainly had sufficient qualities to become a priest. His character was pure and devout. He was a bit young, but… that wasn’t a major issue.”

Lacy set down her cup.

Indeed, if one has sufficient ability, age becomes secondary—the living proof was right before my eyes.

She had been appointed as a candidate for sainthood at the age of fifteen, hadn’t she?

A position incomparably higher than that of a mere priest.

“What I was wary of was his status as a prince itself. No matter how much he claimed to have abandoned secular power for faith, worldly affairs don’t work so naively. In fact, in the years since his arrival at the Holy State, the Church of Saulite rapidly became entangled with Imperial politics. To counter this, the Church of Elpinel had no choice but to approach secular power as well.”

The result was two archbishops supporting Ernst.

“It’s not right. The Church becoming excessively involved in secular politics… it could lead to corruption and decay.”

If Ernst becomes Emperor, the deeper Matthias rises within the Church, the stronger the ties between the Imperial House and the Church will grow.

As Lacy said, the Church’s corruption was already halfway begun.

“For someone who says that, you’ve been quite political yourself, haven’t you? You openly helped Leopold’s side in Ainfelt.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I merely followed Elpinel’s will in eliminating monsters. Had the 3rd Prince been the first to march, I would have joined his side.”

With that logic, it would be difficult to expect cooperation.

I had hoped to persuade the archbishop of the Church of Elpinel through Lacy.

Well, if that had been possible, Leopold would have attempted it long ago.

“I see. Then let’s move past that… I’d like to hear why you wanted to see me. Lena told me you came looking for me while I was away.”

“Yes, where should I begin… First, it would be best to start with one important question.”

Lacy’s gaze sharpened.

With piercing eyes, she stared at me while resting her chin on her hand.

In this completely different, interrogative atmosphere, I stared back at her directly.

So this is the main point? She looks quite serious.

Well, the sword of the Great’s Twelve Knights would have great symbolic significance for the Church of Elpinel.

I wonder what she’s trying to say with this buildup.

As long as she’s not asking me to return it, I don’t mind whatever it is.

“The witch, Ophelia. Where is she now?”

…What?

It was an opening statement I never expected.

Enough to almost spill the water cup I was holding.

—-

Witch.

It had been a hundred years since that word was officially mentioned again.

Common knowledge held that the last witches were all exterminated in the witch hunts a century ago.

Though the distinction has somewhat blurred now, a witch originally didn’t simply mean an evil female mage.

Literally, they were women who devoted themselves to dark mana.

It was a term for the corrupted who harbored dark mana in their hearts in exchange for worshipping evil gods.

Indeed, from the Church of Elpinel’s perspective, they would naturally be concerned if a witch they claimed to have eradicated appeared again.

However…

“Ophelia is not a witch.”

Hearing my objection, Lacy narrowed her eyes as if displeased.

“That can’t be. Though it’s known within the Empire as a simple experiment, judging from the circumstances, House Sigmillus was likely a breeding ground for parasitic monsters all along. Otherwise, how could so many mages have been massacred without resistance? Since controlling lesser monsters is one of a witch’s specialties… if the sole survivor isn’t a witch, it would be impossible.”

So witches can control monsters.

That wasn’t mentioned during lectures—was it classified information? I thought Isabella was special.

After all, she was the only woman explicitly shown as a witch in the game.

“A witch is a first-class enemy of the Church. Those who conceal or defend a witch are also enemies of the Church. Even if that person… happens to be the owner of the Sword of Oath.”

Her tone was resolute, as if threatening to send me to the gas chamber if I didn’t confess immediately.

She was so gentle before… is the matter of witches that serious from the Church’s perspective?

…I could use this.

“No, it wasn’t Ophelia’s doing in the first place. If breeding parasitic monsters is a witch’s specialty, then Ophelia was actually framed while dealing with a witch’s minions.”

“…So you don’t deny being the Sword of Oath. Well, we can discuss that later. For now, could you explain in detail what you meant by ‘witch’s minions’?”

Oh, did I fall for her trap?

From her perspective, she merely confirmed what she was already nine-tenths suspicious of, but I took the bait.

I’ve essentially confessed to being the Sword of Oath with my own mouth.

…For now, I should continue with the story about Ophelia and Claire, as Lacy suggested.

“This was something I promised to keep secret… so I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t tell others about it. Would that be possible?”

“If possible. I can’t give a definite answer until I hear the details.”

That should be fine.

Except for the fact of Claire’s survival, everything else will come to light eventually anyway.

“Those insect monsters—I’ve encountered them elsewhere a few days ago, with Ophelia. They were quite formidable opponents, having parasitized master-level knights. The enemy who brought those insects was… Claire van Sigmillus.”

“…You understand the implications of what you’re saying, don’t you?”

Lacy muttered quietly, her expression hardening.

It was the most serious look she had shown so far.

And understandably so. I had just told the candidate for sainthood of the Church of Elpinel that Claire was a witch’s minion.

If Claire is a witch’s minion, then who is the witch behind her?

“Yes. If handling parasitic monsters is a witch’s specialty, then the Empire’s Empress, Isabella Benes Wittelsbach, is the witch.”

“…That’s hard to believe. Can you swear that this accusation is the truth without falsehood? In the name of Elpinel.”

Swear in Elpinel’s name?

Well, I don’t particularly mind, but isn’t that something usually done between people of the same religion?

“I’m not a follower of the Church of Elpinel. Would my oath even have any meaning?”

“At least to me, it would. Elpinel will be watching.”

Lacy nodded and gripped her holy symbol.

If the candidate for sainthood says so, I suppose that’s how it is.

“I swear in Elpinel’s name, this is the truth without any falsehood.”

The moment I finished speaking, a faint light flickered from Lacy’s holy symbol.

“…What was that just now? Some miracle that detects lies?”

That would be quite convenient if such a miracle existed.

It would be like a divine-guaranteed confession extractor.

“No, unfortunately, Elpinel hasn’t granted us such a convenient miracle. All I did was pray. Here, there is one who has sworn by Elpinel’s divine name. Elpinel will remember this oath.”

What does it mean that Elpinel will remember?

Will lightning strike from the sky if it’s proven to be a false oath?

“That’s rather vague… So, do you believe me?”

“At least that you’re not lying. That Empress Isabella is a witch… that’s still hard to believe. Even if the oath is true, you might simply be mistaken. After all, you’re only human.”

She’s not wrong.

If I sincerely believe that Empress Isabella is a witch, the oath would stand regardless of whether it’s actually true.

“Without evidence, it’s difficult to make a hasty judgment. We can’t simply arrest and interrogate the Empire’s Empress like we did a hundred years ago.”

As a candidate for sainthood, she has no choice but to judge cautiously.

I would have done the same, so I couldn’t fault her.

An accusation without a shred of evidence, at this critical time when the Imperial throne is at stake.

Moreover, since I, the accuser, am a political opponent of the Empress, it could be seen as merely a political scheme.

By the way, did they just arrest and investigate people without hesitation a hundred years ago…?

“If we’re talking about evidence, I think we might find some if we search the Imperial Palace.”

“…Let’s leave that as a last resort. Unless you want to be branded a traitor and executed rather than obtaining evidence.”

Lacy’s lukewarm gaze seemed to ask if I was seriously suggesting that.

…I was just throwing it out there.

“If what you say is true and Empress Isabella really is a witch… that would be truly dangerous.”

“Yes, it would be dangerous. Your Church’s archbishop would be handing the Empire over to a witch. If Ernst ascends to the throne as things stand, who knows what might happen…”

—though I actually know quite well.

Once Ernst becomes Emperor, Isabella will remain quiet for a while, but later she’ll deliver a massive backstab.

No, the original story has already become too tangled, so we’ll have to see how things unfold.

“No. That’s not what I’m referring to. The Empire will certainly be in danger, and the Church of Elpinel cannot escape responsibility for that, but what I just called dangerous isn’t that…”

—It’s Prince Matthias.

Lacy pronounced softly.