Ch.431First Hearing

The Special Crusader Unit’s excessive loyalty was somewhat embarrassing, but Lacy’s plan seemed to be proceeding quite smoothly. Almost as if heaven itself was helping her.

Finally, the first hearing began.

Since only Cardinal-level personnel were responsible for hearings involving high-ranking officials, only seven Cardinals and their guards were gathered in the hearing chamber. Originally, eleven people should have been present… but two were finished, and another two had fled.

“…I’m surprised you came willingly. I thought you would refuse the summons with some excuse or another.”

The three Cardinals of the Holy Solar Alliance openly glared at Lacy, and the remaining two from the Sacred Night Struggle Council didn’t look particularly friendly either. Judging by their demeanor, either the agreement made with Paulus hadn’t been conveyed to those two, or even if it had, it became meaningless the moment Paulus died.

“Since there isn’t even a shadow of doubt in my heart or actions, I have no reason to fear wrongful questioning, do I?”

When Lacy responded without yielding an inch, the five Cardinals openly showed their discomfort and cleared their throats.

—-

After the five Cardinals entered the hearing room, Herman, who had been quietly observing, approached Lacy and offered brief words of encouragement. Lacy responded with a respectful attitude completely different from before. With Paulus dead, Herman of the Church of Ausrine was the only Cardinal on her side.

The last Cardinal, Philips of the Church of Vimos, had an extremely long face, about one and a half times longer than others, with donkey-like ears, large eyes, and an expressionless face that gave him a strange, alien quality.

…His face really looks weird. Is he even human?

Anyway, he seemed completely uninterested in Lacy and was looking curiously only at me instead. Though he didn’t actually speak to me.

—-

Shortly after Lacy and the Cardinals entered the inner hearing room, the hearing began. I leisurely smoked a cigarette outside the door, eavesdropping on the Cardinals’ questioning and Lacy’s responses.

The Cardinals’ guards glanced at me with curious and wary looks, but I wasn’t particularly concerned. Most were high-ranking Paladins, and they seemed quite skilled… but not enough to pose a threat to me.

Paladins often have a significant gap between their outward aura and actual ability due to variables like divine powers… But even so. Are these really the best forces each church has to offer?

No, perhaps not. Their real strength might be elsewhere. Using their best forces as personal guards would be a waste of resources.

Lacy is doing the same thing though… well, that’s because she’s essentially entered enemy territory.

Anyway, from what I could overhear, Lacy seemed to be handling the Cardinals’ questioning very well.

“Not only did you establish the unprecedented organization of a General Diocese, but you’ve also maintained an excessively close relationship with the Radiant Emperor… Have you forgotten the ancestors’ admonition not to collude with secular politics?”

“The establishment of the General Diocese, a decision-making body separate from the Holy State, was absolutely necessary to punish the witch seated in the heart of the Empire. If we waited for instructions from the Holy State for every matter, our response would be too delayed. In fact, wasn’t the result of such delay the collapse of the Imperial Palace followed by civil war?”

It was logically sound. Given the lack of immediate communication between the two countries, even if the Holy State issued orders, they would typically be relevant to situations from ten days prior.

For broad, long-term directives like the church’s quarterly action guidelines, a ten-day delay wouldn’t matter much. But in wartime situations where everything could change drastically in a single day, expecting people to act according to the Holy State’s orders was nothing but impractical armchair theory.

Of course, the real reason for the delay was that Leopold and I had been overly cautious… But how would the Cardinals who had been in the Holy State know those details?

“Moreover, even when the Secret Martyrdom Apostolate finally arrived, they were helplessly killed because information was leaked from ‘somewhere.’ Surely, only the Cardinals and I knew about their dispatch.”

“…You speak as if one of us leaked the information?”

Additionally, Lacy subtly accused the Cardinals. Suggesting that one of them might be a spy passing information to the witch.

“You should refrain from making accusations without proof. By that logic, we also find it strange that while the dispatched Apostolate was annihilated, only you survived.”

Astrae Church’s Cardinal, Ernliter Zaiseus, refuted Lacy’s words. Implying that she might have killed them and staged the whole thing.

It was clearly nonsense since Lacy had nearly died herself, but I could see why the Cardinals might harbor such suspicions. After all, Lacy had used the presence of a traitor among the Cardinals as justification to persuade the Empire’s archbishops.

“Even so, was there any reason to forcibly integrate the other dioceses?”

“Because if the dioceses within the Empire don’t cooperate with one mind and instead insist on their own methods, it creates serious inefficiencies. In the worst case, the dioceses might become divided over whether to participate in the war, hindering each other. Just look at Archbishop Rainfeld of the Church of Saulite, who tried to remain neutral and ignore the witch’s threat.”

When Karnius of the Church of Saulite criticized the diocese integration, Lacy countered by essentially telling him to manage his own archbishop better. Subtly mocking the current Holy State where the churches are divided.

“……”

Karnius fell silent. Having his church member’s actions openly criticized, his face must have turned red.

—-

The hearing continued for several hours.

The Cardinals persistently criticized Lacy’s actions, but she poured out prepared rebuttals without a moment’s hesitation.

To the accusation that she was too close to the Imperial Family, she responded that it was only natural for the descendants of Carlos the Great, who had vanquished the witch, to receive support from the Church of Elpinel, using the Great’s sanctity as a shield. When a Cardinal criticized Drexler Cardinal’s “retirement,” she dismissed it as an internal church matter.

“Don’t change the subject! Didn’t you oust Drexler because you coveted the Cardinal’s position?”

“…Your insult goes too far, Cardinal Rosoff. If I had truly craved power, wouldn’t there be only two living people in this room—myself and Lord Median?”

It was an overt threat, but no one could refute it.

The strongest people gathered here were just six high-ranking Paladins. If I had brought just one or two more of my companions currently lounging at the cathedral, we could have cut them to pieces and ended the hearing in an instant.

Of course, doing so would mean going to war with the entire Holy State. A war that would bring nothing but loss even if we won.

Anyway, Lacy’s threat must have been quite effective, as the day’s hearing soon ended inconclusively. They simply postponed to the next session without reaching any real conclusion.

“Next time, they’ll likely come with twice as many guard knights as today. They probably restrained themselves today out of awareness of your strength… but their goal was never to determine right from wrong, but to pressure me into declaring the dissolution of the Imperial General Diocese.”

“How petty. What kind of behavior is this for clergymen?”

Using force to pressure a girl not even twenty years old to get what they want. All because she damaged their authority and power.

“As people age, their vision tends to narrow, and sometimes their personalities change drastically. The Ghost Blade was like that too, wasn’t he?”

Lacy smiled lightly as if understanding and defending them.

No, come to think of it, this isn’t a defense but a barb. She’s essentially saying they’ve grown old, blind to everything, and their personalities have twisted like dogs.

—-

Anyway, the first hearing ended without any unusual incidents, and the Holy State regained temporary stability.

Considering Lacy and the Cardinals baring their teeth at each other, and the Free Crusader Unit occupying two cities and reorganizing their forces… it was a precarious peace, like a jester dancing on the edge of a blade, too unstable to even be called a house of cards.

However, it seems that even such a brief respite was utterly unacceptable to someone.

That evening, a report came in that Erich Rudolf, Cardinal of the Church of Kranus, had been attacked by someone. He barely survived but suffered serious injuries.

The Cardinal assassination incident, which had been suppressed by framing others, was threatening to resurface.