Ch.534Lacy’s Reform

While I was sound asleep, Lacy eliminated the head of the Church of Ceres in a single night, wiping out the remaining opposition in the Holy City.

No one could stop her progress. With righteous cause and public support behind her, plus my name as her backing, Lacy was essentially a bulldozer with a claymore attached.

A murderous bulldozer that sent every obstacle in her path straight to the afterlife. A killdozer, so to speak.

Even excluding Paulus and Wolfgang, at least five cardinals had fallen directly by Lacy’s hand, so no one wanted to be the sixth.

There was no one left in the Holy City with greater power than her, and even the Church of Astraea, the only one that could potentially restrain her, showed no intention of intervening as long as she had legitimate cause.

Probably because of me.

If I had opposed Lacy, the Church of Astraea would have condemned her actions, but far from opposing her, I was actually supporting her. So they adopted an attitude of tolerance as long as she didn’t cross any lines.

Come to think of it, without me, Lacy couldn’t have attempted any forceful measures in the first place. Even this recent incident was possible because I rode around the city on a unicorn, demonstrating my well-being to everyone in the Holy City.

Had I shown my face, people would have realized I was weakened, but thanks to the veil I wore, the citizens who didn’t know the situation saw me as having recovered from my injuries.

The Churches of Imela and Ausrine, which had initially been reluctant to agree with Lacy’s proposal for a surprise attack on the Church of Ceres, gave their consent as soon as I reappeared.

—-

The first thing Lacy did after seizing real power in the Holy City was to reform the governing system that formed the foundation of the Holy State.

Everyone thought she would ascend to the position of Saint and rule the Holy State, but Lacy took a completely different path than expected.

Saint—a position like the throne of the Holy State that only one person per generation could attain. Yet when it was within her grasp, instead of becoming the queen of the churches, she destroyed the throne itself.

Of course, I don’t mean she physically smashed it—rather, she abolished the existing governance structure where a Saint elected by the cardinals’ council ruled the Holy State.

“I thought you would choose to be appointed as Saint. Or put Agnes on the throne as originally planned.”

Leaning back on the sofa in the reception room, I chewed on a grape that had been served instead of dessert and asked her why she had made such a choice.

“It wouldn’t have been difficult now. But nothing would change that way. It might be fine while I’m alive, but after I return to Elpinel, division and conflict would arise again.”

“Hmm… so?”

“Through this homecoming, I realized something. There isn’t just one god who protects humanity, nor is there only one person who bears the Stigmata, yet the position of Saint is singular—that’s the root of all these power struggles.”

Lacy saw the position of Saint itself as the source of factional conflict. The past pattern where the power dynamics between churches shifted dramatically with each new Saint had driven the cardinals to obsess over strengthening their influence rather than dedicating themselves to sincere faith.

“So you abolished the position of Saint?”

“More like… dispersed it. What was actually abolished was the ambiguous position of ‘Saint Candidate.'”

Her argument was that the title of Saint Candidate itself was excessively secular and blasphemous.

Since they all received the Stigmata, they could all be considered equally sacred, yet some were recognized as Saints and granted absolute authority while others were merely called “Saint Candidates” for their entire lives.

It seemed to her that the very word “candidate” attached to direct representatives chosen by the gods was incredibly blasphemous due to the secular governance structure.

“Therefore, I told the cardinals that we should eliminate the term ‘Saint Candidate’ altogether and call all such individuals Saints.”

“Cardinal Ernliter actually accepted such a proposal.”

Officially recognizing all Saint Candidates from every church as Saints meant dispersing the governing power that the position of Saint had previously held.

The title of Saint would no longer designate the leader of the Holy State but would merely carry the authority of representing each church.

I thought that while he might tolerate Lacy’s radical actions, his stubborn personality wouldn’t allow him to cooperate with changing the traditions and principles of the Holy State itself.

“It’s thanks to Median. In a private meeting, Median suggested that he would like to be recognized not simply as ‘Astraea’s Saint Candidate’ but as the ‘Saint of Order.’ Though it would never be publicly announced, that alone seemed meaningful to him.”

…He’s really making good use of me.

—-

Thus, three Saints were born in the Holy State. Officially, there were only two.

Saint of Grace, Lacy “Elmaine” Stardolf.

Saint of Moon and Dreams, Agnes “Menesilia.”

Saint of Order and Justice, Haschal “Astika” Median Aishan-Gioro.

Astika was apparently a baptismal name traditionally given to the Saint of the Church of Astraea.

Though I hadn’t been baptized, being recognized as the Saint of the Order Church by the cardinal meant receiving the name Astika was only natural.

Ka’har, the Empire, and now the Holy State—I’ve essentially become a triple citizen, making my name ridiculously long.

If I inherit Landenburg, will “von Landenburg” be added to that as well…?

People hearing it for the first time would struggle to remember it.

—-

Lacy’s announcement to abolish the position of Saint Candidate caused major ripples throughout the Holy State.

The announcement was essentially a declaration that Lacy had no intention of taking the throne of the Holy State and would instead distribute the power she would have held among the Saint Candidates of each church.

But that wasn’t all.

She argued that for the Holy State to regain stability, it needed to return to the old notion of prioritizing the words of the gods over secular laws. To achieve this, she claimed that the status of Saint Candidates, who had been below the cardinals according to Holy State law, should be elevated to become the chief representatives of each church, replacing the cardinals.

She insisted that the tradition of secular cardinals ranking above the Stigmata bearers who represented the gods’ will was the very cause of the Holy State’s secularization—in other words, its rapid corruption.

A position with less power than the previous Saint but stronger authority than the former Saint Candidates—that was the new Saint position as defined by Lacy.

Had she made such statements when she was merely a Saint Candidate, they would have been dismissed as agitation to strengthen her own power.

However, having willingly given up absolute power when it was within her reach, no one could accuse her actions of stemming from a lust for power.

The citizens, too, couldn’t help but praise Lacy, whose behavior contrasted sharply with the power-hungry cardinals.

—-

“Assassination?”

Lacy brought up this unexpected topic while I was enjoying an evening stroll in the cathedral garden after dinner and putting Lena to bed, smoking a cigarette.

She looked exhausted around the eyes, having apparently just finished her work.

Reforming the centuries-old traditions of the Holy State was no simple task. Since arresting Rosoff and abolishing the Saint Candidate position, she seemed several times busier than before.

She spent all day buried in piles of documents or meeting with key figures from other churches, sometimes even skipping meals.

Meanwhile, I had been resting like an idle man and had just come out for some light exercise as my strength seemed to be gradually returning.

“Yes. I learned while interrogating Rosoff that he had planned to attempt an assassination while you were bedridden. He thought that if you were eliminated, my actions would be constrained.”

…Was I almost killed in my sleep? No, that doesn’t seem right…

“The way you’re telling me this as if it’s the first I’m hearing of it suggests no one knew about it… So how am I still alive? Did he just plan it without carrying it out?”

“I killed all the assassins, didn’t I?”

Damn, that startled me.

I jerked my shoulders and turned my head at the sudden voice from beside me.

In the darkness of night, only a pair of bright eyes and lightly smiling teeth floated in the air, gleaming.

A darkness concealment technique impossible for humans. Half-black, half-yokai Hush, who utilized the racial characteristics of black people better than anyone, was somehow already beside me.

“When did you get here…?”

“Huh? I’ve been resting here from the beginning?”

Was that so? Since it’s impossible to distinguish with the eyes alone and must be detected by sensing presence, I failed to notice due to my abnormal physical condition.

“Ah, right… Next time, don’t just stay quiet—come forward and at least greet me.”

“Yes! I’ll do that!”

That really startled me. Even though my body isn’t in top condition, to not notice at this distance… Is this level of concealment possible in places without light?

…Isn’t she more dangerous than I thought?

Direct confrontation might be difficult, but at this level, she could probably assassinate even a Master at night.

“So, what did you just say? That you killed all the assassins?”

“Yes. I killed them all and buried them in the garden!”

…This garden? Right under my feet are fertilizers made from assassins?

“Their skills weren’t bad, but… the moment assassins attempt to kill is when they’re most vulnerable. I targeted that moment and snapped their necks!”

“This is the first I’m hearing of this. Why didn’t you report it?”

“Um… was I supposed to report it?”

Caught off guard by Lacy’s questioning, Hush tilted her head. In the black darkness, seeing only her eyes and mouth tilting was incredibly eerie.

No, of course you should have reported it. Isn’t that common sense?

“It’s such a common occurrence in Holon that I didn’t think it was worth mentioning… I’ll report it from now on!”

But common sense for humans didn’t exist for a half-black, half-yokai who received her home education in brothels and social dens.

Apparently, assassins, thieves, and rapists sneaking into bedrooms was an everyday occurrence happening every three or four days.

That’s why she never thought to report it.

Unless it was a formidable enemy she couldn’t handle, ambushes that she could deal with herself were too trivial to even mention.