Ch.8181. Verdi’s Net

“Where have you been?”

The one waiting for me when I returned to Greyfond after coming back from Fernan was the Saintess, Lucia.

The fact that her speech was becoming more casual while wearing the dignified attire of a Saintess was proof that she had grown comfortable with me.

“I keep telling you that we need to show that you and I are having discussions, don’t I?”

Externally, the movements of us two continue to receive attention.

It was known to the public that I, a Spiritmaster, and the Saintess spent time together engaged in deep discussions about the future of the kingdom.

In reality, we were just killing time. We were together only because we needed to sufficiently impress upon the citizens that we were not adversaries.

“I had matters to resolve.”

At my answer, Lucia’s expression twisted strangely.

“In this situation? Do you know how many assassins are coming to kill you out there, and you still do this?”

“Kyaaa! So good, so good!”

At that moment, Findenai burst through the door. The maid uniform she wore was stained with blood in various places.

“There were only three today, but they were quite skilled. Now they’re starting to send only elite forces.”

Findenai had deliberately lured assassins in the city and fought them. She wore a satisfied smile, but…

The Saintess Lucia pointed at Findenai and exclaimed that this was exactly what she wanted to talk about.

“Right, that’s what I was going to say. There’s no reason to deliberately go out and hunt assassins!”

“Huh? They’re coming to kill us, so what did I do wrong?”

Lucia insisted there was no need to go out and lure assassins, while Findenai argued that since they were coming to kill us anyway, what was wrong with killing them first.

While I understood both sides, if I had to take a position, I would side with Findenai this time.

“Her actions are based on necessity.”

“Haha! See that! The master is already completely taken with me and won’t listen to some religious person like you!”

Findenai came right up to me and put her arm around my shoulders. Even though I glared at her to not cross the line, she deliberately pressed her chest against me and replied.

“Are you excited?”

“…Don’t push angular things against me.”

When I spoke harshly out of irritation, Findenai exploded in the opposite direction.

“Angular things? Do you know how precious these are!”

Findenai proudly thrust out her chest as she shouted.

At the obscene scene, Lucia blushed and lowered her head, while I closed my eyes briefly, too annoyed to deal with it.

Snorting, Findenai grumbled at my reaction and went to a corner of the room to start doing something.

I calmly opened my eyes again and looked at Lucia.

“Anyway, Findenai was only doing what I needed her to do.”

The characteristics of the assassins, their manner of speech, the names of gods they invoked…

Comprehensive reports had been continuously coming in from Findenai, and I was using them to track the roots of the assassins.

“At first, they randomly called upon different gods, but now they’ve unified under Hertia.”

“…The bishops who worship the goddess Hertia are friendly to us.”

While it felt like an attempt to make me suspect the Hertia faction, I couldn’t think of it so simply.

It could be a double-bluff, with Hertia’s priests actually sending the assassins.

It was a kind of rock-paper-scissors game.

But recklessly lifting the veil and striking carried great risk.

If I made the wrong move, I, as a Spiritmaster, could be painted as someone who oppresses religion.

“The unification under the goddess Hertia suggests that the groups sending assassins have formed some kind of cooperative relationship.”

I don’t leave the royal palace, and only Findenai, who has information related to me, goes out to slaughter the assassins.

They would inevitably have to join forces.

“But thanks to Findenai’s good work, they’ll try to pressure me in other ways.”

Even if they want to challenge me through religious doctrine, I wield holy power and additionally have the Saintess on my side.

Even if they want to assassinate me to end the situation despite taking damage, the demon Findenai stands firmly in their way.

So it was obvious they would try a different approach.

“Do you have something else in mind?”

With Lucia’s question, a teacup was extended from the side. Findenai had brewed tea.

Postponing my answer briefly, I frowned at the teacup.

“I told you not to brew tea.”

I clearly remembered telling her it tasted like pig urine and was a waste of tea leaves. But Findenai snorted and shouted.

“Ah, really. I brew it well now.”

With a subtle expression, I cautiously took it, savored the aroma, and brought it to my lips.

Then I immediately put it down.

“Take it away.”

“…”

“I’ll give you credit for progressing from pig urine to pig.”

“I got a terrible master.”

Findenai took the teacup away, muttering that it was crap. Then she took a sip herself.

“Blegh!”

And rushed to the bathroom.

From what I could tell, she wasn’t just brewing tea but steeping something else in it as well.

“…”

Lucia was watching us with a blank expression, as if viewing a play.

I returned the conversation to its original topic.

“Yes, rather than striking at me directly, they’ll try to approach indirectly and twist things. I’ve anticipated this. I’ve already scattered bait for them to eat.”

“Bait?”

Lucia didn’t understand what I meant. While there was no need to explain everything to her, I tapped my cheek with my finger and answered.

“Do you remember the gauze on my cheek when we first met at the Mersen restaurant?”

“I’d rather not talk about that time, but yes, I remember.”

To Lucia’s uncomfortable reply, I smiled slightly and said.

“It was a wound made by my brother Darius.”

“The Count of Norsweden? You seemed to get along well with your younger sister, but are you not on good terms with the Count?”

True to her role as a Saintess, Lucia immediately showed concern. I was a bit surprised by her opinion that I got along well with Deia, but anyway.

I shook my head.

“No, it was a deliberately created wound.”

And on my face, at that.

It needed to be prominently visible.

Because we needed to publicly announce that the relationship between Darius and me was not good.

Since it was before the Great Debate at the time, it would be even more effective.

It was bait I had prepared in advance for the bishops who were desperately trying to find fault with me.

They would probably see a glimmer of hope. They would rejoice at finding a tiny hole in what seemed like an impenetrable wall.

But it won’t take them long to realize that the place where they were swimming so hard was already inside a net.

* * *

Darius, who normally didn’t have a habit of shaking his leg, couldn’t help but feel nervous now.

He took a deep breath while looking at the letter in his hand.

Although his brother Deus had explained the situation to him before he returned to Norsweden, actually facing it directly made him nervous.

‘I wonder if I can do this well.’

The upcoming conversation with the cleric. He worried whether he, a warrior, could verbally handle these snake-like religious people.

‘I must succeed.’

He couldn’t falter here.

Thinking that it was time to show his dignity as the head of the family, Darius made a resolution.

Knock knock.

“Master, a guest has arrived.”

The butler’s voice came from outside.

“Let him in.”

Darius spoke in a deep voice, his expression filled with irritation.

The person who entered through the door opened by the butler was a thin man. Though his attire was ordinary, he exuded the scent of perfume and an air of nobility.

It was the typical demeanor of a church official.

– First impressions are important. Don’t hide your displeasure.

Deus’s calm voice echoed in his mind. Darius snorted and asked.

“What brings you to this remote region? Even your gods don’t seem particularly interested in the north!”

The cleric hesitated momentarily at this extremely rude remark in their first meeting, but calmly bowed his head in greeting.

“I am honored to meet the Giant of the North, the great wall that is the Margrave of Norsweden.”

“Hmph.”

He made no effort to hide his displeasure. It wasn’t actually that difficult once he started.

“Get to the point. I don’t particularly want to talk with your kind.”

“As you wish. Actually, regarding your younger brother, Deus Verdi…”

BANG!

– When my name comes up, react passionately. Slamming the desk would be perfect.

– You’ll do fine, it’s what you do all the time anyway.

Remembering Deia’s teasing expression, he slammed his fist on the desk. The sound reverberated throughout the room, startling even the cleric.

“You dare mention that scoundrel’s name in front of me?”

– Also, it’s important to bring up topics that would be difficult for them to broach.

“I should have killed that bastard before he was expelled from the royal court. I shouldn’t have stopped at just beating him with my fists.”

The Verdi family had produced a Black Mage. As the head of the family, Darius was furious.

That was the scenario, at least.

In reality, the Verdi family was indeed being avoided by the surrounding nobility.

Even though the royal court had acknowledged him, the preconceptions and traditions that had accumulated until now still persisted.

“So, the wound on his face before the Great Debate was indeed made by you, Lord Darius.”

The cleric smiled faintly.

He was pleased to have confirmed that it was Darius who had inflicted the wound on Deus’s face.

Darius was confident that he had almost taken the bait.

“Yes! It was already at my limit to turn a blind eye to his behavior like a stray dog while staying in Norsweden, and now what? A Black Mage? I have no face to show to the past heads of our family!”

While snorting, Darius glared at the cleric with a fierce killing intent.

“So. Did you come here to mention that dog and ruin my mood? If so, you’ve succeeded splendidly.”

At Darius’s growl, which seemed to ask if he could take responsibility for what came next, the cleric immediately knelt down and exclaimed.

He thought this was the watershed moment.

“I know well that the Margrave dislikes the Spiritmaster. That is why I have come to help the Margrave.”

“Help me?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Looking at the back of the kneeling man’s head, Darius couldn’t hide the smile that occasionally slipped out.

He thought he might be caught here after having taken the bait so completely, but…

– Sigh, if you think you’re going to be discovered, just get angry. Brutishly. That’s more like you.

“How dare you help me! I’ll deal with my own blood! I don’t need any help from religious types like you!”

He slammed his fist on the desk again with a bang. The desk was so forcefully hit that it split in two.

The cleric trembled but clearly felt the extent of Darius’s anger toward Deus.

‘Ah, that was expensive.’

Darius was only worried about the scolding he would receive from Deia for breaking the expensive desk.