Ch.8383. Triumphant Return

“Ahem.”

The underground chapel in Greyfond.

The Griffin Kingdom had waged so many invasive wars that this place was originally built as an underground shelter in case they were invaded, but now it was merely a secret meeting place for high-ranking bishops.

“Oh God.”

“Lord Bellas, please do not abandon us.”

“Blessings upon Griffin.”

Right now, all the bishops were waiting for the results of the assassination attempt on Spiritmaster Deus.

Of course, befitting their position as bishops, they were praying with their hands folded and eyes closed, but in truth, their lips were merely moving out of habit while they couldn’t hide their anxiety.

Kneeling, swaying their bodies back and forth as they prayed to their god—it was fanatical, for better or worse.

Would their god place the sweat shed during labor and the sweat these people were shedding now on the same level?

It was a moment that raised a strange question.

Thump, thump.

At that moment, heavy footsteps could be heard. Outside, there was a brief violent commotion, but it soon quieted down.

“……”

Though no one said anything, everyone closed their mouths simultaneously. With the sound of prayers ceasing, the footsteps echoed even louder.

Was the assassination successful or had it failed?

If it failed, there was no certainty that another opportunity to assassinate Deus Verdi would come again.

Even Darius, who had cooperated with them, would no longer show them trust.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Thinking they couldn’t miss this chance, the bishops desperately clasped their hands together and looked toward the entrance.

The owner of the footsteps had already reached the door.

Creeeak.

The door opened wide with an old squeaking sound like a woman’s scream.

“D-D-D…!”

At most, one of the bishops could stutter to this extent. Most of the bishops felt their lips trembling and their minds about to collapse from dizziness.

Standing at the entrance was not a messenger bringing urgent news about the assassination.

It was the assassination target himself, Spiritmaster Deus Verdi.

“H-how?”

Looking at the bishop who asked in despair, Deus answered calmly.

“It’s just like thinking a turtle is hiding when it’s in its shell. I’ve known all along that you were gathering here.”

He was here, when they thought he would be in the carriage departing for Norsweden.

The assassination was not just a failure, but a complete disaster.

Because now it was revealed that the bishops were the culprits.

“There are quite a lot of Lord Bellas’s bishops. Goddess Hertia, Justia, Raizer, Robelisk. Quite a gathering.”

A congregation of religions.

Of course, not all bishops who served these deities were involved. For example, most of the bishops who served Goddess Hertia had already aligned themselves favorably with Deus.

But.

“Considering your position as bishops, this won’t end with just your heads rolling.”

At my words, the bishops clutched their chests in shock or lowered their heads with gloomy groans.

These people held high positions within their respective denominations.

The mere fact that such individuals, who had received divine power and were officially recognized by the royal family, had attempted to assassinate a royal-approved Spiritmaster was a great disgrace to their denominations, and they would have no grounds to protest if the royal family imposed sanctions.

That is, if they had attempted to assassinate the Spiritmaster.

Unfortunately, the incident had already crossed too many lines to end so simply.

And Deus had no intention of letting it go either.

“What you should be worrying about now is not how to beg for my mercy or make excuses.”

“…?”

Facing the bishops who were praised for their wisdom, Deus extended his hand and asked:

“I am here now. Then who was the being in the carriage to which you sent the assassin?”

“……”

A chill ran down the bishops’ spines. Starting with Deus’s words, they began to realize that the situation had gone terribly wrong.

“Could it be…?”

One bishop opened his mouth wide with a flash of realization.

If Deus was speaking to this extent, it wasn’t just a decoy.

Rather, their thoughts reached the conclusion that it must be someone with even greater impact than the Spiritmaster himself.

At that moment.

The entire underground chapel began to shake. At first, it seemed like an earthquake, but the footsteps echoing like a herd made the bishops feel unprecedented terror.

“Ah.”

“Lord Bellas…”

“Gurk!”

Someone let out a sigh.

Someone called out the name of their god.

Someone foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness.

Red armor so glossy it was almost too bright to be called blood-colored.

Knights who were the sword protecting the royal family and, along with the Magic Inquisitors, formed one of the pillars of Griffin’s greatest military strength.

The Royal Guard.

And at the forefront, commanding them all, the red-haired woman Gloria drew her sword and declared:

“You are under arrest as suspects in the attempted assassination of His Majesty Orpheus.”

At those words, the bishops looked at Deus with disbelieving expressions.

Facing them as they seemed about to cry in despair, Deus said without changing his expression:

“Don’t cry out to your god too much. Soon you’ll be in prison, where you can do as much of that as you want.”

* * *

“Sigh.”

“Your sighs have increased.”

During a regular meeting with Lucia, I found myself irritated watching the Saintess who had come to my office and was sighing.

“I can’t help it. All the churches in Griffin are like funeral homes right now.”

Days filled with floods of tears, prayers of apology to the gods, or fingers pointed at the bishops who had instigated the assassination attempt.

But King Orpheus had begun extending his reach to the nobility as well, claiming there was circumstantial evidence that this incident wasn’t simply a matter of the bishops alone, but that there were backers involved.

Whether such evidence actually existed wasn’t worth questioning.

Even if it didn’t exist, he had intended to create it, and with ledgers full of bribes from nobles scattered everywhere, it was easy enough to use those to implicate them.

From now on, Greyfond and the royal family would be busy purging corrupt nobles and keeping in check those who had grown powerful enough to threaten royal authority.

Knowing this, Lucia couldn’t help but sigh.

“What will you do now? The power of religion and nobility has weakened, and royal authority is stronger than ever. The anger over the attempted assassination of His Majesty Orpheus is so justified that it could go in any direction without seeming strange.”

“There’s no need to worry about that.”

If it had been a real assassination attempt, Orpheus wouldn’t have been able to remain so calm.

He might have been frantically searching for traitors.

But this was completely a trap I had set, so while the anger was as hot as black lava, Orpheus wielding it was as cold as a snow-covered mountain.

He wouldn’t recklessly wield his anger.

“By the way, where is Findenai?”

Lucia glanced around.

Deia had already left for Norsweden, and without the noisy maid who was always with me, it felt somewhat empty.

Clank!

Speak of the devil—Findenai burst through the door.

She was holding huge bags in both hands, which had wheels like suitcases so they could be pulled along.

“Master, I’ve packed all the luggage.”

“Luggage? Where are you going?”

Lucia looked back and forth between me and Findenai in confusion. I answered as I organized the book I had been reading.

“I’m returning to Robern Academy.”

If I leave now, I’ll arrive around the end of the first semester. I should at least be able to make a brief appearance.

“Did I hear that correctly?”

Lucia tapped her ears a few times and then asked me again.

“W-where did you say you’re going?”

“Don’t ask again when you already know.”

When I told her not to needlessly confirm, Lucia burst out in anger.

“You’re leaving after creating all this chaos in Greyfond?! Does that make any sense?!”

She urgently approached and pounded on the desk. Her eyes were wide open, revealing her emotions clearly.

“Do you know how many nobles are approaching me for negotiation? They’re saying they’ll donate as much as needed if I can just persuade His Majesty to calm down.”

“……”

“Even nobles from houses with firm standing are coming to me with handfuls of gold coins! That’s how far His Majesty’s anger is reaching in all directions.”

“……”

“In this situation, if you show that you can hold His Majesty’s reins, you could solidify your position considerably.”

I was honestly a bit surprised.

I knew she wasn’t just a woman who prayed to her god, but I didn’t expect her to analyze the current situation so coolly and identify where the advantage lay.

It actually made me trust her more, so I stepped around the desk and placed my hand on her shoulder.

“I’m glad you understand so well. I won’t need to explain.”

I had originally planned to explain to Lucia what she needed to do next, but it seemed unnecessary. She already knew.

“Talk with His Majesty, build up debts with the nobles, and become a hero who saved the religious community in the eyes of the remaining bishops and citizens. That will help you greatly in your future movements.”

“…Me? Isn’t that something you should do?”

At those words, I shook my head with a hollow laugh.

“I am a necromancer reserved for the lion. That position doesn’t suit me.”

“Ah…”

“When Robern Academy’s first semester ends and vacation begins, I will travel throughout the kingdom eliminating evil spirits. I suppose I’ll see you around that time.”

“I… guess so.”

Lucia looked at me with apparent regret. I had already spoken with King Orpheus and Archmage Rockpellican about this.

The political nerve war would continue, but the royal family already had the title of victim.

Since they were essentially entering the situation with half a victory already secured, there wouldn’t be major problems.

What followed was the work of politicians, and there was no need for me to get involved.

“Well then, I’ll see you later.”

“Yawn. I need to get some sleep on the carriage ride.”

Findenai and I said our goodbyes to Lucia, who was staring at us blankly, and left the palace.

After several days of travel, we arrived at Robern Academy.

Since I hadn’t announced my return in advance, I didn’t expect anyone to come greet me.

I just planned to quietly return and spend time in the research lab that Professor Per Petra would have prepared for me.

“……”

Surprisingly, there was someone waiting for me at the academy entrance.

Red hair with a slight crimson tint, different from Knight Commander Gloria’s.

A lean build, but with well-defined muscles throughout his body, along with striking features.

“S-S-Spiritmaster… sir.”

Gideon Zeronia, who had targeted Erika Bright, trembled with anger as he bowed his head to me.

“Please spare my family just this once.”

The Zeronia family, counted among the largest and most prestigious noble houses in the royal court.

Naturally, the bigger they were, the more vulnerable they were to attack.

It seemed His Majesty’s anger had reached the Zeronias.