Chapter 145: William’s Rebellion

It seems like the hero is no longer needed at this point.

Rather, the saint in the hero’s party has been tarnishing that very name lately.

No matter how I look at it, there’s no answer to this situation.

How about stripping the hero of his authority in the name of the Goddess Church?

Even if the Holy Sword chooses the hero, ultimately, the current hero’s skills are being questioned.

Perhaps, from now on, the continent’s political landscape might change because of that one saint.

Besides, the magical weapons created by the Empire will utterly crush the Demon King’s army.

Who knows, maybe even the Four Heavenly Kings will fall.

Regardless of whether the saint, Olivia, falls into corruption or continues to live as she does now…

‘Honestly, is there even any meaning in that woman falling?’

‘Even if she does, how far could she possibly fall?’

‘She’s already being used to her limits by the Emperor.’

‘If anything, she might end up mentally stronger.’

At that moment, I sensed movement outside.

Wondering what it was, I turned my head toward the door, only to see the cardinal bursting in urgently.

Judging by his state, something serious must have happened.

“Your Holiness, this is a disaster! What should we do?”

“What now? Did something happen again?”

“Father? What is it that has you in such a panic?”

“Cardinal, what is the meaning of this appearance?”

For the cardinal to look like this… ‘Just what on earth has happened?’

“It’s… Sir William! He has led the Holy Knights and is slaughtering the priests!”

“What…?!”

‘Did William finally go through with it?’

‘Does he think the papal throne is worth committing such a senseless act?’

I truly cannot comprehend this.

“Elias, gather the remaining Holy Knights at once and escort His Holiness!”

“Yes! But, Father, what about you?”

“I must deal with William!”

Saying only that, the cardinal dashed outside.

“That fool really did it in the end.”

Glacia shook his head in disbelief.

This is a nightmare.

A rebellion—by that fool of all people.

And in the Holy Kingdom, no less.

Never in the history of the Holy Kingdom has such a revolt occurred.

That imbecile has now etched his name into history.

“Your Holiness, we must leave immediately!”

“Leave? And go where?”

‘If I really think about it, this is all my fault.’

‘If I had realized what William was planning sooner—if I had seen beyond our shared bloodline—maybe this wouldn’t have happened.’

What am I supposed to do now?

“The Mage Corps! We still have the Mage Corps!”

‘The Mage Corps? But they are not of the Holy Kingdom. They belong to the Empire.’

“The Mage Corps? Are you suggesting we rely on the Empire?”

For the Pope of the Holy Kingdom to seek refuge with the Empire—what a disgrace that would be.

“Your Holiness, you are practically the living god of the Holy Kingdom! If you are captured by Sir William, the Holy Kingdom will become nothing more than a monarchy!”

“Yes. That is inevitable.”

‘That bastard William is trying to seize the Holy Kingdom and make himself a king.’

‘If only I had chosen someone else as Pope earlier and handed over the position, those who followed William would have had no cause for complaint, and he would have had no justification for this rebellion.’

‘So what now?’

“Then what do you propose?”

‘Am I really supposed to abandon the Holy Kingdom and flee?’

“If Sir William seizes full control here, the Goddess Church is finished. Fortunately, there are still groups in the Empire that worship the Goddess. You should go to the Mage Corps and join the saint of the Empire.”

Elias didn’t particularly like the Imperial Saint, but right now, survival came first.

“Ugh…”

After all, the Holy Kingdom was founded for a reason.

The Goddess Church cannot be allowed to fall.

I must at least try to save the remaining priests.

If this is the only way, then I have no choice.

“Very well. The Mage Corps… No, I will go to the saint directly.”

That woman’s reaction will be amusing to see.

But there’s no other option.

I should blame myself for having such a foolish grandson.

If the Goddess Church falls, the Holy Kingdom will collapse.

The very foundation of the Church will be destroyed.

To restore what that idiot William has ruined, it is best to retreat for now.

***

Mage Corps Quarters

On the outskirts of the Holy City, the capital of the Holy Kingdom, there was an inn that had long served as a residence for foreign diplomats.

Currently, the Mage Corps from Ashtar was staying there.

At Olivia’s request, Syria had gone to find Kise and relay Olivia’s message word for word.

“Even if it’s Lady Olivia making the request, if we mobilize the Mage Corps for battle preparation now, how do you think the people of the Holy Kingdom will react?”

That’s true. If the Mage Corps were put on alert carelessly, the people of the Holy Kingdom would certainly become suspicious.

But that’s not Syria’s problem.

‘Why is this fool hesitating to carry out Lady Olivia’s orders?’

“That’s for you to figure out. Making excuses won’t do. If Lady Olivia says jump, you jump. If she says strip, you strip. What’s with all the backtalk?”

Honestly, it’s obvious—she doesn’t know Lady Olivia at all, which is why she is questioning orders like this.

Syria shook her head.

As expected, she really didn’t like this woman, Kise.

“What did you just say? When did I ever refuse?”

“Oh, come on. The way you’re complaining, it sounds like you don’t want to do it.”

Syria seized the moment, unwilling to let Kise back out.

Swaggering, Kise eagerly peeled the fruit. Kise’s face twisted in pain, as if she was about to leap up at any moment.

“No, it’s just…”

“You’re complaining, aren’t you?”

“No, that’s not it, it’s just…”

Kise couldn’t give a proper answer.

‘This fox-like woman!’

Kise realized too late that she had misspoken.

It wasn’t that she refused.

If this sly woman in front of her told her to peel, she would peel, and if she told her to strip, she could do that too.

But she also had to consider Ashtar’s position.

If she followed the order without question, Olivia, the leader, might end up facing unfavorable treatment.

“Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.”

‘An act?’ That was harsh.

She wasn’t acting—she just wanted to stay in Olivia’s good graces.

“What’s with this attitude? I’m the next Tower Master. The moment I take over, your position and mine will be completely reversed.”

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t entirely wrong.

The Tower Master was essentially the king of the mage society.

“If you keep treating me like this, you… no, Ashtar could be in danger.”

“What did you just say?”

That wasn’t wrong either.

Ashtar maintained relations with the Mage Tower.

‘If Kise made a mistake and ended up provoking the future Tower Master, what would happen then?’

“Let’s be real. Where do you think the foundation of magical arts and spell systems comes from? The Mage Tower. Ashtar has gained a lot from its exchanges with the Tower.”

Syria slyly covered her mouth and smirked.

Not a single word was incorrect.

In the end, Kise clenched her fists at Syria’s words.

How much longer did she have to endure this humiliation?

Syria, who had been the first to provoke her by calling her a teddy bear, now had the upper hand.

“You even made me out to be some doll-obsessed freak who only cares about teddy bear shops.”

That was an unbearable insult.

Fine, the teddy bear shop thing was one thing. But making it seem like she scouted for teddy bear stores even in the Holy Empire?

“Ugh…”

“Honestly, you have no right to say anything to me.”

Kise’s anger boiled over.

Fine. A mistake was a mistake.

But she refused to admit it.

This damned future Tower Master had stolen away the lady she had been so close to as a child.

That was something she could never forgive.

“Captain!”

Just as Kise was grinding her teeth at Syria, a mage rushed over, calling for her.

“What is it?”

“The Holy Capital is in chaos! The Pope’s grandson, William, has led the Holy Knights to slaughter all the defiant priests!”

So it finally happened.

He had feared it, and now it had come true.

‘Who would’ve thought Olivia’s words would turn out to be entirely accurate?’

“That lunatic…!”

“See? I told you this would happen. What are you waiting for? Move.”

Syria seized the opportunity to order Kise around.

‘If not now, when else would she get to?’ This was the perfect time to make their power dynamic crystal clear.

“Move? Move where?”

“To escort the Pope, obviously. It’s time for the Imperial Goddess Church to shine.”

“…Understood.”

Though she hated taking Syria’s orders, there weren’t many options left.

It had finally happened.

That damned bastard had finally staged her rebellion.

And now, the Holy Knights had the audacity to storm into the very inn where she was staying.

This was why he never planned to stay long.

“Wow. These crazy bastards really came all the way here. Seriously, how did that old hag manage her grandson so poorly?”

‘How could the Holy Knights be this arrogant?’

There was no way he could let this slide.

He had to put them in their place.

But first, he needed a justification.

After all, this situation was entirely William’s fault.

His family might be just a noble house, but it was Ashtar, an unofficial envoy of the Empire.

This was a diplomatic issue.

If he made the first move, it could spell trouble.

So he had to make them strike first.

“I’m sorry, but the Saintess of the Empire cannot leave this place.”

The Holy Knights sneered as they blocked the inn’s entrance, as if they had no intention of letting anyone pass.

Hmm. Yeah.

As expected, they were just as stupid as the man they served.

All of them were equally ignorant and foolish.

Which meant creating a justification would be easy.

“I figured as much.”

“Pardon?”

Alright then.

It’s time for you all to become my scapegoats.

A perfect sacrifice to teach that arrogant bastard William a lesson.

“You think I’ll just stay put because you told me to?”

“Are you saying you want to fight us?”

Obviously.

This was about the dignity of the Ashtar family.

Of course, he would fight.

And he would crush them completely.

For once, he would enjoy the pleasure of trampling the weak.

“Are you saying you want to go up against us?”

“And why wouldn’t I?”

Their expressions were priceless.

Like they were watching a child throw a tantrum.

It made him want to pummel them even more.

“You’ll regret it. We might get a little rough.”

Oh? So that’s how they wanted to play it?

Perfect.

He would destroy them all.

Starting today, he would rewrite the history of the Holy Empire.