episode_0163

There are words in the world that are always unpleasant to hear.

A word that I would have been better off not hearing.

Nevertheless, there are words you hear that you must keep in mind.

It was the same this time too.

—-

“… It’s late?”

“Yes. From what I heard, Prince Matthias will arrive as early as this evening. then… He must be in the imperial palace by now. For me, I hope it’s rain.”

Lacey cleared her throat again.

I was rather embarrassed by his calm demeanor.

“No, then times like this… !”

Just as I was trying to get up, Lacey held out her hand and stopped me.

“Calm down. Are you planning on storming into the imperial palace at this time? For what reason?”

Since I wasn’t invited, there was no justification.

However, there was no way to break through by force.

but… !

“Stop it. The sun has already set and the sky has become dark, so there is nothing more we can do. At least today. If you want to meet Prince Matthias, you will have to wait until the sun rises in the morning.”

“To sound relaxed… !”

You may be so calm because you have no proof that the Empress is a witch, but I am not.

It’s obvious that if I leave it like this, I’m going to die, but are you telling me to just leave it alone until tomorrow?

I feel so uncomfortable, but I wonder if I can sleep properly with this feeling.

“It’s not relaxed. This means that there is no point in going there. If Empress Isabella had decided to kill the 4th prince, she would have been killed long ago, and if she had not killed the 4th prince, the rush itself would have been meaningless. Either way, it’s a futile effort. The Lord says he is going to commit a pointless suicide, but I have no choice but to stop him.”

… It was a firm yet coherent statement.

Enough to put me back in my seat. Shit.

I sat down on the sofa again.

To relieve my frustration, I gulp down the holy water that Lacey poured for me.

“Have you calmed down a little?”

“… okay. Thanks to you.”

okay. As Lacey said, the matter of Mathias was out of my hands.

What I need to do is think about what would happen if Mathias dies and how I should respond, not take reckless action to prevent it.

Once I thought about it that way, my impatience seemed to subside somewhat.

Lacey smiled and poured holy water back into the glass.

I took another sip.

… It was definitely water so refreshing that it was difficult to taste it anywhere else.

To the point where my mood swings subside and my head clears in an instant.

It would be perfect if I mixed it with carbonic acid.

Now that I think about it, when I said I was sorry that I had nothing to offer but water, it was actually a very humble expression.

Her holy water would be worth dozens of times more than regular holy water.

Even if it is a fairly high-quality black tea, it can be described as ‘black tea or something.’

… I actually gave it some water.

“I’m glad you understand. As for Empress Isabella and Prince Ernst… Let’s look at the situation tomorrow and talk again. If the prince’s whereabouts cannot be found, it would be worth suspecting the empress, as the Lord said.”

Although he is putting it in an appropriate way, it sounds like he is saying that no action will be taken until Mathias dies.

So what, are you telling me to wish him dead?

“What do you plan to do if the prince cannot be traced?”

“At that time, I will completely believe your words.”

“… Is that all?”

Isn’t there some more, realistic help?

Well, I understand that it would be difficult to take active action because if they were to criticize it, it would be seen as if the religious authority was trying to intimidate the imperial power… .

Lacey must have sensed some dissatisfaction with my words and actions, shaking her head lightly and continuing.

“The Empress cannot be officially excommunicated or put on trial for heresy based on a trial alone. It’s not like they’re trying to kill the 4th prince without any countermeasures, so there’s a limit to questioning them based on that.”

That’s a very cautious attitude. When he suspected Ophelia of being a witch, he was determined to find her and burn her.

Whether I took it askew or not, Lacey’s words continued.

“So… First, we need to find evidence of evil deeds. I plan to put my priesthood on the line and request members of the secret martyrdom apostolic church from the church.”

What is that?

Secret Martyrdom Apostolic Society, are those three fancy words?

“The dark side of the church. Martyrs who voluntarily perform tasks that go against doctrine solely to eradicate heresy. If the charges are not revealed even after mobilizing them, I will have to bear all the backlash… They will definitely find evidence.”

“Just hearing you say it makes me feel like it’s top secret. Is it okay for you to tell me that?”

Lacey’s eyes turned to my waist.

To be exact, the sword worn at the waist… Toward Durandal.

As Sir ” said, this is not information that should be known to those who are not the core of the church. However, if you are the owner of the Sword of Oath… Direct descendant of the Twelve Knights. In addition, if the awakening of the sword is successful, there will be no problem as it is the same priesthood as the archbishop in terms of doctrine.”

The archbishop.

Before I knew it, a grandiose title had been added to my name.

A bitter laugh came out.

… Come to think of it, am I actually the most powerful of powerful people?

Princess of Ka`har. Descendants of the Twelve Knights. Viscount of the Empire. Margrave of the East and successor to the Imperial Elector.

In addition, he was given the rank of archbishop of the Elfinel Church.

It’s a secret status that hasn’t been made public, so it seems like a title worthy of a prince.

” Is it the Archbishop? It’s not a word that feels real.”

“First of all, it is an unofficial title. It seems like the Lord is reluctant to announce this.”

That’s right.

According to Marquis Ludwig, he was appointed as the Elector of the Empire in exchange for not revealing that he was a descendant of the Twelve Knights.

… Is that also the case with Palun?

“Speaking of which, let’s talk about that sword. The topic of witches has dragged on for a while, but I think we can get to the point here… .”

“Main topic? It’s a story about a sword… . Yeah, I was curious about what you were going to say.”

Lacey took a deep breath.

What on earth are you talking about?

I waited for her first words with a mixture of anxiety and subtle doubt.

“I will say it bluntly. If you lose the imperial power struggle, won’t you come to the Holy Kingdom? As the leader of a special task force belonging to my SS.”

“… It’s difficult to understand because it’s a proposal that cuts everything out.”

“In that case, I will tell you in detail now. About my goal and the meaning of this proposal.”

Lacey moved her head closer to me.

Blue-silver eyes were burning with religious madness and a sense of mission.

—-

El Pirem, a country located in the western part of the empire, is a religious nation founded by the eleven surviving religious denominations after the Religious War.

Although they are now integrated into the 11 main churches, each of them was originally a denomination with a different religious view.

Elfinel, Shaulithe, Ceres.

Vimos, Menes, Wölberg.

Grimnir, Astraea, Imella.

Cranus, Ausrine.

The current Holy Kingdom consists of a saint as the highest leader and cardinals representing each denomination – these twelve priests are in charge of state affairs, and the positions below them differ slightly depending on the denomination.

In reality, the two major denominations, the Elfinel denomination and the Shaulithe denomination, decide most of the agenda.

“Then what is a candidate for sainthood?”

“It is a title given to those who have received the stigmata, one from each denomination. There are gods who have not given the stigmata for over a hundred years, so the number is not always eleven. In terms of hierarchy… It would be somewhere between a cardinal and an archbishop.”

“Will one of them become a saint?”

“Yes. Through a meeting of cardinals, the most faithful are elected as saints. Incidentally, the only candidates for sainthood in the Holy Kingdom right now are me and the sainthood candidate from the Order of Menes.”

I’m proud of something… .

If you have only one rival in the most powerful religious order and are still not recognized as a saint, isn’t it something to brag about and something to reflect on yourself?

… If the result of looking back was that speech, I have nothing to say. It’s like going back with all your might.

“I’ve never heard of a candidate for sainthood from the Order of Menes. Are you in the Holy Kingdom?”

“Yes. I heard that since he is still young, he is focusing on learning within the church without any special extracurricular activities.”

No, did you even get pushed around by the kid?

If I continue like this and fail to become a saint, I will be so embarrassed that I won’t be able to even raise my face.

“… okay. Let’s skip that. So, what do you mean by asking me to join the SS?”

“First, I should tell you about the military system of the Holy Kingdom. 11 The Holy Kingdom of the Main Church appears to be united as one… In reality, that is not the case. The military power of the Holy Kingdom is composed of independent troops from each denomination. In a way, military power has been distributed into 11 branches.”

It was quite interesting content.

The basic programming system itself was the same.

Paladins replacing knights, battle priests replacing wizards, and even castle legions acting as regular soldiers.

However, the number and quality of troops, their level of training, and their areas of expertise vary greatly from denomination to denomination.

Unless it is a war with another country that requires the use of the entire military force of the Holy Kingdom, they do not gather together to fight, and in normal times, recruiting and dispatching troops is left to the autonomy of each church.

Just as the Holy Corps deployed to the Einfeld battlefield were only the troops of the Elfinel Church.

… Because of this, it should be seen as a union of 11 small countries rather than a single country.

“The troops of the Elfinel Church were among the most elite of the Holy Kingdom… It suffered significant losses in the Battle of Einfeld. Unlike the Shaulithe Church, which preserved its troops intact.”

“… So you’re going to drag me into the Holy Knights of the Elfinel Church?”

“To be exact, especially my SS. Ordinary paladins would have to follow the orders of the Cardinal or the Holy Kingdom, but in the case of the Royal Guard, they were completely under my direct command. Lord Median, all you have to do is listen to my request. It will be less burdensome for you too.”

“I don’t know where to start by pointing this out, but first of all, I am not a paladin. I can’t use things like sacred power.”

“No problem. In the case of the new unit, the Special Forces Division, that we plan to create this time, we do not necessarily intend to accept only paladins.”

It’s a special mission.

In my experience, for a unit with words like ‘special’ or ‘special task’, there was no organization that did anything decent.

—-

Sure enough, the purpose of the unit that Lacy explained was bloody.

The Knights Templar in charge of executing a special race extermination mission.

In short, it is a special flyer.

The founding goal was to exterminate sub-races that were hostile to humanity.

… Lacey: What does this guy think of me that’s why he’s making this offer?