episode_0198

It was only after the maids called by Leopold had cleaned up the room that the prince and I were ready to talk.

The maids who entered the room were shocked to see the condition of the floor, and immediately brought cleaning tools and scrubbed the floor thoroughly.

“So, where am I? I don’t think it’s a religious treatment center.”

The interior was different from there.

In the first place, the people who came just now were palace maids, not priests.

“This is the hospital room where my mother recuperated… .”

Leopold’s expression was a little dark.

… It must feel like old memories are covered in vomit.

I wasn’t in a state to really care about his feelings either.

My cut breast throbbed horribly even after the wound had healed, and my mind felt dizzy as if it had been whipped up in a blender.

Not only was my stomach still boiling with nausea, but my right arm, which had been bending and moving arbitrarily due to Hershela’s technique, was also aching.

Pulling and moving your arm with the thread of killing, I never thought something like that would be possible.

… There was no setting like that in the game.

“… For treatment, it would have been better to rely on the Church of Elfinel. How did things turn out after I fell?”

“Where should I begin to explain… In short, you could say that I was wronged by Isabella.”

Leopold told me about what had happened over the past week.

It was a story that gave me a headache just listening to it.

—-

“So… Isabella and Ernst escaped to the base, and I… Not only is it nicknamed the Ingui, but the empire is on the verge of civil war, so… ? Oh my god.”

A sigh naturally came out.

Because while I was asleep, things got really complicated.

“There are some differences, but in general, it is the same.”

“What is the difference?”

Leopold nodded.

“Those who believe the rumors about the princess’s eating habits… Not that much. There was testimony from knights, but since it was such a terrible rumor, its credibility was lowered. Moreover, all the knights who testified committed themselves under Ernst. Even those who believe that I killed my father and brothers believe that the princess killed someone… They said they don’t believe the rumor that it was stolen. It feels like this is a slander spread by Ernst.”

… Should I call this fortunate? I don’t know.

The truth is too crazy to believe, so it is treated as a lie. It couldn’t have been more ironic.

“And, we are not on the verge of civil war. The civil war has already begun. The Duke of Vienne’s bodyguard has engaged in battle with Wallenstein, and Ernst is inciting the lords of each region. Currently, in various parts of the empire, the lords who support me and the lords who support Ernst are engaged in sporadic fighting.”

“… Didn’t you say before that there would be no civil war?”

A civil war. This was the worst news.

To the point where it might have been better not to get involved in the battle for the throne.

Leopold would have died, and many people would have suffered… Wouldn’t there have been fewer deaths than if the empire was split in half and fighting?

“According to common sense, it was obviously impossible… Isabella is not someone who can judge with common sense. It’s my fault.”

“From now on, I will not believe any of Your Majesty’s boasts.”

Isabella can’t start a civil war.

There is no way Wallenstein would take Isabella’s side.

Nothing about what this bastard had promised fit the bill.

“You have no shame… .”

“Even so, does that mean that such a self-made play is working? The Church of Elfinel has not refuted it at all? With Lacey on our side, there’s no way the accusation of collaborating with witches would work… .”

okay. That part was the biggest question.

Considering her position and support among the people, public opinion would not have deteriorated to this extent if she had only helped Leopold.

If only the information about my lineage and the Sword of Oath were made public right away, wouldn’t the whole story about me joining hands with a witch be dismissed as a frame-up?

Leopold shook his head and sighed.

“Unfortunately, she is currently missing. maybe… The information must have been leaked while trying to secretly contact investigators sent by the Holy Kingdom. Seeing as Ernst didn’t present her, it looks like she wasn’t caught.”

Missing?

No, how come? Could it have been Isabella’s doing?

If she was caught… That’s the worst development.

This means that a candidate for a saint who was supposed to be active in the battle against monsters fell into the hands of a witch and became a plaything.

No, if he had really been captured as Leopold said, he would have used it a long time ago.

A civil war where each side accuses the other of being a witch. In such a situation, there would be no one as sure as Lacey.

First of all, let’s say he wasn’t caught.

“The saint candidate who tried to accuse Isabella of being a witch disappeared. Didn’t the Church of Elfinel or the Holy Kingdom take issue with this?”

“Officially, we are praying for peace in the empire. There is no way the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom would believe this… Perhaps because only a week has passed, there has been no news of this kind.”

Well, in a week, the news of Lacey’s ‘face-to-face prayer’ would have just reached the Holy Kingdom.

We’ll find out later how they will react.

“So, the one currently leading the Elfinel Church within the Empire is the Archbishop of Trier, the Elector who supported Ernst. He did not give any refutation to the rumors, but declared that this was a battle for the imperial throne that had nothing to do with the Holy Kingdom, and ordered his priests to remain neutral. That’s why the princess also had to move from the church’s aid station to her mother’s hospital room.”

It’s neutral.

On the surface, it seems like they are protecting fairness, but in reality, they are enemies.

As archbishop and elector, he declared that he would not intervene, even though he should have known clearly what was going on.

“… It will be difficult to expect help from the Elfinel Church for the time being.”

“That’s right. It may sound neutral, but it should be said that the Archbishop of Trier has actually been taken over by Isabella. I think he may have been the one who leaked Lacey’s whereabouts to Isabella.”

It was something that took some care about security, but even that was in Isabella’s palm.

I couldn’t fault Lacey for her indiscretion.

In a world where the existence of God has been proven, one would never have imagined that someone as talented as an archbishop would betray God.

“The priest betrayed the god he served. Is that common here?”

Aren’t you afraid of God’s wrath?

You may be safe now, but what are you going to do after you die?

“Usually it’s rare. After his death, Elfinel will capture his soul and throw it into hell… It seems that Isabella’s reward was sweet enough to endure eternal pain.”

“What about the Church of Shaulithe? Is that neutral too?”

“They also had the attitude that they would not intervene in the civil war… Still, he cooperated with the treatment. Even if the Ernst faction had requested it, they would have given the same treatment.”

I can’t expect much from this either.

To begin with, it wasn’t a denomination that was very close to me… If you claim that Isabella is a witch without any evidence, it won’t work.

In the end, Isabella must be defeated with only the forces of Leopold and the Electors… .

“Now that I think about it, how is Marquis Ludwig doing now? Wallenstein said that Ka’har was advancing on the Wall.”

It was an unbelievable story, but if it were true, Marquis Ludwig would not be able to move because he was protecting the wall.

… After all, Ka`har is attacking at this time.

Could this also be Isabella’s doing? Or was it just a coincidence? It was unknown.

“I was planning to ask the princess to head towards Landenburg once her body has recovered to some extent. Now that things have come to this, we need to end the chaos in the east as quickly as possible and join Landenburg’s forces. Moreover, in order for the princess’s asylum to be recognized, she would also have to draw a clear line with Kahar.”

In effect, he meant for me to come and fight Ka’har’s forces.

If I don’t show such a firm attitude, there will be people even within the First Prince faction who distrust me.

“Is it still okay? It seems difficult for Persval to protect His Highness alone.”

“The Duke of Vienne and the Grand Duke of Palun have also arrived at the Islands with their attendants, so there will be no major problems. They also agreed that Ernst, who started the civil war, should be suppressed.”

“… After I leave for the East, how do you plan on moving forward? I’m sure you don’t plan on sitting still and waiting for your troops to gather.”

The strength of Leopold’s army was ahead of that of Ernst’s army, but since most of them were lords of the border, their biggest weakness was that it took time to gather in one place.

If you think about it, the reason why they couldn’t touch Isabella so quickly was because Marquis Ludwig’s main force was too far away and they didn’t have enough power to mobilize right away.

In other words, if Isabella had intended to win, she should have concentrated all of her power and attacked the system all at once instead of inciting the lords of each region to engage in simultaneous battles.

Instead, adopting the opposite strategy means choosing a long-term war rather than a short-term decisive battle. Although common sense suggests that it is a strategy that will inevitably lead to defeat.

In other words, it means that Isabella is either an idiot who is ignorant of strategy, or is planning a plan that goes beyond common sense… Probably the latter.

If she had been a jerk, we wouldn’t have been treated like this in the first place.

So we had to move as quickly as possible before Isabella did anything.

If you leave her alone to wait for all forces to gather, and with just one day left, the imperial palace collapses and a civil war breaks out, if you make nonsense of waiting and watching the situation again… .

You may need to undergo physical therapy.

“I also have no intention of just waiting like this. I don’t know Isabella’s plan, but if she’s going to waste time, she should attack from here.”

Leopold hastily shook his head.

At least he seemed to have learned a lesson from this incident: not to give Isabella any time.

“First, we will march with the Duke of Vienne’s troops closest to the Venetian territory as the advance guard. By suppressing only Ernst’s rebel army located on the Jingun Road. Wouldn’t it be possible if Palun’s northern army, which follows the advance guard, suppresses the enemies in the rear, and finally, the eastern army led by the princess and the margrave joins in?”

“Well… It might be worth a try as long as the northern army’s joining is not delayed. Because Ernst-kun is also dispersed.”

little… No, to be honest, it seemed like a pretty risky strategy.

But it’s better than giving Isabella time.