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148
“…We’ve been beaten to the punch.”
Casia, who had been listening silently, sighed as she spoke.
Oscar. Though the name was unfamiliar, the man who bore it was an entity that couldn’t possibly feel strange. This was evident just from looking at Leriana, who acted as if facing an enemy as soon as she realized the man’s identity. Perhaps because of this, Rohan had believed without a doubt that he would remain an enemy until the very end.
At least until he heard the news that Oscar had died by the Emperor’s hand on charges of treason, with his head cut off and displayed in front of the imperial palace.
He recalled the presence that had guarded the Emperor’s back like a shadow when he faced the Emperor with his own eyes at the imperial banquet. Given how close he was kept, he must have indeed been the closest aide, but why?
‘Was he planning to discard him from the start?’
The image of mercenaries who died as monsters flashed through his mind. According to Leriana, Oscar, who had attacked her, also used red aura towards the end. If it was true that this power turned people into monsters, the Emperor might have considered Oscar as a piece to be used and discarded from the beginning.
But even if he made a rational judgment, accepting it was a different matter. The lingering uneasiness that showed no signs of disappearing kept bothering him.
‘It doesn’t make sense.’
Let’s think it through once more.
If Lexia’s speculation was correct, Oscar’s visit to that village was to eliminate Lexia and weaken the power of the mercenary guild.
Rohan narrowed his eyes. The balance of power had tilted too much to one side. It might have been a necessary process to overturn the future power structure, but it wasn’t worth completely sacrificing one of his closest aides who could fight quite evenly with those blessed by the gods.
That meant there must have been a variable that made it necessary.
“…”
His gaze slowly turned towards Leriana and Casia. They were probably the variable. Moreover, he had even lost an arm after being swept up in divine punishment. If the Emperor had heard all this, the choice to cut ties was somewhat understandable, if only slightly.
“They say he was caught colluding with heretics to raise a private army… but anyone can see it’s just cutting loose ends.”
Lexia, after looking around at those with complex expressions, added an explanation with a bitter smile.
“Thanks to this, the empire is in quite a turmoil. When Oscar was captured, all of his forces were purged too, and there are rumors that all the dead soldiers looked like monsters, and that their number exceeded a hundred…”
“…It’s not a completely false rumor.”
“Right. Even I can see that.”
Rohan responded as if he had guessed something, and Lexia nodded. Soldiers who died looking like monsters. Having heard about the fate of the mercenaries who carried out the attack through Dein, he immediately grasped the truth of the incident upon hearing the rumors.
The ‘people who died looking like monsters’ was probably true, but the claim that they were ‘forces involved in treason’ was likely a false rumor. Just mixing in some truth often made rumors feel more factual.
“The problem is that this is also related to the temple.”
Some people claimed that those who became monsters were all those who believed in the ‘wrong god’ and used his power. In simple terms, they were saying these people were followers of an evil god.
“Until now, people had almost no contact with ‘evil gods’. Although they feared the existence of specters, most were dealt with by the temple, so they didn’t feel a direct threat. In other words, it felt like a story from another world.”
But… Lexia took a sip of the tea that still had a faint warmth and continued.
“That changed as of yesterday. People who died as monsters appeared, and there are many who saw this with their own eyes.”
The vague fear of ‘evil gods’ became reality. What they thought would only happen at the empire’s borders adjacent to lands teeming with specters finally occurred right in the heart of the capital.
A slight disbelief in the abilities of the ‘temple’ that they had never doubted before. It was just a small crack, but the ripple it caused was bigger than expected.
That’s why they said they’ve been beaten to the punch.
“Public opinion is leaning towards the idea that the empire should also lend its strength to the temple’s work.”
“But without holy power or magic…”
“It’s difficult, but not impossible.”
Leriana frowned as if she couldn’t understand. Nevertheless, Lexia didn’t retract his words. As he said, it wasn’t entirely impossible for knights to confront specters. Leriana also knew this point, so she couldn’t refute further.
With divine power, one can effectively respond to specters. One can survive even if they set foot on lands teeming with specters. However, this doesn’t mean that humans without divine power can’t oppose specters.
It’s not impossible with aura. If several people gather to face a specter, they could gain the upper hand. Unlike clergy, their bodies would be damaged if they carelessly tread on contaminated land.
“The psychological warfare between the imperial family and the temple will begin in earnest.”
If the Emperor pretends to give in and gets involved in the investigation under the pretext of ‘suppressing heretics’, he will undoubtedly try to interfere with the temple’s movements, starting with that influence.
“Ha.”
Rohan let out a hollow laugh.
Cruel and relentless. Even in such a sudden situation, he unhesitatingly sacrificed his closest aide’s life and released ‘monsters’ that could potentially cause great chaos in the empire, all to tilt the flow in his favor.
“With two more executives dead, the Salvation Church will be more hesitant, but as I mentioned before, the imperial family’s recent movements are strange. The interests with the temple are also complex.”
Arpel had been quietly listening to the ongoing conversation, but he could easily guess what Lexia was about to say next. Probably, he would…
“What do you think about returning to the temple?”
Ask if they would consider joining the temple for a while to keep the imperial family in check. The guess wasn’t wrong. Certainly, in the current situation, it wasn’t a bad method.
But instead of nodding in agreement, Arpel chose to turn his gaze towards Rohan. Their eyes met as soon as he shifted his gaze. It seemed as if he was seeking Rohan’s consent.
Instead of answering, he gently patted Rohan’s knee. Good boy.
“We’ll do that.”
Both Rohan and Leriana accepted the proposal. It was the moment their next destination was decided.
With those words, the conversation showed signs of concluding. As people started to tidy up, Lexia said,
“I’ll pass the news to Evelyn too.”
“Didn’t you say she was confined in the palace?”
“I hear bits and pieces of news now and then. It’s not certain, but… I think we can expect some meaningful changes from the imperial side.”
A response tinged with laughter came to Casia’s question. It was a strange statement, so ambiguous that it was hard to tell if it was good news or not.
Lexia’s expression was awkward, as if he was aware that his words were extremely vague. It felt like a promise to tell more when things became clearer, so Rohan could only purse his lips despite his uneasy expression.
Simple words of caution were exchanged. Lexia added a warning to be careful since they didn’t know the exact intentions, and deliberately approached Arpel to repeat it once more. His eyes, alternating between Rohan and Arpel standing close together, suddenly turned mischievous.
Arpel frowned at the blatant gaze that made no attempt to hide its intentions. A faint irritation rose in his eyes as he stared at Lexia. Even as he threw such a displeased look… looking at those fox-like eyes curved slyly.
“…You too.”
Such words suddenly escaped his lips. It was an unconscious response. Only after seeing Lexia’s eyes widen as if hearing unexpected words did he realize he had uttered something uncharacteristic.
“Alright.”
Lexia, who I thought would endlessly comment on how unexpected it was, simply nodded and gave a short answer. His face, grinning refreshingly, looked unburdened.
Arpel chose to withdraw his gaze that had been quietly observing him. He felt that both showing this kind of reaction and letting slip the words “you be careful too” were uncharacteristic behaviors. And that made him feel even stranger.
“Let’s go, Arpel.”
“Haha, are you jealous?”
“…”
It was partly because Rohan, who had squeezed in between them, urged him. Lexia, who received a fierce glare for teasingly uttering unnecessary words, quickly retreated. His waving hand from afar seemed like he was shooing them away.
The unnecessary words about not worrying because he would send people to the temple occasionally to relay news about himself were just an added bonus. Arpel furrowed his brow at that voice that was even cheerful.
He really is an irritating guy.
It was as they were moving towards the jingling door. Rohan suddenly stopped, and Arpel, who had stopped with him, looked back at him with a puzzled expression.
Perhaps because Leriana and Casia had already opened the door and gone out, the inside of the tea house that came into view briefly looked particularly empty.
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
“Me?”
Whether he had been seeing them off all this time, Lexia was still standing in the same place with his hand vaguely raised. Despite the evident puzzlement, Rohan didn’t immediately ask his question. An expression of contemplation settled on his face as if choosing his words.
Only after a brief silence passed.
“By any chance, has the imperial family ever believed in gods?”
He suddenly posed an unexpected question to Lexia.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
