Carvel Vlad
Rudell already knew that name.
He was the final boss in the Holy Kingdom arc of the original story, a schemer who aimed to depose the current Pope Johannes Derenses Tubel Kainers by colluding with the Church of the Eaters of Death to take the Pope’s position for himself.
And now, here he was, appearing right before Rudell.
“How is the food to your liking?”
“Yes, everything is outstanding; I’ve never had meals like these anywhere on the continent.”
“I’m glad to hear that! After all, being the main headquarters, I can’t afford to hear complaints about the hospitality.”
Upon his question, Leje nodded, and Carvel smiled lightly as if relieved.
His demeanor looked undeniably like that of a kind priest, but…
“…”
Despite the cheerful atmosphere, Rudell couldn’t hide his stern expression.
Why was he here?
That thought consumed his mind.
“Is there something on my face?”
Noticing Rudell’s scrutinizing gaze, he asked, sensing an odd feeling.
“No, I just thought you looked familiar.”
“I see. I was worried I may have acted impertinently.”
With a gentle smile and nodding his head, he appeared dignified as a high-ranking priest.
However, to Rudell’s eyes, he resembled a snake flicking its tongue.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Although there is no specific business, as guests of His Holiness the Pope and the Saint, I should properly greet you as the head of the temple, shouldn’t I?”
Carvel spoke with a beaming smile.
He had a friendly impression, but Rudell sensed there was something else hidden beneath.
At that moment, while Carvel and Rudell’s party exchanged greetings…
“There you all are.”
“Welcome, Saint.”
As Eleor entered with a familiar voice, Carvel lightly bowed his head towards her.
Similarly, Eleor responded with a slight bow and looked at Carvel.
“It seems you’ve already finished your greetings.”
“Your friends are certainly not ordinary people.”
“Of course, they are my friends.”
With Carvel’s words, Eleor puffed out her chest proudly.
“Then I shall take my leave. I hope you all have a good time…”
Soon after, he turned and walked away with the holy knights down the hallway.
“Umm…”
At the same time, Rudell’s expression changed, letting out a low groan.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
“No… just something’s bothering me…”
“Bothering you?”
Leje tilted her head at Rudell’s reply.
Should I say this or not…
Caught in that dilemma, Rudell fell into deep thought.
‘I have no evidence…’
Even if Rudell were to reveal his identity now, there was no proof to back his claims.
Accusing a high-ranking official of the Gaia Church of colluding with the Church of the Eaters of Death without evidence was a risk that Rudell couldn’t afford to take…
“Nothing at all. Let’s talk about it later.”
You never know where prying eyes might be listening.
Thinking he should discuss this later, Rudell shook his head at Leje.
*
“Huuh…”
With a short sigh, Carvel returned to his room.
Throwing off his long cumbersome hat, and slouching into a chair, he looked completely different from the polite demeanor he just exhibited.
“Is everything well prepared?”
“Of course. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this day?”
At that moment, a voice came from one side of the room, and he nodded in response, seemingly unfazed.
At the same time, a man in a black robe emerged from the thick shadows.
From his sleeve, a cross-shaped rosary with red eyes peeked out.
The Church of the Eaters of Death.
Their activities were beginning once more.
“Don’t let your guard down. Even if they’re just a few brats, they’ve repeatedly thwarted our plans.”
“I know. I’ve set up surveillance to keep them from meddling.”
“Then let’s expect a good outcome.”
The man, who had been watching him for a moment, disappeared back into the shadows…
As silence enveloped the room again, Carvel clicked his tongue softly.
“Just wait… when I become Pope, the first thing I’ll do is trample you lot down.”
*
That night. In Rudell’s room.
Rudell and his party, excluding Eleor, sat around the table with serious expressions.
“They’re definitely watching us.”
In the dimly lit hallway, soldiers and holy knights stood guard without rest.
At first glance, it seemed they were preventing intruders from the outside, but…
“I couldn’t have imagined it would really come to this…”
With a face brimming with betrayal, Leje spoke in a low voice.
The surveillance magic installed inside the rooms wasn’t meant to guard against external threats.
That meant only one thing.
The Gaia Church viewed Rudell and his party as potential threats.
“I can tell the level of the mage who set up the surveillance.”
Meanwhile, as Rudell manipulated his magic to dispel the surveillance, a faint smile appeared on his face, and a magic circle rose above his hands, glowing blue before dissipating into the air.
It seemed to be a well-prepared spell, but the opponent was simply too weak.
Having never let go of the top position in magic while at the Academy, dispelling this kind of magic was akin to twisting a child’s wrist for Rudell.
“Alright, it’s done.”
With a short sigh, Rudell settled back at the table.
“By the way, is it true? That Carvel is related to the Church of the Eaters of Death?”
“It’s certain.”
“Do we have evidence?”
“Um…”
“…”
He couldn’t exactly say he saw it in the original story.
Rudell’s evasive response left Leje with a look of disbelief.
“That’s not enough! What we need is solid evidence. There’s no way we can accuse a high-ranking church official without preparing any proof.”
“True, but…”
Rudell could only nod at Leje’s words.
It was just as well; should something go wrong, the situation could spiral out of control for Rudell and his party.
If they took a misstep, there might be an inquisition against the kingdom…
“Kurt, did you feel anything from him?”
“No, I sensed nothing from him.”
Given Kurt’s heightened instincts, he should have picked up something.
With that hope in mind, Rudell asked him, but the answer was a shake of the head.
“Umm…”
With even the astute Kurt saying that, it signaled there was truly nothing to be sensed.
Faced with despairing circumstances, Rudell let out another low groan.
‘What do I do now…’
Though the events happening were somewhat different from the original, the core storyline was still following the same path.
That meant he was also following the same path regarding Carvel’s collusion with the Church of the Eaters of Death.
“Haa…”
It had been nearly three full years since they last showed their faces.
As such, if they set a plot in motion this time, its scale would undoubtedly exceed anything they had seen before.
Rudell had to find a way to clear his suspicions.
Just then…
“Wow, it’s done!!”
From the corner of the room, Silphier shouted with excitement, drawing the attention of Rudell and the party.
Feeling the eyes on her, Silphier shrank back…
“I-I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to…!!”
“It’s fine. So? What did you make this time?”
As she continued, Rudell looked at the object in her hand.
Describing it in simple terms, it was a rat made of metal.
“It’s a Neural Resonance Golem… Number One Sewer Rat!”
“A Neural Resonance Golem?”
“Yes, yes!! So, Neural Resonance means…”
“Silphie. No time for explanations, just keep it short.”
“Ah, okay…!!”
As Silphier began to explain with a puzzled expression, Leje interrupted sharply.
At that, Silphier nodded with a downcast face and continued her explanation.
“Um, Count Weinstein, how much do you know about familiars?”
“Um… I know they’re like pets that mages usually have.”
Some mages keep small animals like rats or birds as companions.
They are commonly referred to as familiars and can offer various assistance, but if asked if they are necessary, the answer is no.
Since the original animal is hardly useful in combat, and most things familiars can do are simple tasks that mages can easily achieve with magic.
“Y-Yeah… but the difference from a pet is that familiars can share their senses with their owners. Most notably, sharing sight…”
“Sharing sight, huh…”
Rudell recalled trying something similar in the past but abandoned it shortly after.
Adapting to the sensation from a different perspective was challenging.
“The Number One Sewer Rat is a Golem that replicates that ability through magical engineering…!! What it sees and hears, the user can see too…!!”
“Ooo!! Is that really true!?”
“Ah, it’s still a prototype, so I’m not sure… but if it works properly, it should be pretty similar…”
Though she said that, Rudell felt he could trust Silphier’s skills.
“Alright, then let’s start right away.”
With no time to hesitate, Rudell said to Silphier.
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