“Ha! These guys are just a complete joke.”
As Aria looked over the letters, she couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
The Pope was rambling some nonsense about the attempted assassination of the Saintess being just a trivial indulgence by two Inquisitors.
Then they imprisoned him, claiming that the newly appointed Cardinal had ordered it all.
It was obvious that he was just prepared to shift all the blame onto someone else.
“Have they lost their minds…?”
It was an act that could only be described as insane.
Even in broad daylight, the Saintess, who belonged to the Pope, was targeted for assassination, and they had the audacity to respond so shamelessly afterward.
At this point, wouldn’t it be appropriate to cry out for a war?
However, as the Emperor of the Empire, it wasn’t possible to command the trampling of the Papal Palace, the center of faith.
Demolishing Sophia Cathedral and expelling all the Cardinals wouldn’t solve anything either.
For those kinds of people, the more oppression they faced, the more powerful they became.
“I guess there’s no choice, then. I was hoping to avoid using my cunning tricks.”
That left her with only one option: to sow division within the Papal Palace.
She needed to mobilize internal allies to oust the current Pope and elect a new one.
Though it might take time and be a hassle, it was the most favorable and wise approach.
“Hmm… ”
As Aria considered who the next candidate for the Pope could be, she burst into laughter.
A brilliant candidate came to mind.
He had consistently shown cooperation with the royal family, and having always taken a contrary stance to what the Pope represented, he was appointed Cardinal at an old age, despite his achievements.
Plus, he shared the same surname as a man who was currently in the royal family.
“Branden Hainkel would be perfect.”
Branden Hainkel.
Aria found his profile among a pile of documents and poked it with her finger.
*Ding… ding…*
“Cardinal. It’s time to go.”
“Ha ha. A little tardiness at Mass won’t upset Aigis.”
In the Papal slums, Branden Hainkel smiled gently as he tapped a disinfected syringe.
Behind the tent where he sat, hundreds of people queued up.
They were there to receive the vaccine that Cardinal Hainkel provided.
Of course, he could have left it to his attendants.
But Branden personally administered the shots, greeting each person with a smile until the very last one was seen.
“I wouldn’t say I could blame someone for distrust in humanity. I have to do this in front of my own eyes for peace of mind.”
“…”
When the Pope released the budget, it would get tangled in contracts, seeping down until only less than 1% made it to the slums.
And it was always in completely useless ways.
So the safest way was to operate within the sphere of the Cardinal’s sight, even if it was inefficient.
This was the way of Cardinal Branden Hainkel.
“Oh dear. Mass has already ended.”
“Of course.”
Arriving late to Sophia Cathedral, Branden sighed as he watched the priests surge out like a tidal wave from inside.
He smiled bitterly before stepping inside against the flow of the crowd.
An empty place, void of anyone.
Standing alone before the cross, Branden quietly offered a prayer.
About five minutes later, he turned around looking relieved, sipping the remaining wine and biting into bread, wiping his mouth as he walked out.
“Is that it?”
“Is there anything to fuss about when I’m late?”
“…”
The attendants watching him shook their heads.
No wonder he was shunned by other Cardinals.
How he wasn’t expelled was a long-standing mystery among the priests.
Rumors swirled that he was the Pope’s hidden child or that he enjoyed the Emperor’s protection, but there was no substantial evidence.
“I’m a bit late. Let’s hurry.”
“Yes, Cardinal.”
The attendants followed Branden, each carrying a bag.
He moved toward a place where human presence was scant, beginning to descend an endless staircase.
Only darkness lay below.
Upon passing through a gate guarded by soldiers with vacant stares, they finally entered the basement.
Branden’s eyes widened as he caught sight of a familiar back beyond the door.
“Your Holiness?”
“Hainkel Cardinal. You’ve finally arrived.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Why, I was waiting for you.”
It was none other than the Pope.
He stood with a smile and approached Branden.
“I cannot help but express my regret. It was clearly your independent decision to procure the two Inquisitors to attempt the assassination of Saintess Iris, wasn’t it?”
“Yes…”
“Disappointing.”
“…”
The Pope was no longer smiling.
Seeing that cold expression made it impossible for Branden to lift his head or move from that spot.
“I was truly disappointed in your failure to carry out the assassination. I never expected someone as meticulous as Hainkel Cardinal would make such a mistake.”
“The intervention of Schlus Hainkel occurred much sooner than expected. I believed I had him contained at the Imperial University…”
“Those two Inquisitors weren’t they well-versed in the newly developed spells? Surely, it couldn’t have been leaked.”
“Rest assured. They only use spells unconsciously; they have no conscious awareness of the spells, so it’s impossible for them to spill anything.”
The Pope glared at Branden for a moment, then began smiling again.
He strolled past Branden, giving a casual pat on the shoulder.
“A natural disaster has occurred. I should have given more support… That’s my blunder.”
“No, Your Holiness. It’s my negligence.”
“Then I shall not hold the Cardinal accountable. The sacrifices have already been prepared. Instead, put more effort into your research. Since the development of the teleportation technique, results have been lackluster.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
Even as he replied, Branden felt a fiery rage rising inside him.
It was unbearable to hear the Pope speak as if new spells could just pop up overnight.
After the Pope slowly walked away, Branden straightened up.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
“Graaaah!”
“Uwaaaah!”
In the basement lab filled with bars, the screams of creatures—whether human or beast—echoed from every direction.
The Cardinal hummed a tune as he gestured to his attendants.
As bags lined up in a row, vials containing blood samples from the slums appeared.
Each small glass bottle had labels with the names of the Monarch citizenry.
“Well, with the Pope’s orders… Looks like we need to push ourselves a little today.”
“Are we increasing it to five?”
“No. We should test around ten. Now, let’s see whose serum is the most suitable today.”
With a vial in hand, the Cardinal headed toward the room filled with agonizing cries.
This was where most of the secret research was accomplished in the Papal Palace.
It was the space where the greatest academic achievements of the continent took place.
*
Research on the teleportation technique had been ongoing for several days.
No matter how I thought about it, this wasn’t a spell I could figure out alone, so I had no choice but to disclose the spell to Ludwig.
After borrowing Ludwig’s cutting-edge equipment, I managed to unveil a good portion of the secret behind the spell.
“Indeed, as expected from you, the spell that switches the positions of two creatures is correct. But, as for the caster, if the one being teleported isn’t human, the spell won’t activate. Higher life forms like humans will unconsciously resist interference in their internal circuits, even if they aren’t trained.”
“That’s what interferes with the spell’s activation?”
“Exactly. It’s virtually impossible to use with anything more complex than simple animals… A pigeon, for example.”
The spell’s identity was none other than the technique that switched the positions of a person and an animal.
However, it wasn’t universal; the amount of mana used limited the range of movement, and it couldn’t activate under conditions where communication between spells was impossible, making it critically flawed.
But despite all those shortcomings, the power of the teleportation technique was tremendous.
If utilized properly, it could be very useful for protecting important figures who were vulnerable to threats.
“Shocking. To think such a technique was developed in the Papal Palace…”
Ludwig seemed quite thrilled.
After three days without sleep or food, he had wholly immersed himself in research.
“Please contact me if any results are produced.”
“Schlus Hainkel, stop there. You claimed you comprehended the core of this in no time once you saw it. How did you manage such rapid interpretation?”
“That’s-”
“And also! The mana efficiency of the spell you inscribed is ever so slightly higher than the original! Did you manage to cut away unnecessary side notes from the original, purely from your intuition? Schlus Hainkel, have you ever considered attending graduate school—”
“No.”
“…”
I quickly shot him down, as I felt a chill seeing Ludwig begin to raise his voice for some reason.
He had gone back to his regimented and cold demeanor.
“My apologies. It seems I may have become a bit delirious from the overnight work. Please forget what I said.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, of course, my offer for graduate school was sincere—”
“I’ll forget that too.”
“Tsk…”
Even with those dying zombies clearly visible, would you really suggest I study under you?
There were instances of having turned into fanatics and causing terror after losing sanity while being a grad student under Ludwig.
Staying here any longer, I feared I might have my soul sucked away too, so I hurriedly left the lab.
Now that I thought about it, today was the day of the Intelligence Agency’s meeting.
Every time I attended, the risk of exposure was high, so I sent Erwin in my place.
If Erwin simply conveyed what I instructed, that would suffice.
I sat quietly somewhere, spreading a barrier around while linking my senses with Erwin.
Then a dimly lit scene appeared in the dark room, illuminated by a single lamp.
Suddenly, Hartlocker’s displeased face came rushing into view.
-What’s this? You came in place of Schlus? Then Schlus is listening to all this, right?
-Yes… Probably…
-Then listen up, Schlus Hainkel! I couldn’t say it during our last encounter because it was chaotic, but I need to say this! No premarital pregnancy, you bastard!
He was worrying about something unnecessary.
Your sister’s purity is still safe, so you don’t need to panic.
I decided not to mention it, considering how amusing Hartlocker looked in a flutter.
-But is it okay to tell her everything?
-Can we trust her? Is she really connected to Schlus?
Suspicious gazes landed from all sides.
It seemed having Erwin seated at the head was making everyone uneasy.
“Erwin. Proceed as instructed. Time is of the essence, so wrap it up quickly.”
-Time is of the essence, so wrap it up quickly…! That’s what Schlus instructed…
-Hmm. It’s definitely Schlus Hainkel.
-The rudeness and urgency in his speech are unmistakable.
They quickly accepted it, though it made me feel slightly displeased.
-First, I will report on the tracking of the Asylum. The suspected initial occurrence area is the desert development area. There have been findings similar to the doctrine of the Asylum there…
The desert.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t been near the desert at all.
I also needed to draw in the Elf race as well, so that was a place I would have to visit someday.
I contemplated dropping by to investigate the roots of the Asylum.
‘No. Not now.’
If I were to go, the timing would be right when Serika starts to stir, or just before.
Establishing my position in the desert would be the best move.
So I decided to hold off on heading toward the desert for a little longer.
-And then…
“I’ll pause things here.”
Just then, I sensed a presence behind me.
I immediately turned off the link and released the barrier.
It was a voice I had heard before.
An old man in a black suit.
The butler I had seen in the Flechette mansion.
“You were here, Schlus Hainkel.”
“…”
How did he know I was here?
No, wait…
Had he been wandering around the Imperial University looking for me?
The sweat running down the back of the butler’s neck confirmed that.
He must have had something urgent to convey to me.
“I’ve come to deliver the wishes of Flechette.”
“Yes…”
I immediately tore open the letter handed to me by the butler to check its contents.
The message read:
-If you wish to form a secret engagement with Iris von dem Flechette, please respond to the marriage proposal.
