Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP. 46 – Everyone Has a Plan (4)
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...Today, newspapers were exceptionally hard to come by.
No, were they sold out everywhere, causing a total frenzy?
'I get it, but still.'
Indeed, there probably wasn't a single citizen in the current kingdom who wouldn't buy one.
The article had perfectly stimulated the dopamine of the southern people, making it impossible not to grab a copy.
He was no exception.
He wasn't reading it just for the thrill, but as one of the few who knew the full "inside story" of all these events, he had to check it out.
Such a bold—no, a complete upheaval of tail-cutting...
"-No. In this case, 'head-cutting' is the right term."
Riiip.
Lee Han let out a sigh that was more admiration than anything as he read the morning interrogation headline and the front-page coverage of the Great Temple incident that spanned to the next pages.
It was so thorough that it almost inspired awe.
[Radical faction dreaming of kingdom overthrow? Radical leader High Priest Berhen and Cardinal Tateo dead.]
[Radical faction's atrocities targeted the Academy and Galahad?]
[Royals outraged! 'Harsh rebuke against the temple to follow!' The royal family's tough response—?!]
An unprecedented crisis where events shook the new kingdom overnight—insufficient even to call it a upheaval.
The entire south would be buzzing about this for a while, with no calm days ahead.
...However, even in the muddiest waters, flowers can bloom.
Amid the nationwide condemnation of the temple, sympathy and respect poured out endlessly for one particular "hero."
[Moderate faction leader Cardinal Michael's bold decision!]
[Saint candidate Cardinal Michael! Draws his sword in firm response to radical heretics' apostasy.]
[Holy war? Or witch hunt?]
[Cardinal Michael in tears. "Those I killed with my own hands were once my teachers, fathers, and brothers."]
Cardinal Michael.
A nonagenarian priest who remained hale and hearty.
The longest-serving cardinal in the temple's history, known as the moderate faction's leader.
Yet he had suddenly skyrocketed to stardom by "purifying" all the radical leaders and their apostate followers in an extreme act.
...Severing heads and impaling them on spikes was barbaric enough spectacle, but then incinerating the decapitated bodies was straight-up grotesque.
However.
'It's all justified, apparently.'
It might sound like a joke, but the so-called radical faction was truly a group that had piled up countless [sins].
Even the common folk who blindly believed the temple was always right would cringe at their extreme actions, muttering, "Well, that's a bit much..."
A closer investigation into this incident revealed that the radicals had committed numerous vile and dirty deeds, including the "slave trade" that the War God had long banned.
In other words, astonishingly, there were no "innocent victims" among the dead.
All hundreds deserved execution, and Cardinal Michael had drawn his blade in the name of justice against these corrupt priests gone rogue.
That was the truth behind the widely known purification incident, making the public's fervor for Michael quite understandable.
And on top of that...
[Galahad's bold decision.]
[Those moving to protect the kingdom's order are the true heroic house.]
[What was the Pendragon royal family doing when Galahad stepped up?]
...Provocative content from a few minor newspapers.
Articles elevating Galahad while stoking resentment against the royals—a classic divide-and-conquer tactic.
"Are these newspaper hacks all living like it's their last day?"
The content blatantly provoked the royals' ire, drawing an involuntary chuckle from Lee Han.
If the princess saw this, she would probably...
"-You're reading such filth."
Riiiip!
...Yeah, rip it to shreds without a second thought.
Lee Han blinked blankly at the white-haired Crown Princess who appeared out of nowhere and snatched his newspaper, tearing it to pieces.
Ah, newspapers were hard to get today...
"...I was still reading it, you know."
"Why gaze at such trash that only dirties your eyes? Throw it away. It's all full of false incitement."
"Hmm."
Lee Han scratched his cheek.
Her tone was sharper than usual, her eyes brimming with icy chill.
...She seemed in a really foul mood.
"What's up? Why come to a dump like this yourself?"
But foul mood aside, he bluntly asked why someone as exalted as the Crown Princess was here.
What, did she come all this way just to see this?
"Hmph, your speech is insolent. If I grace you with my presence, you should be weeping with joy."
"Ah, sure."
"...Insolent cur."
Smack!
Isis's fan spewed fire, but unfortunately...
Crackle.
The fire seemed to have burst from her wrist, not his head.
"Your wrist is shattering. You okay?"
"Hm, this stealth 'doppelganger' still needs some refining."
"...You got all kinds of tricks, seriously."
...Fortunately, it didn't seem like her real body was here.
'This sister's got a real bag of talents.'
He quietly admired her.
"The temple, those maggots pulled a maggot-worthy move—worse than larvae, those filthy maggots—!"
"Ahem."
Even Isis, who swore elegantly, using "maggots" three times in a row showed her mood wasn't just bad—it was the absolute worst.
"However, I can't deny it's an extreme but effective measure. The Saintess Plan, was it? They pinned all their absurd scheme's dirty work on the radicals, then issued such harsh punishment from within the temple itself—impossible to even scold them. And not just that? By crediting Galahad, they've sown the tiniest bond between Galahad and the temple. Galahad might despise it, but what will the people think? 'Maybe Galahad trusts the temple now?' They'll harbor such expectations. Killing just 'a few hundred pests' for this massive gain? Profitable business."
"Y-You're not even treating them like people?"
"My separate investigation revealed crimes by radical priests including 'devotee organ harvesting,' 'fraud,' 'kidnapping,' and 'devotee torture.' What would you call such scum?"
"...Spellcasters?"
"...I wonder what mages are to you..."
Lee Han understood why Isis didn't treat the dead as people.
They were truly worse than beasts, unfit even for rehabilitation.
"The only somewhat wronged ones might be the High Priest and the dead cardinals. They led the radicals but were mere embezzlers..."
"Th-That's still a crime, isn't it?"
"By kingdom law, such petty crimes warrant [40 years labor]."
"......"
......Maybe dying was a luxury for those bastards?
Lee Han felt dazed throughout.
The temple had clearly done something insane, yet he couldn't openly curse them.
Because the scapegoats were genuinely "irredeemable trash."
"Even more absurd: the moderates are mostly clean, and Cardinal Michael's case involved some backroom donations under sponsorship—mere child's play, no leverage there. Sigh!"
"...Wow."
He knew it was a mistake, but the exclamation slipped out.
What the hell with these guys?
'Why are they so thorough?'
Far more meticulous than any huge group Lee Han had faced so far—like knight orders, sultans, or mage towers.
"Still, they lost their Holy Knights and key priests this time, right? Big power loss?"
"Hah, true enough. But they've gained far more 'profit' than what they lost—perhaps even greater power."
"?"
"'Trust.'"
"??"
"They've proven to the world they're a clean institution. By executing their own brothers and sisters, even culling Holy Knights... The temple has shown they can self-reflect."
"That's impressive?"
"Indeed. The people may be disappointed in the temple's apostasy now, but give it time—the disappointment will turn to admiration, then respect. They've shown ruthless resolve to execute Holy Knights, cardinals, even the High Priest for the light's glory. Thus..."
This trust would soon become the people's faith.
"...They've gained something money can't buy?"
"Not even billions could procure it."
Trust becomes money, honor, halo.
And the gains from that?
Impossible to gauge.
No end to it.
"What they lost? I guarantee, give them a year—no, half—they'll recover and then some."
"Mm."
"The temple's resurgence can't be stopped now. Trying would provoke the entire south's fury."
"...Sis?"
"We lost—the royals, me, Galahad, Lionel, everyone wary of the temple. All our plans crumbled overnight. ...I want to see the face of whoever devised this damn scheme. Kill them!"
"......"
Lee Han stared piercingly at her.
'Now I see why this sister came here using an avatar.'
To this shabby place.
"...That upsetting? Angry enough to come here?"
Her anger unspent, she'd sought him out.
Unable to vent to anyone else.
"If it's that, go talk to family. Why me?"
"Where's family in the royals?"
"What about the butler?"
"He lacks empathy."
"I'm not some bamboo grove..."
"?"
"It's a thing. Someone to listen instead of secrets."
"Heh, I see. Only you."
...To hear my frustration.
Crack.
The fan in her hand shattered.
Rare sight.
She always vented calmly, no matter what—this was the first time seeing her so openly furious.
"That mad?"
"Yes, furious. Our plans to corner the temple went up in smoke. Small consolation: Galahad and Lionel got hit too. Heh..."
"...You're mean-spirited."
Even as she countered, Lee Han was impressed.
The strategies of the south's three mightiest houses crumbling so futilely was staggering.
'Everyone has a plan, till things don't go as planned.'
He'd seen the temple as mere lunatics until now, but this revealed otherwise.
The temple had
'strategists.'
Real heavyweights who screwed over all three at once...
"-It seems this feeble old man will be elected the next High Priest."
The next morning, early, Lee Han learned another had been duped.
"Elder?"
Raphael, the only adult he truly respected, sighed wearily. Before he could console him,
"I'll have to thank the temple again on my brother's behalf. For catching the heretics—probably granting a [pardon]."
"...Pardon? That's surely..."
"A rare honor given to only twenty in kingdom history. Recipients are hailed as temple heroes."
"!?"
"The moment brother receives it, he's onstage. All eyes on him."
"......"
"...And that's the last thing brother wants."
"...Damn it."
Lee Han usually refrained from cursing before elders, but couldn't hold back—curses spilled reflexively.
He realized.
The unseen strategist was adept at intrigue too...
'I've been dancing on their board too?'
Even trying to use him like a chess piece.
"Ha, damn it all!"
More than anger, laughter burst out.
The humiliation of a pre-ring K.O...
He felt anew: fists can't solve everything.
The pen is mightier than the sword—for good reason.