Chapter 20
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Became the Black Curtain Manipulating the Pope's Daughter (3)
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Robertus Bilheim, that damned name.
Alots Ferris, the Ferris Duke, had been utterly convinced he would keep rising without a single setback.
But after trying to bury Robertus only to get burned in return, ominous signs began creeping into his life, one by one.
The incident between them at the banquet had become a massive topic among the nobles attending the Holy Capital Assembly.
Not anyone else, but that cunning Ferris Duke, toyed with so easily...
Bilheim Duke seems like no pushover just because he's young... Ah, Duke Ferris! Good to see you!
No matter where he went, the nobles would abruptly halt their conversations the moment he appeared.
They all welcomed Ferris with an oddly excessive warmth,
but Ferris could easily guess they had been tearing him apart behind his back before he arrived.
And above all, what had happened just yesterday shook him to his core.
He had been holding a meeting with the nobles aligned with Aselina, as usual.
"Well then, shall we discuss what comes after Lady Aselina's election? First, regarding the composition of the Saintess Council."
The Saintess of the Radain Faith would lead the Saintess Council, an organization independent of the Papal Court.
It was akin to becoming the head of a small government managing the female priests under the Radain Faith.
Thus, personnel appointments for the Saintess Council were a key authority of the Saintess—and naturally, her supporters wanted to stack it with people to their liking as much as possible.
"As I mentioned before, I recommend Archbishop Bellenu as the Saintess's aide. She is the perfect fit to assist Lady Aselina in becoming the Saintess..."
Ferris, the de facto leader of Aselina's faction, had already finalized the new Saintess Council cabinet.
All that remained was to inform his supporters and secure their nominal approval.
Hold on, Duke Ferris.
But at that moment, for the first time across all their meetings, someone objected to Ferris's proposal.
"What is it?"
About Archbishop Bellenu... You might want to reconsider appointing her as aide. Isn't she too old for such a heavy responsibility?
"..."
Marquis Leon has a point. Wouldn't Bishop Marian be better? Her rank is lower, but she's much younger and close to Lady Aselina...
I agree.
Starting with one marquis's remark, objections poured out from the participants.
At first glance, they seemed like reasoned counterarguments, each backing new candidates with their own logic.
But the shrewd Ferris had already seen through the hidden intent.
They were trying to oust him now.
"...It's heartening to see all of you so actively voicing opinions for the first time—I'm delighted as the host of this meeting."
They'd followed obediently until now, but after one slip-up, they dared to rebel against me?
Hiding his trembling lips, Ferris shot them a menacing glare.
In truth, we've left too many decisions to the Duke. You can step down from heavy responsibilities now.
You are no longer fit to lead us. Step down from your position gracefully.
But the nobles did not back down.
Greedy hyenas that they were, they wouldn't miss this first chance to undermine his authority.
BAM!
"How dare you—how dare you!"
In the end, Duke Ferris exploded, slamming his fist on the table.
An action he never would have taken normally—but the banquet incident had steadily eroded his mental fortitude until it finally hit rock bottom.
"You vermin! You've gobbled up all the bribes and connections I've handed out, and now you have the gall to cast me aside?"
Discarding noble euphemisms, he unleashed raw profanity.
The flustered nobles quickly regained their composure and fired back.
Mind your words, Alots! Anyone hearing you would think you'd been the only one losing out!
Exactly! You calculated the returns before giving so generously, didn't you?
I'll say it now! Your methods have always been too dictatorial!
The dignified noble gathering devolved into a vulgar shouting match of insults and recriminations.
That's right! Why did you have to mess with Robertus Bilheim, of all people!
The moment that name slipped from someone's lips, they all fell silent as if on cue.
The old duke who spoke seized the silence to rain blame on Ferris.
Your rash words and actions have tarnished the honor of everyone supporting Lady Aselina! If you'd stayed quiet, she would have drawn him in herself and solidified her position!
...You're right! You struck first out of fear that Bilheim Duke joining would threaten your position, didn't you?
At least you'd succeeded! But you failed miserably, lost your authority, and now dare to blame us?
You should go apologize to Robertus now and salvage your blunder. What if he sides with Loretta instead?
That's right... We need to recruit Robertus Bilheim first...
...Bilheim Duke...
...Duke of the North Robertus...
...Robertus...
The nobles' buzzing voices blurred into a swarm.
To Ferris now, only one name rang in his ears.
"Robertus... Robertus! That goddamned Robertus!"
In the end, Ferris stormed out of the meeting.
"Damn it... Robertus... If not for that bastard... Goddamn it..."
Late evening.
Back in his bedroom, Ferris paced like a madman, alternating between the name Robertus and curses.
Robertus.
Everywhere he went, that name echoed.
The Duke of the North chosen by the Pope and the Holy Sword, Robertus.
The talent both Aselina and Loretta's sides sought to recruit, Robertus.
The genius strategist who neatly crushed the cunning Ferris Duke's plot against him at the banquet, Robertus...!
"Arrrgh!!!"
He couldn't hold back any longer and swept the tableware crashing to the floor.
"What the hell is that guy? What is he?! How can some novice noble who's barely been one for a month toy with me like this...!"
The unknown breeds fear.
And Robertus—an existence whose depths Ferris couldn't fathom—was more than enough to plant terror in his heart.
"Haa... Haa..."
After the whirlwind of emotions over Robertus passed, regret over the future remained.
He had lost control again, making a fool of himself before the other nobles.
Now, his honor would plummet beyond recovery.
'What will become of my standing in noble society...?'
Desperate, Ferris racked his brains for a way to turn things around.
'Staying in Aselina's faction is impossible now. Then... approach Loretta's side...'
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
A maxim every merchant must etch in their heart.
True to it, Ferris had maintained covert ties with some in Loretta's faction even while leading Aselina's.
Sometimes selling her information that hurt Aselina for his own gain.
'Though the others who contacted Loretta's side under me betrayed me in that meeting... at least I can...'
As Ferris desperately schemed his betrayal,
Block him... Arghhh!
BOOM!
"...?"
He snapped to his senses at faint shouts and a crash from afar.
"Hey, what's going on outsi—"
Before Ferris could call his waiting butler,
BANG!
"H-Household head!"
The butler burst into the bedroom first.
"Pl-Please evacuate! The kn-knight captain!"
"Knight captain?"
KABOOM!
This time, the blast erupted right outside the door.
"Arghhh!!"
Amid smoke, the butler flew past Ferris and crashed; Ferris himself toppled from the shockwave.
Step... Step...
A female knight in armor emerged through the smoke.
"...Lady Aselina?"
Utterly bewildered, Ferris could only stare blankly up at Aselina's emotionless face as she aimed her sword at him.
Someone who can't even manage their own followers—how could they represent hundreds of thousands of priestesses as Saintess?
Standing at the center of a darkened temple, Aselina endlessly mulled over those parting words Robertus had left her.
"...I know that."
Aselina was well aware her political acumen fell short.
Aselina Radain, the veteran holy knight who had weathered countless battlefields.
But clashes of sword and shield on the battlefield were worlds apart from the intrigues of politics.
Thus, she had hastily learned noble society's ways and recruited prominent figures to shore up her weaknesses.
But it wasn't enough.
Towers built in haste were prone to collapse.
And Robertus had seen that flaw perfectly.
"..."
Aselina pondered. So what now?
"...I just have to do what needs doing."
Self-recrimination while standing still wasn't her style.
Act instead of think.
Fortunately, the task Robertus left aligned closely with what she had always done.
Root out the organization's traitors.
It wasn't much different from ferreting out heretics infiltrating the church,
and it suited her perfectly—she who had earned infamy as an inquisitor before joining the knights.
"What must I do to catch the traitors?"
Her mind, steeped in gloom, reignited as she recalled her inquisitor days.
"First, capture them by surprise before they can prepare. Second, interrogate the highest-ranking suspect first."
Who was the head of the traitors?
Even if not a traitor, who in Aselina's faction held the most influence and knew the organization's secrets best?
"...Ferris Duke."
No one fit better.
Moreover, he had tried to exclude the very talent she sought to recruit.
If he was Loretta's spy, it all made sense.
"...I need to gather my old inquisitor subordinates."
Cold ruthlessness returned to Aselina's eyes.