It Was Too Much Money (5)

Morning came. Charles, waking up naturally, yawned deeply as he sat up. Last night...

"Ah."

Yohan and Falco had personally gone to settle things with his older brother. Remembering this, Charles tried to scramble out of bed.

But for some reason, the blanket covering him felt incredibly heavy, as if pinned down by something.

He soon discovered Yohan and Falco lying on either side of the wide bed. The two of them were sprawled out like starfish, pinning his blanket down so firmly that he couldn't even push it aside.

"..."

What on earth was this situation?

For a moment, Charles couldn't comprehend the sight before his eyes. Yohan and Falco, still in their outdoor clothes, were fast asleep. On top of that, dried bloodstains were visible on various parts of their clothing, though it didn't look like the blood had come from their own wounds. In the first place, they looked far too healthy and peaceful to be injured.

"Ugh..."

Charles grabbed his head with both hands and shook it side to side. As his sleep-addled brain finally began to function properly, he realized the two of them had returned safely.

He didn't know how long the confrontation had lasted, but seeing them sleep so deeply, they had clearly resolved the issue and returned to the lodging before sunrise.

Though there might have been some friction along ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the way, they had likely achieved a desirable outcome through appropriate dialogue and compromise. The reason they hadn't woken him up to tell him immediately was undoubtedly because Yohan saw no need to disturb his sleep.

Indeed, while Yohan's language was foul enough to make one wonder if he washed his mouth with a rag, he was actually a man who knew how to be considerate of others in small, subtle ways.

"Yo... no, Dad. Mo... m."

Slipping out from under the blanket, Charles approached Yohan. He woke him up using words he still found incredibly awkward to utter.

"...!"

Did he hate being called "Dad" that much? Yohan, who had been snoring with his mouth wide open, suddenly snapped his eyes open and bolted upright as if he had never been asleep. He rubbed his arms repeatedly, looking as though he had just gotten goosebumps.

"W-what? You're awake?"

"Yes. I just woke up."

After a brief exchange with Yohan, Charles turned his gaze toward Falco. Of course, he decided to leave her be; grabbing her shoulder to shake her awake would likely earn him a flying fist.

"You must have... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠returned in the middle of the night."

"Yeah. Dad's home," Yohan joked, answering Charles's question as he tugged at his tie to loosen it. "And you can stop with the 'Dad' stuff now. We don't need to act anymore."

He added that last part with a sigh.

"Ah."

Come to think of it, he was right. The very fact that Yohan and Falco had returned unharmed and were sleeping so peacefully was proof enough that they had thoroughly dealt with Louis Dorleans.

"Right. Speaking of which..."

Stepping off the bed, Yohan walked over to the picture frame hanging on the wall. He reached behind it, pulled out the wiretap installed there, and crushed it between his fingers.

"Well, not like there's anyone left to listen anyway. But since you're up, I'll give you a quick rundown of what happened last night."

"Yes, please."

Returning to the bed, Yohan plopped himself down on the mattress.

For the next ten minutes, Yohan explained how the two of them had beaten up the Dorleans family's private guards and "re-socialized" Louis Dorleans.

"Turning my brother into a functional puppet so he spreads the Goddess's teachings without even realizing it... That is certainly an excellent idea," Charles said with a wry smile after listening to Yohan's story.

"Wait, when you put it like that, it makes me sound like some kind of cult leader."

"Spreading doctrines through pseudo-scriptures disguised as ordinary books is actually a common tactic used by heretical cults. Of course, we are different from those wicked sects."

This was exactly what Annie had said before. Thus, Yohan couldn't find a single word to argue back.

"Well, anyway. More than that..."

Yohan was secretly anxious about Charles's reaction. No matter how much of an enemy Louis was, they had essentially rewritten his biological brother's personality.

Yohan paused, glancing briefly at Falco, who had just woken up. It was a bit awkward to bring up directly.

"Are you really okay with this?"

"Pardon?"

Yohan turned his gaze back to Charles and asked, prompting Charles to tilt his head in confusion.

"I mean, what is Louis to you? Honestly, he's someone you wanted to get back at, right? The whole reason you're running a shop with Old Man Henry..."

To build a merchant group massive enough to rival the Dorleans Merchant Group while staying in Balifield—that was Charles's ambition after deciding to become fully independent.

Therefore, Yohan's actions had essentially robbed Charles of his target for revenge, and Yohan worried that Charles might feel resentful about it. Even if it was already spilt milk.

"Ah, so you're asking if I feel upset that my brother ended up like that?"

"To put it simply, yeah."

"Not at all. In fact, hearing it made me feel incredibly relieved."

Fortunately, Charles took Yohan's decision positively.

"Most of all, thanks to your decision, we can continue to indirectly utilize the capital of the Dorleans Merchant Group."

"Uh... right?"

"Well, but to say I wasn't worried at all would be a lie."

This kid. So he was worried about the safety of the two who went to confront his brother. Yohan grinned, feeling a warm sense of pride.

"Just between us, my brother—no, Louis Dorleans—is a very obnoxious type."

But that pride lasted only a moment.

"Huh?"

What was this kid suddenly talking about? Yohan's eyes widened.

"So... honestly, I was worried that an angry Falco would decide to just punch him first, regardless of the consequences."

Charles shot a quick glance at Falco as he spoke. Instead of getting angry or denying it, Falco simply turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

"H-honestly, when he served ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠nothing but leaves and started lecturing about the race of the forest, I really wanted to shove my boot down his throat."

She muttered an excuse.

"Good grief."

Yohan felt a headache coming on and dragged a hand down his face. Charles's worry had been entirely justified. Falco had indeed failed to contain her anger. But since her outburst had ultimately led to the desired outcome, he couldn't really complain.

"In any case, my brother thinks I'm dead, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Whew. I was constantly worried he might send assassins if he found out I was still alive, so I can finally breathe easy."

Charles's expression looked more relaxed than ever before.

This kid... he didn't show it, but he must have been living in constant terror of being assassinated by his brother. Yohan looked down at Charles, feeling a pang of sympathy.

"Though even if he found out I was alive now, it wouldn't matter."

"In fact, if you went and showed your face to him now, he'd probably burst into tears and thank the heavens you're alive."

Yohan and Charles looked at each other and chuckled. Yet, Yohan couldn't bring himself to laugh wholeheartedly.

"So, what are we doing now?"

"Well, our business in this city is done... so we should head back to the village."

The plan to spread the Goddess's teachings through the fables would now run on autopilot. Strictly speaking, Yohan would have to act as "Martin" again when the books began selling outside of Burgund. If the books managed to reach the Empire—their initial target—the Goddess's doctrines would literally permeate the entire continent.

Therefore, it was time to turn their attention back to the Central Church of the Holy Kingdom.

"Do you guys remember what I said last time? About coaxing the Holy Kingdom's priests to bring them over to our side?"

"Yeah."

"Yes, I remember."

"Now that the book publishing plan is mostly wrapped up, I'm going to start on that."

Previously, Yohan had proposed a method to bring down the Central Church by converting clergymen who were dissatisfied with the current system. It would take time, but it was a way to slowly erode the Central Church's influence without shedding innocent blood.

To convert the Holy Kingdom's clergymen, they first had to visit the Holy Kingdom. Additionally, it was about time they returned the Original Scriptures they were keeping.

"Alright. Let us head out immediately."

Although the publisher had previously arranged transportation back to Westania, their extended stay to deal with Louis Dorleans had naturally resulted in all their reservations being canceled.

The Teleportation Magic Circle stations operated similarly to train stations in his original world, requiring ticket reservations. Furthermore, because the demand for teleportation from Capital was immense, securing a same-day ticket was practically impossible.

But that didn't matter. Yohan had the Goddess's power.

Teleportation performed through the Goddess's divine power had far fewer aftereffects than the magic circles, so it was no exaggeration to say things had actually worked out for the better.

"Now, Goddess! If you please~!"

Yohan called out with exaggerated gestures and tone, and as if in response, the Goddess manifested in the middle of the room.

"This child is treating me more and more like a high-performance teleportation device..."

"Hey, isn't this all for your own good?"

This was by no means an empty promise. Yohan's ultimate goal was to restore the Goddess's divinity to its peak.

"At any rate, the plan is to drop Charles off in Balifield, return to the village, and then head to the Holy Kingdom with Annie, is it not?"

"Exactly. You know me so well," Yohan replied instantly.

The Goddess clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"Good grief, fine. We shall depart immediately, so check if you have left anything behind."

After parting with Charles and returning to the village, Yohan and the Goddess went to find Annie, who was in the middle of training the village youth.

He explained to Annie that it was time to return the Original Scriptures to the Holy Kingdom.

"You are moving quite busily. You have only just returned from the Corporate State; would it not be wise to rest for at least a day?"

"What's the big deal? We're just going to pop over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with teleportation anyway. Besides, if we keep holding onto the scriptures, those poor inquisitors are just going to keep running themselves ragged looking for them."

"Indeed. As you said, it is necessary to go, if only to scout the area."

Annie immediately went inside to prepare for the journey, while Yohan stripped off the uncomfortable suit he had worn throughout his stay in the Corporate State and changed back into his familiar travel gear.

"Preparations are complete. Let us depart at once."

"Sure."

"Do you have the Original Scriptures secured?"

"It's too bulky, so I stored it in the Single-room for now. I'll pull it out once we arrive."

"Understood."

Ending their brief conversation, the two of them turned their gaze to the Goddess.

"Apostle, have you decided on a destination?"

"Yeah. Going anywhere near the Holy City is too dangerous. Let's just slip it inside the Easthold Cathedral and head back."

"Then we shall depart immediately."

Flash.

In an instant, the three of them teleported into an alleyway in Easthold, the easternmost city of the Holy Kingdom.

Confirming they had arrived at their destination, Yohan nodded slightly. At the same time, the Goddess turned into her spiritual form and vanished, while the remaining two moved to the edge of the alley and peeked around the corner.

But something was wrong.

"Alright, let's head straight to the cathedral... What the hell? What happened here?"

Yohan spoke in utter bewilderment as he took in the scene beyond the alley.

"This... what on earth..."

Annie was equally taken aback.

The pure white buildings, characteristic of the Holy Kingdom's unique architectural beauty, were covered in hideous stains and graffiti. Not only that, but trash littered the streets, and the debris of damaged buildings blocked the pathways.

But what stood out most of all was a banner crudely planted right in the middle of the main street, bearing a stark inscription.

In the short time they had been away, Easthold had been completely devastated.