Chapter 44: The Trial (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 44: The Trial (2)
As Mayer had pointed out, Divine Power held an overwhelming advantage against spirits. It was for this very reason he had demanded powerful Divine Power from Aiden—as a foolproof method to defeat them.
In fact, the Holy Kingdom had entire departments and personnel dedicated solely to exorcism. No one could possibly doubt their expertise. People naturally tend to focus on what they excel at, and by that same logic, the Holy Kingdom possessed the most accumulated knowledge regarding spirits in the entire world.
In that sense…
“Ah, so you’re saying the Lord Protector attacked Lionheart because she did something wrong?”
“…”
“Is that it?”
“…”
“Doesn’t look that way to me.”
The testimony was proceeding in a way that made the Administrative Minister drop his head into his hands. Of all the people who could have barged in on a trial concerning spirits, it had to be the one standing at the absolute pinnacle of knowledge on the subject.
And when that very person dismissed their entire argument as nonsense not even worth listening to, their problem had just doubled.
…Even if I just let things play out.
Aiden tapped his cheek as he watched the Administrative Minister get verbally battered. If things continued like this, it would be their overwhelming victory.
And naturally, someone was bound to step in to prevent that.
“Isn’t this taking sides a bit too blatantly, Your Holiness?”
The words, spoken softly, cut through the chamber. The volume wasn’t loud, but it possessed enough resonance to silence both the Administrative Minister and the Pope, drawing all eyes to the speaker.
“If you are merely going to oppose for the sake of opposing, then standing in court as a witness loses all meaning,” the Imperial Prince said quietly.
The Pope snorted. “Since when were any of you so concerned with logic?”
“…”
“Do you really want me to pick apart every single absurdity in your argument and beat you over the head with it? Truly?”
When broken down, it was a chilling threat. Even as the ruler of another nation making a blunt argument, she was maintaining a final boundary. If they actually pushed her, she wasn’t guaranteeing what would happen next.
Yet it was equally clear that the person she was speaking to had no intention of backing down.
“If you carry the weight of the Holy Kingdom on your shoulders, you should display the dignity and conduct befitting your position,” the Imperial Prince retorted without batting an eye. “Rather than letting yourself be used as someone else’s pawn.”
“…”
“A ruler should stand above all people, shouldn’t they? Unswayed by others.”
The corner of the Pope’s mouth twisted upward.
“Imperial Prince.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“If you want to lecture me, why don’t you try carrying a nation on your shoulders first?”
“…”
“And just in case you didn’t know, a Crown Prince is not the Emperor. No matter what you say.”
As the Prince remained silent, the Pope stepped down from the dais and walked toward him slowly. A mischievous smirk played on her lips, as if she had just found an amusing toy.
“You.”
The moment that single word left her mouth, the Prince’s expression twisted.
Only Aiden, who saw the Divine Power creeping up around the Pope’s body, understood what was happening. It was the same thing he had experienced recently—pressuring an opponent simply through the Emission of Divine Power.
Though no one else in the courtroom was affected, the Prince was undoubtedly enduring the same horrific pressure Aiden had suffered.
“You’re not in a position to bear anything yet, are you?”
“…”
“It’s fine to have convictions, but don’t overstep your place.”
With every step she took, cold sweat beaded on the Prince’s brow as he slumped against the table. His pale face was a clear reflection of his deteriorating condition.
Yet, even so…
His glaring eyes never left the Pope, as if he had no intention of taking back a single word he had said.
“…”
“…”
A bizarre standoff, incomprehensible to those watching, persisted for a brief moment.
Soon, the Pope chuckled softly and withdrew her Divine Power.
At the same time, a ragged gasp of air escaped the Prince’s mouth.
Over his heavy panting, the Pope offered a raspy chuckle.
“—A solid 70 points. Not bad.”
“…What is the meaning of this?”
“The Emperor worries so much about his son, you see. I just decided to tease him a bit.”
The Pope’s eyes slid to the side as she spoke.
“If I hadn’t found a guy who scored 90 points recently, I might have even taken a liking to you.”
Her gaze locked directly onto Aiden, who let out an internal sigh.
…This woman, seriously.
To so blatantly praise him while comparing him to the Imperial Prince! He knew she didn’t care what others thought, but how many diplomatic incidents had she just caused in this one brief moment? If she weren’t on such intimate terms with the Emperor, he couldn’t even imagine the crisis this would spark.
To top it all off, the Pope walked over to Aiden and held out her fist.
As Aiden stared, dumbfounded at the fist bump she was clearly offering, she winked.
“—This should do it, right?”
“…”
…She was practically announcing to the world that everything she had just done was a joint venture between them. With that single line, Aiden was now etched into everyone’s mind as someone with secret ties to the Holy Kingdom.
Of course.
…This wasn’t just some simple favor.
He doubted this woman was doing this out of the goodness of her heart. The gleaming look in her eyes as she spoke her next words made that crystal clear.
“I’ve done my part, so you keep your promise, alright?”
Aiden chuckled faintly and bumped his fist against the Pope’s. He had never expected to share such a casual greeting with the ruler of a nation.
“It’s more than enough.”
“Good, then.”
With a bright grin, the Pope snapped her fingers.
Divine Power flared, enveloping her body like a shroud of white fire. To an outsider, it might have looked like an act of self-immolation, but this was spatial teleportation via coordinate specification.
…You can do that with Divine Power?
At this rate, he felt like he might see someone freeze something with it later. Its versatility was so great it naturally raised such thoughts.
“See you around.”
With those words, her body vanished in a flash.
…In every sense of the word, she was a hurricane.
* * *
The Pope, naturally, had absolute freedom of movement. She possessed such sheer martial prowess that escorts were completely unnecessary, allowing her to wander wherever and whenever she pleased outside of her official duties.
In that regard, the place she visited immediately after leaving the court was unmistakably unfitting for her status: a dark, damp alleyway near the courthouse.
Having teleported there, the Pope let out a dry laugh toward the person hidden in the shadows.
“I know there are people in the kingdom who see you as a bug, but did you have to actually build a habitat here?”
“…”
“What kind of girl likes dark, damp places so much?”
“…”
No answer came. Instead, the only sound was the faint, almost imperceptible movement of an arm.
In truth, skin makes no sound when it is sliced. Unless one was paying attention to the pain, one wouldn’t even notice they’d been cut. Just as there was no sound now, as the girl dragged a knife across her own neck.
“Hey,” the Pope said nonchalantly, crossing her arms. “You still can’t feel anything, can you?”
“…”
At those words, the woman standing in the shadows raised her head to meet the Pope’s gaze. Describing her as gloomy would be inaccurate. What dwelt within her eyes was an utter void.
Nothing. Nothing held value. Nothing held meaning.
Something stimulating. Even if it was painful, horrific, or disgusting. Her gaze was soaked in an extreme nihilism, desperately longing to feel even a fragment of a sensation.
“When that Aiden guy isn’t around, you’re still doing this stuff, I see.”
Though she seemed capable of acting fairly normal in front of that man, she was hardly any different without him. Her core remained entirely unchanged.
Katya Heinkel Craven was still hopelessly, desperately suicidal.
“…Your Holiness,” Katya replied in a sullen voice. “What is it? Pretending to care all of a sudden.”
The moment she finished speaking, Abigail III snapped her fingers.
…Instantly, Katya’s head snapped back with a sharp thwack. The blow was violent enough to crack the bones in her neck.
“Watch your tongue.”
“…”
“It’s not as if I didn’t teach you manners, is it?”
“—I’m asking how long you’re going to play this ridiculous mother act. You didn’t even give birth to me.”
“Tsk—”
When the Pope’s eyes widened in a glare, Katya averted her gaze with a bitter expression. She looked like a rebellious teenager avoiding a fight she knew she couldn’t win against her parent—like a mother smacking her child’s back and the child grumbling after taking the hit.
No, it went a step further…
“…Why are you pulling your punches? It doesn’t suit you,” Katya said, almost flabbergasted that a person who would normally explode her head without a second thought had stopped at just that.
The Pope crossed her arms. “I received a warning recently. Some guy threatened to settle scores with me if I laid a finger on his friend.”
“…”
“And I just came back from meeting that friend of yours.”
“…Your Holiness.”
A smile crept onto Katya’s rigid face. The forced expression blooming across her empty features was utterly chilling.
“If you lay a finger on him, then I really will fight you to the death.”
…Of course, her head snapped back with another sharp thwack immediately after.
“I’m not touching him, kid.”
Looking at Katya, who refused to answer, the Pope glanced up at the sky and grimaced. “I just came to give you a word of caution. Keep a close eye on him.”
“…Pardon?”
Strictly speaking, it felt as though the Pope’s eyes were looking not at the sky, but at something beyond it.
“It’s not that I think the guy is lacking in any way, but… to my eyes, he looks quite… ‘interesting.’”
If he slipped up even a little, that crazy guy was bound to suffer a terrible fate.
“So if he’s that important to you, try scoring some points with him.”
Looking at the heavens, and at the soul pulsing far beyond them, the Pope murmured those words.
* * *
The trial had fallen into a lull. The Imperial Prince and the Administrative Minister’s side had requested a recess.
Inside the waiting room, Noel, whose expression had visibly brightened, was gripping Aiden’s arm and shaking it fervently.
“How—how did you pull this off?!”
“…”
“Connections with the Pope of the Holy Kingdom, of all people!”
“…”
He understood her surprise, but he wished she would tone it down. Every time she shook his arm, his feet lifted off the ground, leaving him floating briefly in midair. He felt less like a person and more like a human-sized stuffed doll being tossed around.
“At this rate, the Prince’s side, who brought up the treason charges in the first place, will face a massive backlash! Asking for a recess is proof they have no counterargument!”
Every single word she said was true. When the Pope of the Holy Kingdom herself testified about spirits, who could possibly object? The most crucial piece of evidence for their ‘Lionheart Treason Theory’ had been shattered.
“…Mr. Aiden?”
It was then that Noel sensed something was amiss and tilted her head. Aiden, the very man who had engineered this situation, didn’t look pleased in the slightest.
“Is something wrong? Did I say something out of line…?”
“No. Everything you said is correct, Dame Noel.”
“Then why…?”
In truth, there was no need to ask. Everything Noel said was fact. The Prince’s side was backed into a corner, and if things continued on this path, their defeat was guaranteed.
And that very fact was the problem.
“Because the real battle starts now.”
Aiden spoke as he handed her something—the sword Noel always wore at her waist, which he had brought along in advance.
“…”
As Noel blinked, wondering why he was giving it to her, Aiden opened the window and looked up.
“I’ve noticed something. The Imperial Prince and I are similar—we’re both the type to meticulously plan things out before we make a move.”
“…Pardon?”
“Even if we get pushed back, we only pick fights we know we can escape from safely.”
Planning, calculation, preparation, adaptability. Both Aiden and the Prince shared a penchant for such things. That made predicting the opponent’s moves simple enough—all he had to do was think about what he would do in the Prince’s shoes.
“So, if I were in his position right now…”
Aiden let out a heavy sigh as he watched the scenery outside begin to tear.
“—I would flip the entire board.”
The sky was splitting open.