Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: A Treacherous Subject Can Be Useful Too - 168
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Three months later.
The Holy Nation, Central Grand Temple.
The Holy Nation, or the Sacred State—a religious headquarters located east of the Carleum Empire—was a city-state comprised of a single, massive city.
Built and crafted to protect the Holy Land, this city's walls were filled with pristine white, and its interior was immaculately clean.
And the enormous temple at its center was so vast it was no disgrace to be called the heart of the Goddess Church, the current continent's major religious order. Inside, a ceremony was now being held to honor a certain Archbishop, attended by numerous believers, priests, and dignitaries from surrounding nations.
"Archbishop Halrun, hear me. In the name of the Goddess and the Church, you have halted the famine's storm that assailed the Carleum Empire, saving countless lives. Learning the divine will is easy, but following it is far more difficult. In this great calamity, had things gone slightly awry, the continent's future might have been plunged into darkness. The merit of averting that is by no means small. Therefore, Archbishop Halrun, the Church bestows upon you the title of 'Saint.'"
"Thank you, Your Holiness the Pope."
"Hohoho, thanks to you, the Church's prestige has soared greatly. You've done splendidly. How did you manage such preparations?"
"Wooooah!"
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Archbishop Halrun donned the sacred mantle received from the Pope—a man older than himself—listened to his praise, and bowed formally.
Yet Archbishop Halrun could not rejoice purely, for all he had done was accept Beonald's proposal in the Valderian territory. Receiving such grand merit and fame for that felt far too undeserved.
'How shameful. This wasn't my doing, yet I receive such great merit...'
"Hohohoho, wave your hand grandly. A light of hope has been born within the Church, you see. Hohohoho."
"Your Holiness, but as I mentioned, this matter..."
"I've already heard about the price of releasing the 'Forbidden Zone.' Hohoh. It can't be helped. It's better than people starving, turning into cannibalistic ghouls running amok, and the Church's existence being denied."
Worried, Archbishop Halrun confessed once more about the Forbidden Zone and questioned, but the Pope, with a merciful expression, alleviated his concerns.
As he said, had Archbishop Halrun not brought food to resolve the situation early, this crisis could have escalated into massive chaos, nearly causing the Church's prestige to plummet.
Having saved it from such a crisis, the matter of the Forbidden Zone could not be held against him.
After all, if the Church fell, it would inevitably be released anyway; if it was going to be freed one way or another, preserving the Church was the rational choice.
"That ruin was something our Church also attempted to excavate, but the myriad traps inside only caused massive sacrifices. So, for now, that fellow won't be able to open it up even if he tries. We just need to monitor it well. Understood? If that fellow tries to do anything with that Forbidden Zone, report it immediately."
"I shall bear that in mind, Your Holiness."
"Do not fail in that, no matter what. If an anomaly occurs, request support at once."
In the end, because his merit was too great, he received no severe rebuke for 'selling out' the Forbidden Zone, and the punishment concluded with merely strengthening surveillance over it.
With the event concluded, Archbishop Halrun began moving about to greet other Archbishops, nobles from various nations, and key figures, while the Pope withdrew from the spot with a benevolent smile.
"...Hohohoho, Beonald. How strangely coincidental. To share a name with Beonald von Neumel, an enemy of the Church from the past, of all people."
He found it peculiar that the name matched a historical figure known only to Popes passed down through generations.
500 years ago, a high noble who held power in the Unified Empire and notoriously detested the Church. After his death, the chaos from the struggle over his legacy led to the world's fragmentation. Fearing re-evaluation might chip away at the Church's prestige, they had erased him from history, painting him thoroughly as a villain.
"Hohoh... But I have no leisure to dwell on this. Hmmm~"
Currently, someone more fearsome than a mere namesake was running rampant, and he was too busy dealing with that to manage anything else.
Lara von Neumel. The problem of the half-elf, daughter of Beonald von Neumel, was more severe.
The famine's flames had been somehow extinguished, but the atrocities that wench was committing in the south now were having a serious impact on the continent, and the Church as well.
"Hoo~ With Beonald's direct descendant causing such havoc, a mere namesake is... nothing."
A storm was raging below; a mere cold breeze from the side was nothing in comparison. He was busy enough just dealing with the storm.
Chancellor Neumel, who had seized the Vanilo Earldom, was massacring all resisting nobles and humans as a baseline, and even those commoners and nobles who submitted and bowed were subjected to tyrannical rule.
'Hoo~ Just what is that wench aiming for?'
Her attitude was so extreme that previously, attempts at mediation were made through fellow demi-human priests of the Church, but Chancellor Neumel smirked and refused mediation, then played a drastic move: raiding all temples within the Vanilo Earldom's territory, killing all resisting priests and paladins, and expelling those who didn't resist.
'If you wish to stop me, come stop me directly, or summon the Goddess herself.'
Then she openly sent a provocative letter to him, the Pope of the Holy Nation.
Even now, thinking back made the Pope grind his teeth. He wanted to immediately declare a 'Holy War' and gather all temples to judge her, but war wasn't something to be entered lightly, and there was nothing to gain from acting now.
'We cannot leave the evil in the north unattended either... Hoo~'
The demon race that had settled in the north was the problem now.
The minions of wrath and hatred. The 'Demon King' was currently dormant and quiet, but there was no telling when he might awaken and bring ruin to the continent. Preparing for that was basic, and if possible, making them all disappear from the continent through a holy war was the Church's long-cherished wish. Therefore, they couldn't recklessly fight the Garkan Republic.
So, all the Church could manage now was dispatching small groups of paladin orders and clergy to protect people or help them evacuate. With that, the Pope, having no leisure to worry about events in the quiet Valderian territory, hoped Archbishop Halrun would handle things well and left to attend to his own duties.
Same time, Vanilo Earldom office.
This office, where only the head of the Vanilo Earldom could originally sit, was now essentially completely the property of Garkan Republic's Chancellor, Chancellor Neumel.
The portraits of Vanilo heads, military banners, and various decorations that once lined the walls were all gone, replaced by Garkan Republic military banners and ornaments. Among them, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly a flag depicting a somewhat worn-looking hydra.
"Hehehe, this is it indeed."
"You've brought something precious, Chancellor."
"It's a full 500 years old, heheheh. By the way, how many did we kill today?"
"341. Starvation: 121. Death from weakness or collapsing during forced labor: 93. Killed for resistance: 127. The heads have been arranged in the plaza before the mansion, and the bodies have all been discarded."
With the Vanilo Count lost in decadent pleasures with elves and unable to extricate himself, Chancellor Neumel's tyrannical rule, wielding full authority, remained unchanged.
Pondering how best to kill humans, she looked upon the death count, the accumulating pile of human heads, and the flowing river of blood with satisfaction.
But it was still far from enough to quench her thirst for hatred and wrath.
"In my heart, I'd like to just order them all killed, but then the accumulation of wrath and hatred would be less, they say~ How truly regrettable."
"It can't be helped. By the way, Chancellor, that... the infiltration team sent to the Valderian territory has failed to infiltrate."
"What? How? Why?"
"Well... after we expelled all those noisy priests, perhaps because the Church got angry, entry of outsiders—'demi-humans'—is now controlled in every city and town with a temple. The restrictions are so severe even slave traders say they can't do business now for fear of being beaten to death. You did your job too well."
"Ah... I see."
She had sent people to the Valderian territory to uncover the identity of the one daring to use her father's name, but ironically, because she had handled matters too spectacularly, all those sent had failed.
Finding herself in a vexing situation, Chancellor Neumel began to ponder her adjutant's words.
'I worked hard to incite hatred and wrath, and now it's made sending people difficult. There's nothing for it. What to do~'
Religion and the Church were ultimately the spiritual pillars of the common people, not something to be taken lightly. Chancellor Neumel decided to give up on investigating the Valderian territory directly and try another route.
"Hmm... Call Wenil and have him connect me with that old geezer in the Dyna Kingdom."
"Yes, I'll summon him immediately."
After giving the order to her adjutant, shortly after, an elderly elf mage in robes entered the office.
He bowed, placed a crystal orb on the desk, and began chanting a spell. It glowed blue, and soon a grating, unpleasant voice like scraping metal began to emanate from the orb.
『What... business... daughter of Neumel...』
"I contacted you because I need to find something out, old man Dalken. I know you're busy... but aren't we on the same ship for our respective goals?"
The name from her lips was Dalken. The owner of this voice was Dalken Dyna.
The Archmage of the Magic Tower from 500 years ago, who burned everything in his pursuit of truth.
Famous for his poor relationship with Beonald, how could she be talking about being on the same ship?
『Keke... Well said. You who sold your soul to the Dark God... and killed me directly... have some nerve.』
"And you, old geezer, revived using the power of the necromancy you were secretly researching~ Don't act so high and mighty."
Nervous insults were exchanged. The two, once enemies, had ultimately killed and been killed, revived, and both ended up as slaves of the Dark God.
So it was natural their relationship was bad. Thus, they avoided contact if possible, each focusing on their own affairs, but now Chancellor Neumel had no choice but to make contact.
『Shut... up... Krrrrrrl! I... don't wish to speak long... with the likes of you. So what's... the matter?』
"Investigate the Valderian territory for me."
『Valderian? ...Ah, that... place where Neumel's dog lives... is it? Krrrrrl!』
"Yes. The place where the dog that betrayed its master resides. Anyway, there's a figure who's recently been making a name for himself there... a man named Beonald Callermain. They say he knows alchemy and possesses remarkable wisdom."
『Beo... nald? Krrrrl! The same as that hateful... name? And an alchemist? Kirrrrrl! Krrrrrrl! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!』
Whether his hatred for Beonald was great, the crystal orb trembled violently, emitting several unpleasant sounds.
Chancellor Neumel made a disgusted face as if this was why she hated contacting him, but she couldn't just drop the investigation, so she endured and continued.
"Yes, I too... find it displeasing that someone dares to use my father's name. Anyway, old geezer, if you have time, do some investigating. Let me know if you find anything."
『Kikkrrrrrl! May I... handle it with my own hands? Krrrrrl!』
"If you kill that impudent fellow impersonating my father's name, I'd be all for it."
『Krrrrrl! Good... understood. Krrrrrl! I'll prepare... immediately. Krrrrl!』
As soon as Dalken Dyna's reply ended, the magic in the crystal orb faded. Chancellor Neumel, though not entirely pleased, knew well how much that lich resented her father Beonald, and also knew his magical prowess and abilities were exceptional, so she decided to trust he would handle it in her stead and now put the matter out of her mind.