Chapter 218: Intrigue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Intrigue
Duke Babel, who had retreated into an awkward stance, couldn't mask his expression.
“…To think a mere Inquisitor could so easily neutralize three of my finest knights.”
The three knights, their pride wounded, flushed with shame. They quickly retrieved their swords, turned their backs to the Duke, and pointed their blades at me.
“Your Grace. Please, get to safety. We will hold him off with our lives.”
At the official’s words, Duke Babel shook his head.
“That’s enough. You may leave.”
“But, Your Grace…”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’ve simply realized that if he had any ill intent, I would already be dead.”
Duke Babel’s gaze shifted to me as if to ask, Isn’t that right? I had already sheathed my sword and, with a smile, gave him a nod.
“We will obey your command.”
The knights shot me one last murderous glare before exiting the room.
Duke Babel sat back down on the sofa. He sank his upper body into the backrest and crossed his legs, projecting an air of complete composure.
However, the fingertips of the hand draped over the armrest were trembling faintly—a testament to his shock.
“So, you expect me to help you for nothing in return.”
“I believe I offered you the opportunity to become the family of an emperor.”
“Isn’t that just empty talk with no substance?”
I offered a smile.
“So, are you going to refuse?”
“…”
Duke Babel fell silent. After all, hadn’t he said it himself? Those with power are bound to have ambitions to match.
“Whatever the case, it’s better than siding with a witch who sends assassins when you don’t cooperate. Wouldn’t you agree?”
If he cooperated with the Witch, he could protect his domain, but he would have to serve her as his sovereign and follow her orders.
On the other hand, if he cooperated with me, his descendants would have a chance to become emperors ruling over three—no, four continents.
Even a three-year-old with a runny nose could tell which option was better.
“That opportunity is meaningless if I am destroyed.”
Just as I expected. Duke Babel’s attitude was favorable. However, feeling that this wasn’t enough, he tried to continue the negotiation.
“Haven’t you been doing just fine until now?”
Duke Babel sighed and shook his head.
“I tracked the assassins’ movements, and they led back to the territories of the other two of the Three Powers. Their plan must be to cooperate to eliminate me first, then settle who will become the master of the continent. I am in a very precarious position.”
“You anticipated this, set a trap in return, and succeeded.”
Duke Babel was feigning weakness, highlighting the crisis to draw out support. I was pointing out that he was just playing it up.
“All I did was catch a few assassins. I’m more concerned this will be like poking a sleeping lion. Besides, if the South is annexed like this, it won’t be good for the Emperor either. If the lips are gone, the teeth get cold, are they not?”
He seemed to have concluded that with my support, he could win even if two of the Three Powers allied against him.
But I had no resources to spare until the war with the Eastern Continent was over. Most importantly, I couldn’t trust him.
I could end up doing all the work just to hand it over to someone else.
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei and Sun Quan joined forces to fight their powerful enemy, Cao Cao.
But behind the scenes, they were constantly wary of each other, plotting to devour one another.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but becoming a true ally was another matter entirely.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself. The alliance between the other two Powers can’t be complete yet. The fact that their assassins didn’t coordinate is proof of that.”
That was why I could afford to be composed.
How could two rivals who had competed to become the ruler of the continent possibly cooperate so easily just because they received some revelation?
Even if their leaders made such a choice, the families that had shed blood and made enemies of each other would never accept it.
If Vivian had acted more wisely, she might have been able to mitigate that negative sentiment, but while her abilities as a witch were outstanding, her skills in statecraft were sorely lacking.
That was why, despite having such power, she had tried to use a modern soul like me.
“So in the end, there’s nothing for me to gain right now. That makes my reason to help you very weak.”
It was clearly a bluff, a bit of brinkmanship, but I couldn’t ignore it completely. A cornered rat will bite a cat.
“On the contrary. Isn’t it obvious that the alliance between the other two Powers was forced by the Witch? It’s a castle built on sand, created through dreams and threats. If the Witch were to disappear, their division would be inevitable.”
Since they were forced together, if the glue holding them disappeared, the backlash might even make their relationship worse than before.
“The Witch must be behind these assassins. If you can just find her hiding place, I will take care of her.”
Faced with my unyielding stance, Duke Babel wore a displeased expression but slowly nodded his head.
“I suppose this is an acceptable way to begin our cooperation.”
Of course, I made sure to leave some room for ambiguity.
Clack, clack.
The official, who had introduced himself as Jean Philippe, led the way. On Duke Babel’s orders, he was guiding me to the prison where the assassins were being held.
After passing through a corridor that showed off its classic elegance with all sorts of decorations and paintings, we descended a spiral stone staircase, and a cold chill swept past me.
Splash.
Water, from some unknown source, had pooled on the stone floor.
The widely spaced wall-mounted torches cast deep shadows over the cells, making it seem as if they had been swallowed by the darkness.
“Two of the three have talked. Both were from King Arisfo’s faction. The interesting thing is, they didn’t know about each other.”
“Who ordered the assassination?”
“The one known as Ohalla the Butcher, who operated under the name Jackson, believed he was under orders from his half-brother, Baron Weshin. The other one said he received his orders from some insignificant baron. He was promised land as a reward upon completion.”
“Is there any chance they’re lying?”
Jean Philippe stopped abruptly and tilted his body to stare at me.
“Maintaining loyalty in the face of death is difficult even for a renowned knight. It’s hardly something you can expect from a mere assassin.”
Jean Philippe opened the door to the cell directly in front of us. As a torch was brought in first, the shadows receded, revealing the scene inside.
The three assassins were restrained by shackles on different walls, their movements restricted.
All of them were soaked in blood, and it wasn't hard to find signs of various tortures.
One of them, unable to endure the harsh ordeal, had stopped breathing. Two flies buzzed around him.
It seemed he had been dead for quite some time. Leaving the body there was likely a tactic to pressure the remaining two. Jean Philippe continued speaking with his back to them.
“But I don’t know if you’ll be able to get any useful information. As you can see, one is dead, and the other two are barely hanging on.”
His tone was slightly sarcastic, likely because his feelings were still hurt from our earlier encounter.
As he said, the two men were in no condition for further torture. Ohalla the Butcher, in particular, was breathing so faintly it seemed he could die at any moment.
“Torture isn’t the only way to make someone talk. More importantly, has the tournament champion said anything yet?”
“He’s a stubborn one. I don’t know what tricks you have up your sleeve, but it won’t be easy.”
I decided to skip Ohalla the Butcher. He was in no state to be interrogated further, and it was unlikely Baron Weshin would have entrusted him with any critical information anyway.
As Jean Philippe stepped back, I walked straight to Van der Belt, the Black Knight.
He slowly lifted his head. His face was a wreck, but his eyes were clear and firm, belying his situation and physical condition.
It seemed he still had the strength to talk.
“Would you mind giving us some privacy?”
“I have a duty to observe.”
“His Grace the Duke ordered you to accommodate me.”
“…I’ll be right outside the door.”
Jean Philippe glared at me before leaving the cell. Van der Belt watched him until he disappeared down the hall before finally turning his gaze to me.
“You minion of the devil. Don’t waste your effort. You will not hear a single word from me.”
It sounded like a vow he was making to himself.
“That’s a shame. I was curious why the heir to the renowned Belt family is waiting to die in a cold, damp dungeon.”
“…!”
His eyes widened, and a furrow formed between his brows. He was shocked that I knew his identity when he hadn't uttered a word about it.
“Attempting an assassination after being seduced by a witch? This is a disgrace not only to a knight’s honor but also to the name of your ancestor, Saint Ontanius.”
Ontanius, the ancestor of the Count Belt family, had been a physician.
When a plague killed a third of the continent’s population, he had worked tirelessly to heal the sick.
In the South, mothers would pray in his name when caring for their sick children.
He must have been quite skilled, as many owed their lives to him.
Among them was a king, and the restored monarch granted him the title of Count and a fief. The church also honored his achievements by canonizing him as a saint.
Thanks to these deeds, the Count Belt family was always held in high esteem by many.
The members of the comital house were also careful not to tarnish their ancestor’s name, which is how their reputation had endured to this day.
“Cunning devil. No matter how you twist your tongue, you cannot shake my faith.”
Van der Belt’s eyes blazed. They were the eyes of a man who believed he was doing the right thing.
“Are you sure about that? If the fact that you attempted an assassination is revealed, not only you but your entire family will be disgraced. The people’s respect will quickly turn to contempt. Even innocent members of your family, who have nothing to do with this, will be cursed as villains because of you. Saint Ontanius himself would lament this.”
“The Great Prophet was also persecuted at first, called a fraud. It was by overcoming such trials that he was able to go to heaven and stand at the Lord’s right hand. No one in the Babel family will shy away from hardship.”
He was undoubtedly sincere. But there had to be a small fear in a corner of his heart. Doubt isn’t erased; it’s suppressed.
The fact that a man who supposedly hadn’t said a word until I arrived was now speaking at length was proof that he was wavering.
“But you are not following the Lord’s word. You are following a witch, are you not?”
“Devil! Do not try to shake my faith! She is the Lord’s Apostle, the only one who will bring peace back to this world.”
“Do you truly believe she is an apostle of God? Just because she appeared in a dream?”
“I have seen her power with my own eyes! How could I not believe?”
It was as I expected. He wouldn't have gambled his historic family name over a mere dream.
Since he said he saw her power firsthand, Van der Belt must have met Vivian in person. The Witch of Dreams’ power was limited to interfering with dreams.
The problem was that he truly believed Vivian’s power was divine.
Shattering the faith of someone who has witnessed a miracle with their own eyes is next to impossible. But conversely, that meant it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“So, what has this apostle of God done?”
“What?”
“You said this self-proclaimed apostle of God would restore peace to the world. Yet she ordered the assassination of Duke Babel and has driven you to your death. Do you think that is an act befitting an apostle of God?”
“An individual’s life is not important for the sake of world peace!”
Van der Belt’s voice rose, his face flushing. He was like a man whose sore spot had been poked, trying to hide the truth.
I let out a smirk.
“An individual…? It seems that in the eyes of this self-proclaimed apostle and yourself, the suffering of the vast majority of commoners due to war preparations is invisible?”
“…!”
“And is that all? The church, which should be a spiritual pillar, has fallen into corruption, yet this self-proclaimed apostle who should be restoring faith pays it no mind. Furthermore, after gaining control of two of the Three Powers, don’t all her actions resemble those of a secular monarch?”
What I did to get the church on my side wasn't just getting the Pope in my pocket.
I reformed the church and reorganized its systems for the benefit of the common people. I weakened the power of the nobility to strengthen the peasants. I abolished unnecessary taxes and encouraged commerce to stimulate the flow of goods and trade.
These were all things Vivian had not done. Because she wasn't feigning to be an apostle of God out of a sincere desire to help the powerless.
Her purpose in claiming to be an apostle of God was singular: to counter the religious justification I held.
“Do not test me with your sweet words, you devil!”
Van der Belt shouted passionately. But his once-unwavering eyes trembled like a sailboat in a violent storm.
“Have you no thought of confirming for yourself who is the devil and who is the apostle of God?”
Putting my full strength into it for the first time in a while, the shackles binding Van der Belt shattered easily.
Suddenly free, he stared down at the broken shackles with a look of disbelief before raising his head.
“What are you scheming?!”
“Don’t be a fool who judges based on only one side of the story. I’m telling you to go to the Western Continent and see for yourself. See the difference between one who only preaches goodness with words and one who performs good deeds with actions.”
I pulled him to his feet and continued.
“If your faith remains unchanged even after that, fine. I promise I will let you go and not touch a single hair on your family’s heads.”