63
Chapter 63
"W-Wait just a minute!"
An urgent voice stopped me as I was walking, deeply engrossed in planning out the video.
Turning around, I saw Rubia's face, pale and drained of color.
"W-What you just said. Are you saying you're going to declare an all-out war on the Holy See in the name of Black Fang?"
She was already exhausted as it was.
I answered her question in the calmest tone possible so Rubia wouldn't get too agitated.
"Yes. I told you once before. If push comes to shove, we'll have no choice but to use Black Fang's power to wipe the Holy See off the face of the earth."
Of course, I hadn't meant it that seriously at the time.
It was uncertain whether we could even get Black Fang's cooperation, and most importantly, the direction I had set back then was to avoid conflict as much as possible.
That was why I decided to divert the attention of the Empire and the Holy See with relief activities.
"But after hearing what you had to say, it seems like clashing with the Holy See is practically unavoidable."
Looking at the data, it seems we succeeded in diverting the Empire's attention, but it'll be a bit harder with the Holy See.
So... let's just bury them completely while we're at it.
I revised the previous plan drastically, going as far as to declare an all-out war on the Holy See in the name of Black Fang.
'Of course, I didn't ask for Black Fang's opinion.'
But that wasn't really an important detail anyway.
Let's say I expose the Holy See's atrocities under the name of Black Fang.
Then, the great Black Fang, whose popularity is currently skyrocketing as the savior of all humanity, would receive everyone's support.
In that situation, would the Leader of Black Fang be able to say—
That was just something an Impersonator said.
We have no intention of fighting a massive power like the Holy See?
Would they really say something so lame?
'That's impossible.'
In a revolution, the support of the citizens is an absolutely essential element.
Black Fang would have no choice but to bite the bullet and face off against the Holy See.
'Well, it might be a bit annoying from their perspective.'
If they don't like it, they should have at least bought a meal for a passionate sponsor like me.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I created the religion of Black Fang. Yet they're the ones who reaped all the benefits and acted completely innocent.
"I understand what you're trying to say. But still, it's the Holy See... A-Are you sure this will be okay?"
Rubia asked me hesitantly.
I replied to her question with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. Black Fang isn't a pushover."
Well, even if things went wrong and I couldn't get Black Fang's cooperation, as long as Rien and Ciel were here, the worst-case scenario could be prevented.
Besides, it was doubtful whether I could even trust my own intuition anymore.
But I just had a feeling that things would work out.
With that in mind, I reassured Rubia.
And then...
"......?"
As soon as she heard my words, Rubia broke down.
Spouting nonsense about how she never intended to insult Black Fang, and how obviously even I could recognize the greatness of Black Fang.
After blurting out those bizarre remarks, she collapsed with a soft thud.
Since I had already experienced this kind of thing a few times, I caught her expertly.
The soft sensation of two lumps against me.
And the feeling of her thighs when I carried her in a princess carry to escort her back.
She had overworked herself for my sake to the point of collapsing. It was only natural that I shouldn't focus on such things.
Fighting desperately against my instincts, I safely laid Rubia down on her bed.
How should I put it?
She was a Noonim who required a lot of attention in many ways.
'Come to think of it. I haven't told her about what I've been through yet.'
Like how I ended up temporarily taking in what was essentially a Black Fang army.
Or how I accidentally ended up spreading a religion for Black Fang.
Or how I somehow managed to plant three spies in the Imperial Army.
There was so much news I had to share. But with her in that state, there was no way I could tell her anything.
'Well, it's not urgent.'
I should just let her rest for now and focus on what I needed to do.
With that thought, I closed Rubia's door and headed to Ciel's room.
Considering her skills when she recorded the video at the Black Market last time.
Ciel would be able to distribute the video flawlessly, without leaving a single trace to track.
She could also use Illusion Magic to create a convincing fake Leader of Black Fang.
So, all I needed to do was plan the content of the video.
'Simple enough.'
Of course, I didn't know much about the Holy See. Even in the original work, there was plenty of foreshadowing but no real information was ever revealed.
But... what did that matter?
'I can just make things up to slander them, right?'
A smile naturally formed on my lips.
...It was time to spread some malicious rumors.
*****
Stained glass painted with beautiful hues by the sunlight.
A grand Icon and a classical pipe organ.
In contrast to such a sacred scenery, the atmosphere of the people gathered in the cathedral was incredibly chaotic and noisy.
It was only natural, in a way.
This was the domain of the Holy See, which no one dared to covet.
Because a strange, shimmering disturbance had appeared right in the middle of it.
There were those who tried to get rid of it, but they all failed. No, beyond just failing, they all lost their minds and twisted their own necks.
And on those corpses... the marks were left for all to see.
Black fang marks, looking as if they had been bitten by a wolf.
Amidst the crowd buzzing around the corpses, a man revealed himself.
Just that alone made the noisy cathedral fall silent in an instant. It was only natural, in a way.
Because the man who just appeared was a Cardinal of the Holy See.
With the Pope having mysteriously disappeared for some reason, he was the most likely candidate to become the next Pope.
Karon had appeared here and now.
No one dared to cause a commotion in front of him. In that suffocating silence, Karon... reached out and touched the shimmering disturbance.
It was the trigger for Projection Magic.
As soon as his hand made contact, the video began to play.
And the first thing shown was,
[I ask you. For what purpose does the Holy See exist if it does not carry out the will of God?]
The figure of an unidentified man wearing a black hood.
Karon could easily guess the identity of that man. It was only natural, in a way.
Because there was only one organization in this Empire that would pull off such a bizarre stunt.
[It is written in the Holy Scripture. That God loves everyone. That He cherishes and embraces all beings equally.]
The Leader of Black Fang calmly quoted the Holy Scripture as he continued to speak.
[However, if that is the case, why does salvation require a monetary price? Does God truly only favor the wealthy?]
An Indulgence that allows you to be forgiven for all sins in God's name, simply by paying a fortune to the Holy See.
The story of a dying pregnant woman being kicked out of the cathedral simply because she didn't have enough money.
Such data floated up onto the screen.
Given the current situation.
What Black Fang was trying to do was obvious.
They were going to attack the Holy See.
A video like this was probably already playing indiscriminately all over the Empire.
[That could not be further from the truth. God is fair to all. He cherishes us all, and loves us all.]
Skillful.
The way he incited the crowd was incredibly skillful.
That much was clear from the fact that he hadn't denied God.
If he had simply denied God, they could have dismissed it as the nonsense of a Heretic.
Even the deeply faithful would have felt a sense of revulsion towards Black Fang's words.
But that cunning bastard never allowed such an opening.
[Yet, if God is fair, why is salvation not fair? Why does the Holy See's salvation require a personal price?]
Along with those words, all sorts of terrible scenes flashed across the screen.
A child starving to death.
A sick person dying without receiving treatment.
The sight of Clergy ignoring the desperate cries for help.
[The reason is simple. It is because the Holy See is a group of Apostates who prioritize their own greed over the will of God.]
That was merely the beginning.
All sorts of corruption.
The atrocities committed by the Holy See were brazenly displayed on that video.
One might briefly suspect that it was a fake created through Illusion Magic, but...
that possibility seemed highly unlikely.
The depiction was far too clear to be Illusion Magic,
and things like a patient's condition suddenly worsening, or a patient suddenly deciding to donate their entire fortune to the Holy See, happened anytime and anywhere.
The same was true for the other corrupt practices and atrocities.
After exposing the Holy See's misdeeds like that, the Leader of Black Fang opened his mouth once again.
[I will ask once more. For what purpose does the Holy See exist if it does not carry out the will of God?]
Naturally, Karon's face twisted.
It was because he could guess to some extent.
What kind of thoughts the other people watching this video might be having. What kind of answers they might be formulating in their minds.
Everything they had built up until now.
Their support base and reputation.
The fact that all of it was crumbling because of that single video.
However, completely unrelated to Karon's face twisting like a demon, and the people around him trembling at the Bloodlust he was radiating.
The man in the video continued to speak.
[I cannot comprehend it. That is why I will destroy it.]
Right to Karon's face, the Leader of Black Fang finally declared.
[The name of the Holy See will be erased from history by our hands.]
...He was going to bring down the Holy See.