81
Chapter 81
'Didn't someone say a foolish ally is scarier than an enemy?'
The Second Prince recalled a saying he had heard in the past as he held a cigar between his lips.
Looking at the current situation, it was a truly valid point. A foolish ally was worse than having no ally at all.
Someone who deserved to be purged immediately.
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Tragically, that foolish ally was.......
"Are you deaf?! When someone speaks, you should at least listen!"
None other than the Second Prince's own flesh and blood.
The Strategic Meeting Room, now empty of everyone else.
A space fully equipped with a Soundproof Formula, as well as anti-eavesdropping and anti-recording magic.
It was a truly unsightly spectacle to see her screaming at her Older Brother at the top of her lungs just because there were no prying eyes.
To think that thing was his blood relative.
It was hard to believe, but....
Sadly, that was just how the ways of the world worked.
Where there were exceptional individuals, there were bound to be failures.
For every outstanding Strategist, there was bound to be an idiot who lacked any ability but overflowed with confidence, ready to run the country into the ground.
"Hah, so you're just going to completely ignore me!"
The girl right in front of him.
The Third Princess, currently scowling, was precisely one such fool.
"So childish. Are you really going to act like that?"
His younger sister asked him that.
Certainly.
He was fully aware that treating someone like they were invisible was a rather petty way to respond.
But he had his reasons for doing so.
If that wench had presented a somewhat logical argument, he, in his infinite mercy, would have listened without being swayed by personal feelings.
But the drivel she was spouting was nothing but pure delusion.
-In the eyewitness testimonies, I'm bothered by the fact that pointed ears were mentioned a few times. There was a mention of Black Magic being used, though.
It's not like there's a law saying an Elf can't make a contract with a Demon, right? There are always Heretics, after all.
How about we contact the Chief of those Elven bastards?
Everyone knows that they're like sunfish that just drop dead if they stray too far from the World Tree.
She would offer up truly regrettable deductions, like suspecting an Elf to be a Black Fang Executive who was running rampant all over the place.
-I'm telling you, that Potion Entrepreneur is suspicious. Just give me a little manpower. Seeing how desperately they're hiding their identity... there's definitely something there! I've got a feeling!
She even threw baseless tantrums, demanding manpower based solely on her intuition without any logic whatsoever.
In a situation like this, what kind of mad Commander would actually listen to that wench's words?
"I get it. You're getting back at me right now, aren't you? Over what happened last time."
At her words, a brief look of agitation flickered across the Second Prince's face.
"Was it that upsetting to almost have your command taken away from you?"
"The issue isn't losing command. The problem is that if a moron like you grabs the Helmsman's wheel, this ship will sink."
The Second Prince replied with a deep scowl.
It had already been quite some time since his father entrusted him with the Black Fang matter.
While eliminating the Black Fang wasn't an achievement that could be accomplished overnight, it was true that their progress had been noticeably sluggish.
Taking advantage of that opening, that ungrateful wench had dreamed of insubordination.
She had babbled slanderous words to their father, attempting to steal his command.
If she had actually succeeded.......
The Empire's future would have grown even darker.
There was nothing more terrifying than an incompetent person holding command.
Fortunately, such a thing never happened.
"It was truly divine intervention."
The Goddess of Victory must have been smiling upon the Empire. A miracle that forced him to think exactly that had come to the Second Prince.
That bastard Karon had suddenly handed over the Hero's corpse to their side and then died.
Recognized for the achievement of recovering it, the Second Prince was able to protect his command.
The girl before him glared.
She flaunted her bratty insolence for a long time before, apparently not tiring of it, opening her mouth again.
"Fine, think whatever you want if it makes you feel better. That's not what's important right now."
With a loud Thud, the Third Princess slammed both hands onto the desk.
"The Holy See! We need to dig into the Holy See right now. There's no one as suspicious as them at the moment."
Despite such dramatic theatrics, what came out of her mouth was the same nonsensical drivel as always.
His wretched sister continued her rant.
The video that Black Fang had distributed.
She claimed it was highly suspicious how lukewarm the Holy See's reaction to it was.
She argued that it was utterly bizarre behavior for them to not deny the video's contents and outright declare they would reflect on and fix their past atrocities.
"The Leader of Black Fang is clearly controlling the High Command of the Holy See through some method!"
The girl before him shouted proudly.
It was a truly laughable sight.
'To think she would present something like that as a deduction.'
There are limits even to logical leaps.
Just how could the Leader of Black Fang possibly co-opt those Holy See bastards?
Mind Control?
If a Mage capable of using Mind Control on dozens of powerhouses at the Archbishop level or higher truly existed, Black Fang wouldn't have needed to struggle so hard in the first place.
They could have just brainwashed the entire Empire's population and called it a day.
And more than anything else.
'The truth behind this incident is a bit different from what's known.'
He had made contact with Cardinal Dominic and received the true story of this incident.
This incident was actually caused by Cardinal Karon's mistake, not Black Fang.
During a certain experiment, a Holy Relic went out of control, resulting in everyone meeting such a gruesome death.
Black Fang had simply taken cunning advantage of the situation, staging it to look like they had delivered divine judgment.
'Honestly, it did feel a bit suspicious when I first heard it.'
But he had made sure to thoroughly cross-verify the information.
Through Asmodeus, he confirmed that the Leader of Black Fang hadn't stepped out of his quarters for about ten days.
He also received confirmation that the Executives had never even approached the Great Temple.
Therefore, it made the most sense to assume that a low-ranking Informant from Black Fang had coincidentally snuck into the accident site and filmed that video.
Unless it was the Leader of Black Fang or an Executive-level member, pulling off such a massacre would be impossible.
Wasn't it much more natural to view it as an unexpected accident during an experiment rather than someone's deliberate crime?
"That guy Dominic is suspicious too. Didn't you see his eyes? They're exactly like the Black Fang Fanatics you see on the streets."
His foolish sister slandered Cardinal Dominic.
However, the Second Prince wasn't someone who would be swayed by such baseless accusations.
From speaking with him in person, Cardinal Dominic was actually quite a reasonable person.
He understood that since the balance of power had collapsed, the Holy See was no longer on equal footing with the Empire.
He said they wouldn't dare try to stand on equal terms.
He had simply asked to be utilized as a Subordinate.
He was definitely a guy who knew his place.
'It's a bit disappointing that creating the Holy Grail is impossible due to outside eyes, but....'
Still, being able to wield the Holy See as a Subordinate was not a bad outcome in its own right.
If a battle broke out with Black Fang, the Holy Knight Order would gladly stand on the Empire's side and play a major role.
"Are you really determined to run the Empire into the ground?"
The girl before him pounded her chest as if she were frustrated to death.
Come to think of it, it wasn't that strange.
After all, this information hadn't been shared with that wench.
Why on earth would he share intel with a wench who had dared to stab him in the back?
"If I just had command, I could wipe out trash like Black Fang in a single day!"
His wretched sister shouted like that.
Her voice was so loud that she was practically spitting.
The urge to tell her that if she wasn't going to use her brain, she should just keep her mouth shut rose to the tip of the Second Prince's tongue.
"If you can't use your head, then just keep your mouth shut. Are you trying to flaunt your incompetence?"
And so, he ended up spitting it right out.
The Third Princess trembled with rage, clenching her fists tightly.
However, she didn't say another word.
Well, as long as she possessed an intellect higher than a monkey, she would have realized. No matter what she said, he had zero intention of listening to her nonsense.
The girl took her frustration out on the floor as she walked out of the Strategic Meeting Room.
...No, she *tried* to leave.
But the Second Prince's sudden intuition...
A superhuman intuition, practically a gift from the gods, told him.
"What kind of mess are you planning to cause now?"
That the foolish girl was planning to stir up trouble again.
At his question, the Third Princess stopped in her tracks and replied with a deep scowl.
"I found that Potion Entrepreneur. And obviously, I found him using only my own people, and I'll handle him using only my people. It's none of your business, so stay out of it."
Just as he expected.
The Imperial Family's personal Imperial Guards.
A formidable military force meant to be used against Black Fang, now about to be wasted on some bizarre investigation.
In this current situation, there was only one thing he needed to do.
"Hold on. I have a task for you."
"What? But up until a second ago, you clearly said you wouldn't entrust me with anything......."
The Third Princess's face twisted in annoyance as she spoke.
She had realized it.
She had realized his true intention: to saddle her with meaningless tasks just to get in her way.
But whether she had figured it out or not changed nothing.
"Father is the one who entrusted me with this command. Surely you wouldn't prioritize your personal investigation over our father's wishes."
Implying that he would obviously report her if she was caught, the Second Prince flashed a wicked grin.
His younger sister ground her teeth in pure frustration.
She let out a loud shriek and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
It was a truly pathetic sight to behold.
'What an absolute travesty.'
She looked frantic, practically desperate to help Black Fang.
At this point, it was safe to say she was practically a Spy for Black Fang.
With foolish allies running amuck like this...
The future of the Empire truly looked bleak.