Chapter 31
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Die Is Cast
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Four hours after the success of Operation Pig Hunt,
"Alright, then. The royal edict should arrive tomorrow."
I spoke up in the conference room of the Southern Border Immigration Control Office.
"So I'll tell you what we need to do from here on out."
The Sensory Officers and my direct aide nodded with tense expressions.
"Yes."
"Got it."
Now that Operation Pig Hunt was over, it was time to focus on the trial.
After hearing their responses, I turned to the side and said,
"This trial will require some things from you, Saintess. Please listen carefully."
"I will."
Erzena Selaph.
She seemed a bit out of place here, fiddling with her sleeve as she replied.
It had been four hours since the saintess returned to human form.
She was wearing clothes borrowed hastily from the Auditory Officer.
Because when she'd been a pig, she hadn't worn anything—and the moment she turned back, she'd been stark naked.
I still remembered it.
That dazzlingly beautiful nude body.
Through the cascade of sky-blue hair—
No, stop that.
I quickly shifted my thoughts.
What kind of impure imagination was this?
That said, I couldn't lend her my clothes either.
An outer coat might've been fine, but handing over worn clothes would be a grave discourtesy.
Especially a strange man's clothes—rumors could spread wildly.
That's why things had been awkward for a while right after she turned back.
Being alone in a closed room with a woman draped only in an outer coat isn't something everyone experiences.
But there was something different about her now.
Most notably, the golden aura and halo that had always lingered behind her were gone.
I didn't know exactly what that meant, but I could guess the feeling.
Some change of heart must've happened.
When I'd asked if she was okay, the saintess had replied calmly.
"It's fine if they're gone. For now."
Instead, she'd made an odd request of me.
"Hold my hand for a moment, please."
So I'd taken her slender hand, and a faint warmth of holy power had flowed out.
What the hell is going on...?
When I'd asked what was wrong, she'd just shaken her head with a smile.
"This is my trial. Don't worry about it, Central Officer."
That attitude had continued ever since.
She was actively trying to help me now—like an enemy turned ally.
It was reassuring, but somehow unsettling.
And that wasn't all.
"Good. Then, Saintess, you will—"
"Call me Erzena."
"...Pardon?"
"Erzena."
I blinked in confusion.
What was this woman saying?
Calling someone by their name without reservation is only for private settings or close relationships.
And the gap between the saintess and me—in status and everything else—was enormous.
Saying something that could so easily be misunderstood if overheard.
She must be tired.
"S-Saintess. This is a serious moment, so for now..."
"I'm serious too."
"..."
An awkward silence fell again.
This woman had been acting strange ever since turning human again.
The distance between us had practically vanished.
Maybe some animal instincts or senses from her time as a beast lingered.
I ignored it and got back to business.
"First, Saintess, you will—"
"Er... ze... na."
The saintess was persistent.
"..."
"Erzena."
"Uh, alright... Er, Erzena-sama."
"No sama."
She stepped forward assertively.
Strong determination gleamed in her golden eyes.
She was dead set on making me say her name.
The Sensory Officers glanced back and forth between us.
In the end, I gave in first.
"...Erzena."
"Yes, Central Officer."
Only then did she seem satisfied, turning back to the table.
At that, the Olfactory and Gustatory Officers tilted their heads and whispered to each other.
"...She actually did it."
"This is definitely... back home, calling each other by name in an official setting means they're basically lovers..."
"I saw it with my own two eyes. She climbed on top of the Central Officer and was sobbing—"
The sharp-eared Auditory Officer picked up their conversation like a ghost and looked at me.
"Oh my..."
She flashed me a lecherous smile that didn't suit an elf at all.
"You scolded me for fooling around with a guy, but look at you reeling in the big one~?"
"F-Focus!"
I quickly changed the subject before vicious rumors spread further.
"Now that Erzena has agreed to stand with us, the opposition will be fierce."
The saintess had agreed to testify on our side.
To do that, she first needed to express her intent to attend the trial.
And explain why she wanted to.
The outcome was obvious.
The saintess said,
"They'll try to stop me from even attending the trial."
Spot on.
They'd block her by any means necessary.
We have to break through this.
A plan that could stall at the first step was too risky.
Need another way.
That's when I recalled how she'd returned to the Crossroad Kingdom.
Kidnapped.
Yet the pilgrimage group was strangely quiet.
"Did the pilgrimage group know you'd been kidnapped?"
"...I'm not sure. It hasn't been that long."
She'd said she'd suffered for four days after I declared entry denial.
That means up until the day before the edict arrived.
I calculated the timeline.
Assuming they'd tried to cross the border right after the kidnapping, less than ten hours had passed since then.
Ten hours...
That's a long time for ordinary people, but different for the devout.
Prayer to the gods can take forever without raising eyebrows.
And for a famously pious saintess, they might think she's been in extended communion with the divine.
Even silent contemplation eats up at least five hours.
As if backing my thoughts, Erzena spoke.
"The transformation mage said she wanted to be alone, using my voice. So Mohaim didn't suspect anything."
That fit perfectly.
The pilgrimage group might not even grasp Erzena's current situation.
"If that's the case..."
This meeting was incredibly dangerous.
Even if we revealed the kidnapping, misunderstandings were inevitable.
In a situation already turned hostile, the saintess suddenly on our side?
It'd be perfect pretext to attack me.
No matter how forced the excuse.
They might even claim we'd kidnapped and detained her.
If so...
I fell into thought for a moment.
Then slowly opened my mouth.
"Everyone, we're changing the plan."
"Pardon?"
"Saintess, return to the pilgrimage group immediately."
Erzena cried out in shock at my sudden words.
"What are you talking about? I agreed to be your witness here!"
"That's exactly why."
I looked at her and said,
"Right now, you weren't kidnapped by the transformation mage and rescued by us."
"What?"
"Erzena, you've come here to persuade me."
This was a lie.
She'd never done that.
"As a saintess, you're giving me one last chance to repent and open the border. But I refused."
Another lie.
A very plausible one.
"However, this action would surely provoke backlash within the pilgrimage group, so you acted alone. Out of pity for us unbelievers."
We erase the kidnapping.
Instead, make it seem like she sneaked here to offer me one final chance.
This way, the pilgrimage group wouldn't suspect any change in her heart.
No pretext for attacking me forcibly either.
Understanding my intent, Erzena slowly spoke.
"...But the arrogant Central Officer still clung to worldly laws and refused firmly."
"Exactly."
"So the enraged saintess gave up all attempts and returned to the pilgrimage group."
The scenario clicked into place.
It was a gamble, but if they suspected kidnapping, we could say she left in a hurry—fitting her impulsive nature.
And this established causality: giving her reason to hate me.
I knew just the person to exploit that saintess's hatred and rage perfectly.
"The Pope will probably ask for your help."
"You think so?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"I only spoke with the Pope briefly, but I know what kind of man he is."
Blindly devoted—not to faith, but to his goals. He hides behind mercy and restraint, but schemes to crush me behind the scenes.
He'd use every means to trample me in the trial.
"When he does, offer to testify for the queen's side."
That's how we'd use it.
"N-No way..."
Only then did the Sensory Officers realize what this meant, their faces paling in horror.
"Yes. Exactly."
I said,
"I plan to blow this trial apart from the inside."
If they come at me with dirty tricks and connections, I'll counter with pure witnesses, testimony, and the letter of the law.
"But no need to reveal all our cards upfront."
"The card to flip the board. That's you, Erzena."
And such cards must be played at the very last moment for maximum impact.
When the enemy is cocky and certain of victory, rampaging—that's when the saintess exposes the pilgrimage group's truths to the world.
That's the goal.
"Whoa..."
The Tactile Officer couldn't close her mouth after hearing my plan.
"So, trick the Pope, the knight captain, the Church—everyone—and testify for us at the end?"
"If this backfires, we're totally screwed."
"If we're caught, it's over for sure."
I knew.
This was a real gamble.
But our only winning move.
I asked Erzena,
"Can you do it?"
"..."
Erzena fell silent.
Deceiving the Church she'd devoted her life to.
Even after I'd saved her, it was too much to ask.
It was tantamount to abandoning her beliefs.
But she decided quickly.
"Yes."
The answer I'd hoped for most.
Then the Gustatory Officer raised her hand.
"Th-Then what about His Majesty's edict?"
"..."
I had no counter for that either.
"As the Minister said, we probably can't block the pilgrimage group's passage. A royal command can't be defied."
Royal commands are absolute.
Unbending.
We can only obey.
Erzena stepped in urgently.
"I'll do something—"
"No. This is unavoidable. It's the king's order."
We'd do our best on everything else.
Except this.
That's what an edict is.
In the end, even Erzena had to yield.
"...I'll try whatever I can on the pilgrimage side."
"Even your intent is appreciated, Erzena."
She'd already done so much just by coming to our side.
I gave her a grateful look, and she smiled faintly in return.
At that, the werewolf and nomad girl whispered again.
"This feels less like lovers and more like a married couple."
"He's already seen everything, huh."
These lunatics were writing fanfiction.
Ignoring them, I told Erzena,
"Then go now. Time's short. I'm truly sorry, but I can't escort you."
"I understand."
The act began now.
"I'll crack the gate open a bit. Head that way."
Me ignoring the saintess's final courtesy. Her enraged in response.
We had to show deep emotional rift.
Understanding, Erzena hesitated, then took my hand.
"...Stay safe."
It was warm.
I let go.
The faint golden light faded.
As she turned to leave,
My direct aide suddenly rushed in with a piece of paper.
"Um, Saintess. If you have time later, could I maybe get an autograph?"
"...Right now?"
He said it apologetically yet desperately.
Not now, the mood was perfect.
"My wife is a huge fan of yours. Seeing you once is her dying wish, but an autograph would make her so happy."
"In that case... gladly."
After signing for my aide last, she left the border.
I didn't watch her go.
Didn't want to leave any room for suspicion.
Behind me, the Olfactory Officer quietly said,
"...Think it'll work?"
"No idea. But worth a shot."
If the saintess openly declared she'd witness for us, the Church would block her no matter the reason.
Then we couldn't cooperate even if we wanted.
Better to slip in disguised like this.
"The die is cast."
All that's left is waiting.
Morning came incredibly fast.
Tense people kept glancing at the door.
Today was the day.
At exactly 8 a.m., my direct aide entered the building and said,
"C-Central Officer. He's here."
"Who?"
Before the aide could answer, a massive shadow loomed behind him.
"Pardon the intrusion."
A man as huge as the werewolf Olfactory Officer pushed through the door.
Nearly 2.2 meters tall.
His face was hidden by a black veil.
Only the horns peeking from behind it revealed he was a dragonkin.
And the badge on his fine uniform, emblazoned with the royal crest—
Not just me, but everyone in the office swallowed hard.
As far as I knew, there was only one veiled dragonkin in the royal service.
The King's Proxy.
A being who moved only on the king's direct command stood before me.
Sending such a heavyweight in person.
He was dead serious.
"Silence, all."
His low, thick dragonkin voice boomed sternly.
He slowly drew a staff and scroll from his robes and declared,
"Central Officer Nathan Kell, head of the Southern Border and Immigration Examiner of the Immigration Control Office, step forward."
What was coming had arrived.
The proxy unfurled the edict slowly.
"From this moment, I speak not as Dragonkin Incanser, but as the voice of His Majesty King Rio Castor of the Crossroad Kingdom."
Everyone knelt on one knee, heads bowed.
I stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said in a trembling voice,
"Your humble servant Nathan Kell of the Crossroad Kingdom awaits His Majesty's solemn command."
The proxy observed silently.
I felt an unspoken gaze from behind the veil.
Clearly a dragonkin's stare, yet also as if the king himself looked down on me.
The pressure was immense.
Even knowing it was coming, the edict's weight exceeded imagination.
The proxy conveyed the king's will.
"Grant immediate entry to the entirety of the Holy Church pilgrimage group, 3,374 souls including the Saintess and 1st Paladin Order."
As expected.
"Furthermore, permit unconditional passage of all their possessions, equipment, and materiel."
Even weapons and war supplies to pass unchallenged.
"Simultaneously, the Central Officer, who forgot his duties and denied entry out of personal grudge against the pilgrimage group, shall proceed to the capital upon their full admission and attend trial for this diplomatic breach."
Finally, the edict poured out its barrage of lies.
Behind me, the Olfactory Officer bristled his fur in clear disgust.
The Gustatory Officer squeezed her eyes shut, trembling.
Fortunately, the Auditory and Tactile Officers remained impassive and silent.
"This is the command of Rio Castor, lawful ruler of the Crossroad Kingdom, lord of all roads, master of the world's crossroads."
I replied calmly.
"...I shall obey."
"Then execute at once. Any delay shall be deemed defiance of the royal will."
With that, the proxy struck the floor twice with his staff.
Thud. Thud.
That meant one thing.
No turning back.
I closed my eyes and whispered softly.
May it succeed.