Chapter 75
Chapter 75
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Grand Debate
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The royal family and the church.
The grand debate pitting both sides against each other was now just one day away.
The topics naturally began with the necessity of the Necromancer Deus Verdi and extended to questions of heresy and more.
With countless denominations raising so many accusations, it was hard to even list them all properly.
In that situation, the church side had split into moderates and hardliners.
The moderates wanted to refute the claims through the debate itself, and the Saintess belonged to this faction.
On the other hand, the hardliners insisted on rising up strongly and dragging Deus down immediately.
But of course, the hardliners' position was inherently narrow, and there was no need to go that far in the current circumstances.
No matter how rare it was to see a Black Mage entrenched in the royal family, the hardliners' stance was tantamount to half-rebellion.
"That's absurd."
What era did they think this was?
The grand debate was a free public event open to the citizens.
This had been the church's proposal, and no one had expected the royal family to accept it.
In any case, Lucia had been closely observing the actions of the man known as the Necromancer, one by one.
But she wasn't stopping there; she planned to clearly expound on the Black Mages she had witnessed firsthand.
The eerie aura they exuded felt like an entirely different species—selfish and utterly indifferent to anyone but themselves.
Of course, not all Black Mages were the same, but the existence of Black Mages was still too much for the citizens to accept.
"If only he had spoken to the church side in advance, we wouldn't be facing off so publicly like this."
She felt a twinge of regret, but then again, maybe not.
"Tch, the stubborn bishops might have flatly refused anyway."
It might have been quietly buried even before such an agenda could arise. Thinking that way, she wondered if the royal family's surprise deployment of the Necromancer was their own strategy.
If so, did that mean they could persuade the citizens at least?
In the end, a debate was a battle to convince the masses, not just the opponent.
For now, the church had the citizens' backing, so she was confident, but the royal family's willingness to accept everything so readily made her a bit uneasy.
"Hmm."
Tilting her head, Lucia tapped her chin with her finger.
No matter how much she pondered, she couldn't figure out how to persuade not only the bishops but also the citizens riddled with prejudices.
"Whoever it is, once their face gets known, it'll be hard to live in the kingdom."
Necromancer Deus Verdi.
The younger brother of the Count living in Northsweden. Rumors of him being a professor at Lovern Academy had already spread far and wide.
"Hmm."
As Lucia made a complicated expression and stretched her neck idly,
"Saintess, I've brought the additional materials."
A bundle of papers filled the arms of the believer who entered through the door. It was a sign of how serious the church was about this matter.
"Oh dear."
But for someone who had to read them, it was nightmarish.
At this rate, she'd end up knowing more about Deus Verdi than the scriptures.
"Here's the resume he submitted to Lovern Academy."
"Resume?"
Realizing she hadn't even seen his face yet, Lucia took it immediately.
Ignoring the glaringly empty resume that made her question if this was even acceptable, she looked at the photo attached on top.
"Uh...?"
Lucia's expression twisted grotesquely.
* * *
"Kya! This is no joke!"
Pindenai stuck out her tongue at the sight of citizens crowding the entrance to the royal palace.
They were all waving placards laden with inflammatory language, criticizing the royal family's foolishness and stubbornness.
"Don't look. It'll just ruin your mood."
Deia grumbled from where she was half-reclining on the sofa, and Pindenai replied with a grin.
"Griffin is such a great country to live in."
Deia glanced up quizzically at the sudden remark. Pindenai's blood-red eyes held a strange sense of skepticism.
"Even with all that shit-talking, the king doesn't draw his sword. In the Clock Republic, those guys would already have had their tongues pulled out, fingers and legs chopped off, and been hung alive from the city walls."
"Ugh, really?"
The tales of the Clock Republic's brutal iron-fisted rule, half urban legend, left Deia incredulous, but Pindenai just shrugged.
The republic appeared in the game as a brutal place but with little significance, so even I didn't know much about it.
But the more she learned, the less she wanted to go there.
I peeled off the gauze from my cheek. The throbbing pain from a few days ago was gone.
"Better now?"
Deia asked casually, averting her gaze as if uninterested. I nodded and told her not to worry.
Pindenai giggled as if it were amusing.
"You really laid into him good, huh? Apologizing on the outside but secretly thrilled?"
"......"
She wasn't wrong.
I'd seen Darius's mouth corner twitch upward ever so slightly as he punched my cheek.
Darius, who couldn't stay away from Northsweden for long, had left a few days ago.
Before going, he'd insisted on hitting me hard enough to leave a scar on my cheek.
It was necessary.
"Good thing you're healed before the debate."
If I'd gone with the gauze on during the debate, my first impression would have been ruined from the start.
For reference, Aria had also returned to the academy.
I'd forcibly sent her away despite her insistence on staying. Promising to join her at the academy soon and telling her that a student was most beautiful in her proper place made her leave quickly.
Normally, Deia should have left with Darius too.
But she wanted to enjoy a long-overdue vacation and stayed in Graypond.
Honestly, it could be dangerous, so I'd hoped she'd leave, but oh well.
"Man, tomorrow's debate is gonna be insane. Can't wait."
Pindenai hummed excitedly. Truth be told, what she was looking forward to wasn't the debate itself but what came after.
Assassins would probably swarm from all sides starting then.
Even in the royal palace, most would come charging under the banner of martyrdom, staking their faith on their lives.
That was how much tomorrow's debate would be a festival of chaos and distrust.
"......"
Suddenly, Saintess Lucia came to mind.
In the game, she was kind and fresh-faced, innocent yet steadfast in her beliefs—just as I'd seen.
She must have realized by now that I was her debate opponent.
I needed to meet her beforehand.
She had met me before making any judgments, without preconceptions.
With a sufficiently positive impression already imprinted, she couldn't simply condemn me as an evil Black Mage and dive into the debate.
'Sorry, but I'm going to win.'
It might seem cowardly, but her position was that crucial in this matter.
The moment she didn't outright treat me as an enemy but took even a slightly neutral stance,
we'd seize the momentum.
* * *
The next day.
The venue for the grand debate between the royal family and the church was, amusingly enough, a place I'd visited once before.
Graypond's execution grounds.
The seats, modeled after the Colosseum, were packed with people. They'd put considerable effort into preparation; the former simple execution platform now featured a massive stage and a round table at the center for the debate.
"Whew, this is intense."
"I didn't expect them to block us this hard."
Pindenai and Deia wiped cold sweat. Quite a few citizens had obstructed our carriage from the palace to the grounds, delaying us as we cleared them.
King Orpheus and Archmage Alfredo were already waiting in the VIP area among the nobles.
Even the nobles were divided into factions, engaging in a subtle war of glares among themselves.
The king and archmage chose silence amid all the uproar and accusatory stares.
They wouldn't raise their voices or punish rudeness now.
Because once today's grand debate ended, everyone would be silenced like they'd eaten honey, sneaking peeks at the king's mood.
The wise king waited silently for the turnaround, no doubt mentally compiling a list of the loudest agitators.
"They're already out over there?"
Deia pointed toward the debate area with her hand. Bishops serving various gods.
And in the center, Saintess Lucia Saint.
Her atmosphere was worlds apart from when I'd seen her at the Merhen restaurant.
Her silver hair, once braided, now flowed loose as she clasped her hands in prayer.
I grabbed my prepared stack of papers and the iron water bottle for sipping during the debate.
Glancing back, Pindenai and Deia smiled at me.
"Go beat the crap out of them all."
"Honestly, antagonizing the church isn't the best idea, but if you're doing it, smash them to pieces."
With their encouragement, I nodded and headed out.
"Boooooo!"
"Get out!"
"There's no place for a Black Mage in the Griffin Kingdom!"
"Execute him! Execute!"
A torrent of jeers rained down.
Some even threw trash and food, but the Magic Inquisitors' protective spells naturally shielded me.
Finally standing before the debate hall, amid the bishops' cold stares,
I locked eyes with Lucia, who gazed at me as if unsure what to make of me.