Chapter 35: The RoFan Female Lead is Strong (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35: The RoFan Female Lead is Strong (5)
I said it like that, but the fact that Violet had sent an emergency contact meant something big had gone wrong.
Of course, even after receiving an emergency signal, it wasn't like I could hop on a teleport from the Leon Kingdom all the way to the Holy Kingdom to help her.
I had no choice but to provide the only kind of support I could.
"Commander, I think something went sideways in the Holy Kingdom."
"How do you know?"
"I got word that our Boradori is out there grinding like a dog alongside the Saintess."
"...It’s a bit early, but I suppose it’s time for a salary adjustment."
I could immediately recognize the informant's merit and help secure a pay raise.
Truly, this was the best I could do.
Even Dale, that gathering of Magic Spammers, couldn't do anything immediately even if they got a request for help.
What could Leon, a nation of sword fighters, possibly do...?
"But I thought you said we were out of money."
"Your seniors haven't had much work lately. I'll just have to shave a bit off their end."
It was a pity that the seniors' salaries would be cut, but Boradori was currently the hardest-working agent in Leon.
For the sake of Codename Boradori, I’m sure the seniors would gladly share their paychecks.
"Then are you chipping in too?"
"Not a chance."
The seniors were idling around, while I was supposedly on vacation yet still working like a dog.
In fact, though I couldn't say it to the Commander's face, I was scheduled to grind even harder in the second semester.
"Right. Then I should first get in touch with our agents in the Holy Kingdom."
Due to the nature of the Leon Kingdom, most people trusted their swords more than the Goddess. However, excluding Leon and Dale, the majority of the continent's citizens were believers. Every nation had no choice but to pay attention to the Holy Kingdom's movements.
Religion was a terrifying thing; it rarely moved without reason, but once it did, it sent ripples across the entire continent.
The masterminds of the Holy Kingdom surely knew this and were likely exploiting it for political gain.
According to what I heard from Violet, she said she was only going in to do some groundwork this time.
But for her to cry out for someone to save her meant things were progressing much further than expected.
Just by relaying this in advance, our Boradori had earned her keep and then some.
The problem was...
"It seems something has happened, but I can't get confirmation."
The Holy Kingdom's security was tighter than expected.
The Commander had gone to grill the Intelligence Bureau after receiving several incomplete reports, but when he returned, his face was twisted in a frustrated grimace.
"We aren't as incompetent as the Empire, are we?"
I asked out of genuine concern.
It wasn't just about the Empire being incompetent; if the entire RoFan world was incompetent, we were in deep trouble.
"You're probably the only one who treats the Empire like that. Fortunately, it's not that we're incompetent. The Holy Kingdom's control is just that strict."
"That much?"
"That much. They say the closer you get to the heart of the Holy Kingdom, the harder it is to use proper magic tools. Even this report was barely relayed to an agent outside the Holy Kingdom by someone on the inside."
It seemed there was a reason why Boradori had only managed to send the words "Save me" before going silent.
I had wondered if she just stopped sending messages because things had become manageable.
Apparently, she had sent that one message before interference made further reception impossible.
"We can't have another agent make contact with Agent Boradori?"
"It looks difficult. I already looked into it. Right now, the Holy Knights have locked down the Papal Palace and other major institutions. Not just pilgrims and tourists, but even bishop-level officials are practically under house arrest..."
Which meant there was nothing we could do on our end.
"We'll just have to prepare for what comes after."
If there was nothing to be done now, we just had to prepare for the next step.
In that case, it would be beneficial to leak the details of this incident that I’d heard from Violet beforehand.
"Actually, Agent Boradori did have a prediction."
"There was more than just 'Save me'?"
"It wasn't confirmed, so I was waiting for more certain information, but..."
The Commander nodded at my words.
Reporting half-baked information is often worse than nothing, but in a total blackout like this, even vague intel is precious.
Thus, I summarized the Holy Kingdom arc of the original work that I’d heard from Violet and reported it to the Commander.
"...And that is the conclusion Agent Boradori reached based on her observations in the field."
"The Holy Kingdom is rotten to the core... Well, anyone who needs to know already knows that."
"You knew?"
"They're the kind of people who blatantly send letters to the Royal Family demanding donations for cathedral construction. The Royal Family helps out with a good heart when it's a reasonable location, but they demand money to build massive cathedrals in the middle of nowhere..."
"What did you do?"
"I approved it, then sent a few knights to keep watch. Sure enough, they were cutting corners and embezzling, so I had them dragged off, beaten, locked up, and given some 'mental education.'"
"Didn't the Holy Kingdom say anything?"
"I did it all without them knowing, then rounded up about a dozen of them and sent them back all at once. The Holy Kingdom was too embarrassed to say a word."
Only Leon could pull that off.
It was a country where even commoner children sparred with wooden sticks, dreaming of swordsmanship.
Its national power was ranked right after the Empire alongside Dale, and since faith in the Goddess was lower compared to other nations, the Holy Kingdom's influence was relatively weak there.
If any other country had acted like that, the trash in power at the Holy Kingdom wouldn't have sat idly by.
But looking at it from the opposite perspective...
"A reformation is coming to the Holy Kingdom. The profit we can take from that is..."
"Is there any?"
"Not much..."
Since the Holy Kingdom had little influence over us, there wasn't much for us to gain from its reformation.
In that case...
"Should we sell it?"
"What?"
"The information we've gathered. We might be less affected by the Holy Kingdom, but there are several places around us being jerked around by them, aren't there?"
No need to look far; one of the minor kingdoms sharing our border required the Pope's permission just to complete the coronation process.
It was purely formal, but the Holy Kingdom's influence often seeped into the succession process.
"That's a good idea."
It was a state-to-state transaction.
It wasn't just about material gain; by using information that was useless to us, we could foster more favorable diplomatic relations.
"Ah, can I sell it to the Empire for free?"
"I thought you hated the Empire?"
"I said they were incompetent, I never said I hated them."
I thought about giving a heads-up to a certain middle-aged man in a similar predicament, who was likely grinding like a dog today as well.
—Aeryun-nim has gone on a direct business trip to the Holy Kingdom...
"Ah..."
I heard he was grinding like a dog just like our Boradori because he had a bad master.
Instead, I relayed what I knew to the subordinate doing his work and received a thank you about a week ago.
"What did you say?"
"I said a revolution broke out in the Holy Kingdom. And..."
It seemed the original work had gotten tangled up again.
*
#4 Holy Kingdom Correspondent, Codename Boradori.
I sent a desperate plea for rescue, but as expected, nothing happened.
This damn black company. One of these days, I'm going to quit... or I would, if they didn't pay so well. Once this year is over, I'm definitely protesting for a raise.
Because I'm damn good at my job!
"Your Holiness, you must not be deceived by them!"
It wasn't exactly a 0.2-second Domain Expansion, but by splitting my movements into three and five-second intervals, I succeeded in delivering the Pope to Daisy.
It was an epic journey that took a full two days.
If I had written out that process as a novel, it would have spanned at least ten chapters.
Unfortunately, I'm not the protagonist of this world, so it was likely skipped.
But thanks to that effort, the true protagonist, Daisy, was now in a position to pressure the final boss, Cardinal Sergio, alongside the young Pope.
"......"
"......"
...But why aren't they doing anything?
Driven by that question, I turned my gaze toward them.
"......"
"......"
Naturally, the lyrics to some melancholic romance song seemed to echo in my ears.
The atmosphere between them was awkward.
Way too awkward!
"Ah..."
Come to think of it, it was only natural.
They had just met; it would be weirder if they immediately showed a bond of mutual trust and reliance.
Dammit, I barely managed to recreate the original scene.
But because two years were skipped, their entire narrative build-up had vanished!
"Your Holiness!"
Did he sense the awkwardness between them?
Or did he see the Pope still trembling in fear?
Cardinal Sergio called out to the Pope with a despicable smirk.
"Ugh!"
With that single action, the Pope fell into a panic.
"Daisy!"
I hurriedly called out to Daisy, but she looked uncharacteristically confused.
She had a look on her face that said she didn't know what to do.
Originally, they were supposed to meet by chance without knowing each other's identities, then part ways.
Then, they would coincidentally learn about each other, and Daisy, while digging into the Holy Kingdom's secrets, would discover what had happened to the Pope.
When they met again, she would promise to save him.
And when she finally did, their mutual trust would allow the Pope to side with Daisy in front of everyone, exposing the Cardinals' true colors.
"......"
But what happens if that's missing?
Emergency, this is a total emergency.
The lack of emotional connection between Daisy and the Pope is one thing, but the Pope's lack of mental growth is an even bigger problem.
Instead, all that's left is a middle-schooler who has been exposed to constant mental and physical abuse and gaslighting from a young age.
At the shout of the Cardinal's faction, I could see the conflict in his eyes—whether he should flinch and crawl back to that side.
"Your Holiness."
That's why I moved.
In the original, the Pope won because he chose Daisy, but what if the opposite happened?
Daisy's revolution had started with her fists, and she had no foundation of support yet.
If the Pope's support shifted to the other side, this wouldn't be a revolution; it would end as a failed coup.
The RoFan male leads with their powerful backgrounds and Daisy the Saintess might survive somehow.
But I, who had nothing, would be branded the leader of the coup and vanish on the guillotine.
...Come to think of it, I was the one who kidnapped the Pope!
"There is nothing to be afraid of."
I maintained my best poker face and took the Pope's hand.
Did he notice the slight tremor in my grip?
The Pope's startled eyes met mine.
Aw, crap. If I look like this, I won't seem very reliable...
"I'll trust you."
"......?"
"I remember what Violet told me."
"Your Holiness..."
"I trust Violet!"
Uh, well. Did our Pope find a slightly unstable person more trustworthy than a reliable one?
Regardless, if the Pope supports Daisy now, we can proceed according to the original plot.
Denounce the Cardinals, drag them to the tribunal, and reveal their crimes to everyone in the Holy Kingdom...
"As the Pope, I command you! In the name of the Goddess, execute those damn geezers who sold their souls to the devil!"
"......?"
Your Holiness... what are you saying...?
You weren't this kind of character...
Big sister is already having a hard enough time with Daisy's character change...
But seeing the Pope look up at me as if asking for praise, I had no choice but to force a smile despite my internal weeping.
"Y-you did well."
I had no choice but to praise the Pope, who had somehow turned incredibly aggressive.