Chapter 48: The Whole World is Unfairly Attacking Me (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: The Whole World is Unfairly Attacking Me (3)
I knew I’d agreed to one date a month.
I even told her to give me a heads-up!
But seriously, a date during an event as big as the Founding Festival?
“Don’t you have a lot of work to do?”
First of all, Daisy was a noble of the Empire.
On top of that, for a national event like the Founding Festival, various religious orders—including the Holy Kingdom—usually sent delegations.
Even back in Leon, a Cardinal had come from the Holy Kingdom for their Founding Festival.
…Though I heard that particular Cardinal was executed after Daisy’s reforms.
Anyway, someone in Daisy’s position was expected to be run ragged during the Empire’s festivities.
She wasn't exactly in a position to be enjoying her youth on something like a date.
“I thought so too, but…”
Daisy said, avoiding my gaze.
That was the look she got whenever she had a guilty conscience.
So she does know!
If I were one of those RoFan male leads, I’d probably think there was some deep, complicated reason behind this.
And honestly, I thought so too.
Sure, she’d become a bit more shameless thanks to Violet.
But she wasn't a bad kid at heart.
She was just cursed with the fate of a RoFan female lead, which meant everyone around her was destined to suffer.
The male leads would gladly share in Daisy’s hardships, but not me.
I wasn't a male lead, and more importantly, I was the only person Daisy had personally dragged into this mess.
“What is it this time?”
My voice naturally came out blunt.
“Well, you see… for this Founding Festival, the Pope is coming from the Holy Kingdom.”
“The Pope?”
No matter how big the Empire’s festival was, there was no reason for the Pope to visit in person.
Just moving the Pope required a massive mobilization of personnel, including numerous Holy Knights.
Since the Pope held the same diplomatic status as a King, the Empire would find the visit burdensome as well.
That’s when it clicked.
“Don’t tell me… is this the Pope’s own impulsive decision?”
“…Yes.”
This wasn't some political move or a plot shrouded in mystery.
It was just a classic, nonsensical RoFan development.
The proof was Uncle Aeryun’s hair.
There was no way his hairline would be safe if he knew the Pope was officially visiting the Empire.
“The Empire hasn't been officially notified yet, right?”
“Probably not.”
“And if the Pope doesn't come, there’s no reason for the date, right?”
“Right.”
At those words, a certain specialist came to mind.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Codename: Boradori.
Deploy.
Two days passed.
—I am sorry. I failed.
“Ah.”
Recalling Boradori, who had fled leaving only a single letter behind, I couldn't help but fall into despair.
“Boradori… failed?”
An agent who boasted a 100% mission success rate had failed.
That was how firm the Pope’s resolve was.
“…She’s coming to see us even though she knows it’s a lie?”
Daisy had explained it.
The only reason the Pope was coming all the way to the Empire was to see me and Daisy. And Violet, as a bonus.
I had a feeling the "bonus" carried a lot more weight, though.
Anyway, if things continued like this, I’d have to deal with two massive events: a date with Daisy and a meeting with the Pope.
“Emergency! Total emergency!”
I kicked open the door to the familiar warehouse after school.
“W-what is it?”
The Captain and Boradori were used to me, but the other Shadows looked flustered, having never seen me like this.
“The Pope is coming to the Academy!”
“What?”
“What kind of crazy talk is that…?”
“…Save me.”
While everyone else looked at me like I was talking nonsense, Uncle Aeryun was the only one muttering for salvation with a face full of despair.
“Uncle Aeryun! Stop her!”
“I should be the one asking you! Please, stop her!”
“This is the Empire’s business!”
“I have a gut feeling! The fact that you know something even the Imperial Intelligence Bureau doesn't… means you heard it directly from Lady Daisy! You’re the culprit, aren't you?!”
Damn, he really is a top-tier Imperial agent.
To reach the truth of the matter so quickly even in this situation.
But I felt a bit wronged.
“The culprit is Daisy.”
The fact that the Pope was now a free agent, and the fact that I was forced into being a fake boyfriend—it was all Daisy’s doing.
Well, if you really want to trace it back, it was probably the snowball Violet started, but I couldn't tell him that.
“A couple is supposed to be two souls in one mind.”
“Coming from a man with a wife, that’s quite persuasive.”
“…A student shouldn't know about my wife!”
He shouted back, calling it nonsense, but the momentary silence caused the others to exchange glances.
“I knew it…”
“I bet he has a son and a daughter, too.”
“True. No matter how loyal you are to the Empire and the Duke, you can't work that hard without kids to feed.”
“Is that the weight of a patriarch?”
Uncle Aeryun’s face turned beet red at the voices of the people who were only pretending to whisper.
“So, why is the Pope coming?”
“Nice subject change.”
“Just answer me!”
He looked so pitiful shouting with his eyes squeezed shut that I gave him a brief, simple explanation of the Pope’s visit and her reasons.
“She’s coming to see the Saintess’s fake boyfriend and to officially mark the Saintess’s childhood friend as a Cardinal.”
At the mention of the fake boyfriend, Uncle Aeryun clutched his head and muttered, “It’s you again…” but his eyes snapped open at the next part.
“Cardinal? What are you talking about?”
“You know Violet. Daisy’s friend.”
“Of course I know her! But a Cardinal! Why is Violet suddenly becoming a Cardinal?!”
He looked genuinely clueless, so I filled him in on what I knew.
“She caught the Pope’s fancy?”
“Why?”
“During that incident in the Holy Kingdom, Violet was the one who rescued the Pope from the Cardinals’ clutches.”
“What? Not the Saintess?”
“The Saintess was too busy beating the crap out of the Cardinals and the Holy Knights.”
“I thought she rescued her in the process…”
It seemed even the Empire didn't know the full details of what happened in the Holy Kingdom.
“Wait, Prince Esid was there too, wasn't he?”
“…The Prince hasn't said a single word about what happened back then.”
So he exercised his right to remain silent. He’s a tough one too.
But then.
“Didn't you go there too, Uncle Aeryun?”
It wasn't just him. I knew more than half the people here had gone.
“Back then…”
“Ah…”
“It was so dirty and miserable, I should’ve quit. I should’ve just quit…”
Uncle Aeryun began to reminisce with a distant look in his eyes, the Fire Spammer stared blankly at the ceiling, and someone else started muttering about resigning—a feat they couldn't actually achieve—as if their PTSD had been triggered.
Yeah, I’m glad I didn't go.
“But wait, how do you know things even we don't?”
After muttering for a while, Uncle Aeryun snapped back to reality and looked at me suspiciously.
“I heard it from Violet.”
“What? I heard you two met often, but don't tell me you’re two-timing?!”
“Excuse me?”
Forget two-timing, I wasn't even one-timing.
There are things you can say and things you can't.
“I told someone else this before.”
“W-what?”
“I said I’d rather confess to the Empire’s Princess than date the Saintess…”
“What?!”
“And I heard a Princess is enrolling next year…”
“How do you know that?!”
Uncle Aeryun looked horrified, and the others looked back and forth between us with shocked expressions.
“Do you really want to see this place turn into a complete shitshow?”
I felt a bit bad using a Princess I didn't even know, but since the Imperial subordinate crossed the line first, I had no choice.
“N-no, you brat! You can't!”
The Academy was already a mess; the threat of blowing it up entirely made Uncle Aeryun scream in agony.
“Then hurry up and stop the Pope from coming!”
I successfully achieved my goal.
And two days passed.
—I’m sorry. I failed.
For fuck’s sake.
The roots of the Holy Kingdom were rotten.
The Goddess in the heavens always watched over them, but she only watched.
Realizing this, some clergymen forgot the meaning of shame.
Instead, they began to fall into corruption, using the sophistry that the Goddess’s silence was a sign of her approval.
Generations passed.
The position of Cardinal, once a symbol of devotion, became no different from that of a secular power player.
Every branch of the tree was rotten, and the water feeding it was stagnant and foul.
Inevitably, the tree bore no fruit, and the roots began to decay.
There were those who sought to revive the great tree known as the Holy Kingdom, but they were few and lacked power.
They could only wait for an opportunity to arise.
And that opportunity came.
The Cardinals had summoned the young, suddenly-awakened Saintess to the Holy Kingdom, intending to make her their puppet just as they had the Pope.
But the Saintess’s character was too noble to fall for their temptations.
Instead, upon witnessing their injustice and sins, she began to purge them without hesitation.
Seeing this, some of the reformers who wanted to change the Holy Kingdom decided to fight alongside her.
They joined her, believing that if they didn't act now, they would never have another chance.
However, not everyone felt the same.
Some believed it was a desperate struggle, and if everyone fell here, there would be no future.
That judgment was half-right.
There was no "next time" for them.
The Saintess, using her vast connections and an even more overwhelming display of martial force and miracles, brought all the Holy Knights to their knees and suppressed the Cardinals.
Her subsequent actions were also perfect.
She ordered the execution of the most sinful Cardinals, imposed heavy sentences on those whose crimes didn't warrant death, dismissed several others, and gave the deserving a chance at atonement.
And then, despite being in a position to become the supreme ruler of a nation with immense influence over the continent…
“Vacation is almost over.”
With those words, she left without a single regret.
She trusted that they would be able to lead the chaotic Holy Kingdom well!
Thus, Cardinal Inas, a member of the reformers and one of the newly appointed Cardinals, wept as he apologized to the Saintess.
“I am sorry, Saintess.”
And he prayed to the Goddess.
“O Goddess, please grant me the strength to change the Pope’s mind.”
But it was a futile prayer.
The Pope had no intention of changing her mind.
Even the diplomats of the great Empire couldn't sway her, and she had even ignored the persuasion of Violet—someone she tried to obey more than the Goddess herself.
That was how firm the Pope’s resolve was.
“My first trip ever!”
The Pope’s eyes sparkled as she began stuffing things into her suitcase.
There was still more than a month before the Founding Festival began, but her heart was racing at the thought of visiting the place where her precious friends were born and lived.
“This, and this. And I’ll put this in as a gift, too.”
She poured Holy Water—a substance not easily obtained even in the Holy Kingdom—into containers as if she were filling jugs at a mountain spring.
She packed gifts for Violet, Daisy, and the club friends who had helped them.
“And.”
The Saintess’s boyfriend.
Even if it was fake, the Pope knew his name.
After all…
“He was the person Violet contacted in an emergency… I’m sure of it!”
The Pope recalled a book she had seen in the Holy Kingdom’s secret library back when she was semi-forcibly confined by the former Cardinals.
In a library filled with nothing but tedious scriptures, it was the only romance novel that had captured the young girl’s interest.
“A love triangle!”
The demonic reach of romance novels was about to claim another victim.