Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Laying the Groundwork for the Divine Masterstroke (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the Europa continent, everyone believes in the universal faith of the Church of Deus.
The Church of Deus is remarkably similar to Catholicism, except it worships the one true god Deus instead of God.
It has the same hierarchy of priests, assistant bishops, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and pope, and it believes in the son of the one god who absolves sins.
And like Catholicism, it practices the sacrament of confession... which is perfect for secret meetings.
Because during confession, no one else is present except the priest and the penitent.
I arrived at the kingdom's grand cathedral an hour earlier than my appointed meeting with the duke and entered the confessional booth closest to the main entrance, the one intended for confession.
As soon as I stepped inside, a faint musty smell wafted through the air, likely from the humidity.
Even though it was still daytime and bright outside, the confessional was already lit with candles. Sunlight rarely penetrated these secluded spots, designed for utmost privacy.
The roughly ten-square-meter room, lined with bricks, contained a chair for me to sit on, a wooden partition with a dense iron grille embedded in the middle, candles and a chamber pot for lengthy confessions, and even a blanket...
I touched the blanket; it was fluffy and dry, clearly prepared just for my visit...
Damn, did they think I'd go through the motions of confession and then sneak in some fun here, like other nobles do?
After waiting just a short while, a deep voice came from the other side of the wooden partition.
"Brother, what brings you here? Deus is listening to your sins. Confess them all and receive absolution."
These were the formal words to begin confession, so I replied in a suitably mournful tone with the ritual response.
"Father... I am a grievous sinner. Even so, can I be forgiven?"
"Of course. Deus died on the cross for your sake."
"Then... there is a woman I truly love. Yet I am a sinful man, and my eyes wander to others. Among the maids working in my mansion is a girl named Sara, and I keep staring at her hips and breasts..."
Though Ella is objectively the prettiest girl I've ever seen, and she tends to my needs with utmost diligence every night for my sake...
I'm only human, after all, so sometimes my baser urges draw my gaze elsewhere.
And among them, Sara is the one who catches my eye the most...
Talking about Sara here in the confessional makes me think of her plump, springy hips...
The priest accepted my confession with sincere compassion.
"Oh, brother. As mortals, lustful thoughts are inevitable... but tell me, have you not acted on those desires?"
"No, Father. Thinking of the girl who loves me, I couldn't bring myself to do it."
"A man with such self-restraint is truly admirable. Yet virtue is virtue, and sin is sin... Therefore..."
"Please tell me. Your lamb listens humbly."
"For your penance, donate ten silver coins to the cathedral, and give to your beloved in proportion to your guilt."
With that, the priest manually opened the iron grille so I could make my offering.
I handed him one gold coin I'd prepared for the occasion, and in return, he passed me a priest's robe tailored to my size.
Is this the man the duke arranged...?
For a moment, I considered asking outright, but it felt too gauche, so I silently accepted the robe.
After changing into the priest's robe, I passed the time until the duke's arrival by reading the Bible inside the booth.
Then a raspy cough echoed from the other side.
At this timing, the only one who could enter was the duke, so this must be the Duke of Brüssel I was looking for.
Even so, I feigned ignorance and waited for him to speak first.
A moment later, a voice came from beyond the wooden partition.
"Father, I am a sinner."
"Speak."
A brief silence fell, and then the duke bellowed as if to shake the very confessional.
"I live in sin. Because even before coming here, I personally slew two barons who dared conspire with foreign powers. I am a sinner because at His Majesty's funeral, I fretted more over the civil war brewing for the empty throne than mourning His passing... I am a sinner because..."
He paused for a moment, then whispered so only I could hear.
"...even at a time to mourn the emperor's death, I came to meet a young baron. Because I was intrigued by him."
He'd spoken in a whisper, but an overwhelming terror gripped me all the same.
It felt as though I'd become a tiny mouse facing a massive lion.
Yet my voice didn't waver as I replied calmly.
"The lawful lord of Kroitel Barony, Siel von Kroitel, humbly greets Elrain's Golden Lion, Your Excellency the Duke of Brüssel."
"John von Brüssel the First. So, you wanted to see me?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. This unworthy soul sought your direct guidance. But with no way to arrange it, Lord Brandel graciously provided assistance..."
Hearing this, the duke let out a booming laugh.
"Haha, enough with the nonsense. I've heard the rumors about you. You thoroughly trounced that Franch dog Helsman, didn't you? At just twenty-three. Back then, all I managed was knocking out one knight on my first campaign trailing my father..."
"It was merely good fortune."
My humble words seemed to irk him, for the Duke of Brüssel replied in a voice laced with irritation.
"Truth be told, Helsman stopped by to see me on his way to his wife's family, the Duke of Lence house. He raved madly about your strategies and tactics—the same man who fought wars alongside me as an equal. After beating a fellow like that, don't play modest. It won't happen twice, Siel von Kroitel."
"Understood, Your Excellency."
"That aside, what is it you want from me? Brandel mentioned you're unwed. Shall I arrange a marriage? There's a fine girl in our ducal house—daughter of my concubine, but you'd take to her immediately."
For a baron, marrying the duke's concubine's daughter is an extraordinary offer.
Because forming an in-law bond with a duke—who holds core imperial blood or equivalent status—is worlds apart from taking a count's concubine's daughter.
A count's concubine's daughter is merely from a 'respectable knightly house,' whereas a duke's is on par with a 'count's legitimate daughter.'
In other words, it was a promise to treat me outwardly as a count...
What on earth did Helsman tell him while spinning tales?
"An honor beyond my station. But why extend such an offer to me? What exactly did Lord Helsman tell you?"
"Just that he had the Count of Nant in his pocket, only to lose the barony to some whelp who'd seized Helsman Castle. He left cursing Nant’s fool of a lord for mistreating talent like you."
Even in this era, nobles who are close often share drinks and women after wars end...
Yet for Helsman to seek out the Duke of Brüssel even after his own downfall... they must have been exceptionally tight.
In that case, he'd naturally know something about me...
"I am deeply honored, Your Excellency. However, I am already betrothed to Lady Emily, daughter of the late Lord Count of Nant. And as a mere baron in service to Nant, I must..."
"Spare me. Tell me why you reject my marriage proposal."
"I cannot abandon my territory or its people. Lord Helsman may have praised me as exceptional, but I could shine only because of my domain's knights, soldiers, and serfs. Thus, I cannot serve you."
The duke sounded astonished.
"Remarkable. To grasp a noble's duties and obligations so well at your age. Indeed, nobles are nobles because they unite the commons into formidable power. Then... what of you?"
Now was the moment to lay bare my true intentions.
It was all or nothing, but I had a fallback if I survived this encounter.
Besides, unless I blatantly betrayed him here, even a duke couldn't kill me—a vassal of the Count of Nant.
Instead of answering with words, I drew a letter hidden in my bosom and passed it through to the duke beyond the partition.
"Please read this. It was penned by His Excellency the Duke of Maxburg, elector of the Holy Roman Empire."
"Duke of Maxburg? You've fought him too?"
"I fought two barons in his service."
The duke fell silent as he read the letter.
A short while later, I heard the sound of the letter being torn—rip, rip—from the other side.
"Your Excellency, have you finished reading?"
To my innocent question, the duke responded with fervent outrage.
"Siel von Kroitel!!! What in the world are you thinking?!!!!!"
"Calm yourself, Your Excellency. It's just a letter."
"Just a letter? The contents are absurd!! Of course, I don't think you accepted it. If you had, you'd already be a noble of the Romans! It's madness—promising you the entire County of Nant as vanguard for their invasion, plus the jaw-jutting bastard's concubine's daughter?!"
That letter had actually been delivered a month earlier by a spy claiming to be from the Duke of Maxburg, who walked right through my door.
I'd read it then and stashed the original in my desk's secret compartment for a moment like this.
And it wasn't some typical ploy to lure me with a fiefdom—it was almost certainly a genuine offer. Ninety-nine percent, at least...
From Maxburg's perspective, using me as a spearhead would let them march straight into Brüssel territory with ease...
My forces, bolstered by Schwein's contingent, could already defeat an average count's direct troops.
True, Nant was so prosperous it rivaled a duchy in might, surpassing most counties...
But considering I'd beaten the two barons he'd carefully dispatched with minimal losses, such a proposal was hardly outlandish.
Besides, in negotiations, the first to lose their temper loses. And here was the Duke of Brüssel, fuming already...
Time to play my hand.
"Your Excellency."
The duke sighed, then replied in a voice tinged with lingering anger.
"What more do you intend to say?"
"I already maintain a standing army of five thousand. With a little push, I can raise ten thousand and hold out for two years. Lord Helsman must have mentioned it: before receiving the fief from Lord Count of Nant, Baron Kroitel arrived leading three thousand elite troops."
Let the negotiations begin, Your Excellency.