Retaliation (2)
“...!!”
The Deltrack Empire diplomat’s words left me speechless for a moment. He spoke as if our country were the traitor here.
“Anyone listening would think we’d committed some grave offense. We simply reached a mutual agreement and expressed our regrets to the Holy Empire. That’s all, isn’t it?”
“Is expressing regret truly the best your side can manage?”
“Wh-what?”
“Look at what the Holy Empire is doing. They’re trying to drag another empire’s royal family away and brand them as heretics to suit their own tastes! Do you honestly believe this concerns only our empire? We are merely the beginning. The same fate awaits you.”
Indeed, no matter how powerful the Holy Empire might be, attempting to seize another nation’s imperial family at will seemed excessive. The sense of crisis—that this might not be limited to the Deltrack Empire—had been part of why I accepted their proposal.
“If we back down now, they’ll only tighten their grip and bleed us further. The deed is already done, so rather than cower, shouldn’t we accomplish something? Only then will you have anything to report when you return home.”
“Ugh…”
He wasn’t wrong, but still…
The Holy Empire and the Deltrack Empire are pretty much the same bunch of bastards.
To collaborate on something like this, a certain level of trust in the other party was necessary, yet the Deltrack Empire’s attitude made that nearly impossible. At first they had prostrated themselves, swearing they would never forget our kindness if only we helped. Now look at them. The moment the plan was set in motion, their whole demeanor flipped. Having made an irreversible choice, they could no longer run away—and it seemed they had no intention of offering any more bait to a fish already caught.
What if that caught fish gets upset and leaps out of the boat?
Of course, if the fish jumped out, it would die. They knew that, which was why they had changed their attitude so completely.
The Holy Empire and the Deltrack Empire are all bastards. I have to keep my head straight or I’ll be the one who suffers.
Since I had already dipped my feet into this inescapable quagmire, the only way to avoid death upon returning home was to follow this man’s lead. But being dragged along according to the Deltrack Empire’s intentions was infuriating. And that frustration was shared by every diplomat present.
“If we simply avoid betraying one another, we can achieve something far greater. Why can’t you see that?”
He brazenly pointed out our current position as if we had no choice, then smoothly began coaxing us. The Deltrack Empire had chosen their diplomat well. Watching him manipulate seasoned political veterans like puppets only confirmed it.
If they plan to use us and then discard us, I will never forgive them.
There was no shortage of people willing to lay down their lives for their homeland.
Has the Holy Empire ever lied about matters involving heretics?
That was the most unsettling part of this whole affair. Whether the claim that a Deltrack imperial prince had joined hands with heretics was truth or mere pretext. If it was true, then by associating with them we could be treated as no different from heretics ourselves. We had to be cautious.
“However,” I continued.
If the Deltrack Empire was truly innocent in this matter, couldn’t they prove it?
“Are you genuinely indignant about the Holy Empire’s accusations?”
“What are you implying?”
The Deltrack Empire diplomat’s face crumpled into a deep frown.
“Well, it’s a fair question. Has the Holy Empire ever lied about heretics before?”
“So you’re doubting whether His Highness the Imperial Prince is truly involved with heretics?”
“I’m not certain, but I believe there is a possibility. That’s all I’m saying.”
“It is not true at all. Therefore, I suggest you set aside these needless concerns.”
The Deltrack diplomat’s obvious displeasure gave the other nations’ representatives exactly the opening they needed. They began supporting me.
“If you are that confident, why not issue a formal protest to the Holy Empire and reveal the truth? We could pressure them even more strongly.”
“Cooperating in such a matter is the problem itself! What good would come from setting a bad precedent?”
“I’m not so sure. I believe we already concluded that matter with our protest.”
“Prove to us that no member of your imperial family is entangled with heretics. Do that, and we will continue to follow your lead and stand at the forefront in pressuring the Holy Empire.”
How would the Deltrack diplomat respond to our proposal? If he had nothing to hide, he would accept. If even the slightest doubt existed, he would refuse. It was obvious. Everyone present knew it, so all eyes fixed on the diplomat’s expression.
“...That is not something I can answer immediately. Demanding that the victim prove they committed no crime is rather shocking. I cannot imagine what Her Majesty will say when she hears this…”
The diplomat acted as though we were heartless people for making such a request, as if all human decency had vanished.
“All matters should be addressed only after your side provides proof first.”
But the other diplomats were not about to be swayed by emotional appeals. They remained silent, staring coldly at the diplomat who continued to play the victim. A quiet tch of disapproval rippled through the room.
“We will be waiting for good news as soon as possible.”
“We can discuss more detailed plans then.”
All the diplomats rose from their seats at once. The Deltrack representative seemed to realize further resistance was pointless and stood as well, extending his hand first.
“You will see it soon.”
It was an indirect way of saying the Deltrack Empire had no connection to the heretics. Still, until they actually provided proof, they would receive no cooperation from us.
“Close the doors for the time being? Have you forgotten this is a healing center?”
I knew some order would come down from above, but I never imagined they would resort to such an extreme measure.
“You must comply. The Labyrinth Temple is at the heart of this incident, so your cooperation is required. Besides, didn’t you, Priest Arthur, provide the very cause for this situation?”
It seemed they wanted me to show responsibility for creating this mess…
“How does that responsibility translate into cooperating with this? These people are all believers who follow his teachings. It is unjust for them to be denied healing because of their country’s mistake. There are plenty of other options. Why choose the absolute worst one? I cannot comply.”
“You sit in a position far beyond your station thanks to the grace of your superiors. Refusing may lead to regret.”
So now that I refused to obey, the threats began? Did they really think I would flinch at something like this?
“I will not do what is wrong simply because I fear the consequences. If you tell me to step down from this position, I will obey without complaint.”
“...I will convey your intentions clearly.”
“Please do. This is not good for the Holy Empire either. No matter how angry we may be, we must not act in ways that contradict our teachings.”
“...I had heard you were an unusual person, but I didn’t realize the rumors had been understated.”
The empire that simply ruled its people and our Holy Empire were fundamentally different. We were people who served a great being called the Sun God. Without Him, we were truly insignificant. Therefore, it was a priest’s duty to ensure we never tarnished His face.
“There must be better ways to retaliate than this. This approach will only create serious side effects for the Holy Empire. How will you handle the disappointment of the believers?”
The higher-ups always insisted that priests maintain dignity. Surely they wouldn’t stoop to such a shabby act. Just because neighboring nations had united to issue a statement, they were leaping into petty retaliation. I believed the Holy Empire could respond in a far better way. However…
That man doesn’t look like he’ll report my words properly.
His gaze toward me was hostile, clearly offended that I had dared to reject an order from above.
“I will pass on your opinion, but I cannot guarantee it will be accepted. Prepare yourself for the repercussions of this incident.”
The messenger left, and the priests came rushing over to me.
“Priest Arthur, wouldn’t it be better to say you’ll comply now…?”
“What if you get kicked out of here?”
“The look on that man’s face makes it seem like he might actually do it.”
Both Priest Chillan and Priest Ando couldn’t hide their worry.
“Is this really okay? Are you sure you’ll be fine?”
“Junior, maybe you should reconsider? It won’t be a long strike. Maybe… a week? That’s not so bad. We can just tell all the priests to take the vacation they’ve earned after working so hard. It’s not like people will die without us. They’ll figure out their own ways to treat the injured.”
Not everyone would even hear that the temple had closed its doors. Moreover, because we held a virtual monopoly on healing inside the Labyrinth, no other medical facilities had been allowed to establish themselves here.
“No, Senior. It won’t end in a week. And the people currently inside the Labyrinth will have nowhere to go if the temple closes. Their wounds could worsen and become life-threatening. Even if I am driven out, I will continue treating patients until that day comes.”
I spoke to reassure them in case they were worried.
“When someone comes from above, tell them I ordered you and you had no choice. It shouldn’t cause problems for any of you, but I’m saying this just in case.”
“How can you say that! We’ll tell them we all agreed with you. United we stand, divided we fall. We can’t do this without Priest Arthur!! Don’t you all agree?!”
The highly excited young priest hurriedly voiced his opinion and sought agreement from the others. There was no way everyone would support such a clearly foolish decision. Yet—
“You’re right. We all agree with Priest Arthur’s opinion.”
“At least if we get punished together, it’ll hurt less, right? I’ll stand with you.”
“I never expected the junior to be this stubborn. Honestly, I didn’t like the order much either. Count me in.”
Surprisingly, not only the regular priests but even Priest Ando voiced their support.