Chapter 294
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 294
Chapter Title: Pretext
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"'Explanation,' huh... It sounds like we're the ones in the wrong."
"Yes, exactly. To be precise, on the surface... that's how they'll announce it to the public."
"Hmm. What's their pretext?"
"That they detected signs of the lich's revival but failed to properly report it to the Imperial Family. And that they kept silent about the transcendent being known as the Form of Death."
"What an absurd excuse."
The lich's revival was something even the saintess couldn't comprehend as a reason. From the start, the omens themselves had been so bewildering that they had requested assistance from the Imperial Family.
The response they received at the time had been nothing more than 'We'll investigate.'
They had been struggling just to identify those omens, so how could they possibly connect them to a transcendent being called the Form of Death?
'Even if the former pope heard a prophecy, there's no reason to report every single prophecy to the Imperial Family.'
It was truly grasping at straws—making up excuses where none existed.
"That's why this whole situation makes even less sense."
Why had they chosen such an option?
For one, the Church of the Sun's purification efforts in Merdaine had only been possible because of the emperor's legitimate orders.
Naturally, the central nobles couldn't dare challenge that 'pretext.' On the contrary, they had believed Merdaine would absolutely be reclaimed and poured massive investments into it.
'So why take such a reckless gamble? For them, all that remained should have been reaping sweet rewards that fell right into their laps.'
Jun's mind raced once more.
The rewards would come without lifting a finger, so why give the emperor a 'pretext' to strike at them?
'The root of all these events is simple.'
It would start from something very small.
And Jun believed, with high probability, that it was deeply connected to him.
Not out of ego.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps was already perceived by the nobles as a blade the emperor could wield without restraint.
'I see. Our presence must have looked like the emperor's direct intervention to them. They probably thought our achievements would reduce the rewards coming their way.'
Objectively speaking, the White Whale Mercenary Corps' role in this subjugation campaign had been far from insignificant.
Naturally, they would assume the emperor was checking them.
Normally, they would have endured it. Merdaine, whose end had been unforeseeable, had been reclaimed, and ample rewards would follow—enough for the nobles to grudgingly accept.
But this time was different. Due to the Celestial Church's schemes, the investing nobles had suffered total losses, and Merdaine had been purified at a time when their influence was waning.
And the saintess had ultimately subdued the lich, even taking down the divine being called the Form of Death in the process.
'From the nobles' perspective, it's understandable they'd feel aggrieved. So they're putting it into action.'
After hearing this news, the nobles must have held their own meeting to squeeze out every last drop of honey.
But one question lingered.
Why had they made their move?
The emperor was clearly wide awake and holding the line, so why...
"Ah."
Only then did a realization strike Jun.
His eyes fell on the clock atop the table.
It had been about a month since their arrival in Merdaine.
Blackout would have opened, announcing the new season.
"It wasn't two years."
At minimum two years.
Jun had speculated that the emperor was biding his time for at least that long in the war against the Celestial Church.
But no.
The emperor... right now...
'Has descended into Blackout.'
As the leader of the Celestial Dragon Knights, under the name Ben.
He had secretly begun the war against the Celestial Church.
'And that news reached the nobles through some channel...'
They were making their desperate last stand, reckless as it was.
The final act of defiance against the emperor.
'Back to the main point.'
So, where should he start explaining this to the saintess?
For a long time, she had poured everything into purifying this place, Merdaine.
As a result, she was somewhat disconnected from external currents.
How far back would he have to go to explain that the emperor had moved to wage war against an organization called the Celestial Church?
'No, the emperor's movements aren't the key.'
The most important thing right now was the nobles' actions.
Only the consequences their footsteps would leave behind.
"Saintess."
"Yes, Captain Jun. Speak."
"Do you know the term 'pleading the fifth'?"
Jun had chosen to buy time.
[No response, you say.]
A voice altered by magic echoed through the opulent banquet hall.
A virtual space created by advanced magic.
There, several people gazed at one another.
Avatars crafted by high-level magic.
They were called the forms the gods took when descending to the world, and they referred to themselves as gods.
From their perspective, it wasn't wrong.
Nobles, and the history they embodied, were immortal.
Hence, avatars.
[This is problematic. I expected some reaction, but complete silence?]
[Is that how the master of the church responds?]
[No, it can't be. The Church of the Sun has grown like a flower in a massive greenhouse for ages.]
[True enough. They couldn't even grasp what was happening in Merdaine right under their noses.]
[If there's a possibility...]
[That damned emperor's blade.]
That damned emperor.
Even the pinnacle of humanity was referred to that way here.
And no one found it awkward.
[White Whale Mercenary Corps... Did they strike first?]
[Likely. Otherwise, the Church of the Sun wouldn't be this quiet.]
They knew their logic was forced.
That's why they had anticipated a reaction from the Church of the Sun.
Merdaine's purification was proof the Church of the Sun had propagated in the god's stead for decades.
Denying that purification—what response would it provoke?
Surely like bees swarming to defend their hive.
Naturally, the Church of the Sun would make some gesture, be it outrage or doubt.
And that itself would be their pretext.
Those present could not move without pretext.
Even if it was transparently contrived to any observer, it was essential to mobilize the fools below them.
But it had gone wrong from the start.
[What now?]
[The emperor's absence is a confirmed fact. If not now, there may be no other chance.]
[We're all thinking alike.]
[Forced execution.]
[How do you envision the method?]
[What difference from usual? Just nudge the fools a bit.]
[Not difficult at all.]
Consensus was reached.
And their gazes turned to the center of the banquet hall.
[So, have you reached a conclusion, One?]
The being who hadn't spoken once nodded silently.
The number 1 etched on the mask was visible—a symbolic digit.
[Proceed.]
"Buying time. It's necessary for them too."
"Why is that?"
"Because when they strike first, they have only one card to play: public opinion."
"Ah..."
The saintess was ignorant of worldly affairs, but she wasn't stupid.
She had merely been insulated.
She quickly grasped what Jun meant.
"Dimensional Reversal."
"Yes, exactly. They'll use provocative language like that to criticize the Church of the Sun in this incident."
"Will the public really respond to it?"
This wasn't criticism of Jun's view. Pure curiosity from ignorance.
Merdaine had approached the entire continent as terror incarnate.
It wasn't mere 'Oh, lots of people died far away. Tragic.'
Merdaine's fall—one of the empire's major arteries—had triggered economic collapse, even brief riots.
The eastern wars were the prime example.
Devastated economically by Merdaine's fall, the east tore itself apart for survival, and after Duke Randel's disappearance, the conflict dragged on for decades.
Thus... countless people, even now, eagerly awaited Merdaine's restoration.
To uproot the famine that had plagued the empire.
The imperial citizens were seeing hope.
Yet Jun answered the saintess firmly.
"People react more readily to fear than hope, to anger than pleasure."
"Ah..."
As a saintess who believed in god, she didn't want to admit it, but that was human nature.
-They say the lich revived because of the Church of the Sun.
-They only reported everything to the Imperial Family after the fact.
-Not only that, some unknown monster called the Form of Death appeared.
-They nearly brought back Dimensional Reversal.
If they spun such a sensational tale, what would people recall?
The hope from Merdaine's restoration?
Or the dread of Dimensional Reversal's return, which had terrorized all humanity?
"Hearing it laid out like that... it feels somewhat hollow."
"That's the power of the nobles. Their authority, and over long ages, they've complemented each other's weaknesses to form a front against external threats."
"Can't deny it. Once public opinion forms that way..."
"They'll dispatch an investigative team here, recite absurd laws, and order an immediate withdrawal from Merdaine."
"...That's extreme."
"They would."
"Why go this far? Even if the Church of the Sun will wield great influence over Merdaine going forward, there are limits, aren't there?"
A faint sense of injustice colored the saintess's voice.
Understandable. She had devoted nearly her entire life to purifying Merdaine.
But Jun couldn't comfort her.
"I don't think it's my place to speculate. You'll be at the center of this incident, Saintess, and you need the clearest view of the situation."
"...So you have some inkling of the reason."
Of course. He roughly understood both the external and internal motives behind their actions.
But as he'd just explained to her, it wasn't yet time for him to voice it.
Someone more fitting would handle that later.
The saintess seemed to compose herself briefly before speaking again.
"...Whew, alright. Following your advice, Captain Jun, the nobles need time to rally their supporters externally. So what time do we need on our side?"
"The same."
"Pardon?"
"Just as the nobles need time to turn imperial public opinion to their side, we need time to build our own alliances and front."
With that, Jun pulled a single letter from his breast pocket and placed it on the table.
His gaze shifted to the clock on the wall. The hour hand was just about to move from 2 to 3.
The meeting had dragged into the early hours past midnight.
At that moment, moonlight obscured by clouds illuminated the tent interior, and the light was absorbed straight into the letter.
...
Silent light began to coalesce.
When the mana particles emanating from the letter took the form of a person.
The being composed of a mana hologram spoke from beyond.
Brimming with immense fury.
"Those insolent trash dared... to make their move, I hear, Jun."
Dexter.
With the emperor absent from his throne at this very moment, the empire's supreme authority spoke.