The Saint Candidate (1)
Adrian Lawrence had only been in office for fifty days, yet everything he did broke every expectation.
Reaching the seventh circle at twenty years old in an environment where it was impossible to focus on proper training was already proof of his exceptional talent. But Adrian did not simply let it slide. He proved his excellence with every action that followed.
Olivia Riberdale, who had grown unusually interested in Adrian ever since she personally witnessed the battle that shattered every mage’s common sense, felt neither hostility toward the intruder who had stepped into her plans nor simple curiosity.
“How interesting. What strange scheme will you try next?”
“Hah, really? Are you watching Preston? The Ice Witch Olivia is smiling!”
“There’s something creepy about that smile, isn’t there?”
“Hey, Olivia, are you interested in the Lawrence Duke?”
“Who knows?”
“Arthur, Arthur. You’re sixteen years younger than him. If you married soon, you’d be his mother…”
*SPLAT!*
“Kyaaack!”
Olivia Riberdale silenced the Duke of Lakes’ rambling with a single powerful body blow, cooling the man’s cheerful mood with a chilly blast.
After watching him clutch his chest and gasp for air, Olivia turned to Duke Preston and said, “Instruct the intelligence division to maintain a friendly competition but never interfere. Or should we even form an alliance? It doesn’t seem like a bad idea…”
“Well… In our current position, we’re already in a favorable spot. Do we really need to?”
“They must know that Lawrence the Priest won’t allow their position to remain disadvantageous. There must be something he’s already prepared.”
“Are you overestimating him?”
“When have I ever made a wrong judgment?”
“Not yet, but…”
“Fine. Then let’s propose to the Lawrence Priest. First, let’s join forces to win the Saint Candidate Selection Tournament. After we gain an advantage over the other candidates, then we can compete.”
Duke Preston let out a small sigh and nodded slightly at Olivia’s suggestion.
She was a pure woman who had never shown such warmth and interest toward a man before. Even though Preston had never met the Lawrence Duke directly, jealousy was already stirring in his chest.
“Cough!”
Olivia used a heel strike to finish off the still-breathing Duke of Lakes.
“You should exercise more. A delicate woman’s fist causing such a commotion.”
“Delicate woman? Where?”
After regaining his breath, the Duke of Lakes tried to provoke her again, but the moment Olivia stood up, he suddenly remembered something and fled at once.
* * *
The “Grand Archbishop Fred” of the Lheinhatz Kingdom’s Archdiocese was famous among the Sepia Church’s high clergy for his stubborn conservatism.
That was why it had taken him a full month to meet in person after he had thrown ten trillion gold at the Sepia Church alone.
But this man…
“Oh my, how wonderful! You are already using holy magic at this level! This old man cannot doubt that Ibril-nim will become the next Saint!”
The moment he saw his beloved granddaughter Ibril, he completely surrendered and treated her as his lord and master.
Of course, it was not impure feelings he harbored. Fred the Grand Archbishop treated Ibril with pure faith.
There was no need for long deliberation. Politics and transactions were unnecessary. As one of the high clergy, he immediately recognized the talent and qualities of holy power and sainthood that Ibril possessed.
Thanks to that, the situation moved forward at lightning speed.
“I believe it poses no problem for young lady Ibril to participate in the Saint Candidate Selection Tournament?”
“Of course. Even if I have to pour all the fame I built during my years as a priest, I will ensure that Ibril-nim receives proper evaluation.”
“You are truly reliable. Thank you very much.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you. I am so grateful that Duke Lawrence has seen Ibril-nim’s value and guided her.”
He had now become completely one of our side.
Even Ibril herself, who had not initially understood what sainthood meant, now thought to herself that the Grand Archbishop of Sepia Church was politely addressing her with “nims” and must be right about her lord’s words.
After all, as a high clergy of the Church, he was an existence no high noble could ever ignore.
“I-I’m so embarrassed. I still can’t believe I deserve such treatment.”
“Look up at the heavens and take courage. The great Mother is watching over young lady Ibril.”
“Yes, Grand Archbishop Fred.”
This reaction from the Grand Archbishop subtly changed Ibril’s mindset. As she became more familiar with the new holy magic of this world, she began to show genuine interest in theology.
When she became the Saint, the title would be “Your Highness.”
“Your Highness” was a title equivalent to “Your Majesty” used for the Emperor of the Empire and the independent kings of sovereign kingdoms. It referred to a sovereign ruler higher in rank than “Your Grace” given to the kings of vassal states and princes.
I was trying to place Ibril in that position.
Although I was pushing a little forcefully, it was never a bad thing for her.
The Saint in this world was not an icon of sacrifice.
She could marry, enjoy hobbies, take vacations, and even own private property.
Of course, if she fell, she would receive the judgment of the gods, but it also meant she could enjoy a life as a powerful figure.
“Grand Archbishop Fred, I have something to discuss.”
“Yes, speak. Duke Lawrence.”
After quietly observing Ibril, Eric took his seat as secretary and nodded at the Grand Archbishop. He had suddenly remembered one forgotten matter.
At my summons, Fred the Grand Archbishop smiled with the gentlest expression.
“Actually, I have received an interesting proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Yes. The Judy Esther side, who consider her a strong Saint Candidate along with Ibril, has proposed an alliance during the Tournament. It is actually the request of the Riberdale Duchy, Judy Esther’s sponsor.”
“Hmm…”
Since we were going to cooperate anyway, hiding it would do no good.
Therefore, we had decided to discuss it together from the very beginning in order to win his trust.
“Young lady Esther would be a good candidate. I believe it is worth considering.”
“I agree. Raising Ibril’s chances first and then competing with Esther later would be better.”
“Then it seems we can accept. Haha, it seems the Riberdale Duchy has no desire to face the conservative Duke Lawrence from the same sect.”
Among those who were said to be tightly closed-minded, his reaction was surprisingly flexible.
This could be seen as his declaration of intent to make Ibril the Saint.
I smiled kindly.
In truth, if Duke Riberdale had not proposed it first, I would have suggested an alliance myself.
But thanks to Olivia Riberdale Duchy’s favor toward me, I had avoided that extra effort.
I considered this the seventh ridge of the plan crossed.
‘Now only the Lheinhatz Royal Family remains.’
* * *
-Capital of the Lheinhatz Kingdom, Lionel
“Recently, Duke Lawrence seems to be scheming something interesting.”
I returned the greeting of the second prince with a smile I could barely manage, even though it felt awkward facing him.
“Wouldn’t that be something done for Your Highness?”
The second prince, who had offered me a seat, personally handed me iced tea.
“Haha, it is for me. Surely for his own power.”
“In the end, my gain is also His Highness Luke’s gain.”
“That is true.”
His actions always appeared bold. But there was a blade hidden in his words, and he knew my circumstances too well. It meant he was gathering information, and only the surface was bold.
I had no intention of engaging in petty rivalry with him.
So I immediately brought up the main issue.
“Grand Archbishop Fred will fully support us. We have also decided to ally with the Riberdale Duchy. If Your Highness Luke supports us, we will have an unbeatable situation.”
The second prince, who did not know the full details of my meeting with Ibril and Fred, showed a slight surprised expression.
“The stubborn old man and Lucia’s wise man? Has the situation already reached that point?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, you have the talent to surprise people. You are not the cunning of a noble who trusts absolutely.”
“So that is why Your Highness Luke has been keeping an eye on me.”
“Sigh, a person should also know how to be humble.”
“As you know, I like compliments very much.”
“So you’re playing the role of king among commoners online?”
The atmosphere was not bad. They were teasing, but he also acknowledged my ability.
“You misunderstand.”
“You misunderstand? Online, you have an incredible following. Was it online diary or SNS? I heard you have over ten million followers.”
The followers he meant were the number of people who followed me on social media.
In truth, I had already passed ten million before. Now I was racing toward twenty million, but I smiled and casually brushed it off.
“In any case, supporting me is the same as supporting His Highness Luke.”
“A young emerging noble should have a fresh feeling, but you feel like a shrewd politician.”
I nearly blurted out “What do you mean?” but I maintained a poker face and waited for the answer to my request for support of Ibril.
“There is no reason to refuse. If a Saint from our country is born, the national status will rise greatly. I will tell even my grandmother.”
“I am deeply grateful.”
The second prince rejected no request of mine, as expected. There were only pluses, no minuses.
No matter how much he disliked me, anyone who aspired to be king could not allow emotions to cloud judgment.
Moreover, there was nothing good about making our relationship more strained.
Having received the second prince’s permission, I casually tossed him a gift and rose from my seat.
“Oh, by the way, do you know about this?”
But before I left the room, the second prince grabbed my attention with an unexpected story.
“The daughter of Duke Eakers and the daughter of Count Marquis Otis have gone missing. The crown prince side is in an uproar because of it.”
“Eh?”
It was news I had never heard before.
Duke Eakers was an Aura Master ranked second after the kingdom’s greatest swordsman Vincent Duke, the master of the second prince, and a person of the crown prince side.
And the missing daughter of Duke Otis Marquis, my former comrade, was the eccentric Michelle Otis.
I had met her before, and I had been surprised at the time by her “English Translation” trait.
“It seems you have not yet heard the news.”
There was only one reason why Pessius had not delivered such an important matter.
The news had not yet been made public to the outside world.
“Well, I have only heard the news an hour ago, so it is unavoidable.”
To the crown prince, it was bad news. To the second prince, it was good news.
Whether the second prince had orchestrated the incident or not, I could not know the full details. But what I had to do here…
“Congratulations, Your Highness! It is truly good news!”
“Indeed! Hahaha!”
I smiled brightly and offered my congratulations.
The second prince laughed with unusual boldness, the moment he saw me arrive.
His laughter was so hard to watch that I clenched my fist and swallowed it down, but I applauded professionally and shared in his joy.
‘Following the sudden situation that accelerated the Saint Selection Tournament, what other trouble is coming?’
I had also planned to visit the crown prince to request cooperation regarding the Saint Selection anyway. I would soon learn the full details.
* * *
A short while later, through a secret passage I entered the crown prince’s palace and exchanged greetings with His Highness Michael, who was smiling with his usual half-closed eyes but had an eerie atmosphere.
“From your expression, it seems you have roughly heard the situation with Luke.”
He knew all about the movements inside the palace.
I nodded slightly.
Then Michael the crown prince rubbed his temples and explained the whole matter.
“Duke Otis and Duke Eakers are cousins from the same external family. So the two brothers were quite close.”
He also had political tendencies, didn’t he?
“Duke Eakers especially doted on young lady Michelle Otis as if she were his daughter. When he heard she was planning to travel alone, he volunteered to accompany her.”
“An Aura Master volunteering for escort duty? Then the problem must have occurred at the destination.”
“Yes.”
After letting out a deep sigh, the crown prince continued, and I furrowed my brows.
“The problem is the travel destination. It is the Prius Republic, where tension with the Brigham Empire is high and war could break out at any moment.”
What a suicidal act.
Only then did I understand why Aura Master Duke Eakers had volunteered for escort.
“You may not know, but young lady Michelle Otis is a fervent fan of the late Grand Duke Lucas and a person who was seriously immersed in finding the Game. But now, in the Prius Republic, the Game has been discovered. She could not accept the fact and suddenly planned the trip.”
After listening to the crown prince to the end, I should have worn a dazed expression…
‘It seems this is all my fault?’
After all, I was the one who provided the cause of this incident.