Chapter 286: Had I Forgotten? (2)
Chapter 286: Had I Forgotten? (2)
A drunken Perios spilled everything.
His role involved performing dawn prayers, completing his morning training, and then spending the afternoon attending to the Pope in his private quarters.
Perios actually enjoyed attending to the Pope.
Beyond the prestige of performing such a glorious duty for His Holiness, there was the added bonus of being able to sneak a few of the snacks served to the Pope.
[Is that allowed?]
[Hehehe. He leaves a few behind every day, so...]
[…….]
[It’s not good for His Holiness to eat too many sweets at his age anyway...]
In his drunken state, Perios was baring all his weaknesses.
Well, a young priest pilfering a few cookies wasn't exactly a world-ending crime, but...
'I have a hunch.'
Patrick immediately sensed something and spoke to Perios.
[Can you get me a few of those cookies?]
[Why?]
[...I like sweets too, you know?]
[Ah, is that so? Should I bring them now? I have some in my quarters.]
[Bring them.]
Perios had been siphoning off the cookies intended for the Pope and hoarding them in his room to savor later.
It seemed that even in the ascetic life of the temple, the temptation of sweet treats was hard to overcome.
'Come to think of it, soldiers and knights always craved sweets during training.'
The cookies Perios brought back looked like ordinary treats made of flour and honey. However...
Crunch!
The moment Patrick took a bite, he spat it out. A smirk played on his lips as he spoke.
[Found it.]
He had finally caught the tail of the beast.
* * *
Patrick’s hunch was correct.
Dark Mages had indeed infiltrated the Holy Kingdom.
That was how they had been able to use the guise of priests to sneak into the Schneider Duchy.
Fine. That much made sense. But...
"This is a bit too big, isn't it? To think the Pope himself was the one who fell to the Dark Mages."
"Are you sure? You're not mistaken?"
At Matthew’s question, Patrick answered firmly.
"The cookies that kid Perios brought were laced with mind-clouding drugs and a trace of Demonic Energy. I don't know how they were made, but long-term consumption would undoubtedly lead to being consumed by Demonic Energy."
"In all my life... I've never heard of infusing Demonic Energy into food."
"Oh? Really? Is that not a thing here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Where I come from, it was a relatively common tactic."
In the Jianghu, it was incredibly common to use food to deliver poison, drugs, or Gu Poison to bewitch or blackmail others.
Because of that, people of the Martial World were always hypersensitive about what they put in their mouths.
"Anyway, this is undeniable proof. The Pope has definitely been brainwashed. If we look at it that way, the Holy Kingdom’s current insistence on this unreasonable war with the Empire makes sense."
Everyone else nodded at Patrick’s words.
Currently, the Holy Kingdom had deployed all 12 Paladins into the war against the Empire.
Despite that, the situation on the front lines was grim.
Normally, when things go poorly on the battlefield, a nation would pull back and consider a truce or a ceasefire. Yet, the Holy Kingdom showed no signs of backing down.
Even though the number of the 12 Paladins had dwindled to nine because of this war.
An unreasonable war.
A Holy Kingdom that refused to retreat.
If the brainwashed Pope was the one pulling the strings behind this...
"It fits logically."
At Riman’s remark, the others nodded.
He might talk nonsense occasionally, but he was still the smartest man among the swordsmen gathered here.
If someone like Riman agreed with Patrick’s opinion, the hypothesis carried significant weight.
However...
"What do you plan to do now?"
"About what?"
"Are you going to go find the Pope and wallop him until the Demonic Energy leaves his body?"
Like you did to me?
The last part was left unsaid, but everyone understood the implication.
And they thought:
'No... surely not.'
'Even for him, that’s going too far.'
The opponent was the Pope, the ruler of the massive Holy Kingdom.
More than just a head of state, he was the religious pillar for the entire continent.
To wallop such a holy and sacred individual?
No matter how crazy Patrick Schneider was, he wouldn't dream of doing something so insane...
"……."
"Hey, why aren't you answering?"
"Were you actually planning to do it? Really?"
At Matthew and Riman’s interrogation, Patrick barked back.
"Ah! What? There’s no other way, is there? If someone’s lost their mind, it’s only natural to beat the sense back into them!"
"You crazy bastard!"
"Are you sane? Are you actually a demon that crawled up from the Demon World?"
"I knew it. I knew it would come to this. This Great Demon wouldn't even spare His Holiness the Pope... Gwah!"
Thwack!
Patrick, having kicked Oliver away, frowned and said, "It’s the most certain method. Once the Pope gets beaten back to his senses, he’ll thank me."
"Who in the world gets beaten up and says thank you?"
"Huh? Isn't that usually how it goes?"
"……."
That’s because they don't want to get beaten up anymore, you lunatic! Matthew barely managed to swallow those words.
Then Patrick shouted irritably.
"Fine, then do you guys have a better idea?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Patrick asked again, his expression turning serious.
"I don't know any other way besides finding the Pope and walloping him until he snaps out of it. Do you guys have any other suggestions?"
"……."
"……."
When asked directly, they had nothing to say.
To begin with, these swordsmen had no idea how to save someone corrupted by a Dark Mage’s Demonic Energy.
Then, a thought suddenly occurred to Riman.
'Wait? Swordsmen?'
"Why don't we seek wisdom from someone other than ourselves?"
Patrick replied grumpily.
"Other than us? Who?"
"Isn't the Third Sage with us? Did you seriously forget?"
"...Ah, right."
He really had forgotten.
* * *
The Seven Sages who rule the Tower of Truth.
Their social standing is comparable to that of a king, and with their profound wisdom and immense mana, no one on the continent dares to look down on them.
Yes. That is how it should be.
"Hahaha. Sorry. It slipped my mind."
"……."
Should I kill this brat?
Anyone would have understood if that thought had crossed the Third Sage’s mind.
He hadn't been keen on joining the diplomatic mission to the Holy Kingdom from the start. But...
[Pleeaaaase. It’s not like I’m asking for much, just come along... if you can't even do that...]
And so, he had ended up on this journey against his will.
But that was only the beginning of the problem.
[Shh, stay as quiet as a corpse. Got it?]
[Why?]
[I need to save you for the right moment, Sage. So, it’s better if no one even knows you exist. Just eat and sleep inside the carriage.]
[…….]
He thought it was a joke at first.
But it wasn't.
When he complained that it was stifling and asked if he could step outside for a bit...
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. This is all because your mental strength is weak. The shaven-headed monks and long-haired Taoists I know can meditate in a pitch-black cave for a single session while chewing on grain pills like they're rebar...]
[Just what kind of tribes are these 'shaven-headed monks' and 'long-haired Taoists' you keep talking about?]
[They exist. People like that.]
In any case...
As a mage with pride, the Third Sage couldn't back down after Patrick questioned his mental fortitude.
In the end, he had stubbornly decided, 'Fine, let's see who wins,' and had spent the entire time in the carriage focused on meditative training.
Every day was a grueling test of his psyche, but he persevered, thinking that even the Double Dragon would be impressed by his endurance and mental strength...
"You forgot?"
"……."
"Me? One of the Seven Sages of the Tower of Truth?"
"It’s not so much that I forgot, but rather that it wasn't a pressing issue, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind."
That felt even worse.
The Third Sage ground his teeth and said, "So, why have you finally sought out my 'unimportant' self? What do you want?"
"Ah, well, you see."
Before hearing Patrick’s explanation, the Third Sage thought to himself:
It’s probably nothing important.
Knowing this mad dog, it’s probably just someone getting on his nerves or something about money.
That’s what he thought. However...
"...And that’s how it happened."
"……."
This was actually a very big deal.
They had come to the Holy Kingdom chasing the trail of Dark Mages, only to find that trail leading directly to a personal servant of the Pope?
And it was suspected that the reclusive Pope had been corrupted by Demonic Energy, which was why the Holy Kingdom was persisting in an unreasonable war with the Empire.
After hearing Patrick’s explanation, the Sage couldn't even bring himself to argue. Rather...
'This fellow is truly...'
The Double Dragon, Patrick Schneider.
He was a young man barely in his early twenties.
Yet, this youth was working alone to resolve a war sparked by two of the continent’s superpowers.
And he was doing it without seeking recognition from anyone.
The Third Sage gazed intently at Patrick.
"What? Is there something on my handsome face?"
"No, just..."
"Just what?"
"I was just thinking, 'So this is what a pushover looks like.'"
"Hey, isn't that a bit harsh?"
Patrick jumped in protest, but in the Third Sage’s eyes, Patrick was just as much of a pushover as Grand Duke Schneider.
He was moving so diligently, traveling to the other side of the continent to stop a war started by Dark Mages, even though there was nothing in it for him...
If you didn't call someone like this a pushover, there was only one other word for it.
'A hero.'
...No, that was going too far.
* * *
After hearing the full explanation, the Third Sage pondered.
If the Pope was indeed brainwashed by the Dark Mages' power, there were several ways to fix it immediately.
Mages had also viewed Dark Mages as enemies for a long time, studying them and developing mental magic to counter their brainwashing.
"Is that more effective than me walloping him?"
"...Probably."
"Tsk."
Why does this brat look disappointed?
His face clearly read: 'What a waste. When else would I get a chance to wallop the Pope?'
"Well, whatever. So, if I get you in front of the Pope, you can handle the rest, right?"
"Indeed. The problem starts from there."
"Ugh, what now?"
To the annoyed Patrick, the Third Sage said, "How do you plan to get me in front of the Pope?"
"Well... we could just charge in normally? Or we could take an unconventional route and request an audience."
His definitions of 'normal' and 'unconventional' were quite skewed.
But regardless...
"Both will be impossible."
"Why?"
"Hasn't the Pope been avoiding public activity for a long time under the pretext of illness?"
"Can't we just see him for a moment?"
"It will be absolutely impossible. Because if your words are true, the Pope is currently a puppet completely under the control of the Dark Mages, is he not?"
"Ahhh... then he won't come out."
"Exactly. He will stay hidden at all costs."
"Then there’s no choice. We’ll have to break through by force."
"That is also impossible. The Pope’s quarters are protected by the Aegis barrier, a miracle of Yufinel."
"The Aegis barrier? What’s that?"
"An Absolute Defense cast in the name of God. No one can pierce it."
"Ho-oh, really? Maybe if I give it a good wallop..."
"It is said that during the era of the Roman Empire, three 9-Star Swordsmen attacked it with everything they had, and it held firm."
"That’s somewhat impressive. But if I really set my mind to it..."
"The Great Mages of the Roman Empire researched it and reached a conclusion. It is a blessing bestowed directly by God. It can never be breached by human strength. Not even a dragon could break through it."
"……."
Hearing that, it sounded like this was going to be a bit of a pain.