Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: The Gates of Vatican
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Excluding the mishap in Fatima, the journey to Vatican had been extraordinarily peaceful.
In truth, it was only natural. In an empire where temple-affiliated forces extended like veins into every corner of the cities, there was no room for bandits or brigands to exist.
Any that did would have long since evaporated into the morning dew on the execution grounds.
Thus, all we had to do was quietly follow Luna's lead straight to Vatican.
"Oh!! Archbishop Luna!! How much hardship have you endured!"
That said, it was something I felt anew every time we visited a city.
"Is it true that the Third Imperial Princess tried to trap Archbishop Luna?! How could she!"
...Luna's popularity was beyond imagination.
I'd only wanted to use her because it seemed such a waste to take the life of a talent destined to betray the empire in the future, and as a bonus, to tarnish Ibarella's reputation.
But the effect had been greater than expected.
'If even one of the Twelve Archbishops commands this level of popularity and influence, pinning the deaths of three on Ibarella might just topple her altogether.'
"Young Master Jerome, that won't work."
After exchanging handshakes and responses with the imperial citizens one by one, Luna suddenly spoke up on the way to the city's temple, just as always.
"...Pardon? What won't work?"
"You're thinking that seeing this welcome for me means we could topple Ibarella for killing the other Twelve Archbishops, right?"
Good heavens. She's a mind reader.
"...How did you know?"
"Anyone would have to be blind not to notice that look on your face."
Saladin nodded furiously beside me, his face screaming agreement.
Tsk, what was wrong with my expression?
"Not all of the Twelve Archbishops are popular with the masses. Gott was cruel, Dingo arrogant, and Boer sleazy and conceited."
According to Luna, many of the Twelve Archbishops had forgotten their original calling to comfort the people's pains and hardships, falling into corruption instead.
"The masses aren't fools. They know exactly which archbishops deserve respect and which make them want to vomit. The archbishops are the only ones who don't realize it. After all, everyone bows their heads before them on the surface."
"So, does that mean you're living behind a mask like that too, Archbishop Luna? To win the people's hearts?"
"...Ah, looks like we've arrived."
Luna dodged my question and changed the subject.
But I could read the answer in her actions.
The reason she'd won the people's hearts was that they knew her biggest motive was to deliver a blow to the empire if it ever started another war, just like in the past.
In fact, when she actually betrayed them, a significant portion of the empire's forces had wavered.
Though our brief conversation lapsed, Luna's point was clear. The deaths of the Twelve Archbishops alone wouldn't be enough to bring Ibarella down.
On the contrary, some might even support Ibarella for weeding out those arrogant archbishops.
That's what she was telling me. She'd set the stage, so now I needed to go to Vatican myself and land a blow on Ibarella. And keep my promise to her.
"Sheesh, as if we aren't already racking our brains over it without her saying anything."
From the moment we'd sent the protest letter, it had been the deepest topic of discussion between Dwayne and me.
Specifically, who would receive the power dispersed after Ibarella's authority was curtailed.
Many believed her strength came from the indirect support of the Three Dukes, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Her real power stemmed from the military and the backing of the imperial citizens.
No matter how exceptional the Three Dukes were, they couldn't wage war with just the three of them.
They needed hands and feet to fortify occupied territories, transport supplies, and lay down their lives at her command.
Those were Ibarella's true strength.
But the protest letter had made things awkward.
Not only had she plotted the Philador Kingdom rebellion, but her spy planted in the Shield Family—one of the empire's thorniest obstacles—had been exposed.
Doubts about her external capabilities began to grow, one by one.
And to top it off, the surviving archbishop was none other than Luna of the Virgin Palace, who enjoyed immense popularity among the citizens.
We could still see the citizens shaken by the near-murder attempt on Luna as we headed to Vatican.
'Depending on how I play my words, the military and citizens breaking away from Ibarella will decide who to back.'
At first glance, it sounded absurd. That the support of an empire would hinge on the words of someone from another country—nay, the empire's very obstacle.
Yet the masses, while not fools, were simple. Countless people had now seen with their own eyes that Luna had returned safely to the empire.
Consequently, their curiosity was mounting.
—What exactly happened in the Dragon Mountains?
—Why did the Shield Family, a house from an enemy nation, rescue Archbishop Luna? Look at them now. The masses kept hounding Luna about whether the Third Imperial Princess had truly plotted against her. But Luna merely smiled, offering no answers. Thus, all eyes naturally turned to me, the only one who could explain. Vatican was probably no different. In this situation, how I spoke would shape the entire narrative of these events. "Um, Young Master. What on earth are you discussing with Archbishop Luna?" Miron, who had been tight-lipped like a mute the entire way to the empire, finally couldn't hold back and asked me. "Miron! Whatever the Young Master does has deep meaning. Don't put him in a tough spot!" Misha scolded him from the side, but even she didn't seem to fully grasp it. Poor kids. You're too young to understand and explain this level of political maneuvering. I silently patted Miron and Misha on the shoulders. "Miron, Misha. Just focus hard on your training and mastering your Heterogenous Powers and spirit arts. That's all I ask of you." "...Yes, sir!" The kids beamed at my encouragement. Ah, such innocence. If only Ibarella were as straightforward as them. But that's impossible. She had undoubtedly pierced through the entire situation already. Without a doubt. Come on, then. We're fully prepared mentally. Bring it whenever you're ready. But contrary to Dwayne's or my expectations, after Fatima, there was no interference from Ibarella throughout the journey to Vatican. Not even now, as we arrived. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Shaaak, shaaak!
A gently curved blade. Even while polishing it, the edge gleamed sharp enough to reflect a face.
The shamshir, a scimitar etched with distinctive wavy patterns.
Whenever Ibarella needed to calm her mind, she polished her beloved shamshir.
Gazing at the shining blade while honing and buffing it restored her composure.
Bam!
"Ibarella!!"
Unfortunately, Livia lacked such a technique and had no way to regain her poise.
Thus, she stormed into Ibarella's presence with her face flushed red.
"What in the world are you thinking! That lunatic from the Shield Family is marching right up to Vatican, practically knocking on the door, and you're just letting him be? We should be smashing his head in and offering it to the Lord right this instant!"
If even the sharp-minded Livia was yelling with bulging veins like that, it meant dealing with them upon arrival would bring a world of headaches.
Despite Livia's shrieking, Ibarella continued polishing the shamshir calmly.
"Third Imperial Princess!"
"Do you really think they haven't anticipated it?"
"How long do we... What, what did you say?"
Livia stuttered like a broken machine at Ibarella's unexpected retort.
"Livia. That third son of the Shield Family fled while tracking the elf princess, thwarted the Philador rebellion, and this time, even uncovered Darkan's collusion."
"...That's exactly why he's more dangerous. Aren't you worried about what nonsense he'll spout here? Whether he sides with the Emperor or the Imperial Princes, it'll be a massive headache for us."
The Emperor was a sly fox who had painstakingly severed all her hands and feet over time. Though uninterested in continental conquest, no one was more adept at solidifying his own power.
The thought of military and citizen support flowing to such a man was annoying enough.
The Imperial Princes needed no mention.
They'd sharpened their knives against her, even allying with enemies. If her forces merged with theirs, the fragile power balance sorted in the Dragon Mountains would tip right back.
"Who knows. Letting him live might make him an even bigger headache."
"......!!"
Livia's mind blanked for a moment at Ibarella's calm words as she finished with the shamshir.
Can't kill him? Why?
One of the Three Dukes, Duke Kaiser, was in the capital, along with countless Holy Knight Orders stationed in Vatican.
Why couldn't they kill him?
"...As you say, Your Highness, considering that damned heretic's cunning, we know full well how disastrous this imperial visit could be. He might even anticipate our ambush. However."
Livia spoke with unpriestly resolve.
"We can definitely kill him. With Duke Kaiser and Vatican Holy Knights, sweeping that meager delegation escorting Luna would take no more than ten minutes."
"......"
Ibarella's face reflected in the meticulously polished shamshir blade.
"It's always been like that."
"...Pardon?"
"We always think this time we'll take him down, that this time we won't fall for his tricks. But we always get played beautifully."
"......"
As Livia hesitated without reply at Ibarella's demeanor, Ibarella turned to her instead.
"Livia, you're right. With Duke Kaiser here, we can surely kill him. But what if we fail? No, even if we succeed, given what we've seen of his personality, he's definitely prepared ways to publicize his death."
"......"
Livia's mind cooled at Ibarella's serious question.
"...The military and most citizens would abandon their support for us."
Ibarella's domineering charisma had won her the citizens and military.
In this situation, if it were “revealed” that she had resorted to dishonorable means to cover her scandals—even if by mere chance—
Her reputation plummeting to rock bottom would be no surprise.
"Exactly. The momentum is with them now. No need to take unnecessary risks. So this time, we give what must be given. A little turbulence is inevitable. It means nothing. But."
Clack!
Ibarella slid the horizontally held shamshir into its sheath and smiled coldly.
"Once their delegation duties are done, I absolutely won't let them live. They'll pay dearly for every time they've made a fool of me." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Heh, they really left us alone."
In the distance, Vatican's imperial palace, Byzantium, began to come into view.
And so, we'd arrived peacefully, without a single incident—enough to make the send-off ceremony back home feel embarrassing.
'I doubted it, but Dwayne was right after all.'
I sheepishly pocketed the communication stone in my hand and recalled a memory from the corner of my mind.
Before departing Banten, during our talk about heading to Vatican, Dwayne had mentioned offhandedly:
—Young Master. It's unlikely, but... just in case. If Ibarella's forces don't attack before reaching Vatican, you must stay on high alert.
—Why?
—Because it means she's decided to give flesh to take bone. The flesh being part of her support base, and the bone... Dwayne trailed off, pointing a finger at me. —You, Young Master. It means she'll definitely come for you after the talks. So then... Dwayne had shared some contingency plan, but it seemed so improbable I'd only kept it in mind. But now. '...I should rethink the method Dwayne suggested.' Apparently, unlike my previous life, Ibarella was quite irritated by me in this one. Creeeeak! As tension made my palms slightly sweaty, the massive iron gates of Vatican's outer walls began to open. At last, we set foot in the empire's capital, Vatican.