Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Cardinal's Request (2)
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Cardinal Epitraus.
I'd never met him in person, but I knew who he was.
Among the five cardinals of the Holy Spirit Church, he was the one with the greatest power, and he enjoyed the Pope's utmost trust.
Not only that, but he maintained close ties with the Sacred Empire's government, and rumor had it he'd met several times with the 'Emperor,' who rarely interacted with outsiders.
'Why has a cardinal come to Holy Knight Order headquarters?'
I bowed in greeting, and Ianus had me sit in the seat next to him.
With the table between us, I faced Epitraus directly—a rather odd feeling.
"That boy is your youngest grandson, isn't he, Lord Ianus?"
"Yes, Your Eminence the Cardinal."
"They say he took down the necromancer lurking in the Western Great Forest. The rumors have spread even within the Holy Spirit Church."
Epitraus smiled at Ianus.
"You've raised an outstanding grandson. I'm envious."
"He's still got a long way to go."
"Ha ha, you're quite demanding. From where I stand, he doesn't seem lacking—he's overflowing. In talent, in everything."
The two seemed to share a considerable familiarity.
Formally speaking, the Holy Knight Order was an organization under the Holy Spirit Church, and a cardinal outranked the Knight Order Leader.
Yet Epitraus didn't treat Ianus like a subordinate.
"Well then... Grade 1 Knight Sion."
"Yes, Your Eminence the Cardinal."
"I've heard you're leading the Independent Knight Brigade while handling the Holy Knight Order's unresolved missions."
"That's correct."
"That got me thinking of an old matter we couldn't resolve, so I came here."
An old matter they couldn't resolve.
What could it be?
"You're aware that sacred relics have grades, right?"
"Yes."
Sacred relics were artifacts tied to figures or events deemed holy by the Holy Spirit Church.
They ranged from Grade 1 to 3, with Grade 1 relics holding immense significance.
I'd once stumbled upon a Grade 1 sacred relic by chance, and that time, Est, the head of the Pilgrimage Investigation Corps, had come to verify it personally.
"Five years ago, the Holy Spirit Church discovered a Grade 1 sacred relic. One far more important than others... you could call it a special-grade relic."
"'Special-grade relic'? First I've heard of it."
"It's not an official grade. In any case, it was an extraordinarily valuable item. We planned to transport it to the Papal Palace for safekeeping and requested the Holy Knight Order's assistance. But complications arose."
"What kind?"
"The relic was found within the territory of a margrave granted autonomy by His Majesty the Emperor. The margrave opposed the Holy Knight Order's entry."
I could see where this was going.
A margrave was a noble delegated supreme authority over a region by the Emperor.
In their domain, they wielded power akin to a king, their territory functioning like a sovereign state.
Naturally, they were hypersensitive to any intrusion into their lands.
They had every reason to balk at the entry of a formidable force like the Holy Knight Order.
"We negotiated repeatedly. We barely secured permission for a small escort unit. But... it didn't go well."
"..."
"The Dialogue Church had already gotten wind of it, and all sorts of scum came gunning for the relic. A small escort couldn't handle them. We managed not to lose it, but we failed to transport it out of the margrave's territory."
"And the margrave wouldn't budge even then."
"Precisely. When we offered to send a Heaven Rank knight if they wouldn't allow a larger force, that was refused too."
That made sense.
A single Heaven Rank knight could raze a margrave's territory if they chose.
"That incident left a bitter taste for the Holy Knight Order too."
Ianus glanced at my face as he spoke from beside me.
"From our perspective, sending Est or Kurt would have sufficed. But the margrave stubbornly refused. No more than thirty men, no Heaven Rank knights at all, not even multiple Iron Rank knights... that sort of thing."
"Frustrating, I'm sure."
"Yeah, we ended up giving up. The relic stayed in place, under the margrave's guard."
"Could it be the margrave wanted to keep the relic for himself?"
"Who knows."
Ianus gave a wry smile.
"In any case, the Holy Knight Order shelved the matter indefinitely. It became an unresolved mission."
"..."
"It was a frustrating situation for both the Holy Knight Order and the Holy Spirit Church."
The Holy Spirit Church wielded vast influence across the continent. Under its auspices, the Holy Knight Order could exercise martial authority.
But that didn't mean they could ignore the secular power structure established by the Empire's government.
As a religious organization, the Holy Spirit Church couldn't trample the Emperor-granted authority of a margrave without severe repercussions.
Unless the margrave committed heresy, in which case the Church could deploy the Holy Knight Order with force—but this didn't qualify.
[What a tiresome way to live. So unnecessarily complicated.]
'Unlike the Dialogue Church's straightforward setup.'
The Dialogue Church was ruled by raw power.
Push with strength, and nothing was impossible.
If this had happened there, they'd have laughed it off, slain the margrave, and seized the relic.
"But... I heard the Holy Knight Order formed a special unit to handle unresolved missions."
Epitraus looked at me as he spoke.
"Grade 1 Knight Sion, the 13th Unit of your Independent Knight Brigade."
"..."
"When I heard you'd retrieved the Demon Spirit Sword Ashurai from the Western Great Forest and taken down Archbishop Gerkius, I was deeply impressed. With talent like yours... we might entrust the relic transport to you."
Finally, the main point.
"A margrave wouldn't object to an escort of about twenty led by a Grade 1 knight not yet twenty years old."
"Indeed, Your Eminence."
Ianus nodded beside me.
"The margrave won't have heard Sion's name. He'd be surprised to learn of a Grade 1 knight so young, but not enough to raise alarms."
"It's a mission feasible precisely because Grade 1 Knight Sion hasn't yet made a name across the continent."
Spot on.
If I racked up more achievements and gained Heaven Rank fame, even that margrave would object.
But blocking some young upstart like me? Claiming "he might threaten my power!"?
He'd be branded a coward.
"So... I'd like to entrust this to you, Grade 1 Knight Sion."
"What do you say, Sion? Can you do it?"
Epitraus and Ianus fixed expectant gazes on me.
"If you entrust it to me, I'll give it my all."
My calm response drew immediate smiles from the two elders.
"Excellent. Now everything should fall into place."
"We're entrusting it to you because we trust you. Do your best."
"Understood, Your Eminence the Cardinal. Your Excellency the Knight Order Leader."
After some brief small talk, Cardinal Epitraus departed with his escorts.
Once alone, Ianus cautioned me again.
"I'll say it once more: this mission is of utmost importance. You absolutely cannot fail."
"No need to say it."
"What? Why?"
"It's a mission Grandfather himself summoned me for. I'll pour every ounce of my ability into it—failure isn't an option."
"You rascal..."
Ianus's gaze softened.
Not as Knight Order Leader, but as grandfather.
"Details will come through the Independent Knight Brigade soon. Prepare in advance."
"Understood."
"Do your men follow orders well?"
"Of course. They obey without question."
"Truth be told, I was a bit worried."
"Why?"
"I have no doubts about your personal prowess. But commanding people is a separate skill from raw strength."
Ianus stroked his chin with a smile.
"No matter your skill, you're young and inexperienced. Leading subordinates in that state isn't easy, I thought."
"..."
"But it seems my worries were unfounded. You have a talent for leadership too."
In truth, I was just doing what I'd done under Archbishop Hausel.
The Dialogue Church ran on power logic—show strength, and they submitted unquestioningly. Crush the occasional usurper attempt decisively, and subordinate management took care of itself.
Now as a Holy Knight, I couldn't just behead dissenters... but my methods hadn't changed much.
"No plans to expand the brigade? I think you could handle more knights."
"I believe it's too soon to grow the unit. I'd rather focus on honing the twenty we have."
"Hm, prioritizing internal strength, eh."
"In my view, we have many capable knights. Talents who could play big roles in the Holy Knight Order, so I want to build strength together."
"You mean the ones from the entry exam?"
"Yes."
"What were their names?"
"Edwin Signus and Lieselotte Hydra. Edwin reached 4-star last time, and Lieselotte's due soon."
"They're growing fast too."
"Edwin excels in swordsmanship, Lieselotte in hand-to-hand combat. Especially Edwin—with proper growth, I see him as one of the Holy Knight Order's top swordsmen."
"Hm, if you say so, I'll keep an eye on them."
I said this hoping to get Edwin a proper sword.
He could already condense sword aura into a blade.
But his current sword was the standard Grade 3 Shario like any knight's, limiting his power.
"I'll talk to the Integrated Supervision Headquarters and ensure maximum support."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"I'll make sure you depart fully prepared."
Ianus's gaze held trust in me.
* * *
"The Holy Knight Order's sending another escort unit?"
"Yes, Your Excellency the Margrave."
In the continent's eastern frontier, ringed by mountains and wildlands, Margrave Klaus scowled.
"Those stubborn old fools—still haven't let go? I thought they'd given up completely."
"Seems... they're planning another attempt."
"Any info on which knights are coming?"
"No, but it looks like another small escort unit."
"I see."
He had no pretext to refuse a small unit.
"What shall we do?"
"Take measures."
With that, Klaus swept back his hair.
"I'll ensure they never eye my Holy Grail again."