An Ancient Longing (9)
“Levia.”
“What is it, old man?”
“I have a proposal for you. Care to hear it?”
I was finally enjoying a rare moment of peace when Dominic came looking for me, claiming he had a suggestion.
“If you truly don’t want to become the Saintess, as you say…”
Huh? This old guy’s actually saying something reasonable for once?
He’d always insisted on following Venica’s wishes and supported me becoming the Saintess. Ever since he found out I was a reincarnator, he’d been glaring at me like I was some daughter-stealing thief. I’d simply ignored it. In situations like this, the one who cares more loses. Besides, even if we hadn’t held the ceremony yet, I was technically spoken for. I had a fiancée, didn’t I?
Though lately Mint seemed to be taking that “fiancée” thing way more seriously than just a formality. Must be my imagination, right? Right? Sniff Sniff Sensor, do your job. Hurry up and confirm it’s just my imagination.
“How would you feel about becoming a Grand Inquisitor?”
“Huh?”
Reasonable, my ass. What the hell is he talking about now?
“It seems like it would suit you perfectly.”
“...”
He was using his proposal as a shield to throw shade at me. The title of Grand Inquisitor was another name for the Eleventh Cardinal. On the surface, it was supposedly about promoting the Church of Light. Anyone who didn’t know the truth might ask why such a role was even necessary. After all, in this world, the only people who didn’t believe in Lumentis were heretics or demons. In short, the old man was seriously considering me as his successor.
He sounded sincere, but the sarcastic tone suggested he wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. Ah. A vein was bulging on his forehead. He was pissed! But why?
“Your skills are truly outstanding. You squeezed out every last piece of information and scraped up every shred of evidence.”
“Want me to grab you a mirror, old man? Your mouth is praising me, but your face is cursing me out.”
“Even the kids from the infamous Ninth Division—the worst of our bunch—couldn’t have broken someone down that thoroughly.”
Whoa, the way that vein pops makes his scar look even more vicious.
“Just speak your mind, old man. If you’ve got a complaint, spit it out.”
“Haa… Fine. I’ll speak. Completely.Honestly.”
Did this guy find out I was the one who half-destroyed the Papal Vatican? Mom promised she’d keep it a secret. Ahem.
“Do you have any idea how many years our people suffered trying to catch Gregcio?”
Excuse me, Cardinal Dominic. How would I know that? You never told me.
“Ten years! Ten whole years! We were preparing to wipe them out without leaving a single escape route!”
Now that I’m listening, I’m actually getting mad. If I solved in one go what took them ten years of suffering, shouldn’t I be getting praised? This old man isn’t the type to get angry over someone stealing his credit. So why is he so furious?
“Don’t you understand the concept of procedure? Even if you were going to launch a surprise attack, you should’ve at least given us a heads-up! We’re the ones who had to clean up the entire mess! We’re already short on manpower because of those Chaos Cult bastards!”
Hmm… In Earth terms, he was barely maintaining work-life balance, and because of me he ended up on indefinite overtime hell? Okay, that part I can apologize for.
“I didn’t mean to cause such a huge commotion…”
“Because of you, I might never see Venica’s face again!”
Oh. So that’s what this is about?
“Did you plan this? While I was gone, you tried to take Venica…!”
“Are you still on about that? Neither of us even likes each other. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!”
—Hey, baldy! In case you didn’t know, Master isn’t into flat chests.
“What did you say?! No matter how much of a Holy-Demonic Spear you are, there are things you must never say!”
El-Asat was pouring oil on a burning house. It was a huge relief that Venica wasn’t here. However, there was someone else who took a critical hit while staying quiet.
“I… I’m not exactly flat-chested, am I…?”
Mint, who had been curled up in the corner, suddenly became depressed. Why are you like this? He wasn’t talking about you. Why are you taking it personally? Also, how the hell does El-Asat know my tastes?
“Such vulgar remarks cannot be forgiven! Listen well, both of you. My daughter is…!”
Just as Dominic was about to launch into a passionate rebuttal—
“Ah! Lady Levia, so this is where you were! It’s about time we resumed your etiquette lessons…”
“Fine, I admit it! Venica’s chest is small! But that’s not where my daughter’s charm comes from! One must look at a person’s inner self! Appearance is not what matters—Venica?”
“Father…?”
Oof. Terrible timing.
“It’s a misunderstanding, Venica.”
“What exactly is the misunderstanding, Your Eminence?”
“No, Levia was…”
“Are you trying to pin this on Lady Levia right now?”
“N-no, that’s not…”
“Hmph.”
Venica puffed out both cheeks, spun around, and stormed out.
“W-wait! Venica! Listen to your father! It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding, I say!”
Dominic chased after her.
“Hmm. In the end, it got quiet. So that’s a good thing, right?”
Since it wasn’t my fault (?), everything turned out fine! Quiet is best! Especially right now.
Eight years. Eight whole years! Soon it would be nine! How long had it been since I could sleep this peacefully? I was so excited about how well I’d sleep that I was actually worried I might not be able to fall asleep at all.
As for the aftermath of the mess I caused, there were a few lingering uncomfortable details, but overall things had worked out well.
Gregcio and his close associates had been stripped of their positions. After their assets were seized, they were imprisoned in the notorious Ninth Division of the Inquisition. I thought it was an incredibly light punishment considering the severity of his crimes. But when I asked Cheska about it, she explained that being sent to the Ninth Division was a punishment so harsh that death would be preferable.
Though by the time they got there, they were probably already pretty broken. Could it really get any worse? I’d thought he was a tough bastard, but his mental fortitude turned out to be weaker than expected. Well, a man drowning in vulgar desires couldn’t have had that strong a mind anyway.
Holy power isn’t necessarily a purely positive force. Like any other power, drug, or magic, it can become as vicious as its user desires. For example, beating someone to the brink of death and then healing them cleanly, over and over, gradually wearing down their spirit.
Of course, I couldn’t care less about his suffering. If you’ve killed people and tried to kill more, you should’ve been prepared to pay the price. Gregcio. I stayed conscious in one corner of my mind for eight years because of you. That bastard must receive far more punishment than what I gave him—without ever being allowed to die. I’m not sure how it works on Earth, but in this world, the suffering of one’s enemy often becomes the victim’s salvation.
Just earlier, the Fourth Cardinal suddenly came to see me, thanked me for avenging his daughter, and left. Afterward, he decided to support me, which left me with a somewhat unpleasant aftertaste. But anyway.
That was how the Gregcio matter came to a satisfying conclusion. The remaining issues were what made me uneasy.
Knock knock.
“Lady Levia… May I… come in…?”
Ah, the person most closely tied to that lingering discomfort had arrived.
“Sure.”
The person I’d granted permission to enter immediately dropped to his knees the moment he stepped inside.
“I’m sorry, Lady Levia. Because of my family…”
He offered an apology. One he didn’t even need to make.
“Jacob.”
“I do not seek forgiveness. If you’re still angry, then take my neck…”
“Extend, El-Asat.”
—Yes, Master!
At my command, El-Asat stretched its shaft longer… Wait, how is this even possible? You’re a Holy-Demonic Spear, not a magical extending staff. Well, since it actually stretched, I guess it doesn’t matter right now. I grabbed the elongated El-Asat and swung it at Jacob.
Whack!
“Ugh…! You can hit me harder. I’ve committed a sin worthy of—”
“I hit you to knock some sense into you, but it looks like it made you even crazier. Stop talking nonsense and get up already.”
“B-but…”
“Goddammit. Weren’t you abandoned? You abandoned them too, so you’re strangers now. What exactly did Jacob do wrong?”
“Still… I was part of the Moneylord side…”
“Do you want to go back to the Moneylord Merchant Group?”
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Then go train. With that weak body of yours, how do you expect to protect me?”
Yes, this was the source of my discomfort. The force that had been funding Gregcio was the Moneylord Merchant Group. The family that had handled the byproducts of the magic beasts we subjugated in the Entat Parish and then driven Jacob out. At first I’d only known that much, but the Moneylord Merchant Group turned out to be an incredibly massive organization. Well, of course. They’d swallowed the legacy of the Alchemy Hero; there was no way they’d be small. In terms of influence, they rivaled the largest global corporations on Earth.
That was why it hadn’t been easy for Eliaque to protest. They had monopolized most of the markets on the continent with their ridiculous business acumen. If anyone touched them, they could retaliate by cutting off all distribution of goods to Eliaque, which would be incredibly troublesome. Of course, Eliaque wouldn’t just sit still if that happened… but once both sides started attacking each other, it would turn into war. I had no idea what kind of war would break out between a giant corporation and a nation. My insight into these matters was severely lacking.
During that process, Jacob, who felt unnecessarily guilty, had come to apologize to me.
“Are you… forgiving me?”
“Why is this old man so worked up today? That’s not like you. I keep telling you there’s nothing to forgive. Jacob didn’t do anything wrong. So stop bothering me and let me enjoy some peace and quiet for once!”
“Hic…! Th-thank you! Thank you, Lady Levia! This Jacob, Vice-Captain of the unit, swears he will definitely destroy the Moneylord Merchant Group!”
With tears of emotion streaming down his face, Jacob dashed out of the room. Wait, did he just declare he’d destroy a megacorporation all by himself? Just go train, you idiot. How else are you going to reach the next stage after Master—the realm of Transcendence?
Now I could finally rest. Kidnapping (?), gathering information, and handing out punishments had left me utterly exhausted. There was still one last uncomfortable loose end, but I’d think about that later.
“Yeah, I’m about average size. Yep, definitely.”
Mint, you’re still sulking over there? Stop it. You’re making me sad too.
....
At the time, I’d brushed off Jacob’s words without much thought. I was too busy thinking about the other uncomfortable presence—the missing culprit, Ashurta.
That is, until a few days later when I read in the newspaper that Jacob had taken over the Moneylord Merchant Group.