120. Childhood Friend – Meeting

In a conference room of the Monastery Church, ornately decorated, eighteen elderly men sat around a massive circular table. All of them were male, donned in white priestly robes.

“Then, as per the Saint’s words, let’s instruct the royal family to abstain from the war between the Belita Kingdom and the Austin Kingdom. Shall we move on to the next topic?”

They were the fourteen High Priests and four Cardinals that formed the core of the Monastery Church.

The one draped in a bright yellow shawl was a High Priest, while the one in the deep purple shawl was a Cardinal, among whom only Cardinal Michael was dressed in worn-out priestly attire without any adornment.

“Next up is the Aster Kingdom, but there’s currently nothing noteworthy to report. Recently, the king had hoped to arrange a meeting between Prince Pablo de Klaus and the princess of the Aisel Kingdom, but it fell through because the prince firmly rejected it.”

As the old men nodded, the discussion regarding the northern kingdom was brushed aside casually.

Receiving the next turn, the High Priest distributed a stack of documents.

Referencing the Aisel Kingdom indicated they were certainly discussing matters in a clockwise manner around the continent.

“The political situation in the Aisel Kingdom is somewhat pressing. Last year, the First Prince, ‘Vivian de Isadora,’ was chosen as the heir, yet there’s considerable resistance from factions supporting the Second Prince, ‘Oscar de Isadora.’ That faction is rather strong… At this rate, we may soon witness bloodshed over the throne.”

Surprisingly, he seemed to know all about the political dynamics in the magical kingdom, which was the farthest from the Holy Kingdom to the east of the continent.

However, those seated around the table showed no signs of surprise. That was because this was the Monastery Church.

The Cross Church handled all communications across the continent.

Using their sacred divine power, the priests could converse regardless of distance, collecting information from various regions and sending them to the Monastery Church (the headquarters of the Cross Church).

Even conversations among the nobles were reported to the priests, establishing the Monastery Church as the continent’s top intelligence agency.

“Did Cardinal Fidelio mention anything in particular?”

It was Cardinal Michael’s question.

The circular table was one where all were equal, and though they spoke with a polite tone, he sounded as though he were sitting at the place of honor and asking.

Yet, the three other Cardinals didn’t seem displeased with his attitude. The High Priest answered respectfully.

“He simply provided the information without any further mention.”

“…Please inform Cardinal Fidelio to be cautious. It’s already been nearly 20 years since he was assigned to the Aisel Kingdom. He must have made many connections among the nobles… I’m worried he might get swept up in a political struggle.”

“Understood. I will convey that.”

“Thank you. If there’s nothing more to share, let’s move on to the next matter.”

“Next is the Conrad Kingdom. Since Prince Eric de Yeriel declared himself the heir, there haven’t been significant changes, but a big event has recently caused a stir throughout the entire kingdom. It appears the Duke Tertan’s grandson has been murdered.”

“Again?”

The Cardinal draped in the purple shawl asked, disbelief evident on his face.

“Are you saying another heir of a great noble has been murdered? Last year, the heir of Count Forte from the Belita Kingdom was also murdered, wasn’t it… Gilbert Forte, if I recall correctly?”

“Exactly. However, this time it doesn’t seem to be an accident. According to information transmitted from the Rutina Church, it was an act orchestrated by a Royal Knight who had followed Prince Leo de Yeriel a decade ago.”

“When did this happen?”

“That would be… in late autumn of last year.”

“…Ahem.”

An awkward silence fell over the gathering.

The Rutina Church.

This church, located in the capital of the Conrad Kingdom, had consistently shown reluctance towards the activities of the Monastery Church. This was mainly due to Cardinal Berg, who had been dispatched to the Conrad Kingdom…

The seventeen elderly men cleared their throats in an effort to lighten the tense atmosphere.

“…Cardinal Berg goes on a pilgrimage around this time every year. I suppose that’s why the information was delayed. Now, let’s move on to the next agenda. It should be the Right Kingdom’s turn?”

With Michael’s words, the atmosphere noticeably brightened. However, it felt less like he managed to lighten the mood and more like the parties involved were relieved to move on.

It was an open secret that Cardinal Berg and Cardinal Michael did not get along well.

While there might not be any personal grudges, they had engaged in a heated debate sixteen years ago, which had once again ignited fervor within the Church following the [Universal Priesthood Theory].

Both were among the foremost theologians currently alive.

There was no clear victor in that debate.

Shortly thereafter, the then newly appointed Cardinal Berg had been dispatched far away to the Conrad Kingdom.

In an impeccably elegant manner, he had effectively been banished from the Monastery Church.

“Yes, it appears the Right Kingdom will hold the Akine ceremony this year. As expected, the First Prince, ‘Aton de Lognum,’ has been designated as the heir, and unlike the Aisel Kingdom, there seem to be no disputes anticipated. Although the exact date for the Akine ceremony has yet to be revealed, it’s believed it will coincide with the birthday of the Twin Princes.”

The High Priest responsible for the Right Kingdom said this, simultaneously organizing the documents as if there were no further reports to make.

Cardinal Michael inquired.

“What happened regarding the matter we discussed previously? The report that the gang of thugs in Nevis was massacred?”

“Oh, that doesn’t seem to be anything significant. Since then, it appears that a massacre erupted within the gang that was engaging in illegal arms dealing… According to what Nevis Church learned, it seems that Marquis Gaidan was behind it.”

“Even after such consecutive incidents, there were no further reports?”

Cardinal Michael’s gaze sharpened.

When there were mass murders or serial killings involved, the Church was mandated to issue an urgent report.

The High Priest, flustered by his scrutiny, began rifling through documents to add an explanation.

“Well, according to the Nevis Church’s report, it seems they had anticipated that the nobles would engage in a battle of nerves over the thugs. Around late autumn, a gang called the Theobik Family, engaged in arms dealing, dispatched a large merchant group, but they faced an ambush, and the carts loaded with weapons were secretly sent to Marquis Gaidan’s territory. As you may recall, Marquis Gaidan has been under pressure from the princes. Given the circumstances, it seems that a power struggle is about to erupt in light of the heir presentation ceremony.”

“…I see. Nevertheless, just to be cautious, please convey that they should remain vigilant. Those who believe in the Evil God have not yet been eradicated. It’s not yet time to feel at ease.”

“Understood. I will instruct the Nevis Church not to neglect their investigations.”

“And you mentioned a large arms merchant group was ambushed—what was the scale of that? What exactly happened?”

As Cardinal Michael asked in detail, the other Cardinals thought he might be losing his mind again.

Cardinal Michael, well-versed in ancient theology, had a tendency to emphasize the threats posed by the Evil God.

However, it had been a millennium since any significant problems had arisen, making his concerns appear somewhat exaggerated.

Though there are occasional records of minor incidents caused by followers of the Evil God, they were swiftly suppressed, and there was uncertainty whether those incidents were due to actors of the Evil God or simply madmen with misguided faith.

With the thought taking hold, Cardinal Michael gravely asked.

“Are you saying there were no survivors from the merchant group guarded by four hundred men? Is that even possible?”

“If Marquis Gaidan mobilized knights, that level of annihilation would have been simple enough…”

“That doesn’t make sense. Didn’t you just say that nobles opposing the Marquis were waiting and biding their time for the Akine ceremony? If the Marquis boldly acted like that, they would have had to take some action. The fact that they haven’t means… they still aren’t certain the Marquis was behind the incident. If he deployed knights, they definitely would have taken notice… Wait a moment.”

Cardinal Michael’s expression grew increasingly serious. He had recalled something critical.

“…Marquis Gaidan is an unbeliever, isn’t he?”

There was a famously notorious incident in the past concerning the Marquis. His only son had been killed by a blessed pony’s kick, and this was a frequently referenced case when discussing the difficulties in interpreting divine will among many theologians, so it was etched in Michael’s memory.

“Y-Yes.”

“…Send the Holy Knights to the Nevis Church. This could be a precursor to a horrific disaster.”

“A disaster, you say…?”

“There may be an Apostle of the Evil God appearing. In the worst case, it might be that Marquis Gaidan himself is the Apostle…”

Oh boy, here we go again.

Cardinal Michael sprang up, saying, “This is not the time for this. I must see the Saint.” The Cardinals and High Priests couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Apostle of the Evil God, really now.

Michael was the only one who believed and was alarmed by such legends to this extent.

In fact, the Church’s initiative to eradicate the barbarian tribes that worshipped false gods had begun thirty years ago under Cardinal Michael’s advocacy.

Yet, even while massacring many barbarian tribes, the likes of an Apostle never appeared.

There were occasionally some peculiar priests with strange tricks, but even they were powerless against the sacred incantations of the priests, leading to substantial criticism directed at Cardinal Michael.

Despite this, he remained firm in his beliefs and had come to be regarded as ‘a noble priest but somewhat senile.’

Even though no one dared to speak so openly about someone who had been a Cardinal almost forty years ago…

Regardless, the Cardinals followed Cardinal Michael, and as expected, received the typical uninteresting response from the Saint.

“No one has delivered an oracle. Only God Binard mentioned the same as last time. The three rivers created by the Lord flow as they should…”

“Really? Then that’s a relief. It seems it’s not a major issue after all. I apologize for being overly dramatic.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing I was told.”

Just as Cardinal Michael was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Saint continued.

“She told me not to move from the Monastery Church under any circumstances until this autumn. She has something for me to do then.”

“In the autumn?”

“Yes. I have no idea what it means. The only thing I could potentially do in autumn is… I guess, conducting ceremonies for the apprentices…”

Ah, trouble is brewing.

The Cardinals clicked their tongues, and Cardinal Michael said.

“…If so, would it be alright to dispatch the Holy Knights to the Right Kingdom? Something feels off.”

“Go ahead. While God didn’t command us to send them, He didn’t forbid it either. This is a matter for us to decide.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Bowing courteously, Cardinal Michael quickly departed the Saint’s chamber and gathered a knight order at a terrifying speed.

There were no oracles, and given the opposition from the other Cardinals, a decision was made to send only half the knights.

However, his insistence included some priests who had experience dealing with barbarian tribes.

“It better not be anything serious…”

Cardinal Michael sighed.

The Lord was not forgiving. The well-informed Michael knew that better than anyone.

Following the natural course.

On the surface, it appeared as if something better was being paved, but ultimately, that was merely a retrospective narrative, and often, the process was unbearable for the contemporaries.

For instance, being caught up in a massacre…

History records it in just a few lines, but for those involved, it likely represented a significant tragedy.

Still, looking at the 150 Holy Knights departing under the shining symbol of the Cross Church, Cardinal Michael felt reassured.

The Apostle of the Evil God.

He also recognized that the recorded Apostles throughout history were not all that fearsome.

The process of gaining power was excruciatingly slow, and historical accounts showed that even after sacrificing thousands, they could not withstand a combined effort of merely 200 Holy Knights and priests.

The record regarding the Apostle who served the Evil God Oriax was the worst and most representative example.

Aside from the legendary figures like Toddler Akiunen and Saint Azra, who dealt with mighty beings, that was about as formidable as it got; thus, the battle force leaving the Cross Church now should be more than capable of suppressing even if Marquis Gaidan turned out to be an Apostle.

The deployment ceremony came to a simple conclusion.

Returning to his office, Cardinal Michael kept a keen eye on the political situation in the Right Kingdom. He postponed his plan to make a pilgrimage towards the ‘Count Simon Family’…

The book he had borrowed to read in the carriage was returned to the library.