Chapter 161

The 4th Prince, Matthias von Wettin.

He must be around sixteen this year.

Though he was a prince of the empire, he was a heretic who chose to live the life of a priest instead of royalty, leaving for the Holy Kingdom.

Empress Isabella wasn’t thrilled about Matthias studying abroad, but after sending him off, she even paid a hefty donation to the Holy Kingdom to ensure his well-being.

Was it maternal love? Or was there some ulterior motive?

At the very least, it was from that time that the archbishops of the two church orders began openly supporting Ernst’s faction.

Matthias, who diligently completed his education in the Holy Kingdom, was unusually ordained as a formal priest of the Shaulite Order at a young age.

Perhaps it was due to his lineage from Emperor Carolus, but he seemed to have sufficient talent as a priest…

Though only the church order would know how much Isabella’s donations influenced that decision.

—-

“I was against it, though.”

Lacey took a sip of holy water.

For some reason, it felt oddly refreshing, even though it was just water. Apparently, she had blessed it herself.

Even if she made it herself, drinking holy water like it was plain water was a luxury only she could pull off.

Her flawless, clear skin might be thanks to that.

“Why? Did the 4th Prince have some disqualification?”

I didn’t know much about Matthias.

He was mentioned in the story and settings, but he wasn’t a character who appeared directly in the game.

“Not exactly. That boy certainly had the qualities to become a priest. His personality was pure and devout. He was a bit young, but… that wasn’t a big issue.”

Lacey set her cup down.

Well, if one’s abilities are sufficient, age is a secondary matter. The proof was right in front of me.

She was appointed as a saint candidate at the age of fifteen.

Compared to a mere priest, that’s an absurdly high position.

“What I was wary of was his status as a prince. No matter how much he claimed to renounce secular power and choose faith, the world doesn’t work so naively. In fact, in the years since he came to the Holy Kingdom, the Shaulite Order has rapidly become closely tied to imperial politics. To counter this, the Elpinel Order also had no choice but to approach secular power.”

The result was two archbishops supporting Ernst.

“It’s not right. The church order becoming too involved in secular politics… it could lead to corruption and decay.”

If Ernst becomes emperor, the closer Matthias rises within the church order, the deeper the collusion between the imperial family and the church would become.

As Lacey said, the corruption of the church order was already halfway started.

“For someone who says that, you’ve been quite politically active yourself, haven’t you? You openly helped Leopold in Einfeld.”

“That’s a misunderstanding. I was merely following Elpinel’s will to exterminate monsters. If the 3rd Prince had marched out first, I would have joined him instead.”

With that logic, cooperation seems unlikely.

I thought I might be able to persuade the archbishop of the Elpinel Order through Lacey.

Well, if that were possible, Leopold would have tried it already.

“I see. Let’s move on then… I’d like to hear the reason you wanted to see me. I heard from Rana that you came looking for me while I was away.”

“That’s right. Where to begin… I think it’s best to start with one important question.”

Lacey’s eyes sharpened.

With a piercing gaze, she stared at me, resting her chin on her hand.

The atmosphere shifted to something more interrogative, and I met her gaze head-on.

Is this the main point? She looks quite serious.

Well, the Twelve Knights’ Swords must hold significant symbolism for the Elpinel Order.

So, what’s she trying to say with this buildup?

As long as she’s not asking for them back, it’s fine.

“The witch, Ophelia. Where is she now?”

…What?

That was an unexpected opening.

I almost spilled the water I was holding.

—-

Witch.

That word was officially mentioned again after a hundred years.

It was common knowledge that the last witches had all been exterminated during the witch hunts a century ago.

Though the distinction has blurred somewhat, a witch wasn’t originally just an evil female magician.

Literally, it referred to women who had devoted their bodies to magic.

In exchange for worshiping evil gods, they were aberrations who carried the magic bestowed by those gods in their hearts.

Of course, from the Elpinel Order’s perspective, it would be troubling if the witches they had eradicated were to reappear.

But…

“Ophelia isn’t a witch.”

Hearing my rebuttal, Lacey narrowed her eyes in displeasure.

“That can’t be. Within the empire, it’s known as a simple experiment, but based on the circumstantial evidence, the Sigmillus family’s estate was likely a breeding ground for parasitic monsters. Otherwise, how could so many magicians have been slaughtered without resistance? Controlling lower-tier monsters is one of a witch’s specialties… If the sole survivor, her, isn’t a witch, then it’s impossible.”

So, witches can control monsters.

They didn’t mention that in class. Was it classified information? I thought Isabella was the only special one.

Though, in the game, she was the only woman explicitly labeled as a witch.

“A witch is a first-class enemy of the church. Those who hide or defend a witch are also enemies of the church. Even if… they are the wielder of the Oath Sword.”

Her tone was resolute, as if she’d send me to the gas chamber if I didn’t confess.

She used to be so polite… Is the matter of witches that serious for the church?

…This could be useful.

“No, I’m telling you, it wasn’t Ophelia’s doing in the first place. If raising parasitic monsters is a witch’s specialty, then Ophelia was actually framed while trying to deal with the witch’s minions.”

“…So, you’re not denying the fact about the Oath Sword. Well, that’s a story for later. For now, could you elaborate on the part about the witch’s minions you just mentioned?”

Ah, did I just get tricked into revealing something?

From her perspective, it might just be confirming something she already suspected, but I still got hit hard.

I basically confessed to the Oath Sword with my own mouth.

…First, I should continue with the story about Ophelia and Claire, as Lacey suggested.

“This is something I promised to keep secret… I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share it with others. Is that possible?”

“If possible. I can’t give a definite answer until I hear the details.”

That should be fine.

Except for the fact that Claire is alive, everything else will come out eventually anyway.

“Those insect monsters—I faced them a few days ago, not at the mansion but somewhere else. With Ophelia. They were quite tricky opponents because they were parasitizing master-level knights. The one who brought those insects was… Claire van Sigmilus.”

“…You understand the implications of that statement, right?”

Lacey muttered softly, her expression hardening.

Out of all the expressions she’s shown so far, this was the most serious.

And for good reason. I just called Claire, a candidate for sainthood in the Elpinel Church, a minion of a witch.

If Claire is a minion of a witch, then who’s the witch behind her?

“Right. If handling parasitic monsters is a witch’s specialty, then the Empress of the Empire, Isabella Benes Wittelsbach, is the witch.”

“…That’s a hard story to believe. Can you swear to the truth of that accusation? In the name of Elpinel?”

Swear in Elpinel’s name?

Well, it’s not like I can’t, but isn’t that something usually done among people of the same religion?

“I’m not a follower of the Elpinel Church. Does it even mean anything if I swear?”

“At least to me, it does. Elpinel will be watching.”

Lacey nodded and gripped her holy symbol.

If a saint candidate says so, then it must be true.

“I swear in Elpinel’s name, it’s the absolute truth.”

The moment I finished speaking, a faint light flickered from Lacey’s holy symbol.

“…What was that? Some kind of miracle to detect lies?”

That would be convenient.

It’s like a divine lie detector.

“No, unfortunately, Elpinel hasn’t granted us such a convenient miracle. All I did was pray. I told Elpinel that someone has sworn in their name. Elpinel will remember this oath.”

What does it mean for Elpinel to remember?

If the oath turns out to be false, will lightning strike from the sky?

“That’s a vague answer… So, do you believe me?”

“At least that you’re not lying. That the Empress Isabella is a witch… That part is still hard to believe. Even if the oath is true, you might just be mistaken.”

Not a wrong statement.

If I truly believe that Empress Isabella is a witch, then the oath holds regardless of the actual truth.

“Without evidence, it’s hard to make a judgment. We can’t just arrest and interrogate the Empress of the Empire like they did a hundred years ago.”

As a saint candidate, she has to be cautious.

I’d probably do the same, so it’s understandable.

Of all times, during this critical period for the imperial throne, an accusation without evidence.

And with me, the accuser, being a political rival of the Empress, it could easily be dismissed as a political maneuver.

By the way, did they just arrest and investigate people without evidence a hundred years ago…?

“Evidence might come out if we raid the Imperial Palace.”

“…Let’s keep that as a last resort. Unless you want to be labeled a traitor and executed before getting any evidence.”

Lacey’s gaze was lukewarm, as if to say, “Are you serious?”

…I was just throwing it out there.

“If Empress Isabella is truly a witch… That would be extremely dangerous.”

“Right. Dangerous. It would mean your Archbishop is handing the Empire over to a witch. If Ernst ascends the throne, who knows what could happen…”

Actually, I know very well.

Once Ernst becomes Emperor, Isabella will lay low for a while, but she’ll strike hard later.

Wait, no. The original story is already so twisted, who knows how it’ll turn out now.

“No. That’s not what I’m talking about. Of course, the Empire would be in danger, and the Elpinel Church wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility, but the danger I’m referring to isn’t that…”

It’s Prince Matthias.

Lacey declared softly.