Chapter 431

The overzealous loyalty of the Special Operations Unit was a bit embarrassing, but anyway, Lacey’s plan seemed to be going quite smoothly. It almost felt like the heavens were helping her.

Finally, the first hearing began. Since only Cardinal-level personnel were in charge of high-level hearings, the hearing chamber was filled with only seven Cardinals and their escorts. Originally, there should have been eleven, but two were dead, and two others had fled.

“…It’s surprising that you came so willingly. I thought you’d refuse the summons with some excuse.”

The three Cardinals of the Holy Sun Alliance glared openly at Lacey, and the remaining two from the Saintly Struggle Society didn’t seem too friendly either. Judging by their expressions, the agreement Lacey had made with Paulus either hadn’t reached them or had become meaningless after Paulus’s death.

“There’s not a single shadow in my heart or actions, so there’s no reason to fear wrongful accusations.”

When Lacey responded without backing down, the five Cardinals openly showed their discomfort and coughed awkwardly.

—

As the five Cardinals entered the hearing chamber, Hermann, who had been quietly observing, approached Lacey and offered a brief word of encouragement. Lacey also responded with a completely different, polite attitude. With Paulus dead, Hermann from the Auschleine Church was the only Cardinal on her side.

The last Cardinal, Phillips from the Vimos Church, had an unusually long face, donkey-like ears, big eyes, and an expressionless face that gave off an odd sense of alienation.

“…His face is really weird. Is he even human?”

Anyway, he seemed uninterested in Lacey and was only staring at me with curiosity. Though he didn’t say anything to me.

—

After Lacey and the Cardinals entered the hearing chamber, the hearing began shortly after. I leisurely smoked a cigarette outside the chamber, eavesdropping on the Cardinals’ interrogations and Lacey’s responses.

The Cardinals’ escorts glanced at me with curiosity and wariness, but I didn’t pay much attention. Most were high-ranking Paladins, and their skills seemed decent, but they weren’t a threat to me.

Paladins often have a big gap between their outward aura and actual strength due to their divine powers… But still, are these guys really the top forces of each Church Order? Maybe the real top forces are somewhere else. Using their best fighters as personal escorts is almost a waste of resources.

Lacey’s doing the same, but that’s because she’s in enemy territory.

Anyway, from what I overheard, Lacey was handling the Cardinals’ interrogations quite well.

“Not only did you establish the unprecedented organization of the General Diocese, but you also maintained an excessively close relationship with the Glorious Emperor… Have you forgotten the teachings of our ancestors to avoid meddling in secular politics?”

“The establishment of the General Diocese, a decision-making body separate from the Holy Kingdom, was absolutely necessary to punish the witch residing in the heart of the Empire. If we waited for the Holy Kingdom’s instructions every time, our response would be too late. In fact, wasn’t the delay the reason for the Imperial Palace’s collapse and the subsequent civil war?”

Logically, she was right. Without immediate communication between the two nations, any orders from the Holy Kingdom would often be outdated by the time they arrived.

For large-scale, long-term orders like the Church’s quarterly action plans, a ten-day delay might not matter. But in a war situation where things could change drastically in a single day, waiting for the Holy Kingdom’s orders was nothing but impractical desk theory.

Of course, the delay was actually due to Leopold and me being overly cautious… But the Cardinals in the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t know that.

“Moreover, the late arrival of the Secret Martyr Apostles resulted in their helpless slaughter, likely due to information being leaked somewhere. Clearly, only I and the Cardinals knew about their dispatch.”

“…Are you implying that someone among us leaked the information?”

Lacey subtly accused the Cardinals of having a mole who leaked information to the witch.

“It’s best to refrain from baseless slander. By that logic, we also find it strange that the dispatched Apostles were wiped out, yet you alone survived.”

Cardinal Ernliter Zeisus of the Astraea Church countered Lacey’s words, implying that she might have staged the whole thing.

It was nonsense since Lacey almost died, but it was understandable that the Cardinals might suspect her. After all, Lacey had convinced the Empire’s Archbishops by claiming there was a traitor among the Cardinals.

“Even so, was there a need to unify the dioceses?”

“If the dioceses within the Empire don’t cooperate as one and insist on their own ways, it will cause serious inefficiency. At worst, the dioceses might split over whether to participate in the war, hindering each other. Immediately, Archbishop Reinfelt of the Shaulite Church declared neutrality and tried to ignore the witch’s threat.”

When Carnius of the Shaulite Church pointed out the unification of dioceses, Lacey retorted by telling them to manage their own Archbishop better, subtly mocking the current divided state of the Holy Kingdom.

“……”

Carnius fell silent. Being openly criticized for his Church’s actions, his face must have turned red.

—

The hearing continued for several hours.

The Cardinals persistently criticized Lacey’s actions, but she responded without hesitation, pouring out pre-prepared rebuttals.

When accused of being too close to the Imperial family, she defended herself by saying it was natural for Carolus’s descendant, who defeated the witch, to receive support from the Elpinel Church, using the Emperor’s sanctity as a shield. When a Cardinal criticized Cardinal Drexler’s “retirement,” she dismissed it as an internal Church matter.

“Don’t twist your words! Didn’t you expel Drexler to covet his Cardinal position?”

“…That’s too insulting, Cardinal Rosof. If I were power-hungry, wouldn’t the only people alive in this room be me and Sir Median?”

It was an open threat, but no one could refute it.

The strongest here were only six high-ranking Paladins. If I had brought even one or two more of my companions from the cathedral, I could’ve ended the hearing in an instant by cutting them down.

Of course, doing so would mean war with the entire Holy Kingdom. A war that, even if won, would only result in losses.

Anyway, Lacey’s threat was quite effective, and the hearing was soon adjourned without any conclusions, just postponed to the next session.

“Next time, they’ll probably bring more than double the number of escort knights. Today, they held back out of respect for your strength… But their goal isn’t to settle disputes; it’s to pressure me into dissolving the Empire’s General Diocese.”

“How pathetic. What kind of clergy are they?”

Using force to pressure a girl not even twenty years old to get what they want. All because they felt their authority and power were undermined.

“As people age, their vision narrows, and sometimes their personalities become extreme. Even the Ghost Sword was like that, wasn’t he?”

Lacey smiled lightly, as if understanding them.

Wait, thinking about it, that wasn’t a defense—it was an insult. She was saying they’re old, blind, and their personalities are twisted like dogs.

—

Anyway, the first hearing ended without major incidents, and the Holy Kingdom regained temporary stability.

Considering Lacey and the Cardinals baring their fangs at each other, and the Free Expeditionary Force occupying two cities while preparing their forces… It was a precarious peace, like dancing on the edge of a blade.

But even that brief respite was unacceptable to someone.

That evening, reports came in that Erich Rudolf, Cardinal of the Kranuus Church, had been attacked by someone. He barely survived but was seriously injured.

The Cardinal assassination case, which had been suppressed with false accusations, was resurfacing.