“It seems there’s some misunderstanding. Lacey has never orchestrated such a thing. Do you think she wished for the people of the Holy Kingdom to resist the Church Order and be killed?”
I quickly deflected. Even though the manifesto was altered by some agitator, it was crucial that the original author, Lacey, not be exposed.
Why did Cardinal Erich have no choice but to commit suicide? Wasn’t it because he was scheming a civil war within the Holy Kingdom from behind the scenes? If that fact came to light, everyone in the Holy Kingdom would target the Kranuus Church Order. So, before it was exposed, he had no choice but to take the blame and commit suicide.
What Lacey intended to do wasn’t much different. She wasn’t plotting a war between Church Orders but deepening the conflict between citizens and the Church to incite a large-scale uprising.
Of course, this was only a last resort, and she didn’t plan to incite it on such an ambiguous scale. What Lacey wanted was for tens of thousands of citizens to rise up simultaneously, making the Church Orders too afraid to suppress them.
Some unknown agitator just twisted the plan.
Anyway, if it was discovered that Lacey was the one who initially spread the manifesto, all other Church Orders would condemn and attack the Elpinel Church Order. What Cardinal Erich feared would be realized, but this time targeting the Elpinel Church Order.
If things went that way, the Elpinel Church Order would also face destruction. Unless Lacey, like Cardinal Erich, took all the responsibility and committed suicide or was executed as a criminal.
…Either way, it was unacceptable.
—
“Hmm. Is that so? Alright, let’s leave it at that.”
Radenis nodded as if he agreed, but he didn’t really believe me. He was just letting it go. Well, of course. From the moment I arrived in this city, he must have been convinced that Lacey was involved in this matter. Why would he believe such an excuse? I wouldn’t believe it either.
I glanced at Radenis’s neck, pondering how to resolve this issue amicably. The one who holds Lacey’s weakness. He’s letting it go for now, but… will he continue to do so? It’s hard to say.
Should I silence him?
The dead tell no tales. Killing a madman who desires war wouldn’t weigh on my conscience. The aftermath would be… no, extremely troublesome, but it’s a hundred, a thousand times better than Lacey’s scheme being exposed.
If I just strike with my left hand, the whole truth will be quietly buried. So…
…Wait, that’s strange.
A sudden suspicion halted my left hand, which was about to target Radenis’s throat.
Thinking about it, it was strange. Why would he reveal that he knew Lacey’s weakness in a private meeting with me? There’s no reason for that. It’s too risky. What if I tried to silence him? Like now.
…Does he have some kind of confidence that I won’t?
“So, is that the end of your questions? Then let’s hear the ‘order’ you mentioned earlier.”
Radenis’s words interrupted my thoughts.
Alright, let’s hold off for now. At least, I need to figure out the source of his confidence. Whether he really has something to rely on… or if it’s just baseless bravado. Silencing him can wait until I figure that out.
—
The first order.
“I want you to lead the protesters out of Arad. They can move to Nasiriya… or even Holon would be fine.”
That was the best solution I could think of. The simplest way to resolve conflict is to completely remove one side.
If the protesters from Arad were sent to another city, the Astraea Church Order would have no justification to attack them. Whatever those who moved to another city did, it would be the problem of the Church Order managing that city, not the Astraea Church Order. It’s the most peaceful solution.
The only problem is that the protesters, who have already shed blood, won’t let go of their resentment towards the Astraea Church Order… but I thought time and distance might somehow resolve that.
After all, doesn’t distance make the heart grow fonder? Even love works that way, so hatred shouldn’t be much different.
“Moving… that’s an interesting order.”
“Interesting?”
“Didn’t you declare that all the city’s residents are public property? To expel them like that is like throwing your fortune onto the streets.”
“I like deserted cities. They have a quiet charm, don’t they?”
I exhaled cigarette smoke with a joke and shrugged lightly. He knew full well the intention behind my declaration.
“Is that so? However, it would be difficult to follow that order. The citizens won’t accept the expulsion, and even if they did, leading a large group to another city in this weather would be extremely difficult. Ordinary people can’t traverse the snowfields like Sir Median.”
Unfortunately, Radenis shook his head, expressing refusal. And with an undeniable argument at that.
Hmm… certainly, moving thousands of civilians in the middle of winter is… a bit crazy. The priests caring for them would have their limits too.
“…Alright, I understand.”
No choice. The best plan has to be scrapped. Then we’ll have to move to the next best option.
“The next order is, if they can’t leave Arad, at least control the citizens thoroughly to prevent any clashes with the Astraea Church Order. That should be possible, right?”
“Hmm… we can’t control them for long. Some extremists won’t comply.”
So it’s possible. That’s enough.
“Restrain those who refuse in my name. As long as they’re not killed but just restrained, others won’t protest much. They’ve already felt that without your help, they’d be annihilated, and they probably guess that defying me would leave not even a corpse behind.”
“Understood.”
Radenis nodded. Good, that buys us some time. Time to crush the Astraea Church Order’s Arad branch.
If we can’t send the protesters away, we’ll have to drive the Astraea Church Order out. …It won’t be easy.
—
The last order wasn’t much.
“I want you to formally transfer the governance of Arad to me. It’s only a half-baked authority anyway, and now it’s practically meaningless. You won’t lose anything by handing it over to me.”
It was a request to draft a document transferring the city to me. It’s a meaningless authority now, but it might be useful after things are resolved.
“That’s beyond my authority. The governance of Arad lies with the Cardinal, not me. I’m merely delegated that authority. So drafting such a document would be difficult.”
Oh? In other words, handing over such a document to me would put him in a difficult position.
So what? Is that my problem? Do I have to care if you’re in a tough spot?
“I don’t understand.”
I leaned slightly forward, crushing the cigarette I was smoking in the ashtray on the table. Staring at Radenis with narrowed eyes.
“I clearly said ‘order,’ didn’t I? Not a request, an order. I can let the first one slide, but rejecting this too? Why are you acting like you have the right to refuse? Did I treat you too politely?”
– Crack!
The ashtray, unable to withstand the force, split in half.
“Or do you have five or six lives to spare?”
It was a blatant threat. Not to force this order, but to find out why he could act so boldly.
What would he say to escape the situation when faced with a murderer threatening to kill him if he didn’t comply? I stared at him, ready to kill, to find out.
“…Threatening me like that won’t change anything. I’ve only told you what’s possible and what’s not. Killing me won’t turn the impossible into possible.”
Radenis was calm. As if saying, go ahead and kill me.
It wasn’t confidence but a strange detachment. As if he didn’t care whether he lived or died.
…This is why I hate fanatics. They’re too hard to read.
Should I kill him or let him live…? I stared at Radenis like a gambler contemplating an all-in bet and finally made a decision.
“…Fine. I’ll let it go. But you must follow the second order without fail.”
I’ll let him live a few more days.
No matter how I look at it, his demeanor doesn’t seem like a mere bluff. Killing him now might lead to something unpleasant. That’s the feeling I get.
…Maybe it’s just my imagination.
—
After finishing my conversation with Radenis, I left the Kranuus Church Cathedral and headed to the city center.
The central plaza, located between the two Church Orders. I planned to spend the night there. The Astraea Church Order’s Archbishop would need some time to prepare countermeasures against me. I’ll visit him tomorrow morning.
Besides, there’s someone I need to meet tonight.
A Special Operations Unit member dispatched to this city. If he’s still alive, he’ll definitely come to meet me. If he doesn’t, I’ll have to assume he’s been caught and killed.
Fortunately, if he’s still alive and comes to meet me, I plan to instruct him to monitor the Kranuus Archbishop after hearing the detailed situation here. So that the moment I’m sure his death won’t cause any problems, I can go and kill him immediately.
“Phew…”
I half-lay on a bench in the plaza, smoking a cigarette, waiting for the sun to set. Snow was falling from the sky, but thanks to Ryurik, my body was warm.
—
======[ Radenis ]======
‘This isn’t easy…’
After Has-hal-leur left, Radenis, remaining in the reception room, silently sipped his half-cold tea and sighed regretfully.
‘She’s different from what I heard. More cautious than I thought. Or should I say, her instincts are sharp?’
Has-hal-leur didn’t know, but Radenis had intended to provoke her into killing him from the moment she arrived. To avenge Cardinal Erich.
That’s why he openly discussed knowing the manifesto’s author was Lacey in front of her. Hoping she would try to silence him by attacking.
In fact, revealing that the manifesto was Staldorf’s doing was meaningless.
The only evidence was Has-hal-leur’s arrival in Arad. Staldorf could simply deny it as baseless slander.
Thus, Radenis provoked Has-hal-leur.
Has-hal-leur’s arrival in Arad alone wasn’t enough to convincingly expose the manifesto’s author. The connection was too weak. Staldorf could dismiss it as Has-hal-leur’s independent action.
But if Radenis, who revealed this, was killed by Has-hal-leur? Anyone would guess that Radenis’s revelation was true, and Has-hal-leur killed him to prevent the truth from coming out.
Radenis would become a martyr who tried to reveal the truth, and Has-hal-leur, Staldorf, and the Elpinel Church Order would fall into disgrace. Not a bad plan for an impromptu scheme.
…Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
‘I was sure she would kill me…’
No matter how much he provoked her, Has-hal-leur didn’t swing her vicious arm, just smoked a cigarette and left. For Radenis, it was truly regrettable.
