Chapter 188 - Chapter 187: Wagnare's Torment
Third Month of Earth, Fourth Week, Day of Fire.
A groan echoed through the church in Rish Village.
"Ummmm..."
Facing Kifrod, who sat with arms crossed and a difficult expression, Mika fiddled with the large piece he had just captured from Kifrod in his hand.
Kifrod stared fixedly at the board of Buattre Heed, considering a way to break the situation.
But it was already the late game.
It was too late to recover from the situation of having lost a key piece.
"............I'm beaten."
"Thank you very much."
Kifrod surrendered, and Mika bowed his head politely in return.
Basically, Mika and Kifrod were evenly matched in skill.
He had been forced to play against him many times during his return home, but the win rate was almost fifty-fifty.
Well, sometimes Kifrod would say "wait," so perhaps Mika was actually winning?
Kifrod muttered while making a gesture as if loosening his shoulders.
"Mika has really become strong."
He said that with deep feeling.
As Mika put away the pieces, he let out a bitter smile.
"I have someone at the Academy who likes me. Sometimes they invite me, and I have to be their partner."
"Oh, there is one at the Academy too?"
"Yeah. I think he was the third or fourth son of some viscount."
Mika said it calmly, but upon hearing this, Kifrod's eyes went wide.
"You're dating a noble!?"
"Just because I said noble doesn't mean he's the heir. He's perfectly ordinary."
At first, I thought he was some troublesome guy.
Hearing Mika's story, Kifrod looked utterly stunned.
Then, he let out a huge sigh.
"...There were various dangerous points before, but to go out of your way and get involved with a noble..."
"That's not right! It wasn't me who started it! ...But somehow, they just seem to notice me."
Why is that?
Speaking of which, was Ozendorwa also a member of a noble family?
Solnitax, a count?
Mika put the Buattre Heed pieces away and placed them on the board.
"I should probably let Kifrod-sama know this just in case."
He muttered with a somewhat serious expression.
"............What is it?"
"My position at the Academy, perhaps?"
How should I express this? It's quite difficult.
"Even so, I am excellent in grades at the Academy."
"Is that so?"
Mika had spoken of his life at the Academy in casual conversation before.
Since he attended the Academy normally and advanced to the next grade without problems, Kifrod and the others seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.
"How excellent do you think I am?"
"How excellent...? If Mika is saying such a thing, does it mean you are fighting for first or second place?"
Kifrod said it himself, yet wore an expression of disbelief.
"I've been told it's unprecedented."
"Hah...?"
Kifrod's face went slack.
It looked like his soul might just leave his body and ascend right then and there.
"I don't know the exact circumstances, but the news reached His Majesty the King. The Emperor knew my name."
"Koo...!?"
Kifrod's eyes bulged as he stared fixedly at Mika.
Ah, crap.
He looks like he's about to die of shock.
Mika put a finger to his lips and gestured quietly.
Although only Mika and Kifrod were in the church now, speaking too loudly might get someone to hear.
"W-where... did you have the opportunity to meet His Majesty!?"
Kifrod managed to suppress his voice despite his shock.
"The twentieth anniversary party of his reign. Lord Marquis Leventein took me."
"The anniversary party...!? Lord Marquis Leventein!?"
At this sudden news, Kifrod was barely able to breathe.
Mika opened both hands, gesturing "now, now, calm down, calm down."
Kifrod stared at such Mika, but eventually let out a long breath.
"...Mika, you are not just in a dangerous situation? Do not get involved with nobles, especially high-ranking nobles, while you are a commoner..."
"Even so, even if I don't want to get involved, they come to me. If they say something, I can't disobey, right?"
"That is true..."
It felt like Kifrod had truly become a husk.
Could it be that his lifespan has shortened?
"Well, um, you see. Thanks to Sister Rad and Kifrod-sama helping me, I'm managing somehow. Even if they say I'm excellent, it wouldn't be strange if I had died years ago, right? The fact that I am here now is thanks to people like that."
"Mika..."
Hearing Mika's words, Kifrod's expression became somewhat lonely.
"It is a good point of yours that you do not forget things from years ago and maintain a heart of gratitude. Usually, people forget what they have been done for them immediately. Even if you remember the details, you know."
But then, he turned his squinting eyes toward Mika.
"...Even so, you still do reckless things just as before."
"Ugh..."
At Kifrod's single sentence, Mika held his breath.
"It is good that you donate a large amount of money every year, but it is too much money, no matter how you look at it. How dangerous of an adventurer are you acting as? Or rather, are you really attending the Academy properly!?"
"I attend! I attend! I have never skipped!"
I did take a voluntary suspension once!
I got permission from the Academy Director!
Just as Mika was flustered, Nerisfeene and Rad returned.
These two have truly become close and are often together.
Right now, Rad was visiting villagers' homes, and Nerisfeene was following her.
Rad gave [Heal] to villagers free of charge, kept company with the elderly and sick, and listened to their troubles.
Nerisfeene was deeply impressed by Rad's approach to faith.
"What is the matter, Mika-sama? You are so flustered."
"Has the game of Buattre Heed ended, Kifrod-sama?"
"Nerisfeene! You came at a perfect time! Tell Kifrod-sama!"
Mika ran over to Nerisfeene, requesting support fire.
"............? What is it?"
But Nerisfeene, not knowing what it was, tilted her head.
"Kifrod-sama is suspecting that I'm skipping the Academy!"
"Well, that is not the case."
Nerisfeene smiled brightly and explained to Kifrod.
"Mika-sama attends the Academy every day and studies diligently. He is working very hard."
At Nerisfeene's words, Mika puffed out his chest with a "heh."
"Every day after school, I hunt 'the impure' and curse the――――."
"Daahhhhhhh!? Stop, stop!"
Don't say unnecessary things!
Friendly fire occurred.
But it was too late.
Kifrod narrowed his eyes and stared fixedly.
And even Rad's eyes, who had been listening from the side, went wide.
"Every day, hunting 'the impure'...? Mika-kun?"
"Isn't he just acting as a normal adventurer?"
Waaaaah...
"N-Nerisfeene, let's go! Kifrod-sama, Sister Rad! Well then, see you later! Kistil is waiting to make dinner!"
"Ah, Mika-sama."
Saying that in a rush, Mika jumped out of the church.
Nerisfeene, left behind, blinked her eyes.
Kifrod muttered "oh my..." and scratched his head.
"Nerisfeene. Later, could you tell me in detail about Mika's life in the capital?"
"Ah, um, well..."
Judging by Mika's attitude, perhaps it is not something she should say.
Nerisfeene plastered a "troubled" look on her face, and Rad gave a very bright, sparkling smile.
"Please come play again, Nerisfeene-san. Of course, at that time, please bring Kistil-san and Mika-kun with you, okay."
Feeling something that allowed no refusal, Nerisfeene nodded firmly.
Thinking that she would likely have to spill everything.
Nerisfeene broke out in a cold sweat on her back at the hidden side of Sister Rad, who possessed the kindness of a Virgin Mother.
■■■■■■
[Viewpoint: Wagnare Shubeist]
The Great Cathedral in Sarbengeal.
In the Archbishop's office, Wagnare was receiving a guest.
Sitting opposite Wagnare was a man who served as a Cardinal at the Great Cathedral in the Royal Capital.
A man named Blahoslav, who was a few years older than Wagnare.
"So it is no use..."
Blahoslav lowered his shoulders slightly and pulled his leaning body back.
"Even if I consent, there is no possibility of appointment anymore. You must have known that as well, right?"
In contrast to the disappointed Blahoslav, Wagnare was completely expressionless.
Wagnare's expressionless face, combined with his overly sharp gaze, possessed considerable power.
Kararebas, who usually assisted Wagnare, was still trembling in fear.
But Blahoslav did not care about such things at all.
Because he had known Wagnare for over forty years.
These two had studied and trained together in the same monastery when they were in their teens.
"If things continue like this, the Church will truly be finished. Wagnare, please. lend me your strength―――."
"It is not like this. It is already over."
"......!"
To Blahoslav, who asked for help, Wagnare ruthlessly pointed out the fact.
That was a structural defect the Church originally possessed.
Cardinals can be appointed freely by the Pope.
Furthermore, there are no specific terms of office, and basically, they hold the position until they resign due to old age or illness.
There is no set quota either, and previously, it had consisted of around twenty members.
The election of the Pope requires unanimous agreement from the Cardinals, but all other decisions are determined by the Pope's approval.
The Pope is an entity entrusted with such absolute authority.
Nothing is decided by a majority vote of the Cardinals.
Everything is decided by the Pope.
And the body that exerts great influence on the Pope's approval is the College of Cardinals, composed of the Cardinals.
The Pope issues the approval, but the Pope is not God.
He does not have eyes to see everything.
The College of Cardinals provides appropriate advice so that the Pope can make correct judgments.
The Pope issues all approvals, but that does not mean he can issue them however he pleases.
It is possible to ignore the advice of the College of Cardinals and issue approvals that are exactly opposite in all matters, but if that were done, the organization known as the Church might collapse.
It is impossible for such a person to be elected Pope in the first place, but it has always been contained as a structural problem.
Such structural problems had not become significantly apparent until now.
After all, they were clergy and bore great responsibility, so everyone behaved rationally, at least on the surface.
Of course, on one hand, there were those who pushed through personal strong convictions, relaxing previously forbidden precepts, or conversely, enforcing them strictly.
While there were Popes with very strict rules, there were also Popes who relaxed many precepts.
If you trace back the long history, there are countless examples of this.
Even so, until now, there had been no Pope who exploited the structural defects and led the Church by the nose.
Factional maneuvering was common enough within the Church.
It was natural that opinions representing the College of Cardinals as a whole, especially those held by the majority, would pass more easily.
There were cases where the Pope's personal ideology and thoughts led him to reject majority opinions and push through minority ones, but one could also consider that he had such conviction.
But the current Pope was different.
After reaching the Pope through factional maneuvering, he quickly stopped doing work to maintain troublesome factions.
"There is a faster way, isn't there?"
At that time, there were nineteen Cardinals.
So, if he appointed twenty of his own bishops and priests as Cardinals, the majority would be born in an instant.
Since then, people bought the position of Cardinal with money, and now the number had swollen to forty-seven.
Popes who had promoted two or three close aides to Cardinal was nothing new, but a Pope who had done this so blatantly was the first in history.
And currently, the Papal faction has thirty-two members.
The Anti-Papal faction has fifteen members.
With this, he can issue approvals with his hands wide open.
As a majority opinion from the College of Cardinals.
The Pope could create reasons and dismiss the Anti-Papal Cardinals, but he held back.
Because gears were needed to operate the Church normally.
"It is too late to do anything now. The next Pope will naturally be chosen from the Papal faction. There is nothing to do but hate the past Popes who left the structural defects in place."
"But, if things continue like this..."
At Wagnare's words, Blahoslav hung his head.
"The Church has been rotting for a long time, not just now. You must have known that, right?"
"............"
"Even if I were asked to become a Cardinal, you know that the Pope would not appoint me, don't you, Blahoslav?"
"That is..."
What Wagnare was saying was a very ordinary matter.
The current Pope had no reason to appoint Wagnare as a Cardinal.
This was because Wagnare himself had not clearly taken a side.
If he wanted to, the Pope could bypass Wagnare, but there was no sign of that for now.
Probably, within the Pope, Wagnare was considered a gear.
He likely thought of him as someone responsible for efficiently sucking money from Sarbengeal, a huge collection box.
If he placed his own subordinates carelessly, they would eat and drink whatever they wanted.
Therefore, he judged it better to use Wagnare, who did not do unnecessary things.
"Even so, surely you have some method, don't you?"
Blahoslav looked at Wagnare as if clinging to a last hope.
But Wagnare himself had a cool expression.
"You are thinking too hard, Blahoslav. It is not simple... well, I won't say it is simple, but there must be a simpler method, right?"
"...A simple method?"
At Wagnare's words, Blahoslav made a suspicious face.
"Kill them all when the Pope and the Cardinals of the Papal faction gather for a meeting. You will fall into hell, but the Church in this world will be saved."
"Wha...!?"
At Wagnare's answer, which was too short-sighted, Blahoslav lost his words.
But...
"............Perhaps, we must now challenge it with that kind of resolve."
At Blahoslav's mutter, Wagnare did not reply.
It was no longer a stage where things could be settled with fine words.
It seemed he finally understood that the situation was so desperate.
"Now, doing anything rashly is useless. Besides, the gods would not allow such a situation."
If they exist, Wagnare muttered in his heart.
Thus, Wagnare and Blahoslav exchanged some information.
Wagnare had grasped that recently, several Archbishops and Bishops had been acting suspiciously, but it seemed Blahoslav did not know the reason either.
It seemed that some of the Papal faction were moving, and Blahoslav was completely on the outside looking in.
"Do not worry too much, Blahoslav. If you move too flamboyantly and get dismissed, the situation would become far worse. For now, endure it."
Blahoslav nodded weakly at Wagnare's words and returned.
Wagnare sat deeply on the sofa in the office and leaned against the backrest.
Looking up at the ceiling, he let out a deep breath.
"............It is not surprising even now."
That was the mutter that slipped out.
For decades, there had been signs.
Slowly, slowly, a stench had begun to spread within the Church.
Those who tripped and brought others down rose to the top.
A state where such things were allowed to pass had continued for a long time.
The rotten people who appeared sporadically in various places began to gather in one place and gained power.
And thus, they began to devour the huge existence known as the Church.
There were times when he quietly burned his heart to break such a situation and sweep it away with his own hands.
But when Kifrod was framed and demoted, his thinking changed.
Even in a situation where one is clearly innocent, just being suspected makes everything useless.
Because he knew that from the beginning.
He knew from the beginning and intended to bypass him from the start.
Righteousness, and even facts, meant nothing.
He had become accustomed to such a situation.
"............There is only one path..."
As he tried to convince himself of this, he was pointed out.
That he was actually lost on the path.
The words exchanged with the Saintess long ago flashed through his mind.
When he remembered, his chest ached sharply.
As if the Saintess's words had pierced his heart.
"Even so, I cannot do anything..."
He was barely able to protect himself.
He was barely able to protect those within his sight and reach.
Wagnare sat up and glared into the void.
Information exists.
He has information on almost all of the Papal faction and the Pope's dark secrets.
But what use is such a thing?
Releasing all of that information right now would be meaningless.
Even if he scattered it, nothing would happen.
The Pope would merely sweat a little with a formal explanation.
At best, a few Cardinals would be cut off as scapegoats.
What meaning would that have?
"It is already too late..."
Wagnare's powerless mutter echoed emptily in the office.