Chapter 200 - Chapter 199: Side Story — The King and the Prime Minister's Meeting
The second month of Water, the first week, Tuesday.
By the time Mika woke up at the Leventein family's villa, King Kernils was in the Royal Castle with a grim expression.
"Why did it come to this...?"
Dedoderic, the Prime Minister standing by his side, smiled bitterly at Kernils' muttering.
Until just now, he had been listening to the Marquis Leventein, the Knight Commander of the Fifth Knights Order, Ozendorwa, who had accompanied him, Archbishop Wagnare of Sarbengeal, and the innkeeper and adventurer Yaroibarov in the Audience Chamber.
Naturally, the content of the talk was the assault on the Great Cathedral.
It was a massive brawl that unfolded from the Great Cathedral all the way to the gate of the First Wall, against the Church Knights Order, the Temple Knights.
A massive brawl.
The Church Knights Order, the Temple Knights, had the Pope and two Cardinals kidnapped. They mobilized hundreds of men to retake them.
That Church Knights Order, the Temple Knights, was repelled by the Fifth Knights Order's Knight Commander, Ozendorwa, and the adventurer Yaroibarov.
To quell the disturbance, multiple knight orders protecting the capital's security were also mobilized.
Over a hundred citizens of the capital were caught up in it, and there were many with minor injuries.
"I never thought Rubalwarus would intervene..."
"You have drowned, Your Majesty."
He guided Dedoderic to the table in the private room and urged him to sit on the chair beside him.
The room had already been cleared of everyone else; only Kernils and Dedoderic remained.
"I didn't plan so much that I could drown."
"You wanted too much. Even at the first stage, I foolishly thought we had obtained results sufficient to be expected. Well, it is all about results in the end."
Currently, Rubalwarus and the other involved parties are being questioned individually regarding the detailed circumstances.
The same applies to the Pope and others who were taken away.
In fact, Kernils already roughly understood the course of events.
Even before hearing the story from Rubalwarus and others in the Audience Chamber.
From Kernils' own information organization, he had heard in advance that an adventurer called the "Dispeller" had been captured by the Church.
As follow-up reports, he was also informed that this adventurer was a student of the Magic Academy.
And that the series of actions by the Church were triggered by the movements of several Archbishops and Bishops of various dioceses.
For the past few days, he had purchased information from the Information Broker Guild and grasped quite a bit of the situation.
Probably, no one knew the Church's current movements better than Kernils.
Kernils tried to utilize this situation.
He didn't mind if the Church rotted.
Even if the great tree called the Church rotted away, it would only become nutrients for the great tree called Kernils.
Rather, he was trying to put shackles on the great tree called the Church, which had grown too large.
When the information arrived that the adventurer called the "Dispeller" was a student of the Magic Academy, Kernils felt like he wanted to jump for joy.
Even without any particular reason, he could use the knight orders to forcibly inspect the Church.
However, some opposition was expected.
Not from the Church.
It was opposition from the people who believed in the Church of Light.
Although the King is not in a position to care about such things, Kernils was a king who cared about the people's feelings.
Therefore, he wanted to prepare reasons sufficient to satisfy the people.
The Church has taken root in the hearts of the people over an incredibly long period of time.
Even if the current Pope and Cardinals are rotten, the people have not seen it with their own eyes.
Therefore, most people probably would not believe it.
That the Church would do such a thing.
This absolute trust does not belong to the current Church.
It is trust built over thousands of years in the past.
A heresy trial against a student of the Magic Academy was a very clear and suitable reason.
Everyone knows that the country is putting effort into training mages.
It is also a well-known fact that the number of these mage eggs is decreasing year by year, causing worry.
If it is true that mages are being subjected to a heresy trial, there is no choice but to do so.
But groundwork should be done for that.
If the story is that they properly asked the country's permission and then proceeded, many people would accept it.
Kernils read it this way and decided to intervene in this matter.
He could have quickly inspected the Church and rescued the student.
But here, he started thinking too much.
He decided to have the heresy officially recognized, and then rescue the student.
He wanted to make the Church admit that the heresy recognition was wrong and lower the Church's credibility.
He tried to strongly impress upon the people that the country was right.
The execution of the burning was scheduled for after noon on Tuesday.
It is said to be the time when one can receive the power of both the God of Light and the God of Fire.
The time from the heresy trial to the execution was short, but Kernils was confident that he could rescue the student smoothly with an inspection unit under his command.
He had dispatched an inspection unit from the knight orders to wait near the Great Cathedral for that purpose.
However, before that unit moved, Rubalwarus and the others attacked the Great Cathedral.
Kernils had grasped the Church's movements quite well, but he did not know that Cleiria had left the capital.
As a result, he did not know that Rubalwarus was heading toward the capital.
Kernils shrugged his shoulders.
"When I noticed Rubalwarus's attack, if the inspection unit had also moved, things might have been different..."
"Indeed, if the Marquis suddenly appeared, even a Company Commander would hesitate."
There would have been no hesitation to kick aside anyone from the Church standing in the way, no matter how many.
Even if it was the Pope.
But if a noble, especially a Marquis, suddenly appeared, it is not strange that they would hesitate in their response.
Moreover, the Knight Commander of the Fifth Knights Order, Ozendorwa, was among that group.
It is understandable that the inspection unit would ask their own knight order for instructions.
Even while waiting quietly.
"I am the one giving the order? It is natural to go."
"Do not ask for the impossible. They were only ordered by their own Knight Commander or Battalion Commander. They never dreamed it was a secret imperial decree from Your Majesty."
Dedoderic analyzed calmly.
At those words from such a Prime Minister, Kernils grimaced.
Kernils, saying his throat was dry, had the parlor maid prepare tea and cleared the room again.
"So, what will you do?"
Dedoderic asked Kernils.
"I will do nothing special. It has just become a bit bigger than planned, but it is as originally intended."
Kernils reached for the teacup and moistened his throat.
"Rather, thanks to an unexpected harvest, it seems we will get results beyond expectations."
Hearing that, Dedoderic showed a smile.
"............A lucky wound turned into a merit, Your Majesty."
"Shut up. Do not speak in riddles."
Kernils complained, but actually, it is the Prime Minister Dedoderic who has to deal with quelling the chaos in the capital.
It is natural that he would want to say something sarcastic.
However, regarding the results, Kernils was right.
The information brought by Archbishop Wagnare of Sarbengeal, who had accompanied Rubalwarus, was information deep within the Church that Kernils wanted more than anything.
A collection of scandals covering from the Pope to the Cardinals, and their protégés, the Archbishops and Bishops.
Combined with Kernils' own power and military force, it was enough evidence to bury the Church.
Wagnare had offered to hand over all that information to Kernils.
"Currently, I am having the palace's information department examine the contents... It seems to take quite a lot of time just to verify the facts. It seems they have been collecting information for a very long time, so selecting and discarding the information alone takes considerable effort. Simply put, there are not enough hands."
Dedoderic tightened his expression slightly.
He expected the information department to be overwhelmed by the excessive amount of information.
"It is a good opportunity. Expand the palace's information department. This matter alone will take several years? Gather those skilled in information analysis and assign them."
"We are currently adjusting in that direction... But is it really okay to arrest all the Pope faction's Cardinals? We haven't verified the facts yet?"
"Just do it. Since it has come to this, we will put the Church in a death grip, a lame duck. My information organization, the palace's information organization, and the Information Broker Guild will spread the scandals... especially rumors about the upper echelons."
First, separate the people's hearts from the Church.
In reality, it will not proceed that simply, but they will hammer it thoroughly until the great tree called the Church is about to fall, and then Kernils will save it.
At that time, they should make them accept a system where the King manages the Church.
The organization itself called the Church is very useful.
It becomes a troublesome existence because only the Pope holds its authority.
If the country can penetrate and control it, there is no such convenient tool.
Dedoderic also took a sip of tea and moistened his throat.
There are still many troublesome problems.
It was necessary to confirm at least the direction Kernils was thinking of.
"So, regarding the punishment of the parties involved."
Although the situation was urgent, the means taken by Rubalwarus were quite risky.
Moreover, the current Knight Commander of the Fifth Knights Order, Ozendorwa, cooperated with it.
He abandoned his duties and joined the assault on the Church.
"If they say that, we cannot give such a heavy punishment. Considering the situation, we have no choice but to give a severe warning."
"Is that acceptable?"
"This time, we will throw all the mud onto the Church. If we impose too heavy a punishment, depending on how it is received, it could become a beautiful story. That is not what I desire."
He trusts Rubalwarus, but it is not good if his fame becomes too high.
Even to the point of committing a foolish act that could be interpreted as rebellion with just a step wrong.
Then, it would be better to take the form that Kernils pardoned him with a generous heart.
The king's harshness can be shown fully in the future response to the Church.
Kernils put down the teacup and rested his cheek on his hand on the armrest.
And thus, he recalled the exchange in the Audience Chamber just now.
In the Audience Chamber stood Kernils and Dedoderic by his side.
Many knights of the Royal Guards were also lined up in the Audience Chamber.
Below the steps, the ministers such as the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Foreign Affairs who were in the Royal Castle were lined up.
And kneeling before Kernils were Rubalwarus and others who had joined the assault on the Church.
The Popes had been thrown into a dungeon for the time being.
"You have done a rather careless thing. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"Nothing."
Rubalwarus answered immediately to Kernils' question.
This is a kind of formality between the King and the head of a noble house.
The King asks, the subject offers no defense, and cleanly offers his neck.
This shows that the subject's loyalty has not changed.
Of course, if the King is truly angry, a verdict of "Then die" may be given immediately.
Although it is a formality, there is a part that risks one's life.
"I think you have a reason for taking such action. Very well, speak."
"You should be grateful for Your Majesty's generous heart. Come now, Marquis Leventein. Please speak."
"Haha!"
Following Kernils' words, Dedoderic urged Rubalwarus.
This is one formality.
But what Rubalwarus said here was just one word.
"Because they are one of my own."
Looking straight ahead, he conveyed just that one word.
After saying only that, Rubalwarus lowered his head again.
For a moment, silence fell over the Audience Chamber.
Then, soon after, a murmur arose.
"My own?"
"What is this about?"
The ministers lined up looked at each other.
It was the same for Kernils and Dedoderic.
They had no idea what it was about.
"Rubalwarus. What does this mean?"
Asked by Kernils, Rubalwarus turned forward again.
And thus he began to speak a shocking fact.
"In fact, a few days ago, my daughter Cleiria came to Sarbengeal in the middle of the night. I heard she rode relay horses and ran from the capital in just about two days."
From Rubalwarus's heavy tone, everyone imagined the serious situation at that time.
The distance from the capital to Sarbengeal is over four hundred kilometers.
For Cleiria, still a student, to have run there on relay horses, it is natural that the Marquis Leventein would take it seriously as to what kind of situation it was.
"I could not believe my ears. But Cleiria pleaded with tears. That her fiancé, Mika Noisheim, had been captured by the Church."
"Wait a moment, Marquis Leventein. A fiancé? For Miss Cleiria?"
"Yes."
Dedoderic, with a surprised face, confirmed, and Rubalwarus nodded firmly.
"What! A fiancé for Miss Cleiria!?"
"I have never heard of it."
The ministers murmured even more than before.
She is the daughter of the Marquis Leventein, a high-ranking noble house.
There were not just one or two nobles who plotted to marry her to their own kin.
"Rubalwarus! I have not heard of this!"
"Yes!"
Rubalwarus bowed his head once and then turned forward firmly again.
"I had interviews with Mika Noisheim every summer and winter when I came to the capital. However, I could not come to the capital this winter, so we interviewed in Sarbengeal. At that time, I..."
"So there was a talk of engagement!?"
"Yes. They said they had loved each other for a long time..."
Cleiria also admitted to that.
"But... Mika Noisheim? Is that person not a commoner?"
"Yes. As the Prime Minister says, that person is a commoner."
To Dedoderic's question, Rubalwarus nodded firmly.
"But he is not just a commoner. At the Magic Academy, he achieved grades so excellent they are said to be unprecedented."
There, Rubalwarus took a breath once and looked firmly at Kernils.
"I have been watching over him since he attended the academy in my domain. Even without Cleiria, I was planning to keep him by my side as someone who would support the Leventein family in the future."
Saying he had been watching over him for a long time was also said at the 20th anniversary party of his reign.
More than that, he even brought him to the party.
He would not do that unless he liked him very much.
"I intended to tell Your Majesty when I had an audience in the summer. Until then, I told the two of them many times not to tell anyone."
For marriage or engagement between noble houses, Kernils' permission was required.
The former king, wary of nobles connecting and gaining too much power on their own, made such laws.
However, for marriage or engagement with a commoner, the King's permission was not required.
It is not very common, but there are cases where nobles marry or take in commoners.
In most cases, it is for financial purposes, such as connecting with wealthy merchant guilds.
This time, money is not the goal, but the purpose is clear and easy to understand.
The aim is to take in a mage of unprecedented excellence.
The Marquis Leventein family, entrusted with border defense.
It is not hard to understand wanting to keep excellent mages at hand.
"I would have preferred you to inform me of such a serious matter in advance if possible."
Dedoderic said, and Rubalwarus nodded.
"I also think so now. ...If it were not for those fools causing trouble, there would have been no problem even then."
Implicitly... or rather, almost straight out, he blamed the Church people for doing unnecessary things.
That is certainly true, so Dedoderic could only smile bitterly.
Kernils stared at Rubalwarus.
There was no way to judge whether this story was true or false.
And even if it were a lie, since it was now public, they would actually get engaged.
Pursuing this story would not have much meaning.
"Hmm... I understand. Tell me more details later. Next... Ozendorwa."
Kernils shifted his gaze to Ozendorwa, who was kneeling beside Rubalwarus.
Kernils, whose head hurt that a Knight Commander had joined such a disturbance.
Kernils tapped the table with his fingertips.
"It is not a desirable state for Rubalwarus to be away from the border for too long. He went a bit too far, but the ability to judge that he would not make it in time if he lingered can be said to be a strength of Rubalwarus."
"Then, should we give Ozendorwa a punishment of the same degree?"
Giving a severe warning to the ringleader Rubalwarus and a heavier punishment to Ozendorwa would be unbalanced.
Ozendorwa abandoned his duties to accompany Rubalwarus, but originally, Rubalwarus had abandoned his domain to come here.
"That is fine. For the general citizens caught up and injured, make the Church use [Heal] for free."
"For free?"
"Of course. The origin is the Church [those people]. This time, we will pursue the Church's responsibility thoroughly. Make the Church pay for the repair of damaged buildings too. It is fine to advance the money from the national treasury temporarily."
Complaints and claims had poured in about shop fronts being broken on the main street from the Great Cathedral to the First Wall.
Also, after Rubalwarus and the others passed through the gate of the First Wall, the Church Knights Order, the Temple Knights, tried to force their way through.
At that time, damage was also done to the gate of the First Wall.
Since they will confiscate the property illegally accumulated by the Pope and Cardinals anyway, it is money that can be recovered immediately.
Then, a magnanimous King should first save the general citizens, and then recover more than that.
"I have arranged for the Kingdom Army to be notified that there is a risk of rebellion centered on the Church Knights Order, the Temple Knights. Well, it is not surprising since the Pope was kidnapped."
Dedoderic said with a serious face.
"The more pious, the greater the danger of exploding. Inform them of the situation early. Have Wagnare's people cooperate to arrest the Archbishops and Bishops who were committing irregularities in each diocese as soon as possible."
For those who do not know of the irregularities of the Pope, Cardinals, and Archbishops and Bishops in various places, it looks like the country is suppressing the Church.
It is not strange that people would start a rebellion with the resolve to become martyrs.
But for those who had heard rumors of the irregularities, they would accept it with "I knew it."
Wagnare seems to have a very wide information network, so they will use that network to spread rumors of the Popes' irregularities.
They will use it to spread the fact that the country acted to correct the irregularities.
Also, preparations are underway to issue orders to the Kingdom Army and Domain Armies in various places to arrest the Archbishops and Bishops who were committing irregularities.
Suddenly, the top of the diocese will be absent, the Pope will be captured in the Great Cathedral of the capital, and the Church will fall into dysfunction.
It can be said that the Church itself is in a situation where collapse is not strange.
"Even so, if such dioceses remain around ten, they can barely hold on. This is also one of the trials the Church [those people] likes."
For the time being, the Archbishops and Bishops who are completely on the Pope's side, as grasped by Wagnare, are about ten at most.
If the other Archbishops and Bishops are decent people, they should be able to manage somehow with effort.
Although their credibility will hit the ground.
"Anyway, utilize the Kingdom Army and the various lords to drain the pus from the Church. The body that has grown too large and started to rot will not stop breathing until it is cut to pieces."
Dedoderic nodded at Kernils' words.
"But, Your Majesty. Why did the Church target that student, Mika Noisheim? We do not know the original cause."
Everything began to lead to the Church's destruction from there.
They underestimated a mere child, and because of that, they made various people their enemies.
To Dedoderic's question, Kernils shook his head.
"I do not know about that yet. However, it is certain that Archbishops and Bishops in various places were working on the upper echelons. I was also informed of that movement by Nieslaza. Although, at that time, I did not know well what kind of movement it was."
Because they touched a single child, a huge organization like religion, which almost all people believe in, will suffer a devastating blow.
It is the result of conditions overlapping, such as Wagnare's information and Kernils targeting the Church, but no one could have predicted this result a week ago.
"...You never know what will happen in this world."
Dedoderic looked at Kernils, who muttered deeply, with a complex expression.