362 - Regressor of the Fallen Family

Episode 362 - Clear the Way! At the booming voice resonating through the street, the people walking scattered to the sides. Through the parting crowd marched knights in armor adorned with a pattern of nine colored concentric circles, exuding an aura of grandeur. Clop-clop-clop. "The Holy Knights." "It's the Commander of the Sacred Sword!" "Oh! Really?" This was why the western gate of Noviens was unusually crowded. Among the citizens, it wasn't the familiar temple knights that drew their attention, but the carriage ensconced in seemingly impenetrable security amidst them. Rattle, rattle. Inside the carriage, surrounded by iron bars, sat a woman clad in a white but dusty robe, seated serenely with a composed expression. "...The Saintess?" As someone recognized her and murmured, the ripple effect quickly spread around. "The Saintess!?" "Isn't that the Cardinal!?" "Oh my, to call someone 'sir' who has been excommunicated!" "Ah, no, that's not what I...!" The crowd grew noisily animated. The clamor rapidly reached the Central Temple. "...The Sacred Sword has brought Ilia into the Holy Capital?" The one speaking, with a seemingly warm voice, smiled as if painting a picture, looking at the person standing before them. Yet despite the smile and warm tone, the person delivering the report was drenched in nervous, cold sweat. "Y-Yes. That is correct." "But why am I only hearing of this now?" "...I'm sorry." Lotte, newly appointed as Cardinal Tracey's secretary, could only apologize. He was well aware of what happened to predecessors who made excuses for unfavorable reports. To some, this was a coveted position, serving as the secretary to the influential cardinal. To him, it was nothing short of a curse. An unavoidable curse. 'Oh dear, please, dear God.' While offering fervent prayers in his heart, the frightened Lotte listened as the cardinal, a plump middle-aged woman with a gentle impression, pursued calmly. "...Instead of being sorry, shouldn't we identify the cause?" "The Sacred Knights only informed us right before they reached the Holy Capital." "My, does that mean we learned of their movement only after receiving the news?" Doomed. Pale-faced, Lotte finally broke down into tears and sat on the spot. "I-I'm so sorry, your eminence. I didn't receive proper handover from my predecessors... No, it’s all my fault." Seeing Lotte babbling without real comprehension of his own words, Cardinal Tracey sighed deeply. "Please stand up. It looks like someone might think I'm punishing you." "I-I'm sorry." "...Goodness. Go on and do your work." "...Excuse me?" There were many meanings in Lotte's question. Just leave? Without any punishment? But he dared not ask, only bowing his head repeatedly. "Yes, yes! I understand. Th-Thank you, your eminence!" Lotte, eyeing Tracey for signs, retreated backward. Once the door closed, a handsome young man with black hair and black eyes, who had been observing the scene, chuckled softly and spoke. "...You're quite strict with your subordinates, Cardinal." "Oh my. Oh-hoho, that's not true. He's just too weak." "Assigned to a position where someone disappears almost every month; anyone would act like that." At the words laced with sarcasm, Tracey, who had been smiling, narrowed her brows. "So, have I ever hindered work, your highness?" "Ho, rather confident, aren't you? But it seems a disruption is coming soon. The deadline given by my father isn't far off, is it?" "Two weeks remain, your highness." At Vahros's remark, a handsome man with blue hair and green eyes, standing behind him, answered. Next to him, a knight with an eyepatch over his right eye nodded with a stern expression. "You see, Cardinal, while we're getting more anxious by the day, it seems you're at ease. Is it because you only need to have your 'puppet' speak?" At the jibe, Tracey's expression turned stony. "Watch your words, your highness. You never know who might be listening." "Aren't all those ears ours? I wonder why you're delaying such an easy task so much." Lounging back in his chair, Vahros looked at Tracey once more. "Or are you plotting to stab us in the back this time too?" His sharp eyes gleamed. Even as a prince of the empire, he couldn't blatantly question the cardinal of the sacred nation. Yet, due to the peculiar situation and matters involving his own clandestine activities, Tracey had to suppress her inner frustration and maintain a forced smile. "Oh-hoho, surely not. As I've mentioned, those incidents were acts committed unexpectedly by a radical faction within our magic tower..." "This again—saying it has nothing to do with us, so trust you. We've been hearing that almost daily lately. Aren't you tired of it? Or maybe having a puppet utter a word is that hard?" Should I turn you into a puppet too? Tracey swallowed the words and suppressed the killing intent boiling within. 'Ateleas's mental shield can't be easily broken by my magic, and before that, those knights would cut me down. The supreme bracelet is used to suppress the pope's divine power, so as for another method...' She had spent years in unwanted hardship to infiltrate the sacred nation. The greatest skill gained in that time was acting, and Tracey, envisioning the most extreme scenarios, concealed her intent and smiled again. "Oh-hoho, the potential repercussions must be recognized by your highness as well. I am deliberating on the most effective way to minimize side effects." Yet Vahros wasn't ready to give up. "Aren't I visiting you daily for the sake of discussing those methods? Why then aren't you consulting with me?" With a seemingly leisurely gait, Baros rose from his chair and approached Tracy, his eyes flashing with a menace that belied his composed demeanor. "Or do you think this is someone else's problem to deal with?" "That couldn't be..." Bang! "If it felt otherwise, you wouldn't be acting so laid-back!" Baros slammed his fist onto Tracy's desk. His face, now stripped bare of pretense, twisted into a demonic scowl. "Remember, Cardinal Tracy. I, Baros van Ateleas, will never die alone. If things go wrong, I assure you, you will accompany me to hell. Understood?" His eyes glinted with a dangerous intensity, impressive enough to overwhelm even Tracy, a cardinal and an elder of the Casel Tower. It wasn't the gaze of a prince, supposed to be the noblest of all; it was the look of a man teetering on the brink, face-to-face with death. Under those piercing eyes, it was difficult to utter a lie. "...Rest assured, I will do my utmost." I said I'd do my best, not that I'd comply. Baros, too, scoffed at her evasive answer. "Utmost effort? You just need to follow our instructions." "...Given the significant side effects, I'm considering mitigation strategies." Tracy bowed slightly. Baros, observing her for a moment, turned away icily. "I will return tomorrow. You must provide a firm answer then. We are out of time." Only after the sound of Baros's shoes had faded completely and the door slammed shut did Tracy let out a long breath. "Ha..." Only then did she recall the earlier report. Distracted by the desperate prince's frenzied demeanor, she had overlooked something equally critical. 'Ilia!' Why did the Holy Knights conceal this information? Biting her lip, she abruptly stood and headed outside. As she flung open the office doors, she was startled to find the prince standing there, scrutinizing her coldly. Caught off guard, Tracy quickly masked her unease with a smile. "...Hoho, Your Highness. Haven't you left yet?" "It seems you've come out quite hastily." "...Indeed. My mind is quite frazzled." "Mm. While I don’t intend to meddle in your affairs... is it such a grave matter that the deposed saintess has been captured?" "Ah... I must ensure rumors don’t spread among the ignorant masses." Tracy wiped away cold sweat, forcing a smile. "I see. It seems you've been busy with other tasks. Should we assist you, then?" "Hohoho, no need. It's an internal matter of the sacred nation." "We simply noticed that your busy schedule seems to impact 'our interests.'" "...I will swiftly handle it and provide measures. Please rest assured." Her demeanor remained deferential. It was a typical stance of one caught with much to hide, unbefitting of someone with a status as high as the prince. "...I will trust you one more time." "Yes. Please trust me, Your Highness." 'Though you won't be happy with the outcome.' Tracy kept her thoughts guarded, turning quickly away. Baros, observing her, nodded, turning in the opposite direction. Then, after some time had passed, he spoke. "What do you think?" "It seems she's not planning to comply with His Majesty’s orders." Leos's straightforward response was met with a heavy gaze from Baros, who then turned his attention to the man next to him. "Jérôme, your thoughts?" "...Pardon?" "What do you think Cardinal Tracy's next move will be?" "...I concur with Leos." "Hmm..." Baros scrutinized Jérôme's single eye before offering a bitter smile. "Take it easy, Sir Jérôme." "...Excuse me?" "You seem more stressed than I do. Or do aura users get fatigued easily?" "...I apologize. I'll focus more on managing my condition." Noticing the deep emotion in Jérôme's eye, Baros patted his shoulder before turning away. “Is Number 1 here?” Though it was tough to determine the addressee, a voice soon echoed from empty air. — Yes, Your Highness. No one appeared surprised. "Any findings?" — There is nothing notable in the office or residence. It seems she carries her secrets on her person. "As expected... Nothing comes easy." Baros pondered deeply, biting his lip as he walked. Neither the voice concealed in the air nor the two followers, Leos and Jérôme, disturbed his contemplative mood. It was only when they arrived at the temple lodgings assigned to them that Baros spoke again. "If the interests of the empire and mine were to clash, which should take precedence?" "The empire." "The empire." The two retainers responded almost simultaneously. As imperial subjects indoctrinated from youth, their answer was expected. "What if the cost is my life?" But the following question left them momentarily speechless. Most would naturally answer "the empire," but this time the subject was their prince. While Jérôme noticeably tensed, unable to speak, Leos pondered briefly before responding heavily. "Flexibility is key. Finding a middle ground would be best." Baros nodded, his expression heavy as he patted both retainers on the shoulders. “I doubt those people intend to listen. Had they planned to, there would have been no reason to delay. You agree, right?” “…Yes.” “But regardless of their decision, His Majesty will likely use this situation to his advantage. This is the closest we've ever come to achieving the royal family's longstanding goal of subjugating the sacred nation.” Jérôme visibly flinched at those words, but Baros took little note. His own situation felt too dire to focus on anything else. "And whether this plan succeeds or fails, my standing in the royal family will be lost. I'll be eliminated from the succession race. In essence, I'll be as good as dead. So, what should I do now?" Faced with his plight, no one dared to respond. Seeing this, Baros spoke once more. "...The Saintess. What do you think will happen to her, Jérôme?" "Your Highness, surely you don't mean...?" Even as Leos gasped in shock, Jérôme flinched and answered. "The sacred laws of the holy nation are exceptionally strict, harsher than those of any country. They likely find it difficult to comply with His Majesty's demands because of this..." "And the conclusion regarding the Saintess?" "For an excommunicated cleric, especially one accused of assassinating an important figure and fleeing, it seems she will face the death penalty." "Then, Leos, let me ask you. Is that Saintess truly a fake?" Sensing the prince's intentions as the gaze turned on him, Leos lightly bit his lip. "No, Your Highness. She's the genuine article. Tracy purged her to control the Pope." "...So she's the real Saintess." "Yes, that's right. Surely, Your Highness, you don't intend to..." "Indeed, what if I save that Saintess? And together, we overthrow these pretenders?" Jérôme's single eye widened, and Leos exhaled deeply. "The risks are immense, Your Highness. Not to mention how the royal family might react..." "I have no choice. Unless those people follow my lead, I need an alternative. Someone to manipulate the holy nation from the shadows. No matter how I think about it, there's no other way to align the empire's interests with my own." Jérôme shut his one eye tightly, and Leos swallowed, as the prince's composed voice broke the silence. "Reinstate the Saintess and remove the brainwashed Pope. In exchange, demand her full cooperation."