Chapter 216: Firm Resolve

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༺ Firm Resolve ༻

– Swish, Swish.

Upon receiving the document from Serena, I began to sift through the papers with a frown.

– This document is top secret. For the next 1000 years, only the Pope and the representative bishops are allowed to access it.

– Violating this rule will result in divine punishment.

As I read, a chilling statement on the first page grabbed my attention.

"Don't worry, it's just the usual nonsense from the Church."

Somewhat taken back, I turned to Serena, who responded with a relaxed smile.

"They can't perform miracles. The only one capable of communicating with God and performing miracles is Saintess Ferloche, not the Church."

"Hmm."

"The power they employ, for instance, is simply one of the natural laws of the world, not a divine gift. It's no different from mana or aura."

"Do you realize how dangerous it is to say such things?"

"But I proved it years ago, didn't I?"

With that, Serena enthusiastically began writing down various formulas.

"See, there is no fundamental difference between the elemental composition of 'holy power' and 'mana'. It's all about how much miraculous power is added…"

"Enough, enough."

"If we delve deeper, the lunar mana I use, the stellar mana you use, and the solar mana Clana uses are actually more sacred since they're bestowed by God…"

"I said enough!"

Lulu and Miho, seemingly discovering a profound secret of this world, stared blankly.

In consideration of them, I hurriedly covered Serena's mouth, but she just playfully kissed my hand.

'…Could it be that she planned that move?'

Feeling somewhat played by her, I tapped the table with my finger and continued reading the document.

– For this document to be activated, the consent of at least three bishops is required. Additionally, permission must be granted by someone of equal status to the Pope.

"You see, if these people were truly holy… they would have sought divine retribution if these conditions were violated. But they specifically mentioned 'magic.' This alone speaks volumes about the kind of organization they are…"

"Alright, but how did you get past these conditions?"

Upon hearing my question, Serena's eyes sparkled as she answered.

"The three bishops… My friends applied a bit of physical pressure, accompanied by my gentle persuasion, and Miho's unique talents proved invaluable."

Upon her somewhat ambiguous answer, I turned to Miho, who stood with her arms crossed and she replied bluntly.

"Her fellow humans kidnapped and tortured the bishops. Of course, they weren't easy to deal with. But two of them were forced to renounce their faith when this crazy girl debunked their doctrine."

"Mi, Miho."

"But the last one resisted until the end, so I drained his life force to the brink while torturing him. It took a week, but he finally relented…"

Miho, who had fled from a peaceful village in a remote valley due to boredom, now enjoyed her days as Serena's detective assistant.

And thanks to that, Miho was enthusiastically recounting their thrilling operations from the past few weeks.

"…Eek."

She stopped short when Serena pinched her side. Shivering, she shut her mouth.

"All three of them were trash. Involved in child abuse, human trafficking, and tax extortion, they deserved death…"

"You're not any better… ack!"

"…Anyway! That's not the important part. Turn to the next page."

Hearing her words, I was about to flip the page, which was charred from the deactivated magic circle, when a sudden question sprang to mind.

"By the way, how did you get the Pope's permission?"

"…I gave him banana milk."

"What?"

Seeing my incredulous expression, Serena covered her mouth with her fan, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

"He then cheerfully said, 'Please, feel free to read as much as you want!'"

"…The Pope?"

"Of course not. If he did, he might have been stabbed with a dagger by now, given the circumstances."

The more she explained, the more confusing it became. Holding my head for a moment, my eyes then sparkled as I asked a question.

"Wait, the condition says 'someone of equal status to the Pope'?"

"Hehe."

"So, did you use Ferloche?"

As I inquired, Serena turned to Miho, who stood nearby with a sulky expression, and grinned.

"See, my fiancée may act like a fool, but he's actually a genius, isn't he? He's going to be my husband."

"I already knew that much. And he's not your husband yet, is he?"

Listening to their playful exchange, I turned my attention back to the document, and posed another question.

"But why specify 'someone of equal status to the Pope'? They could've simply said 'the Pope'. This unnecessarily compromises security."

"Wow."

After I finished speaking, Serena turned her gaze to me with astonishment and murmured.

"You're so smart…"

"Is that something for you to say, Human?"

"Hehe… You're so cool… That's really good, Frey…"

Her tone suggested that there was a hidden meaning behind her words. However, since we hadn't been making much progress, I interjected.

"Anyway, does someone 'equal to the Pope' exist within the Church?"

Suddenly, Serena's expression darkened.

"Using Lady Ferloche was a mere stunt. They, of course, meant someone other than the Saintess."

"Are you certain?"

"…You'll see once you read further. Lady Ferloche has no connections to the dark side of the Church."

With that, Serena crossed her legs and spoke with a serious look.

"Anyway, if someone 'equal to the Pope' exists, but their identity is unknown, and they can access this top-secret document… Who could they be?"

"It must be the main antagonist."

"Exactly! Miho, my fiancée is truly a genius!"

As I responded with a lifeless tone, Serena, who had been clapping like a seal, returned to teasing Miho. After looking at her carefully, I refocused my attention on the document.

"".......""

Some time passed.

– Thud…!

A sharp pain shot through my head. What did I just see? Too much information had inundated me all at once.

"Are, are you alright?"

Serena looked at me with concern. Why was she looking like that? I never wanted to see her like that. I always wanted to see her smiling…

"…Huh."

The myriad of thoughts in my head vanished in an instant, replaced by a refreshing feeling.

'Mental manipulation?'

For a moment, I was suspicious, but then I shook my head. If it were ordinary mental manipulation, I would have easily detected it; therefore, the current phenomenon must be connected to the document I had opened.

"When you look at that page, I've noticed that a vast amount of information is transmitted to your mind all at once."

"Hmm…"

After hearing Serena's explanation, I nodded slowly and spoke in a subdued tone.

"I'll keep this."

"Yes."

Serena replied without a hint of hesitation.

"Are you out of your mind, Human? Handing over such an important document…"

"He is the client. We should follow the client's request."

After saying that, Serena smiled. As I watched her, I pondered for a minute.

'These Church people are up to something.'

If someone other than Serena or I had seen this document, it could have been dangerous. She and I both had a Mental Strength stat of over 9, making us capable of dealing with something like this, but…

"Hehe."

Then, there was Lulu next to me with a Mental Strength stat of 1.

"What are you looking at, Human?"

Similarly, if Miho, who also possessed low Mental Strength, saw this document, there might have been problems.

How did they employ such a mind-bending magic? These Church people are really out of their minds.

– Extract the sealed soul of the Sun God and infuse it into the prepared child.

– Her divinity and consciousness could not be erased, but a successful operation would elevate the 'prepared child' to a godly status.

– If successful, the true Sun will rise in the sky.

From the thoughts swirling in my head right now, it became apparent.

Who would believe that the guys claiming to worship the Sun God were plotting to bring down the Sun God themselves?

"What about the identity of the Paladin and all the secrets of the Church?"

"We've found out a lot. We're currently… torturing, no, we're persuading to get more information. The summary is on the back of that document."

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the scale of this revelation, I nodded in response to Serena's answer. I rose from my seat and spoke.

"You've done well, Serena."

And then, there was silence.

"That, that means…"

In that silence, Serena, trying to contain her racing heart, threw a question at me.

"Da, date. You're going on a date with me? Right?"

"...."

"I've been waiting for this day."

With that, Serena excitedly ran to my side.

"Look! I even bought new clothes and new accessories."

With an excited expression, she clung to me and started talking.

"I've memorized the perfect date course! I've spent a week calculating the best method. You'll be so surprised. And I've made all the reservations! For a musical, and even for a proposal… oh, oops."

Following her slip of the tongue, she blushed. I gazed at the flustered Serena.

"We're not going on a date."

I spoke with a lifeless voice.

"Ah, well, all you have to do is show up! I'll take care of everything today… Huh?"

She abruptly froze in the midst of her excitement.

"Ah? Wait, what?"

It appeared as though her high-functioning brain had temporarily malfunctioned, and Serena remained motionless for a while, making perplexed noises.

"…..!"

She looked as though she had lost her country.

"I made reservations… and even planned a proposal event, I planned everything…"

"..."

"It would surely be fun… Really, really fun… Even if it's just for an hour, it would be nice to be together…"

Soon, her eyes began to well up with tears, and she murmured in a timid voice.

"…Sigh."

Feeling my heart stir, I bit my lip to hide my emotions.

"We can't do it today."

I looked away as I spoke.

"We'll reschedule the date for next week. I'm busy today."

"Ah."

"Why did you decide on the time on your own? It's unsettling."

Upon hearing that, tears spilled from Serena's eyes.

"Whew….."

She soon sighed in relief, holding back a sob.

"I, I thought you didn't want to go on a date…"

"Today, I need to spend time with Lulu. So, stop interfering and leave now."

"....."

With that, she started glaring at Lulu.

"…Alright."

Then, with a disappointed expression, Serena rose from her seat.

"Ah! Right!"

She clapped her hands and began to speak.

"We have a request to complete!"

"A request?"

I tilted my head and asked, prompting a glint of excitement in Serena's eyes.

"Yes! The Imperial Family, the Church, over half of the major nobility, the Empress, and even that damned Rose lady… Many people have placed requests related to you."

"So?"

"I'm going to inspect your mansion now!"

She spoke with a cheerful expression, before muttering excitedly as she began to walk away.

"Frey's house… How many years has it been…? Well, I need to memorize the layout now… Since I'll be the lady of this mansion someday, I should become familiar with its structure…"

"…I didn't give you my permission."

"Well, it can't be helped! I have to fabricate and manipulate all the corruption and wrongdoings you've done! It's essential for data collection!"

"..."

"There are some things that the investigation team hasn't taken yet, right? I'll clean everything up for you. So that no one will dare touch you…"

I listened to her receding voice with my eyes closed.

"…Lulu, help Serena."

"Yes."

"Aren't you coming along?"

"…I'm leaving, Human."

With a soft voice, I saw the two girls out of the living room and embraced the ensuing silence.

– Thump…!

Was I momentarily shaken earlier?

"Hmm."

For some reason, my heart began to ache once more.

.

.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

"Co… cough…"

"Haah, haah…"

Within the Imperial Palace, on a training ground exclusively reserved for the Imperial Family.

"You're quite something…Aren't you, Clana?"

"...."

Looking down at the Second Princess, who was battered and collapsed under her, Clana declared in a cold voice.

"According to the terms of the duel from yesterday, I've just risen to the 3rd rank in the line of succession. Do you agree?"

"…And if I refuse?"

"I'll kill you."

Upon hearing those words, the Second Princess quickly raised a white flag, signaling her surrender.

"I surrender, I surrender. I never wanted to fight with you in the first place… I'm not even interested in the throne. I just wanted to live in peace…"

Clana stared at her coldly, wiped the blood from her face with her hand and then licked it.

"Ugh, eek…"

The aura she emitted was so intense it made the Second Princess's attendants flinch.

"Following the oath, from now on, you all will serve under me. Any objections?"

""…There is none.""

After securing her complete victory, Clana smiled quietly.

"Miss Irina is approaching."

"…Damn."

She ground her teeth and murmured bitterly as her attendant quietly whispered to her.

"For someone with just a big chest… How dare she approach Frey… When I haven't done more than a kiss…"

She looked down at her chest, gloomily.

"And also, the First Princess invited Mr. Frey to her birthday…"

"Damn it…"

Hearing that, her eyes flashed, and she whispered coldly.

"…Should I kill her?"

The attendant's face turned pale upon hearing that.

"...!!"

And it was the same for the other servants in the room.

Regardless of the implications of her statement, Clana's aura was terrifying.

"Ah, and lastly…"

In the suddenly chilly training ground, Clana's attendant hesitated before reporting.

"The medicinal herbs and elixirs you ordered…and the ones you asked to be particularly careful with, the ones good for… vitality… They have just arrived at the port…"

"…Send everything to the Starlight Mansion."

"Pardon?"

When her attendant looked puzzled, Clana quietly looked away and murmured.

"Buy everything available on the market right now and send it."

"Umm…"

"Also, search the entire imperial storehouse."

"...."

"Hurry up. In any case, send all the good stuff."

With those words, a moment of silence followed.

"May I ask why you're doing all this…"

"There's a very important reason. Just follow my instructions."

She answered the utterly perplexed attendant.

'I'll save you by any means… Even if I have to use all my power.'

After speaking coldly and turning away…

'But just in case… I must seize this opportunity…'

As Clana confidently walked towards the exit, lost in thought…

'…I will bear the child who will become the next Emperor of this country.'

…Her face turned red.

"In a single attempt."

You can read 505 episodes for $10. p.*atreon.com/Astrid02