Interlude

|Charles Anworth von Vulux III|

I couldn't believe it… They… Do they successfully beat an S-class monster? All alone? Without the help of the Magician from the Tower of Magic? How?

"A-Are you sure it was Lord Lionheart, the one who summoned that being?"

I ignore the magician's annoyed expression, who looks at me as if I'm nothing but an idiot. I should be mad and order their execution immediately, but I do not care about it right now. The only thing I need to know is if Lionheart summons that being.

"Like the last time, I tell you. Yes, he is the one that summoned the Grim Reaper. You already saw the symbol above his head, and when the creature disappears, the symbol also disappears. You can connect the link between those two. I know you are not that dumb."

I can feel all the blood in my head is gone as my face becomes paler by the news. What if he sent his Grim Reaper to kill me? What if he holds a grudge against me because I did not help him?

Will the northern people gather together and rebel against me? With the harvest failure happening around the kingdom except in the north, they have a perfect opportunity to attack.

I should attack them first… Yes! What a great idea! Right now, they are in their weakest state! If I give an order to all the soldiers staying in the capital to attack the north right now, we can defeat them right now.

Yes…. Yes!

*PAK!!!!*

I snap from my thoughts when I feel someone slap me. I look at the one slapping me right on my cheek and see my mother look at me as if she wants to murder me.

"Whatever you are thinking right now, forget it!"

I frown at the audacity of this wench! I have enough!

"Silent, you wench! You are nothing but an old bitch that doesn't know anything!"

"Oh? Really? I'm dumb old wench am I? Then tell us what your so-called grand plan is, hmmm?"

"Hmph! I will order all the troops to march to the north and attack them! We will crush them and set an example to the other not to rebel against me! I then will take all their hidden riches and food. I will then give the food to others and be seen as the new Saint! Yes! A Saintly king!"

*PAK!!!*

Once again, I felt pain on my cheeks and glared at the old wench with all the hatred I have. However, before I could say anything, my good uncle, my wife's uncle, Duke Lampert Gideon von Vasper, said.

"If you think that, then I cannot agree with your decision. The only reason why I agree with your questionable decision of gathering all the soldiers in the capital is that my dear niece is begging to listen to you. I will not order the soldiers to march to the north, especially with the snow falling from the sky because of the birth of the S-class monster!"

"Then what should I do?!? They will rebel against me! They will destroy my dynasty! They will take the throne from me!"

I glare at my good uncle as I say that. My glare gets stronger and stronger as he walks toward me. However, what I did not expect is that he would dare to punch me.

"Shut up, you overgrown child! The northern people have never thought about rebelling! They are the most loyal people in the entire kingdom! They will give their life to defend the nation if you order them to! However, because of your idiocy, they now have enough reason to rebel!"

"Exactly! We need to attack them before they can attack us!"

"Idiot! Do you even know anything?!? We don't have enough food to let the soldier march to the north. Because of your so-called pride, you did not listen to your daughter's warning when she says there will be famine coming attacking the kingdom. However, instead of listening to your daughter, who has more wisdom than you, you decide to buy expensive glass from the Central Continent! You decide to build a mansion instead of farmland!"

"I…. I…. then what should I do?!?"

I look at him in desperation.

"Give him and his fellow lord a reward. Promote them. Give them a piece of land. The area around the Bloody Gate doesn't have any ruler. Give it to them. Promote Lord Lionheart into a Duke."

"DUKE?!?"

"Yes. He more than deserves it. He will be the Duke that handles the northern region. He will be the one that represents the north. Let the north gather under one banner. Let them serve the house of Lionheart."

"But it will give the Lionheart family more power!"

"Yes. However, as long as you have a good relationship with the Lionheart family, you will control all the north."

"Control all the north?"

"Yes. Through the Lionheart family, you now can control all the northern family."

Yes… That is a good plan. However, I still need some keys that hold the chain to control the Lionheart family. I look at my daughter and smile a little. Yes. That could work. While I don't want to let my family get married to the barbarian, I need a chain to control the Lionheart.

Even though the chain only became a concubine, it was enough to control that family.

Oh, my dear daughter, you will be the most beautiful chain ever born.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

|Pope of Kyna, The Goddess of Light and Life, Church| |Holy Light Empire|

"We cannot let those cursed men continue to live!"

"That's right!"

"The thing he summons is not a Grim Reaper! It was nothing but a dark creature! He should be burned!"

"We should make a crusade! A crusade to eradicate the heretic!"

I smiled a little at the four Cardinals united for the first time. Even when we are the servant of Goddess Kyna, The Goddess of Light and Life, we are still human, and they want my position of power.

While my position doesn't have the same power as the emperor, my position has the same power as the Duke, after all. While I cannot do something that is limited by the teaching of Kyna, I still can enjoy the money and offering the peasant gives to me.

When I see the Cardinal is a little bit too zealot, I decide to interfere.

"Gentlemen"

Hearing my voice, they immediately shut up and looked at me.

"Right now is not the time to announce a crusade."

"WHAT?!?"

Before they could shout at me, I quickly said.

"BUT! We will do it after the Succession War is over. Right now, we don't have a chance to beat the Heretic. We only have our Holy Knight. We need the power of all empires to defeat the Heretic."

I can see them begin to think and nod their head. A second later, one of the Cardinals asked me a question.

"We cannot stay here and do nothing. What should we do now? The Succession War will take a few more years."

I nodded my head and said.

"That is true. It will take at least ten years to resolve this conflict. However, we can make the war quicker by supporting one of the princes."

All the Cardinals nod their heads in agreement. Right now, the church is a natural ground. With the church's support, one of the princes will gain a tremendous advantage against the other princes.

"As for who we should support, let us discuss it with each other."

Yes. Let us spread the name of Kyna through the continent and make our church become the main church on the continent.