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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Archbishop Racheni was a powerful named character, his religious authority unparalleled on the continent.
How powerful he is? His word, backed by his immense religious authority, could make a witch not a witch.
The problem was that getting Archbishop Racheni on my side was impossible.
He was one of the few characters who could resist Anya’s beauty, something even the King couldn’t do.
It wasn’t that he was completely immune, but he would rather commit suicide than cross a certain line. In other words, there was no way to recruit him in a witch playthrough.
So, despite his usefulness, I had given up on him. But…
‘He walked right into my hands.’
And he had even put a leash around his own neck and hand it over to me the end.
Of course, he was a religiously devout old man, so I couldn’t just use him as I pleased, even with a leash.
However, it was a much better situation than before, where I couldn’t even try.
‘If I get the Northern Continent’s witch, and add Racheni’s religious authority to that…’
It might be an opportunity to become a powerful lord who didn’t have to worry about what others thought.
Just then, Racheni, lying on the bed, flinched and then sat up abruptly.
“Where am I…?”
“Don’t you even know where you are, after sneaking in like a thief? Archbishop Racheni.”
He turned his head towards me, his eyes trembling. As he belatedly grasped the situation, his face filled with bewilderment.
After all, he was a famously devout archbishop, caught red-handed sneaking into a noble’s inner chambers like a thief. He must have been at a loss as to how to resolve this situation.
‘Typical of a character with the ‘fanatic’ trait.’
He was usually as wise as a sage, but when it came to religion, he became reckless.
In other words, religion was behind his irrational act. And there was only one religious reason for him to sneak into my house.
A witch.
“What business does the renowned archbishop have in my house?”
I set aside the issue of his crime for now. Like a fine wine, this problem would only get better with age.
Throughout our conversation, he would be worrying about what I would demand as compensation. In other words, I could lead the conversation from a position of power.
“I received a report.”
“A report?”
“That…”
Just as Racheni was about to reveal his purpose, there was a knock on the door, and Fiore entered. She glanced at Archbishop Racheni and whispered to me…
“It seems the head priest of the chapel helped him. What should we do?”
I had been wondering how a powerless old man had managed to bypass the tight security. So there was a traitor on the inside.
“There was a thief in the house. Deal with him.”
“What are you doing?!”
Racheni seemed to have overheard Fiore’s whisper.
I, on the other hand, feigned bewilderment and said…
“Archbishop, did you really not know how this would turn out?”
A priest employed by a castle had colluded with an outsider to help him infiltrate.
What if that outsider had been an assassin? Even with my superhuman strength and special eyes, there was no guarantee I could have avoided assassination.
In other words, it was a matter I had to take seriously.
Did Archbishop Racheni not know that?
No, he had probably known and ignored it, blinded by his religious conviction. Now it was time for him to pay the price.
“The Lord said to love your enemies!”
“Archbishop, do not use the Lord’s name in vain. The Lord will not look kindly upon you using His name to justify the head priest’s sin.”
Racheni couldn’t hide his surprise. Why, did he not expect a sword wielding knight to counter him with religious language?
If he had really thought that, he would soon regret it. I was once more deeply immersed in theology than anyone.
‘It was because of my mother’s resurrection.’
I had once believed that the path to seeing my deceased mother again lay in theology.
Doesn’t it say in the scriptures that at the appointed time, the dead will rise and find happiness at the Lord’s side?
I had studied theology to hasten that time. And I had despaired.
No matter how much I called out to God, my mother didn’t return.
Of course, my theological knowledge was probably like a firefly before the sun compared to the archbishop’s.
But the situation was what it was.
Archbishop Racheni got off the bed and knelt.
“Please, I beg you, have mercy.”
Typical of Racheni. He didn’t hesitate to kneel for the priest who had helped him.
“Good results must be achieved through righteous means. Otherwise, they may be beautiful on the outside, but rotten on the inside.”
Archbishop Racheni bowed his head even lower.
“The fate of the head priest is in your hands, Archbishop.”
The head priest’s betrayal was infuriating, but killing him would only offer me a fleeting moment of satisfaction.
It was more beneficial to use him to put another leash on the archbishop.
“I received a report that the princess is a witch.”
As expected, his purpose for infiltrating was the witch. At the same time, I knew who had made the report.
“It was the King, wasn’t it?”
Only Bronce II would be hostile to Eleanor, despite knowing about her ability.
The archbishop slowly raised his head.
“How… how did you know?”
“The princess and the King are in conflict over the succession.”
I used the succession issue as an excuse. The King wouldn’t have told him the details.
If he had revealed that Eleanor’s ability was the foundation of his success, he, too, would have been subject to the archbishop’s interrogation. And he wasn’t on good terms with the archbishop.
“There’s no clear evidence, is there? Archbishop, you’ve been used politically.”
“I thought that might be the case. But I had to confirm. It’s my duty.”
The archbishop’s eyes, looking straight at me, shone brightly. They were the eyes of a man with unwavering conviction.
I chuckled.
“The Lord prefers action over a thousand words. How was it? You must have seen many things on your way here. Does this territory look like a den of evil ruled by a witch?”
I was confident. My territory was far better than any other.
In this era, nobles treated their subjects like livestock that paid taxes. There was no other noble who cared about the lives of his subjects as much as I did.
Even if it was just a means to collect more taxes.
“Indeed, it’s the opposite. It’s a city closer to the ideal I dream of. However, I have one question. How did you fund the numerous construction and maintenance projects? As I understand it, your financial situation is not good due to the successive wars.”
“I borrowed.”
Not me, but Anya. While I was away, Anya had taken out loans to develop the territory.
When I found out, I almost scolded Anya. It was an instinctive aversion.
Why not? The interest rates were exorbitant, enough to make a modern loan shark blush.
Anya’s thinking was different.
‘Once you borrow money, the debtor becomes the one in power.’
And what if the debtor had powerful military strength and authority? Anya explained that the creditor would have no choice but to be led by the nose.
Only after hearing that did I realize that my modern way of thinking had been a hindrance.
The world I was living in was not the modern era. It was the medieval era, where power and the military strength to wield it could turn wealth into dust overnight.
“You’re saying you took out a loan for the citizens…?”
The archbishop looked incredulous.
“Will you believe me if I introduce you to the merchant who lent me the money?”
“If you find it so hard to believe, how about this? I’m about to go on a tour of the territory. Why don’t you accompany me and see for yourself whether this territory is a den of devils?”
I cast my bait, to put a third and final leash on him.
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Meanwhile, at the same time, Allen’s women were gathered in the conference room. Fiore, who had gone to ask Allen about the head priest’s fate, had just returned.
“He said to just lock him up for now.”
“My brother must have his reasons. Anyway, let’s start the meeting.”
The fate of a mere priest was not their concern. They had more important matters to discuss.
The five women sat around the round table, eyeing each other. Anya, who was acting as the moderator, spoke first.
“The answer is obvious, but I’ll ask anyway. Who wants to accompany my brother to Quaran?”
Allen was scheduled to join Dressten in Quaran and travel by boat. He had also planned to inspect the territory on his way there.
This meeting was to select the woman who would accompany him on that journey.
As soon as Anya finished speaking, everyone raised their hands. No one wanted to miss the opportunity for a private date.
“So everyone wants to travel with my brother? Well, I’m the same, so I can’t blame you. But you know we can’t all go. It’s not a vacation, and if he’s seen with a bunch of women, it will damage his reputation.”
“Then how many…”
Anya held up two fingers in response to Usebia’s cautious question.
“At most, two. If there’s no good reason, it’ll be just one.”
The women exchanged glances. Adelia was the first to speak.
“I think my daughter and I should go. We were going back to Polton anyway, so if we go together, we won’t have to hire an escort.”
Polton was a week’s journey from Quaran. In other words, if Adelia had her way, the mother and daughter of the Rasino family would be with Allen for most of the journey.
“Mother…!”
Usebia looked at Adelia with admiration.
“Oh my, you’re quite greedy, aren’t you? But that’s a flimsy excuse. We’re not so poor that we can’t afford an escort. Rejected.”
Anya was ruthless.
Usebia’s face fell, and Adelia glared at Anya, but Anya simply responded with a mischievous smile.
Anya, as Allen’s sister, wielded absolute power in these meetings. However, no one complained because she was fair.
Anya, having eliminated two competitors at once, continued…
“Think about what would be helpful to my brother, not your own selfish desires.”
“Then you’re not interested, Anya?”
Anya smirked at Adelia’s question.
“No. That’s why I think I should go. I managed the territory while my brother was away. I’m the only one who can report on the progress.”
“So you had the answer all along!”
Anya shrugged.
“If you have a reason I haven’t thought of, I’ll gladly allow it.”
Adelia bit her lip, but she couldn’t think of a good reason.
Anya, thinking she would finally get some quality time alone with Allen, smirked. Just then, an unexpected rival appeared.
“Uh… then you’ll need an escort, won’t you?”
Fiore, who had been watching cautiously, chimed in. As all eyes turned to her, she scratched her cheek and continued…
“I mean, when Allen leaves Quaran, Anya will be left alone. She’ll need someone to protect her. Men can’t do that… so that leaves me, doesn’t it?”
When Allen was away, Anya and Fiore were a pair. It was so natural that Anya hadn’t even considered it.
Fiore smirked at Anya, finally realizing she had hit the mark.
“How can I ever thank you?”
“Ugh…”
Anya, her fists clenched, turned her head away. Fiore knew it was a sign of surrender. Her smile widened.
“What about Eleanor? Why are you so quiet?”
Of all the women, only Eleanor seemed to have no desire to go.
She, who had been staring blankly out the window, turned to the round table only after Anya asked.
“Anya, could I trouble you with the administration of Quaran?”
“What about you, Eleanor?”
“I’ll stay here.”
Anya’s eyes widened.
“Alone?”
“With this, Allen has become the enemy of both the royalist and aristocratic factions. While I don’t expect anyone to be foolish enough to pull a sleeping lion’s whiskers, there are always crazy people who defy common sense. If I stay here, everyone will be safe.”
Everything Allen had built was like a castle built on sand. Without him, the remaining people would be too vulnerable.
Allen had made various preparations to prevent this, but they weren’t perfect.
That was why Eleanor had decided to stay. If she remained alone in Roxwood, a strategic gateway, she could protect everyone with her ability.
“You’re going to willingly go back into that invisible prison?”
Anya couldn’t believe it. Having been by her side, she knew better than anyone how much Eleanor had suffered in her prison-like life.
After tasting freedom with Allen, she had even shown signs of depression. And yet, she was willingly going back into that prison.
While everyone else was busy fulfilling their own desires, Eleanor had chosen to sacrifice herself.
“Don’t get me wrong. This is for my own sake. I… want everyone, including Allen, to be together. Compared to the years I’ve lost, the time I’ll be alone won’t be that long.”
Anya, seeing Eleanor’s bright smile, knew. She might have won the battle, but she had lost the war.
Wasn’t Eleanor, who had thought of Allen first while everyone else was focused on their own desires, the one who had shown true love?
No one could deny that at that moment, Eleanor seemed more like the true wife.
Anya felt a pang of shame for her own behavior. The other women felt the same.
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