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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: selkie
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“Hmm… Is that so?”
“That’s right, Lady Shude.”
The ‘interrogator’ kneeling politely before him.
This person was secretly infiltrated into the Magic Kingdom to ascertain the situation while concealing their identity,
and through the words of someone who was originally her subordinate, Shude began to think that the overall situation was flowing very interestingly.
‘To failure of the hero party like that… Human greed is endless, but surely the Emperor’s desire knows no bounds. Well… that’s the same for our Magic King as well.’
Up until now, various hero parties have been dispatched to defeat the Demon King, effectively carrying out assassinations, and have experienced numerous failures in doing so.
Nevertheless, the fundamental premise of striking at the head of the serpent holds significance, and as such, there haven’t been any major disturbances regarding this matter so far.
However.. regardless of those countless failures.
Once again, the defeat of the hero party this time was trying to bring about a huge storm unlike any before.
It was not merely due to military losses but rather a fierce storm related to the dirty fight of politics.
That was…
The power struggle between the Pope of the Elf Church, which had been sleeping within the Allied Races,
and the Emperor of the Falcon Empire.
“So, how far do you think the Emperor intends to go with this?”
“I can’t say for sure, but it seems he doesn’t plan to see it through to the end. He has even requested cooperation from our Magic King already.”
“Well… There have been similar incidents before, but it’s the first time the power gap between the Elf Church and the Falcon Empire has widened this much. It’s only natural to seize the justification that has come at this time.”
With those words, Shude slowly took a sip of her tea, beginning to reconsider the current political situation.
Under the name of the race chosen by the World Tree and the gods, the Elf Church had presided over the continent’s religion.
Although its own national power was limited due to the small population of elves, the religious authority of the elf church, which had been maintained for hundreds of years, stretched throughout the continent.
The places represented by the temples built by the elves were located in towns of various sizes across the continent, becoming religious strongholds.
The solid religious sentiment emanating from there, along with the enormous ‘donations’ collected through it, had been a major factor that prevented even the strongest nation, the Falcon Empire, from looking down on the Elf Church.
Thus, despite its small population, the Elf Church exercised great influence over the continent’s nations by using religion as a fence.
However..
The strong religious authority of the Elf Church and the Pope, which had continued for so long, had naturally become an eyesore to the Falcon Empire, which possessed the strongest national power on the continent and aimed to be the supreme ruler.
The Falcon Empire wished to neutralize the influence of the Elf Church at all costs and wanted to reign as the only and unshakable ruler of the continent.
To this end, the Emperor sought to nurture priests like Aileen within the Empire itself and appointed them to shake the situation, but even so, they could not shake the firmly established authority of the Elf Pope.
However..
The incident of the hero party that occurred in this situation.
Unlike before, the hero party began with great expectations, supported by the immense aura of the ‘Pope’s Prophecy,’ only to suffer a disastrous defeat.
From the perspective of the Emperor and the Empire, this provided a good pretext to shake the authority of the Pope and the Elf Church, which had been in an absolute position until now. In connection with this, the Emperor was already in the process of preparing to officially blame the Pope.
Currently, the warriors of the hero party, including Shude, were being interrogated separately as part of this plan.
And…
Regarding the impending storm, Shude began to smile slightly as she calculated how she should act.
‘The conflict between the Pope and the Emperor… Honestly, from our standpoint, it’s not all that bad. After all, once we finish off that Demon Kingdom, they will become our enemies anyway…’
While thinking this,
Shude felt a sense of ease, believing that whichever side wins would ultimately benefit her and the Magic Kingdom, as she set down her teacup.
Just a few minutes ago, before entering this room, Shude had been feeling somewhat anxious.
However, the moment she laid eyes on her subordinate and recognized that a political dynamic lay in the background, she understood that the Magic Kingdom had already reached out to this side.
Since then, she had been accepting the situation comfortably, as if he were on vacation.
Of course, separate from that, Shude had spoken out to conceal her flaws and protect her companions…
To be blunt, she had done so for Torare’s sake, as discussed beforehand. Furthermore, this aligned with the existing plan of the Magic King, who had decided to collaborate with the Emperor.
In a way, it could be said that Shude was faithfully acting in accordance with what the Magic King and the Emperor wanted.
“Ultimately, this means that our lies will never be revealed. And even if the truth somehow comes to light, the Emperor would rather label it a lie and bury it.”
Thinking to herself that she was indeed lucky in many ways…
At the same time, she felt a slight disappointment at not being able to completely erase Amelda, whom she had hoped to eliminate.
A cold smile began to form on Shude’s lips.
‘After all, I can’t disappoint the expectations of His Majesty the Magic King. Ultimately, even if I want to build a sweet future with Torare, I must…’
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Amelda had stated that the hero’s defeat was due to the betrayal of the female warriors.
In reality, it could be a bit challenging to directly associate the betrayal with the hero’s defeat.
To tell the truth, it was simply because the hero was weaker than expected and the Demon King stronger than anticipated. The mention of the Pope’s Prophecy was essentially just nonsense.
However,
for someone who had resolved to tell lies from the start, fabricating a story like this posed no problem at all.
Even now, she had a wonderful justification, not for personal gain, but for the sake of the nation and her fellow countrymen, so she felt very little hesitation about spouting lies.
And…
As her falsehoods intertwined with her truths, a deep shock began to manifest on Brutus’s face.
“Th-That… that kind of thing happened? How… how could such an unbelievable thing occur…”
As a result of being captivated by a mere porter, the female warriors of the hero party had kicked away the opportunity given by the gods and betrayed the expectations of countless people.
Brutus began to tremble with intense rage, and seeing this, Amelda lowered her head, shedding tears.
“I’m sorry! If only I had acted a little more properly… if I hadn’t succumbed to that porter’s threats and betrayed the hero, this wouldn’t have happened…”
In reality, she was also one of the key instigators who had fallen for Torare and facilitated the events.
However, given that her colleagues were likely to abandon her in light of the national political situation, there was no need to discuss such matters.
Although guilt still lingered in a corner of her heart, this feeling could be somewhat neutralized by the thought, “After all, they would have abandoned me too.”
In this situation, what was dangerous was not others but herself, which made her even more so.
‘After all, it’s already spilled milk… how can it be bad to pledge my devotion for the sake of my country and fellow countrymen? Yes, all of this is an unavoidable choice made for the nation. Anything I gain in the process is just a bonus.’
Tears flowing, Amelda shifted the blame onto her comrades, portraying herself as a victim.
To this, Brutus told Amelda that it was not the time to care about such things.
“Stop it, there’s no time for apologies now. If we don’t convey this truth accurately, truly irreparable events will occur.”
“I agree. Surely those wicked members of the hero party will fall for the Emperor’s tricks and freely give false testimony. Discrediting the hero’s honor will benefit them too.”
Unlike just moments ago when he was consumed by anxiety, Brutus had regained his usual calm demeanor.
Upon recognizing that her lies were firmly believed by her mentor, Amelda internally let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Well, it’s a relief after all. The one leading that incident was the Emperor’s vassal, Aileen… If this fact comes to light, it will strike a blow to the Emperor’s justification for wanting to exploit this incident.”
“Yes! Exactly. That wicked woman… Even if she’s a fake appointed by the Emperor, how can she do such things while holding the position of a vassal serving the gods? It is absolutely unacceptable.”
With her mentor’s words, Amelda criticized Aileen without restraint.
Having made up her mind, there was no reason to look back anymore, so she continued to speak aggressively in defense of herself.
Watching Amelda’s attitude, Brutus slowly nodded and said to her in a serious voice,
“Then we have no time to waste. We must act quickly before the Emperor manipulates the testimony of this hero party and announces it.”
“I think the same.”
With those words, Brutus immediately rose from his seat. Right after that, he used the keys he had as the interrogator to release the magical restraint cuffs on Amelda’s hands.
“Let’s depart right away. Before the Emperor catches on… You must return to your homeland and convey the truth. No matter what happens to me, you must do so. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes! I understand, Master. I will definitely make the world aware of the misdeeds of those filthy members of the hero party and realize justice!”
Filled with a resolute will, Amelda replied in a determined tone to Brutus’s words.
Definitely…
She was determined to let the entire world know about the lies she had created.
