124 – Exposing the Guilty (6)
So, Adrian’s plan was as follows:
First, by pretending to be my fake lover, we will initially identify those who have negative thoughts about her within the Holy Kingdom.
However, among them, there will be many who originally have a sense of justice but consider the Saint herself to have violated the law. So, we will conduct additional investigations and identify those who have clear evidence of wrongdoing.
We will gather the evidence of wrongdoing without revealing it immediately.
Next, those who are guilty will surely want to drive the Saint away. We will seize that opportunity and proceed with the trial to discredit the Saint.
To buy time until the trial, we need to be prepared for whatever they might do. The Pope will step in and keep her confined in the Papal Palace.
And then, the trial.
That trial will be a trial not for the Saint’s discreditation but for judging those who are guilty.
…This is the essence of the plan, but there is no guarantee that it will go as planned. It is truly a gamble.
From the beginning, the Holy Kingdom has very strict standards for the Saint. If she were to have a man by her side, many would view her negatively just because of that.
There will also be people who feel betrayed.
In other words, it is an action that not only targets those who have committed wrongdoing but also tests the loyalty of even the faithful. It is an unnecessary action for both her and me. Of course, there will be follow-up investigations, but couldn’t those investigations be conducted against the Inquisitors?
No matter how many times I think about it, it seems impossible.
I shook my head.
“No, it won’t work. The method is too reckless, and there is no need to do it.”
“…Is that so?”
Adrian’s expression became quite gloomy. Lately, it seemed that her emotions were more visible on her face when she met me.
“There is merit in confirming suspicious individuals, but there is no need to tarnish the Saint’s reputation. After all, we can conduct separate investigations, right?”
“Hmm…”
“Are there any reliable people for the investigation?”
“No.”
“What? Then how do you plan to conduct the investigation?”
“Well, that… I was planning to do it myself. There is no one I can trust.”
“There is no one you can trust?”
“Yes. Actually…”
Adrian hesitated for a while before finally confessing to me. He said that it was hard to trust anyone within the empire.
“Why do you think so?”
“Well, during the incident with Lady Estelle… I actually saw everything.”
“Ah.”
“Not only did I witness it, but I also got a glimpse into Lady Estelle’s past. That’s why it’s hard for anyone to be trusted.”
“But why me?”
“Senior Prahl received recognition from the torch and emitted blue flames. Isn’t that enough reason to trust?”
“I am not that good of a person.”
“Whether someone is good or bad is not for oneself to judge. The senior I saw was a very good person.”
“….”
“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about… The truth is, there is no one I can trust to handle the job, so I have to do it alone. There are plenty of people I could assign the task to. After all, I am a saint. But are there no traitors or accomplices among them?”
That’s true. Even though the empire might not know, it is likely quite corrupt.
The Pope might be an exception, but let’s not forget that the original narrative has already been distorted. It is impossible to clearly distinguish who is good and who is bad.
Blindly trusting could lead to bloodshed. Perhaps the saint knows this, which is why she is not hastily entrusting everything to the Pope.
“That could certainly be the case. The authority of the cardinals is considerable, so they must have planted their own people throughout the empire. Especially during the time when the saint was in the empire, there must have been various attempts to win her over.”
“That’s right. That’s why it’s even harder to trust anyone. It might be better to trust people from outside the empire.”
“So, is that why you chose me?”
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“Yes.”
“There is also Ruslan… I heard that he played a significant role in the investigation team this time.”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. There is Senior Ruslan too. But for some reason, my intuition keeps shouting that there is no one like Senior Prahl in this case.”
“Intuition, you say?”
“Yes. Please don’t look at me so strangely. My intuition has a higher accuracy rate than I expected… Whenever I felt an ominous intuition, whenever I felt that something needed to be done, it always turned out to be correct.”
“I see…”
Perhaps Adrian thought it wouldn’t work, so he raised his head slightly and said to me.
“Please, help me. I feel like it will be difficult without Senior’s assistance. Especially because I want to root out all the corruption deeply embedded in the empire…”
But if I fall for it here, I would be a fool. There is so much to gain from the empire. It is true that the corruption within the empire needs to be exposed, and I agree with that.
Originally, I was just going to throw Dantalion to the cardinals and watch from the sidelines, but upon further consideration, this was an event that I had to participate in.
Because, in order to maintain my authority, the cardinals who resort to all sorts of tricks are a great source of experience. Not only Ruslan, but I can also become stronger by facing them.
While obtaining the Shackles of the Subjugator, I needed time to organize the insights I gained. Now seems to be the best time.
“Hmm…”
“Um, if there is anything you want, I will do my best to accommodate within reasonable limits. Since you are stepping into a dangerous situation, I will give you a suitable and substantial reward.”
As I showed signs of hesitation, Adrian urgently spoke to me.
It’s a substantial reward given directly by the saint. Honestly, I didn’t need simple money or special magical items. I had Asty, who could easily create decent magical items, and as for money… I’m already rich.
Ah, come to think of it, there was something like that in the empire too. It was an elixir that enhances the physical abilities of the user, although not as powerful as the Fruit of the Divine or the Heart of the Dragon.
What was it called? I can’t remember the exact name.
“Well, I’ve been making quite an effort to enhance my physical abilities lately. Is there anything that could help?”
When I mentioned this, the saint’s face brightened. There it is.
“Yes, there is! It’s called the Giant’s Blood…”
That’s right, the Giant’s Blood.
During the war between Heaven and Hell, it was said to be the blood collected from one of the demons, a giant. It strangely enhances human strength, and the knights have been taking it for a long time.
The Giant of Hell, ultimately just a demon, possessed blood that strangely enhanced humans, making it a valuable elixir that remained in the human world.
It boosts vitality, enhances the user’s strength without any side effects… that was the item’s setting.
Looking at the setting alone, it might seem like something that corrupts people’s minds with evil, but in reality, it had no such effect.
Otherwise, the saint wouldn’t have openly spoken to me like that.
Why, if you look through various media, you’ll find such settings. The protagonist, faced with extreme circumstances where they have to kill enemies and unknowingly consume their blood, grows stronger as a result… a setting like that.
It was an item crafted based on that setting, but I never expected it to appear in front of me so conveniently.
“If it’s a giant, wasn’t it once one of the demons of Hell during the ancient mythical era? Would there be no issues with consuming their blood?”
I pretended not to know. Not only to confirm if what I knew was true, but ultimately, the blood of giants was an item that even in the Holy Kingdom was not openly disclosed to the public.
“It’s true that it’s a demon of Hell, but it’s an item that remarkably activates human strength. When consumed, it only enhances the body’s recovery and strength, without any adverse effects.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Have you ever consumed the blood of a giant yourself?”
“Ah. Then, the saint’s formidable physical abilities…?”
“That’s right. Thanks to the blood of the giant. Otherwise, how could I, at the age of seventeen, surpass the physical abilities of most knights effortlessly? I was just a normal girl when I was young.”
This was a setting I didn’t know about. I had only set the saint to have strong powers, thinking she would appear strong by swinging a huge hammer… It seemed like this was filling the gaps in that setting.
At this point, one could consider gaining a lot. Experiences to embody enlightenment and the enhancement of physical abilities. Even having a talisman called Dantalion… there shouldn’t be any overly difficult situations.
No, in the first place, I had become incredibly strong, so I should be able to handle most crises. If I could even obtain the blood of a giant, there was no reason to refuse.
“Very well. I will assist the saint.”
“Thank you!”
Adrian, as before, suddenly grabbed my hand. Grabbing someone’s hand when emotions intensify seemed to be a habit of hers.
“Well then, let’s calm down… and reconsider the plan.”
“Yes!”
