Chapter 31 – Entering the Tiger’s Den (2)
Chapter 30 Entering the tiger’s den (2)
Buzz buzz.
“Oh, saintess!
I heard something happened?!”
“Who dared to harm our saintess?!”
“Is it true that demons attacked the saint of the sun?!”
In the cathedral, people are not allowed to gather outside of worship and ceremonies.
Therefore, priests and laity, followers of Marianne, gathered in the square in front of the cathedral.
“Everyone, thank you for your concern.
I am okay.
However, there is a situation where someone gathered mercenaries and enlisted soldiers and attacked me deliberately.
You must protect me from now on.
Please pray to the sun god for me.”
Marianne, with her brooding expression, pleading her support for herself.
Asking to pray for oneself does not mean only praying for real, it means spreading rumors here and there as an excuse to pray.
Those who gather in religious groups will spread rumors even if they are not ordered to do so, and with that meaning, they end up being misleading.
“Who dares to see Marianne!”
“We will pray for you!”
“The sun god’s blessings to Marianne-sama!”
In no time, the vast square was half full of people who were worried about Marianne.
“Rebekah, did you hand over the body?”
“Yes. The wagon carrying the corpses of the cathedral’s attendants… I delivered it to the priest in charge of the funeral in the backyard.”
I mobilized all the herbs for preservation in my wagon, and brought the corpse before it rotted away.
Even inside the cathedral, they will conduct their own investigations.
Reliability is 0 points.
Thinking of the deaths of the people she was with, Rebekah seems depressed again.
Tap her on the shoulder once.
“Hey, escort captain.
Have you contacted the Abu Bakr family?”
“Yes. I contacted you.”
“Good. Let’s stop by and then go right away.”
After stopping by the store for a while to finish the maintenance, the road to the palace.
“Captain, even if I rush in like this, will the palace accept me?
Wouldn’t the original entry procedure be difficult?”
“I heard that Marianne got to know someone through confession.
He said he sent a message to a high-ranking person.
A deal that will be opened as soon as you enter the palace.”
All over again.
Several wagons rolled quickly and arrived in front of the grand palace.
The place we arrived is not the south gate, which is the main gate, but the east gate.
“Stop, let me check your ID.”
“I am Marianne from the cathedral.
I have an appointment with Princess Anne today.”
The security guard checked the documents and said,
“You can go to the building you see right there.
All wagons must park there.
The number of attendants will be limited when entering the palace.
Submit this pass to the inner palace guard.”
Oops, it goes without saying, but only those who are allowed to go see the High One.
It would be nice if we could go in together.
As you heard at the entrance, put the wagon.
After submitting the pass to the palace guard, Marianne and Rebekah ask various questions.
“How is it? Can I come in too?”
“That is… Men are somewhat restricted in the Princess’ Palace.
If the master wants to go in with you, you have to see it in a more private place.”
“This. I need to talk privately…”
I’m also a commoner on the surface… Ah!
“Hey, escort captain.
Give me your ring.”
I received the ring from the Abu Bakr family and quickly changed into a classy, luxurious outfit I had brought from the store.
I usually wash and go around, so the transformation is quick.
“Let’s say that a descendant of the Abu Bakr family has arrived.”
Fortunately, at the request of the Saint of the Sun, the three of us, including myself, managed to enter the inner palace.
“The saintess’ authority is greater than I thought, isn’t it?
No, authority is authority, but why is her network so wide?
Is this the power of celebrity?”
“… You are exaggerating.
Many of the unmanned are people I heal on the battlefield, or have seen me heal.
There are many of those families.
It is thanks to the warm people who repay the favor.”
We are sitting in the small living room waiting for someone.
Sigh.
“Princess is entering.”
Jump up.
Marianne and Rebekah got up from their chairs and stood with their hands together.
I woke up roughly following that figure.
“Long time no see, Marie.
It goes well with casual wear.”
“Thank you, Princess Anne.
How are you.”
Princess Anne.
The second princess of the Amitie Kingdom. She is unmarried
She is the second of the king’s three daughters, and because of her infirm body, she says she relied heavily on religion from an early age.
Thanks to her, she has a close friendship with Marianne, and she is also very interested in the affairs of the cathedral.
Because she is a big hand of the royal family, one of the best donors.
“Oh, how was Rebekah?”
“Thanks to the princess’ concern, I was able to escape safely.”
“All right? What happened?”
Rebekah paused for a moment, and when Princess Anne inquired, she and Marianne briefly explained what had happened.
Departing for the relief of refugee camps.
An attack by mercenaries disguised as bandits and regular troops drawn out.
To cover this up, the demons who neighed with the insider attacked.
After barely escaping, he returned to the capital after meeting Hero Alberic and the escort knights.
If you explain it in detail, it will get caught, so I will explain it briefly so that there is a gap in the story.
“Oops… ! Why did that happen…!”
“Without the protection of the sun god and the help of others, we would not be people of this world anymore.”
“That side wasn’t even a dangerous area at all…
It’s such a scary thing…
Could this be the work of those who oppose the reforms the saint cries out for?”
“… If I have something to hold grudge against, I can’t think of anything other than that.”
“God of the sun… !
How could this happen in the Holy Cathedral…!
My father was worried because the Knights Templar were gathering near Amitie, but…
It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this.”
“Yes?! Has the cathedral declared a crusade yet again?!”
“No.
There was no proclamation of the Holy War, but the Knight Commander left the Templars’ lease and came directly to the capital.
Because of that, the palace has a rather heinous atmosphere.
After hearing the saintess’ words, if the saintess had been harmed, the holy war would have been declared right away.”
Sanctuary.
A holy war proclaimed by the pope of the cathedral against the followers of the sun god.
It is the best business item of this era that shouts, ‘As demons who believe in the black sun god are heterogeneous and infidels, legal murder, looting, rape, and arson are possible, so let’s all donate our talents to this war for free!’
It is a bonus that a very large percentage of the amount of money must be dedicated to the cathedral in the name of ‘offering’ when the business is successful.
It is a war of aggression called the ‘war to defend the fatherland’ only from the perspective of the demon king, but it is a business for humans.
Hey, Philip is an old man. He has a good head.
Eliminate Marianne, the leader of the reformists,
Destroy the demons and cleanly destroy the evidence,
The cathedral gains money and authority by raising a temple under the pretext that the demons killed the saintess.
Three birds with one stone, right?
… No, wait.
If I hadn’t stopped the assassination, it would have been a big deal.
If a holy war was declared due to the death of the saintess, wouldn’t Van Dark and our master who helped them almost become traitors?!
I even killed him for money, so I almost couldn’t even gamble!
Did Philip also try to purge the inside of the Demon King’s Army?!
If that’s what you intended, you’re an old man, aren’t you?
“You can’t just say something like this with circumstantial evidence.
Do you have any evidence to guess who it is and what their intentions are?”
The already pale Princess Anne’s face seemed to have grown paler.
“Yes. There is.
I ran to inform the palace first.
Since this is an urgent matter, may I ask for an audience?”
If time passes, High Priestess Philip may plot something with manipulation of public opinion and fabrication of evidence.
When we don’t know what evidence and witnesses we might have, we have to take the initiative.
“The audience procedure is inherently very complicated, but…
My father was also concerned about the appearance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Knights Templar, so if I go and ask for an audience,
You will accept it.
He is resting in the drawing room.
Oh, have you had lunch?”
“No, I’m not in a hurry…”
“Jenny.
Treat them to a light meal.
Since you never know when the audience will begin, eat something that is easy to digest and soft.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Princess Anne, who was getting up hastily, and I met eyes.
“Ah, excuse me.
Is the person here a descendant of the Abu Bakr family?”
“Nice to see you.
This is Kamu Abu Bakr.
In order to help my brother who was appointed as a paladin, I came to Amitie with a group of medicinal herbs.
While we were accompanying the saintess to join her relief project, we were attacked together and came all the way here.”
“This…
He is a warm-hearted person who even cares about the refugee relief project.
Sir Thomas Abubakr is a very upright man.
I think that family ring is a symbol of warmth.
Then rest in peace.”
The princess leaves her room with her maids.
Chew.
I close the windows and curtains in the drawing room.
Now is your chance.
Change the candles in the room with the candles containing the hypnosis stimulant hidden in the bosom, and sprinkle hypnotic perfume all over the place.
Phew, how much my back was bent from making this perfume…
This year’s operating profit would have been completely empty.
“Mary, Rebekah. Great job.
Let’s wait in peace now.”
“Master…
Can you relax in this situation?”
“Because being uncomfortable doesn’t mean things will work out.
You have to save energy when you rest so you can use it later.”
Smart. Sigh.
The door opens and a few maids serve cold appetizers.
“Oh wait. Here…”
“Yes?”
The moment the ladies-in-waiting looked back,
Fuck!
He snaps her fingers and shakes the coin tied to the ring from side to side to close her eyes.
Phew, I’ll have to hypnotize him using the catalyst and not use my mana as much as possible so I won’t get caught.
Since it’s a royal palace, there must be a royal magician’s corps.
Be careful.
Fortunately, the princess’s palace is a place that the majority of male magicians cannot easily approach, so it’s fortunate.
“Thank you for the food.”
“You’re welcome.
If you’re eating, I’ll get you some hot food soon.”
“There are people at the place where the wagon is parked.
Please give them a quick bite to eat as well.”
After all, it’s a royal castle, so even a simple meal consists of four or more courses.
From then on, I hypnotized each of the ladies-in-waiting serving the course meal.
Birds listen to daytime talk, and mice listen to night talk.
Usually, in the royal palace, these ladies-in-waiting spread information and rumors.
In particular, those who like to exaggerate will create rumors that ‘a male aristocrat who came with a saintess is masquerading as a merchant and having romance!’.
While eating warm stew and soft grilled scallops and patting on the stomach, the door opened with a knock.
“The princess eats it.”
“””… !”””
We thought Princess Anne would come back.
I stopped, and my body stiffened.
Who else is this… ?
“Does palace food suit your taste?”
Platinum-haired and modest beauty princess walks inside.
Concave face,
Small, slender hands.
I hope this…
“This is the first time I’ve greeted you in person.
Lady of the Sun.
This is Katherine Amitie.”
This is the current heir to the throne, 1st Princess Catherine.
Nice to meet you.
Mr. Warrior’s wife.
