༺ Religious Fanatics (3) ༻
The Dawn Sect wasn’t always the dominant religion on the continent, and Enen also wasn’t the only God from the beginning. When the Dawn Cult was just gaining popularity, the people in the continent believed in many Gods. That’s why in the beginning, Enen was merely the Sun God.
It might be questionable if the words ‘mere’ and ‘Sun God’ could be used in the same sentence, but in front of the title of the one true God, even the Sun God was trivial. Was the God the Twilight Cult worshiped at that time the Earth God?
Maybe it was because of influence from that era, but the Dawn Sect preferred cremation, sending the souls of the people back into the sky. Meanwhile, the Twilight Cult preferred burial and to keep the bodies intact. Of course, that’s not the point.
“Our God watches everything on Earth from the heavens.”
“So that’s what it meant.”
The Sun God looked at everything from the sky. That’s why the Earth God couldn’t avoid it, and that’s why the Twilight Cult members couldn’t escape Enen’s watchful gaze.
After they defeated other cults and achieved religious victory, Enen’s power became even stronger. That’s why finding a pagan who held the power of another God was easy.
It didn’t matter how secretly the members of the Twilight Cult moved. It was meaningless for Tannian. For him, it was like seeing a transparent person painted in bright red.
“Of course, I’m not omnipotent. I’ve been temporarily granted a fraction of his power. The range of my tracking ability is limited, and it doesn’t last long.”
I expected that to be the case, so I nodded. If Tannian’s tracking ability covered the entire continent and lasted 24 hours, the Twilight Cult would’ve already been at the side of their beloved Earth God.
From the perspective of the Twilight Cult, who thrived on secrecy, someone negating their only strength must have been frustrating. Limited range? Short duration? So what? If they were caught, they were dead.
‘No wonder there were more assassination attempts on the Saint rather than the Pope.’
It seemed like they wanted to get rid of the counter first. I wondered why they were so obsessed with the Saint, but now I understand.
‘Those idiots.’
I understood the situation, but I still couldn’t relate. If the situation was so twisted, why not convert? Why stubbornly cling to the Twilight Cult?
As expected, crazy cult members were people who couldn’t be understood. I looked at Tannian’s prideful expression. It would definitely be beneficial to ambush the enemies with him. Knowing where the enemies were would make the targeting easier.
“I’ll positively think about it.”
“…That’s unsettling to hear.”
Tannian’s expression changed at my response. After all, what I just said meant that I had no authority regarding this.
However, there was nothing I could do. I wasn’t the person in charge of this matter. If I were to accept Tannian’s offer now, the Minister of Foreign Affairs would get furious. What kind of lunatic takes an assassination target to the front lines?
Honestly, it was a bit scary. How the hell was I supposed to gather the two ministers and say something like, ‘We’re going to make it easier to catch the assassins by sending the target closer to them!’
‘I’m screwed.’
Still, seeing how bravely the member was volunteering to prevent civilian casualties, I should at least convey it as his advisor.
***
I managed to muster the courage to speak.
“Prosecutor’s Executive Manager, even if the work’s hard, isn’t it better than having your head chopped off?”
“I knew you wanted to retire, but I didn’t know you were this reckless.”
Their response was intense. Damn, why couldn’t they just curse? A short ‘Are you crazy?’ would be enough.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs smiled awkwardly, and the Minister of Intelligence didn’t seem interested. However, I had expected such reactions.
“But it’s going to be effective.”
“I’ll grant you that, which is why I’m still sitting here.”
If I had come up with a strange, ineffective alternative, they would have immediately turned the tables upside down. This was a positive sign. Even though the safety of foreign dignitaries was at stake, they hadn’t outright rejected the idea. That meant that Tannian’s tracking ability was very appealing.
The problem was that I had no more cards to play. I felt like they would accept if I pushed things a bit more, but I didn’t have any means.
Still, just in case, I said something that might convince them.
“If we miss even one Twilight Cult member, there will be chaos in the Capital. Won’t we be able to prevent such an outcome?”
“As long as the Mage Duchess steps up, that won’t happen.”
It didn’t work.
“Won’t it be good to get the future Saint indebted to us?”
“The glances of the priests from the Holy Kingdoms bother me more.”
That also didn’t work.
“If we fight ourselves, won’t the geography near the Capital drastically change? What if the Emperor gets angry?”
“Hmm.”
“That’s true.”
Oh, this worked.
If this failed, I was thinking of giving up. But fortunately, the third remark seemed to have struck a chord with the two Ministers. After all, from the point of view of a Civil Servant, the wrath of the Emperor was scarier than the anger of some people in a faraway land.
Although it might be better than having chaos happen in the Capital, a visible war happening in the outskirts was also a problem.
Causing bombings that were eye-catching enough to catch the attention of civilians would make the Emperor angry for sure.
“If the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager wants it this badly, shouldn’t it be okay…?”
After pondering for a while, the Minister of Foreign Affairs cautiously spoke up. If Tannian stood on the front line, the Holy Kingdom would probably complain. But if they didn’t do that, the Emperor would get angry at them. That’s why they thought the second option was better.
Meanwhile, they emphasized that I was the one who wanted it, so the responsibility naturally went to me. It was true, but how they shifted the blame was so smooth that it almost made me tear up.
“Executive Manager.”
“Yes.”
“I believe the Prosecutor’s Executive Manager and the Masked Unit will be enough.”
The Minister of Intelligence eventually nodded, too. If I was with Tannian, he could leave the Capital under certain conditions.
“Of course, Your Grace.”
Naturally, I accepted quickly. Even him getting a slight cut in his finger could put me in danger, so there was no way I would leave him alone.
Upon hearing my answer, the Minister of Intelligence sighed, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs wiped his sweat, showing his unease. As much as they feared the Emperor’s wrath, foreign objections were equally troublesome.
Even after granting permission, they were probably wondering if it was the right decision. I understand. After all, we just picked between the lesser of two evils. I also felt the same uneasiness.
‘Why did Tannian do something he hadn’t done before?’
His staying next to Louise and laughing would have been enough. That’s what I thought would happen when I brought him to the Capital, so it’s not like I was hoping more from him.
“I might not be remarkable enough to prevent the soldiers’ sacrifices, but we should at least prevent civilian casualties, right?”
But because he behaved like Oliver, I just couldn’t ignore him.
‘These annoying religious people.’
I came from a world with more non-believers than devout religious people, so I find them hard to understand.
Well, I guess it’s okay. I could understand this level of belief difference.
“Prosecutor’s Executive Manager, you should deliver this news to the Mage Duchess yourself.”
Damn.
Why do they have to give me this last-minute task?
Eventually, I went back to the Mage Duchess after a few hours.
“Baby? What brings you here?”
The Mage Duchess’s ears perked up, and she tilted her head upon my second visit. She probably wasn’t expecting me to return a second time for the same reason as my first visit.
“Your Grace.”
Upon hearing my explanation, the Mage Duchess looked as if she’d experienced culture shock. She seemed unable to comprehend the new concept of positioning the assassination target at the forefront.
“…You have a unique way of doing things these days.”
The Mage Duchess, who’d been silent, finally spoke with a somewhat drained voice. The change was subtle, so it was hard to notice unless you listened carefully.
Maybe she thought that she couldn’t understand the current trend due to being 120 years old.
It must’ve been depressing for the Mage Duchess, who was already conscious of her age.
But she misunderstood. This wasn’t a current trend, and it shouldn’t become a future trend, either. It would be problematic to implant strange notions into the elder’s mind.
“It’s a special circumstance. It won’t happen again, so there’s no need to worry.”
“I see.”
Her voice regained strength, but her drooped ears didn’t seem to lift. Was this more of a shock than I thought?
“Ah, Your Grace. I’ve been gratefully consuming the potion you gave me last time.”
If I upset the Duchess and left, there might be repercussions. She might hold some grudge against me and seek revenge in some unusual way.
So, to change the subject, I brought up the potion and expressed my gratitude. Only then did her ears return to their original position. Indeed, expressing gratitude for receiving what the elder gave you is the best way to go.
“Did it suit your body well?”
“Yes. I’m feeling its effects every day.”
“That’s good to hear.”
I felt relieved after seeing her nod with satisfaction. Now, I can finally return home without any issues.
“If you run out of them, come to the tower.”
“Ah, are you selling it?”
I was worried I’d end up just tasting it because they don’t really sell it, so this was good news.
“I’ll just give it to you. You just have to come.”
‘Oh.’
Mother Mage Duchess’s generosity was deeper and wider than I thought.
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