Chapter 101 - Chapter 17: "I Have No Idea What That Woman Might Do..."
Good day to you! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
Right now, I am quietly watching over Carol's coronation from the shadows!
Carol, dressed in a pure white sacred robe and adorned with a silver crown, is giving a speech on the Cathedral's terrace.
Ah, how beautiful... It was truly worth the effort of raising her...
"There is very little I can do alone. Therefore, everyone, please lend me your strength! Let us unite the power of many and create a world where we can save many people!"
The many people who came to hear Carol's speech were moved by her words, and some were even moved to tears.
...In all likelihood, Carol is the Saint who has ascended to the throne with the greatest public support in history.
The decorative Saints of the past were nothing more than ornaments. Even for the commoners who were merely choosing decorations, that was their perception of a Saint. Hardly anyone considered them important.
But Carol is different.
She has a clear purpose and is trying to move the people toward it. The people can see that, and they follow Carol with the intention of being moved by her.
If things go poorly, this power could be far greater than that of the royal family.
I wonder what the members of the royal family would think if they saw the magnitude of this power?
I am currently wearing the full-face armor of a Holy Knight, standing alongside other Holy Knights to guard the Cathedral. Of course, I am in the 'best spot.'
...Therefore, I can see not only Carol but also the people in the 'best spots' very clearly.
The one I am looking at is... His Majesty the King.
Since he was the man who was supposed to be my father-in-law, there is no mistaking him. That is definitely the man himself.
It might be interesting to try assassinating him here, but he is naturally surrounded by tight security, and besides, this is Carol's big moment, so I shall refrain from any bloodshed.
...The coronation of a Saint used to be nothing more than a decorative ceremony with only ritualistic meaning, but it was precisely because of that ritualistic meaning that it was customary for the King to attend like this.
However, the current King is likely not here out of mere custom.
...He is aiming for something.
He is definitely aiming for something.
Considering the current situation of the royal family, they must strongly desire a friendly relationship with the Cathedral right now.
A Saint this strong is a historical first. And a royal family this weak is also a historical first. (I believe!)
If that is the case, the royal family would want to join hands with the Cathedral to ensure their position is not threatened, and they would likely hope to manipulate the masses through the Cathedral.
This... requires sufficient vigilance.
After the coronation ceremony, that evening.
A modest and simple celebration, typical of the Cathedral, was held, which also served as a soup kitchen for the commoners, and Carol was in high demand everywhere.
As expected, the King and the nobles spoke to her frequently. Well, since it was in the middle of a large crowd, they probably couldn't do anything too blatant.
But Carol must have been exhausted from dealing with the unfamiliar royalty and nobility. By the time she reached the Saint's room at the very top of the Cathedral, she was completely worn out.
"Good work, Carol. You were very magnificent."
"Thank you, Teacher! I... I will surely be of use to you as a Saint from now on! And... if possible, I want to be of use to the people in the farming villages and rural areas too."
This girl really was suited to be a Saint. Beyond just playing a role, she has completely become a Saint. Not bad at all.
"Yes. Please, do so. Now that you are in the position of Saint, it would be wonderful if you could help many people, as long as you do not overexert yourself."
I serve tea to Carol while taking off my own helmet and drinking tea myself.
Alcohol is fine on days like this, but spending time quietly with tea is also quite nice...
"...Um, Teacher."
"What is it?"
Then, Carol, looking down at her teacup, said this anxiously.
"His Majesty the King said he would like to arrange an opportunity for a meeting... He said a formal letter would be sent later..."
...Oh.
He started moving surprisingly quickly, didn't he?
And so.
That very night, I held a meeting at the hideout.
"I wonder what I should feed into Carol's head."
The agenda is: 'How to manipulate the royal family through Carol!'
"You don't intend to oppose them from the start, do you?"
"Well... it is a bit of a dilemma."
When I answered like that right off the bat, Doran opened his eyes a little wide with a surprised look.
"The Guild in Elsemarin is also connected to the royal family. Of course, the Guild cannot move the royal family, but it is sufficient for just obtaining information."
"I see... Even if the Cathedral doesn't side with the royal family, there are things to be gained, then?"
The information coming in, and the power to move the royal family using that information, would be overwhelmingly greater for the Cathedral... but well, I don't think it's necessary to face the same direction as the Elsemarin Guild. We can manage with just the Guild as a cover.
"Then, does that mean you'll be hostile?"
"Well, that is also an option. However... it would likely create unnecessary conflict, and things might not proceed as I intended."
If the Cathedral pushes an anti-royal stance, the country will naturally move toward a revolution. This country is already in a state where it could explode with just a little nudge.
If that happens, well, it might be interesting in its own way. But things might not go as planned.
If things go poorly, the nobles and the royal family might flee into exile before I can get my revenge. I think that would be a bit problematic.
"...So that means a non-committal, middle-of-the-road approach? Well, I guess that's an option too."
"Yes. Non-committal. In the end, that seems like it will be the most fun."
"As for the royal family, I believe they hate everyone who doesn't like them. However, even if they dislike the Cathedral somewhat, they have no choice but to bring it to their side. But if the Cathedral maintains an anti-royal path from the start, the royal family will have no choice but to choose a hostile path from the start. If that happens, the castle might burn before I can burn it, and they might die before I can kill them!"
"Ah, Young Lady, you did miss a chance to burn a mansion you wanted to burn once before..."
Yes! I will never forget the humiliation of that time! From now on, I intend to ensure there are no more missed burnings or missed kills!
"Therefore, if the opponent is a Cathedral that 'does not have good feelings toward the royal family, and while not exactly hostile, has a bit of distrust,' the royal family won't be able to give up on the Cathedral, yet they won't be able to get along easily either, so they will be preoccupied with the Cathedral. If that happens, they won't have the leeway to devote strength to other things, and as a result, this country will walk politely and unsteadily toward collapse."
Well, in the end, the royal family is likely to put in their full effort when things are at a point where 'it might tilt or it might not,' so that will be the Cathedral's policy. We can decide which way to go in the end by looking at the future situation.
...It would also be fun to act all friendly and then suddenly do a 180-degree turn, but considering the burden on Carol, that might be a bit difficult to pull off...
And so, the Cathedral's policy will be 'bewildering the royal family by being non-committal!'
A behavior unique to a Cathedral that prays for peace! Both the commoners and the royal family will be convinced by this! And both can be manipulated by the Cathedral, which is just perfect!
We can manipulate the royal family, obtain information from them, and exhaust them! It's the best!
"If that's the case, isn't it fine? I think we could jerk the royal family around enough even by being hostile from the start."
"Ah, there is one more reason why I want to keep the royal family hanging for a bit."
Keeb is tilting his head, but well, this is a very important matter.
If we become hostile to the royal family, there is an extremely high possibility of letting them escape. That is...
"As for me, I am also concerned about the Pin-Hane Girl."
The Pin-Hane Girl!
"The Pin-Hane Girl? What an amusing name someone has!"
"Onii-sama. That is a nickname. Her real name is Amavire Rent. She is the one I framed as the culprit who spread the Succubus poison this time."
Come to think of it, I had never told anyone here about being skimmed by the Pin-Hane Girl.
Since I'm at it, I should tell them the story of when I was an adventurer at the Guild.
The skimming was one thing, but so was reporting me against the Guild's will, and pocketing my Spatial Bag! Ah! Just thinking about it makes me furious!
"...Er? So that Pin-Hane Girl is currently... in the dungeon?"
"Well, she's in the slammer!"
After all, she is the one who 'was working with Violia Nico Fortesia but betrayed her.' For the sake of obtaining information, there's no way the royal family would let the Pin-Hane Girl go!
...By the way, since she is also supposed to have betrayed the royal family, she is probably... well, having a delightful time.
"As for me, I am reasonably satisfied just by having thrown the Pin-Hane Girl into the slammer, but given the circumstances, depending on her future movements, there is a possibility that the royal family might make some erratic moves..."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"For example, out of a desperate desire not to die, she might start leaking information, whether it's true or not."
"...Hmm. That is certainly possible. For example, she might leak the whereabouts of the remnants of House Fortesia... namely, myself, Father, and Mother to the royal family, even if it's a lie."
"Yes. Exactly. ...She is currently the only person the royal family has who holds information about 'Violia Nico Fortesia' and her surroundings. In other words, depending on what the Pin-Hane Girl says, there is a possibility that the royal family might start doing something outrageous."
I don't think the Pin-Hane Girl will die quietly either, so she will probably spit out some information in her desperate desire to live.
...There's no way that brazen female cat would die just asserting her innocence and my schemes!
"The possibility of the royal family being misled by false information, huh. ...That is certainly important."
"It's usually those types who, while intending to lie, end up guessing the truth! Hahaha."
Truly!
...Somehow, when it comes to the royal family, I'm always, always 'getting the right answer by a guess' or 'them believing a lie that turns out to be correct'! I hate that it seems like it will happen again this time!
"It would be hard for the Pin-Hane Girl to say 'Violia Nico Fortesia is working with the Cathedral,' but there is a possibility she might lie and say 'Violia Nico Fortesia is working with the Elsemarin Guild.' Therefore, I want to obtain information about the Pin-Hane Girl through Carol."
...After finishing that explanation, Keeb also seemed convinced. Since Keeb seems to want to favor the commoners, he probably wants to crush the royal family sooner, but... for now, I'll have to ask him to be patient for a bit.
"So, as for what to feed into Carol..."
"With that girl, wouldn't she do reasonably well even as her natural self?"
Well, her natural self is already quite the Saint. Carol is.
"But if she's suddenly called to the royal castle, the burden might be a bit much for someone from a commoner background. I think it would be better if we summarized the Cathedral's policy and the response to the royal family to some extent on our end."
"That's true. It would be better to have an assistant for her. We should select a high-ranking priest soon and have them attached to her."
That's right...
Even though she became a Saint, Carol is just a girl. She must be very anxious, and I can't have her do anything too complex.
If possible, it would be good if a few people could go to the royal castle with her... but the royal family will probably push their own people as priests with incredible momentum. One of the reasons the royal family is requesting a meeting with Carol this time is probably the 'recommendation of priests.'
Even if we refuse them all, pushing through with 'everyone has already been decided' would be a bit difficult since it's only been a day. If possible, I'd like to refuse them after a 'strict selection process.'
...In that case.
"Then I shall go."
Wearing the Holy Knight's armor, it would be best for me to follow her as a Holy Knight!