kscans

Chapter 139 - The Announcement and the Secret.

The next morning, we awoke in our hideout.

After a simple breakfast of bread and soup, we headed to the Church’s main square. We were curious about Altorine’s fate and whether our intrusion had been discovered.

When we arrived at the square, the atmosphere was bustling.

Knights stood in a line before the Church headquarters, and a crowd had gathered as if waiting for something. We naturally blended into the crowd. After a short while, the gates opened, and from within emerged a brown-haired old woman dressed in the luxurious robes of a high-ranking priest, accompanied by Knight Commander Altorine.

Seeing Altorine, the people murmured.

"Lady Altorine, you’re safe."

"The High Priestess is with her. What’s going on?"

"What’s going to happen now?"

The air was a mixture of relief and anxiety.

So that old woman is the High Priestess. That means the higher-ups are almost certainly corrupt.

The High Priestess spoke. "People of the Church! Regarding the matter of Knight Commander Altorine’s treason, which was reported yesterday… it was false information. A certain knight fabricated the report in an attempt to slander our maiden knight. Of course, we moved to apprehend him, but it seems he died in the forest while attempting to flee."

At this announcement, the people erupted in cheers of relief and joy. It was clear just how popular Altorine was.

Amidst the cheers, Tina whispered, "So they had a cover-up ready? Was that knight a scapegoat?"

"More like a disposable pawn," I replied, feeling disgusted. "They probably pinned the blame on some random knight to make the story that her treason was a lie more convenient and easier to advance."

Tina’s voice was laced with anger. It was only natural. Someone had been killed for their convenience. I could only imagine the resentment and fury of that person, and what Altorine must have felt upon hearing the news.

However, she said nothing, merely standing there with her head slightly bowed. It looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't. I couldn't see it under her armor, but she was probably wearing the golden collar.

It was supposed to be suppressing a body wracked with lust from the drug. If it were removed, she would be reduced to a state where shame was irrelevant.

Well, in reality, she was just under Tina’s suggestion and believed that to be the case. Since Altorine had appeared, they must think the drug was working.

As I was thinking this, the High Priestess continued. "Therefore, it has been decided that the Knight Commander will continue in her post without being relieved of her duties. I know these have been anxious days, but the matter is now resolved."

At her concluding words, an air of relief filled the crowd.

Having witnessed this, the High Priestess went back inside with Altorine. As the doors closed, the crowd began to disperse. We also left and decided to take a walk through the city.

Along the way, I said, "Well, all we can do now is wait for Altorine to contact us. I don't know how she'll do it, but she probably won't come to us directly. If she did, who knows how the higher-ups would react."

Tina nodded in agreement. It was a completely reactive approach, but for now, I couldn’t think of any other way.

After a light lunch at a cafe, a nun approached us.

"Excuse me. We are distributing flowers for free. Would you like one?" she asked, holding out a bouquet.

We didn’t need any, so we were about to refuse.

"They are from Lady Altorine, as an apology for the anxiety she caused everyone," she added in a low voice.

Thinking this must be it, we accepted the bouquet. The nun then moved on to distribute flowers to others.

We went straight back to our hideout. Once inside, we examined the bouquet. A letter fell out from within. It read: ‘Tonight, the secret will be revealed.’ It seemed the higher-ups were completely convinced they had Altorine under their control.

"She’s revealing it awfully soon," I said. "Is it almost complete? Or does she just want to brag? Either way, if we find out tonight, we’ll have the upper hand."

Once we knew the enemy's secret, we could figure out how to deal with it.

The most terrifying thing in the world is the unknown. Encountering the unknown is extremely dangerous. Some might say it stirs curiosity, but basically, it's just scary. But once you know, it's no longer frightening.

No matter how difficult the challenge, if you understand it, you know what preparations to make and what kind of strategy to form. It makes things easier and more manageable. It's like getting a strategy guide for a game; you know the boss's weaknesses and tactics, so it's a piece of cake.

"Even so, it’s not good to do nothing," Tina said. "We should procure some supplies. Potions, antidotes, that sort of thing."

I nodded in agreement. Once decided, we went shopping. Fortunately, we had plenty of money.


Altorine's Side

Night. Her private quarters.

Her mood was foul. The aphrodisiac she had been forced to drink last night… The antidote had cured her, but now she was under a suggestion that made her believe otherwise.

However, this effect had allowed her to successfully deceive the inquisitor and the High Priestess. She felt no guilt. As long as her opponents were plotting something, she had to investigate.

As she was thinking this…

"Oh? In a bad mood, are we? Don’t you like your current treatment?" The inquisitor appeared.

To enter without knocking was the height of rudeness. But Altorine said nothing. It would be pointless, and she didn’t know what would be done to her.

At her attitude, the inquisitor said, "How insolent. I suppose a little education is in order." She licked her lips.

Altorine braced herself.

However, the inquisitor continued, "I’d like to say that, but the High Priestess is summoning you."

It was a summons to a room that was treated as top secret even within the Church. What were they plotting? How could she prevent it? That was all she could think about.

She was led to the room guarded by those knights.

The inquisitor gave a signal, and the door opened. They went inside.

Inside, there were beakers, test tubes, and numerous other pieces of experimental equipment, as well as rare and hard-to-obtain medicinal herbs. And what caught her eye most was the giant flask before her. It was large enough to easily fit a person.

"What is this place?" she asked. "It’s strangely… sinister for a medicine laboratory."

She was so taken aback she couldn’t find the right words. The atmosphere suggested the creation of a new drug, but she felt a strange sense of unease, of malevolence.

As she stood there speechless, the blonde High Priestess approached.

"Welcome, Knight Commander. To my laboratory. I heard you were snooping around here, so I took the liberty of making the first move. Well, either way, you were going to drink the aphrodisiac sooner or later."

She wore a faint smile.

"What is the meaning of this?" Altorine demanded. "Forcing me to drink that drug, just what in the—!"

Before she could finish, she felt an intense heat course through her body. Her breathing became ragged, and she could barely stand.

The inquisitor beside her sneered. "Now, now. Don’t take such an insolent tone. Have you forgotten your place?" She showed off the golden ring on her right hand.

That ring was the control device for the collar. The user’s thoughts could turn it on and off. The collar’s effect was gone, and she was forced into a state of arousal. The pain was so great she dropped to one knee.

Seeing this, the High Priestess said, "That’s enough. We can’t proceed with our conversation."

At her words, the inquisitor backed off. The collar’s effect activated, and she returned to her normal state. As she took deep breaths…

The High Priestess spoke. "Stay as you are and listen. By order of His Holiness the Pope, we were developing a certain drug. However, it was proving to be very difficult. We didn't even know the ingredients, let alone how to make it, and we were at a loss. It was then that I met a medicine peddler at a street stall. At first, he seemed like a shady merchant, but his medicines were all extremely rare. On a whim, I told him about the new drug, and he gave me this—a medicine similar to the new drug I was seeking."

She produced a small vial containing an orange liquid.

Shown the vial, Altorine had no idea what it was and was puzzled.

Seeing this, the High Priestess said, "You don’t know, do you? This is a promotional agent. It acts on all things, activating and augmenting them. Its effects are marvelous. We conducted several experiments using this, and they were a success. Well, all the test subjects died, though." She snorted.

Altorine tried to show her disgust, but the inquisitor’s glare stopped her.

"And since obtaining this," the High Priestess continued, "we have been blessed with heavenly fortune! Rare herbs we had given up on finding have appeared one after another, and the results of our experiments have improved! The new drug, which we thought would take months or even years, will be complete in just three days!"

She spoke with theatrical flair.

Altorine asked calmly, "What is this new drug? If I may be so bold as to ask." She maintained a polite tone.

Getting carried away, the High Priestess declared, "It is a drug that will make His Holiness the Pope a legend."

She said it with the crazed smile of a fanatic.