NOVEL NEXT Chapter 200
Chapter 200. Faction
To be honest, I had expected this.
We managed to do it ourselves. So, it was entirely plausible that the second princess, Laila, had also navigated through the chaos of the royal capital like we did and sought refuge with the church, her backing.
……However. I couldn’t quite predict what she had been doing within the church after seeking refuge, let alone how she was involved in the current church disputes. Thus, when she appeared right at the start, it was no surprise that Hermes and the others showed varying degrees of shock. Laila, however…
“……So…”
She glanced briefly at Hermes and the others—specifically, at the church soldiers who had escorted them this far—and spoke.
“The soldiers’ armor… it’s damaged. ……Were you attacked? By ‘them’?”
“That’s──”
“Exactly, Your Highness!”
Before Hermes could answer, the leader of the church soldiers cut in loudly, not giving Hermes a chance to respond… and began to rant.
“And, would you believe it? These guys not only charged at the enemy despite our orders to stand down—but they also burned both us and the enemy with magic, all while claiming that our similar equipment was confusing!”
“──”
“Because of that, what should have been a manageable situation turned into this mess! We had to escort them while constantly fearing another attack. Your Highness, these people are nothing but dangerous villains! Useful, perhaps, but they’re still devils!”
…………I see.
It seems they’re planning to make a false report to protect their own position. The way they’ve mixed in some truth makes it sound plausible, and they probably believe that as church soldiers, their words will carry more weight than those of the notoriously infamous Hermes and his group.
And then, after hearing this, Laila…
“Huh, I see. So that’s how it was.”
“Yes, yes! Such people are not to be trusted! We alone are more than enough to punish those heretics! Surely, God will bless us for──”
The leader, encouraged by Laila’s smiling nod, tried to push his agenda further. But Laila, with her expression fixed, slowly walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“──Are you kidding me?”
Her voice turned icy cold as she spoke.
“!?”
“‘Burned us along with the enemy using magic’? Huh, what a funny joke. You’re saying that the third princess’s faction, which defeated Archbishop Johann and even the eldest son of the northern monster, Frodite, head-on, would waste their magic on you?”
“Th-that’s──”
“──Then why do you only have such minor injuries?”
Her ruby-like eyes glinted with a cold, calculating light.
Laila, with the undeniable aura of royalty, pressed the leader further.
“Besides, didn’t I tell you? ‘If they show up, request Lily’s group for assistance to ensure they’re defeated’. So why did you set up such a confusing formation that led to equipment mix-ups? If you had cooperated from the start, you could have avoided all this by having Lily’s group provide support.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Don’t tell me… you ignored my orders and tried to take them down on your own… right?”
“Ugh!”
With circumstantial evidence and precise analysis, Laila had accurately deduced the situation and the church soldiers’ actions. She cornered the leader as she continued.
“Oh, and about the equipment we provided you…──Did you notice that it had ‘voice-recording magical tools’ attached?”
“Wh──what!?”
“Ah, just so you know, we’ve already retrieved them. ……So, any excuses?”
Completely exposed. With undeniable evidence of their lies laid bare, the leader had nothing to say. Yet, even in the face of humiliation, he remained silent. Laila sighed.
“Nothing to say? Fine. ……You’ll be confined to the barracks until further notice.”
“……Y-yes, understood……!”
With a final, icy tone, Laila delivered her merciless verdict. The leader, finally realizing that any further words would be futile, hung his head, shoulders trembling, and turned to leave. Just as he was about to go…
“……Damn it, who does that figurehead princess think she is…!”
He muttered under his breath, loud enough only for Hermes and the others to hear. The words lingered in their ears.
“……”
There were many questions, but for now, Laila had firmly punished the church soldiers who had annoyed Hermes and the others during the journey. She then turned to them, surprisingly…
“……My apologies.”
While she didn’t bow her head due to her position, she did offer a sincere apology.
“Those guys… their faith and ambition sometimes get the better of them. I didn’t think they’d go as far as altering church missions for personal gain… I underestimated them. I should have told them about the voice-recording tools from the start. They’ll be properly punished, and we’ll make it up to you.”
“Quite the humble attitude, Second Princess Laila. ……But to send such soldiers to fetch us… Is the church headquarters, of all organizations, really that short on manpower?”
In response to Laila’s apology, Jurgen probed with a hint of sarcasm. Unfazed, Laila shrugged.
“Trakia. You’re using that kind of phrasing because you already have a rough idea, don’t you? ……It’s tedious to play mind games with you here, so I’ll just explain everything. Will you follow me?”
With that, she turned, accompanied by her own church soldier escorts, and led Hermes and the others into the church headquarters.
……Honestly, I was quite surprised.
Hermes had only met Laila once before, during that audience. The impression he had of her then was of someone arrogant and narrow-minded, hardly what you’d call a capable leader…
……No, perhaps that was just bias and presumption.
After all, if Liliana held her in such high regard, there must be more to her than just being part of Liliana’s family. As he pondered this, Hermes walked behind Laila alongside Katia and the others.
“……Onee-sama.”
Liliana, walking beside him, had a complicated expression.
There was undoubtedly joy at reuniting with Laila. But their positions as rivals for the throne hadn’t changed, and Laila showed no signs of reaching out to Liliana… in fact, during the earlier conversation, she seemed to deliberately avoid drawing attention to Liliana.
“……”
Hermes continued to think.
……Of course, the world doesn’t revolve solely around us.
Even those who have opposed us had their own reasons. Even Archbishop Johann had his own beliefs and motivations.
So, perhaps… ‘talking’ will become more important than ever. By understanding, we might… find a path that avoids conflict.
For now, it’s about Second Princess Laila.
What is she thinking? What is her position? What outcome is she aiming for?
First, we need to understand that. If she’s willing to talk, then coming here was worth it.
With that thought in mind, they arrived at a large room within the cathedral. Following the directions of Laila’s accompanying soldiers, they each took their seats. Then, at the head of the room, Laila, sitting as the church’s representative, opened her mouth after a brief greeting.
And she said…
“……Now then. First of all… I suppose I should thank you.”
“……Thank us?”
“Yes. You really saved us—by defeating Archbishop Johann.”
“!”
The meaning behind those words was immediately clear to everyone. Laila continued.
“If you were attacked by ‘them’ on your way here, then you probably already know… but the church is currently divided into two factions, fighting amongst themselves. It’s embarrassing, but it’s an internal conflict.”
“……As expected.”
“Yes. And as for the breakdown…”
She glanced at Jurgen, who nodded in understanding, before getting to the heart of the matter.
“First, there’s the Pope’s faction… which I currently belong to.”
“!”
“And the other is… the Archbishop’s faction… or as we call them, the Old Church faction.”
In other words.
The church’s number one, the Pope.
And those below him, the Archbishops, are now split into opposing sides.
“You understand, right? Our enemies are the Archbishops… all four of them, including Johann. I’ll explain more later, but… essentially, we’re up against almost the entire church.”
At that point, the general structure and background were clear, but—
Understanding that, Laila quietly extended her hand.
“So, you’ve probably figured it out by now, but the reason the Pope’s faction summoned you is simple. Since you’ve already ‘defeated Johann’, you’re already involved, and there’s definitely something in it for you. So…”
With an unreadable expression and a beautiful voice, she said…
“──Will you join forces with us? Together… let’s destroy the church.”
With that request, laden with various intentions, she set the stage for the beginning of a major event that would engulf the entire church… or perhaps even more.