I’m Going to Destroy this Country

“What? Leia became 9th rank?!”

At the unexpected good news, Eshua was turned upside down.

“Finally! That child has become 9th rank!”

“The Madam will be delighted too!”

The elders and council members were all jumping for joy.

For good reason, what does a Saintess’s awakening mean in a saintly family? It was everyone’s wish, and a real power equal to the Pope’s.

“It’s been vacant for 16 years, hasn’t it!”

“Yes, just having a 10th rank changes the family’s status!”

“Finally we won’t be looked down on for not having a Saintess!”

At the news sent from the Papacy, Noel approached Benjamin.

“Kaya is also right on the verge of 9th rank, we were a step late. Congratulations, brother.”

“Thank you.”

However, Lilai looked curiously at Benjamin as he checked the letter. His expression was a bit strange.

‘He’s extremely happy, but somehow his face looks subtly sad.’

Why?

Wasn’t Benjamin the one who wanted Leia to become a Saintess more than anyone?

Why?

Is it because she’ll officially go to fight the Skeleton King when she becomes a formal Saintess? Is he afraid Leia will lose her life?

No, there’s something else strange.

“The person in question isn’t here. Where’s Leia?”

“…Well, actually Miss Leia headed straight to the Papacy after receiving the letter.”

“Oh! She must be happy about becoming a formal Saintess. How proactive!”

The elders were very pleased, but the holy knight delivering the message had a troubled expression.

“Well… rather than being happy, she was deathly pale… I’ve never seen such an expression on the young lady’s face before.”

“Why did she go to the Papacy?”

At Lilai’s question, the knight whispered slightly.

“Well, she said the 9th rank was a mistake…”

Huh? A mistake??

This is strange indeed.

Moreover, the strangest thing is… this.

Thump thump thump!

“!”

The movements of the knights in the mansion were unusual. Not only the knights in training, but even the external mission team suddenly returned and were gathering equipment.

As the commander who directly leads Eshua’s knights, Lilai couldn’t help but be flustered.

They even rushed in and gave salutes!

“Sir Lilai! All the Blue knights have responded to the family head’s summons!”

“The advance team has already headed to the Berit house!”

“…???”

What’s this about now?

The family head’s summons is the Blue’s highest order. Of course, all priests belonging to the Blue immediately stop everything and move according to this top order, but…

“Father summoned the knights?”

He didn’t say anything to me?

“What’s the order level? Is it Dive?”

“No. It’s Breaching.”

Jumping out of the sea? Full-scale war posture?

“He said to prepare up to the Hit-run stage.”

“!”

At those words, even other Eshua people were shocked.

Breaching is the act of a whale jumping high above the surface, the Blue’s term for revealing oneself for attack, but this is sometimes used in defensive battles too. In other words, it was a stage often experienced along with ‘Dive’, which is a state of covert maneuvering.

But Hit-run is different. This is a surprise attack formation that attacks very ferociously, like whales protecting their calves.

And he ordered that?

Moreover, the destination is Berit… the Pope’s family?!

“Why on earth?”

As if to answer that question, a familiar face appeared.

“Because I asked him to go there.”

“?!”

The one who appeared was none other than Isaac.

Isaac boldly appeared and said to his family:

“I asked Grandpa to retrieve the Pope’s ‘Stigma’.”

“What did you say? The Stigma?!”

Everyone couldn’t close their mouths.

For good reason, the Stigma is the Pope’s symbol and a sacred relic that can summon gods.

He asked to take away an object that could be called the symbol of the Pope?

Has he really gone mad?

But Isaac just smiled contemptuously.

“It’s the Pope’s symbol, but at the same time it’s an object with power equal to the Holy Empire’s Emperor. It’s the symbol of the Empire’s highest authority, so we can’t leave it with someone suspected of being fake, right? So I recommended that since Grandpa was going to war anyway.”

What did you say?!

Of course, it’s not wrong in terms of the situation and justification, but some seemed exasperated.

Sure enough, Noel approached as if to grab Isaac’s collar.

“You crazy bastard! Do you know what it means to take away the Pope’s belongings? Are you trying to turn all faiths against us?”

Then Isaac chuckled.

“Turn them against us? The Red and White factions said they’d actively help too.”

“…What?”

“And have you forgotten? I obtained investigative authority from the Red Cardinal. I can do anything.”

[Huh, I don’t think he told you to wage war though.]

‘He didn’t tell me not to either? And if the situation goes bad, I’ll pin everything on the Red.’

[Ugh, the Red Cardinal needs to know this true nature of yours.]

‘He probably already knows? If he’s been treated like that and still doesn’t know, he’d be an idiot.’

As if at a loss for words, Noel changed the subject.

“Isn’t Leia’s enthronement being discussed right now? Without the Pope’s Stigma, we can’t perform the Saintess ceremony! We can’t summon the god of awakening!”

A Saintess’s awakening is achieved by summoning a god. And in the Holy Empire, only the Pope’s divine technique can fully incarnate a god.

But to take away the Pope’s power? This statement of Isaac’s meant not to create a Saintess.

“Are you trying to ruin our family now that you’ve become junior family head? Knowing what a Saintess means to Eshua!”

“Huh.”

Isaac didn’t even try to hide his sneer. Rather, he raised one eyebrow as if disgusted.

“Stop pretending it’s for the family, just say it honestly? That you want to kill Uncle Benjamin.”

“…!!”

Noel rarely flinched.

Isaac smiled contemptuously.

I’ll crush you as soon as I get a chance, you bastard.

But as if his words had an effect, Lilai and the other elders asked in confusion.

“Isaac, what do you mean by that?”

“What does that have to do with your brother…”

“Well, it was strange from the beginning. A Pope who’s under suspicion should be quietly holed up. Why suddenly a Saintess awakening ceremony at this timing? It’s obviously suspicious.”

“!”

“He doesn’t seem to know he’s in a position to be investigated. So we need to stop not just his authority, but that power too, to make him come to his senses.”

This bastard…!

“In that sense, we’ll postpone the Saintess’s awakening.”

Soon, as Noel was about to say something, Benjamin stepped forward first.

“Isaac, your actions are too excessive.”

“!”

“As you well know, a Saintess’s awakening is important. There’s no need to block even that enthronement. I don’t know why you’re making such immature instigation, but as junior family head you should have a broader view. Attacking the Pope out of the blue, your thinking is too short-sighted.”

Benjamin scolded him sternly, but Isaac rather stared at him intently.

“Uncle.”

“…?”

“Do you really not know why I’m doing this?”

“…!”

As if realizing something at that gaze, Benjamin, who was startled, hurriedly took Isaac out. Then he immediately asked as if interrogating.

“What… no, how much do you know?”

“Hmm. Since I heard from Grandpa… everything?”

Benjamin rubbed his forehead as if tired. He realized why his father suddenly summoned the knights and said he’d attack Berit.

So he seemed very angry at Isaac.

The purpose was undoubtedly to stop the Saintess’s awakening. To prevent the living sacrifice.

“I don’t know how you came to know, but this is the duty and mission of someone born into a saintly family. Don’t interfere.”

Isaac raised his eyebrows as if pissed off.

Interfere? Did this kid just say interfere?

“What do you mean?”

Benjamin spoke as if his insides were boiling.

“I was born as Eshua’s second son, but because I lacked ability, I couldn’t inherit that position even after your father… my brother disappeared.”

“!”

“If only I had fulfilled my role, father and the family wouldn’t have had to worry about the family head problem.”

Ah, what? Is that it?

So, it seems Benjamin had a lot of thoughts too.

As the second son who couldn’t inherit the family head position, he fully supported his nephews administratively, but on the other hand, he must have felt bitter. He probably cursed himself for being born 0th rank. Because he had to just watch the Pope’s family running amok.

Well, he pretends it doesn’t bother him, but.

-Oh my, was there also a useless second son who couldn’t even inherit the family head position because he lacked ability?

How humiliating must it have been to be treated like trash even by his half-brother? Especially since he had to essentially play the role of the eldest son after the firstborn disappeared.

Sure enough, Benjamin spoke with flashing eyes.

“The Saintess’s awakening is the only thing even useless me can do to help the family. So don’t interfere. This is my pride too.”

But Isaac’s eyes looking at his uncle were cold.

“What about Leia’s opinion on this?”

“…What?”

Isaac rather spoke as if scolding his uncle.

“Leia didn’t just become 9th rank this time. I’m guessing it’s been quite a while. At least 5 years?”

“What did you say?”

“So why has she been hiding it all this time? It would only benefit her to become a formal Saintess. Isn’t her only family more precious to her than exchanging it for the family’s honor, even more than the Skeleton King?”

“…!”

Benjamin’s face distorted in despair at those words.

“Don’t tell me Leia knows about the awakening?”

“Why else would Leia rush to the Papacy saying it was a mistake? She probably knew from a very young age? She was originally passive about Saintess lessons anyway.”

“…!”

Benjamin let out a small sigh.

There is a time he can guess.

Was it around 9 years old? The child who had been so enthusiastic about Saintess techniques and adored Saints became passive in training one day.

‘Could she have heard what I said with my late wife?’

His wife, who was a paladin, understood his intentions, but.

So he pressed and educated Leia even more that she must become a Saintess when she was passive in training.

What must his daughter have thought every time she trained while hearing those words? Especially since she was the first female child born to the family after passing the cursed generation, her responsibility must have been even greater.

Isaac said:

“Neither I nor Grandpa want to awaken her in that way.”

Right, what kind of living sacrifice? If we’re going to do it, we should do it in a better way. Either extract the god’s power, or throw that Pope bastard as a living sacrifice.

“…Is there another way?”

“I think we can probably solve it.”

No, honestly, we have to solve it.

Even if we awaken her by sacrificing Benjamin like this, Leia might rather turn to the dark side.

‘We can’t have a dark Saintess.’

Perhaps this is what the Survival Origin was warning about?

‘Eh, whether that’s right or not, who cares. I’m going to solve it anyway.’

“So trust me. Uncle, you absolutely must not die. I can’t do without you, uncle.”

Benjamin was quite moved by his nephew’s words.

“Isaac. I didn’t know you thought of me that way…”

“Got it? I will definitely save my source of money, I mean, my uncle.”

You’re the only useful one in this family.

The others are Skeleton King idiots who’ll ruin the family if they touch money!! I like being the family head of a rich family!

“So take good care of your health. You need to be healthy so I can exploit you until you die… I mean, Leia will be happy too.”

After saying that, Isaac firmly grasped Benjamin’s shoulders.

“Uncle. I will definitely find a solution, so please be patient for a bit. You should live happily as my slave… I mean, as Leia’s father.”

So let’s work for free until you die?

“Huh? You understand??”

“…”

Benjamin’s face was worth seeing.

…Is this kid really thinking of me?

He really has no impure intentions, right?

Huh? Right??