My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

"Ah! I've heard much about you, Sir Heinrich. Indeed, you're as exceptional a talent as I've been told!"

"You flatter me, Your Eminence. Thank you for taking the time to welcome me personally despite your busy schedule."

"It's no small matter, given it's about the holy sword. Moreover, since the saint herself recommended you, I had to see you in person at least once! Haha—"

Upon arriving at the Pikaol Grand Temple, Heinrich was immediately able to meet Cardinal Donovan, the person in charge.

With his face framed by long, white beard and kind wrinkles, his first impression was like that of a 'friendly grandfather next door.'

However, that impression quickly vanished the moment their eyes met and Heinrich looked down.

'Wow... what's with those shoulders.'

His physique was far from ordinary.

"Ha, it seems your muscles are indeed impressive, given your youth. Ah, to be old and not as fit as before. Back in my day, I also—"

The gap between his benevolent expression and his broad shoulders, straight back, and bulging muscles was stark.

'Was he also a paladin before?'

He was reputed to be very influential, rising to the rank of cardinal, and it seemed he never stopped training even after achieving such a position.

To think he maintained such muscle mass past the age of 60.

"So, Sir Heinrich? I've heard you've become the personal guard of the saint. How goes the work?"

"Ah, so far, under her guidance, I've spent most of my time training in preparation for the trials of the holy sword. It seems the saint prefers to stay within the holy lands."

"I see. How is she doing? It's been a while since I last saw her. There was a big incident recently..."

He was referring to the attack on the Grand Temple.

But it seemed he was particularly interested in the saint, and soon he began to ramble on.

To put it simply, he was boasting about how close he was to the saint.

"Hmm, it's been over three years since I last saw the saint. Once you reach this rank, it's not easy to leave your post. Had I known, I might not have taken the cardinal position."

However, his level of affection seemed a bit excessive.

The saint, adopted at a young age by Pope Hatianus II, grew up in the holy lands, beloved by all in the order.

A small, adorable child running around with a bright smile, who could possibly view her with disdain?

And Cardinal Donovan, a paladin at the time, was no exception.

"Do you know? How adorable she was, putting a worm on her tiny hand and showing it to me?"

"That... I can somehow imagine."

For him, who was married but childless, Saint Liesta was like a daughter or granddaughter.

After nearly a decade of watching her grow up in the order,

Donovan was promoted to cardinal and took charge of the Pikaol Grand Temple.

"But this place has its fair share of headaches. The kingdoms simply won't cooperate, leaving no room for leisure."

The Lesc Kingdom, where the Grand Temple was located, was relatively cooperative, but other kingdoms banded together to subtly check the church's influence from growing too strong.

Especially the Talia Kingdom, under King Heinz II, was notoriously difficult.

At Cardinal Donovan's words, Heinrich simply nodded seriously, as if he didn't know anything.

As if he deeply empathized with the cardinal's words.

'But why is he telling me all this?'

While it was common to agree with a superior's musings, Heinrich couldn't understand why such matters were being shared with him.

Just as he was internally questioning,

Crack—

Cardinal Donovan naturally put an arm around him, and his thick arm muscles slowly began to constrict Heinrich's

breathing.

"Car... Cardinal?"

"Yes, Sir Heinrich. I mean..."

Even in that situation, his kind expression and tender tone did not falter in the slightest.

"The saint's bright smile is so vivid in my mind, I can't bear the thought of seeing her sad."

The veins in the arm wrapped around Heinrich's neck stood out as the muscles swelled further.

"But, having grown up in the holy lands from a young age, isn't she too unaware of the ways of the world? That's why I worry she might get hurt unnecessarily. For example, if some scoundrel tried to deceive her innocence."

The cardinal's face, as he spoke with a biting tone, no longer showed a smile.

His glaring eyes met Heinrich's.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

"...Yes, of course. As her 'personal guard,' I will ensure her safety at all times. Please do not worry."

What else could one say in front of this overprotective grandfather?

It was better to give the desired answer quickly.

Now, confidently meeting his gaze with mature acting skills, the cardinal's face slowly regained its smile.

"Haha! Well, if the order's top prospect like you is guarding the saint, I feel reassured. Please continue to take good care of her."

"Yes! That's my duty, after all."

The warm conversation was brief; the cardinal, having managed to find some time to meet him, stood up to return to his backlog of work.

"I must be going now. I hope you will become the master of the holy sword. With the Immortal King resurrected, we no longer have the luxury of time."

With that, Cardinal Donovan left, and the archbishop responsible for sealing the holy sword approached.

"Everything is ready. When would you like to go?"

"There's no reason to delay now that I'm here. I'll take on the challenge right away."

Given that the holy sword was at the core of the sealing barrier, getting to it required a complex process.

There was also a limit to how many times one could attempt it within a year, and this time, it was Heinrich's turn to try.

'The fact that even renowned paladins have failed does put some pressure on me...'

Still, he had his own source of confidence.

After all, wasn't he in a somewhat special relationship with the divine?

Maybe this time too, he would be looked after?

'Then, I'm counting on you. I'll do even better from now on!'

Following the archbishop, Heinrich offered a devout prayer to the divine.

With just a hint of personal desire.

***

Talia Kingdom, Duke Bright's mansion.

"So, there's still no significant information?"

"That's correct. It seems the church's recent sweep related to the Immortal King has left no significant dark mage forces nearby."

"What about setting up an intelligence network?"

"We're making progress, but we need more time to gather information from further afield."

It was never going to be an easy task.

This was a long-term issue from the start, but the immediate lack of information was frustrating.

"Understood. If you identify any dark mages, even minor ones, report them separately. Oh, and those interfering with our operations too. We'll take care of them from here."

"…Understood."

As Mulo bowed slightly and left, Heinz approached the window, drawing back the curtain to look up at the night sky.

'If Hans has no plans to act yet, it means others must be preparing something... How can we obtain information?'

It was clear that expanding their power more quickly was necessary.

And now, he had access to the continent's best human resources.

Flutter—

The night sky, engulfed in darkness as even the moonlight was swallowed by clouds.

Hans gazed down upon the earth with eyes steeped in the abyss.

"Since there's nothing else to do right now, I might as well help Heinz."

As a bonus, he planned to recruit slaves... no, extras and staff to exploit to his heart's content.

Of course, it wasn't an unfair contract.

He intended to pay something precious to anyone in return.

Their 'lives.'

"I can't be responsible for accidents that happen on the job...

But still, being lucky enough to survive is better than dying right away, isn't it?"

[Keheheh... there, one is hiding.]

If they belong to the realm of magic, they cannot escape from his "Eyes of the Abyss."

***

Adjacent to the holy lands, in the Azelion Empire.

"Ah! Got a signal!"

Lying dead in a well-decorated room on a comfortable chair, a blonde man suddenly opened his eyes.

"Wow, I hardly dared to hope, but he really is alive. This Immortal King is truly beyond understanding. Why hasn't the signal been caught until now?"

His unique skill, "Trajectory Observation," was optimized for information searching.

It was a skill that could read the past.

After hearing about a major incident at the Rosellia Grand Temple, he tried to uncover its details and learned about the Immortal King.

"There was a massive barrier at the location where the Immortal King appeared, so I couldn't check directly, but gathering information usually starts with asking around."

There were not a few who had been mobilized for the battle with him, and collecting information through them was relatively easy.

Every offhand remark they made was information.

Of course, this was only possible because he had been collecting karma through various deeds, enhancing his unique skill three times.

"Sigh, but he's a big fish after all. Even after such enhancement, I can't observe him. I expected as much."

His ability had several limitations.

He needed detailed information about the target he wanted to observe, and he couldn't read too powerful beings.

It was natural that he couldn't observe someone as formidable as the Immortal King.

But there was a reason for his reaction.

When he had activated "Trajectory Observation" just in case before, the results were strange.

It wasn't that his ability was insufficient and returned "unknown"; it was that the target entity didn't exist, so it returned "impossible."

He had worried that perhaps the Immortal King had died at the Rosellia Grand Temple, but his colleagues dismissed it as nonsense.

If the Immortal King truly resurrected, he wouldn't die from just that.

Since that day, he habitually observed the Immortal King's existence once a day, and today the result changed to "unknown."

"It's really as they said... Then, has he been hiding in some dimensionally severed barrier to recover?"

He smacked his lips and roughly ran his fingers through his tousled blonde hair.

Still, the situation wasn't bad.

With their grand operation about to start, it was good news for them if the Immortal King began to act again.

"The timing couldn't be better. Is luck on our side?"

He wasn't far from the fourth enhancement of his karma.

If this operation concluded well, he could enhance it without issue.

Besides, this operation was just the beginning, not the end.

"How much karma can I earn for contributing to the destruction of a world?"

He smiled broadly, comfortably reclining in the armchair.

"Just getting information from a safe and comfortable place, and letting others do the rest, this is what you call a creative economy."

He was well aware that those he was working with were extremely dangerous, but that was of no concern to him.

By the time this place became truly dangerous, he would already be on Earth.

"Ah~ I'm looking forward to it. Once I return to Earth, couldn't I conquer the world? I could sweep through all the state secrets... Kekeke."

Another awakened being sent to the Outerica dimension indulged in his fantasies alone.