The next day.
Once again, I faced the Pope inside a private room blocked off by a barrier.
Cliff was there beside me.
"Your Holiness, good morning."
Cliff knew about last night's events too.
I had told him everything—about how I'd failed to bring Zenith back.
When he expressed his outrage at the Ratelier family's brazen actions, I asked him to借 me the Pope's help.
The result was a second consecutive audience.
The Pope couldn't have much free time, yet he'd made room for me.
"Lord Rudeus, you look rather fatigued."
"You can tell?"
I touched my cheek. The stubble of a freshly shaved beard lingered under my fingers.
Part of it was because I'd been thinking about Claire's behavior last night, fuming too much to sleep.
I must look terrible.
"Yes. Today—might this be about that matter?"
The Pope's expression said he'd already seen through me.
Perhaps the news about Zenith had already reached his ears.
"Actually, my mother was abducted last night."
"Oh? By whom?"
The Pope kept his gentle smile while watching me.
The way he asked "by whom" suggested he already knew.
I wanted to believe the Pope wasn't pulling strings behind the scenes…
"The Ratelier family."
When I recounted yesterday's details, the Pope narrowed his eyes.
"So you'd like me to help with the search?"
"In a nutshell."
The Pope thoughtfully stroked his beard.
Twirling his Santa Claus-like mustache.
Then he looked at me.
His face still wore a smile, but his eyes weren't smiling.
"Then what would you have me do…?"
"Your Holiness?"
Cliff was the one who spoke up with a puzzled voice.
"He is my friend. This isn't about faction politics—it's about his family. Isn't it a bit much to bring up conditions…?"
"That's precisely why, Cliff."
The Pope addressed Cliff in a gentle, instructive tone.
"This is a Ratelier family matter.
We can intervene, but it means stepping into another house's affairs.
If the Grimoire family sticks its nose in, the Ratelier family won't take it well.
However, if they consider it a word from the Pope, they'll listen.
After all, it's a mother and daughter matter—and a grandchild's.
And the Grimoire family will incur a significant debt to the Ratelier family."
From the Ratelier side, it would be like catching a sea bream with a shrimp.
As the sea bream side, they'd need something more to make it worth their while.
"What would Your Holiness have me do, then?"
"Well, saying it aloud is simple enough…
The more I think about it, the more this seems far too convenient for me.
'The Dragon God's Right Hand' appearing before me with a troubled look, asking for help…
And really—why did the Ratelier family go out of their way to antagonize someone known as 'The Dragon God's Right Hand' in the first place?"
"I… don't know. I don't have that kind of information."
Now that I thought about it, Claire had looked down on me from the very start.
Whether it was her supposed consideration toward Aisha, or ignoring my initial greeting.
"Count Ratelier is, despite appearances, quite skilled at gathering intelligence.
He wouldn't overlook information about a warrior of your caliber, and I doubt he'd underestimate you."
The Count—that would be Claire's husband, Carlyle.
"I… haven't met the Count himself. It's possible Claire, who's the Countess and may not know everything, is acting on her own."
Even if Claire had information, everyone had different values.
I wasn't a noble, nor did I hold any important post in a particular country.
Being told to live under a warrior whose only claim to fame was the name "Dragon God" wouldn't necessarily mean much.
Even if she'd heard I was connected to Ariel, she wouldn't know how close that connection was.
I could just be a fox borrowing a tiger's terror.
By Claire's standards, I may simply have had no value.
"Lady Claire of the Ratelier family does tend to place excessive importance on lineage, I suppose… that could be a factor…"
The Pope stroked his beard as he considered, then nodded.
"Well, fine.
They say you can't find treasure without adventuring.
So, Lord Rudeus—what specifically can you do?"
What can I do.
Or perhaps it meant: how far can you go?
How deep does your sincerity run?
"Let me see…"
What I had in mind was something I'd thought of yesterday on a whim.
A sudden idea that was predictably dismissed.
But it was possible.
"I could kidnap the Holy Mother."
The instant those words left my mouth, Cliff shouted.
"Kidnap?! Rudeus! What are you saying?!"
"I'm saying I could seize the anti-demon faction's weak point."
"That's not what I—! If you kidnap the Holy Mother like this, the Ratelier family could be destroyed! You're talking about obliterating your own family!"
I slowly turned to face Cliff.
"They're not my family."
"…!"
I looked away from the speechless Cliff.
The Pope's pleasant smile hadn't changed.
"Of course, I was merely listing things I'm capable of—things that might be useful to Your Holiness.
If I wanted to, I could reduce a city to ashes or level a forest into flat ground."
I was simply showing my cards.
But the Pope stroked his beard again.
Was it too good to be true for him?
It might look like someone was setting a trap.
I didn't mind if he verified my background.
As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to dig up.
I was acting with one goal in mind: getting Zenith back.
"I'm against this!"
Cliff suddenly shouted.
"Kidnapping is a crime! Even if they're the enemy, Grandfather could intervene and settle this!"
"…"
"Rudeus, you too! What good does it do to stoop to their level? This isn't like you at all… aren't you letting your emotions cloud your judgment?"
Letting my emotions cloud my judgment?
Yeah, probably.
I was seething over Claire's methods.
I was furious with Claire Ratelier.
It was almost strange that I hadn't resorted to violence.
If this weren't about Zenith, I wouldn't be this angry.
Even when Eris was injured in the fight against the North God, even when Roxy nearly died fighting the Death God—I didn't get angry.
They had their own will.
They'd chosen to follow me of their own accord, and they'd been prepared.
If they'd died as a result, I would have grieved.
I would have honored their will and lamented my own inadequacy.
But Zenith right now had no will of her own.
She'd been lured by a letter, then taken here without ever agreeing to go.
On top of that, she could be married off to a stranger—and possibly forced to bear children.
If Zenith had actually come here of her own free will, it would be a different story.
If she'd refused and been defeated in combat, and that's how she ended up here—then maybe I could accept it.
"Accept" meaning I wouldn't be angry, at least.
Even then, something in my chest would well up that would make me want to die.
Something different from anger.
A kind of helpless resignation.
That feeling was far, far more painful than anger.
Yeah.
Maybe I wanted to inflict that kind of feeling on Claire.
Because of you, the Holy Mother was kidnapped.
Being confronted, held accountable, denounced—
and Claire, unable to do anything, flustered and withering away.
Maybe that's what I wanted to see.
In short, I wanted revenge.
…I'm a terrible person.
"Rudeus. There's still time to change course. Let's talk this through. If you want, I can sit in on the negotiations."
"Cliff…"
"The Ratelier family helped search for your mother, didn't they? That was surely out of concern for your mother and sisters. Then maybe this time, it's just a misunderstanding. If you each explained your positions, you might reach an understanding."
Cliff's words tugged at my heart.
But it quickly returned to its original position.
Of course I'd prefer to settle this through talks.
But that old woman won't listen to a word I say.
I couldn't see myself reconciling with her.
Our ways of thinking, our values—too different.
It was like we were speaking different languages.
"…You're right."
But then, calming down a little, I considered.
That difference in values was just between Claire and me.
Cliff had a point. If a third party mediated, there might be a solution.
The Pope was out—getting him involved would create debts of obligation.
Cliff was in a tough spot too.
He still had no standing in this country.
Claire might not listen to him.
But there was still someone I could consult.
Someone who seemed capable of reasoning with Claire, without the complications of inter-faction debts.
Not the Pope—I should have gone to her first.
"I'll try consulting Therese. Your Holiness, I apologize, but please forget I said anything about kidnapping."
"That would be wise."
The Pope gave a soft smile.
"She is one of the most upright members of the Temple Knights.
She will surely be of help to you…"
I nodded at the Pope's words, and Cliff looked relieved.
---
Starting the next day, I began consulting with Therese.
But there was a problem.
She was the captain of the Holy Mother's bodyguard.
Within the Temple Knights, she held the rank of squadron leader in the Shield division.
She lived alongside the Holy Mother day in and day out, constantly protecting her.
The Holy Mother, for her part, did basically nothing.
Like the Pope, she was essentially under house arrest in the inner sanctum of the Millis Church headquarters.
She used to go out frequently, but after an assassination attempt, she now never left unless the Church required it.
The headquarters housed numerous Temple Knights and experts in divine magic and barrier magic.
The Holy Mother herself had nearly ten personal guards.
An extremely safe place, in other words.
Meeting Therese, who was always with the Holy Mother, was extremely difficult.
Letters couldn't reach her, and even if I called for her, she wouldn't come out.
I almost wished I'd asked the Pope for help after all.
That said, it wasn't entirely impossible.
According to information from the Pope, the Holy Mother wasn't locked in her room twenty-four seven.
Once every few days, she was allowed a brief period in the Church's inner garden.
That was her free time.
She'd go out into a garden open to ordinary worshippers, look at the trees and flowers, chat idly with her guards, and occasionally listen to stories from whatever ordinary people happened to be there.
For the Holy Mother, who could live only within the narrowest of confines, it was her sole pleasure.
I'd target that window to meet Therese.
But I couldn't be too obvious about staking out the place, or I'd arouse unnecessary suspicion.
The Holy Mother was a VIP, after all.
Even if I had legitimate business with Therese, if I was seen lurking around, the Temple Knights would naturally take notice.
So I began visiting the garden almost every day.
I'd show up at headquarters with a natural air, playing the part of Cliff's bodyguard, and spend my time in the garden just as naturally.
My official excuse was that I'd taken a liking to the salark tree.
I also brought a canvas and painted.
A painting couldn't be finished in a single day, which gave me a daily excuse to keep coming.
In the meantime, I had Aisha and Geese working as well.
Aisha was scouring the city at breakneck speed for a building.
Geese was using his people to monitor the movements of the Ratelier household servants while searching for Zenith.
Of course, there were no results yet.
While this was going on, I coincided with the Holy Mother's day off.
"Oh! Lord Rudeus! You're here today too!"
The Holy Mother spotted me and came bounding over.
"You promised! Tell me more stories about Eris!"
I obliged, telling her tales of Eris just as she wanted.
Eris's anecdotes were full of entertaining episodes, and the Holy Mother listened with delight.
The guards were wary of me.
Their job was to keep suspicious people away from the Holy Mother.
That said, I wasn't a suspicious person.
My identity as Cliff's friend was established, and I'd met Therese, the captain of the guard.
After my conversation with the Holy Mother, I spoke with Therese.
She seemed to have already heard about Zenith's abduction.
She listened seriously and offered her help.
"I never imagined Mother would go to such lengths… Regardless, her next day off is soon. I'll talk to her then. Don't worry—there's no way Zenith is being married off to some other man without your knowing about it."
Therese thumped her large chest—comparable to Zenith's—and said this firmly.
She was reassuring.
"That said, when I joined the Knights, Mother was vehemently opposed. Whether she'll listen to my side of things… I can't promise."
"…What if she doesn't listen?"
"Then we have Father, or Edgar, or plenty of others to turn to. Leave it to me."
Truly reassuring.
---
Several more days passed.
Zenith still hadn't been found.
According to Geese, none of the servants had been acting suspiciously.
There was no evidence of anyone making contact with anyone outside.
Nor was anyone resembling Zenith coming or going.
Therefore, Geese believed Zenith was most likely being held inside the Ratelier estate.
We'd managed to secure a building for the mercenary company's branch office.
It was a vacant lot where a tavern had once stood at the edge of the commercial district.
Aisha was currently arranging to stock it with preserved food, clothing, and other supplies.
I'd installed a communication stone tablet and an emergency teleportation magic circle in the building's basement.
The teleportation circle used a system based on magic crystals and was linked to a scroll I had on hand—but it could only be used once.
Well, I probably wouldn't need it.
Anyway, I used the communication stone tablet to consult with Orsted right away.
When I told Orsted about the situation, he gave me several pieces of information and his predictions about the Man-God's intentions.
First, the Holy Mother.
The Holy Mother.
She had no name.
The moment she was chosen as the Holy Mother and taken in by the Church, she had discarded her name.
From then on, she was publicly treated as a person of importance—and privately, as nothing more than a tool.
The Holy Mother's ability was "Memory Viewing."
By looking into another person's eyes, she could see their memories.
Her job was interrogation.
She'd be called in for internal Church tribunals or national court proceedings, where she'd examine the memories of the accused.
Bishops and nobles who believed they'd committed the perfect crime were condemned on the word of a single Holy Mother.
The ultimate lie detector—and its power was verified by the King himself.
The Cardinal faction propped her up, and the Pope faction weakened.
Even so—memories.
Viewing memories.
Only viewing.
But there was a possibility I wanted to explore.
Could the Holy Mother recover Zenith's memories?
According to Orsted, the Holy Mother's ability was limited to viewing—so it probably wouldn't work.
But if the opportunity arose, I wanted to try.
The thing was, the Holy Mother's ability wasn't something outsiders could casually request access to.
The Holy Mother's power was monopolized by the Millis Church—or rather, by the Cardinal faction.
Using it required permission.
Whether you were royalty or the Pope himself, without the Cardinal's approval, the Holy Mother's ability could not be used.
Just because I'd gotten friendly with her didn't mean I could march up to the Ratelier estate and demand she expose Claire's lies.
By the way, this Holy Mother with her powerful ability.
She seemed to have a tragically fragile destiny.
In every loop, she typically died around the age of ten, and at best didn't make it past thirty.
Orsted said that both her destiny and her ability made it extremely unlikely she was the Man-God's apostle.
Next, the Ratelier family.
Excluding Zenith, there were four adult members of the Ratelier family.
The current head: Count Carlyle Ratelier.
His wife: Countess Claire Ratelier.
The eldest son: Temple Knight Edgar Ratelier.
The fourth daughter: Temple Knight Therese Ratelier.
The eldest daughter, Anis, had married into the Barkland Marquis family.
The Barkland Marquis household was located in a town about a day's travel west of Millision.
Therefore, she was not currently in Millision.
The eldest son, Edgar, was in a similar situation.
As a squad leader of the Temple Knights, he was stationed in the same town as Anis.
The head of the family, Carlyle, served as battalion commander of the Temple Knights.
It was an extremely demanding position—he practically lived at the barracks while on duty and only made it home about once every ten days.
Therese, as I'd recently confirmed, lived at Church headquarters as part of the Holy Mother's guard.
She basically never came home, even on days off.
In other words, the Ratelier estate was being managed almost entirely by Claire alone.
I asked Orsted about Claire as well.
Claire Ratelier.
The Ratelier family's eldest daughter. Stubborn from birth, raised under the family's strict discipline to be tough on herself and others, she had a character that never bent once she'd made up her mind—and this trait reportedly lasted until her death.
Her husband Carlyle was a live-in groom.
She had one son and four daughters.
Insofar as Orsted knew, she was an ordinary noblewoman who left no particular mark on history and accomplished nothing of great note.
She valued straightforward dealings and despised coercion.
Orsted confirmed that she was not the type to forcibly kidnap someone.
I also received detailed information about the Millis Church's internal conflict.
I already knew the basics, but the Millis Church was divided between the Pope faction and the Cardinal faction.
The split occurred roughly three hundred years ago.
Until then, the Church had persecuted demons in accordance with the scripture's decree that "all demon-kind shall be destroyed."
But a certain priest who read the scripture "All races are equal under Millis" declared, "Then shouldn't demons be equal too?"—and the Church split.
Since then, the two sides had continued fighting as the pro-demon faction and the anti-demon faction.
The current situation was as follows:
Pope Faction: Pro-demon. Currently the largest faction. Cliff's grandfather was the Pope. Most commoners living in Millis and the majority of the Teach Knights belonged to this faction.
Cardinal Faction: Anti-demon. The faction that controlled the Holy Mother. Old Millis noble families like the Rateliers and most of the Temple Knights belonged to this faction.
The royal family and the Holy Knights were neutral.
Up until about fifty years ago, the anti-demon faction had been winning, and attitudes toward other races within Millision were harsh. They frequently clashed with the people of the Great Forest.
However, the pro-demon faction ended a particularly large-scale conflict with the beast races, which bolstered their influence.
The pro-demon faction had held sway for about thirty years after that, but then the Holy Mother was born, and they rallied behind her. The anti-demon Grand Bishop was elevated to Cardinal, and the anti-demon faction began regaining ground.
That was the gist of it.
Finally, regarding the Man-God's involvement.
According to Orsted, there was no one particularly important in Millis right now.
Given Millis's nature as a nation, no matter how things played out, they would never side with Laplace when war broke out.
For both the Man-God and Orsted, it didn't matter whether the Pope faction or the Cardinal faction won.
That said, my ideal outcome was the birth of Pope Cliff.
The Man-God might be taking some action to prevent that.
But his movements seemed odd.
The meaning behind having Zenith abducted was unclear.
Honestly, it seemed the Man-God's involvement was minimal.
"If you're stuck, kill them. That'll crush their plans."
Those were Orsted's words.
Right now, I was genuinely tempted to do exactly that.
For the time being, that was all.
I should have gathered this much information beforehand.
Well, this trip to Millis had been rather sudden, and I'd been optimistic, thinking I'd just go say hello and come right back.
Next time—in the Kingdom of Dragon God—I'd be more thorough.
---
Several more days later.
Therese brought encouraging news.
"Mother has tacitly admitted to confining Zenith."
"Oh!"
Therese had used one of her rare days off to visit Claire.
She'd pressed her from every angle, and Claire had indirectly admitted to using her subordinates to deceive Geese and abduct Zenith.
She'd also revealed that Zenith was being held somewhere.
"However, Mother did seem somewhat off… like she was hiding something, or perhaps hesitating. I don't think she's actually serious about going through with the marriage…"
"I see… And the location of the confinement?"
"No—sorry. I couldn't get that far."
Therese's face clouded.
She'd tried to extract the location of Zenith's confinement but failed.
After that, Therese had tried to persuade Claire to return Zenith to me.
She'd argued that she didn't have the luxury of finding a suitor for a widow with psychological issues.
She'd pointed out that Rudeus was the kind of man who could secure an audience with the Pope on a whim, so Claire should take him more seriously.
She'd said that since this man was willing to look after Zenith for life, she should just hand her over.
But Claire had evaded with vague, noncommittal responses.
"In the end, she somehow turned it around into 'When are you getting married?'… I'm sorry. That always ends in a fight…"
"…"
Geese's observation that there had been no movement after the abduction.
Claire's behavior suggesting she was hiding something—or hesitating.
Orsted's information that Claire was not the type to forcibly abduct someone.
Something was going on after all.
…Even if something was going on, I had no obligation to consider their situation.
They hadn't considered mine.
They'd treated me with contempt.
"Well, the Ratelier family can't even arrange a suitor for me. There's no way they'll find a marriage partner for Zenith that quickly."
"…Eh? Oh, yes. That's absolutely right."
I didn't quite follow the logic, but if Therese said so, then so be it.
"In any case, Mother is just being stubborn. Next, I'm going to close in from the surrounding family. I've already spoken with Father, and I've sent word to Edgar and Anis to come back from the provinces. Mother may be stubborn, but she does care about maintaining her husband's dignity. If Father and Edgar say something, she should at least be willing to listen."
"For everything you've done… thank you."
"Don't thank me. Mother's the one in the wrong."
Therese was working so effectively on my behalf.
I almost wondered why she was being so devoted.
We'd only met once or twice…
"Therese! Are you finished with your conversation?"
When the discussion had reached a natural pause, the Holy Mother came over.
"Yes, Your Holiness! I apologize for taking personal time during my duties."
"It's quite all right. He's Lord Eris's husband, after all. We must return the favor. Millis is always watching."
Right—Therese's willingness to help me was also partly because of Eris.
This was the first time Eris's antics had earned me someone's gratitude.
Good. Once the kids were a bit older, I'd bring Eris along too.
"Your Holiness, it's almost time."
"You should return to your room."
"Lord Rudeus, as always, we appreciate your efforts!"
Her attendants had also loosened up toward me recently.
In the beginning, several guards had been hostile whenever they learned of my connection to someone in the Pope faction. But lately, they'd stopped picking fights.
They were still cautious, but they seemed to regard me as a neutral, safe person.
Well, I'd put in effort too.
I'd made sure to show no intention of harming the Holy Mother.
I hadn't been overly formal or stiff around her either.
And I'd always told entertaining stories to keep her amused.
Whenever she was with me, the Holy Mother was always in high spirits.
Even after returning to her room, she seemed to look forward to my visits.
That was the fruit of my efforts.
And beyond that…
Having the captain of her bodyguard so personally invested in my cause certainly helped.
Since the captain herself wasn't particularly on guard, the others might have felt it was pointless to be overly suspicious.
Honestly, I kind of wished they'd be more vigilant.
In this state, kidnapping the Holy Mother would be almost easy.
But if Therese's efforts proved fruitless and Zenith wasn't returned—
If I was truly cornered with no other options—
I would do it.
Kidnapping the Holy Mother, storming the Ratelier estate—I would do whatever it took.
In the end, Zenith was the priority.
If I didn't honor that, I couldn't face Paul, who was dead, or Lillia, who had entrusted Sylphie to me.
With that in mind, I made sure to never make eye contact with the Holy Mother.
I didn't know how much of a person's thoughts she could read through her memory-viewing ability.
Even if she glimpsed it, she might not realize that kidnapping her was one of my options.
She might realize.
Either way, it was certain that the ability didn't activate without eye contact.
I didn't think any of the guards had noticed me avoiding the Holy Mother's gaze.
Maybe someone had, but apparently avoiding eye contact within the Church was quite common.
No one wanted their memories read.
Nobody would find it strange if I simply didn't meet her eyes.
Kidnapping would be easy.
I just needed to place a teleportation magic circle scroll under the Holy Mother's usual chair—or buried in the dirt beneath it.
When the time came, I'd channel my magic into the circle without the guards noticing, and teleport the Holy Mother away.
She'd vanish right before my eyes, so suspicion would fall on me.
But there'd be no evidence.
The magic ink would fade, leaving only blank paper.
Aside from a select few, no one would realize a teleportation circle had been used.
The circle led to the mercenary company branch office.
There, Aisha could monitor the Holy Mother while I continued the negotiations.
However, if at all possible, I didn't want to resort to this method.
It would betray Therese, the person responsible for the Holy Mother's protection.
She was genuinely trying to help me.
She shared my outrage over Claire's high-handed methods.
She'd even contacted her brother and sister, who were staying in a town some distance from Millision, to get them involved.
I still didn't know what Lord Carlyle—the one who should have been nearby—thought about all this.
But regardless, Therese was genuinely trying to persuade Claire.
The last thing I wanted was to stab her in the back by kidnapping the Holy Mother.
"Therese, if you have time, could you introduce me to Lord Carlyle, your uncle, and your aunt? I should pay my respects, and I'd like to ask for their help directly as well."
"Of course! I'll arrange it!"
But still.
If it came down to it, I would act.
If bearing the infamy let me keep my promises to Paul and Lillia, so be it.
But if possible, I wanted Therese to succeed before that.
If her persuasion truly failed, then—at least without resorting to underhanded tactics—I wanted to face the guards head-on and take the Holy Mother through sheer strength.
It was the opposite feeling from what I'd been planning.
"I'd rather someone find a suitor for me than for a woman with such a splendid son as Zenith… Haa…"
Therese muttered as she walked away, and I bowed to her once more.
I'm really not that impressive.
---
Several more days passed.
It had been perhaps fourteen or fifteen days since I'd arrived in this country.
New information came from Geese and from Aisha, who had finished setting up the base and joined the search.
Apparently, a tailor had visited the Ratelier estate yesterday.
When Aisha had her people squeeze the tailor for information, it turned out he'd been commissioned to make a wedding dress and had been taking a woman's measurements inside the house.
The woman was described as tall with vacant, unfocused eyes—almost certainly Zenith.
Furthermore, Claire had apparently used the butler to contact someone within the Church behind the scenes.
Based on the circumstances, she was likely selecting a marriage partner for Zenith.
If that was the case, there might not be much time left.
But there was no need to panic.
At Therese's request, the Ratelier family's eldest son and eldest daughter were now heading this way.
According to a letter that had arrived ahead of them, they'd said, "No matter what, we can't agree to marry off a daughter who can't even speak."
I still hadn't met Lord Carlyle.
As battalion commander, he must have been extremely busy.
That said, according to Therese, he was "not the type to accept Mother's current methods."
Aisha also remembered him as having been kind to her.
I didn't know what he'd say about this particular situation, but I wanted to meet him soon.
If the entire family, including the head of the household, opposed Claire, she wouldn't be able to do as she pleased.
Managing the estate didn't mean she was the head of the family.
Even if she'd been making moves, it was only a matter of time now.
I could consider this checkmate.
I couldn't thank Therese enough for acting so swiftly.
Even if her efforts had failed, I now knew Zenith's location and had a read on the estate's defenses.
If I gave Therese advance notice, she could probably provide a floor plan and predictions about where Zenith was being held.
But with the head of the family on my side, it probably wouldn't come to a raid.
It would be more like a forceful search for Zenith and a denunciation of Claire.
If that was all it took, I could settle this as a matter between the Ratelier family and me alone.
Good.
It looked like this could be resolved purely between the Ratelier family and me.
No trouble for the Pope or Cliff, and I could build connections with the other Ratelier family members besides Claire.
It had been circuitous, but things seemed to be settling into the ideal shape.
Yeah.
I was glad I hadn't gone berserk back then.
By consulting with the people around me and methodically cutting off her options from the outside, the problem was being solved without incident.
There had been no need to kidnap the Holy Mother.
That day, I'd been desperate.
I'd been looking for a way to break through in one blow, and I'd been about to do something outrageous.
Things had to be done one step at a time, methodically.
And look—wasn't the villain being properly cornered now?
I couldn't get my revenge, but I didn't need to dwell on it either.
"…"
With these thoughts, I headed to the Church headquarters' inner garden, just as always.
The salark tree in the inner garden had already shed its blossoms during these past fourteen or fifteen days.
But in my painting, it was still in full bloom.
Today, too, I scattered pink petals across the canvas.
That painting was nearly finished.
Even I could tell it was a clumsy piece.
In the beginning, the attendants had mocked me freely for it.
But partway through, when I'd added the Holy Mother in a white dress, they'd completely changed their tune.
A storm of praise.
What a simple bunch.
The Holy Mother had also asked for the painting once it was finished.
If my work was good enough for her, I'd gladly give it.
I was also thinking of secretly making a doll and presenting it as a gift.
Come to think of it, I didn't necessarily need to weaken the anti-demon faction's influence or bolster the Pope faction.
If the Holy Mother simply said, "I approve the sale of dolls!" in a single word, it would probably carry weight.
Instead of selling demon dolls from the start, I could sell dolls one by one as a series, and eventually include demon ones…
No, that probably wouldn't work either.
The Holy Mother probably didn't have that kind of authority.
"…Hm?"
I suddenly noticed something off at the garden entrance.
There was someone there.
"…Already here?"
Normally, I'd enter the garden first, then after a while, a few guards would do a sweep, and only then would the Holy Mother appear.
At this time of day, no one should have been here yet—had the patrol started early?
Or was it someone else?
I stepped into the garden.
The salark tree, its blossoms completely fallen.
Below it, my easel and canvas that I'd set up.
No one was there.
I'd felt a presence, but maybe it was my imagination.
I didn't have eyes like Ruijerd's, after all.
"Hm?"
There was one thing—a single object I didn't recognize.
On top of the easel.
A lit candle had been placed on the easel.
Just one. Standing alone.
It flickered softly in the sunlight.
When I looked closer, I could see footprints on the ground.
A single set of footprints.
Leading behind the salark tree.
Was someone hiding behind the trunk?
"…Therese?"
I called out while activating my foresight eye.
No response.
Something was wrong.
"Is someone there?!"
I called out more forcefully while channeling magic into my Magic Armor.
Combat stance.
I kept my guard up in all directions while avoiding the salark tree.
If they didn't come out, fine.
I'd maintain my distance and attack with magic that could reach into blind spots.
That tree was the Holy Mother's favorite—I'd be careful not to damage it… wind magic, then.
Strike first.
"Huh?"
The magic I'd gathered in my right hand dissipated.
Something was wrong.
By the time I realized it, it was too late.
I tried to take a large backstep but hit the wall behind me.
I spun around—nothing was there.
No—there was an invisible wall.
"…!"
I looked down at my feet.
There, faintly glowing blue in the morning light, was a magic circle.
"…A barrier."
I recognized this barrier magic circle.
An invisible wall blocked any attempt to step outside the circle.
Any magic cast within the circle was dispersed.
"It's a king-class barrier, Rudeus."
The voice came from behind the tree.
A figure emerged slowly: a woman clad in blue armor.
Where there should have been a head much like Zenith's, an angular helmet hid her face.
She wasn't alone.
From behind other trees, from the forest undergrowth, armored men began appearing one after another.
A harem princess swarmed by otaku.
A.K.A. the Temple Knights.
Or at least, that's what they should have been—their faces were obscured by oddly shaped helmets.
"I'm sorry, but… we've received intelligence that you're planning to kidnap the Holy Mother."
I stood there, stunned.
The knights formed a circle around the barrier.
Therese—the only one whose location I'd already known—stood directly in front of me and spoke.
"Therefore, we will now commence a heresy inquiry."
The helmeted men drove their swords, still in their sheaths, into the ground.
A strange sound echoed through the garden—a sharp *thunk* combined with a resonant *clang*.