I don't think I let my composure slip when I saw Zenith and Claire. At least, I hope I didn't.
I didn't have absolute confidence that I could win.
I didn't have absolute confidence that everything would go smoothly.
All I had was the conviction that, in this moment, I could at least do the bare minimum.
Simulating an escape with Zenith took no more than an instant.
With this many people present, I couldn't use a teleportation circle.
But I already had a read on the strength of the Temple Knights who were here.
I didn't know how strong the Temple Knight standing behind the Pope was, but if the Holy Child's words were to be trusted, none of them surpassed the Guardians of the Holy Tomb.
Zenith's safety was guaranteed.
At this point, with things having reached this stage, I could consider one of my objectives essentially accomplished.
Secure Zenith.
Secure Cliff.
Secure Aisha and Geese.
Then escape.
I was still worried about Aisha and Geese's whereabouts, but I could get that information through conversation now.
Anyway, that was what I'd been thinking, which was why I took my seat with perfect composure.
I escorted the Holy Child to the adjacent seat and, still gripping her upper arm, sat down beside her.
What came out of my mouth before I even sat was an astonishingly calm voice.
"It seems everyone has gathered — that saves me the trouble of rounding you all up."
My tongue moved smoothly, words flowing freely.
It had been a while since I'd felt this way.
"I imagine many of you haven't met me before, so allow me to introduce myself first.
My name is Rudeus Greyrat.
I've come as a representative of the Dragon God, Lord Orsted, to deepen relations with the Millis Faith."
The word "Dragon God" caused a brief ripple of unease through the room.
None of those present had met Orsted directly.
Naturally, none of them knew what Orsted was striving toward or what he was fighting against.
Some might not even know of the Seven Great Powers.
But there was no one here who didn't know the title "Dragon God."
It was as famous a word as the "Demon God."
"At present, for reasons I won't go into, I find myself holding the Holy Child's life in my hands."
I pointed at the Holy Child with my right index finger.
Infusing it with mana, I produced a small flame — like a lighter's spark.
Tension rippled through the room.
"I deeply regret that things have come to this.
I never imagined I'd have to resort to taking a hostage — something that stains the face of Lord Orsted, an existence that transcends the ordinary.
However, please understand that this is a necessary measure for my own survival, the safety of my subordinates, and for the negotiations that will follow."
"Ah, totechuchō...?"
*Ahem.*
My tongue had slipped a bit too far.
I wasn't trying to be flippant.
"Now then — why was I targeted? Why did I have to resort to something that stains my lord's face?"
I scanned the room...
and my gaze stopped on Claire.
She was frowning.
"If someone could kindly explain, I would appreciate it.
Otherwise, Lord Orsted's forces and I — myself included — will have no choice but to become genuine enemies of the Millis Faith."
This was no empty threat.
If the leadership of the Millis Faith had truly been manipulated by Hitogami's hand, then that was a possibility I had to account for.
"......"
My words plunged the conference hall into dead silence.
No one rose to challenge me.
No one told me to bring it on.
Was the earlier battle still weighing on their minds?
Or had I said something strange?
At the very least, I wanted them to understand that I was angry.
"I understand your frustration, Rudeus-sama."
The one who answered was the man sitting directly across from me — the man at the far end of the table.
The most important person in the room, flanked by Cliff.
Pope Harry Grimoire.
"However, as Rudeus-sama yourself noted, there are many here whom you haven't yet met.
Would it be all right if we introduced ourselves, one by one?"
"......"
"It won't take long."
I considered his intentions.
Introductions — or stalling for time?
Were they perhaps out searching for Aisha right now?
No, but the number of people here wasn't that large, was it?
Besides, knowing who I was dealing with wasn't a bad thing.
When making demands, there was a certain order to things.
You needed to prepare the ground before anyone would listen.
Shouting your demands into the void without giving the other side a chance to ready themselves was pointless.
"Very well. I was the one who was too hasty."
"Thank you... Cliff, I'll leave it to you."
"Yes. Everyone, I am Father Cliff Grimoire, grandson of Pope Harry Grimoire."
Cliff stood and said this, then took a step back.
It seemed he would be acting as moderator.
"First, if you would, Cardinal Lebran."
At Cliff's cue, a man stood up.
He wore vestments that looked just as expensive as the Pope's.
To put his appearance in a word — portly.
Round-faced, like a cartoon superhero made out of sweet bean bread.
But this man was the leading figure of the anti-demon faction...
"I am Cardinal Lebran McFarlane.
I oversee the Temple Knights and serve as His Holiness's adjutant."
So this was the de facto number two of the Millis Faith.
Cardinals were essentially papal advisors, weren't they — like a prime minister to a king.
Of course, the Pope and Cardinal of Millis weren't quite the same as those in the religions I knew. They might be somewhat different.
But it was certainly true that this Pope and Cardinal were at odds.
They were competing for the next papal seat.
I didn't know how often elections were held...
While I was thinking this, the Cardinal sat back down.
Truly, nothing but a name and title for his introduction.
"—Lord Belmond."
At Cliff's call, the white-armored man sitting next to Lebran stood up.
A one-eyed man with a scar across his face.
He looked about forty.
White armor — so, Cathedral Knights.
His expression, however, was severe to the extreme.
The Cathedral Knights were supposed to be something like the orthodox knights of Millis.
Was he angry about the commotion caused in town?
"I am Belmond Nash Venick, Deputy Captain of the Cathedral Knights' 'Bow Division.'"
The man said this one-liner and sat down.
I felt like I'd heard that name somewhere before.
He was staring straight at me with a piercing gaze.
But he didn't say anything further.
Maybe that was just how he looked — like Orsted or Rigurd.
Ah, I remembered.
The knight who was an acquaintance of Rigurd's had a name like that.
Right — Gallard. Gallard Nash Venick.
Nickname: Gash.
"Could you be Gallard-san's...?"
"...His son."
"I owe your father for a great deal, back then."
So that's how it worked.
Just because the father was in the Guidance Knights didn't mean the son would join the same order.
Still, the fact that he was deputy captain proved he wasn't an incompetent son.
"—Lord Railbard."
After that, two more knights in white armor.
I didn't recognize either name, but both introduced themselves as battalion commanders of the "Bow Division."
These so-and-so divisions were roughly equivalent to regiments in a military structure.
Battalion commander meant they were the rank below captain, deputy captain, and regimental commander.
"—Lord Carlyle."
"I bowed out earlier — you may skip me, if you like."
Carlyle Ratraya declined his introduction.
I hadn't realized that was an option, but thinking about it, the Pope hadn't introduced himself either.
In that case, I supposed Claire would be skipped too.
Even as I thought this, the introductions continued.
An archbishop. A regimental commander of the Temple Knights' "Shield Division."
I'd keep the names in mind.
I wasn't sure if I needed to, but there was no harm in knowing.
Ideally, I'd have liked to exchange business cards...
"—Lady Claire."
Claire's name was called.
Why was she among these dignitaries?
Had she been summoned as some kind of witness?
Or was she the one who'd spread the rumor about the Holy Child's abduction?
Why was she here with Zenith?
I wanted to ask right away, but something told me an explanation was forthcoming.
For now, I'd be patient.
"I am Claire Ratraya, Countess Ratraya. This is my daughter, Zenith. She is unwell, which is why she appears as she does — I ask for your understanding."
Claire said this with a composed expression, then took her seat.
That should be everyone.
The escort knights hadn't been introduced, but I supposed they didn't qualify to participate in the discussion.
"Well then, shall we begin? Let us sort out what happened where, with Rudeus-sama joining us."
The Pope's words marked the opening of the discussion.
---
"Now then, Rudeus-sama — I'd like to clarify the sequence of events, if that's all right."
"Of course. I'd like to understand what happened myself."
The fact that the Pope was phrasing things this way suggested they had only just gotten a grasp on the situation.
Several hours had passed since the incident.
Having the Cardinal and the heads of each knight order assembled was almost suspiciously convenient.
Then again, the captains of the knight orders hadn't shown up — only those who could afford to remain calm when the Holy Child was abducted.
And yet, it was still odd that the Temple Knights — the very parties involved — were standing around.
"So, what should we discuss first... I've only just heard the details myself, you see. I haven't fully sorted through it yet."
The Pope scratched his brow as he said this, and one man raised his hand.
Belmond. Gash-san.
"Presumably, we have the least information of anyone here.
We came at the Cardinal's request.
We were told to collect the bodies of those who had killed the Holy Child and caused damage to the nation."
Caused damage to the nation.
As Zanoba's existence demonstrated, the "Holy Child" was an important national asset.
Even though the Millis Faith managed and monopolized her, the nation couldn't afford to lose her entirely.
At the very least, not to the point of ignoring a direct request.
"However, when we arrived, we found the guards knocked unconscious and the Holy Child abducted. And on top of that, the perpetrator had the audacity to return to the scene in a rage, proclaiming his own righteousness."
Belmond said this, then shot a sharp glare at the Cardinal.
"The request we received doesn't match the current situation. Therefore, I will be taking a neutral stance for now."
With that, Belmond sat down.
The Pope smiled pleasantly and turned his gaze to the Cardinal.
"Cardinal, would you explain the circumstances that led to such a request?
And please — address Rudeus-sama directly, not me."
The Cardinal stood with an expressionless face.
Listening to the earlier account, it seemed the Cardinal had been behind this.
"I received notice from someone in the Ratraya household.
That a man was having a dangerous conversation on the street about abducting the Holy Child..."
From someone in the Ratraya household, on the street...
Ah, perhaps when I'd left Claire's house the second time, someone had been tailing me.
I hadn't noticed at all, but given the commotion we'd made when we parted, it wasn't impossible they'd sent someone to check on me.
Even without that, the conversation had happened on the street.
Anyone could have overheard.
And it was entirely plausible that the Millis Faith had gotten wind of it.
Walls have ears — honest Mary.
Snitches like Mary are everywhere.
"When we looked into who it was, it turned out to be Rudeus Greyrat.
Upon investigation, my subordinates found that Rudeus had been using his connection to Therese to cunningly approach the Holy Child."
According to the Cardinal, normally such a notice could have been dismissed outright.
Pranks like that were an everyday occurrence, and the Temple Knights weren't so idle as to act on every bit of street gossip.
But I had close ties to the demon race, was a close friend of the very grandson of His Holiness the Pope — who advocated reconciliation with demons — and had furthermore broken with the Ratraya household, mired in problems of my own.
To top it off, Rudeus had indeed made a sudden beeline for the Holy Child immediately after his conflict with the Ratraya household.
And lastly, Rudeus possessed the ability to abduct or even kill the Holy Child right under the noses of her guards.
Motive and capability — both present in abundance.
"Therefore, I struck first."
"I see... But that contradicts the testimony of the Cathedral Knights. There is a significant difference between abduction and attempted murder."
"Presumably, the liaison may have exaggerated their wording somewhat."
The Cardinal said this with a blank expression.
But looking at the situation, his intentions were transparent.
He'd wanted to frame me as an attempted murderer of the Holy Child, with the Pope pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Unfortunately, his precious Temple Knights had been defeated.
And it had become clear that I had no intention of killing the Holy Child, let alone the Temple Knights.
"Before we hear from the Ratraya household — from Lord Carlyle — shall we hear Rudeus-sama's account? How would that be?"
"......"
When the question was directed at me, I hesitated for a moment.
But on reflection, there was no reason for me to lie.
I had nothing to hide.
"I did, in fact, let slip something about abducting her, but that was nothing more than hot-headed talk. Those around me intervened, and I never put it into action."
"Then why did you approach the Holy Child in the first place?"
"I consulted my aunt Therese about resolving the issue with the Ratraya household. That must have appeared as though I was getting close to the Holy Child."
"Oh? But if that's the case, why did you actually abduct the Holy Child?"
The content sounded like an interrogation, but the Pope's voice remained gentle throughout.
He sounded as if he were saying, *Just answer honestly and everything will be fine.*
"As I mentioned, I merely took an important person as a shield to secure my own safety. Naturally, I had the Holy Child's permission."
"Is that true?"
"Yes. If you look into Rudeus-sama's eyes, you can see he has nothing to hide."
When the Holy Child said this and looked around, the Pope and Cardinal both casually averted their gazes.
Must be tough for people with guilty consciences.
"But then — why did you wipe out all of them? Couldn't you have persuaded them with words?"
"I was suddenly trapped inside a barrier, subjected to a farcical trial without explanation, and told they would cut off both my arms. I had no reason not to resist."
But thinking about it, I probably didn't need to have wiped them all out.
It would have been smarter to leave someone like Therese behind and talk things through.
The Holy Child had just come outside at that point, too.
Even with the Holy Child present, if they'd seen that I wouldn't budge, even Therese might have...
No, that wouldn't have worked.
I hadn't expected the Holy Child to come out, and even now, remembering the atmosphere of that moment, it didn't feel like something that could have been resolved through discussion.
The verdict had already been predetermined.
In my previous life, too, I'd been bullied just like that.
"I see... Then..."
The Pope slowly, as if reaching for the heart of the matter, continued.
"So then — what exactly is this issue with the Ratraya household?"
Claire's body trembled.
Seeing that, something dark welled up inside me.
Claire's selfish behavior from that time flooded back to my mind.
For myself, I could endure anything she said.
But those words she'd said about Aisha.
Those words she'd said about Zenith.
She'd been terrible to Geese as well.
"That countess abducted my mother — that woman sitting over there — and imprisoned her where I couldn't reach her."
The more I spoke, the angrier I became.
"She tried to force my mother — who can barely even speak anymore — into marrying another man against her will, and even tried to make her bear children!"
My voice rose.
"When I opposed it, she had me abducted by underhanded means! And when I went to her home to demand answers, she tried to play dumb!"
The people around me wore expressions of alarm.
Therese and the Temple Knights had their hands on the swords at their waists, faces tense.
The Holy Child's face was slightly grimaced.
I'd put a bit too much force into my grip.
"Well... something like that."
The words dissolved into nothing, trailing off like a half-finished sentence.
But my anger had clearly reached everyone in the room.
All eyes were turning toward the Ratraya household.
Toward Carlyle and Claire.
And some — pitying glances — toward Zenith, who was staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Then, Lord Carlyle, Lady Claire.
Based on what we've just heard, it appears this incident was caused by your failings.
Let's hear your side."
Carlyle and Claire exchanged a brief glance.
What were they scheming?
At the very least, the Cardinal didn't seem inclined to help them.
"My wife acted on her own. I knew nothing about it."
Carlyle said this with an impassive face.
He'd cut her loose.
He'd cut his own wife loose.
But if Claire's behavior was an everyday occurrence, and if Carlyle's frustration had been building day after day...
Then perhaps it wasn't so strange for him to cut ties with her in a setting like this.
If it were me — no matter how violent Eris became or what trouble she caused, I would never cast her aside or abandon her.
After years of marriage, you couldn't say with certainty that there wouldn't be moments of exasperation with your partner's flaws.
But casting her aside, abandoning her — that was something else.
Still, something about it caught in my throat.
Cliff had told me something once.
In Millis, when a marriage was arranged, the bride's family provided the dowry. In return, the groom's family promised that, should anything happen to the bride's household, they would always come to her aid.
There might be something to the concept of "household" in there, but...
Would Carlyle abandon Claire, his wife?
"Of course, as head of the household, I accept my share of responsibility. But I would ask you to understand that this was not the collective will of the Ratraya household."
This was his way of adding a caveat — his own sense of responsibility, I supposed.
"Hmm. Lady Claire, what about you?"
"......"
Claire didn't answer.
She simply pursed her lips tight and remained silent, like a petulant child.
"I'll take your silence as assent."
The Pope said this and looked around the room.
Then, before anyone else could speak, he raised his voice.
"In that case, the cause of this incident is Lady Claire.
Lord Carlyle bears joint responsibility.
I propose we end this matter by imposing punishment on Lady Claire and censure on Lord Carlyle. Does anyone object?"
Something felt twisted.
It felt like the subject had been deftly redirected.
It felt as though something had been decided from the start and was now being carried out with businesslike efficiency.
"No objections!"
The first to respond was the Cardinal.
"...No objections!"
"No objections!"
As everyone nodded along, drawn by the Cardinal's lead, Claire turned pale but didn't let her composed expression crack.
Wasn't she going to say anything?
Some kind of excuse?
Well, hearing a bad excuse would just make me feel worse. Fine.
As long as Zenith came back, that was all that mattered.
I would never go near the Ratraya household again. I wouldn't let Zenith, Norn, or Aisha go near them either.
That would be the end of it.
"Rudeus-sama — are you satisfied with this as well?
This incident was regrettable for us as well.
We had no intention of harming Rudeus-sama, no intention of making an enemy of Lord Orsted. We wish to remain on friendly terms..."
I looked at the Pope.
The Pope's pleasant smile didn't waver.
I looked at the Cardinal.
His eyes met mine, his throat bobbed, and a bead of cold sweat rolled down his face.
"Hm, of course — we too have no desire for conflict with Lord Orsted.
I don't know how the Dragon God foresaw Laplace's revival, but we will not be stingy with our cooperation in the effort to defeat him.
As for the sale of demon figurines — that can be discussed after further deliberation..."
Through that exchange, I was beginning to understand the shape of things.
This entire incident.
The mastermind was the Pope.
He had likely been the one who leaked the information about the abduction as well.
Using the Ratraya name, he'd goaded the Cardinal's faction into trying to have me killed.
He might have had a spy in the Ratraya household, or perhaps he'd simply exploited information the Ratrayas had actually heard. Either way, it didn't matter.
Whether the Cardinal would have acted or not — I couldn't be sure.
But from the Cardinal's perspective, I must have seemed like a nuisance.
The Dragon God's subordinate, arriving as a friend of Cliff — the Pope's grandson. Getting into trouble with the Cardinal's faction, the Ratraya household, and using that as a foothold to approach the Holy Child — even the Pope's own assassins might have seen that pattern.
It wouldn't have been strange for the Cardinal to think he needed to act.
The fact that the Temple Knights hadn't been fully mobilized — that it had been done in that particular way — either they'd underestimated me, or the Pope had anticipated this outcome and set the stage accordingly.
Did the Pope know I wouldn't kill the Holy Child?
Or even if I had, it wouldn't have caused him any real problems.
Of course, if I'd lost to the Temple Knights and died, there was no downside for the Pope either.
I was Cliff's friend, but I wasn't part of the Pope's faction.
The Pope hadn't gotten his hands dirty directly — he hadn't told anyone to abduct anyone.
He could have weathered an inquiry by the Holy Child, and if worst came to worst, he could have made Cliff the scapegoat.
And even if Orsted showed up later, the Pope could loudly claim he'd been trapped in a scheme by the anti-demon faction.
At that point, he might have even been willing to cooperate with Orsted again and forge a new alliance.
And now — this outcome.
Punishing the Ratraya household.
The Pope and the Cardinal probably didn't care who served as the sacrifice.
The reason Claire had been singled out was simple — because I was furious with her.
I got my revenge on Claire and was satisfied.
The Pope got to deal a blow to the Cardinal's faction — the Ratraya household — and celebrated.
The Cardinal's faction was left gnashing their teeth.
I could feel myself being danced on the palm of someone's hand...
But fine.
Zenith would come back.
I'd gotten my petty revenge on Claire.
And with this momentum, I could set up the mercenary company as planned.
There was no reason to object.
"I'm fine with that."
"Then, following established protocol, we sentence Claire Ratraya on charges of sedition against the state, with a requested imprisonment of ten years."
"Eh—?!"
A strange sound escaped me.
"Do you have an objection, Rudeus-dono?"
"...Ten years?"
"Yes. She abducted the family member of Rudeus-dono — a close confidant of the Dragon God — and orchestrated an attack on the Holy Child."
"But... that is..."
"She failed to provide a proportionate response to someone of power, and thereby provoked this entire incident.
Had Rudeus-dono not been a person of good sense, the Holy Child's life would have been forfeit long ago.
Ten years is, if anything, too lenient."
Is... is that so?
But I suppose she had a point.
This had become such a major incident that this many people had gathered.
Others would surely be punished too, but ten years in prison for Claire.
Ten years...
That was no short time.
Ten years ago from now, I had just parted ways with Eris.
So no — it was not short.
Still... was this simply how it was?
If Claire hadn't resorted to such dirty tactics, none of this would have happened.
She was the one who'd abducted Zenith that way.
"......"
"No objections, it seems. Then, with the approval of a summary tribunal consisting of at least three bishops and three battalion commanders, we sentence Claire Ratraya, Countess Ratraya, to ten years' imprisonment on charges of sedition against the state. Lord Carlyle will face a formal trial at a later date."
"No objections."
"No objections."
The Cardinal, the archbishops, and the knights pronounced this with solemnity.
"Then, Lord Belmond — using the neutral hands of the Cathedral Knights, please take the Ratraya couple into custody.
As for the others, a formal ruling will follow after deliberation."
The Pope gave the Cathedral Knights a nod and raised his hand.
Belmond and two others immediately rose, moved briskly around the table, and approached the seated Carlyle and Claire.
As they passed Therese, she briefly furrowed her brow.
One of the Cathedral Knights produced what appeared to be shackles from inside his cloak and first placed them on Carlyle.
Carlyle accepted them in silence and, accompanied by one of the knights, walked toward the exit under his own power.
Claire, on the other hand, didn't move.
She was trying to stand, but her body was trembling.
Her expression was the same as always, yet her body — her legs — were shaking.
"Come now, Lady Claire."
"I... I..."
The Cathedral Knights approached Claire slowly.
She would be arrested and thrown in a cell like this.
It didn't sit perfectly well, but the matter was settled.
"......"
I happened to catch Cliff's eye.
He was looking at me with an expression caught between desperation and confusion.
Why that look?
I admitted there were parts of this that bothered me.
Ten years in prison, decided by what amounted to a kangaroo court.
It felt excessively heavy-handed.
But wasn't this your system?
The Temple Knights had done something similar to me.
Then wasn't this the legitimate conclusion — carried out according to your own rules?
"Come now, Lady Claire."
Belmond extended his hand slowly, careful not to startle her.
Claire stared at that hand with fear in her eyes as she tried to pull away...
"Hah!"
The next instant, Belmond was shoved backward.
His heavy armor clattered as he was forced to take a step back.
He immediately dropped his center of gravity and reached for his sword — then froze.
The one who had resisted was not Claire.
It was the woman sitting next to her — between Carlyle and Claire.
Zenith was standing in front of Claire.
Both arms spread wide, blocking the way.
Her vacant face was aimed squarely at Belmond, but her gesture was unmistakably hostile.
She was shielding Claire.
"...!"
My confusion only deepened.
Why was Zenith protecting Claire?
An instinctive reaction?
She had been acting appropriately for each situation until now.
When Zenith moved like this, it was always for the sake of her family.
Did she not understand what had been done to her, and was reflexively trying to protect her mother?
"......"
I had the sense that something was missing.
In moments like these, I always got things wrong.
*Calm down. Think carefully, and maybe I'll see what I'm overlooking.*
But there was no time.
Belmond would soon move Zenith aside and take Claire away.
Should I intervene?
Could I justify stopping this without thinking through the consequences?
Shouldn't I hear more first?
But Claire had done terrible things to Zenith...
"Please, wait!"
While I stood there, torn, a voice rang out to halt Belmond.
A small figure stepped in front of Zenith — someone who had been looking at me with disapproving eyes just moments before.
Cliff.
"This heavy-handed approach is wrong."
He positioned himself in front of Zenith, shielding her from Belmond.
"This is wrong — cornering one elderly woman and making her a sacrifice! Lady Millis would never forgive this!"
"How dare a mere priest challenge the formal decision of the Faith and claim to speak for the Voice of Millis!"
The Cardinal shouted.
"Then does the Cardinal believe Lady Millis would forgive this?!"
Cliff shot back.
"A husband abandons his wife, the child alone rises to protect her mother, and you band together to drag her away — and you think that's acceptable?!"
"She's a child in name only — she's an adult who's lost her mind!"
"Age has nothing to do with it!"
Cliff's words struck like a slap, and the Cardinal's face twisted with irritation.
He immediately turned to his subordinate — a Temple Knight.
His expression was practically an order to silence the priest.
But the knight he turned to was Therese.
Cliff was looking at Therese, too.
"Temple Knights' 'Shield Division' Captain — Therese Ratraya! She is your mother as well!
Tell me — do you believe Lady Millis would approve? 'A knight must never forget loyalty. But there may come a time when protecting those you love must