Among the victims of the Heidecker Group, there were apparently children of nobles as well. I heard about it when I collected the bounty.
It turned out to be quite a hefty sum.
It ended up being a pretty big detour, but I've finally made it to my real destination.
It's a corner of the noble district in the royal capital.
The residence of Harold Raising.
◇◇◇
"Welcome, Alan. I've heard about you from my father. Your exploits, that is."
"I'm not sure what exactly he told you, which is a bit terrifying, but it's an honor to meet you, Lord Harold."
So, the person I've come to visit is Prince Harold, the son of King Gis.
He has the same blond hair as his father, but his is long and silky, flowing like a waterfall. Despite being well into his thirties, he looks like he could pass for his late teens — not that I feel particularly jealous. I mean, you can't even bring yourself to envy someone like that.
Maybe he has some kind of anti-aging skill.
"You were quick to come see me. Tired of sightseeing already? Or did some trouble come up?"
"It shouldn't be much trouble, but I do have a favor to ask."
"Oh? What is it? I'd be happy to repay even a small portion of what I owe my father."
"Please take a look at this."
What I placed on the table in the reception room was a rather thick book.
"It's a summary of the deeds of the Holy Cruel Church."
It had originally been a hundred-volume collection of the church's dark history, but since there happened to be someone with the Curator skill at the Great Temple, I had them condense the contents into a single book.
That Curator holder was thrilled to learn of the existence of texts the Pope had been desperately hiding away, so they were more than happy to help.
"So, a summary of the 'Distant Church of Glorious History Series.' I've heard about the commotion at Forcelue too. I've got all the volumes, but I haven't read every one yet. You're asking me to spread this summary book far and wide, then?"
"That's right. For the record, I've had three versions prepared: one written in an elevated style for the nobility, one written in plain language for the commoners, and a fairy-tale version for children. Since I can duplicate as many as I need with my Alchemy-type skills, just let me know if it's not enough."
With that, I set down another magic bag stuffed full of exposé books.
"There were plenty of nobles who resented the Pope becoming an Elector Count, so this should work out nicely. Word had been going around that the Pope was frozen solid at Forcelue, but I never imagined it was you."
"If I'd been born in this country, I'd have lived a miserable life until the day I died. That's why I had him frozen. I hope he spends eternity filled with regret."
"So it's also to cleanse the regrets of all those who held the Hazard Skill before?"
"Well… how should I put it. Not everyone with the Hazard Skill is necessarily a good person."
Like Achilles. And Achilles. And Achilles.
Setting that aside, I'd made my request to Lord Harold, and now all that remained was to see how much the Holy Cruel Church would bleed followers and to enjoy the exposé books spreading across all of Meigrant.
Incidentally, you might wonder why Lord Harold was in Meigrant in the first place.
Back when Lord Geese was still a duke, he had sent his son abroad to study in Meigrant.
Of course, that was merely a pretext. In reality, the Kingdom of Meigrant had a habit of forcibly enrolling the children of high-ranking nobles from neighboring small states as "exchange students" — essentially hostages.
Naturally, Meigrant never sent anyone to any other country in return.
Lord Harold refused to be discouraged by this. He steadily built connections, befriended nobles from other countries who were in the same situation, and even became close with the nobles of the Kingdom of Meigrant itself.
And through those connections, he would help spread the collection of the Church's dark history far and wide.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Lord Harold was only making a brief appearance this time.
I've posted the following in the supporter update notes:
Chapter 171 — What If I Tried Forcing an Awakening
Take a look when you get a chance.
This has no effect on the main story.
Skills: [Reverse][Divine Eye][Sword God][Fist God][Spear God][Scorching Magic][Frozen Ice Magic][Clear Storm Magic][Rock Iron Magic][Sacred Magic][Darkness Magic][Spacetime Magic][Thunder God Sword][Gentleman Thief][Ninja Master][Truth Seeker][Monstrous Strength][Pain Mitigation][Complete Status Ailment Resistance][Dark Spirit's Protection][Super Intuition][Heaven's Gate][Abyss Contractor][Magic Hand][Treasure Search][Temptation][Eloquence][Great Fortune][Tenfold Growth Speed][Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!