Today was supposed to be a normal day.
I woke up and went to have breakfast with everyone, we did our usual morning practice, and then attended class until noon.
Everything was going fine until someone shouted, "There's trouble! The church has declared a coup d'état!"
I spat out the coffee I had prepared after hearing such an announcement.
"They did what?"
The students couldn't believe what they had heard, and neither could I.
First of all, in the game, the church is a secondary faction that helps the player empower characters tied to healing magic.
It's also the place where you can level up your skill tree.
They were never a threat, even though we've discovered some cases of corruption in this world.
What are those guys thinking?
Declaring a coup against the kingdom is something only a military group should do, not the church.
Now that I think about it... doesn't the church have its own army in case it's needed?
Technically, they meet the requirements to launch a coup.
I kept listening to the professor explaining the reasons behind the coup.
To summarize:
Due to the incidents involving Calvin becoming a lich, and later with Klyde and his children turning into monsters, the church determined that the royal palace had made a pact with demons, and that this was the result.
That's the dumbest reason I've ever heard!
It's like a lazy writer who can't justify a war, so they make up something like, "A landowner got hit with a dessert, and now there's a war."
You'd have to be stupid to do that.
And these guys are.
But that's not all; apparently, strange monsters have appeared in recent days, and because of that, they've declared the need to change the regime.
Yep, they're idiots.
I listened to what Sig had to say about it.
"This is nothing more than nonsense spouted by the church. Also, why are they connecting the royal family to these problems?"
"Their statements make no sense and have no validity."
"Onii-sama, I'm worried about our parents because of this."
"Don't worry, Eli. As long as they're in the palace and Sieg is there, they're safe."
Rei approached Sig to ask him.
"Hey, Sigurd, why do you think the church is accusing the royal family? I don't understand the meaning behind this, but since Eli is my fiancée, that makes you my family. This concerns me."
"You see, my father told me that there have been monster attacks in distant villages lately. The survivors said the monsters spoke and claimed the royal family had sent them to wipe out their people and seize their land."
"Hah? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Do they really believe that?"
"The church is responsible for helping the people during natural disasters and famines, but for a long time now, the current pope's intentions of taking the throne have been very clear."
"They are important to the people and is part of our country's roots. It's not something that can be eradicated with a snap of the fingers."
That's when I realized something from their conversation.
(Of all the game's characters, the most enigmatic one was Pope Casimiro.)
(Whenever Eli or Sig appeared on screen, that guy would always make comments about whether the crown needed more help from the church or if there was something he could do for them.)
(I always thought he was just a bootlicker, but after the events related to the Black King years ago, some characters, like the principality and Klyde's family, had one thing in common.)
(They were all connected to the prime minister we took down years ago.)
(Wait. Are you telling me that a sycophantic character was actually a manipulator working toward seizing control of the country?)
(That's the most generic cliché ever—and I didn't even see it coming!)
(Damn it! I must look like an idiot for not realizing the obvious.)
(And it's worse because all of the late prime minister's money was kept in the church. I keep ending up like a fool for missing the obvious!)
"What is the palace planning to do about this?"
Rei and Sig returned to discussing the matter, and I listened closely.
"Most of our knights are stationed at the borders, standing guard. We have few knights here, but that doesn't mean they are weak."
"...?"
We heard a loud noise coming from the hallway. The door opened, and temple knights entered.
"Don't be alarmed, students. We are here for only one reason."
The temple knights approached us and surrounded us.
"Your highnesses, Crown Prince Sigurd and Princess Elicia, please come with us."
Sig glared at them while Eli hid behind him.
"Are you aware that the academy is a neutral place where neither the church nor the palace may interfere?"
"We know. But we are here on a sacred matter, and the laws of the kingdom state that if a matter involving the church arises, action must be taken immediately."
Sig clicked his tongue in frustration because that law was indeed real.
He looked at Eli and smiled.
"What do you need us for?"
"We need your testimony."
"Our testimony?"
"One of the survivors said they saw the prince and princess during the attack on their village. If that's true, the church will not stand idle."
That was an obvious lie. And the idea of the prince and princess being taken to the church under these circumstances reeks worse than a corpse on the street.
"Hey, do you think they're going anywhere?"
Suddenly, Rei stepped in their way.
But Sig stopped him.
"It's fine, Rei."
"What are you talking about?"
"These guys came to take us into custody. They won't harm us—especially not in a place where it would cost them if something were to happen to us."
"If they really want the throne, the entire royal family must formally renounce their power in writing, with witnesses present. For that, they need every member of the royal family."
"Only then could they kill us, but I have an idea…"
Sig whispered something to Rei, which I couldn't hear, but Rei seemed to agree.
"Alright."
He hugged Eli, who didn't understand the sudden embrace, and then ran over to her brother.
"Onii-sama, I don't want to go with them."
"I understand how you feel, Eli. But I promise we'll be out of there soon."
"Alright... If onii-sama says so…"
The siblings went with the knights, and before closing the door, Sig said:
"I leave it to you, Rei."
Rei walked over to me and said: "Kuro, we need to talk. Let's go to Alfred quickly."
"Alright."
What could Sig have told Rei?
◇
After talking with Alfred, I understood what Rei was referring to.
Apparently, the monsters reported by the church are appearing in distant villages, but following a spiral pattern leading directly to the capital.
Using the map Alfred gave us, the next likely attack would be in a town located half a day away from the capital.
We said goodbye to everyone and headed straight to that location.
While flying, I remembered something from the game.
(There were indeed monster attacks forming a spiral pattern, but that attack was orchestrated by the principality to confuse the kingdom and launch a surprise strike.)
(It doesn't make sense for that to happen now.)
(That attack was only a prelude to the war between the republic and the empire, which escalated and affected other countries.)
"There's the city."
In the distance, we could see a city in flames. The fire was still recent.
We descended quickly to find out what was happening.
There were many injured people everywhere, and some were helping others, including knights.
We approached one of the knights who wasn't as badly hurt and asked:
"Excuse me. What happened?"
The man, stammering, replied:
"An... angel."
"A monster in the form of an angel attacked us."
"It suddenly descended from the sky and attacked us."
What he said was hard to believe.
"Kuro, look at that."
Rei tugged on my sleeve, and I looked in the direction he indicated.
My eyes widened at the bizarre sight of an angel descending.
Its appearance matched what you'd imagine of an angel, except for some disturbing details:
It had skin as white as plaster, the belly of a pregnant woman, limbs resembling bicycle springs, a shaved head, and a stretched—out face.
Its wings were insect—like, and a halo hovered above its head.
It was a twisted, grotesque version of an angel.
But behind the angel stood a tall black man calmly eating.
It seemed like no one else could see him because the crowd kept shouting:
"There it is!"
"Run! The angel is back!"
"I don't want to die!"
Everyone began to flee while the angel laughed and moved toward some children.
Before I could react, Rei leapt at the angel, delivering a powerful kick that instantly tore off its head.
A large amount of green liquid gushed from the body.
The black man looked surprised, and Rei picked up the angel's head and threw it at him.
"Hey, you, the big guy enjoying your roast meat. Are you responsible for this?"
The black man realized we could see him, smiled, and snapped his fingers.
"So, you've uncovered my concealment spell, huh?"
"Congratulations—and for taking down one of my babies."
"I am Gerhardt Ronson, a soldier of the Republic of Alfoster."
"The Republic?!"
Both Rei and I were taken aback by this information.
Rei, without taking his eyes off what lay behind, asked the man:
"What is a guy from the Republic doing in the Kingdom of Brune?"
Behind the man was a swarm of identical angels, just like the one Rei had destroyed.
"I'm just doing a favor for a friend, nothing more."
"This third-rate country isn't even allied with the empire, so I gain nothing from attacking it. But a favor owed is a favor paid."
"Go get them, my babies."
The angels began charging at us.
"Kuro, take care of the left side."
"Huh? My left or your left?"
"They're the same left."
While we were arguing, one of the creatures attacked us, and we landed a solid hit on it.
"They're really annoying!"
We fought off the wave of angels coming our way.
They launched elemental attacks from different angles.
Fortunately, no one was nearby, so we could go all out.
Before I knew it, Rei had lunged at the black man, delivering a heavy blow.
"Rei, damn it! Don't leave all these guys to me!"
As I kept fighting them, the angels suddenly collapsed to the ground.
"Huh? What just happened?"
"Kuro, come here."
Rei called out to me, though I hated how he spoke to me like I was some object or pet.
I went to see what he needed, and what I saw shocked me.
"A... puppet."
The black man lay on the ground with a crack in his face, green liquid oozing out.
He began to laugh.
"Hahaha, your blow severed my connection to the other puppets. This body won't be able to control them anymore."
"What the hell are you?" I asked, intrigued.
The man kept laughing as his face continued to crack.
"You have no idea what's going on, do you?"
"Well, it's too late. That guy asked me to keep you busy while he took care of everything."
"You hurt one of my favorite puppets. Don't think you'll get away with it."
"What do you mean?" Rei asked, still puzzled by the man's words.
"Just what I said. I'm a puppet, and my puppeteer couldn't come. But something worse than him is already here, and my job was to keep the protectors of the royal family away."
At that moment, a clock—like ticking sound echoed.
"I'll tell you something useful before I go."
The other angels also began making ticking sounds.
(This sound... it can't be, right?)
"I…"
The man started to reveal what was happening, but before we could rush back to protect the royal family, both he and the angels exploded, engulfing the area in flames.
◇◇◇
The prince and princess had been sent to a guest room inside the church.
There, Sig was restless.
He was supposed to remain calm, but given the current situation, and after telling Rei to find out what was going on, he just couldn't.
"Onii-sama, I can see your unease."
"I know, Eli. But I really can't stay calm right now."
The door suddenly opened.
Two men entered: one was Casimiro, and the other was Ronandt.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Your Royal Highnesses. Prince Sigurd and Princess Elicia."
Eli moved closer to her brother, who stepped forward to shield her.
"May I ask why you need our presence, Father Casimiro?"
Casimiro chuckled softly before answering.
"It's simple. To punish those responsible for this tragedy."
"Responsible? Tragedy? What are you talking about?"
"I'm sure everything you're going to say is nothing but lies. You're a liar and a fraud!"
After shouting the truth at him, Eli stuck out her tongue to express her disgust toward Casimiro.
He wasn't bothered, seeing it merely as a child's tantrum.
"Well, I had an excellent persuasion plan prepared, but it seems you two will be difficult."
"Therefore, I'll get straight to the point. Hand over your rights to the throne, and you will leave here alive."
Without hesitation, Casimiro revealed his true intentions.
"So, you admit that everything happening is nothing but a lie you orchestrated," Sig said.
"It's not a lie, but it's true that I planned it."
"My parents will never give you anything, you ugly old man! Just wait until my fiancé gets here—he'll give you a beating right in your ugly face, and that fat guy behind you too!"
After shouting that, Casimiro started to feel dizzy.
"Damn... I shouldn't have eaten so much before coming here."
He wobbled slightly, but that wasn't the real issue.
The real problem came when black drool began to leak from his mouth.
"What... is this?"
He mumbled as slimy liquid oozed from his other orifices.
"Hehehe."
Everyone turned their attention to Ronandt, who was slowly starting to laugh.
"Gahahaha! It's amazing how low you've fallen, Casimiro."
"What have you done?"
Sig asked, terrified, unsure if the same thing would happen to them.
"It's nothing serious. I just gave him a potion—it's a new experimental type that the Republic is developing for their war against the Empire."
"They needed a test subject, and I volunteered... for the money."
"I didn't care about your plan or the royal family. I only care about my goals and my boss's will... or so I thought."
Ronandt's wicked grin widened as screams echoed from the hallway.
"I find the Republic far more interesting than the cult. Money moves the world, and I move with it!"
"I'll exterminate the entire royal family and claim the throne. Who cares if I end up without citizens in the process?"
"As long as the war continues, I can take refugees and immigrants, make them my citizens, and enslave them for a plate of food. A 100% profitable plan!"
As Casimiro continued to vomit black slime, feathers began sprouting from his body, and he slowly started to swell like a balloon.
(This is all thanks to you, Noct—or rather, thanks to you, Martin Zimmermann.)
(When you worked with the Black King, you stole a serum and sent it to the Republic. That serum was intended for the Principality to test if humans could be turned into monsters, and the Republic modified it, making it a reality.)
Sig grabbed Eli's hand and tried to escape.
Ronandt did nothing but smile at Casimiro, who was now a massive purple balloon covered in cannon—like protrusions and tentacles.
"Go after them."
The monster Casimiro obeyed, and as the siblings ran, they saw everyone in the church turning into monsters.
"The time of truth has arrived. My reign begins now! Gahahaha!"
Ronandt celebrated the success of his plan.
________________
There will be no fanservice—only the design of the angel, which I needed to get out of my head.
https://dgrayman.fandom.com/wiki/Level_4_(Headquarters)