For several days, Viscount Kendall's daughter had not been seen.
"It seems like a failure."
Pope Omnitus III thought disapprovingly.
He had never liked the young girl's actions as they lacked sophistication from the start. Despite volunteering to undertake a task that could bring in a large sum of money this time, he even sacrificed his family's Visionary poison.
"She's the same age as the woman the Duke brought in and they attended the academy together."
That's why he believed that things that grow too quickly are not good. He himself came from a good family, but he had grown up feeling intimidated by the people of the Fayel family since he was young. So, as soon as he became Pope, he purged all those from that family.
"One nuisance until the end."
Ren Fayel, like a thorn in his side, enjoyed immense popularity among the ignorant masses for his clean and upright image. Therefore, it had become difficult to eliminate him now.
Thinking about the report that the Duke and the Duchess candidate were staying where Ren resided, Omnitus pondered how he could 'appropriately' handle them all at once.
His idea of appropriateness involved doing whatever was most beneficial for himself, whether it meant killing, saving, or selling them.
As Omnitus contemplated, his treasurer approached. The treasurer, who had narrowly avoided being hit by the Bible thrown by Omnitus just an hour ago, approached with a tense and solemn demeanor, holding out a candlestick.
"You asked for it to be brought."
Bringing a candlestick without being asked. Omnitus growled. The treasurer, with a frightened attitude, explained, "You asked for it earlier..."
Did he? Omnitus thought blankly. Perhaps he did.
Lately, he had been experiencing more and more lapses in memory. It seemed his age was catching up with him.
"Understood."
He took the candlestick and lit it as the treasurer had brought. Gradually, his mind calmed down.
The calm afternoon was starting to settle in when a commotion erupted outside. It was coming from the direction of the city. Omnitus, with a look of annoyance, ordered his treasurer, "Find out what's going on."
A problem arose regarding the Yeongmyo construction issue, and it needed to be resolved quickly if there was any trouble.
That way, he could quickly reveal the greatest achievement to adorn his reign to the world.
The treasurer approached the window. Although the small room where the two were located was only on the second floor of the Lily Palace where the Pope resided, the nearby elevation was high enough to see almost everything happening in the city.
After a while, the treasurer reported with a puzzled voice, "Viscount Kendall's maid is sitting in front of the castle gate. Something... Is it a corpse? Is it a sick person? She's holding someone... Oh, it seems to be Viscount Kendall's daughter."
"What?"
Could that foolish girl have failed in her task and incurred the Duke's wrath?
It was a serious matter. Omnitus, having just taken a deep sip of his tea, was in a rather lenient state. However, he wasn't foolish enough to remain silent at such news.
He quickly got up and approached the window. Through the glass, he saw the scene the treasurer had described.
It was a spot close to the castle gate, more for being seen by people passing by than for entering the castle. Along the main road where Ulveris citizens gathered for the knights' parade or the Pope's speeches, Viscount Kendall's maid was sitting and crying.
And indeed, at the maid's knees, someone dressed in a dress was sprawled out like a corpse. It was difficult to confirm from a distance whether the person was alive or dead, but if alive, they seemed to be in a position too uncomfortable to be feigned.
The fallen person's hair was the same color as Viscount Kendall's daughter, Idalia Kendall.
"Oh, oh! Our lady! Our lady is dead! Lady, please open your eyes!"
People passing by in Ulveris stopped to watch this situation with interest. The crowd quickly grew.
Omnitus felt uneasy for some reason. The maid's voice was too loud to simply be out of frustration from a mission failure... It was dramatic.
The voice was so loud that it reached the second floor of the castle, and everyone nearby became aware of the commotion. A woman selling vegetables in front of the castle gate seemed to be approaching Viscount Kendall's maid and saying something.
The vegetable vendor's voice couldn't be heard, but the maid's response was still clearly audible.
"Our lady drank the cup brought by His Holiness the Pope and ended up like this! I'm just a maid employed by the master, but if our lady is in such a state, how can I go on living!"
Omnitus and the treasurer's mouths fell open simultaneously. Omnitus wondered if he had lost his mind. Or was it because of the drinks he had with Baron Barom until late last night?
Was that life not worth saving? Failure in the mission was a failure, so why gather people there and blame the Pope?
"Set up."
Omnitus said with a sharp tone. The treasurer quickly ran outside.
However, before the treasurer and the holy knights rushed out of the castle gate, the maid had already said everything she needed to say.
"Our Viscount mentioned that he couldn't even donate the lady's dowry to the Yeongmyo construction! He was upset that he couldn't give more money! Evidence? The person who gave the cup left this behind! If you're from Ulveris, you'll know that this ring was always on the Pope's finger!"
***
The unnatural nature of Hedda Railing's testimony was mostly dismissed as a feeble excuse by most people.
Yes, it was strange to bring the mistress's body to the castle gate and suddenly start wailing as if for everyone to see.
But wasn't the body actually there?
Wasn't it true that she was taken away by the fearsome holy knights and still didn't yield her claim?
And wasn't it also true that what she displayed in front of the gate was the Pope's ring?
The citizens of Ulveris were proud individuals who boasted of their service to the gods in the sacred precincts. However, living a life so closely intertwined with that sanctity, the Pope knew better than anyone that he was just another cunning human.
"You trust too easily."
Having just heard the worshippers of this temple murmuring about the Pope's wickedness, Cladwin, who was still seated at the front of the sanctuary, took Neris's hand and spoke.
Neris didn't mention anything about men and women holding hands in the sanctuary. She had tried twelve times already, but he had always found excuses to escape.
It's cold, your ring looks heavy, let me support your hand, I'm tired, can you support me a bit...
If it had been any other woman, it would have been nonsense to call him a flirt, but Neris let it slide. She was aware of her vulnerability to Cladwin's words.
"Is it out of pity?"
The words spoken in Ren's prayer room were fundamentally sincere. She loved Cladwin, but she also felt sorry for him as a human being.
Among the storms he had weathered in his life, none were of his own making. Yet he somehow survived.
Not just survived, but lived brilliantly.
So, being with him felt trustworthy. And being by his side brought a sense of stability, as if leaning on something.
"Enough."
No, what are you thinking now? Anyway, if he finds a good woman, he'll let you go.
Neris forcibly stopped the thoughts that were slowly drifting in a dangerous direction. And she responded to Cladwin's words.
"Originally, when people don't have money, they tend to like extreme stories."
The donations alone were not enough for the Yeongmyo construction. Naturally, for quite some time, all the temples in Ulveris had been continuously collecting money under the pretext of special offerings.
Moreover, the citizens here received work from the temples and lived off that income, but budgets were cut in all areas except for the Yeongmyo construction. Naturally, many people found life difficult, either becoming unemployed or barely holding onto their jobs.
While there were jobs created due to the Yeongmyo construction, and some unemployed individuals found work, using the donations collected in Ulveris to buy expensive external labor and materials meant the city was becoming increasingly impoverished.
It was a situation that created the most fertile ground for discontent among the people. Moreover, with a young and innocent noble lady dying 'unjustly' because of 'that darn' money, would people really care to scrutinize logical reasons for the Pope's innocence?
Cladwin smiled and kissed Neris's hand.
"Kendall Viscount has been informed promptly."
"Well done."
Viscount Kendall held Idalia. Sending her this far was probably to help her see the world with her own eyes.
He couldn't have imagined that it would act as poison to Idalia.
"When you hear that your beloved daughter suddenly died, of course, you'll investigate the truth, but more than that, your judgment will be clouded. Viscount Kendall is highly respected in the art world, so he has the power to disrupt the supply of artists needed for the Yeongmyo construction."
"The construction project will face significant delays."
"If a person running faster than their speed suddenly falls, they'll get hurt badly. Especially if rumors spread that he vented his anger on the nobles due to insufficient donations, other nobles will act before knowing the truth."
When many people are sacrificed due to a leader's stubbornness, there must be clear and visible meat in front of them. The crowd is not foolish enough to sacrifice their lives for questionable values.
So, even a momentary halt in the Yeongmyo construction would lead to chaos in Ulveris. If external workers feel they have to survive without pay in unfamiliar places, they'll immediately protest, and the accumulated dissatisfaction among Ulveris citizens will explode.
"Idalia appeared at a very opportune time. What is Hedda doing now?"
"She's in the underground dungeon of the Lily Palace. She continues to hold Idalia's body and wail, claiming that all this is at the Pope's command. How did you persuade her?"
"I just did it appropriately."
How to do it. Neris circled around without saying anything. Talking too much might leave too many clues for his clever mind.
"It seems like just being appropriate won't work. The interrogation at the Lily Palace may not involve torture, but it's more famous for being intimidating."
Cladwin's eyes softened as he looked at Neris. But his gaze was so direct that Neris turned away.
Her heart felt strangely fluttery. No, maybe it wasn't strange at all. After all, he would soon be her husband. She loved him.
But it wasn't a first marriage, nor was it a marriage filled with dreams and hopes for the future. Moreover, they had lived in the same castle and faced each other for so long, so it seemed ridiculous to be unsure of what to do now.
"Don't ask. I didn't expect to get involved in such a situation coming this far."
"You got involved directly."
"That was also to prevent it. If the situation had been good, we would have just come, gotten married, and left quickly. But I'm not complaining. It's actually a good opportunity. If Omnitus had been ruling the religious world alone, time would have been wasted, and a huge amount of money would have been spent. Originally, the priest you thought of was Ren, right?"
"If there's a suitable way, we should use it."
"I think so too. The highest probability of us getting married is with Ren as our senior."
The person who currently opposes their marriage the most is Ren, but that's not an unsolvable problem.
Neris sighed. Since their conversation a few days ago, Ren had only exchanged formal greetings with her. Now was not the time for people who were likely to be on the same side to be like this.
"We should talk."
"Or we don't have to."
She glared at Cladwin. Why was he so nonchalant?
"What if we don't talk? When do we need to cooperate closely like now?"
"We just need to resolve the situation. I'll handle the talking."
"I should do it."
They growled at each other just by looking at each other's faces. Neris spoke firmly, thinking it wasn't the time for such a waste of time, and Cladwin seemed annoyed but eventually agreed.