CH 219

Children's Party (2) - Evil Fox

Translated by Raizu

After Rona left, the flow of the conversation shifted towards something related to the Zeth Holy High Society.

However, the topic inevitably slows down the tempo of the conversation. Two of the Adellahan family and one of the Milendorva family didn’t seem to know much about the current era priests, so Prince Dunkel had to explain things each time. Orshian didn’t seem to be interested in the conversation, and was absorbed in the sweets.

My father also had basic information about priests, and although he had some knowledge about priests before the turbulent times, he was completely unfamiliar with current era priests.

Even my father, who was known as a conspirator and knew the importance of information, was in such a state, so it was no wonder that the next head of the five Great Noble families was ignorant. As Dunkel said, the distance between Nobles and priests is now very far, both literally and figuratively.

However, the Quordenze family has strengthened its intelligence on the Holy City after receiving a series of disturbances by Priestess Diana, and we have a person from the Holy City named Cynthia in our custody.

But of course, I honestly don’t know what to do here. Heh, that’s right… I made an expression like that and kept it to the extent of giving a moderate backlash.

[… The Holy City has a lot of internal strife. Considering that 200 years have passed since the turbulent times, and we are still at odds with each other, I think it was inevitable that the authority of the priests would collapse.]

After saying that, Kalmia put the cup of tea to her mouth. Novalf, who was sitting next to me, repeated words to confirm with the Prince.

[Those who stood on the battlefield and defended the Holy City on the front lines, those who prioritized the restoration of St. Navempos and promoted rational organizational reforms, those who tried to regain their former faith and authority… The priest’s own motives, and the desire for power that accompanies his position and position, all jumbled together, making for a really complicated and mysterious situation.]

[That’s right. However, Novalf-dono, it would be good to put emphasis into the three factions. The priests of the Holy City can be broadly divided into the militant faction, the pragmatic faction, and the religious faction to which Rona-dono belongs.]

I had heard that these two had attended a school in the Royal Capital, but they seemed to be accustomed to talking to each other. They were close in age, so they might have been surprisingly close.

After seeing Novalf nodded, the Prince continued his explanation. This time seemingly directed to everyone.

[It seems that in the Holy City, the religious faction has fallen behind. Both the militant faction and the pragmatic faction seem to have the idea of ​​reconsidering the old customs, and it seems that they have achieved great results in the restoration of the Holy City… The problem here is the militant faction.]

The militant faction that the Prince explained earlier is an emerging power that has increased its influence in recent years.

Its basic policy is anti-nobility. In particular, it is an enemy of Noble nations such as the Levios Kingdom and the Zinkaen Empire, and seems to hold a strong sway on the soldiers of the Holy Army.

[You shouldn’t be optimistic about their hard-line stance toward the nobility. Many priests will be affected by their radical ideas, and Rona-dono says that a big war may be triggered in the future.]

In short, there are three major camps in the Holy City: revolutionary hawks, innovative doves, and conservatives.

The story told by the Prince is unpleasant to the Nobles of the Kingdom, but no one will accept it as it is. Kalmia immediately returned the words.

[But that’s what Rona-dono said, right? It goes without saying that the religious faction is losing momentum and the militant faction is gaining momentum, but it’s nothing more than speculation that many priests are tainted with radical ideas due to their influence. What’s more, it’s going to be a war… It’s a bit too much of a leap at this stage. Isn’t it enough to think that it’s a priest’s trap to shake us?]

She continued on.

[Even if Rona-dono’s faction, which places importance on faith, becomes mainstream, it doesn’t mean that she will continue to take a gentle attitude toward the nobility. Thinking about the tyranny of the former Holy High Society, what kind of things will they say to us…]

That’s absolutely true. Fanny will be shipped out in exchange for something like an invasion of the Holy City, so please give everyone more and more negative opinions.

As I was thinking about that, I felt someone staring at me from next to me.

[Wilk-dono.]

[Yes? What’s wrong, Sadin-dono?]

Sadin Zeldomitra

The next head of the Zeldomitra family was looking at me.

[I thought that Wilk-dono had something on his mind. Would you mind telling me your opinion?]

He’s 22 years old. In my previous life he would have been a fourth-year university student.

Among the attending people, Quordenze’s and Milendorva’s can be classified into the youth group, while Levios’, Adellahan, and Zeldomitra’s as the young-adult group.

Since this meeting began, Sadin had often been the listener. I subconsciously thought it was because he was the oldest person in the room and that he was giving the younger ones a chance to speak. However, I’m the only one who cares about details such as “Who is the oldest?”.

It should be considered that he is focusing on observing the reactions of Adellahan, Milendorva, and Quordenze to Dunkel’s narration.

Since the topic of priest-related matters has decreased, he might’ve decided to change the subject. It may have been a little too quiet compared to the beginning.

[Why do you think so?]

[Well, I don’t know what to say. Both my family and the Marquis Quordenze family are Noble families with priests as their ancestors. So, I wonder if you have something to say in this matter.]

He is a man who asks questions in an unpleasant manner in a place where there are more and more straightforward expressions.

If I say I’m not thinking about anything here, people will think I’m an idiot who hasn’t learned the history of my family.

For the time being, I’ll filter out the parts that don’t seem to pose a problem before answering.

[…..I wondered if the situation of what Rona-dono called a faction that values ​​faith was really true. As far as I’ve heard from Prince Dunkel just now, aren’t there a lot of sacred bloodline families and long-standing priest families who belong to that religious faction? Returning to the old faith means regaining the rights and interests that those involved have lost through the turbulent times. The justification of regaining faith is well said.]

[Ohh, that’s a harsh opinion.]

[Rather than relying on the Nobles for their faith, it is more understandable to say that they depended on the Nobles because they wanted to make a profit. I can’t trust them.]

Summing it up, Novalf, Kalmia, and even Kilorde nodded in agreement.

This fundamental distrust of priests is deeply rooted in Noble society. I also decided to follow it on the surface. At worst, it is possible to correct the trajectory later.

Anyway, there’s no need to believe Rona’s words and invade St. Navempos. Because that course will lead to Fanny’s shipping route.

[As Wilk-dono said, a faction is a group of people, so there must be various motives for gathering there. However, isn’t it possible to guess the fact that the religious faction is at a disadvantage? Otherwise, they won’t have to rely on us.]

Sadin said so, but I’m not denying that the religious faction is inferior. I feel the intention to casually change the point of discussion and lead the discussion in the desired direction. I could feel the strength lurking inside his calm, unhurried voice.

[It’s certainly possible to speculate. Similarly, it’s also possible to speculate that the religious faction has snuggled up to the Kingdom of Levios with a false cause.]

In order to avoid shipping Fanny’s route, I wouldn’t hesitate to start a negative campaign.

In the end, there is no choice but to imagine the current state of priestly politics, so for the time being, impression manipulation is effective. I don’t trust priests, I don’t want anything to do with priests… I wish the Adellahan and Milendorva families would think like that as well.

It was Dunkel who picked up my words.

[No, no, this is a really harsh opinion. Wilk-dono is very wary of priests.]

I don’t want him to end up saying that instead of being cautious, let’s go ahead and attack.

[The great incident of the Holy Maiden’s exile, I thought it was not a good idea to easily decide and make movement.]

Cutting things off too quickly might cause problems in the future, so I left some room for negotiation.

That’s right, Prince. Feel free to come to this Wilk Quordenze. I don’t like the proposal for mutual marriage between the Levios family and the Quordenze family.

[That’s right. It’s a story that will have a big impact on those around us, so I think we should think about it deeply. However, since we are blessed with a place to discuss things like this, I think it would be better if we could all share good opinions rather than straining our faces and worrying about it.]

…..It seems that the Prince understands my angry lines without even needing to confirm.

Yesterday, I had my excuses when I leaked malicious magic to the Prince. Bringing up the same words here now must have shown it in a way that only we could understand: “You don’t like mutual marriage, do you?”.

I wonder how much the Prince, who received my malice, recognized me. From what he said just now, I must have at least conveyed my strong resentment towards the mutual engagement. But since it’s not verbal, I don’t know how far it was conveyed.

However, from the content of the conversation, I understood that Dunkel also wanted a failed marriage course, and that he wanted a place to have a dialogue with me.

[Yes, I can agree with that.]

That’s why I obediently accepted the Prince’s invitation.

If I stay silent like this, there is a high possibility that the story will proceed as my father and King Levios think. In that case, I should try approaching the Prince even if there is some risk of failure. It can be said that it is a unique chance to build a connection without my father’s involvement.

As I was thinking about such things, Kilorde leaked out an exasperated voice.

[Even so, that priestess managed to leave the Holy City relying on the Marquis Zeldomitra, right? Even if they’re cornered, that’s a pretty ironic story. Relying on the Fox House.]

[Hehehe, even my family was surprised at first.]

Sadin let out a slightly acting laugh and showed the crest on his costume so that everyone could see it.

The current Zeldomitra crest is a moon-viewing fox and a double-edged sword. Originally it was just a four-legged beast, but it was changed to a fox during the war.

Foxes have a bad impression on the Eruo continent. There is an image of ferocity, cruelty, and destruction of reason and order. This has a lot to do with the mature magic beast that once shook the Eruo continent.

Demon Beast Measles.

It appeared several decades after Zeth’s death, and it is the second mature demon beast of the Barriora class, which is the first threat class in history to leave behind an orb.

The Zeth Holy High Order dispatched the Holy Army three times to subdue this threat that exploded in the western part of the continent, but all of them failed. This great demon beast, later called the “Great Calamity,” is said to have taken the form of a giant fox with three tails and six legs, clad in armor-like furs.

The demon beast Measles inflicted a devastating blow to the then absolute ruler that was the Zeth Holy High Society. The damage influenced various happenings in the history of the Eruo continent.

It created an opportunity for a number of priestly nobles to expand in the western part of the continent, prompting a re-evaluation of the pretty much legend-like demon beast Barriora as the number one threat class. In addition, it had a great influence on culture, as fox-like demon beasts started appearing in various paintings and stories, establishing their characters as terror incarnations.

Time passed, and in the midst of the turbulent times, the Zeldomitra family changed the four-legged beast on their emblem to a fox, chanting the self-reliance of the Nobles.

If you look at the Zeldomitra crest based on these facts, you will notice that it has a strange composition. A huge crescent moon, a high tail and its shadow, these three silhouettes can be seen as three tails depending on how you look at them. As a result, it looks as if the fox is looking back at you instead of looking at the moon.

A fox with three tails is looking back with a double-edged sword, which is a symbol of nobility: “I’ll bite you, priests, to death like the demon beast Measles”.

Zeldomitra’s family crest

The official view of the Zeldomitra crest is “a moon-viewing fox and a double-edged sword”. This is because it is bad news to use demon beasts, the natural enemies of mankind, as motifs. However, the edginess of this design, which anyone can guess, is likely to make a strange laugh unintentionally.

[If the descendants of those who denounced the Nobles choose to rely on the descendants of Clad the evil fox, the story that they are inferior in the Holy City will be persuasive.]

Kalmia said with a quiet chuckle.

From the perspective of the priests of the time, Clad, who proudly proclaimed the independence of the Nobles, was the most hateful existence. They must have thought of him as one of the most detestable aristocrats. One of the supreme priests called him a villainous evil fox and even ordered the surrounding Nobles to subjugate him.

However, instead of getting angry at the derogatory term, Clad himself actively used it and continued his own fox appeal. And his family increased its power by eating surrounding Nobles loyal to the priest’s voice.

Perhaps because of this incident, it is said that in the process of the transition from priests to Nobles, foxes were given not only a bad impression, but also a positive image, such as “a strong will to go against their superiors”.

[Did the Marquis Zeldomitra household have any problems accepting Rona-dono?]

Sadin answered as if it was only natural for Novalf to ask whether his family would be fine accepting a priest among them.

[Yes, of course. The priests today have no authority, so in the end they are just one of the great independent powers. If so, wouldn’t it be natural to sometimes oppose each other and sometimes join hands?]

I don’t know if this is Sadin’s way of thinking, or Zeldomitra family’s policy. But, I think it’s a very realistic way of thinking. Don’t fear more than necessary just because they’re priests. Don’t despise more than necessary. That’s the opinion of a Noble who knows the reality of a priest.

As a Royal Noble, the content of his remarks could be considered a slip of the tongue, but such talk is permitted at this meeting. The Prince also ignored it with a smile on his face.

If it’s the current atmosphere, there’s no problem even if it’s frank like this. Let’s raise the level accordingly.

[If we can intensify the internal conflict in the Holy City by taking over Rona-dono, that alone will be beneficial for our family. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of cases of truce agreements being concluded between the Free Cities due to the efforts of the Holy City, so it would be helpful if they collapsed even just a little.]

His tone of voice was heartwarming, but what he was saying was really vulgar.

The Zeldomitra family’s basic policy is to invade the independent Noble families of the Free Cities and expand their territory. From their point of view, it would be more convenient for the Nobles who would be their prey to quarrel and fight. The priest’s mediation of the truce should have been nothing but a hindrance.

Come to think of it, the slave trader Doran said something similar when I bought Raeve. Something about how it has become difficult to obtain slaves recently because St Navempos is brokering a ceasefire.

[Hmm? Will the independent Nobles actually accept the priest’s mediation?]

[The people of the Free Cities will use whatever they can to maintain their own independence.]

[Oh. Is that what it is?]

It was impressive that not only Kilorde but also the Adellahan group were interested in it. It may be unavoidable because the Free Cities are far away from their territories, but I feel that the Nobles’ concerns are first and foremost their own territories.

As for the Quordenze family, the Evenafis family is adjacent to the Free City group, so information comes in as it is, but it is still an undeniable fact that it is lacking compared to the Zeldomitra family.

So, I decided to ask him one question.

[What kind of priest is leading the mediation of the ceasefire?]

[It’s mostly priests of the militant faction. Those involved in the Holy Army, especially young military officers who are actually on the battlefield, are often influenced by the ideology of the militant faction. It’s not the authority of a prestigious family that has protected the capital, but the military power of high-ranking priests who fight there.]

Having experienced the war on the ground, they have many opportunities to confront the Nobles of the Free Cities. That means having so many channels and know-how. It was a matter of course that there were many priests of the militant faction among the influential people who could conclude high-level negotiations such as truce mediation.

[I see. Then, the priests of Rona-dono’s faction aren’t doing very well?]

[It doesn’t look good. In the first place, the number of priest-oriented Nobles who are easy to be talked to by priests who belong to religious factions, has greatly decreased during the era of turmoil.]

There are many independent Noble families in the Free Cities, but they can be roughly divided into Noble-oriented and priest-oriented.

For several decades after the era of turmoil broke out, there were Nobles who still believed in the restoration of the ruler system by priests. The era of priests was that long, and their authority was solid.

And this tendency was stronger among Nobles whose territories are near the Holy City and those who held interests. They wanted a return to normal life.

However, the longer the war dragged on, the more obsolete that idea became. No matter how much time passed, more and more Noble families gave up on priests who could not put an end to the era of turmoil, and kept their distance.

By the time Clad Zeldomitra advocated for the independence of the Nobles, quite a few Nobles had already given up on the priests, and what he did was nothing more than a step to the point of no return. An open statement of his feelings that everyone felt but kept bottled up. Some historians said so.

However, there were still people who couldn’t forget the benefits of the times. Looking to the past as the good old days

They never forgot the benefits of their priestly days. It may be just stubbornness to keep wishing for the past as the good old days.

The independent Nobles of the Free Cities with such stubborn ideas are called Truro (トルロ), the priest-oriented Nobles.

Nobles with this kind of thinking would be easier for religious priests to approach. However, the number has continued to decrease until this era, and now it is already a minority.

[Fortunately for Rona-dono’s faction, Truro, the priest-oriented Nobles, currently maintains a distance from the militant faction. Militant faction priests are anti-nobility after all, so they probably think it’s dangerous to approach easily.]

The Prince followed up on Sadin as if he was just slipping in.

The Truro, a priest-oriented Noble faction who remains even today, is extremely cautious and has the ability to survive, as they have lived through the era of turmoil. Just because the militant faction has momentum, they probably won’t get close with fervor.

For them, the Holy City of the old system, which the religious faction are trying to reclaim, is the most desirable. The rise of the militant faction, who is in a rush to kill the Nobles, and the pragmatic faction, which is trying to promote reform, should not be welcomed.

[Then, what about the situation of the pragmatic faction?]

[They seem to be getting the desired result under the rule of St. Navempos.]

According to Sadin, the pragmatic priests are steadily continuing their reconstruction activities. In terms of diplomacy, it is said that they are building cooperative relationships with independent Nobles in terms of economics.

So, the pragmatic faction tries to seize the real power from domestic affairs, and the militant faction tries to increase its influence from outside the Holy City by becoming a mediator for the surrounding Nobles?

[…The militant faction is playing the role of guardian of the land, and the pragmatic faction is demonstrating their strength in terms of the track record in managing the territory. Then, the religious faction is just a worthless group of people who want the restoration of the old system.]

[Does that mean that they sought a way out in the Kingdom of Levios because they had no other means left? Honestly, I don’t think it was a compliment. Isn’t it just a betrayal?]

The merciless critiques of Kilorde and Kalmia attacked the Rona’s faction, who weren’t even here.

Dunkel felt better at that reaction.

[That’s right. But, what do you think? Is it okay for us to just watch? At this rate, the religious faction is a traitor who has yielded to the nobility, and this incident will cause fracture between the religious faction and the Holy Order. It will probably lose more power than it does now. The militant faction may become the mainstream. In that case, the priests who are only mediators of the ceasefire will eventually become the bearers of the rally and declare war on the Royal Nobles.]

[What of it? Putting aside a truce, it is impossible to unite the Free Cities and advocate the overthrow of the Kingdom. Once the authority is crumbling, it will never return to the same thing.]

I immediately denied his words.

I have already heard from my father the story the Prince just told. This priest threat theory is one of the reasons for King Levios to carry out the invasion of St. Navempos.

[I think it’s time for each of the Nobles of the Kingdom to build up their power. If they try to move forcefully, the Kingdom itself may fall apart. Isn’t the potential threat there supposed to be much higher?]

Especially the Levios family, rather than gambling about invading the Holy City, you should steadily rebuild your prestige. In the meantime, I will somehow destroy the Spierzeig family and secure Fanny.

Then, Dunkel and Sadin exchanged glances silently for a moment.

[…this is funny.]

[…..that’s an interesting opinion.]

Before I reacted, Dunkel said.

[My father is thinking of intervening in this case of Rona-dono.]

That’s not just for me, but for everyone present here.

I took a quick look around, but nothing seemed particularly surprising.

I also heard from my father about the plan to invade St. Navempos presented by King Levios. Perhaps the other attendees also knew this already through their respective head of the family.

[It’s not just King Levios. Marquis Zeldomitra is probably the one who wants this capture the most.]

Due to Dunkel and Sadin’s blatant collusion appeal, Kilorde’s frank words were naturally accepted.

In fact, the Zeldomitra family will benefit the most from this strategy. It might be natural since they were the ones responsible to pull Rona in.

[It may be unavoidable to think so. What does Novalf think?]

[Considering the direct impact of a successful operation, I feel that the Zeldomitra family will benefit greatly.]

From the way he spoke, I feel that the Adellahan family will benefit in some way.

But, the Quordenze family will receive no benefit from the King’s proposal. That’s why the option contract of mutual marriage and cooperation in participating in the battle of Spierzeig came out.

[Since Zeldomitra’s earnest wish is to conquer the Umon Islands, I think it can’t be helped that he thinks so. What about Kalmia-dono?]

When Kalmia was asked that, she began to discuss the operation itself.

The next to be questioned will be me. Let’s think up negative and sarcastic thoughts and put them into words.

I felt that it would be good to entangle it with the words [Zeldomitra’s earnest wish] that Sadin just said. [Quordenze’s Desire] is the destruction of the Spierzeig family, and Wilk Quordenze will achieve it without relying on others and become independent as [a single Noble]… What do you think of that argument? The Zeldomitra family is a pitiful fellow who cries out to the Kingdom. It’s a good opportunity to show my negative thoughts on the invasion of the Holy City. It’s not a problem if I use a bit of a straightforward expression

After I had worked out what to say to some extent, I shifted my gaze to Kalmia.

[…I’m particularly interested in the operation to capture Umon Island…]

I listened to her while tearing up tea cakes with a fork.

Kalmia was very interested in how the Zeldomitra family would be able to conquer the Umon Islands, something that had never been done before. When I heard that story from my father, I thought it was interesting.

The strategy itself is a simple story.

The reason why the Zeldomitra family is taking time to capture the Umon Islands is related to the inability to deploy a large number of soldiers. This is because naval combat is limited by the number of ships. Therefore, if we can prepare a large number of ships, the rest will be manageable with a quantity strategy.

The plan was to bring the Levios, Milendorva, and Evenafis families’ warships into the Zeldomitra family and attack and conquer all the islands.

All three families are distant from the Zeldomitra territory, but if there are many Highlords, it would not be impossible to carry a ship and move them. In the history of the earth, it is a strategy reminiscent of the fall of Constantinople.

She must have been intrigued by his fearless trick.

Then, Kalmia turned her head towards me and said lightly.

[The Ottoman’s fleet crossing the mountains, that anecdote came to mind.]

I felt like my eyes met hers despite her eyelids closed.