Chapter 153

Chapter 153:  Red Mithril (1)

“Congratulations, Saintess. You're truly just one step away from becoming the head of the Church now.”

“I’ll be in your care going forward.”

A letter Saintess Istina had received from Archbishop Thomas lay on the table.

It carried joyous news—she had secured the support of a majority of the bishops.

Perhaps because of that, a soft hum trickled from the bathroom, carried by the Saintess herself.

“――――――.”

Before long, the door opened, and pure white steam billowed out.

With the scent of fragrant soap, she stepped lightly onto the living room floor, her smooth legs leading the way.

“Haa…”

Clad in a light silk dress, she stepped out onto the veranda and took in a full breath of the North’s crisp air.

“The air’s especially nice today.”

Istina leaned her arms on the railing of the cathedral’s second floor.

And with her chin resting on the back of her hand, she waited for a certain man.

Soon, through the neatly trimmed hedges, a knight in a white uniform appeared.

As though he had an appointment with the Saintess, he bowed his head in a practiced gesture of courtesy.

“I have returned after carrying out your command, Saintess.”

“Good. It was quite a ‘noble order,’ so I assume you confirmed everything thoroughly?”

The noble order the Saintess spoke of—

To outsiders, it would conjure images of sacred purifications or grand endeavors like the reclamation of holy lands.

From inside his uniform, the Holy Knight drew a finely crafted scroll.

As though a nobleman was preparing to report a grave matter to the Emperor.

“Then I shall begin my report.”

Accompanied by the gentle cooing of doves that dwelled in the cathedral, he opened his mouth.

And the first words he spoke were...

“Lady Echina is currently busy with an internal conflict regarding succession of her family’s headship. She hasn’t met with Lord Roger in recent days.”

It was a report on the frequency of meetings between a certain man and the Grand Duke’s daughter.

“So, they haven’t seen each other for several days?”

“That is correct. Recently, Lord Roger has not been in contact with any woman. He’s been moving about alone.”

As if the holy war had been successfully reclaimed, Istina wore a satisfied smile.

When she tilted the chin resting on her hand just slightly, her soft cheek was lightly pressed in like a bun.

“Next, though the exact reason is still unclear, it appears that the eldest daughter, Freya, has handed over the majority of Luton Maiden’s shares to Echina.”

The Saintess gently closed her long, graceful eyes.

Her silver eyelids shimmered under the warm sunlight.

“That was probably Roger’s scheme.”

As if sketching a man in her mind, Istina kept her eyes shut.

“His eyes are truly deep and dark. Like a sea that draws others in.”

With Roger’s face in her thoughts, the Saintess slowly opened her blue eyes.

Then, she lightly bit her smooth lips, like ripened fruit.

“It’s a bit frustrating, but I have to admit, they pair quite well—with Echina’s dazzling golden eyes.”

It is light that illuminates darkness.

Having heard that truth relentlessly from the Scriptures, the Saintess spoke with a coy expression.

“They're a perfect match made in heaven.”

“……”

The Holy Knight broke into a cold sweat at the Saintess’s murmured words.

To think that the exalted Saintess—who seemed to possess everything—could feel envy toward someone.

He looked deeply troubled, unsure of what he should say in response.

Noticing the expression on her subordinate’s face, Istina gave a soft, knowing smile.

With that, her eyes once again regained their gentle grace, befitting one who embraced all living things.

“Well, it’s fine.”

But.

When she opened her eyes again, her expression had completely changed in tone.

“If everyone ended up with their destined match, would war and conflict still exist?”

The benevolent smile she had worn for her subordinate vanished entirely the moment she began speaking of her own desire.

“You see, I think of it this way.”

Istina pointed to her own sharp eyes with her finger.

“The abyss can only be understood by another abyss.”

Istina’s blue eyes—

Their surface shimmered, catching the light, but their depths were as black as the deep sea.

“Rather than opposites attracting, I think those who are equally deep and dark are better suited for each other.”

Only now did the Holy Knight feel that this was the master he knew.

He bowed his head respectfully, finally reassured.

His liege was someone who never gave up once she had set a goal.

That was the very reason all her subordinates admired and followed her.

Because of Istina’s unmistakable confidence and her commanding presence.

“All right. So Echina’s busy at the moment—what about the Western Grand Duke’s daughter?”

The Saintess straightened from the railing and asked.

Her radiant silver hair reflected the sunlight, giving off an even livelier aura.

“If you mean Lady Helena, she’s been very quiet. On top of that, the security was so tight it was difficult to even get close.”

“You must be careful. The Western Grand Duke’s house has always excelled at information warfare.”

The Saintess knew.

That Helena was no less formidable than Echina.

“That blonde woman… She pretends to be purely obsessed with money, but who knows what kind of shady schemes she’s plotting behind the scenes.”

“……”

For the Saintess, widely regarded as the queen of scheming herself, to say such things—

The Holy Knight couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of tension and irony.

“Then lastly—where is he?”

He.

At that familiar way of referring to someone, the knight momentarily froze with a blank expression.

Then, realizing who his liege was asking about, he slowly opened his mouth.

“If you mean Lord Roger… he’s planning to head to the Nordique Mines.”

Now it was the Saintess’s turn to go blank.

“The mines…?”

“Yes, more precisely, the mining village located nearby.”

At the mention of an intriguing subject, the Saintess leaned her arms on the railing once again.

With her arms raised and fingers interlocked, she tilted her head up and fell into thought.

“Why would he suddenly go there?”

“That much, even our Order couldn’t determine.”

The knight, recalling the events from trailing the man, returned to a solemn expression.

“Lord Roger’s alertness was extraordinary. It felt like if we got even a little closer, he’d sense it right away.”

“Hm—. That must mean he went to the mines for something important—.”

The Saintess stretched her back and lightly loosened up her body.

She was as flexible as her figure was beautiful.

“I’ve always been the one receiving help, so maybe it’s my turn to return the favor?”

Istina was the type who couldn’t bear not knowing something.

Whatever she wanted, she had to get it just the way she desired, or she wouldn't be at ease.

“As expected, I need to go see for myself.”

To think someone like that had spent her entire life cloistered within a rigid institution like religion…

From the moment she rose to a high-ranking position, she had stopped holding herself back.

“Pardon…? You mean you’ll go there personally?”

“Why not?”

The Holy Knight knew the conditions of the place he had just visited very well.

It seemed he believed it far too humble a location to escort his liege to.

“Well… it’s quite a rundown place, so it would be rather difficult to serve you there.”

“Hm—.”

The Saintess looked at her loyal subordinate with both fondness and pity.

“That’s exactly why I need to go myself.”

Istina’s eyes curved beautifully like a crescent moon.

Her expression was more devilish and full of mischief than saintly.

“Then… what pretext should we use for your visit…?”

“It’s a mining village, so there must be lots of injured people, right? Let’s say this free medical service is headed there.”

It was certainly a good reason.

Yet somehow, when the Saintess said it, the whole thing took on a strangely sinister tone.

“When you think about it, being a Saintess really makes it easy to justify anything.”

Istina gave an order to the knight to prepare for departure.

At the same time, she murmured quietly to herself.

“Giving it up might leave me with a bit of regret.”

Meanwhile, the knight who went off to make the preparations had a rather sullen expression, as if he fully understood the mind of the mistress he’d served all his life.

As if to say—there wasn’t the slightest bit of regret in her.

Sometimes, he wondered whether he was serving the Saintess of prophecy or a little sister going through a very late adolescence.

「――――――」

Time passed.

In a mining village located in the northern region of the Empire—

A single luxurious carriage came to a stop in the harsh, rugged landscape.

“So this is the place. It’s my first time seeing it in person.”

After finishing my collaboration proposal to Terry Mansachs, I headed straight here.

Because Edward’s shame was hidden in this barren, freezing land.

Despite Nord’s reputation as the Empire’s second-largest city, the conditions of its rural towns left much to be desired.

Ironically, the more Nord expanded, the more the youth flocked to it.

As a result, the countryside saw a sharp decline in the number of young workers.

What followed was all too predictable.

Men past middle age had to shoulder the burden of harsh labor in the mines to support their families.

That, in turn, led to a high number of injuries in an already dire environment.

“As expected, the village feels bleak.”

I walked through the mining town, its landscape grim and wooden.

The women returned home with gloomy expressions, carrying simple vegetables and bread.

Those who were able to work had all gone off to the mining village, while those who couldn’t work anymore drank in broad daylight, trying to numb their pain.

But alcohol could never solve everything.

The pain they had briefly forgotten always returned with a vengeance, coupled with crushing hangovers, making their lives even more miserable.

“Let’s unpack first.”

I would only be staying here for two days.

Any longer, and I risked being discovered by Eric or Edward, who were already keeping a close eye on my every move.

Stealth was only successful when it was quick and clean.

I picked a cheap room at random and tossed my bag down.

There was nothing of value inside anyway—what little I had worth anything was tucked inside my suit jacket—so I headed straight for the mines.

The scale of the mine was impressive.

It sat on the edge of the grand Nord Mountain Range, and the air was already thin.

If it was like this outside, I could only imagine how stifling it must be inside the cramped tunnels.

If the miners here could manage such a place, I would have given them the best treatment possible.

But knowing Edward’s character, that was never going to happen.

To him, commoners were nothing more than easy-to-manipulate chess pieces.

And among those pieces, the one commanding the pawns—Luke—was stationed here.

「Nordic Development Office.」

I passed by rows of mining equipment and stopped in front of a shabby wooden building.

I knocked lightly and waited until someone came to the door.

“Is anyone there?”

“……”

Despite being a mine supposedly still under development, there wasn’t a single soul around the entrance.

As I suspected, they were only pretending to develop the site to pocket government subsidies.

But what I was after wasn’t just some tax evasion scheme.

Edward—that bastard—his secrets were just beginning to surface.

“I’ve come from Nord. Please open the door.”

――――――.

Only after I said I was from Nord, where the Grand Duke’s second son resided, did the door finally open.

And thanks to that, I was able to meet the man in charge of this mine and the representative of the miners.

“And who might you be?”

Duncan Epsilon.

He was the village head of this mining town, as well as the representative of its miners.

Even though this was my first time meeting him in this life, I knew both his name and face.

Because in my past life, when I served as Chief Secretary, cleaning up after the nobles’ messes...

I had helped cover up several tragic incidents that had occurred in this very mine.

“I’m here from the Erian Foundation in Nord. This is a charitable visit.”

“Erian, you say…?”

It seemed he wasn’t familiar with the foundation—likely because he was a man from the countryside.

“Yes, our foundation is well known in Nord as a charitable organization. We support the welfare of industrial laborers who work for the Empire.”

Typically, when someone hears this kind of thing, there are two kinds of reactions.

One: they’re so exhausted that the mere idea of someone coming to help makes them genuinely happy.

Two: they’re hiding something and fear outsiders might uncover it, so they react with caution.

The man in front of me, interestingly enough, showed signs of both.

He looked worn and gaunt, like a land suffering from famine…

And his eyes were filled with suspicion, like someone deeply averse to contact with strangers.

“Then… by any chance… were you sent by the Grand Duke’s house?”

He looked like he’d slam the door shut the moment I said no.

So I clasped my hands behind my back and maintained the relaxed tone of an arrogant noble.

“No, I wasn’t. However, I used to serve as a secretary for the Grand Duke’s house.”

“Then… that means not anymore, doesn’t it…?”

He moved to grab the doorknob, his gesture suggesting he was ready to shut the door.

I slid my foot lightly between the door and the frame.

“That’s right. But I still maintain cooperative ties with the Grand Duke’s family.”

With a bright smile, I pulled a card from the inner pocket of my suit.

I handed him both Echina’s and Freya’s business cards at once.

“These two daughters of the great Grand Duke of the North can vouch for me.”

“……”

At that, Foreman Duncan flinched.

His scruffy beard seemed to twitch at the sound of their prestigious names.

“What brings someone who serves the two young ladies to a place like this?”

“Oh, nothing much. I’m just here to check whether the workers are getting by all right. It’s purely a charitable visit.”

I glanced around casually, speaking in a nonchalant voice.

“From the looks of things, the facilities are indeed quite poor. Are you sure you don’t need any assistance?”

“……”

Foreman Duncan swallowed hard.

Then, with narrowed eyes full of suspicion, he stared at me—this stranger who had shown up alone.

“We don’t. You’re already helping us plenty, aren’t you?”

Just how badly had Edward intimidated them, that even the mention of the two noble daughters couldn’t ease their tension?

I let out a quiet breath, like someone watching a frightened cat clinging to a tree branch.

A brief silence fell between Duncan and me.

If we stayed in this stalemate much longer, he might decide to contact Edward directly.

I needed to find a breakthrough—something to shift the momentum.

And that breakthrough…

Came from an entirely unexpected source.

――――――.

The mine entrance had been deathly quiet just moments ago.

But from the far-off horizon, a carriage bearing a familiar flag had appeared.

「Silver Truth Church – Regular Free Medical Service Unit.」