Chapter : 74

“Ooooh!”

“Indeed!”

At my confident declaration, the surroundings stirred. At the same time, the Prince-elector of Bohemia hurriedly approached and whispered.

“Hey, Margrave. That one is real…? It’ll be a disaster if you just hit it. An ogre probably couldn’t break it.”

As the situation unfolded differently than expected, the Prince-elector of Bohemia seemed quite flustered.

“It’s fine. I can do it.”

“You shouldn’t joke in a place like this. Don’t you have your dignity to think of?”

“I’m serious. It’s not a joke, I can do it, Your Highness.”

“???”

At my words, the Prince-elector of Bohemia’s jaw dropped.

He can really split that?

For a moment, the elf king, the Prince-elector of Bohemia, was plunged into confusion.

But regardless, I stepped forward and stood before the shield.

“This is the object you spoke of, correct?”

It would be troublesome if he changed his tune later. I looked at the bishop and confirmed again.

“Yes, that is correct, Your Excellency.”

The bishop seemed to think I was doing something pointless.

Indeed, he probably didn't think I could split that hard oak shield.

Just by looking, one could see it was made of tightly woven, well-dried oak, with iron plates on the surface and edges. And since it had been painstakingly lacquered over a long time, its hardness was a given.

Would it be considered a good job if I split it in half?

That would make one a world-renowned strongman among humans.

‘Among humans,’ that is.

“Hmm.”

Standing before the shield, I caressed my sword and caught my breath.

What should I say after splitting it…

“What’s wrong? Could it be the Goddess is not giving you strength?”

“What an absurd thing to say. I was just thinking about what to say afterwards. I need to seize the mood as much as possible, don’t I?”

“……”

Then Magician Agpiel chided me as if I were pathetic.

“Who wouldn’t be surprised to see that? Being cautious is good, but you worry too much. Just stop talking and split it already.”

“Ahem. Understood.”

I cleared my throat and drew my longsword.

-Shriing!

The sword glinted as it caught the sunlight.

And at the same time.

“Now, watch. This is the will of God.”

The longsword was swung.

-Crack!

* * *

The Prince-elector of Bohemia and the bishop were anxious. The former was anxious about the fallout of failure, and the latter was anxious that he might succeed.

The bishop, in particular, was more so.

‘Surely… he can’t do it, can he?’

Of course, the Prince-elector of Bohemia had half given up, but the bishop had not.

It was understandable, as the Margrave's nickname was the ‘Performer of Miracles.’

While most rumors were false or exaggerated, even if only a part of them were true, it was a tremendous feat.

Especially since the Holy See had confirmed some of it.

In that sense, if a miracle were to suddenly manifest, it would be a truly dumbfounding situation.

‘It can’t be.’

Struggling to hide his anxiety, the bishop tried to reduce the possibilities as much as he could.

He subtly tilted the shield's angle!

Wood has a grain, and if it were struck along the grain, it could split right open.

Of course, considering that, they had wrapped the surface and corners with iron, but one never knew.

‘Hmm, yes.’

In any case, after finishing all his tricks, the bishop finally felt at ease.

Now, all he had to do was watch the margrave in front of him get disgraced.

That’s what he thought…

“Now, watch. This is the will of God.”

As the margrave spoke and swung his longsword, an unbelievable thing happened.

-Crack!

-Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka-kang!

-Thud!

The hard shield, along with a spark, split as softly as pudding, then broke in half and fell.

“?!”

“Th-that…. What is this…?”

The jaws of the nobles and the Prince-elector of Bohemia who saw it dropped wide open.

They had actually thought of it as half-entertainment for the banquet.

But he really split it?

That shield covered in iron?

Everyone was so surprised they checked to see if the bishop and the margrave had colluded, but that didn't seem to be the case.

‘No way!!!’

Because the bishop’s face also showed astonishment.

“I-is this a trick…?”

“You fool! What nonsense are you spouting? You brought that thing.”

“Ah, ah…. That’s right.”

At the Prince-elector of Bohemia’s roar, the bishop nodded with a dazed expression.

Then, as if realizing his mistake, he trembled and lifted his head. The bishop looked at Magician Agpiel and shouted.

“P-perhaps the magician lent him strength?! You are called the Great Sage of the Forest, so it’s entirely possible….”

“You’d do well to stop there, Bishop. There are things one should and should not say. Are you trying to tarnish the Margrave’s honor?”

-Woooong!

Magician Agpiel cut him off and glared at the bishop. The bishop trembled under the overwhelming pressure and rolled his eyes around.

“Baaaaah!!! A miracle! This is the lord-nimu who is loved by God! Behold the Performer of Miracles! Baaah!”

Then, as if to get revenge for being pushed back earlier, the goat beastman Bishop Marco ran wild and shouted.

“Baaah-heh-heh! You unbeliever! You see this and still don’t believe? Baaah.”

“Eek! What do you mean, unbeliever!”

But even as he shouted, the bishop was sweating profusely.

‘This is bad, everything will come to nothing at this rate-!’

The situation was not flowing well. He scanned his surroundings, looking for someone to help him, but even the cardinal bishops from the Holy See were subtly avoiding his gaze.

No, rather, they were looking at the Bellua Margrave with eyes full of admiration.

“Ooh…. So this is why they call you the Performer of Miracles….”

“It was true. Light lingered on the sword, and it split the shield! This is a miracle! Praise be!”

“Baaaaaaah! Praise! I praise it!”

In the end, faced with this splendid miracle(?), the bishop had no choice but to withdraw his opinion.

* * *

-Tiriring!

[You have saved the citizens of Mangtong City, who were on the verge of death, with an unbelievable power. Your achievement will be passed down as a miracle for generations in Mangtong City and its surrounding cities.]

[Notice: The title ‘Performer of Miracles’ has been solidified.]

[Notice: Your amity with all houses that have interests in Mangtong City increases.]

[Notice: The miracle you performed spreads quickly. Heretics and pagans will grow their hostility towards you. Please be careful.]

Another misunderstanding had piled up.

At least it was a misunderstanding I had intended, so there was no major problem in accepting it, but it was still awkward.

Having met the God of Fate, I knew well that gods truly existed in this world.

I was a little worried that if I kept faking miracles like this, divine punishment might befall me.

Of course, Magician Agpiel’s thoughts were a little different.

“Well now. I find your way of thinking rather refreshing.”

“Pardon?”

“Those who use God tend to act even more brazenly. Aren’t you acting quite piously for your part? Worrying about God's wrath, and striving to save the innocent citizens of Mangtong City according to God's teachings.”

“Uhm…. I did that because if all the citizens of Mangtong City died, I wouldn't have a domain left?”

“You would have earned more if you had killed them all and confiscated their property, no? You didn't, did you?”

“Uh, now that you mention it, that’s true.”

Of course, I had never once thought of it that way.

“Hahaha. You see? You’re a very fine believer.”

“……”

Well, if he put it that way, I had nothing to say. I scratched my head at Magician Agpiel’s words.

In truth, it was more because of my sensibilities as a modern person than God’s teachings.

“By the way, thanks to you, this heretic hunt seems like it will be very easy.”

“Pardon? What do you mean…?”

“Even now, don't crowds gather whenever you walk around the city?”

The rumor that I had performed a miracle at the last banquet to save the citizens of Mangtong City had spread widely throughout the city.

Thanks to that, whenever I went outside, it was bustling with crowds offering thanks and prayers.

“That is true…. But what does that have to do with anything? Magician Agpiel.”

I was puzzled.

It was understandable, as I was using this cult-like popularity to, so to speak, ‘raise Bishop Marco.’

After experiencing the conflict with the bishop this time, I felt I needed to plant one of my people in the Holy See.

I planned to have him build up a decent reputation and position and settle him in the core of the Holy See.

That's why I was dragging Bishop Marco everywhere I went, praising him for his efforts in saving them together.

Of course, Bishop Marco, oblivious to my dark intentions, was too busy selling indulgences as long as he could make money.

“Tsk tsk.”

At that, Magician Agpiel clicked his tongue.

“Do you really think the miracle you performed spread only within this city?”

“Hmm, probably not.”

“Right, it must have spread all over through the trade network. Honestly, a miracle of this magnitude is a story people would love. How wonderful for them to return to the true faith.”

“Aah-!”

Only then did I understand what he was trying to say.

A saint who performed a miracle for the citizens during the eradication of heretics-!

In the world of [Pangea Universalise], where religion was an important part of daily life, it was a rumor that was bound to be captivating.

As Magician Agpiel said, the heretics might even repent with tears in their eyes.

“Hmm….”

Of course, I still couldn’t shake my doubts. No matter what, wasn't politics a matter of reality?

At my question, Magician Agpiel laughed heartily and said I would know if I waited.

And not long after.

“Special envoys have arrived from six southern domains.”

Magician Agpiel's words became reality.

“They all wish to atone to the Holy See and will eradicate the heretics themselves. As a token of this, they offer the seals of the six families.”

“Huh…”

* * *

It was unbelievable, but suddenly, six southern domains expressed their intention to surrender.

According to them, the miracle I performed made them realize their sins and repent….

‘This is absurd.’

If even I, the person involved, thought so, how much more absurd would the surrounding nobles find it?

The Prince-elector of Bohemia had essentially conquered the southern heretic territories without lifting a finger, but it was a different story for the nobles who had marched with him.

They had followed the main army all this time and had not achieved any merit worth mentioning.

Thanks to that, the checks from the surrounding nobles against me suddenly grew more intense by the day. They were overtly trying to push me to the rear.

“Whether you like it or not, it's best to lie low for a while at times like this.”

“Baaaah! How can you say that. Baaah! Lord-nimu. You must act strong and go to the vanguard. Baaah.”

“That’s right! Human lord. Hmph-! These shameless nobles. They’ve done nothing and yet they’re so greedy.”

Of course, I didn't care at all.

No, it was actually better.

As Magician Agpiel said, ‘pretending’ to lie low was much more profitable.

‘Hehehehe.’

The nobles of this era might think that advancing and achieving meritorious service was the best thing to do.

‘They’re entrusting me with the supply of an army of 50,000 and the cleanup of the occupied cities?’

As someone who had lived in the modern era, this task actually felt sweet to me.

Since I had already secured the designated city, there was no reason to step forward.

Therefore, I planned to happily stick a straw into the supply line.

Sluurp, sluurp.