College of Cardinals.

As the name suggests, it’s an organization of cardinals from the Deusis faith.

Their numbers varied from time to time, ranging from as few as 50 to over 80 members.

Usually maintained around 70 members, and this is the case even under the current Orban IV.

The current number of cardinals is 67.

Their rank is second only to the Pope. They effectively sit at the peak of power.

Some cardinals wielded more influence than the kings of average kingdoms.

Such a college of cardinals visited the Mariette Kingdom.

“I am Fidenzio Fiola.”

“I am Benigso Dalfonso.”

“I am Caino Abino.”

Each cardinal bowed and introduced themselves.

There were three cardinals in total.

The personnel accompanying these three exceeded 3,000 people.

Since they were all composed of high priests and holy knights, they were essentially a massive military force.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Abelson Mariette.”

Abelson looked down at the cardinals from her throne.

“So. What brings you here? The scale seems excessive for a simple greeting.”

“We have come to root out heretics within the Mariette Kingdom.”

Abelson’s eyebrows twitched at the word heretics.

“Heretics?”

“Yes. As Your Majesty knows, there was an unfortunate incident in Scolbon, wasn’t there?”

“There was a tragic incident where a Deusis priest died in an accident.”

“That was no accident.”

Cardinal Fidenzio spoke firmly.

“It was an incident where a Deusis priest was systematically slandered and murdered. Clearly the work of heretics.”

“Hah, I don’t know what basis you have for saying such things.”

“The evidence is right here!”

Cardinal Fidenzio held out a stack of documents.

He continued with a confident expression.

“This is evidence that not only has a heretical organization been formed in Scolbon recently, but it has been operating systematically.”

Abelson took the documents and examined them carefully.

The more she looked at the contents, the more her brow furrowed.

‘As expected… They planned this from the start.’

Currently, the continent is largely divided into two forces.

Those who say demons must be punished through war and those who say it’s time to make peace with demons.

However, looking at this carefully, a slightly different standard becomes visible.

Namely, whether they support the Deusis faith or not.

Or it could be seen as the Gatren Empire versus other kingdoms.

Anyway, the important thing is that the forces calling for peace consist of several kingdoms and organizations gathered together.

Naturally, their unity was bound to be weak.

And Gatren exploited that gap.

They must have planted spies long ago to gather information and plan this.

‘The death of the high priest must have been their doing too.’

The death of the high priest.

Abelson was certain that it was also a staged act by Gatren’s side to cause discord.

Otherwise, they couldn’t have dispatched such a large number of clergy and heresy inquisitors along with the College of Cardinals as if they had been waiting for this.

In the end, their intentions were transparent.

The other side didn’t seem particularly interested in hiding it either.

But the problem was that even knowing their true intentions, they had no choice but to endure it.

“I see.”

Returning the documents, Abelson continued.

“I understand that you’ve come to root out heretics. But I’m curious about how this process will proceed.”

“As Your Majesty knows, rooting out heretics is the church’s inherent authority. Therefore, there’s no need to explain the methods here, but…”

At that moment, a smile appeared on Cardinal Fidenzio’s lips.

“For the sake of Mariette Kingdom’s prestige and Your Majesty’s dignity, I will explain.”

Abelson nodded in gratitude.

Cardinal Fidenzio continued his explanation.

“The method of rooting out heretics is through proof of faith. And those who cannot prove their faith or refuse the investigation will be summarily executed.”

“What…?”

Abelson’s fists clenched.

“Are you saying you’ll carry out mass executions in the capital!?”

Abelson’s voice rose involuntarily.

Though a king was expressing anger, the cardinals’ faces remained composed.

“As we said, rooting out heretics is our inherent authority. And in Scolbon, there exist large-scale cult groups and demon worshippers.”

Cardinal Fidenzio continued without changing his expression.

“What we’re doing is necessary for the Mariette Kingdom as well. Does Your Majesty intend to leave demon worshippers within the kingdom? Or perhaps…”

At that moment, his eyes gleamed coldly.

“As rumored, are you following the demons yourself?”

“Cardinal. Do not cross the line.”

Abelson’s voice turned cold.

Cardinal Fidenzio bowed and stepped back.

No matter how great their influence, this is still the royal palace.

Showing excessive disrespect to the king would lose them justification.

“I apologize. However, I must inform you that the heretic purge will proceed as planned.”

“I forbid it.”

“Should we understand this statement as turning against Gatren… No, the Deusis faith?”

“That’s…”

Abelson gritted her teeth.

There was no place on the continent untouched by the influence of the Deusis faith.

It’s just a difference in degree.

Even the mighty Drason Empire is not completely free from the Deusis faith.

And unfortunately, the Kingdom of Mariette was one of the kingdoms heavily influenced by the Deusis faith.

If the Kingdom of Mariette turns against the Deusis faith, there will be tremendous backlash from the believers who make up the majority of the kingdom’s people.

‘Is there no choice…’

Abelson let out a deep sigh.

“I understand. I authorize the purge of heretics.”

“You have made a wise decision.”

The three cardinals left the palace with a sinister smile.

***

A once peaceful household.

They barged in suddenly.

Dirtying the floor with heavy military boots.

They bind the entire family in the living room while ransacking the house.

“What is this necklace?”

The heretic inquisitor asked.

Holy knights had already surrounded the area.

The man answered with a trembling voice.

“Th-that is a keepsake from our grandmother…”

“A keepsake?”

The heretic inquisitor’s eyebrow twitched.

“Judging by your trembling voice, you’re telling a lie.”

“What…?”

“This is no keepsake. This is a sacred object of cultists who idolize demon-kind.”

“No! This really is what grandmother left us… Kuhek!”

A fist struck the protesting man’s stomach.

The heretic inquisitor picked up the necklace with an expression of disgust as if looking at a filthy insect.

“Still trying to deny it. This is clearly a symbol that idolizes demon-kind. Seize the evidence and hang these people on the gallows.”

“No! Please spare us! I don’t care if I die! But at least my family!”

The man screamed desperately, but what returned was merciless violence.

The holy knights’ strength that no ordinary person could resist.

The man and his family, beaten to a pulp in an instant, were dragged like luggage down the main street.

People whispered among themselves watching the scene.

“To think Mailo was a heretic…”

“I knew this would happen. I saw it coming when he talked about making peace with demon-kind a few days ago.”

“Right! Actually a dog of demon-kind! Must have been acting on their orders!”

People’s gazes were cold.

The full-scale heretic purge begins.

The capital’s atmosphere changed dramatically.

“As expected, the Deusis faith must step in.”

“Peace with demon-kind? How could that make sense? I knew from the start they were demon-kind worshippers.”

From the beginning, the majority of the Kingdom of Mariette’s people were believers of the Deusis faith.

Not all of them called for war with demon-kind, but as the situation turned this way, even those who maintained neutrality all turned to supporting the extermination of demon-kind.

This phenomenon was also one of the Deusis faith’s calculated moves.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Kyaaaa-!”

Screams echoed day and night in Scolbon.

Slaughter under the pretext of purging heretics.

It was a horrible massacre.

Hundreds of innocent people die every day.

No matter how minor the crime, none could escape the inquisitors’ eyes.

Even if there was no crime, they would fabricate one and condemn people as heretics and demon-kind worshippers.

“Once this is over, our kingdom will become quiet.”

“This can’t be helped. Should have believed in God earlier, right?”

In the cold air, the smell of blood in Scolbon grew ever thicker.

***

“Are we just going to watch this? A massacre is happening! Innocent kingdom citizens are being condemned as heretics and killed!”

A man burst out in heated words.

It was an outpouring about the injustice of the heretic inquisitions happening recently in the Kingdom of Mariette.

Among those gathered, some nodded their heads, while others frowned.

“My! You speak dangerous words. Watch your mouth! How dare you call this righteous heretic purging procedure a massacre!”

“Righteous? Where is there any righteousness in this massacre!”

“As I’ve said multiple times, this is not a massacre. Or perhaps you too are a demon-kind worshipper?”

“De-demon-kind worshipper!? What nonsense is this!”

“How else could you show such a reaction now?”

The atmosphere gradually descended into chaos.

“Looking at how agitated you are, it’s obvious. Of course, only a demon-kind worshipper would think like that!”

Honorific speech between them disappeared.

“Shut up! Can’t you keep that mouth shut!”

“How dare you speak so rudely!?”

“You bastard!”

Loud voices and curses were exchanged.

“Don’t think I don’t know you were born from the womb of a lowly maid? Tsk tsk! This is why we can’t have conversations with those of impure blood.”

Eventually, it came to questioning the peace of each other’s households and the welfare of their parents.

“Ha! I suppose you’re such a noble person that your wife seeks comfort elsewhere.”

“What…?”

“Didn’t you know? The rumor is all over the capital that Lady Decker gives a gold coin for spending a night with her! Those lowly men you spoke of are lining up! Since she’s mixed with the lowly, I suppose you won’t speak with your wife either?”

“You son of a bitch! This means a duel! Draw your sword right now!”

Unbelievably, this was the kingdom’s royal court meeting.

A place where King Abelson Mariette and the kingdom’s high nobles gather to make important national decisions.

However, it had now fallen to a level worse than a dogfight in a marketplace.

“Stop. Please stop!”

Abelson shouted.

But it didn’t reach the nobles who were already tangled up exchanging dialogue with their fists.

“Haa… Guards. Clean this up.”

At Abelson’s words, soldiers rushed in to pry apart the entangled nobles.

“Let go! I said let go!”

“How dare such lowly ones!”

Despite the soldiers’ restraint, the nobles’ resistance continued.

There seemed to be no sign of the atmosphere calming down.

Finally, Abelson rose from her seat.

She picks up the mace beside her and walks into the midst of the nobles.

“Haa…”

She struck the mace she held hard against the floor.

KWAAANG-!

The royal court shook with the explosion.

The nobles nearby tumbled ungracefully on the floor from the strong shockwave.

“…”

Silence descended in an instant.

In the quiet, Abelson spoke.

“This is the final warning. The meeting is over. Disperse and return. If not…”

The nobles gulped.

Abelson continued with an expression dripping with cold intent.

“I will consider it rejection of a royal order and execute immediate punishment.”

The atmosphere was such that it wouldn’t be strange if someone’s head flew off right then.

The young monarch before them was truly someone capable of cracking noble heads and more.

“Ahem, hem!”

“Let’s hurry and leave! Why did you have to say such things…”

“Hurry up and get out!”

The nobles hastily left the meeting hall.

Abelson heaved a deep sigh watching them still running their mouths even as they left.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Choi Hyun-seok, who had been watching the meeting from one side, approached.

“Haa, I showed you an unsightly scene.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like this is the first or second time. I’m used to it now.”

“What…?”

For a moment, Abelson’s eyes opened fiercely.

Realizing his mistake, Choi Hyun-seok stepped back and laughed awkwardly.

“We-well, everyone shares the same concern for the kingdom’s future, but it’s truly troublesome that opinions don’t align! Hahaha…!”

Hurried deflection and awkward laughter.

Abelson decided to let it slide.

After all, as Choi Hyun-seok said, it was true that such chaos hadn’t happened just once or twice.

“The kingdom’s future…”

Abelson’s sigh grew even deeper.

“Do they really have such concerns?”

“Wouldn’t they?”

“To be honest, this is a factional fight. They’re only interested in preserving their positions.”

The reason the nobles split into two factions was simple.

Whether to support Gatren or Drason.

Their view of the current situation differs depending on which side they’re connected to.

“I knew we had been exposed to the Empire’s influence for a long time, but I didn’t know it was this bad.”

Abelson said with a gloomy expression.

This was even after she became monarch and cleared out many nobles.

Meaning, this was what remained after reducing the number.

“I feel like a scarecrow rather than a monarch.”

So powerless.

The Deusis faith violates the capital.

These so-called nobles are busy playing tug-of-war between two empires.

Though these things were happening in the Kingdom of Mariette, there was nothing she, the kingdom’s monarch, could do.

“Those fanatics wreaking havoc in the capital. Can’t we just deal with them?”

Abelson shook her head at Choi Hyun-seok’s question.

“That’s exactly what they want. If we do that, the entire Mariette royal family becomes heretics. And not just simple heretics, but demon-kind worshippers. The worst kind of heretics.”

“Ah…”

“If that happens, they’ll mobilize all their forces at once to kill me and devour the entire kingdom.”

Abelson continued with a self-deprecating smile.

“Come to think of it, half of the nobles fighting earlier might actually be hoping for that to happen.”

“Is there really no solution to this?”

“Well. Even though I’ve spent several sleepless nights pondering, no particular thoughts come to mind.”

At that moment, as their concerns deepened.

A familiar voice was heard.

“I have an idea.”

Sara Dunphy walked over from one side.

Choi Hyun-seok looked at her with a surprised expression.

“When did you arrive?”

“I’ve been here since the royal court meeting turned into a street thug brawl.”

At her words, Abelson’s cheeks turned bright red.

Though it was the distant past, Sara Dunphy was once a monarch of a kingdom.

Perhaps that’s why.

The fact that she showed such a scene to her felt several times more shameful than showing it to others.

Sara Dunphy, seeming to have no particular thoughts about this, continued nonchalantly.

“Anyway, I understand the current situation. Simply put, you can’t deal with internal pests because you’re mindful of the great powers, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why not handle it secretly?”

“Secretly?”

“Assassination.”

Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson tilted their heads.

Assassination out of nowhere?

Are they sure they properly understand the situation?

“Sara. There are over three thousand who came to the capital alone. Adding the ones who were already stationed here, it’s about four thousand.”

“And the capital’s population is a hundred thousand. It’s impossible to assassinate while avoiding all these eyes.”

Not just one or two, but four thousand people.

To assassinate four thousand while avoiding the eyes of a hundred thousand people.

This would be impossible no matter what magic one used.

However, Sara Dunphy hadn’t brought this up without any thought.

“There’s a famous saying.”

She smiled raising the corner of her mouth.

“Without witnesses, it’s assassination.”

She intended to stage the largest assassination in world history.

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