“For a while, it seems we’ll be preoccupied with internal issues within the church. I suppose we can only pay back Your Majesty’s help after that.”

Logan smiled back at the face of Iliya that was shown in the communication orb, her expression laced with laughter.

“Payback? There’s no need for that, Saint Iliya.”

He meant it sincerely.

He had already received more than enough.

[The excessive honorifics are challenging, Your Majesty. Please address me comfortably as you have before.]

“No, I can’t afford to be disrespectful to someone of an Archcardinal’s stature. And I am not the Emperor of the Empire after all.”

The Pope is treated as an equal to the Emperor, and Archcardinals are on par with kings.

This was a church rule created in the ancient past when the Pope essentially succumbed to the Empire, but in a continent where the faith in the Nine Gods was absolute, it was as good as law.

Of course.

‘The Pope has been brought down, and so the Empire might too…’

Logan’s inner feelings were quite different.

[My apologies. All of this was possible thanks to Your Majesty.]

“How could I possibly create Saint Iliya’s qualifications? That’s a result of your own abilities.”

[No, I cannot forget Your Majesty’s grace. The church will change, and the temple will regain its former glory. When that time comes, I will surely repay my debt.]

“Haha. If you say that much, I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

[Eh?]

“I’m not one to refuse what’s given to me. Especially if it’s promised payback from someone who’s considered a candidate for the papacy.”

[Ah… Haha, yes. I will definitely repay you. But such words do put a bit of pressure on me. It’s inconvenient for someone as young and inexperienced as myself to become Pope. There are the Archcardinal Austin and others too.]

At her words, Logan tilted his head in confusion.

“Other Archcardinals? Weren’t they part of the former Pope’s faction?”

[Well, they claim to be victims of the Pope’s machinations… Of course, since tens of thousands of believers have witnessed their disgraceful conduct, even if there are internal rules for electing from the Archcardinals, it would be difficult for any of them to become Pope. After all, the public opinion of the believers can’t be completely ignored.]

“That’s true.”

[This means, unavoidably, that the selection of the next Pope will take some time.]

Hmmm.

The election of the next Pope faces further confusion.

While Iliya might be unaware, Logan considered this no bad news at all.

He had almost been petrified by the temple’s unexpected provocation just recently.

Smiling, Logan changed the topic.

“By the way, what exactly was that object the Pope had?”

[Excuse me? I thought you were aware of it?]

“How would I know of such a thing?”

[I would find it more surprising if you weren’t aware.]

“Ah.”

“…It was just a guess based on information I had.”

[The fact that you knew what even the Pope’s confidants didn’t is impressive already.]

“It was just a stroke of luck. Even knowing it could imitate a Stigmata came from you, Saint.”

[…It seems our church and I have greatly benefited from Your Majesty’s luck.]

“Haha, seems that way. So, what was this object? It must be extraordinary if it could mimic a Stigmata.”

Logan had his reasons for pressing on.

Only the relics of the Nine Gods, the nine divine objects, could inherently emit divine power. That had been an unchanging truth since the foundation of the church.

In his previous life, when the Pope was ambushed and the object revealed, bringing about his downfall, he didn’t care much about the Pope’s fate, but now, his attention to international relations had to be sharper.

The appearance of this object that could completely change the state of the church wouldn’t fail to pique his interest.

[Most initially thought it was a relic. For example, Archcardinal Tener Lainey even argued that the former Pope should be pardoned for contributing to the discovery of the tenth relic.]

“Initially? So, it’s not a relic after all.”

[Yes. I sensed something different from pure divine power, and another individual who masters both aura and divine power to the highest degree agreed. Thus, we concluded it’s not a relic.]

“A master of aura and divine power? Ah! The Divine Shield…”

The Divine Shield, Harmon Killerbrew’s name was not unknown to Logan.

[Yes. Our common finding was that it’s not a god-given relic, but a fabricated fake. This was further confirmed when we interrogated the Pope.]

“It was that easy for the Pope to spill the origins?”

It was a serious matter that could dictate one’s life.

At that logical doubt, Iliya’s face hardened for a moment. Finally deciding to speak, her words came hesitantly.

[The church’s… technicians extracted a confession within a day. But the testimony is so absurd…]

Ah, the church’s torturers, infamous for conjuring confessions of nonexistent heresies.

Yes, they could do that.

Logan reflected on the rumored existence of such individuals, his face twisting into a wry smile, as Iliya continued with a sour tone.

[Said to be relics left by an owner of an unhallowed title I’d never heard before — the Demonic Holy Child (魔道聖子)…]

Buzz.

“Ugh!”

Suddenly, Logan was seized by an intense headache, clutching his head.

[Your Majesty?]

Demonic Holy Child (魔道聖子). The unfamiliar term sent a piercing tinnitus through his mind, shrouding him in darkness and sending him adrift in pain. An unfamiliar memory flitted through his mind.

– I’m counting on you. You’re the only one I can turn to who understands the ancient language.

– If it comes to it, burn the book, but keep the content in your head to pass on to someone with the gift. If even that fails…

The unfamiliar yet familiar memories painted over the last moments of his past life.

– The worst situation is to discard the secret. But this artifact must never make its way into Emperor Barlos’ hands! Never!

– The artifact of the ancient transcendental, Demonic Holy Child Zibrick Cassel… If that madman gets a hold of it, the world will turn…

The scarred face of an aged Louis Hayon flickered through his mind.

– Where is the relic?!

– Daring to lay hands on the treasures of the Empire!

His fleeing aged self clutched something precious in his grasp.

– With this relic, the ceremony will be complete. Hand it over quietly!

– Fool… Argh, I’d rather die.

– This madman…! Block him!

– Let’s die together!

– Aaaargh!

It was a clearer memory of his own end in his past life. The fog that covered his deep soul had started to lift.

Gradually the pain subsided, and his mind seemed clearer, but Logan could not smile.

[Your Majesty! What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you feeling ill…?]

“Demonic Holy Child. Zibrick… Cassel?”

[Yes? Have you heard of him?]

“No, not yet. It’s not certain… More importantly, Iliya, was that object a small sword by any chance?”

[No? It was a bracelet.]

“Bracelet… Ah…!”

Memories of his past life’s final moment – a massive magic circle.

Inside, mountains of corpses, and on an altar of bodies, two gleaming artifacts.

One of them was a bracelet.

“A bracelet… Shaped like an orb, emitting a pure white light… is that correct?”

[Yes? Yes, that’s right! You knew it after all!]

“…Ah. Well… Yes, let’s say that.”

The pain faded, leaving Logan’s head clear, but the rebound from recalling his memories brought with it a wave of exhaustion.

Despite wanting to lie down and rest right then, there was still something left to confirm.

“Did the Pope say where he acquired that object?”

[He claims to have bought it at a black market in Aserian during his youth. It doesn’t seem to be a lie…]

“Ha…”

A sigh of resignation escaped from Logan’s lips.

If even the information extracted by the church’s torturers was genuine, it was likely true. If the place of acquisition was Aserian’s black market, then tracking the source was impossible.

The slim hope he harbored vanished.

‘Zibrick Cassel’s tomb… must I wait again in this life until the Empire discovers it?’

Perhaps that same ritual had thrust him back into the past.

Or at least, that was likely.

But now, he could no longer afford to care about the complex magical formations using countless lives as offerings, whose details he no longer remembered.

He didn’t want to repeat the arduous life of the past, and even if everything fell apart, the idea of repeating such hardships was the furthest from his mind.

In his current life, Logan had his sights set on something else.

‘That sword, the one I named the Holy Sword.’

The sword that allowed him, who was only on the level of a common knight, to evade the Empire’s Special Surveillance Team for over a month and even sneak into enemy territory.

If he had that sword, perhaps the battle against the Empire would be much easier. However, it seemed he had to let go of that hope for now.

[We are very curious about it as well. To bestow archbishop-level divine power to someone who would scarcely qualify as a low-level priest, if more similar artifacts exist, it would be truly…]

Iliya’s continued words failed to fully register.

‘Demonic Holy Child’s artifact. If it appears again, I must get my hands on it first…’

He was absorbed in this thought, sorting through the memories of his past life that had resurfaced.

“Take good care of that bracelet, Iliya.”

[Of course, Your Majesty. Although not a relic, it holds enough value, so we plan to handle it strictly as a treasure of the church.]

“Yes. That’s good.”

‘At least I can ensure that the bracelet does not fall into the hands of the Empire.’

Whatever the case, preparations to change fate seemed to be going well.

Even if it all just came down to fortuitous luck.

* * *

“Ha. The Pope actually got impeached? It’s absolutely preposterous.”

At the center of the Imperial Capital, Aserian, within the imperial palace and the private palace of the 2nd Prince, a voice laced with frustration broke the silence.

The stewards, bodyguards, and everyone who was present held their breath and froze at the sound; a blue-haired handsome man gestured, ordering everyone out of the room.

Once he confirmed that everyone had left, the man quietly spoke.

“The world is fooled, and it’s said he possessed an artifact that could endow one with the divine power of a saint.”

“An artifact that can bestow divine power? Does that even make sense? It would be more plausible to say another relic was discovered.”

The 2nd Prince’s brow furrowed deeper, but Leos continued calmly.

“The church’s official announcement claims as much. Regardless of whether it’s true or not, that’s not why Your Highness is upset, right? You’re still troubled by the fact that the Maclaine Kingdom remains unscathed.”

“…Yes. Logan Maclaine, that lucky bastard, managed to slip away again like a greased eel. How many times has it been now?”

Something weighed heavily on his chest.

That uncomfortable feeling left the 2nd Prince with an expression that couldn’t relax.

“Isn’t Your Highness too obsessed with him? No matter how lucky he is, how long will it last? Shouldn’t you focus on settling things first with the Lesser Kingdoms’ Alliance?”

“No, it’s not right. I have this strong feeling I can’t shake. We can’t let it continue. You know about the blood of the prophet that runs in our imperial line.”

‘You’re obsessed because your plans keep going awry.’

The prophetic abilities of the legendary founding emperor were never passed on to any of his descendants.

But Leos swallowed back his honest thoughts that rose to his throat.

Even as an archivist, he couldn’t cross that line.

During the silence while Leos remained speechless.

“I must seek an audience with His Majesty.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll have to take some risks to eliminate him.”

The 2nd Prince’s dark eyes glinted with deadly intent.