Chapter 164: Tangled Circumstances

Thud—!

A harsh sound rang through the Great Hall of the Mineta Royal Capital.

At the same time, Charoen’s head snapped to the side and then straightened again.

“The Black Crescent Moon didn’t care what happened to this kingdom, is that it?!”

“……”

“Not even an excuse? Just moments ago, the kingdom was in danger! Where were you and the others while that happened?”

He was referring to the appearance of the pitch-black dragon.

Of course, the Holy Knights and the Priests had managed to contain the situation together.

However, the evidence now suggested that the Temple itself had been responsible for causing the crisis.

“Say something!”

“……An urgent matter came up, so I had to step out for a while. I only learned later that such an incident had occurred within the capital.”

“What? What could possibly be more important than the capital’s safety! Speak!”

“I apologize. It’s an internal matter of the Black Crescent Moon, so it’s difficult for me to elaborate.”

“Ha—!”

Harlan Mineta’s face was flushed red, his anger surging from deep within his chest.

Humiliation and shame—and the helplessness of having done nothing.

Even with numerous Swordmasters under his command, he had failed to deal with a mere dragon.

He was venting that frustration.

“If only the Black Crescent’s forces had been there, the outer walls wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.”

“I’m sorry. It truly was a situation beyond our control.”

“An important matter you can’t even explain, huh…….”

“I heard the Priests appeared after the dragon vanished. Since it was their sorcery, what will Your Majesty do about it now?”

Charoen, too, knew that both the Mineta Kingdom and the Moratz Kingdom were targeting the Boluzan Kingdom.

Naturally, they were also preparing countermeasures against the Bachenan Holy Kingdom, which stood behind Boluzan.

Among those measures were the Holy Knights and Priests they had recently captured.

However, this incident might escalate beyond that—perhaps even making the Holy Kingdom itself their next target.

That meant making enemies of the Holy Kingdom and every temple across the continent.

“I’ve already ordered the closure of the temples in Mineta.”

“Well done, Your Majesty. Then at least word won’t reach the Holy Kingdom for now.”

“Should we strike first, or brace for their move?”

“I heard Sir Spessen of Moratz tried to strike down Larsen Heights as well.”

“That was stopped by a man called Raion Dragonia. Thinking back now, that could have been dangerous.”

“Indeed. Had things gone wrong, Your Majesty’s Mineta Kingdom might have been held solely responsible.”

Even if the knight from Moratz, Spessen, had drawn his sword, it would have been perceived as Mineta being behind him.

“Do we have a strategy?”

“If word spreads that heresy has appeared, the temples will surely act. For now, it’s urgent that we recover from the damage the kingdom has suffered.”

“Indeed. But perhaps the temples’ time has come to an end…… For heretics to appear now.”

“Still, it’s important to understand why the heretics targeted Mineta in the first place. They wouldn’t have acted without reason.”

Harlan Mineta also found it puzzling.

The so-called heretics had long since broken away from the Temple’s path.

They lurked across the continent, secretly spreading their creed.

It was unlikely they would cause such a major disturbance without a motive.

“Could it be that the former royalist nobles colluded with the heretics?”

“It’s possible, but most of them were executed when Your Majesty ascended the throne. The likelihood is low.”

“Then where…?”

“I’ll start by investigating how the Priests infiltrated this place.”

“As quickly as possible, please.”

The only organization capable of gathering such information immediately was the Black Crescent Moon.

At that, Charoen bowed his head slightly and left the Great Hall.

Bang—!

Prince Rasfer slammed his fist down on the desk in his chambers.

No matter how he tried, his anger wouldn’t subside.

“Just who the hell is that man!”

Most of the furniture around him was already shattered.

His fury had boiled over to the point where he couldn’t hold himself back.

At last, Sir Spessen Akraden, standing beside him, spoke.

“Has Your Highness heard anything about him from the King?”

“No. What do you think, Sir Spessen?”

“What did Your Highness think?”

At that subtle counter, Rasfer’s brow twitched.

“At least an entry-level Swordmaster……?”

“Is that all he appeared to be?”

“What about you?”

“At the very least, equal to me.”

“So, advanced level or higher?”

The two had only crossed swords once, their blades shimmering with blue aura.

The force hadn’t exploded like a storm.

Rasfer hadn’t been able to gauge exactly how much strength had been exchanged between them.

“My blade couldn’t push through any further, so that’s only my speculation.”

“For an adventurer on your level…… And with red hair. There was a rumor some time ago, wasn’t there?”

“The S-rank adventurer said to have appeared in the southern region, Your Highness?”

Rumors spread far more quietly—and farther—than any official word.

Even to the northern end of the Moratz Kingdom, whispers like that had reached.

Rasfer recalled one such rumor he’d heard.

“That’s right. Red hair, S-rank adventurer. I remember hearing he was from a fallen noble family.”

There were several matching details.

At that, Spessen stroked his bearded chin and nodded slightly.

“I remember as well. But the rumor then said he’d just reached the rank of Swordmaster, didn’t it?”

The rumor was a bit old. Naturally, it might not have been accurate.

Still, with the similarities, suspicion was inevitable.

“True. Though, it’s possible his abilities back then weren’t shown in full.”

“That could be so. Still, Mineta’s damage from this incident was less than expected.”

“A pity.”

“Should we consider another approach? Or perhaps stir our allies a bit more?”

“No. If we move further now, they might trace the tail back to us.”

Rasfer made a cool-headed judgment.

Spessen nodded, agreeing with that reasoning.

“That may be true.”

“We’ll bring Princess Deborah over as soon as possible and hold the ceremony. The Royal Knight Order’s forces took some losses—there’ll be an advantage.”

“We must guide things so that the Mineta Kingdom suffers as much loss as possible in the war with Boluzan.”

“If we’re going to swallow this place whole, we’ll need to set the stage properly.”

Rasfer clenched his fist and gazed out the window.

The view of the royal capital sprawling beyond looked as if it could be seized right then and there.

Being the second prince, born of a commoner mother—his entire past of discrimination and contempt had shaped him into who he was.

“We’ll have to move the schedule up.”

“I’ll make preparations so the envoy can depart as soon as everything is ready.”

“Do that.”

Rasfer immediately left his chambers.

Step. Step.

After leaving the Great Hall, Charoen arrived at the eastern annex and opened the reception room door.

Raion, Patrick, and Turklan were waiting inside, looking relaxed but alert.

“You must have had a hard time earlier.”

“We all help each other. But you don’t look too pleased—what brings you here?”

He must’ve been busy enough just managing the aftermath of the crisis.

For him to come in person at such a time—Raion found it rather unexpected.

“No, rather, I’m the one who should apologize for arriving late and being of no help.”

“Well, if that’s how you see it.”

There was a probing air between them.

A brief silence followed.

Raion’s expression turned indifferent.

“Anything else you wanted to say?”

“No.”

“That’s it?”

He seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Then Charoen slowly spoke.

“……No. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that curt reply, Charoen gave a polite bow and left the reception room.

Once his presence faded completely, Turklan, who had been quietly watching his back, finally asked,

“Do you think he suspects something?”

“I doubt it. He was probably just trying to confirm the situation now that your weakness is gone.”

“I still don’t understand what’s going on…….”

Many things had happened within the Mineta Kingdom lately.

The problem was that Raion had been the one orchestrating most of them.

“Are you worried?”

“No, sir. More than that—how’s my wife?”

“She’s with Sir Jade.”

“How is her condition?”

“Fortunately, it’s not bad.”

“Was she treated at the temple?”

“I said it wasn’t bad, not that she’s fine.”

“Ah…….”

She was in her fifties now—years of enduring a chronic illness had taken their toll.

In a way, it was only thanks to the Temple’s blessings that she had survived this long.

That was why Turklan had obeyed the Black Crescent Moon’s orders and done unspeakable things.

“She’s not in a serious state anymore. A few more treatments, and she should recover completely.”

“R-really?”

He had just returned from visiting the trading company where Jade and the others were hiding.

Charoen’s sudden visit afterward had kept him from sharing the news sooner.

‘If this were my past world, it would’ve been like leukemia. I didn’t think Restoration could even cure incurable diseases.’

He had only ever used Restoration—one of the Arcane Sorcerer’s abilities—to heal wounds before.

But diseases couldn’t be cured in a single attempt.

Depending on the severity, it would take multiple treatments for a complete recovery.

“For now. We’ll need to try more to be sure. But she’s definitely better than before.”

“Truly?”

Turklan shot up from his seat at those words.

“Just wait a little longer. Now then, Patrick.”

“Yes, Master.”

“What’s the situation in the palace?”

“They’re focusing on restoring the outer walls and reorganizing the troops. But I also noticed some suspicious movements. It seems the nobles under Mineta’s banner are stirring.”

“Prince Rasfer’s doing, no doubt.”

“I think he’s using this opportunity to win the nobles over.”

The thirteen missing nobles were all key figures of the Mineta Royal Capital.

Their disappearance had thrown the kingdom’s administration into turmoil.

And with the dragon’s attack on the capital, the nobles’ faith was shaken.

“They’re swaying like reeds.”

“It’s no exaggeration to say nobles are lining up to have secret talks with Prince Rasfer.”

“This feels familiar.”

A monarchy built by might and loyalty—now riddled with politics and schemes sprouting through the cracks.

It was exactly what Duke Alito Kright had done back in the Canel Kingdom.

The resemblance was so blatant that Raion could only sigh in exasperation.

“At this rate, most of Mineta’s nobles might side with Prince Rasfer before a declaration of war even happens.”

“They will. That’s how the board was set from the start.”

“How did Prince Rasfer—or rather, the Moratz Kingdom—join hands with the heretics?”

“That, I don’t know. But it’s certain the heretics moved under his command.”

The heretical defectors from the Temple had even established Grapheos on the Empire’s frontier.

Who would’ve thought their sorcery could summon even a dragon?

Raion had been genuinely astonished when he witnessed it.

“So it’s confirmed that the Dior Empire is involved.”

“Demons and heretics both, huh. Truly a mess.”

‘Then are they the ones behind the people who killed me and mine?’

His memories of the past and future overlapped.

The Canel Kingdom had fallen, and with it, the Kanas Territory. Everyone had died.

The cowardly Raion from that time had perished with them.

And after enduring years of hell on Earth, he had returned.

“It’s about time we made our move too.”

“Shall I relay the order to prepare immediately?”

“Let’s shake things up.”

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