CH 46.3

“Why, Your Majesty?! You mean to lie about Teacher’s– Sir Chaos’s achievements?!”

It wasn’t Roseline who said this, but Alexia, who is on the Weichsel side.

“Alexia, restrain yourself. Even if you are lauded as a saint, you are not permitted to interject on this matter,” the emperor scolds her. She lets out a distressed moan.

“Your Majesty, please tell me the reason. Commune cannot ignore that remark.”

“It’s the church, Your Highness.”

The church? As far as I can remember, the only thing in the game that word could refer to are the buildings used for class upgrades. But how is that related?

“Chaos, you may not know this as you are a traveler from foreign lands, but on this continent, we worship three of the five gods who created the world. And the organization that observes the gods’ teachings, preaches the doctrine, and guides people is called the Orthodox Church, commonly referred to as ‘the church’.”

I guess it’s a religious group of this world. There are similar organizations in the real world, and the church buildings do exist in this world, so it’s only natural that an organization like that would also exist.

“And in addition to preaching the doctrine and performing ceremonies, they also perform medical treatments to heal the sick and wounded. Most of the church’s priesthood are clerics, after all.”

Clerics can use spells that restore the target’s HP. In other words, spells that heal wounds. This world has medicines such as potions which are instantly effective, but wounds can be healed by spells which only consume mana which doesn’t require ingredients and recovers just from rest, so that’s probably related to why their medical treatments use magic.

“The church operates in every country. Although, there are also relations between congregations, which can act almost as independent organizations in each country. But on the surface, it is a single organization, and they maintain non-interference regarding conflicts between nations in accordance with the doctrine. However, the church does not forbid war entirely. Rather, they actively involve themselves in battles with monsters, as they did on this occasion.”

“In other words, the reason for concealing it has to do with the church?”

The emperor nods.

“The goal of this war was to free Commune, which was taken over by monsters. For this reason, the knights of the church are also participating. However, the reality was different.”

If Commune was taken over by vampires as the emperor said, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

“In reality, we were deceived by the vampires and ended up fighting each other. This would go against the church’s doctrine to not involve themselves in conflicts between nations and damage the authority of the church. The decline in the church’s authority would cause relations between the church, the Weichsel Empire, and the Allied Commune to become tense. Taking this to its extreme, there is even a possibility of conflict between church and state. This would have a great impact on vampire countermeasures in the future.”

Oh, I see. So if the church is in conflict with Commune and Weichsel, there’s a possibility they’ll lose their support from the church. Although that really is extreme, it’s plenty possible that this friction could be taken advantage of. That could certainly have a large impact.

“However, we cannot change the fact that we fought. And even if we attempt to cover it up, since it was witnessed by all of Clermont’s citizens, there is no way to hide it, isn’t there?” Roseline counters.

“Yes, we cannot conceal the fact that Weichsel and Commune went to war. Therefore, we will emphasize the truth of this matter, that this was the result of both our armies being deceived by vampires. Then, the loss of authority will be kept to a minimum.”

I see. It doesn’t change the outcome, but he’s trying to maintain the church’s legitimacy by directing their focus towards the vampires, huh? It’s true that the vampires were actively trying to make humans go to war with each other, so it’s not like they wouldn’t deserve it.

Huh? But if anything, that would be publicizing the truth, not concealing it, wouldn’t it?

“Yes, we cannot allow the church’s authority to fall any further. As a matter of fact, before this war began, our city of Brandenburg was invaded by monsters. This is what started the war. These monsters came from the Allied Commune, which was most likely a vampire ruse. The monsters were so great in number that Brandenburg was expected to fall. The one who contributed greatly to prevent this was Marie Alexia von Zavarish. As Your Highness may be aware, she is a Weichsel noble.”

Brandenburg. I remember the moment when those rhinos monsters were charging in. The moment when a collision with a rhinos caused Alexia to collapse. I grimace at the memory.

“Since then, Alexia has been called the saint of Weichsel. And not only by the common people. The church has also officially recognized her as a saint. As the girl who was bestowed with the gods’ favor.”

Propaganda, huh. I can’t deny my feelings of disgust. If that’s the reason why she got dragged into this war, then that’s just horrible.

“A saint recognized by the church who was bestowed with the power of the gods suffered a defeat by a mage who lacks the power of the gods. If this happened, what would the people think?”

That’s– ah, I see.

“I heard that Alexia lost to you. If this becomes known, then it will be called into question whether Alexia truly is a saint. Then, the church who acknowledged her would lose its authority.”

The church acknowledged Alexia as a saint. Even if what happened at Brandenburg is widely known, it would be difficult to prove whether she really is a saint, huh? In that case, it would be better to hide the fact that she lost.

But why would the church acknowledge Alexia as a saint with no basis for it? And what did he mean, bestowed with the power of the gods?

‘…Wait, could that mean…?’ I think as I remember about class upgrades.

Another World has a system where, once you reach a certain level, you can upgrade to a Rank 2 class. To upgrade your class, you offer some specific items on the church’s altar, which causes a mysterious visual effect where light shines down on you.

Alexia did that. Come to think of it, when Alexia upgraded her class, a priest-looking guy was surprised. I thought that was just part of the scene, but looking back on it, I’m sure he really was surprised. Basically, class upgrades are an impossible phenomenon in this world.

But then how was Alexia able to upgrade her class?

No, I’ll think about it later. If that’s the case, then I might be the reason why Alexia was acknowledged as a saint. After all, Alexia didn’t know about class upgrades, and if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have needed to do it.

I never could have imagined that my past actions would have this sort of effect.

“Therefore, I believe we should conceal this matter.”

A heavy silence hangs in the air.

Alexia’s face is clearly one of dissatisfaction. Considering her early comment, she must not be happy about bending the truth. Roseline deliberates on this, unable to take a stance either for or against.

“I think it’s fine to cover it up,” I say, and everyone turns towards me.

“Oh? Let us hear your thoughts.”

“No, it’s nothing much. It’s just that the vampire threat still remains, and the relations between the two countries have become strained due to the war. I don’t want to sow more seeds of discord in a situation like this, that’s all.”

I said it so that it would sound believable, but basically, I just want everything to end peacefully. Besides, from my point of view, winning against Alexia, a girl who’s younger than me, isn’t something to be proud of. If anything, I should be ashamed of it. I don’t want everyone to know about this.

“Chaos, are you really alright with this?” Roseline asks me.

“Yes.”

“I see. Then, disclosing this fact is forbidden. Will that do, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. I am grateful to both of you for your wise decision-making. Of course, I will swear on the name of Wilhelm Viktor von Weichsel that I will only cover up this particular matter and will not dishonor Chaos.”

The emperor and Roseline smile at each other.

“Now, I believe we have finished discussing the matters most urgent to our countries. If possible, I would have liked to take more time to speak with you for the sake of friendship between our countries, but unfortunately, I have governmental duties waiting for me in my home country. I am sorry, but I will have to excuse myself.”

“Your Majesty, thank you for coming here to speak with me today. Let us work together to maintain a relationship of cooperation to ensure an unshakeable bond between our countries.”

“Of course, Princess Roseline. Let us meet again,” the emperor says before he turns and walks away.

It seems that the meeting ended without incident. Now that I’ve made it through this, I feel refreshed, like the pressure has finally been lifted.

As we see the emperor off, I meet Alexia’s gaze.

“Lady Alexia…” The words slip out as I watch Alexia staring back at me as if unable to tear her eyes away.

Noticing Alexia lagging behind, the emperor stops and turns to look at her.

“Alexia, do you wish to stay in Clermont for a while?”

“…Can I?!” Alexia says, her head snapping to face the emperor. As if amused by her reaction, the emperor gives her a wry smile.

“From now on, we must cooperate with Commune to fight the vampires. Therefore, we will need a messenger in close contact with both countries to coordinate our intentions. Alexia, you have become acquainted with Her Royal Highness and earned her trust. Things will go much more smoothly if I choose you rather than a new, unfamiliar messenger. Until a successor is chosen, at least. What do you say, Your Highness?”

“Of course. I welcome you, Lady Alexia.”

“Well then, Alexia, I appoint you as messenger. Stay in Clermont, listen to Her Highness, and report the situation to me in detail.”

“I humbly accept this position,” Alexia says, bowing in reverence.