Chapter 302: Exorcism of Peta Sieri (4)

Night had deepened at the Archdeity Church Central Branch. Amid the flurry of footsteps carrying documents, a man walked with a bewildered expression. Combing back his greying hair and rubbing his hooked nose, he asked the attendant beside him once more.

“Who did you say came?”

“It is Marquis Rosalyn Barba.”

“The kingdom's Minister of Finance?”

“Yes.”

“Why would he ask to see me?”

Marquis Rosalyn Barba rarely formed personal relationships with others, and his fastidious personality made him a feared figure. Nelson, the General Overseeing Priest of the Archdeity Church, could not fathom why such a terrifying giant of a man was looking for him. The attendant also shook his head, having no idea, and spoke.

“I do not know either.”

“Good grief, time is so pressing, yet I don't know why everyone keeps seeking me out.”

Nelson's face was fraught with stress. It was because Peta Lucius, the troublemaking High Priest, had even submitted a resignation letter just to save a small demon. In the Diocesan Council at the Archdeity Church Headquarters, they had viewed this act by Peta Lucius as a frontal challenge to the doctrine of the Archdeity Church and had agreed to take a hardline stance.

The Archdeity Church had currently dispatched five Holy Knights to take Sieri into custody, along with a new Southern High Priest to replace Lucius. The attendant began to soothe and coax Nelson, who was gnawing at his fingernails.

“It might turn out to be nothing serious.”

Nelson was hoping for the same. Beyond the firmly shut reception room door, Nelson caught his breath once more. Amid the bustling movement of people, only the attendant and Nelson stood frozen like stone statues. It took quite a long time before he finally knocked on the door. The attendant subtly read the room and crept backward, and at the sound of Nelson's knock, a gloomy voice drifted from within.

“Come in.”

Nelson cautiously opened the door. Marquis Rosalyn Barba was there. An eccentric old man with a disposition typical of a northerner. Despite being seated in a chair, he boasted a physique that overwhelmed Nelson's hunched frame, and he was a figure with a pale, fierce impression as if carved from stone.

He had a pipe in his mouth, continuously puffing out smoke. Nelson carefully sat across from Marquis Barba and spoke.

“Greetings, Lord Marquis. I am Nelson, the General Overseeing Priest of the Archdeity Church.”

“Right. Nelson, was it?”

“Yes.”

Marquis Rosalyn Barba seemed more interested in the pipe in his mouth than in Nelson. Casting his gaze toward the mouth of the pipe belching smoke, he blew out another puff. He added another plume over the thick haze. Then, raising only his brows, he looked at Nelson. Nelson felt the uncomfortable sensation of a living stone statue staring at him.

“Priest Nelson. I heard there was a small issue during the recent Church of Love Subjugation Incident.”

“Ah, by an issue, what might you be referring to...?”

“The 'demon' matter. A nun named Peta Sieri was revealed to be a demon, was she not? It has caused quite a commotion lately, which is why I came.”

“That is an internal matter of the Archdeity Church, so there is nothing I can tell you.”

“An internal matter? An internal matter, you say?”

Marquis Rosalyn Barba asked, blowing out tobacco smoke once again. Nelson hurriedly nodded his head and spoke.

“Yes, yes. It is an internal matter. From before, the Archdeity Church and the kingdom have respected and refrained from interfering with each other's policy directions...”

“Is catching a single young demon such a grand policy issue? Aren't you the ones blowing up an issue that could easily be overlooked?”

“A y-young demon? All demons are exceptionally cruel and terrifying beings...”

“Whether the demon is terrifying or not, I heard that demon is currently under the supervision of Lord Peta Lucius, the former Southern High Priest of the Archdeity Church.”

“Demons must be purified.”

Marquis Rosalyn Barba chuckled at Priest Nelson's remark. Seeing the faint smile spread across his stiff face, Nelson felt all the more uneasy.

“Purifying a demon isn't the problem. Frankly, I don't care whether that child is truly a dangerous demon or not. This is, you see, a matter tied to the prestige of my family. Understand? If that woman named Peta Sieri is judged to be a dangerous demon and 'purified', Peta Lucius becomes an ignorant fool who was bewitched by a demon and turned his back on the Archdeity Church.”

“That is... not a matter for us to judge...”

“You'll create an incident, but you won't judge it? Judging by the way you speak, you should have become a politician rather than a cleric. Regardless, hear me out to the end. That Peta Lucius's Knight Commander is currently my granddaughter's husband. Do you understand what that means?”

“Ah, th-that...”

Nelson's face drained of color for a moment before returning to normal. The marquis continued speaking.

“My granddaughter being a daughter-in-law to the family of an idiot bewitched by a demon? Ridiculous. Such a thing must never happen. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

“...This is a threat.”

Marquis Rosalyn Barba tapped his own head and spoke.

“I hope you deliver this clearly to your Pope; this is no threat. It is merely letting you know what will unfold. I shall ask again. Do you truly believe that Peta Lucius—who wields the kingdom's Holy Sword, subjugated the Demon King, and rendered immense service in the Church of Love Subjugation Operation—is bewitched by a demon?”

“He merely failed to see through the demon's true identity.”

“Which means you saw through an identity from a distance based solely on rumors, when neither the Holy Sword nor Hero AA, who traveled with Priest Peta Lucius, could see through it. Listen well. Countless soldiers and knights of our kingdom died on the Eastern Front. Those precious priests of yours were merely changing bandages in the rear. What is your intention in belittling someone who fought risking his life on the forefront? Does doing such a thing increase your own merits? You just wanted to build up a shred of prestige by executing a demon that a heroized High Priest failed to catch. Isn't that right?”

“...Our knights would have fought as well had they known a demon would appear.”

“Indeed. You delayed deployment on the grounds that the followers of the Church of Love were not demons. Delay it this time as well.”

Marquis Barba made a gesture. It meant to get out immediately. Nelson trembled, his face flushing red. Yet he could say nothing more to Marquis Barba. Nelson opened the door, stepped out, and caught his breath. Even out in the hallway, the lingering scent of tobacco still hung at the tip of his nose. He had no idea how on earth he was supposed to relay Marquis Barba's verbal message to the Pope. The attendant trotted over, bowed his head, and asked.

“Aigo, Sir Priest. How did it go?”

“First, I must go to His Holiness the Pope and...”

“General Overseeing Priest! General Overseeing Priest!”

“What is the matter?”

Far off in the direction of the Archdeity Church Headquarters' main gate, a priest was sprinting breathlessly. His face was pale, as if he had just met Marquis Barba in the hallway. From the direction he was running, pale-faced attendants were scattering in panic in different directions. Nelson grabbed the priest and asked.

“What is it? What happened?”

The attendant caught his breath deeply and opened his mouth to speak.

“G-Grand Duchess Emilia has arrived!”

“What?”

** **

A new reception room was prepared for the Grand Duke of the North. The reception room used by Marquis Barba had a thick scent of tobacco lingering, making it unfit to receive the Grand Duke of the North. Grand Duke of the North Emilia. She was the Iron Lady who had led the declining Northern Region, crumbled by the demi-humans, back into an era of revival. With large, gentle red eyes unbefitting her moniker of Iron Lady, she looked around the room before sitting on the sofa. Seeing Emilia's gentle face, Priest Nelson felt his heart settle slightly. It was a completely different atmosphere from Marquis Barba, who had drained a man dry from the very first meeting.

“What brings you here?”

Emilia asked while stroking her fur coat.

“I hear you are carrying out something quite amusing this time.”

“...Whatever do you mean by that...?”

Nelson felt anxiety. That same feeling he had experienced when facing Marquis Barba—

“Rumors are widespread that you are trying to frame Southern High Priest Peta Lucius's wife as a demon and kill her.”

“We are not framing her; she is a demon. Mages have witnessed it, and Peta Sieri herself admitted that she is a demon.”

“Is that important?”

“It is important.”

Priest Nelson spoke firmly. Against Emilia, he could afford to be a bit firmer. With a calm, impassive face, Emilia opened her mouth.

“Certainly, verifying the facts is important. However, Peta Lucius gave up his position as High Priest to defend her, repeatedly vouching that she is a good person and not a demon, yet you still attempted to take her away. What is the truth behind this matter?”

“Former Southern High Priest Peta Lucius was deceived by a demon. Demons are exceedingly cunning, and...”

“Is that important?”

“...It is important. Grand Duchess Emilia. Why are you bringing this up...?”

“A memory from the past suddenly came to mind. My father-in-law, the former Grand Duke of the North, donated vast sums to the Archdeity Church every year. Saying it was the easiest way to give back to society, he encouraged me to donate as well. Then, after his passing, when the invasion of the demi-humans accelerated, instead of sending the Holy Knight Order, the Archdeity Church sent a single letter: [Considering the North's dire circumstances, we will refrain from receiving donations.]”

“I understand that we organized orders of priests for service and dispatched them several times.”

“Yet you never deployed troops. Saying you could not use your strength to harm demi-humans.”

“Is that important? That was according to the doctrine of the Archdeity Church...”

“It is important.”

Nelson shut his mouth. Looking straight at Nelson, Emilia continued speaking.

“When you turned a blind eye to the invasion of the demi-humans, it was Peta Lucius who resolved the crisis. Even now, Peta Lucius is hailed as a hero in the North that I rule. General Overseeing Priest Nelson. Is it truly so important that a single slip of a girl is a demon? Does that demon possess the power to destroy the world? Do you not care at all about the aftermath sparked by those few words?”

Priest Nelson shouted.

“If we set a precedent! Demons will definitely pierce through that opening and come! Therefore, we must never show an opening! Regarding Peta Lucius making the wrong choice...”

“Priest Nelson. That isn't important.”

Priest Nelson froze. Rising from her seat, Emilia spoke.

“If you wish to frame a man as a demon worshiper and turn all the domain folk of the North into fools who adore a demon worshiper, then we have no choice but to respond accordingly. The moment the execution of Peta Sieri is carried out, the North will sever all support for the Archdeity Church. Furthermore, we will officially issue an Official Statement to the kingdom to protest this act of the Archdeity Church.”

“Aah......”

Nelson's face turned completely pale. Emilia spoke.

“Relay it to the Pope. Because it is a very important matter.”