◈ 154. [Side Story] Finding (2)
“Me… Are you going to kill me?”
At Marherita’s words, I readily nodded.
“Maybe.”
“… .”
“Because all of your priests will be fooling you. Perhaps they could hang themselves for the crime of daring to scorn the imperial family.”
“… !”
Marherita’s complexion turned white. I could see Damian, who was listening from the other side, startled.
“but!”
I grinned.
“I won’t.”
“I really… Are you?”
“then! I hope you and your comrades will continue to care for the wounded here on the front lines. Just like you always do, with all your heart.”
He put the cane he was wielding menacingly into his bosom.
“I just want a little cooperation.”
I made eye contact with Marherita and whispered softly.
“For this city, for your temple and ultimately for all of humanity. Please cooperate with me a little.”
“… .”
“Will you? huh?”
Spies are useful.
And a spy who was on the side of the enemy and then turned to my side is very, very useful.
I had no intention of killing God Hand or Marherita.
I was going to somehow get them on my side and use the so-called ‘wind up’ in this term.
“… majesty.”
Marherita, who was facing me with trembling eyes, struggled to open her mouth.
“I am… What can I do… … ?”
***
Temple.
Me and Lucas Marherita cross the corridor here.
Evangeline and Damien Jr. were ordered to watch over the shadow unit.
They will quietly huddle in the living room of my mansion.
that buck that buck
I thought as I walked through the hallways of the temple.
It was about what Marherita confessed while coming here.
‘To use a priest as an informant. It’s an incredibly efficient method.’
Since the Goddess Church is the state religion of the Empire, at least one Temple of the Goddess Church is mandatory in every city throughout the Empire.
This temple serves as a public health institution.
The priests on duty walk the city respected by everyone.
without any doubt.
See and hear everything in the city.
These priests are the eyes and ears of the imperial family.
‘All the priests directly appointed by the Great Temple of the Empire are doing this.’
I stuck out my tongue.
‘As it is a state religion, there must be a close connection between the religious leaders and the imperial family… … How long have you been doing this?’
As I walked while thinking, I quickly arrived at the central hall.
Marherita stood in front of the statue of the goddess, her face pale and dying.
Lucas keeps an eye on Marherita to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.
me? I am humming a song excitedly.
I can’t stand it because I am so excited and excited about what will unfold in the future, and my shoulders are shaking. kid is fun
Kneeling in front of the statue, Marherita caught her breath and spat out in a dry voice.
“… I will report you.”
Then, the faint sound of the magic device operating rang out.
It was so small that you would miss it if you weren’t fully focused.
After a while, along with a crackling sound, a muddy voice leaked from the statue of the goddess.
“I am listening. Report.”
“… .”
Marherita, who had been silent, glanced at me. I smiled warmly and nodded.
Do as you say.
“… Treason was a lie.”
Marherita continued with her shoulders trembling.
“It was a trap by His Highness Prince Ash to hunt down spies like me.”
「What?」
“I will say it again. Treason was completely false. It was a misinformation due to my fatal mistake. sorry.”
“What nonsense is that… no wait. So, are you saying that your identity was revealed to Prince Ash?」
“Yes, it is.”
Marherita spat out as I ordered.
“’I’ have been caught. sorry.”
At this point I stepped forward.
“That’s the story, the friend hiding behind the statue of the Goddess!”
I pushed Marherita away and stood in front of the statue of the goddess, grinning.
“Hey~ I feel guilty about saying this in front of the Goddess, but to think of making priests do this. Your taste is also very nasty.”
“… .”
“Hey. I know you’re listening. Aren’t you ignoring the prince? huh? Don’t take it out, let’s peel some nogari with me~”
The silent voice leaked out again. A look of bewilderment was evident.
「Your Highness the Prince. I apologize, but His Highness does not have permission to use this communication channel… … .」
“Then call the person in charge.”
I growled ferociously.
“Take me out.”
“… .”
“Can’t you bring me out? Then, shall I guess who is in charge of you guys?”
I continued by pointing my fingers at each other.
“A person who has a deep relationship with the Goddess Church enough to use the priests as his chess piece, and a person with ties to the dark side enough to oversee spies within the empire. Besides, someone who can build such communication magic infrastructure and pay astronomical usage fees.”
“… .”
“Who is it?” A person
who cooperates closely with the state religion, the Goddess Church,
is the commander-in-chief of the Aegis task force,
collects information by spying on all continents, and is willing to pay the cost in the process.
I recited the name.
“The Chief Executive of our Empire and my second older brother! Fernandez ‘EmberKeeper’ Everblack! You are the only one~”
“… .」
“I command in the name of 3rd Prince Ash ‘Bonhater’ Everblack. Call my brother right now.”
Facing the elaborately carved face of the goddess, I issued an ultimatum.
“I won’t wait long.”
***
I must have waited about 10 minutes.
Communications were connected with a crackling sound.
“iced coffee. Can you hear me well?”
The voice that came out as if it were a microphone test boasted a clear beauty despite the crackling sound quality.
It was the first time I heard it, but I felt it.
The owner of this voice is the 2nd Prince Fernandez.
“The ‘centre’ is at the ‘south end’. Good communication. I’m waiting for an answer.」
Finally- I got to talk to this bastard myself.
I jumped out with a lively laugh.
“Hey~ bro! long time no see! It’s me, Ash!”
Of course, it’s the first time I’ve seen it. Let’s stick together though.
“How long have you been hearing this? nice to meet you! Is it good to hear my voice too?”
“… .」
After a short silence.
Fernandez said softly.
“Communication magic carries the threat of wiretapping. Replace it with a region code name, not an individual’s name.
」 Are you saying that someone in the world is eavesdropping on the communication from the Goddess Statue?”
I sighed.
“If there is a real threat of wiretapping, the code name should be given regardless of the region. I thought it was just put together to classify the region.”
“… .”
“Oh, okay, let’s just talk comfortably, Mr. Joongang!”
A long sigh was heard.
「It’s been a while, Ash.」
“It’s been a while for me too hyung. Just by hearing your voice, friendship is about to sprout.”
“You managed to find this line. It’s the first time I’ve been caught so clearly. As the head of the Dark Club, it’s very… … It’s embarrassing.」
It wasn’t a shy voice at all, but you can understand it roughly as ‘I’m going to tear off all the joints of my subordinates’.
“Haha, but I can talk like this with my brother and it’s so good, right? Let’s communicate often in the future! Are you eating well? Is that unlucky face still smooth?”
Of course, I’ve never seen her face.
Fernandez is a character that only appears in the game. I’m just talking ‘like Ash’ whenever I can.
Fernandez sighed again.
「Do you know how much communication magic consumes per second, Ash? It’s not for small talk like this.”
“Cost? well i don’t know What’s certain is that I didn’t pay for it. Is this why collect calls are good?”
“what? Collect… call? What is that?」
Yes, something like that. Called pay-to-call. Even on Earth, it’s rarely used these days.
“It’s okay, tell me your business, younger brother. This side is busy.”
“How are you? You planted a spy and got caught, but you don’t show any regrets?”
「Why should I be sorry?」
Fernandez was a bad boy.
“I did it for the sake of the well-being of the imperial family and the empire. There’s no reason to feel sorry for you, right?」
“You’re shameless, my older brother.”
“It’s only natural that your face gets darker when you’re in a place like this. Aren’t they the same as each other?J
I crossed my arms. It seems that there is no point in fighting each other’s tongues.
“What good. Don’t be shy and just tell me what’s going on.”
That’s the point.
“Send reinforcements. within a week. Otherwise, the southern front will come to an end and monsters will launch an invasion into the Empire mainland.”
“Did you even mention treason to get those reinforcements? My younger brother really is the commander
of the opening hall.”
I gritted my teeth and said ferociously.
“You must have been reporting the situation here through the communication of the Statue of Liberty all this time, right? It’s really terribly hard here. I think we’ll be happy if we just send a little bit of troops. Am I asking too hard?”
“… .」
Fernandez deliberately brought out a tone of regret.
“It is difficult to send reinforcements. The war with the Principality of Bringer is not over yet.”
“You burned the entire duchy and even captured the capital, right? Isn’t it over?”
I don’t have much means to know the outside news, but the fall of the Principality of Bringer is a big event in the game.
We know the approximate time frame. They should have captured the capital by now.
“How nice it would be if the war ended just because the capital was captured. Sporadic resistance continues in various parts of the principality. Our Imperial Army is also fighting with all-out power.”
Fernandez’s voice became harsh.
“The well-being of the empire is guaranteed only when the blood of the dragon dwelling in the Principality of Bringer is removed from the root. Obama judged that.”
“… .”
“It’s difficult to send reinforcements right now, Ash. Can you hold on
a little longer?”
“Even if the southern front collapses, there is a chance to rebuild the front, but the western front… The operation to destroy the Principality of Bringer can only be done now.”
Fernandez cut it off as if he hadn’t even considered dispatching reinforcements in the first place.
“The greater crisis facing the Empire lies in the west. I hope you understand.”
“Oh, is that so?”
I snorted. It comes out like that, right?
“Then there is nothing you can do. We have no choice but to come up with another method.”
“… Are you really going to declare treason?」
“Why are you doing this~ I’m sorry. Who am I? Ash! The filial son of filial piety! Would you dare to do something like treason by driving a nail through Obama’s chest?”
sigh.
A sore forms on the lips.
“It’s not just the well-known ‘centre’, it’s just recruiting troops from other places.”
“Somewhere else?”
Fernandez’s voice stopped, as if feeling ominous at those words.
“Somewhere else.”
“The Everblack Empire ate half the world. But the empire won’t let you borrow troops?”
I shrugged.
“Then we should borrow from the other half. Can you tell me?”
“… No way.”
“Yes. We will gather the remnants of all the fallen countries our empire has destroyed to the southern front here.”
Fernandez tried to say something, but I didn’t give him a chance and I continued.
“and! Oh my gosh, what a surprise! Is there a Principality of Bringer within a distance of three days from here on the southern front?”
“… !
”
I don’t want to cause treason. That’s too risky.
Instead, the royal family destroyed the operation to destroy the duchy of Bringer, the painstaking tower that the royal family had been cherishing for the past several years.
This was the buntangjil I prepared.
“Ash you… … !
”
It was more honest.
“What can’t you guys do?”
