The Saint’s Manual for Redemption - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100
But having climbed through countless political battles to reach the position of Archbishop, Marius proved himself a deft hand with words.
“Was this not Your Highness’s first time leading an entourage outside the Holy Sanctuary? I was so troubled by the thought of sending you to Lebon County with only Sir Hawelin, your escort knight, that I wanted above all to assemble an entourage that would place no undue burden upon you.”
I regarded the Archbishop without speaking.
“The existing deacons and priests each have their assigned duties, and various interests are tangled between the Cardinals and High Priests by department. There is always a risk that someone might attempt unnecessary political overtures toward Your Highness, or whisper influence on behalf of their masters.”
The Archbishop continued without the slightest hesitation.
“That is why I deliberately composed the party mostly of junior deacons and attending priests who have only recently entered the Holy Sanctuary. I judged them to be individuals not yet deeply entangled in any particular faction.”
Remarkable sales pitch. His tongue was as smooth as any veteran peddler’s, and in that moment I glimpsed fragments of history explaining how he’d ever risen so far.
“Your great-niece Kalianna, the High Priest—was she selected for the same reason?”
“High Priest Kalianna shares with Your Highness the common experience of the Saint Candidate Selection, and being of the same age, I thought she might lighten the tedium of a long journey for you.”
So Kalianna was his great-niece. I hadn’t known.
“Hmm, in any case, the Croen Duchy presented no particular problems.”
“Indeed, Your Highness.”
“Yet according to the records of the Third Saint, she instructed that a Temple branch be maintained there to continuously document the sealed state of the great demon Raum. So why was that Temple branch closed?”
“The chain of dispatch to that place seems to have been broken quite some time ago. I shall look into it.”
“Yes, do look into it thoroughly.”
I spoke with deliberate severity.
“As the Temple, we must absolutely verify why the instructions left directly by the Third Saint herself have been severed.”
The Archbishop’s mouth stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He was clearly feigning ignorance. I pressed no further, shifting the subject instead.
“And what of the Norwald family?”
“They are now confined in the Underground Dungeon of the Holy Sanctuary. A Heresy Interrogation has already been conducted regarding the Norwald lady and her servants, and she has confessed to her father’s crimes.”
“Before referring the matter to Religious Trial, conduct a thorough search of the Norwald family estate. Uncover not only traces of contact with the Ecclesia Church, but the route through which they infiltrated.”
The Archbishop’s eyes narrowed.
“Are you contemplating all-out war?”
“It seems we shall have to wage it soon enough. The movements are far too ominous. An attempt to create demon beasts resistant to Demonic Energy by binding them with humans—such a thing…”
The Archbishop gazed at me for a moment, as though he had just heard something utterly abhorrent, then slowly inclined his head.
“I shall act as Your Highness commands.”
With a formal bow that spoke of surrender, the Archbishop turned to leave my chamber. His retreating figure looked remarkably diminished.
How contemptible.
Now all I need do is watch, with detachment, the blade the Archbishop wields in his desperate bid to prove his innocence.
Let me simply observe this old man’s resourcefulness as he sweeps aside every rival on his path to the position of Archbishop.
***
That afternoon.
Word spread even to the Temple that a denunciation letter from the Croen Duke had arrived at the Imperial Palace, accompanied by a severed ring finger bearing scars from the wound.
It was a very ducal way of proceeding.
The letter was terse and lethal: an operative belonging to the Imperial Secret Order had infiltrated the Croen Duchy as a spy and confessed to it.
Moreover, the attached finger was all but a badge of the Imperial Secret Order—the Emperor could hardly fail to recognize it.
Yet the Second Prince suffered no punishment whatsoever. He remained entirely unscathed.
Had the Duke of Croen returned safely?
Not long after I proposed a betrothal, Your Highness conveniently journeyed to the Northern Region, where the imperial family resides.
The world is full of coincidences, they say, yet human tongues interpret even coincidence according to their own whims.
Your uncle’s exploits with women are well-known throughout the imperial court, and I confess to fearing that an innocent young person such as yourself might fall prey to a few honeyed words.
Of course, the Duke of Croen is extremely clever. If it suits his purposes, he can employ contracts, favors, and words of false sincerity with equal facility.
I merely hope you have not confused emotion with self-interest.
I believe it is now time for me to hear your answer to my proposal.
Will you accept the betrothal, or refuse it?
Silence may itself be an answer, but if silence persists too long, I shall have no choice but to interpret it as Your Highness’s true intention.
When I first beheld your eyes, there came to mind one particular gemstone. I thought Amazonite might suit you better than a diamond shining with such cold brilliance.
That clear blue-green hue resembles your eyes so perfectly. Would it not make an excellent stone for an engagement ring?
I await your wise answer.
He had even shown the audacity to send me a letter. Of course, that letter was torn to shreds in my hands and cast into the waste bin.
As if anyone wouldn’t know Amazonite is cheap. The petty criminal instinct not to invest even in the engagement ring’s stone was perfectly evident.
Within days, the Duke’s denunciation letter reached the Holy Sanctuary as well.
Since the spy had infiltrated the Croen Duchy disguised as a deacon of the Holy Sanctuary, the Temple too must share responsibility if it was negligent in this matter.
The Archbishop flew into a rage.
He immediately ordered an investigation into how the spy had come to be listed in the Temple’s roster, and the culprit was found with surprising speed.
A priest who had accepted bribes from the Second Prince’s faction and, ignoring procedure, had added Prakti under a false name to the Temple roster. That priest was promptly dragged to the Underground Dungeon. It was the Temple severing its own tail.
The Imperial Palace swiftly demanded the spy’s extradition. But the Croen Duke was no pushover.
He did not comply with the extradition request immediately. Instead, he unleashed one final, truly decisive blow.
Among the tasks that spy had been given was apparently the assassination of the Saint herself.
The moment that single line became public, the entire game board flipped.
Planting a spy in the Duchy and issuing an order to assassinate the Saint were two entirely different matters. The former could be excused as an extension of internal Imperial power struggles, but the latter was an attack on the head of the Religious Order.
Once the accusation of attempting to assassinate God’s representative took hold, the Imperial Palace would no longer be merely guilty of a political misstep—it would have crossed the threshold into blasphemy.
From the Imperial perspective, they had to obtain that spy at any cost.
Only then could they claim that the Imperial Secret Order had never targeted the Saint, that this was merely independent surveillance to monitor the movements of Croen Duchy, or at worst, the personal transgression of the Second Prince.
Naturally, the Holy Sanctuary also demanded the spy be handed over.
The Imperial Palace wanted desperately to seize the spy and prove they had never aimed at the Religious Order, while the Religious Order wanted to use this incident as a pretext to further diminish the Imperial authority and secure the upper hand in their power struggle once and for all.
Those who had clasped hands and smiled at one another in peacetime now bared their teeth over the same prey.
After fierce political maneuvering over the spy’s surrender, the final handover ultimately took place at the Temple.
I had faith in the Duke. Even if we were only in a provisional contract betrothal, at least—
This much was a solid alliance.
In the end, the Second Prince was confined to the Separate Palace under the charge of having sent a spy to the Duchy.
House arrest was a fairly light punishment for plotting to sow discord within the Imperial House. Yet for the time being, the Second Prince could not move. That alone was sufficient.
Above all, what mattered was that even within the Imperial Palace itself, the perception had taken hold that the Second Prince had overstepped. His actions were unmistakably an attempt to trigger a succession crisis by dragging the Religious Order into the fray.
I gazed down at the report and let out a soft laugh.
“Arden.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I intend to meet that Priest directly. Have preparations made. And while I’m at the Underground Dungeon anyway, I should see Lady Edeline as well.”
Arden did not answer at once. He fell silent in thought for a moment before speaking quietly.
“……Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
“There is something you must verify first.”
His expression had grown far more rigid than usual.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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