The Saint’s Manual for Redemption - Chapter 104

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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 104
“Yes, I shall grant permission gladly.”
The moment my answer fell, the faintest flicker of victory crossed the Emperor’s face.
He regained his composure swiftly—befitting one who had reigned at the summit for so long—but I did not miss it. He had evidently concluded that even the Saint must yield before the Temple’s interests. After all, he believed he had offered a worthwhile price: the Swallen Plain.
I seized that precise moment to speak again.
“But it seems the Archbishop has not yet informed Your Majesty of something.”
“What do you mean?”
“What price do you intend to offer for the sin of violating Divine Authority?”
A brief silence fell.
The Emperor stared at me with confusion, as though uncertain of my meaning, before finally responding in a low voice.
“What?”
I maintained my smile and continued slowly.
“The Saint’s Chamber is where the divine representative dwells. It is a sacred sanctuary—virtually a divine realm. Your Majesty surely understands this well. Planting an Eavesdropping Magical Device there is not mere insult to the Saint as an individual. It constitutes a violation of the Religious Order’s independence, an attempt to place the Temple’s inner workings beneath Imperial surveillance, and an act in which secular power has trampled upon Divine Authority itself.”
I folded my hands slowly beside my teacup.
“One might reasonably call it treason against the state.”
The Emperor’s eyes blazed with sudden ferocity as composure drained from his features.
“You speak recklessly.”
“I wish I were speaking carelessly.”
I withdrew documents I had prepared beforehand from my robes.
These were copies of an evidence report detailing the names of those who had procured the Lily Planter, the route of entry, the statements of those who had transported it to my chamber, the form and function of the Eavesdropping Magical Device, and a portion of the confession of the one who had installed it.
The most critical evidence itself remained carefully secured in a hidden space within my chamber.
I could have entrusted it to Lord Arden, but since I had not yet fully disclosed it to either the Archbishop or the Imperial House, it was wiser to keep it within my reach.
I slid the documents toward the Emperor.
“Would Your Majesty care to examine them directly?”
The Emperor stared at them for a long moment before finally picking them up.
His fingers remained steady as he turned the first page.
His pace slowed at the second page, and by the time he reached the section detailing the installer’s confession and the circumstances of Imperial involvement, his fingers began to tremble ever so slightly.
I watched with deliberate calm.
If he wished to deny these documents, he was welcome to try. In that case, I would have no choice but to produce the genuine evidence before an assembly of all the faithful, priests, and cardinals.
The moment it became public that the Imperial House had planted an Eavesdropping Magical Device in the Saint’s chamber, this ceased to be a matter that could be quietly negotiated between the Emperor and myself.
“When did Imperial Authority gain the right to so thoroughly debase Divine Authority? Do you not fear heaven’s punishment?”
……
“The Religious Order has labored day and night to protect this Empire from Demon Beasts and Demonic Energy. Holy Knights stand at the Rifts with their lives at stake; Priests purify lands ravaged by plague and corruption; the Temple provides relief to the starving.”
Of course, one could argue at length whether the modern Temple truly embodied such nobility.
Yet it remained an undeniable fact that the Religious Order performed an indispensable function for the Empire’s survival. Even with the Imperial House commanding nobility and armies, Demonic Energy corruption and Demon Beasts could not be fully contained without the Temple’s aid.
I met the Emperor’s gaze directly. “Is this the Imperial House’s answer to such sacrifice?”
The Emperor’s lips pressed shut.
I rested my chin on my hand, my finger tapping lightly against my cheek.
“I am curious whether this was the Second Prince’s personal rebellion, or the will of the entire Imperial House.”
The air in the room grew cold. While the Emperor chose his words, I studied his face with unhurried ease.
In my past life, I had met emperors as casually as one ate meals. I would not be intimidated by Imperial authority now. To my eyes, he was merely a man with hemorrhoids.
The Emperor set the documents down upon the table.
“My shameful son has committed an utterly inexcusable act.”
After a brief pause, he spoke heavily.
“I shall apologize once more to my Saint.”
It was a clean admission. The Emperor did not deny the Second Prince’s crimes, did not attribute them to the overreach of subordinates, did not insist the evidence had been fabricated. He had swiftly calculated that none of these tactics would benefit him.
Should the Religious Order cite Imperial persecution as grounds to halt purification efforts throughout the Empire, the Imperial House stood to lose far more.
Demon Beasts and Demonic Energy corruption could not be resolved by Imperial Authority alone. Without the Religious Order’s cooperation, Rifts would inevitably spread across the Empire’s borders.
Above all, the Emperor could not determine whether this stratagem was entirely my own, or whether the Archbishop and I had conspired together.
And sometimes, preconception proved remarkably useful.
A young woman, freshly come of age.
Raised in an Orphanage with no political foundation, recently arrived at the Temple—the Saint.
Would the Emperor believe all this calculation sprang purely from my own mind, or would he judge me a puppet dancing to the Archbishop’s design?
The latter was far more likely.
I deliberately showed neither resentment toward the Archbishop who had deceived me and made a back-room deal with the Imperial House, nor any sign of ignorance. It was far more advantageous to let the Emperor deceive himself.
The Archbishop had no intention of forgiving the Second Prince even while extracting the Swallen Plain. I would allow the Emperor to believe that the Archbishop now sought to layer on charges of Divine Authority violation and squeeze the Imperial House even tighter. That way, the next move would follow naturally.
I smiled gently.
“I am also prepared to issue an Absolution and grant a pardon for this matter as well, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s gaze fixed on me, sharp as a blade.
“If you provide adequate compensation, that is.”
Now there was only one question that mattered.
Could the Emperor truly offer the Archbishop a card as tempting as the Swallen Plain—or something even more so?
The Second Prince was not the heir. At least, not officially.
And one excommunicated by the Religious Order could never become Emperor. The Imperial House had already bent the knee to the Temple once before, when the Fourth Princess underwent her Baptism.
The Emperor had already wagered the Empire’s finest granary to prevent a single assassination attempt on the Saint. Now, on top of that, came the charge of violating Divine Authority.
Even ceding the Swallen Plain to Temple jurisdiction had cost the Imperial House dearly—it meant losing one of the tools by which they held provincial lords in check through the grain produced on imperial lands.
But would he offer something greater still? Or would he sever the tail that was the Second Prince?
If the Emperor truly invested that much more, it would be tantamount to confirming the Second Prince as the Crown Prince in all but name. No sovereign pours the Empire’s vital assets into a son who isn’t even the heir.
If that happened, the Archbishop—who had been backing the First Prince as the next Emperor—would be left grasping at air.
I didn’t believe the Emperor was ignorant of the connection between the Archbishop and the First Prince.
No matter how clandestine the collusion between the Archbishop and the Imperial House, the Emperor could hardly be blind to the currents of succession struggle unfolding within his own palace.
If the Emperor chose to keep the Second Prince alive at all costs in this game, then the Archbishop and I would share a common enemy: the Imperial House itself.
Of course, remembering how that old man had struck me from behind this time, I had no particular desire to join hands with him. Still, as long as our blades pointed in the same direction, we could use each other to advantage.
The Emperor fell silent for a long time. He studied the evidence laid out on the table, then looked back at me, then turned his gaze to the window beyond. The workings of countless calculations played across his face in transparent succession.
I waited without urgency. Whatever answer the Emperor gave, I stood to lose nothing. If he offered additional compensation, I would gain more leverage. If he abandoned the Second Prince, I would remove the most dangerous threat.
A price greater than the Swallen Plain.
The value of a Second Prince facing excommunication once more.
How the bond between the First Prince and the Archbishop would truly affect the Imperial House.
The bloodshed that a collision between Divine Authority and Imperial Authority would bring.
And how much the Saint—myself—already knew.
How to handle me. What to concede, what to withhold.
At last, after a long silence, the Emperor opened his mouth.
The words that emerged from his lips were so unexpected that I found myself raising one eyebrow involuntarily.

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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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