A few days before the field training exercise…
In the innermost room of the Rainana Church Royal Capital Cathedral, only a select few within the Church were permitted to enter. It was primarily used for conversations that required utmost discretion against eavesdropping.
Currently, there were three people in the room.
Cardinal Nemuria.
At first glance, he appeared to be a mild-mannered old man, but in reality, he possessed radical ideologies. He was a fanatic of the first Saint Maiha, whom he revered, and based on her teachings, he delivered merciless judgment upon evil.
Within the Rainana Church, he held the second highest position after Saint Elizabeth, but in practice, he handled most of the practical affairs.
Saint Elizabeth.
The Saint, the highest authority in the Rainana Church. She had saved countless lives using her skill, 【Regeneration】, and was deeply appreciated by the people.
Michael Rainana.
A prince of the Rainana Kingdom, stripped of his right to the throne and his position as Crown Prince due to Absolute Ark’s machinations.
The meeting was held between these three individuals of high standing within the Rainana Church, in addition to the royal, Michael Rainana.
After they were seated, Cardinal Nemuria was the first to speak.
“First, thank you for your cooperation in subjugating the Ark faction, Your Highness Michael.”
Cardinal Nemuria bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to Michael.
The Rainana Church was attempting to assassinate members of the Ark faction—and preferably Absolute himself—during the academy’s field training exercise, disguising it as an accident. However, the Rainana Church alone couldn't manage the behind-the-scenes maneuvering within the academy or gather information on the Ark faction. Therefore, they had requested the cooperation of Michael Rainana, a member of the royalty who harbored a grudge against Absolute.
“No need for such formalities, Nemuria. We're practically old friends. I still remember the debt I owe you for teaching me so much when I was a child, back when you were still an Archbishop. I’m just glad you felt you could rely on me. Still, as someone removed from the position of Crown Prince, all I can really do is pull strings at the academy, obstruct Absolute, and provide information on the Ark faction. As we discussed, I’ve placed Princess Leone in Absolute’s group, and we’ve pre-determined their route.”
Michael had been taught by Nemuria, who was then an Archbishop, during his childhood. As Michael learned more about the Rainana Church, he felt a sense of madness and danger, and had become distant in recent years, but he didn't dislike Nemuria himself.
“That is more than enough. As per our agreement, I pledge anew our support for Your Highness Michael’s reinstatement as Crown Prince once this matter is concluded.”
“Thank you, Nemuria.”
Michael smiled. His goals were twofold: to exact revenge on Absolute and to regain his position as Crown Prince, which was why he had accepted this request for cooperation.
“We at the Rainana Church believe that good people are those chosen by the goddess. Subjugating the Ark faction, who are evil, is absolutely necessary to create a better world. In addition, Absolute Ark… his power is too dangerous. Leaving evil with power that exceeds even the Hero unchecked at this point will become irreparable in the future. We must diminish his power before that happens.”
“I agree about Absolute Ark. That guy will become a potential threat to the Rainana Kingdom in the future. If we can take action early, it's best to do so.”
The Rainana Church was a monotheistic religion that worshiped the first Saint Maiha, who saved the world with the Hero centuries ago, as a deity.
The Rainana Church aimed to spread goodness among the people and eliminate evil, just like the first Saint of old.
However, what was frightening about the Rainana Church was its desire to control everything according to its own will. They had a clear standard for judging good and evil, and even if they killed an evil person, they believed they did so to save their soul.
What Cardinal Nemuria was saying wasn't accompanied by any guilt over taking a life; they truly believed they were doing a good deed.
Michael himself sensed the danger in the Rainana Church’s way of preaching about good while ultimately using it as a weapon to serve its own interests. He felt it was quite dangerous to think that someday that weapon might be turned against him or even innocent citizens.
He was reluctantly cooperating to get revenge on Absolute, but Michael’s true feelings were that he wanted to avoid getting too involved with the Rainana Church if possible.
Michael forcibly changed the subject.
“So, how are the preparations coming along? I’d also like to hear about the plan.”
Here, Saint Elizabeth, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
“I’ll explain the plan. As scheduled, the preparations and mind control of the monsters are complete. All that remains is to release them on the day.”
“We will have a large group of monsters attack one of the separated Ark faction groups. When Absolute Ark leaves his group to go help, we’ll strike the main target and kill Princess Leone, or inflict an injury on her that can’t be healed with recovery magic. We will then shift the blame onto Absolute Ark, holding him responsible for the situation, and crush the Ark House. Since he failed to protect a foreign royal, execution is a possibility. Even if he doesn't go to help, his subordinates will be killed by the large group of monsters, reducing the faction’s power. That is the plan. On the day of the event, a Rainana Church priest will be waiting along the Ark faction’s route, and when night falls, he’ll use the unique magic passed down in the Church to release the monsters.”
“Hmph… not bad. But will he really move to help his subordinates? That's the question.”
Michael had a rather cold and ruthless image of Absolute. He had heard from members of the Ark faction that Absolute was lenient with his own people, but he found it hard to believe.
“It’s fifty-fifty. We didn’t have enough information to blindly accept the reports, so we devised a plan that would work either way.”
Here, Nemuria, who had been listening in silence, joined the conversation.
“Saint Elizabeth and I, Nemuria, have repeatedly refined the plan, so I don’t think there will be any problems. The price was quite high, but rest assured, we’ve prepared several 【Superior Species】 monsters that even knights can’t defeat.”
Monsters devour other monsters to become stronger. In the process, they give birth to 【Superior Species】. They have a transformed appearance compared to normal monsters, and their abilities increase dramatically.
“I see. I have no objections regarding the annihilation of the Ark faction… but Princess Leone is not evil, is she? Besides, killing a foreign royal is a problem, so please stop that. Increasing the number of victims by escalating to war is not what the Church wants, is it?”
Michael feared that if something happened to Princess Leone, it would not only affect the Ark House, but also the royal family and the country. If a foreign royal died in the Rainana Kingdom, it would become a matter between nations, and war would be unavoidable.
“No, she is also evil. The Suiloku Kingdom’s royalty is connected to dark organizations and sells its citizens behind the scenes. Like the Ark House, they are absolutely unforgivable. However, if we were to kill a foreign royal in the Rainana Kingdom, it would certainly cause problems. Let’s spare her life this time.”
That was quite an easy concession, Michael thought, but the Saint had no intention of killing Princess Leone from the beginning. She had initially aimed to inflict an injury on her that couldn't be healed with recovery magic. By deliberately suggesting an opinion that would not be accepted, she made it easier to pass the latter opinion.
If recovery magic couldn't heal her, she would have no choice but to rely on the Saint, who had a skill that surpassed it. The Saint was cleverly thinking of earning favor with a foreign royal.
“Even so, I’m honestly surprised. I didn't think you, a Saint, would show hostility toward Absolute. Besides, that hateful look you sometimes give… The Church’s teachings alone wouldn't make you hate him that much. What did he do to you?”
Michael had met the Saint at the academy, but he never thought she hated Absolute so much. He felt a slight interest in what had happened to her.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Would you refrain from prying into a woman’s past? It's not something I want to remember…”
“I see. My apologies, Saint.”
The Saint laughed off Michael’s question, and Michael himself didn't pursue it further. As long as he could get revenge and regain his position as Crown Prince, her past was irrelevant.
Since childhood, Michael had been compared to the talented Absolute, fostering a sense of inferiority. From there, negative elements such as the attempted murder at his birthday party and in the Royal Castle, as well as the negative impression caused by Absolute’s skill, 【Absolute Evil】, intertwined, creating a single malice.
Michael harbored a malice that clearly sought to corner Absolute, rather than just childish games.
The Saint added an explanation for Michael.
“I'll give you some precautions. We plan to release the monsters into the Ark faction’s route on the night of the first day of the field training exercise, so please be careful not to get close to them. Even though they are mind-controlled, they are still monsters, so there’s no guarantee they won’t attack.”
“Don’t worry about that. My group’s route is separate from Absolute’s.”
“That's wonderful. A priest with the 【Tamer】 skill did the mind control. I can enhance them, but I can’t make them listen to me. Also, though I don’t think it will happen, if something happens to him, the skill will be undone and they will become uncontrollable. My group will be guarding the priest, so I don't think there will be any problems, but if something happens, we will signal you. In that case, I think it would be best to retreat.”
“Understood. I’ll leave that to you, Rainana Church.”
After confirming a few more points, the meeting came to a close, and Michael returned to the Royal Castle.
Michael gazed out the window of his room. He could only see the courtyard, but he imagined Absolute and the Ark faction members being attacked and trampled by monsters, and he sneered.
“Come on, entertain me, Absolute Ark.”
