NOVEL WEB EP.24
“Archbishop, why is that old man looking for me?”
“Well, I suppose he’s finally asking for something to be left behind.”
Baron Ulm was busy with an unexpected outing that hadn’t been on his schedule. It was a summons from the Archbishop.
It wasn’t typical for Baron Ulm to answer a call, but when it was the Archbishop, the story changed. Despite lacking significant political influence, the summons of an Archbishop who governed a large region wasn’t something to be taken lightly.
Of course, for the Baron, who had been busy attending to the needs of the people he served and was finally looking forward to a rare day off, this was unfortunate.
“Let’s go then.”
“Yes.”
The Baron climbed into the carriage and headed toward the Cathedral.
Since his estate was somewhat distant from the Cathedral, it took a bit of time to arrive.
“I always feel that the carriage goes too slowly.”
“It can’t be helped, can it?”
The Baron nodded slowly. He wasn’t trying to point fingers. It was just that after staying here for several years, he was getting frustrated with the pace of the people in the Palatinate.
Having been accustomed to riding horses, the slow speed of the carriage didn’t sit well with him.
But he couldn’t exactly berate the carriage for going too slow in a place where nobles roamed, so he sighed and looked out the window instead.
“…Hmm.”
However, something felt off about the atmosphere.
For some reason, as the carriage bearing the Baron’s emblem moved, people were casting hostile glances toward it. The closer they got to the Cathedral, the thicker the tension became.
It was puzzling. While it was true that the Baron was competing with the Archbishop for influence in the capital’s political scene, the Archbishop regarded this rivalry as little more than a source of pocket money, so things weren’t overly tense.
The Baron often contributed generously to the Palatinate Diocese without any real issues arising.
So what on earth was this atmosphere about?
“Hey, Erich.”
“You called for me?”
“Have we done anything recently to upset the Church?”
“Of course not! We certainly haven’t done anything of the sort!”
Yet even so, no matter how he thought about it, there didn’t seem to be anything that could provoke such reactions. The Baron pondered.
Why on earth are they hostile toward me? He summoned his secretary and aides for a discussion, but they concluded that they hadn’t made any mistakes.
Then there could be only one answer.
“Could the pickpocketing have been discovered?”
“…That’s the only possibility, isn’t it?”
“That’s strange.”
It shouldn’t have been something to discover just yet.
The Baron rubbed his chin.
Yes, it was true that he had contacted some of the orphanage children to orchestrate the pickpocketing. In fact, he had been doing it for several years.
Of course, he wasn’t particularly fond of it. It was degrading for a noble. But he had to agree that the Archbishop needed to be removed since he posed a hindrance to his plans.
“Is there anyone who might have made a slip-up?”
“We haven’t specifically meddled in this matter. You know that, Baron.”
“True, I suppose.”
Though he wasn’t pleased about it—no, he disliked it—he had his subordinates handle this task. If it was something he was not inclined to do, neither would the nobles following him enjoy it.
Could it be that the subordinates made a mistake? But he knew they always reported back thoroughly, so he was aware of their actions. The subordinates hadn’t made any mistakes.
“I instructed them to operate in areas where nobles don’t frequent and royal knights avoid the market. Yet, I also told them to utilize a fence already well-informed about the location to make it easier to find witnesses.”
If they had just followed that plan carefully, there should have been no chance of being caught.
EP.24
No mistakes had been made. After analyzing the Palatinate for a long time, they had carefully chosen areas where nobles wouldn’t frequent. It was as if a mad knight, determined to showcase his skills, had wandered into a bleak, rundown area on the outskirts of the capital—an area full of people but rarely visited by anyone of nobility.
Such neighborhoods were precisely where pickpocketing thrived in the capital. The places nobles frequented were heavily monitored by the royal family and the Palatinate market, making it impossible for pickpockets to even think about operating there.
Of course, it was destined to be discovered eventually.
But that was supposed to happen as part of a political plan to impeach the Archbishop; it shouldn’t have occurred as a matter of surprise.
“I don’t know.”
“Could it be that the Archbishop himself sensed the children’s misdeeds and misconduct?”
“Ha, that old man?”
The Baron shook his head at his secretary’s question.
“If he were to discover such things, he’d rather think it was my mistake and try to resolve it himself than confront those children.”
It was true that the Baron engaged in various political machinations. He knew the Archbishop was no saint and was mired in the real-world filth of bribery and favoritism.
Yet, the Baron held a certain amount of respect for the Archbishop’s stance on dealing with society’s weaker members.
It was just a matter of their opposing positions.
“Indeed, I suppose I’ll have to meet with the Archbishop to find out.”
Clunk.
Finally, the carriage came to a stop, and the door opened. The Baron stepped out and crossed the vast square in front of the Cathedral, heading inside.
And then, the Baron’s expression soured.
There stood a wobbly knight, designated as the fiancé of Princess Maria, hovering next to the Archbishop.
———
He was seeing the Archbishop in a new light.
Previously, he had always seen the Archbishop as a man trembling in my presence, stammering with words like, “So, where does Your Grace’s liquor come from?” so he had assumed he was a pushover. Yet here he was, calling forth a knight who didn’t know how to approach me and Maria with just the power of his name just days later without breaking a sweat.
“Why is Sir Wilhelm here?”
As soon as the Baron saw me, he revealed his wariness.
I wasn’t particularly thrilled to see him either, but duty called, so I gave a nod of acknowledgment. Receiving my greeting, he frowned.
Perhaps it bothered him that a mere subordinate showed him such disrespect since he was used to being addressed with utmost respect by his superiors.
I wanted nothing more than to scratch his nerves, but in this situation, I wasn’t the one with the most to say.
“He is a witness.”
“A witness… you say?”
Bang!
Before the Baron could react, the Archbishop slammed his fist on the table. The Baron flinched in surprise.
“Indeed. He is a witness to your disgraceful and abhorrent act of trying to benefit from crimes committed by the children of the orphanage managed by the Cathedral!”
“Ha…”
With the Archbishop’s words, the Baron sighed and rubbed his forehead. It seemed he was beginning to guess the reason behind the Archbishop’s call.
However, he did not willingly admit to the charges.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Are you denying it now?”
“Denying? I simply don’t comprehend what Your Grace is saying.”
Without a hint of shame, he brazenly refuted the allegations.
In fact, he turned the accusation back toward the Archbishop.
“I’m far more curious. What substantial evidence do you possess to brand me a criminal and push me into this corner?”
“…Hmph.”
The Archbishop sighed at his attitude. The Baron clearly couldn’t care less.
“Even in the midst of your statements, I see no evidence at all. Might I ask what leads you to suspect me as the culprit?”
“…There was a statement from a child.”
The Baron smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth as he mocked the Archbishop.
“Is this really the extent of your evidence? You’re calling me in here to interrogate me based on nothing more than a child’s testimony from the orphanage?”
The Archbishop countered the Baron’s criticism.
“Proper evidence can be gathered from now on. Once an investigation begins, all the evidence will emerge.”
Unable to contain himself, the Baron burst out laughing at the Archbishop’s naively optimistic response.
“An investigation, eh? And just who is supposed to carry out this investigation?”
“……”
This time, the Archbishop was at a loss for words. It was no wonder, considering all institutions related to law enforcement in the Palatinate had long since become embroiled in political strife.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any agencies fulfilling the role of prosecution; the city guard was tasked with the policing. However, all these agencies were fragmented, devolving into tools for each faction to attack one another by placing their own people in positions of power.
Handing the investigation over to these agencies was like letting a cat guard a bowl of fish.
“Then, how about the Cathedral conducting the investigation directly—”
“Are you suggesting that the Church intervene in the Empire’s politics?”
The Archbishop bit his lip at the Baron’s accusation.
He likely had no rebuttal. What sounded like an internal investigation could easily be viewed from the outside as the Church manufacturing a criminal case to pin on the Empire’s nobility in a bid for punishment.
No matter how you looked at it, it was as if the Church was getting entangled in the Empire’s factional politics.
Though one could argue that they hadn’t entertained requests for favors in the past, there was a significant difference between connecting the requester and the recipient and actually entering the fray to manipulate matters.
Seeing the Archbishop at a loss for words, the Baron spoke in a serious tone.
“Your Grace, it’s unfortunate that the orphanage’s children are caught up in unfair circumstances. However, no matter how angry one might be, to summon a noble to answer for such uncertain matters goes beyond authority, doesn’t it?”
With that, the Baron began to push the Archbishop on the matter unilaterally. Though the Archbishop made some effort to retaliate, he found it difficult to contend with the Baron, who was well-versed in political games, given that he was already on the back foot.
In the end, the Archbishop resorted to stubbornly dragging the argument on, clutching at straws.
Click.
A disposable communicator concealed within my robe activated. This time, the transmitter was pointed at Maria.
*‘A signal has been received.’*
Following the prearranged signal, I blinked at the Archbishop twice. He had been sneaking glances my way and, turning his hand behind him, signaled that he understood.
“So, in summary—!”
Feeling as if it was time to sort out the hierarchy fully, I slipped out the door behind the Baron, who was getting worked up.
“It’s been ages since I’ve had the chance to really swing my sword around, you know?”
“…Please, try to avoid murder as much as possible.”
Zophie handed over my beloved hidden sword, my prized possession.
In the distance, I could see candidates for the Ulm Baron’s guard—clearly affiliated with him—rushing towards us from behind the Cathedral walls. This was the interior of the Cathedral, one of the few enclaves of extraterritoriality in the Empire.
“I’ll do my best.”
And with that, I received a vow from the Archbishop that whatever happened today in the Cathedral would not be blamed on me in the name of the Lord.