The civil war was over.
Francis, who was captured through Glenn, was immediately escorted to the royal palace by the royal guards.
But surprisingly, he escaped during the process and went missing.
Upon hearing this news, Glenn immediately tried to mobilize the Lion Knights.
It was an absurd report, but he couldn’t afford to lose him now.
However, Isabelle stopped Glenn.
“You don’t have to go.”
“What do you mean? If Francis gets out of the city—”
“He slipped away? What about his body?”
“No way.”
“Probably—he’ll be dead soon.”
And a day later.
In a filthy back alley, Francis’s cold corpse was found.
Alongside it was a hastily scrawled will.
***
The news quickly spread throughout the city.
Contrat made a large announcement of the fact.
“Oyez! (Listen up!), Oyez! The evil and despicable Francis of Niran has committed suicide! The will he left has been publicly displayed in the square, so everyone verify it! Oyez! Oyez…-”
The bellmen shouted this as they roamed the streets with town criers.
“What? That man killed himself?”
“Eh, what kind of nonsense is that?”
The citizens, though secretly hoping the civil war was over, couldn’t believe the royal court’s story.
The will posted in the square was simple.
It admitted that all the forged schemes were indeed his doing, and he apologized to the goddess.
He officially resigned from his high priest position in the empire.
He expressed regret toward the citizens and believers of Niran.
Aside from various masses of prayers, that was the gist of it.
Reactions to the will were diverse.
Those sympathetic to the royal court hinted at its authenticity,
while the opposition faction and the empire’s supporters naturally burst out in protest.
“This is a fabrication! That fake will was written by scaring Priest Francis!”
“The royal court should present evidence!”
The noble clans planned to continue resisting in this way.
And the zealots’ response was even more intense.
“How dare these heretics kill the priest!”
“Purify! Purify!”
To them, Francis was a martyr who was brutally murdered, and the royal court was the enemy of the faith.
His death caused an increasing number of believers to foam at the mouth in frenzy.
In this situation, Contrat smiled instead.
From the moment Francis disappeared, it had already been a checkmate scenario.
If the opposition factions made a fuss now, it would only give him more justification.
“Doubting the authenticity of the will is a direct insult to me and the Arian royal court. Arrest them all for treason!”
The king’s anger spread instantaneously through the bellmen.
And so—
The bloody purge began.
As if to show the reason for sealing off the city, Contrat summoned a thick bloodstorm.
First, he publicly announced to the opposition nobles.
For the first five who come to him voluntarily, no charges would be pressed, and rewards would be given.
A blatant trick, but very effective at this point.
In reality, some opposition nobles, unable to resist, betrayed their comrades—thus beginning internal strife among them.
Not missing this chance, Contrat launched a surprise attack through the knights.
In just two days, he captured seventeen opposition nobles—a remarkable achievement.
Contrat intended to publicly execute all seventeen who resisted to the end.
Naturally, this caused a massive uproar.
“Killing them all?”
“That’s right. They said they’d hang even their entire family.”
“Ugh… isn’t that a bit too harsh?”
“Well, sir, the royal court did give them a chance first. They only have themselves to blame.”
“Well, I guess that’s true…”
Isn’t it too cruel? Aren’t they nobles from the same country after all?
Anyway, weren’t they all manipulated by Francis?
Even if not outright opposing, such concerns began to quietly surface.
Of course, Contrat ignored these murmurs and carried out the public executions.
***
Thud! Thud!
With the sound of the guillotine, two heads fell.
Contrat stood on the platform and began to speak.
“Forty sacks of millet, twenty barrels of premium wine, two high-class carriages, silver tableware, pure gold rings, diamond necklaces, three land ownership certificates…”
He listed items presumed to be assets of someone.
“Citizens of Niran, these are what we confiscated from the man who just lost his head!
Converted into gold coins, it’s roughly 120 in total. While the commoners suffered from hunger, this man indulged in lavish feasts accompanied by fine wine!”
“What a rotten bastard!”
“Damn scoundrel!”
The crowd gathered beneath the guillotine burst into outrage.
But Contrat raised his hand to silence them as if this wasn’t all.
“This wealth was certainly amassed through corruption alongside Francis!
Therefore, I, Contrat, declare before the great goddesses:
From today, all assets of nobles executed here will be confiscated and returned to the citizens of Niran!”
“Wh-what?”
The bold statement stunned the crowd into silence.
“We will strive to reward all suffering citizens.
We will drive away their hunger! We will eliminate all poverty in Niran!
In my name, Contrat!”
As if to prove his words, Contrat went on to detail extensive plans for aid and compensation.
The reaction was explosive.
“W-wow!”
“Long live Contrat!”
“Long live Ariane!”
All the confiscated assets from opposition nobles would be redistributed to the people.
A truly unprecedented proposal.
Since his speech in the square, no one dared question Contrat.
Therefore, his statement drew even greater response.
“Kill them! Kill all the opposition nobles!”
“Catch them all and send them to the guillotine!”
The more nobles that died by the guillotine, the more assets would return to the people.
Such a mood gradually took hold among the citizens.
“Arian nobles? Who cares if they’re opposition scum?”
“Anyway, they’re probably just like Francis!”
A kind of madness or greed began to spread.
Naturally, the voices of concern or opposition toward Contrat gradually disappeared.
***
Especially, the zealots started delivering justice with their own hands.
Smack!
“Th-these heretics… guh!”
A zealot foaming at the mouth collapsed, coughing up blood.
Harsh beatings with stones, brooms, fists, and kicks continued.
“You heretics, damn Empire dogs, die!”
“How dare you mock Contrat? You trash fanatic!”
“Kill all the Empire dogs!”
In a single day, dozens of Nikerba believers were found dead.
Especially the loudest zealots were skewered first.
However, priests and knights of the Nikerba Order were left unharmed.
Under Contrat’s orders, the knights directly protected them.
Opposition nobles torn apart by internal strife.
Passionate support from Niran’s citizens.
Zealots shrinking back more and more.
With the stench of blood shaking the city, a week passed—
The civil war of Niran was over.
***
Inside a magical carriage.
As before their first meeting, Glenn and Isabelle sat facing each other.
Click.
Glenn set down his glass and stared into the enemy’s eyes opposite him.
“Do you think they’ll just let it go? He was still a high priest.”
“Hmm, I don’t quite get your meaning? High Priest Francis chose this himself. Isn’t it a truly noble decision out of conscience?”
Isabelle’s brazen reply caused Glenn to chuckle involuntarily.
No matter how high a priest, their physical ability isn’t much different from an ordinary person.
Besides, Francis was escorted without a guard.
It’s hard to believe he escaped the carriage alone and left a will to say he committed suicide.
And all because of a pang of conscience?
Sounds like a cruel joke.
Most likely, the Stauffen family and Contrat were involved.
Seeing Isabelle’s shameless response, it was clear she was in on it.
“The empire won’t believe that.”
“Whether they want to or not, they have to. When you look at it closely, it’s actually a pretty good excuse.”
Isabelle smiled slyly.
An excuse…?
Glenn frowned and pondered for a moment, but soon found his answer.
“The royal court is… trying not to completely antagonize the empire or the church?”
“That’s the official answer.”
Isabelle’s smile grew darker at Glenn’s reply.
She quietly placed the letter on the table.
“If it goes like this, the empire and the church still have an escape hatch.
If they blame everything on Francis, it’s simple.
Francis’s escape, the missing will, and his suicide.
Driving away the zealots but protecting the priests and knights.
All these actions were carefully calculated.”
“If—if it’s true that the empire is trying not to clash with Ariane directly.”
“If they want us to open our mouths, there’s nothing we can do to stop it. So that’s off the table. But if not?”
Right now, the empire opening their mouths in Niran would be a troublesome issue.
Especially with the two princes of the empire clearly watching during the civil war.
But—
If Contrat openly declared the empire and the church as enemies?
The empire would never stand by idly.
It’s a matter of their authority.
But if Contrat only has Francis as a scapegoat?
He can label Francis as the root of all evil, shift all blame onto him, and close the case.
After all, the dead can say nothing.
Yes.
Right now, Stauffen is forcibly holding the empire’s hand to ‘not open their mouths.’
“You haven’t plucked the sleeping beast’s whiskers, just lightly irritated it.”
“Interesting metaphor.”
“Could it be that this plan was suggested by the princess?”
“No, I don’t know. Father isn’t the type to easily lay out his plans.”
Glenn’s gaze held a slight hint of astonishment, but Isabelle just smiled mischievously.
“You see it that way?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Contrat making such a plan—
And Isabelle immediately grasping his intention—
Blood ties truly are blood ties.
“But anyway… how are those two doing?”
The enemy’s eyes twinkled with curiosity.
The two… roughly who it must have meant.
“By now, their bodies have probably healed, and they’re probably doing well.”
“Hmm, you don’t seem very interested? That’s a bit surprising.”
“They’re on their own now. I’ve done what I needed to do.”
At the indifferent reply, Isabelle leaned back against the seat.
She folded her fan and pointed it at Glenn.
“To be honest, I was surprised. I thought you’d just kill him.”
Whether to kill or spare Clemens.
He had agonized even in the moment he swung his sword.
In the end, he chose to spare him, but has no regrets.
…There isn’t really a reason to regret it.”
“If you put it that way, there’s no real reason to help him either, right?”
“Exactly. We have to help each other to survive.”
A response she clearly didn’t want to give.
Sensing the implication, Isabelle changed the subject.
“Or… will you take him into the Lion Knights? From what I heard, he’s a pretty promising knight in the order.”
“That’s a terrible idea.”
Taking Clemens as one’s knight?
Just hearing it gave Glenn goosebumps.
He frowned sincerely as if troubled.
“Honestly, men are hard to figure out. At first, I thought he was doing something stupid, but in the end—he wasn’t too bad. It felt like watching a fairy tale unfold before my eyes.”
Then he snorted and chuckled quietly.
Clearly teasing.
“Uh… no. I just judged that it was more beneficial that way. Fairy tales, my foot…”
“He’s quite cute. Are you doing that on purpose?”
Isabelle’s eyes still narrowed.
Glenn waved his hand to change the topic.
“Anyway… why exactly do I have to go to the royal court? The civil war’s over now.”
Glenn was formally invited to the palace by Contrat.
He said it was to reward their alliance and the comradeship in battle.
“You weren’t planning to just go back like this, were you? You should consider our feelings, too.”
“That can’t be the only reason. What’s your purpose? I have a rough guess.”
At Glenn’s question, Isabelle theatrically folded and unfolded her fan.
“You’re too naive.”
“What do you mean?”
“Isn’t it to overdo the alliance? Many nobles died in your country.”
More precisely—
Many Ariane nobles died, but we have Lepent as a reliable ally.
So don’t get any wild ideas.
That’s the message they want to show to the outside world.
At Glenn’s guess, Isabelle pouted.
“You’re too clever to be fun.”
“If that’s the case, just say so roughly—”
Isabelle cut him off again.
“But besides that, there’s one more thing.”
“Huh?”
“You have to accept my request. Have you forgotten?”
A request? What is that…?
“Uh.”
“I almost got sad, you know?”
Clears throat.
Having decided to learn blood magic from her, Glenn agreed to one of her requests.
She would probably deny it, but since her teachings were helpful—he couldn’t just refuse.
Glenn felt a little nervous without realizing it.
“So… what’s the request?”
“Hmm, we’re going to hold a grand party at the royal court during the city festival.
A grand event that will make people forget the past.”
Festival, and party.
Glenn’s brows involuntarily furrowed at those words.
“Don’t tell me—”
“Of course, I’m participating too. So—if there’s a knight to escort me, that would be nice.”
A teasing smile followed.
Reluctantly admitting it, it was quite charming.