Chapter 102 : A Plan?

“As you commanded, all of the capital’s elite forces have been diverted, leaving only the dregs behind. A Double Veil was hastily set up, along with a few low-level magicians whose other abilities have been sealed.”

A man, his face hidden by a black robe, spoke to a glowing crystal sphere in a dark room.

An emotionless voice then came from the crystal sphere.

[The result?]

“……All but the holder of the Double Veil from the Northern Guard have perished.”

[Hhmmm…….]

At that voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, cold sweat began to flow from the face of the prostrated man in the black robe.

“To report accurately, the Temple's methods failed to pierce the Double Veil. However, the Iron Royal Family and the experiment seem to have discovered a way to remove even the Double Veil.”

[Serious.]

At that simple reply, the amount of sweat flowing from the black robe's face doubled.

And immediately, a frantic voice poured out.

“H-However, both the Temple’s and the Royal Family's methods have the disadvantage of only being able to root out suspects after they have been identified! It is by no means an all-powerful method, so it should not yet hinder our operation!”

[Heh. Did I appoint an idiot like you as a commander?]

Hk!

At that moment, with a sound of a sharp intake of breath, the face of the man in the black robe turned pale.

However.

[……I know that was nonsense spouted because you don't want to die. I will give you one more chance.]

After a moment of silence, the voice that followed made him let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.

Huuuuu.

“Th-Thank you.”

[Is that your final answer?]

“N-No, it is not!”

Swallowing hard, the black-robed man racked his brain furiously.

However.

“It has become very dangerous to openly conduct preliminary work in the capital. It would be better to scatter to other nearby cities or villages, not Ironheart, and reorganize the elites.”

Perhaps because of his urgent heart, only the most obvious words came out.

‘What a foolish……!’

He was terrified of his own words even after spitting them out.

[And?]

Fortunately, the Archbishop seemed to understand that much.

‘And, and…….’

His lips became parched with anxiety.

“Ah! The war of succession!”

In a flash, a brilliant idea passed through his mind.

[In detail.]

He finally seemed to understand why the Archbishop was showing mercy, unlike his usual self.

Afraid of being reprimanded for the damage in the capital, he had misjudged the Archbishop’s intentions from the start.

“In this recent sweep operation, we did not actually suffer significant damage. By sacrificing low-level members, we confirmed the enemy's hand, so it can be said we achieved a result.”

[Hoh. And?]

“In the end, the timing for the grand undertaking remains unchanged. It will be when the war of succession, especially the contest of virtue, is at its peak.”

[Precisely.]

“When the princes and the elites of the major nobles scatter throughout the kingdom to settle the score. And when most of the White Iron Knightly Order, which can be called the royal family’s elite force, leaves the capital to monitor the contest, that is our opportunity.”

[That’s right.]

The Archbishop’s interjection gave more courage to the black robe’s words.

“The only thing that has gotten worse for us is the additional time it will take for the elites to gather again in Ironheart.”

[The Veil?]

“The only one who can constantly detect the Veil without identifying a suspect is that experiment. Neither the Temple nor the Royal Family can constantly check everyone entering and exiting the capital. The number of people who can deploy the Temple's barrier is limited, and so are those who can use the Royal Family's method.”

[Yes, that’s right. But it is also insufficient.]

‘Insufficient? Insufficient…….’

Ah!

The thing the Archbishop had been most interested in recently was…….

Muno Drasen.

“Before that, I will do my best to secure that experiment #13 somehow!”

[……Wrong.]

Huuup!

“P-Please, give me your instructions!”

Kung.

At that moment, all he could do was bow his head to the ground and await his punishment.

[Now that he himself has become a variable, meddling with him again risks getting our tail caught. We will ignore him for a while. We have already made a move, so we can only hope that it reaches him.]

“Yes? But…….”

At the words filled with deep regret, the black robe couldn't help but be flustered.

He had prioritized that experiment over most other matters until now, but now?

He also knew that Elder Karin, who was considered the Archbishop's top disciple, had gone missing while trying to capture him.

‘I thought he would pay even more attention to it…….’

Feeling his blood run cold again, he racked his brain.

Then, he remembered that one of the main pillars of the great undertaking had failed.

“I have heard reports that Elder Karin seems to have been killed by a Monster Lord of the demonic realm. In that case, we need a way to draw the King's attention again. To be precise, a way to lure the King's sharpest sword, the Dragon Sword Duke, elsewhere.”

[……Correct.]

A sense of relief washed over him at that answer.

With the relief, his mind, which had been stifled by fear, felt as if it was being ventilated, and good ideas began to follow one after another.

And among them was a new plan that he had not dared to even think of until just before.

“Fortunately, Lockhart Iron is a proactive king. If there is any seditious movement anywhere in the kingdom, he will actively try to root it out. Then, our job is to turn the king's gaze as far away from the royal castle as possible. Fortunately, there is a method we can use immediately.”

[Hhmmm?]

It was a sign to continue, so his tongue moved without a moment's rest.

“Ten years ago, when Kraymal's laboratory was discovered due to the 'informant' and our cult suffered a great blow, the experiment Elder Sieran was conducting in the south was also halted as a precaution. But fortunately, the southern laboratory was not discovered and is known to still exist. The facility that was on the verge of completing 'that experiment'.”

[Huuu…….]

A positive echo.

“If we just reactivate that laboratory and create some results! No, even without results, if we just leak a little information to the outside in the process of securing the 'materials' needed for the experiment, the Royal Family, who is searching for us with fire in their eyes, will immediately take notice!”

A smile formed on his own face as he rapidly spewed out the words.

[Yes. You should be able to think at least that much for you to be of any use there.]

The Archbishop’s voice confirmed that he had survived again.

“Huuuu…….”

He let out another sigh of relief without realizing it.

[That laboratory has already begun its operation. And it will soon draw the attention of the Royal Family.]

“……Yes?!”

[I am saying that we are already executing the plan as you said. Since Karin failed.]

The words that followed sent a chill down his spine.

‘If I had suggested another plan, I would have…….’

His body shuddered at the fleeting thought.

The Archbishop’s words were not even over.

[Then you must also realize that the opinion you just gave is now meaningless, right?]

‘Damn it…….’

He hadn't completely saved his own neck yet.

‘A better way, the efficiency of the grand undertaking, what the Archbishop wants…….’

His fear-soaked brain was forced into action again.

Suddenly, the word that the Archbishop had mentioned with emotion for the first time before the conversation began came to mind.

Ah! That experiment!

“Archbishop! There is something you must know about that experiment.”

[Hm?]

“The seeds Elder Karin planted in Aslan have all been expelled at once on the pretext of this incident in the capital. There was a report that they, along with the trash of Aslan, would once again target the experiment. They said they would frame it as an order from the Aslan family.”

At those words, he felt as if the shadow in the communication sphere was smiling.

[I know.]

You know?

But you don't care?

At the incomprehensible reaction, the black robe's heart grew even more frantic.

The Archbishop had wanted to capture that experiment alive.

But.

“You may or may not be aware, but among those dregs is the poison master Chamber. If the experiment were to be killed by them……”

[That won’t happen.]

That won't happen?

A hint of ridicule could even be felt in the Archbishop’s voice.

‘Does he not know the name of the poison master Chamber?’

That couldn't be.

“The poison master Chamber is the one who took the direct line of the Northern King……”

[I said I know, didn't I……?]

A faint hint of irritation could be felt in the Archbishop’s tone as he cut him off.

You know? The poison master Chamber?

‘No, that's not it.’

It's not that he simply knew.

He managed to find a hint in the words the Archbishop had just spoken.

“Did you, by any chance, give the order yourself?”

[……That’s right.]

Damn it.

‘As I thought, the Archbishop hasn't lost interest in that experiment. Then why……?’

His mind was a mess, but he had no choice but to add one more word.

“Then how about summoning Chamber back? Given the poison master’s nature, he might kill the experiment or cause a bigger incident than we anticipate. With Elder Sieran, who made him a Magic Knight, in the south, there is no one to control him now.”

[That won’t happen.]

The answer to his passionate plea was a simple, scornful laugh.

The same answer as before.

‘That won't happen.’

In other words, the Archbishop did not believe in the poison master’s ability. Or he thought that the experiment would not be easily defeated.

‘No, that can't be right. He must have a high regard for the Iron Royal Family's capabilities, not the experiment's.’

Yes, that must be it.

But if so, why did the Archbishop approve the plan knowing that?

Because it might succeed?

Was he the type to have high hopes for a low probability?

That couldn't be.

“It would be good if it succeeds, but you don't care if it doesn't. Because……”

After turning it over and over in his head, the black robe came up with a plausible answer.

“……It will let them know that our cult is still obsessed with the experiment.”

A diversionary tactic to obscure their true objective.

[That’s right.]

Only now did he begin to feel a slightly positive vibe from the Archbishop’s voice.

But he couldn't stop here.

‘It would be good if the poison master succeeds, but it doesn't matter if he doesn't?’

However, the Archbishop believes in the power of the Iron Royal Family, so he doesn't think the poison master will succeed.

And if you interpret the meaning behind it in reverse.

‘The Archbishop has no intention of giving up on that experiment.’

What the hell was that guy that he was so obsessed with, he wondered anew.

But for the black robe, extending his own lifespan came first.

His survival instinct began to overcome his brain, which had been paralyzed by fear and unable to function properly.

“I understand that ‘that experiment’ in the south requires a lot of materials. In that case, wouldn't it be possible to increase the supply of ‘materials’ to hasten the completion of the experiment? And also to draw the attention of the Royal Family at the same time.”

[Hm?]

“Moreover, since the one who can best detect the Veil is still that experiment, if the king has any sense, he will assign the role of a hunting dog to that Muno Drasen.”

[……Continue.]

“If we invest the maximum amount of our resources without hindering the grand undertaking and make a big scene, we might be able to draw out not only the Dragon Sword Duke from the beginning but also a part of the Red Iron or White Iron Knightly Orders. That alone will make the grand undertaking a little easier. Elder Sieran in the south will have a harder time, but……”

Gulp.

“Instead, as we invest a lot of our forces, we might be able to secure the experiment in the process, and if that ‘long experiment’ is completed, we might be able to hold the Dragon Sword Duke's feet for longer depending on the situation.”

[……Good.]

‘Huuuu…….’

Words spewed out indiscriminately for survival.

He didn't know which of them had pleased the Archbishop.

‘The part about securing the experiment?

Or the part about making the grand undertaking easier?’

But he knew one thing.

If this plan went ahead, even if they succeeded in the grand undertaking, almost all the forces deployed in the south would be annihilated.

But still, he could smile.

Because he had survived thanks to it.

[We'll have to expand the board we've already set up quickly. A good thought. I will give the order to Sieran.]

The Archbishop, having heard the new plan, was truly pleased.

An absolute ruler and a madman who controls an innumerable number of magicians by planting bombs in their minds.

Under him, one's own life was just one of the tools, so one had to be unconditionally careful.

And, one must succeed in the mission.

As the black robe secretly wiped the sweat-filled palm of his hand and bowed his head even lower.

The light of the communication sphere was slowly fading.