Chapter 62
Episode 1: Aiming for the Royal Capital
A year has passed since the Kingdom of Leone was defeated.
We’ve continued to weaken the kingdom’s strength by destroying fortresses and main roads, without change.
Charging straight for the royal capital would only result in damage to my contracted beasts and civilians unrelated to the military, so instead, we’ve been gradually chipping away at their forces, avoiding large-scale battles.
In the rural areas, the restoration of main roads has stalled, and the people have been forced to endure higher taxes for increased military supplies, leading to a growing anti-monarchy sentiment.
To counter this, I’ve been using alchemy to create and distribute essential goods and provide edible monster meat to the people, appealing to the populace as a 『Saint』 to weaken their trust in the kingdom.
In practice, I’m relying on Selen-sama to handle this public appeal (sweat).
While working together, Selen-sama said I didn’t need to use honorifics with her, so I stopped.
When distributing supplies, she explains to the people that the monarchy isn’t reliable, and all the supplies are gifts from the 『Saint』. She tells them she’s working alongside the Saint to bring her ideals to life.
Thanks to Selen-sama’s charisma, the people have begun accepting the existence of the Saint. As local regions started uniting in opposition to the monarchy, Selen-sama offered a proposal.
「I think it’s about time we consider advancing toward the royal capital. The rural regions are fed up with the central government’s methods, so they likely won’t comply with any more authoritarian commands.」
「I don’t trust people easily… so I can’t shake the feeling they might turn on us if forced orders come down from the kingdom (sweat).」
After the Stratos incident, I found it hard to trust selfish people (sweat).
「If we use alchemy to restore walls and fortresses and help them become self-sufficient without relying on the kingdom, they won’t see the Saint as an enemy.」
「Celestia-sama, I agree with Selen-sama. If you show them the miracle of the Saint’s power, they will surely feel gratitude and defy the kingdom.」
Since Brad-san also agreed with Selen-sama, I decided to respect their opinions.
From now on, we’ll focus on revitalizing the rural regions while heading toward the royal capital. By gradually distancing these areas from the kingdom and claiming territory, we aim to bring about the eventual fall of the Kingdom of Leone.
This method feels like it could ensure a smoother transition after the fall of the Kingdom of Leone, without causing a huge uproar.
Since I’m clueless about politics, I thought it best to leave the decisions to Selen-sama and Brad-san. To be honest, I’m also more than happy to leave all the difficult parts to them (laugh).
–
Episode 2: Performing Miracles
Once our new strategy was decided, Selen began actively visiting impoverished towns to offer aid.
「These relief supplies are entrusted to me by Saint Celestia-sama to be given to those in need. Everyone, the Kingdom of Leone neglects the rural regions, but Saint Celestia-sama is committed to saving those in distress. Believe, and she will undoubtedly perform miracles.」
「Oh… is the Saint really here to save us?」
「If we believe, she’ll bring about miracles for us?」
Selen’s words stirred up the crowd.
Being revered as a Saint gives me a slight sense of discomfort. Since I’m partly responsible for their hardship due to the destruction of key roads, it feels a bit like I’m deceiving the people, and my conscience stings because of it…
But going forward, we’ll help those in need and restore the towns as much as possible. It’s a necessary step to sway the populace against the monarchy. Though it involves deceiving the people, we’ll continue this cycle of destruction and restoration to ultimately erase the Kingdom of Leone.
While speaking to Selen, who was staying in one of the towns, through telepathic communication, she mentioned that the majority of the townspeople were already putting their faith in the Saint. The next day, I used Earth Magic to dig down to a deeper aquifer, connecting it to the town’s well so that pure water would flow from it.
When the residents of the town discovered the fresh, clear water gushing from the well, they cheered in joy.
「Oh… the well water… such unbelievably pure water is flowing! Is this the Saint’s miracle?!」
As people were freed from the burden of securing drinking water, belief in the Saint spread even further. Seeing this, I timed the deployment of a barrier around the town to ward off monsters. This made it safe for the people to gather food nearby, restoring vitality to their lives.
With this, the entire town came to believe in the Saint, and no one remained to support the kingdom. With her task completed, Selen set off for the next town.
–
Episode 3: The Commander Takes Action
With the success of swaying one town to break away from the kingdom, Selen grew more confident and continued her support activities with great vigor.
Her natural charisma was such that whenever she gave a speech in front of struggling townspeople, new supporters would rally to her side almost immediately. I thought that Selen would make a magnificent ruler. If, after I defeated them, she could govern the Kingdom of Leone, I thought its citizens might live without fear of foreign invasions. Though this is still something far off in the future, I plan to ask her when the time is right.
Rumors of Selen’s support efforts had already reached the royal capital. They even became a topic in the national council, sparking debate. Ultimately, the kingdom’s response was as follows:
– The “hypocrite” Selen is calling for an anti-monarchist stance.
– The kingdom does nothing, while “Saint Celestia” selflessly provides aid and saves those in need.
– This “hypocrite” Selen and “Saint Celestia” are actually the same person, each presenting a different face.
– If left unchecked, the regions will completely detach from the kingdom, so she must be assassinated immediately to put an end to her support activities.
And the one dispatched to assassinate this “hypocrite” or “Saint” was Viktor, the commander of the Prince’s Knights. The strongest knight in the Kingdom of Leone was now on the move, aiming to put an end to it all.
「Estigma-sama, I’m heading out!」
「Viktor, I’m counting on you.」
「If I lose, the Four Demon Generals will have no choice but to step in!」
「Idiot! You will end this by yourself.」
「Yeah, yeah, I’ll give it a shot. See you!」
Viktor flew off in the direction where the so-called “hypocrite” had appeared.
The king, Estigma, was torn. He wondered if he should, just in case, report this matter to Fatima, Calamity, and Demise…
➖➖➖King’s Perspective➖➖➖
I’ve sent Viktor. Being a demon almost as strong as the Four Demon Generals, this time, he’ll surely finish off the Heavenly Child.
If Viktor fails… It’s sad, but I’d have no choice but to rely on those three. Perhaps I should contact the battle-hungry Demise first. If he hears of Viktor’s defeat, he’ll likely charge into battle with a triumphant roar (laugh).
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