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The Hidden Side of the Imperial Capital – Part 05

The Church’s reputation, previously marred by the incurable epidemic called the Black Rot, had been remarkably restored.

All day long, patients lined up at the churches. At first, they were skeptical, but they left with smiles after receiving their treatments.

Priests, deacons, friars, and nuns worked tirelessly from morning until evening, but they didn’t complain, especially since the Pope himself treated severely ill individuals. If anything, they were proud to help rebuild the afflicted imperial capital alongside the Pope, unaware that the former Pope was the one who had spread the poison.

Pope Luvain’s cleverness was evident in the fact that, despite being limited to only ten attendants, he decided to bring a substantial amount of cargo, much of which was filled with gold coins. Trade was just resuming in the city, and gold coins meant everything. Moreover, Church-issued gold coins were usable even outside the empire, making them significantly more valuable than imperial currency.

Luvain gathered supplies and distributed them through the Church, easing concerns about the future.

“Now is the time to overcome these difficulties together,” he had declared solemnly, encouraging the priests to follow his example.

The citizens respected the Emperor but felt differently about the nobility, government, and the military. They thought, “During the epidemic, the nobility was useless, but the Church is doing a fantastic job.”

---

“What the hell is this?!” The city governor slammed his fist on the table.

The cabinet meeting, a gathering of nobles in charge of various state institutions, had just received a report on the recent developments among the capital’s citizens.

The report revealed that the citizens were starting to trust the Church and becoming more distrustful of national institutions.

“First, they poison our people, then provide free treatment while playing innocent!”

The governor, a balding man, was a rising noble. He had a keen sense of what could benefit his reputation.

“Why now, when we are busy dealing with the Phantom Butterfly crisis? And the Wandering Saint is helping them, the same Healer who saved our people from the Accursed Toxin! Why is this happening?!”

“I understand where you’re coming from, but His Majesty is deeply concerned about this matter. Public distrust could escalate if they find out that the hardworking Pope is being ignored.”

“What?!”

“His Majesty is considering treating them as state guests,” said the aristocrat responsible for managing the Imperial Palace, the only Man Gnome among the group.

The Emperor wasn’t present at this meeting of around ten nobles, as it was understood to be a place to discuss administrative matters.

“That’s absurd! We’ll be throwing good money after bad. Shame on them!”

“Mind your words, governor,” said the Prime Minister. “This is His Majesty’s proposal.”

“My words were meant for you, not His Majesty!”

“Me?”

“Yes. If you had promptly told the citizens that it was all the Church’s doing, this wouldn’t have happened.”

The empire’s citizens viewed the catastrophe brought about by the Accursed Toxin as a mere epidemic.

“You fail to see the bigger picture.”

“What?!”

“If we labeled the Church as an enemy back then, majority of the city’s medical services would have ceased, resulting in an even bigger disaster than the Accursed Toxin.”

“Grrr…”

“Perhaps it’s time for the Foreign Minister to step in.”

“…Haha.”

The portly Foreign Minister, known for bragging about his achievements, had been unusually quiet until now.

“I believe the Pope approached a bureau under your jurisdiction.”

“Uh… yes.”

“We can’t ignore him any longer. You should meet with him.”

“…”

“Foreign Minister?”

Not only the Prime Minister but also the other nobles noticed the Foreign Minister’s odd behavior.

“…That’s a good idea. I will do just that.” He didn’t say more.

---

The department responsible for foreign affairs had assembled in a building known as the Foreign Affairs Residence, located within the imperial castle.

The Foreign Minister, the head of this department, walked in and demanded, “Bring me the latest info on Bios!”

“R-Right away, sir!”

Timid officials rushed to gather documents and brought them to the Foreign Minister’s office. His office looked more like a hotel room, with a comfy couch and a bed for some reason.

“You met with them, yes?” the Foreign Minister asked as he sat down on the couch.

He wanted to have a woman around, perhaps to give him a shoulder massage, but the Emperor strictly forbade such indulgences, so he had to wait until he was back home.

“Y-Yes, I met with the Theocracy of Bios’ Pope early this morning,” said the director of the Bureau of Foreign Relations, a pale-faced man that looked like a rat.

“And you told them I’d meet them, right? When’s the meeting? Tomorrow?”

“Uh, well…”

Last time, he had asked his subordinates to meet them, but this time he went to Luvain’s place himself. In a way, the roles had reversed thanks to the Church’s recovering influence.

“The Pope says he’s here as his nation’s leader, so he wants to meet the Emperor.”

“…Hey.”

“Eek!”

The director flinched under the Foreign Minister’s glare.

“So they’re saying they’re ignoring me?!”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

The Foreign Minister ground his teeth audibly.

“B-But they seem a bit scared of us. They mentioned offering the Wandering Saint to the Empire.”

“…What?”

That was quite a surprise. The Wandering Saint, a masked woman who provided medical care to everyone equally, young or old, was adored in the empire.

Getting her wouldn’t be so bad. The Foreign Minister’s mood suddenly improved.

“You could have mentioned that earlier. Keeping her close and using her as leverage is not a bad idea. What is she like under the mask? If she’s attractive, I might even consider having her as a mistress.” His lips curved into a nasty grin. “Did they really say they’d give her to us?”

“That is a wonderful idea,” the director said with relief. “The Pope said he would give the Wandering Saint, Flower Face, to the Church in the Empire.”

“…Hey.”

“Sir.”

“Are you stupid?!” He threw a bundle of documents at the director’s face.

“Eek!”

There wasn’t much force into it, but the director flipped over, frothing at the mouth.

“Joining the Church means she’ll still be under the Pope’s command, you idiot! This changes nothing at all!” The Foreign Minister stood up, breathing heavily.

It was clear Pope Luvain wasn’t going to hand over anything.

“Those bastards will pay a high price for this.”

The Foreign Minister settled back onto the couch, gritting his teeth.

---

The meeting with the Emperor was scheduled for three days from now. The Templars and guards at the mansion, regardless of their affiliations, rejoiced together. They had been working hard alongside Luvain, providing medical care to the Empire’s citizens day in and day out. They needed all the help they could get, magic user or not.

“As before, I will bring about three people with me. The rest of you, please continue with the medical treatment,” Luvain said with a smile.

The knights fell silent, and a battle ensued over who would accompany the Pope to the imperial castle. Escorting the Pope was a big honor, but the non-stop work of providing free treatment from morning till night was exhausting, so it made sense that all ten of them wanted to avoid it if they could.

Watching the Knights Templar and temple guards squabble out of the corner of his eyes, Luvain returned to his room. It was late at night, and he had spent another day healing many people, leaving him tired.

“Your plan worked, Silver Face.”

The masked boy was already in the room.

“Faster than I thought. The Emperor must be a decisive fellow.”

“I’m much more terrified of you for predicting the Emperor’s move.”

“Good one. Even if I didn’t mention it, you would have figured it out soon. I just heard about the previous medical situation in the city from Flower Face and came up with the idea.”

“So, I trust you will join the meeting with the Emperor.”

“Huh? No way. I have other things to take care of.”

“Are those things related to the Phantom Butterfly?”

Hikaru was familiar with the term. It was a drug that had recently started circulating in the imperial capital. Ingesting the powder induced euphoria and hallucinations, essentially functioning as a type of narcotic.

In the wake of the anguish wrought by the Accursed Toxin, these types of drugs found their way into the city, and the Phantom Butterfly was the most popular among them. Some of the people seeking treatment at the Church had become too addicted to the Phantom Butterfly to lead a normal life.

“No, that’s the government’s problem. What I’m taking care of has something to do with us. Later.” He then vanished.

For a while, Luvain stared at the spot where Hikaru had been for a moment, then muttered quietly to himself, “It would be a shame to leave such a talented individual as is.”