Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 62
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Game Opportunities Become Reality Episode 62
19. Saintess Candidate (1)
Adrian obtained his title less than 50 days ago, yet every single action he takes far exceeds expectations.
The mere fact that he reached the 7th Circle at age 20 in an environment where he couldn't train in peace proves he's no ordinary person, and his subsequent actions prove his excellence as well—he didn't waste a single opportunity.
Olivia, who had been showing noticeably more interest in Adrian ever since witnessing him break mage common sense in battle firsthand, felt deep curiosity rather than hostility toward this intruder stepping into her plans.
"Interesting. I wonder what kind of bizarre stunt he'll pull next."
"Holy crap, is that real? Are you seeing this, Preston? The Ice Witch Olivia is laughing!"
"Why does seeing her smile feel so unsettling?"
"Hey, Olivia, are you perhaps interested in Marquis Lawrence?"
"Who knows."
"Stop it, stop. He's 16 years younger than you. If you'd gotten married sooner, you could be his mother's age..."
-Thump!
"Guh!"
When Marquis Lake spouted nonsense that poured cold water on her cheerful mood, Olivia silenced him with a powerful body blow.
Leaving Marquis Lake clutching his chest and gasping for air behind her, Olivia spoke to Count Preston.
"Tell the intelligence department to engage in good-faith competition but no sabotage. Actually, should we just form an alliance? That doesn't seem like a bad idea either..."
"W-Well, I'm not sure. At this stage, we hold the advantage, so is it really necessary?"
"There's no way Priest Lawrence doesn't realize they're at a disadvantage. He definitely has something planned."
"Aren't you overrating him?"
"When have I ever made a wrong judgment?"
"You haven't, but..."
"Alright, then make an offer to Priest Lawrence. Let's join forces to win the Saintess Selection Contest first, and compete with each other only after we've gained the upper hand over the other candidates."
Count Preston let out a small sigh at Olivia's choice and nodded.
She was a chaste woman, and this was the first time he'd ever seen her show such favor and interest in a man.
He hadn't even met Marquis Lawrence directly yet, but Count Preston felt a stirring of jealousy nonetheless.
"Cough, hack!"
Olivia used a healing spell on Marquis Lake, who was still gasping for breath from that single body blow.
"Shouldn't you get some exercise? To be this debilitated by the fist of such a frail woman."
"Frail woman? Where?"
Marquis Lake, having caught his breath, prodded her nerves again, but the moment Olivia rose from her seat, he claimed he'd just remembered other business and quickly fled.
* * *
'Archbishop Fred' of the Grand Diocese of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts is famous among the archbishops of the Sepia Faith as an extremely rigid and conservative person.
That's why, even after dumping a whopping 10 trillion as a donation, it still took half a month just to get a meeting with him.
But a person like that...
"Oh, truly remarkable! She already wields divine magic to this extent! This old man has no doubt whatsoever that Lady Ibril will become the new Saintess!"
The moment he saw Ibril, who was young enough to be his granddaughter, he was completely taken and now treats her like his liege.
For the record, this isn't about any impure feelings.
Archbishop Fred treats Ibril with pure religious devotion.
No lengthy deliberation was needed—no politics, no deals.
Perhaps because he was an archbishop after all, he immediately recognized both Ibril's talent for divine power and her quality of having the makings of a Saintess.
Thanks to that, everything that followed went like clockwork.
"There's no problem with Ibril participating in the Saintess Selection Contest, is there?"
"Of course not. Even if I have to pour out every bit of prestige I've built through my life as a priest, I will ensure that Lady Ibril receives a proper evaluation."
"Reassuring. Thank you so much."
"Rather, I should be the one thanking you. I can't express how fortunate it is that Marquis Lawrence recognized Lady Ibril's worth and is guiding her."
He was now completely on our side.
Ibril herself, who at first hadn't fully grasped what the makings of a Saintess meant, now found herself thinking, "The Lord's words must be true," seeing an archbishop of the Sepia Faith address her so respectfully with 'Lady' at every turn.
That made sense—after all, an archbishop of the church was someone even high nobles could never afford to ignore.
"I-I'm embarrassed. I still feel confused about whether I really deserve this kind of treatment."
"Look to the heavens and keep your heart bold. The Great Mother is watching over Lady Ibril."
"Yes, Archbishop Fred."
The archbishop's response had begun to shift Ibril's mindset, and as she was introduced to the new world of divine magic, she was gradually showing interest in theology.
The moment she became the Saintess, her title would become 'Her Eminence.'
'Her Eminence' was a title on the same level as 'His Majesty,' used for the Emperor of the Empire and the King of a sovereign kingdom—ranking above 'His Highness,' used for vassal kings and princes of the realm.
It was that seat I was striving to place Ibril in.
I may be pushing rather forcefully, but this is by no means bad for her either.
The Saintess of this world was not some icon of sacrifice.
She could marry, fully enjoy hobbies and vacations, and even hold private property.
Of course, if she fell into corruption, she would face divine judgment—but it meant she could fully enjoy life as a person of power.
"Archbishop Fred, there is something I wish to discuss with you."
"Yes, please speak, Marquis Lawrence."
I had been quietly watching Ibril when Eric, who occupied a seat like a secretary, gestured with his chin toward the archbishop, reminding me of one matter I had nearly forgotten.
At my call, Archbishop Fred wore an exceedingly benevolent smile.
"Actually, an intriguing proposal has come in."
"A proposal?"
"Yes. From Judy Esther's side—she's considered a strong candidate for the Saintess along with Ibril—came an offer to form an alliance during the contest. More precisely, it was a request from the Riverdale Ducal House, her Sponsor."
"Hmm..."
Since we would be working together anyway, there was no point in hiding it.
So, in order to win his trust outright, I decided to deliberate on it together from the proposal stage.
"If it's Lady Esther, she's a solid candidate. I think it's a matter worth considering."
"I share that opinion. It's better to first raise Lady Ibril's chances of selection, then compete with Lady Esther later."
"Then it seems fine to accept it. Haha—it appears the Riverdale Ducal House has no desire to clash head-on with a fellow Marquis from the same faction."
For someone said to be rigid and inflexible, that was a fairly flexible response.
One could see this as his entire declaration of intent to make Ibril the Saintess.
I put on a genial smile.
In truth, if Duke Riverdale hadn't made this offer, I was planning to propose an alliance myself.
But thanks to Duke Olivia Riverdale, who held me in favor, the effort was spared.
With this, I believed we had crossed the seventh ridge of the plan.
'All that remains now is to bring the Linehart royal house into the fold.'
* * *
-Lionel, capital of the Kingdom of Rhinehearts
"It seems Marquis Lawrence has been cooking up something interesting these days."
Though the encounter was prickly, I offered my respects, receiving what passed for a greeting from the Second Prince, to whom I could only smile for now.
"Is it not all for Your Highness's sake?"
At that, the Second Prince, who had offered me a seat, handed me a glass of iced tea directly and spoke.
"Haha, for my sake, he says. It's for his own power, surely."
"In the end, my gain is also Prince Luke's gain, Your Highness."
"That much is true."
His demeanor was as hearty as always.
But there was a blade hidden in his words, and the fact that he knew my affairs so well meant he'd been gathering information—so the heartiness was only surface deep.
I had no intention of engaging in petty skirmishes with him.
So I went straight to the matter at hand.
"Archbishop Fred has promised to support us wholeheartedly. And we've agreed to an alliance with the Riverdale Ducal House. If Your Highness Prince Luke lends his backing, there could be no better situation."
The Second Prince, who knew I had been having Ibril study theology and meeting with Archbishop Fred but hadn't known the exact details, wore a slightly surprised expression.
"You've brought in that stubborn old man and the sage of Lucias? Has things already progressed that far?"
"Yes."
"Haha, you have a knack for astonishing people. That's certainly no skill of a newly appointed noble."
"And is that not precisely why Your Highness Prince Luke took notice of me?"
"Tsk, you should also know how to be humble."
"As you know, I'm someone who greatly enjoys compliments."
"And that's why you play king among the commoners online?"
The atmosphere wasn't bad.
We bickered, but it meant he acknowledged my abilities at least.
"You misunderstand."
"Misunderstand, my foot. You're wildly popular online. Was it an online diary (SNS)? They say you have over ten million followers there?"
What he called followers meant followers.
In truth, I'd already passed ten million a while ago.
I was now racing toward twenty million, but I just smiled and brushed it off as if it were nothing.
"Regardless, I believe supporting me is no different from supporting Your Highness Prince Luke."
"A young new noble should have some freshness, but dealing with you feels like dealing with a wily old politician."
The words "So what?" nearly slipped out, but I kept a poker face and awaited his answer regarding my request for support of Ibril.
"No reason to refuse. If a Saintess from our kingdom is born, it will greatly elevate our national standing. I'll speak well of it to Father."
"I am deeply grateful."
As expected, the Second Prince did not refuse my request.
With only plus factors and no minus factors, it was only natural.
No matter how much he disliked me inwardly, someone destined to be king would surely think he shouldn't be swayed by emotions.
Moreover, there was absolutely nothing to gain from further straining his relationship with me.
Having obtained the Second Prince's permission, I casually tossed him a gift and rose from my seat.
"Oh, by the way, do you know something?"
But before I could leave, the Second Prince caught my attention with an unexpected piece of news.
"I hear the daughter of Count Acres and the daughter of Marquis Otis have gone missing. The Crown Prince's faction is in an uproar over it, they say?"
"What?"
This was the first I'd heard of it.
Count Acres was an Aura Master ranked second, succeeding Marquis Vincent, the kingdom's greatest swordsman and the Second Prince's teacher—and he belonged to the Crown Prince's faction.
And the daughter of Marquis Otis, also my comrade-in-arms, referred to none other than that infamous lunatic, Michelle Otis.
I'd met her before, hadn't I?
Back then, I was so taken aback by Michelle Otis's peculiarities that my English interpretation skills failed me.
"It seems you haven't received word yet."
There was one reason Pesius hadn't reported this important matter to me.
It meant the news had not yet been made public.
"Well, I only learned of it an hour ago myself, so I can't blame you."
This was grim news for the Crown Prince, but glad tidings for the Second Prince.
I didn't know if the Second Prince had pulled strings or not, but what I needed to do here was...
"Congratulations, Your Highness! Isn't this truly wonderful news!?"
"Indeed! Hahaha!"
Namely, offer my congratulations with a bright smile.
The Second Prince laughed more heartily than ever during my visit.
His laughing face was so repulsive I wanted to punch him in the philtrum, but like a professional, I clapped and shared in his joy.
'First the sudden development of the Saintess contest being moved up, and now this—what on earth is going on.'
I'd already planned to visit the Crown Prince to request cooperation regarding the Saintess contest anyway, so I'd soon learn the full details.
* * *
A while later, having entered the Crown Prince's palace through a secret passage, I exchanged greetings with Crown Prince Michael, whose eyes held their signature half-lidded smile yet somehow felt chilling, and sat down across from him.
"Judging by your expression, it seems Luke has given you a rough picture of the situation?"
That meant he was fully aware of all movements within the royal palace.
I gave a small nod.
Whereupon Crown Prince Michael rubbed his temples and explained the whole story.
"Marquis Otis and Count Acres are cousins sharing the same maternal family. As such, the two were quite close, calling each other brother."
And they shared the same political leanings too, I suppose?
"Count Acres especially doted on Michelle Otis like his own daughter, and this time, upon hearing she was to travel alone, he offered to escort her himself."
"An Aura Master volunteering to escort? Then that means the trouble occurred at their destination?"
"Precisely."
And as he let out a heavy sigh and continued, I found myself furrowing my brow.
"The problem is that their travel destination was the Prius Republic, where tensions with the Bringham Empire have risen so high that war could break out at any moment."
What kind of novel act of suicide was this?
Only then could I understand why Count Acres, an Aura Master, had offered to escort her.
"You may not know this, but Michelle Otis Young Lady was a fervent fan of Grand Duke Lucas and someone who seriously devoted herself to seeking Opportunity. And this time, an Opportunity was discovered in the Prius Republic, was it not? Unable to accept that fact, she reportedly made an impulsive plan to travel."
However, having heard the Crown Prince's words to the end, I could only wear a blank expression...
'This kind of feels like my fault?'
Because it would not be an exaggeration to say that I was the one who caused this whole incident.