Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 239
============================================================
Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Episode 239
53. Not Just Anyone Can Be a Villain (2)
It goes without saying, but just because the Holy Son's image falls doesn't mean he gets kicked out of his position.
However, since the church as an organization lives off the faith of its believers, this was not something that could be ignored.
If donations decreased due to the Holy Son's reckless behavior, the various projects carried out by the church would inevitably be affected.
Because of this, it's said that public opinion within the church demanding the Holy Son reflect on his actions is strong.
The problem is that the Holy Son himself doesn't pay much mind to such reactions.
Some people whispered about this Jihad, wondering if the goddess's choice had been a mistake.
Asking whether the Holy Son was allowed to be so emotional.
But what must not be forgotten is that the reason Jihad is angry is because he judged that I was obstructing the goddess's decision.
'In other words, it means that it's not Ibril but the Holy Son Jihad who has greater loyalty to the goddess.'
Looked at that way, the goddess's choice wasn't wrong.
Rather, it could be seen as Saintess Ibril, who sniped at such a Holy Son, having gone astray as a priest following the goddess.
Saying that the Jihad chosen by the goddess lacks the qualifications of a Holy Son could, depending on interpretation, be seen as distrusting the goddess.
But what's funny is that even within the church, almost no one complains about that Saintess.
Rather, they pointed out the Holy Son's recklessness.
In any case, since the momentum has shifted to this side, what remains now is to seize the opportunity and crush the Holy Son.
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
At Marquis Sylvester's (former Saintess) question, I shook my head as if it were nothing.
Then I straightened my expression seriously and asked her.
"But are you really okay with this?"
"With what?"
"Following me in preparing for the disaster the goddess will bring about. The current Holy Son said that even if a disaster occurs, if it's the goddess's will, it must be accepted."
At that, Marquis Sylvester's brow furrowed.
"That seems like too distorted a way of thinking. Interpreting it as the goddess entrusting the aftermath to us would be more forward-looking."
That was something I wholeheartedly agreed with.
As expected, even people from the same church leadership backgrounds can't all share the same disposition.
The saving grace is that both the former Holy Son and Saintess are people one can reason with.
A way of thinking like the current Holy Son's extremism might be able to tightly unite the church, but it will be people with flexible thinking like these two who benefit the world.
"Your Highness, Grand Duke Lawrence."
Duke Avis (former Holy Son), who had been nodding subtly in support of the Saintess's words from the side, called out to me.
As I turned my gaze, I could see someone quickly approaching through the crowd in the Duchy of Lawrence's party hall, prepared to celebrate the founding of the Rondel Peace Organization.
He was a knight in a black uniform Gregory.
Normally, he would have appeared like a ghost right beside me, but perhaps because there were so many distinguished guests, he seemed to avoid any entrances that would startle those around.
With him now working alongside Count Elfried of the Bringham Empire as part of the chairmanship's support staff, he would be busier than ever so for him to show up in person like this meant something had gone wrong.
Because of that, I hardened my expression.
"What's the matter?"
"The liege lord's guests who had gone out on an outing have been arrested by the Holy Knights."
At the words that came from his mouth, I had no choice but to look bewildered.
The guests Gregory mentioned would have to mean Kang Mi-hee and her group.
And they had been taken by the Holy Knights?
"What do you mean?"
The former Saintess and Holy Son who were with me showed the same reaction.
Arresting my people without notice was nothing more or less than a complete act of provocation.
'Has he lost his mind?'
The culprit was, of course, the Holy Son.
If the Saintess was the figure who oversaw the church's priests, then the Holy Son was the figure who oversaw the church's military force.
"I want to hit the Holy Son."
At my remark, the faces of the former Holy Son and Saintess turned ambiguous.
No matter how much the Holy Son was running amok, this was an utterly absurd thing to say.
But the follow-up remark from Marquis Sylvester was unexpected.
"As long as it's not exposed to the outside, wouldn't it be fine?"
Her words were tantamount to saying the two of them should settle it quietly.
Originally, I had only intended to crush them politically and hadn't considered using direct physical force, but Marquis Sylvester's advice changed my mind.
* * *
As if they had nearly died, Kang Min-hee and her unit members, who had been enjoying every luxury under the Duchy of Lawrence's rule during an unexpected vacation, found themselves thrown into great confusion by a crisis that struck without warning.
"I ask you this. Are you from Earth?"
A man who questioned them arrogantly, accompanied by Knights.
Since they had the translation artifact provided by Adrian, they were able to understand his question.
Fortunately, all of them were soldiers from a trained special forces unit.
Everyone instinctively realized that if they said anything careless given the situation and the man's attitude, things could escalate badly.
So even in response to his question, they kept their mouths shut and avoided answering.
At that, the Knights pressed them harder, radiating an ominous aura.
"How dare you remain silent before His Excellency the Holy Son!?"
By the time a week had passed staying in Rondel, they had roughly grasped how the world worked.
When they learned that the man before them was among the very pinnacle of those who served the goddess, their eyes went wide.
Seeing their reaction, the Holy Son smirked and continued.
"If you cooperate with me, I will put my efforts toward helping you return to Earth."
And at the mention of returning to Earth, the eyes of Kang Min-hee and her unit members wavered.
But even if they followed his words, there was no guarantee they would be able to go home.
In the first place, no matter that he was the Holy Son, they weren't foolish enough not to realize he wasn't approaching them with goodwill.
"We are guests of the Duchy of Lawrence."
So Kang Min-hee said that to the Holy Son, as if in protest.
This world was one of social status.
Moreover, they were well aware that Adrian's name carried enormous weight in such a society.
That made sense, since he was someone who appeared nonstop on the news whenever you turned on a TV in Rondel.
Kang Min-hee cautiously speculated that this situation had arisen from a power struggle.
But her words were inappropriate.
At least, in front of the Holy Son they were.
"Grand Duke Lawrence. Grand Duke Lawrence. Yes, a great figure indeed. But to me, that name is nothing but heresy."
Adrian's name was like a trigger button for him.
The smile vanished from Jihad the Holy Son's face.
-Thunk!
His hand roughly seized Kang Min-hee's shoulder.
His grip was so strong that it felt like her shoulder was caught in a steel press.
The Holy Son was a Holy Knight of Grandmaster level.
He was someone who could bend steel with his bare hands.
"Kh!"
-Crack!
In the end, her shoulder collapsed helplessly.
Kang Min-hee felt like she would lose her mind from the tremendous pain, unlike anything she had ever felt in her life.
To crush a shoulder with a grip that didn't even seem to use much force the man before her looked like a monster.
But she gritted her teeth and endured.
"Ah, sorry. I made a mistake."
The Holy Son offered a belated apology, but showed no sign of remorse whatsoever.
Along with the apology, his hand grabbed the hair at the back of her head, and it seemed he would crush her skull outright.
"But I hope you remember this. The church is utterly cold toward those branded as heretics..."
Facing his cold demeanor, Kang Min-hee thought she might die today.
But perhaps heaven hadn't abandoned them.
Because at that moment, the door to the interrogation room burst open urgently, and a stunningly beautiful woman swept in with the hem of her white robe billowing.
"Jihad the Holy Son. Have you truly lost your mind?"
The woman who had barged in hurled unflinching words at the Holy Son, the pinnacle of the church.
What was unexpected, though, was that the Holy Knights who had been radiating a menacing aura just moments ago now looked at a loss for what to do in her presence.
Her identity was soon revealed through the Holy Son's mouth.
"I don't know why the Saintess is so worked up. These women are suspected to be people who came over from Earth. Isn't it only natural to interrogate them? To find out for what purpose they came to Rondel, and whether they might be a force trying to obstruct the goddess Sepia."
The Saintess.
A noble figure who, along with the Holy Son, divided the church's power in two.
Kang Min-hee, tears trickling from her shattered shoulder, had to strain her ears at the Saintess's arrival.
She didn't know for sure, but she instinctively sensed that their safety depended on this woman.
"So you abduct the Grand Duke Lawrence's guest and then have the nerve to say that? The moment Grand Duke Lawrence founded the Rondel Peace Organization and the former Holy Son and Saintess joined it, your actions lost all legitimacy."
The Saintess traded sharp words with the Holy Son, then noticed Kang Min-hee's injury and used healing magic on her.
Thanks to that, her shoulder, which had been wracked with pain as if sliced by a knife, was completely healed.
"Is there any need to bring up the former Holy Son and Saintess? Isn't it simply that Saintess Ibril finds my actions irksome because they interfere with your beloved Grand Duke Lawrence?"
One would expect such an out-of-place romantic plea to be embarrassing, but Saintess Ibril instead let out a derisive laugh and mocked him.
"Well, that's not entirely wrong. But setting aside my personal feelings, your rampage has crossed the line of normalcy. You'll face the backlash sooner or later."
She admitted a line that could easily have been dismissed as nonsense all too readily.
At that, Kang Min-hee and her squad members, who had been under Adrian's care, had to swallow dryly at the scene reminiscent of a drama, regardless of the severity of their situation.
A Saintess harboring feelings for Adrian, a married man.
Given his handsome looks, it might be only natural that he'd make several women weep, but Kang Min-hee, who had been projecting her cousin onto Adrian, couldn't help but wear a peculiar expression.
"Backlash? Hahaha, against me, the Holy Son?"
Holy Son Jihad did not believe for a second that anything could happen to his person.
That was only natural.
Who would dare attack the Holy Son, who held absolute influence over Rondel?
But the Saintess shook her head at his confidence, looking utterly dumbfounded.
"You pick a fight with someone without knowing a thing about their nature."
"What?"
"This is why not just anyone can be a villain."
"Are you insulting me right now?"
The Holy Son flared up.
Her words were fundamentally laced with an attitude of contempt.
But...
What happened next proved her words were one hundred percent correct.
-Ziiiiing!
A blue door suddenly appeared in the center of the interrogation room, and then...
"W-what?"
"It's me, you son of a bitch."
Because Adrian emerged from it.
The Holy Son was caught off guard by Adrian's appearance, accompanied by a shameless string of curses.
After all, the church headquarters was fundamentally warded with Spatial Teleportation Interference Magic.
"What, you think a 9th-circle can't break that one little 7th-circle spell?"
And as if he could read the Holy Son's every thought, he strode toward him without hesitation.
Naturally, the Holy Knights who were supposed to protect the Holy Son tried to stop Adrian.
-Pwit!
"Huh?"
The same doors that had appeared when Adrian arrived materialized beneath the Holy Knights' feet, teleporting them somewhere.
And so, the only ones left in the interrogation room were Adrian, the Holy Son, the Saintess, and Kang Min-hee's squad.
Kang Min-hee felt relief at having survived, but she could hardly make sense of what was unfolding.
"W-what is...?"
Whack!
The king of a duchy that was a vassal state of the Empire had started beating up the Holy Son of a massive religion that spanned the world.
In Earth terms, it was like a nation's President storming into the Vatican and immediately beating up the Pope.
No, unlike Earth, Rondel had a single religion, so it could be considered even worse.
It was satisfying to watch, but she couldn't understand how this would ever be cleaned up.
"H-how dare you lay a hand on the Holy Son...!"
"Congratulations. You've become the first person to ever be beaten up by a 9th-circle Grand Mage."
The Holy Son was a Master-class powerhouse.
But he was no match for Adrian, who mixed magic into his punches with ease.
And so, the Holy Son, who had abused his power to pressure one person, was beaten like a dog on a hot day.
* * *
The world to which Rondel belonged was home to countless demon and Heavenly Tribe beings.
However, these races, having brutally destroyed Rondel in the Mythic Era, were ultimately exiled if it could be called exile to other planets by the goddess.
The Heavenly Tribe's planet at least fared better, but the demon race's planet was barren beyond measure.
Thanks to that, for the demon race, the prosperous Rondel became both a homeland to return to and a long-cherished land they had to claim.
But due to the constraints the goddess had placed, it wasn't easy for the demon race to reach Rondel, and even after spending much time and effort to descend, they were repeatedly stopped by dragons.
For such demons, the current anomalies occurring in Rondel were a matter of the utmost interest.
It was because the goddess's mind was elsewhere, and due to the interference phenomenon between Earth and Rondel, the boundary surrounding the exiled demon race's land was weakening.
"If we cooperate now, wouldn't a self-made descent be possible?"
At that moment, one Demon King stepped forward.
'Arc Scarlet,' who was called the Crimson Demon King in Rondel, the so-called middle realm, and had built a fearsome reputation.
She gathered the Demon Kings, who had been competing over their own territories, in one place and requested cooperation for the first and last time.
A rational meeting didn't suit the peculiar nature of Demon Kings, but none could deny that this was the greatest chance to escape the demonic realm.
"If we send just one person, it might be possible somehow."
And a miracle occurred the Demon Kings reached a consensus.
"The only question is who will take charge of this plan."
But the demon race as a whole was a people bound together by greed.
The word 'concession' did not exist in their dictionary.
Arc Scarlet, who had first proposed this, spoke her opinion.
"Wouldn't it be best for the strongest one to go down?"
An extremely reasonable opinion.
As a result, a brawl broke out among the Demon Kings over the right to descend.
The result...
"As expected, I'm the one fit for it."
The proposer, Arc Scarlet, became the final victor and seized the chance to descend.
But since the demon race was the farthest thing from trust and faith, various schemes ran rampant even during the descent process.
By the time Arc Scarlet descended, the worst situation had occurred she lost most of her original power.
Thanks to her weakened power, the Holy See failed to detect the Demon King's descent....
"What are you?"
She ended up helpless even before a young dragon she could normally swallow in one bite.
1,200 years ago, the worst Demon King who had plunged Rondel into terror, Arc Scarlet.
Captured by the Black Dragon Brangish.