Chapter 36: Interlude Part 2

I was having trouble figuring out how to use the Pig Cult Leader, but I think I can use Nora for that.

I looked at Nora with a sly smile.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll give you the Cult Leader. Just make sure he doesn’t die.”

“Really?”

She seemed quite pleased.

“Yeah. And I’ll find a place for you to stay.”

“Yep!”

Some time later, the room where the Cult Leader was sprawled out sleeping echoed with filthy sounds, drenched in lust.

I was curious about how exactly she was absorbing his energy, but I decided to hold back.

I had a feeling I’d see something unpleasant, like a naked body or worse.

“Miss, if you’re curious, I can have the guild members show you,” Claire said, as if reading my mind.

‘How?’

I was genuinely curious, but considering that this was an assassination guild, who knows what kind of strange spectacle they’d come up with.

Maybe they’d really stage a scene where a succubus drains the energy from some poor innocent man.

Nora might be of some use after all.

“No, I’d rather not.”

“That’s a shame. The lady of the house believes it’s good to receive sex education, even though a succubus may have a lowly body.”

“No matter how you spin it, no one expects live demonstrations for that sort of thing.”

***

After a while, Nora, who had drained the Cult Leader’s energy while he slept, was glowing.

“Thank you! It’s been so long since I’ve had a feast!”

“Is that so?”

If she was this grateful just for replenishing her energy, I might as well be the manager of some succubus harem.

“Um, could I stay here for good?”

“Here?”

‘Is she serious right now?’

“If I can feed off the Cult Leader now and then, I’ll have a steady supply of energy!”

“Hmm. That might not be a bad idea.”

Considering how troublesome the Cult Leader is, it might actually work out well.

Plus, if I play my cards right, I can use the succubus to blackmail him.

‘This could work perfectly.’

After all, if the Church isn’t recognized by the Kingdom, it’s impossible for the Empire’s church to become the true Goddess Church.

A succubus being part of this arrangement shouldn’t be an issue.

“I’ll behave! If I absorb energy from anyone other than the Cult Leader, you can kill me!”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes! Thanks to that wretched Lily, I’ve learned to control my energy intake!”

‘If she listens well, I might let her stay.’

“Alright, then bark like a dog.”

At my command, she flattened herself onto the floor and—

“Woof!”

She rolled over onto her back, barking like a dog.

“Nice. I like it.”

“Alright.”

I decided to let it slide this time.

We dyed her hair and took her in as a church nun.

The condition was that if she absorbed energy without permission, she’d be executed on the spot.

Besides, this woman wasn’t going to escape from the Empire anyway.

After settling things with Nora, the Cult Leader appeared shortly after, his face gleaming.

He looked like a greasy pig.

“Ahem. Ahem. Olivia, Saintess.”

“How are you, Cult Leader?”

“Did you, uh, hear anything?”

“Oh, I heard plenty of pig squealing, alright.”

But even I had once been a man, so I understood these things.

It was better to act like I hadn’t heard anything.

“I just got here, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Ah, right. You stayed at the dorms in Atlerina as a student, didn’t you?”

It had been quite a while since I arrived at the church, but I decided to let it slide.

The Cult Leader messing around with a succubus? How embarrassing.

“By the way, did you summon me early in the morning for a specific reason?”

“Yes. You handled that matter with the family well. It must have been difficult since it involved your kin.”

“I have to go through the formal procedures regarding Lily.”

“Well, the position of Saintess takes precedence over my family’s reputation.”

“Not that this will bring down Ashtar. The central nobility was the real victim here.”

Most of the central nobility had been crushed.

The lands of the Ashtar family were massive, and they governed a large population.

Even the few nobles who weren’t ensnared by Lily’s schemes couldn’t ignore the family’s power.

The empty seats of the fallen nobles would simply be filled by new people.

‘Now that I think about it, considering the way I handled things, I might have to prepare for a slap in the face from the Duke of Ashtar.’

“Yes, indeed. You’ve done a fine job as the Saintess. If not for you, that wicked woman could have ruined the Empire.”

The Pig Cult Leader tapped my shoulder as he spoke.

‘Well, he’s not wrong.’

If it weren’t for me, the capital would have been tainted by Lily, and the regional warlords would have tried to declare independence.

It would have been the Warring States period all over again.

‘Too extreme?’

The regional warlord families wouldn’t let themselves be led by a decaying capital’s council, all because of some woman.

That said, there’s still the matter of what to do with Lily.

The formal torture and interrogation procedures have likely been completed, and she’ll be sent to the Ashtar family.

“Yes, that’s true. But what will happen to Lily?”

“Since she made a pact with a monster, the military will handle it.”

‘This has really escalated.’

“Military? Does that mean a court-martial?”

“That’s what it looks like.”

“But isn’t she usually sent to a convent?”

Even if someone commits a crime deserving death, they’re usually sent to a convent.

Though there have been cases where people were killed, it depends on the situation.

Ashtar might force her to commit suicide, but if it goes to a court-martial, they might go all the way with a public execution.

“Well, it’s Ashtar. Normally, you’d be right. But since many nobles are involved, they had no choice. The commoners are furious. If they don’t handle it properly, it could lead to a revolt, so they passed it to the military.”

“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.”

This throws a wrench in my plan to keep her alive and torment her for a long time.

“But since she’s your kin…”

“It’s not about that. I wanted to keep her alive to humiliate her further, but this… is disappointing.”

“The real question is how Ashtar will react.”

“Since monsters are involved, the Duke’s family won’t take this lightly.”

“The court-martial leading to execution isn’t ideal.”

“Shouldn’t Ashtar execute her themselves, if anyone?”

“That’s not it.”

“But Rokton, the next family head, is here, so there will be discussions.”

“Rokton?”

Rokton is Olivia’s older brother—so he’s my brother too, now.

I don’t know what he’s like, but even if he was under a spell, that’s been lifted, and things don’t look good for Lily.

“How unfortunate.”

“Oh, by the way, I’ll be heading to the Holy Nation soon.”

“To the Holy Nation?”

“What? Why?”

At my question, he beamed with a grin that didn’t suit him.

“I’ll talk to the Pope about you and push for the Empire to officially recognize the Goddess Church.”

‘Huh. This guy’s serious about that, even after being drained dry by a succubus?’

‘If I send him, I should make sure he stays there a while. It’d make things easier if the Cult Leader was out of the way while I rebuild the church.’

Claire, reading my thoughts, smiled at me.

“Ah, I’ll make sure you have a comfortable journey. Right, Claire?”

“Yes. If it’s for the Lord, the Ashtar knights will be dispatched.”

“As expected of Ashtar. Well then, I’ll prepare for my departure.”

The Cult Leader’s smile looked as if he already believed the Empire’s Goddess Church would be officially recognized.

But that was a separate issue.

Watching his excited figure leave the church, I smiled slyly.

“He has no idea.”

“He’s gone.”

“Indeed, he is.”

“Though it’ll likely all be for nothing.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“If you call it a waste of time.”

“Do you know what kind of country the Holy Nation is? They’ll probably think this was all staged to bring down corrupt nobles.”

“I know the Pope well enough. That man will never recognize the Empire’s Goddess Church and the Cult Leader will just waste his time while he’s there.”

“He’ll go to the Holy Nation with high hopes, only to have everything fall apart. He’ll probably throw a fit at the Pope when things don’t go his way.”

“Which means, this is the perfect opportunity.”

“I suppose we should recruit a few nuns from the Assassination Guild.”

After all, a drop of water in a pond creates ripples.

If we bring in skilled individuals from the Assassination Guild as nuns or priests, it could change things.

Currently, the Empire’s Goddess Church isn’t recognized by the royal family, so no official priests have been appointed.

Instead, the Cult Leader expanded the Church’s influence by focusing on recruiting priests rather than official clergy.

“What do you mean?”

“We need to fix the nuns first. From my experience, even nuns should know how to handle weapons.

If the Goddess Church isn’t going to be recognized anyway, we might as well take a more aggressive approach, don’t you think?”

It could be amusing to turn all the nuns into Inquisitors.

“I understand. I’ll bring in some skilled ones as nuns.”

“Yes.”

By the time the Cult Leader returns, the church will be full of inquisitors wielding clubs.

Women who cover themselves in the bones and flesh of monsters like orcs and goblins, all in the name of the Goddess.

“Oh, and by the way…”

“Do you have something else to say?”

“The next family head requested to see you, so he asked me to arrange a time.”

“I suppose he wouldn’t pass up the chance to meet me, especially with the military tribunal going on.”

It might not be a bad idea to meet this brother of mine and discuss church matters.

***

Rokton Rapha Ashtar, the next head of the great Ashtar family that rules the eastern lands of the Empire, was meeting with the military officers presiding over the tribunal in the capital.

Half of the officers were from the Ashtar territory and were highly educated elite officers who had served the family for years.

“Is there any way to remove Lily from this military tribunal?”

“That would be difficult, my lord,” the officers said, though they clearly wished they could help.

But this time, it wasn’t going to be easy.

“And why is that? I’m suggesting sending her to a convent.”

For a noblewoman, being sent to a convent was a disgrace.

She wouldn’t be entering one of the Empire’s churches, so the treatment wouldn’t be favorable.

And since word had already spread, it was clear she would be ostracized even at the convent.

In most cases, she wouldn’t be able to return to the family, and she’d have to live the rest of her life secluded from the world.

“You’ve been at the estate, so you might not be aware of the situation in the capital. Things have gotten much worse than expected.”

Indeed, since graduating from Atlerina, Rokton had only been trained at the estate as the heir.

He wasn’t well-versed in the capital’s current state.

“What do you mean?”

“Before long, the commoners will rise in revolt, mobilizing even adventurers.”

Now that he mentioned it, Rokton had noticed groups of people gathered in the streets on his way to meet the officers.

There were clear signs of unrest, the people on the verge of rioting.

The fact that nobles had been seduced by a succubus was nothing short of shocking.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. It’s all because of Lily Rapha Ashtar.”

‘We should never have brought her into the family.’

Though they had no choice because of her bloodline, there were always doubts about her.

“What will happen to her in the military tribunal?”

“She likely won’t escape execution. Even if it was an act of foolishness, the consequences are threatening the entire Empire.”

“Hmm.”

That’s the logical outcome.

Not even the Ashtar family could save Lily if it meant bringing dishonor upon themselves.

She had caused disgrace not only among the nobles but also to the family itself.

“Even if we defend her, it won’t reflect well on the Ashtar family.”

“Still, despite the severity of her crimes, how can we allow someone of Ashtar blood to be executed by a military tribunal?”

And this wasn’t even wartime.

The military had already declared the Demon Lord dead, and the Empire was no longer in a state of war.

There were only occasional skirmishes with the remaining Demon Lord’s forces.

“Then do you have any alternative?”

“Send her to a convent.”

The conversation had come full circle.

“Isn’t sending her to a convent the same as the start? As military legal officers, we can’t just extract her from her sentence.”

“I understand the grace of the Ashtar family, but this woman… This is not the right choice for Ashtar either.”

“Who doesn’t know that?”

The idea of an Ashtar noblewoman being executed in a military tribunal was unthinkable.

It went against the family’s traditions.

But there was another option.

‘This plan was meant for if she refused the convent.’

Though knowing Lily’s personality, it’s unlikely she’d choose the convent willingly.

In that case, it might be better to deal with her cleanly.

“There is an order from the head of the family.”

“And what is that?”

“We are sending her to the convent. But beyond that, it doesn’t matter what happens. Ashtar will handle Lily in its own way.”

“That’s the best course for now.”

“Understood.”

“Lily won’t survive this. Once word spreads that she’s dead, the commoners’ anger will subside.”

“Just as nobles understand commoners, commoners know the ways of the nobility. Especially when it comes to Ashtar, the situation changes.”

“Initially, there may be unrest if she’s spared, but when the Imperial newspapers report her death, things will settle.”

“Hmm.”

“After all, even though she nearly ruined the Empire, she’s still just an Atlerina student. There’s no precedent in Imperial history for a student to be tried in a military court.”

“True.”

“It was a logical solution. Once the people learned of Lily’s death, the public outcry would fade.”

“That makes sense.”

“But we’ve already passed the point of no return. At least by handling it within the family, we are keeping things under control,” Rokton concluded.

The officers agreed it was a reasonable approach.

“Indeed. This is a time when only demons are being tried, not noble heiresses.”

“Exactly. If things go smoothly, I’ll make sure the military isn’t left out. And if anything goes wrong, I’ll find important positions for you in the estate.”

With that, Rokton secured the officers’ cooperation to have Lily handed over from the military tribunal.

“Are you returning to the estate, my lord?”

“I must see my troublesome little sister.”

“Sister Olivia, the Saintess. I’ve only heard about her since she went to Atlerina. I suppose it’s time I finally meet her.”