Cult Support
Several days later.
“Hmm…”
Leje let out a low groan as she looked out the window at the streets of the Royal Capital passing by.
“What’s on your mind?”
“It’s not really a worry…”
At Rudell's following question, she replied in a voice clearly tinged with discomfort.
It wasn't something he couldn't understand.
The person they were going to meet was the highest-ranking individual in this Kingdom.
It was none other than a member of the royal family.
No matter that she was a princess of a Dukedom, she had no choice but to bow her head before royalty of a higher rank than herself.
As such, it was only natural for her to show signs of discomfort.
“I told you to just stay at the academy.”
“No way. I’m worried about sending you alone.”
“So what exactly are you worried about?”
After the incident in the slums, Rudell had been invited by Jade and visited the castle with Cayley.
After talking about his identity and giving a brief report on the incident, Rudell had returned…
[Why did you go alone without telling me!? Next time, I'm going with you, so you know!]
That’s how it had become.
Meanwhile, the carriage carrying the two began to gradually slow down.
Before long, the carriage stopped, and Rudell and Leje got out, escorted by Rudell's escort.
In front of them was a shabby tavern.
Noisy sounds could be heard from inside, as if it was full of people drinking even in the middle of the day.
“Are you sure this is the right place? No matter how I look at it, it just looks like an ordinary tavern.”
“Well, I’m sure Her Highness has her reasons.”
Looking at Leje, who narrowed her eyes in disbelief, Rudell nodded.
Of course. Rudell already knew the identity of this tavern.
It was a base and hideout used by Jade’s informants.
That was the true nature of this tavern.
In the original story, it had been cleaned up along with Jade when she was assassinated, so its significance was close to zero.
But now, since Rudell had prevented the assassination attempt on Jade, it was a facility that was operating perfectly.
The two slowly moved their steps, opened the old door, and went inside…
-Crash!!
“…”
A glass flew past the door and shattered with a sharp sound, scattering shards across the floor.
“Oops, I’m so sorry! My hand slipped…!!”
“…”
A man at a table a little further away apologized with a silly grin.
However, Leje’s expression was crumpling in real time.
Considering her status, it wouldn't be strange if she rushed to execute him on the spot.
“Leje, don’t mind it, let’s go.”
Of course, if that happened, it would be troublesome for them.
They might look like drunks on the surface, but everyone there was one of Jade’s informants.
Taking Leje, who looked displeased, Rudell approached the nearby counter.
“Welcome~ What can I get for you~?”
“Orange juice.”
A bored-looking employee asked, and Rudell replied, handing the clerk a gold coin.
“We don’t handle that kind of thing.”
“Which room should I go to?”
“Go to room 302.”
As instructed beforehand, Rudell spoke the code, and the clerk put a numbered key on the counter.
With a faint smile, Rudell picked up the key and headed upstairs with Leje.
Creaking sounds came from the old stairs as the two reached the third floor…
“Let’s see… 302… 302… Ah. Here it is.”
Rudell, checking the number on the door, stopped in front of the door marked 302 and inserted the key into the keyhole.
Click. With the sound, the door opened, and Rudell carefully pushed the handle.
At the same time, what appeared before his eyes was a long corridor and fifteen knights positioned on either side of it.
“It’s been a while, Young Master Rudellheit Weinstein. Lady Leje El Ragrind.”
And it was Ferris, the Princess’s escort knight.
“It’s been a while, Sir Ferris.”
“It’s been a while.”
Greeting Ferris, who bowed his head, Rudell took out a small seal from his pocket.
It was the seal Jade had given him.
It acted as a kind of access pass.
“Her Highness is waiting inside.”
Ferris stepped aside after seeing the seal, and the two walked down the hallway.
Rudell, arriving at the end of the hallway, carefully reached for the handle and opened the door…
“Welcome, Young Master Weinstein. And Lady Lagrind.”
Along with the bright light, it was none other than Jade who was waiting for them beyond the door.
* * *
Beyond the door, the atmosphere was so different that it made one wonder if it was the same building.
Warm sunlight streamed in through the windows, and the room maintained a comfortable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold.
The walls and floor were made of marble, creating a luxurious atmosphere at a glance, and gentle music flowed from a magic tool in one corner of the room.
And in the midst of it all, Jade sat at a table, sipping tea.
“We greet Her Highness.”
Almost simultaneously, Rudell and Leje knelt.
Jade nodded lightly, accepting their greeting, and the two rose and headed to the table.
“Welcome, Thorn Carpenter.”
“Would you please stop calling me by that nickname…”
Rudell said in a hesitant voice, looking at Jade, who spoke with a faint smile.
After revealing his identity as the Thorn Carpenter, Jade had taken to calling him that.
From Rudell’s perspective, every time she did, his face felt like it was on fire, but there was nothing he could do about it.
There was a vast difference in status between him, who had just become the Young Master of a Count family, and her, born a Princess.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you too, Lady Lagrind. Have you been well?”
“Yes, has Your Highness been well?”
“I’ve been well. Although I’ve had a lot more to worry about recently.”
Indeed, her face was clearly marked with fatigue.
It was only natural, as the King’s condition was worsening day by day.
This meant that she had to prepare to succeed the Kingdom soon.
At the same time, she had to deal with the worst enemy, the Death Eater Cult, so it was clear that even ten bodies wouldn’t be enough for her.
“What is the situation in the Royal Capital like recently?”
“It’s been quiet. I haven’t seen any trace of them.”
After the incident in the slums, the Kingdom launched a massive search for the Cult.
Countless people were arrested, and several nobles who were found to have collaborated with the Cult were arrested for treason, becoming slaves or facing execution.
They might not have been completely eradicated, but it was true that their activities had been greatly hampered by this incident.
“That’s a relief.”
“But we can’t let our guard down.”
Rudell said to Jade, as the time for an event that occurred in the original story was approaching.
That event was the final exams.
It was an incident where the Cult, judging the protagonists to be obstacles to their plans, mobilized a large force to attack them.
If things went according to the original story, there wouldn’t be much to worry about, but the problem was that this world already had quite a few differences from the original story that Rudell knew.
Starting with Rudell’s own existence, Leje’s personality, the attack on the Lagrind Dukedom, the attempted assassination of Jade, and so on…
Since the timeline had already diverged to some extent, expecting future events to unfold according to the original story was a highly dangerous expectation.
“I think I have some good news for you on that front.”
“Good news?”
Just then, Jade, who had been listening to Rudell, put down her teacup and spoke.
Had there been any events that would warrant her saying such a thing at this point?
Rudell pondered, retracing his memories, but he couldn’t recall any event that would make her say that at this point in time.
“Several members of the Cult have expressed their willingness to cooperate.”
“From the Cult?”
Rudell’s eyes widened at those words.
In the original story, the Cults of each god were fragmented due to spies hidden within them.
There were even cases where the head priest of a Cult was a spy, so the state of the Cults went without saying…
“Yes. It seems that their forces had infiltrated each of the Cults. I hear there were inquisitions in each Cult…”
“Inquisitions… you say.”
At those words, Rudell let out a low groan.
Inquisition.
It was a word that anyone with normal thinking would be wary of.
Confined by priests with devout faith within the Cults, which could be considered fundamentally fanatic, and subjected to thorough verification and interrogation for dozens of days.
It was terrifying enough to turn even an ordinary person into a wreck.
In fact, even the protagonists suffered from the aftereffects for a while after being subjected to the Cult’s inquisition due to their schemes.
“So, how did they say they would cooperate?”
“They said they would dispatch a priest.”
“One priest?”
Not the support of the Holy Knights, but just one priest?
Rudell couldn’t help but look bewildered at the completely unexpected scale of support.
And Jade, watching him, let out a chuckle and said,
“You’ll see when you meet.”
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