The Bastard Swordsman Of The Imperial Guard [EN]: Chapter 140

The Second Princess, Grand Duke, and the Rein Knights.

Raelle explained the entire plan to those who would be his greatest strength.

‘This should be enough.’

In the end, the important ones were Raelle and Cecilia.

Raelle approached Cecilia, the Saintess, who would be his strength in this meeting.

“Greetings, Hero! No, the Hero of Exorcism!”

“…You’re working hard. Where is the Saintess?”

“She is in the reception room inside.”

Inside the hall, reception rooms for the nobles were arranged throughout.

Raelle greeted the holy knight from the Gaia Order and entered the reception room where the Saintess was waiting.

“Saintess, have you been waiting long?”

Raelle closed the door of the reception room and looked at Cecilia.

“Raelle…”

Cecilia, who had been praying in the reception room, stood up as she saw Raelle.

She looked much more gaunt than during the attack by the Demonic Cult, even though it had only been a few days.

“Is your memory intact?”

Raelle surrounded the area with magical power to prevent any sound from leaking out, then met Cecilia’s eyes.

She slowly nodded.

“Yes. I remember everything… everything I said to Raelle, everything Raelle did for me… I remember it all.”

Cecilia had been retracing her memories for the past few days.

She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when her memories became confused, but she knew that something was wrong with her.

It seemed her mind had been gradually corrupted.

“If your memory is intact, the conversation will be quick. Saintess, no, Cecilia. The current Empire is in danger.”

“…”

“Cecilia was brainwashed. Your memory must have been confused from the thanksgiving prayer before the Saintess appointment ceremony, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

Cecilia nodded.

Her consciousness had been distorted precisely from the thanksgiving prayer.

She had uttered thoughts she had never had before, and all those memories remained vivid.

“It must be most confusing for Cecilia… but I need Cecilia’s help now. Just as the Pope interfered with Cecilia, the Commander of the Carmen Knights is targeting me.”

“The Commander of the Carmen Knights…?”

“Gideon Garcia. I need Cecilia’s help to survive him.”

Raelle trusted Saintess Cecilia.

Her help was needed to bring down Gideon in this place.

Just the fact that the Saintess and the Hero were pointing at one person would raise credibility to an unbelievable level.

“Raelle, I… I don’t know why the Pope did this to me. The fact that the Commander of the Carmen Knights is targeting Raelle… it’s all so sudden for me.”

“Cecilia, I will uncover all the reasons. Please lend me your strength.”

“…How can Raelle be so calm?”

Cecilia pressed her trembling heart with her right hand.

The Pope, the highest clergyman of the Gaia Order, was targeting her.

And the Commander of the Carmen Knights, the best knight in the Empire, was targeting Raelle.

Cecilia couldn’t grasp this sudden change.

She simply couldn’t understand why His Holiness the Pope would do such a thing.

“I understand that Cecilia is confused. But, I have something important. No matter what… I have to protect my home, the orphanage.”

Raelle could be confident when it came to his goal.

Orphanage.

All of Raelle’s actions were based on protecting the orphanage.

Even if the opponent was the best knight in the Empire or the Pope of the Gaia Order.

From the moment he single-handedly cleared District 4, none of that mattered.

Raelle would do anything to achieve his goal.

“Ah…”

Cecilia looked into Raelle’s eyes and nodded without realizing it.

[Chapter 10, Verse 2 of the Order’s Teachings. A follower shall not ignore a lamb in need of help.]

Raelle never ignored the lambs who needed his help.

He was, at least in Cecilia’s eyes, the closest person to Gaia.

“If that’s what Raelle wants… I will follow.”

Cecilia trusted Raelle.

Even if the world deceived her, she could trust that he would protect his home.

“During the meeting shortly, I and Cecilia will say that we received a revelation.”

“…A revelation? Are you talking about the revelation that found the cultists hidden in the Vanessa Kingdom delegation? But unlike Raelle, I didn’t hear anything…”

“It’s okay. We’re just going to insist that we received a revelation.”

“Pardon?!”

“It’s something we’ve used once before, but it’s possible with Cecilia’s help. The opponents are the Empire and the Order. Now is not the time to be picky.”

There was no more time to waste.

Gideon Garcia. He didn’t know what that crazy knight commander would do.

“…Yes. I understand. Raelle.”

Cecilia slowly nodded.

Even when she was brainwashed, Raelle didn’t give up on Cecilia.

She had to repay that favor.

“Raelle… are you planning to bring down Sir Gideon by saying you received a revelation?”

“I’m not just going to solve it with a revelation. I’ve already gathered evidence. The Saintess’s revelation is just a pretext.”

“But… there’s something I’m worried about. I heard that His Holiness the Pope will also be participating in today’s meeting.”

“The Pope?”

Raelle narrowed his eyes.

The Pope, the representative of the Gaia Order, does not normally participate in such meetings.

Even if it was a war with the demons, it was a place where countries met.

It would be different if everything was decided, but it was too early for a clergyman to show up now.

‘Perhaps it could be a variable.’

Raelle couldn’t yet know the Pope’s intentions.

Considering the brainwashing he had done to Cecilia, he was suspicious, but he couldn’t be sure whether he was on his side or not.

“But… you don’t have to worry too much. His Holiness the Pope trusts Raelle.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. He thinks Raelle is a very devout hero.”

Cecilia recalled the Pope praising the hero several times.

He had rejoiced like a child several times at the birth of the hero, even while praying.

“…For now, let’s proceed with my plan, Cecilia.”

Raelle nodded.

If what Cecilia said was true, he wouldn’t interfere.

Even if he did interfere, it didn’t matter.

Overpowering even that was Raelle’s way.

*

The meeting proceeded in a solemn atmosphere.

This meeting was suddenly held due to the Demonic Cult’s attack.

Now that the Demonic Cult was rampant and it was certain that the demons would move.

The Saintess and the Hero of the Gaia Order became even more important.

“To subdue hundreds of Demonic Cult elders single-handedly… you are indeed the Hero.”

“It is said that the bodies of the Demonic Cult members solidified like stone just from the pressure of emitting divine power. He is truly the incarnation of the main god Gaia.”

“Moreover, it is said that the Hero’s insight was instrumental in stopping all the Demonic Cult members who appeared throughout the Empire, which is a great achievement.”

“And what about the Saintess? It is said that she saved the Hero with tremendous blessings when he was in danger.”

Raelle nodded at the words he heard around him.

Indeed, the power of the position of Hero and Saintess was immense.

In the first place, this meeting itself was held with the birth of the Saintess and the Hero of the Gaia Order, and the two played a major role in suppressing the Demonic Cult.

It was only natural that people’s attention was focused on Raelle and Cecilia.

“Everyone, be quiet. We will now begin the meeting regarding the rampancy of the Demonic Cult.”

At that time, Gideon Garcia, the leader of the Allied Forces, opened his mouth in the center of the meeting.

He had already taken on the role of leading the meeting.

“Thanks to the Hero’s efforts and the knights who guarded their positions throughout the Empire, the rampancy of the Demonic Cult was safely prevented. Hero, do you have anything to say about this matter?”

Gideon opened his mouth, looking at Raelle.

He was here without a single scratch.

‘Useless bastards… was that all they were good for?’

He didn’t expect much from the Demonic Cult, but they should have at least brought great chaos to the Empire.

That way, Raelle’s reputation would have fallen, and the Empire would have been united around him.

“Yes. I would like to say something important to those present here regarding this matter. Everything I am about to say will be the truth in the name of Gaia.”

Raelle walked forward with a light smile.

White light accompanied his steps, creating a sacred atmosphere.

Even Gideon, as well as the nobles around him, were drawn into the atmosphere that Raelle was controlling.

Raelle closed his eyes and made the sign of the cross.

Divine power spread out from him.

“Gaia’s revelation has descended. There is a traitor among us.”

At Raelle’s words, the nobles who were sitting in their seats began to stand up.

“A, a traitor?!”

“A revelation has descended twice in this short period… is the great war really about to begin!”

“Revelation! The Hero predicted all the attack locations of the Demonic Cult with a revelation!”

The nobles’ reactions were varied, but Raelle didn’t pay much attention.

All he had to do was calmly recite what he had prepared.

“No. I did not receive any revelation regarding where the Demonic Cult would attack during the last terror.”

At Raelle’s words, the surroundings began to buzz.

Then how did the Hero predict the Demonic Cult’s attack?

“I simply placed knights in the places where the Empire’s defenses were empty as the Carmen Knights vacated their positions. And the Demonic Cult appeared in all those places. As if by appointment.”

The places attacked by the Demonic Cult were all places where the Carmen Knights had vacated their positions.

If it was just one or two places, it could be overlooked, but if the Demonic Cult appeared in all places, it was bound to be suspicious. No, if you had a brain, it would be stranger not to be suspicious.

“Moreover, more than half of the Demonic Cult’s elders happened to be gathered where the Hero and Saintess of the Gaia Order were. I did not think all of this was a coincidence. At that exact moment, the revelation descended!”

At the same time as Raelle’s words, Cecilia walked out from behind him.

The divine power that filled the hall made it clear how devout she was.

“I, the Saintess of the Gaia Order, also agree. The Hero’s words are all true.”

Cecilia’s appearance added strength to Raelle’s words.

Saintess and Hero.

The guarantee of the two gave more credibility than anything else.

“Gaia’s revelation pointed to only one person.”

Raelle walked towards the center of the meeting.

And he met the eyes of Gideon Garcia, who was looking at him with cold eyes.

“The one who knows all this information and can move the Carmen Knights as he pleases.”

At Raelle’s words, the nobles began to move their eyes with wide eyes.

If they weren’t fools, they could tell who Raelle was talking about.

“Gideon Garcia. You are the traitor who turned his back on the Empire.”

Raelle immediately drew his holy sword.

Divine power poured out from his holy sword.

And Raelle pointed the holy sword at Gideon’s neck.

“In the name of the main god Gaia, I accuse Commander of the Carmen Knights, Gideon, in this place.”

“…”

Raelle, who met Gideon’s gaze, smiled brightly.

‘If you’re upset, become a hero, you idiot.’