In a dimly lit room with only a single magic lamp up.
　I'm not sure what to make of this.

　The old woman's name is Morgana, and she has shriveled up like slime after being exposed to the sun.
　Her body, like a dead tree, was covered with bandages, but ugly burn marks were peeking out from between them.
　The stigmata on her back had been burned off by the ...... [Baptismal Stigma].

　After Patrick was turned into a holy beast, the Noah's Curio Kingdom's army was in a lather and consulted Diretta's Holy Kingdom for a remedy.
　Diretta said
You said to hand over Morgana, right?　You've been saying that for decades, haven't you?　Why did you come to me for advice?
　He replied that Patrick was out of his depth and that he should burn the crest off his back if he wanted Morgana to be quiet.
　He politely told me how to dispose of the Incarnate Beast and how to destroy the stigma. Ceres didn't know what kind of game was being played there, or if it was not a big technical secret for Diretta, but it didn't matter.

　--If he'd known how it worked, he would have done this sooner: ......
　　　No, that would have been useless to begin with.

　As a troublesome zealot who cared nothing for earthly power, Morgana was in over her head.
　Her extraordinary faith was the result of her stigma.

Why did the holy beasts stop listening to orders and attack the citizens?
It was Gislain's order. ......
　I had the Baptismal Stigmata engraved on me when I transformed Zithlan into a Holy Beast. ......
　Those who have the Baptismal Stigma engraved on their ...... heads imitate God.
　The wiser you are to see the big picture, the ...... closer you are to the "right decision" that the Great God will make. ......

　Morgana responded to Ceres's question without defiance, though it was not so severe as to be considered a chastisement.
　It was as if all of this didn't matter anymore.
　She had the eyes of an apathetic slave with her fangs broken.

I'm sure Gisslan thought this too. ......
　I'm sure that's what Gislain thought ...... and that's why he ordered it ...... and that's why he moved the Holy Beasts .......
　The Holy Beasts were only following the Marquis of Edfelt because I told them to. ......
　He who hears the voice of God ...... will give up everything to obey if ordered by Gislain ............ Ugh... ...

　I'm not sure if you've heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

"Ahhhh ......, the afterlife!　Please let this pathetic old man die quickly!

　There was a cold, dry sound in the dimly lit room.

　The waiting soldiers immediately grabbed Morgana's arms, which were helpless, and restrained her.
　Blood flowed from her wrinkled forehead.

　A fanatic without a human heart, who pursued his only faith in the fight against the evil god .......
　Morgana was a technician used by the central army, but Ceres had also heard of Morgana's bad reputation. She had killed a child who threw a rock at a parade in enemy territory she had occupied, and she had experimented on soldiers who had escaped from the enemy.
　But the man in front of Ceres now was just a helpless old man who couldn't stand what he had done and wanted to die.

"You will die soon.
　You'll be handed over to Ciel-Teira as the one responsible for the Holy Beast's 'outburst'.
　At best you'll be executed, at worst you'll be put to death.

　Ceres said without emotion.

　Ciel-Teira protested about the behavior of the Holy Beast.
　In response to Ciel-Teira's demand for compensation, the Noachurians decided to alleviate their debt by handing over Morgana.
　That was Morgana's final role.

I have a personal question for you.
　...... Are you sure that was God's decision?

　Ceres asks with some fear, as if looking into an abyss.
　I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

It was definitely the right decision of the gods in the world I saw.
　What could I have seen up there that would have stopped me?
Ummm... ......
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　I'm sure you're not the only one who can see that. It is possible that the gods would have judged the situation from a higher vantage point and avoided forcing the fight. ......
"I've thought about that ......, and I've judged it to be a trivial matter, and I've prioritized the fight .......
　In addition, even Gislain, who was born into royalty and has seen politics all his life, thought that this decision was the right one for a god.

　Keleth tried to say something back, but couldn't find the words.
　It is true that some of the Temple forces, including the Moon Eaters, are willing to shed blood in order to defeat the forces of darkness.
　However, as far as Ceres knows, the Temple does not say such a thing openly as a consensus. What the Temple does talk about is self-defense, retaking the continent, and fighting for the prosperity of the human race. Even then, I thought that the teachings of the gods were such, because first of all, they insisted on caring for the lives of their allies.

　--But I wondered if the gods were actually more radical.
　　　Do they think that even if ninety-nine percent of humanity dies out, it would be better if the demon race is destroyed as a result?
　　　If that is the case, then what are the naive teachings of the temple?
　　　Are you saying that the temple was wearing sheep's clothing to be accepted by the people? ......?

　Although not a particularly religious person, Ceres also lived a life of prayer to be a good "child of God".
　But that's because he believes in God's love. He didn't want to think that the Great God would make such a cruel decision, even if it was for a battle.
　Ceres felt as if he had swallowed a cold, wet stone.

No matter how hard he tried, it was the will of the gods.
　If I had been a knight of the temple, I might have abandoned my work and gone on a wandering journey.
You're not ready to give up your life?
I'm a soldier. I'm a soldier. It's my job to fight for my country, no matter what the gods think.
　This sword is dedicated not to the gods, but to the kingdom of Noa Curio.
"Okay, ......, okay, .......

　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

I'm not sure what my life has been like. ............

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time.



"There are many people who die for nothing, not knowing what they were born for. Especially on the battlefield, there are many.
　Therefore, we can only cling to ...... and hope for the best, even if we have doubts about God.
　I'm sure you've heard of it.

　Ceres could not find any words of comfort.

　I'm sorry.

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　However, even before Bertil could say anything (as expected), Noachurio's army had approached the lords for a meeting.
　The common ideal development for the lords attached to Noah Curio and the Noah Curio army is to "make the situation go away". As a result, Bertil was subjected to arguments from all sides.

If such a story were to get out to the rest of the country, it would create a backlash against the Noahcurio Kingdom.
　That would be a problem for the Eastern Lords who wanted to gain the protection of the Noa Curio Kingdom, and for the Noa Curio who wanted to target the Gracelum resources under their protection. So this is agreed upon and kept secret. ......
"Well, you still got your money back. That's good.

　Kaya clenched her fists in exasperation.
　Still, she frowned, unable to contain her anger as Bertil sipped his tea while reading the newspaper.

　The refugees and the Second Order were still staying at the inn town that had become idle after the fall of Teiracaines.
　Bertil has rented a room in the communications office and is holed up there. The reason was that he needed to be in long-distance communication at all times, negotiating with the Noachian army and coordinating with the lords.
　The walls of the room were covered with a large number of semi-encrypted notes that only Bertil could make sense of.

　As a result of the 'frank and sincere exchange of opinions' between Bertil and the Noachurian army, it was decided that the refugees from Teiracaines would be shared among the surrounding lords, and the Noachurian army would pay them money from their own funds.
　This is purely humanitarian and without any ulterior motive, and has nothing to do with the battle in Teiracaine-....... Officially.
　The fact that the Holy Beast attacked civilians has been swept under the rug.

Half of the money goes directly to the refugees. The other half goes to the lords in charge of the refugees and to me, who's in charge now. ......
　In effect, this is hush money. The other half is going to be paid directly to the refugees. The money paid to the refugees is also to keep quiet about the people who saw what happened.
　Well, if it saves the lives of the refugees, so be it. It's a good deal for a man who's not supposed to be a diplomat.
　The handing over of Morgana may have offset a lot of the responsibility, but ...... can't be helped.

　Noah Curio's card to make a compromise was Morgana.
　I'm not sure what to make of that. The Noahcurio army handed Morgana over to Ciel-Teira's side, claiming that she was the one who set up the outburst.
　The Noahcurio army handed Morgana over to Ciel-Teira's side, claiming that she was responsible for the outburst.
　As far as Bertil is concerned, if the criminals who have caused misery in the country can be handed over and executed by the state, it would be a very good thing to maintain the appearance of the nation. Since we can't execute them in public anyway, all we have to do is behead them before Rene comes to take them away.

　The refugees who are staying at the inn in the inn town will be entrusted to the lords.
　They will be given some sort of silence.
　Since the Noachurian army would be retreating temporarily, it was up to Ciel-Teira to manipulate public opinion in the country.

The Noah's Curio Army is planning to make a lot of publicity about the money offer.
　Even though it's actually compensation and hush money, it's ostensibly unilateral support.
　That's true, Noachurio hasn't given up on Gracelum. If he wants to come back, he wants to make a good impression.
　...... but we don't have to go along with that charade.

　Bertil gives a teasing shrug of his shoulders.
　Kaya was rubbing her temples in disgust.

Kaya rubbed her temples half-heartedly, "Right after the Noah's Curio military support was announced, for some reason or another, influential civilians and media outlets started to hear about it. There will be people whispering rumors on the street.
　Rumors spread fast. After all, the agents of the Giresh Khattar Federation already know about it. I'm the one who leaked it to .......

　I'm not sure if you've ever heard of this, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

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　Not only did Bertil have no choice but to bet on Noahcurio, he had been in league with the Gilesh Hattar Federation from the beginning, and had even talked to Johan, the candidate for Crown Prince in the west, behind the scenes.

I'm a man of the people, you know. I will not help in spreading the rumor, but will back off to the west. When the story has spread enough, it is my job to issue a statement condemning the Noah's Curio Kingdom and corroborating the rumor.
　I could do it myself, but I'd prefer to leave this to His Highness Johan. I'd like to keep the Noa Curio connection, but Johan has been on the side of Giresh Hattar from the start.
　In any case, public opinion will now turn to criticism of Noachurio. It will also make it easier for Giresh Hattar to take over the whole country. His Highness Johan will have the support of his country, and I will owe the Federation a debt of gratitude.

　Many things happened, but anyway, Gislain is dead.
　Now that Johan is king and under the protection of the Gilesh Hathar Federation, we can barely find a light to rebuild Ciel-Teira.
　I'm willing to do a little recklessness to pave the way for that.

"Between you and me. There's more to it, Kaja.
　I have it on good authority that ...... the Marquis Edfelt had a hand in it, but they turned His Highness Prince Zhislan into a holy beast as well.
"What?

　I'm not sure what to make of this.
　Kaya seemed taken aback.

Can you believe it?　He was going to make it king.
　The sudden decision to run for crown prince is all too familiar to me.
　I can't let him get away with this. Let's give him a little pain, shall we?



　Bertil wraps the note in a newspaper and tosses it into the fireplace, sprinkling it with igniter oil and casting a spell.

...... "Ignition".
　Now let's go.

　The bundle of papers blazed up in the fireplace and turned to ashes in an instant.