Part 2 Episode 72
protestant alliance
“… “It ended up like this.”
Elric smiled bitterly as he came out of the villa.
-We’re still friends, right?”
-If you still think that way.”-
-you? What do you think?”-
-friend. There are a lot of things we don’t get along with, but we’re still friends.
-Right. Got it.
The last conversation we had no longer felt powerful.
-I still think of you as a friend, but… . So we’re friends… They are friends whose relationship has become so bad that it will only end when one of them dies… .
The words he muttered to himself were clearly audible to Elric even from beyond the door.
‘It’s a friendship that has turned bad.’
Perhaps since the time when the conflict with the Inspection Bureau began.
This may have been a result that had already been predicted from the collision with the Sajagong family.
It’s been quite a while, but I still remember it clearly.
The eccentric behavior he showed when he first met Elric.
When Rodeo Franz asked him to cut off his arm if he wanted to be his friend, Cromhel cut off his left arm without mercy.
And the answer he gave was also a masterpiece.
-How do you feel? Is this enough to be your friend?
‘There was no idiot like that.’
Eat!
Thinking about that time made me laugh.
It must have been from then on. She started her acquaintance with him.
But as it ended like this, I couldn’t help but feel confused.
『You will have to get used to solitude.』
Mephisto advised in a calm tone next to him.
『The higher you go, the more people fall beneath your feet and look up to you. Because the number of people who can stand side by side with you is bound to decrease.』
Somehow, there seemed to be bitterness in his voice.
This is probably sincere advice since he too went through something similar.
Elric smiled bitterly and was about to say something, but paused for a moment.
『I was wondering why I couldn’t see that guy.』
When Elric paused for a moment, Mephisto turned his head and laughed, wondering why he was doing this.
On the third floor terrace.
A golden lion was looking down this way.
『It looks like they also heard Yeosik’s story.』
Elric quietly stared into the emerald eyes of a golden lion like himself.
“… .”
“… .”
There was no conversation between the two.
Just cold silence.
The golden lion’s eyes were still calm.
Just like when we first met.
I still felt like a doll with all my emotions worn out.
That’s why Elric got even more goosebumps.
‘… Showing no emotions? Didn’t you call me a fool?’
A man whose hips were heavy enough to stay in seclusion for a long time moved only for the sake of his daughter.
I had never heard of a rumor that he had any other children besides Shiro.
Not only did he not have a grand duchess, he also had no close lovers.
No, he was famous for not having much interest in women, to the point where there were rumors that he even liked men.
So, your only daughter must be that precious to you.
He is not showing even the slightest anger or sadness.
Swish!
The golden lion stared at Elric for a long time, then quietly turned around and disappeared.
“… .”
It would be better if I at least got angry.
It would be understandable if he rushed in to save his daughter.
Rather, seeing him like that made Elric feel a bit complicated.
And a few days later.
Elric realized what the golden lion felt.
* * *
“I have bad news.”
The next day, Elric received Guy’s call and headed to the head office.
As soon as he arrived, he spoke with a dark look on his face.
“Prosecutors from the Lion House have begun to appear in the secret laboratory of the Inspection Bureau.”
“Is that true?”
“There was no need to check. “Because he was wearing lion armor, which clearly symbolizes the lion family.”
“… !”
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Elric couldn’t help but be surprised.
Because it meant only one thing.
-Declare war!
This meant that he would no longer hide it and would openly help the Inspection Bureau and be hostile to Magic Tower and Mervinger.
“Has there been any separate announcement regarding the reasons for assisting the Inspector General?”
Guy shook his head.
“There was nothing like that. Even if I file an official complaint, they remain silent. No excuses, no announcements. “The mood is just to recklessly start a war.”
“… .”
“No matter how self-indulgent he was, this is the first time I’ve seen him come out in such a staged manner. Should I say that I don’t care at all about the opinions of public opinion around me?”
‘Is that why I felt anxious at that time?’
Elric recalled the time when he made eye contact with a golden lion at Cromhell’s villa.
When he said he couldn’t feel any emotions, he was suppressing his emotions to that extent.
“What about the imperial family?”
“The answer they give is obvious. Since it has nothing to do with them, they are telling us to take care of organizing the traffic. “They even warned the people not to harm them.”
War.
The word was on my lips.
The golden lion is the ideal of all knights and martial artists.
If he sets out to fight the magic tower, not only the empire, but all martial artists in the world will try to fight the magic tower.
It was never an issue to be taken lightly.
“Is there a lot of damage?”
Guy nodded heavily.
“Unfortunately. “Because there was quite a bit of local warfare.”
Guy nodded heavily and continued.
“It goes without saying, but an all-out war right now is dangerous. “In small-scale skirmishes, wizards are inevitably at a disadvantage, and many of our combatants are exhausted.”
We have already collected quite a few secret documents from the Inspection Bureau.
So, for the magic tower, any damage beyond this is unnecessary damage.
“The problem is that the Lion Gong family will never intend to do that.”
“Perhaps in the future, as I become more persistent, I will never become weaker. There is a high possibility that a battle in the shadows will lead to a boring war of attrition.”
“It certainly has to be that way.”
It is said that the power of the inspection bureau has been greatly reduced, but if Sajagongga is added, the story is completely different.
They are a huge force that is always mentioned along with the Magic Tower.
No, from the perspective of ‘war’, Sajagongga may actually be more efficient.
Unlike the Magic Tower, where there is a Gai but power is dispersed, the Lion House is an organization with a thoroughly centralized nature.
In addition, the knights and martial artists under his command are all specialized in war.
Two of the four major powers join forces to keep the Magic Tower in check?
Isn’t the result obvious?
“Then is there no other solution?”
“There is one. “If the two forces over there have united, shouldn’t we do the same?”
Guy said that and turned his attention to the map.
If you take out three of the four places, one place remains.
Elric looked at the same place and muttered softly.
“Protestant League.”
『… what?”
For a moment, Mephisto was startled and trembled.
* * *
Protestant alliance.
As the name suggests, they were a united force created by combining numerous religions existing on the continent.
As denominations and sects with different doctrines came together, internal discipline and regulations were bound to be a mess.
For example, some religions consider pigs to be sacred animals, while others treat them as unclean animals.
At one time, in a certain denomination, a person who had just ascended to the position of leader suddenly put the idea of monotheism at the forefront, causing friction with other denominations.
In some ways, it was a group that seemed like they could never mix like water and oil.
Still, there was an absolute good they pursued in common.
That is, the annihilation of demons.
In the past, when the Great Demon War was at its peak, it was the Protestant Alliance who took the lead in punishing demons more than anyone else.
Some gods actually came back in the body of an apostle.
Although the second coming of God is rare in modern times, the miracles of that time still remain deep within the alliance.
so.
It is natural that Mephisto accepts this sensitively.
[Shouldn’t you have lived a nice life?]
“noisy! What do you say you know? Are all gods clean? In some ways, they are worse than us… !』
[Ah, nyunnue.]
“Shit!”
Elric ignored Mephisto’s irritation and focused on Guy’s explanation.
“In the current situation, there is no other ally as strong as them, right?”
“Well, I’m sure he is too. But can I help you?”
“Would you like to help? “There are things that the Inspection Bureau has done.”
As Guy touched the document with his hand, Elric nodded in agreement.
Originally, the Protestant Alliance had an iron rule not to get involved in worldly affairs.
This was because separation of church and state was the first principle of imperial rule.
Is it because there is evil in favor of only one denomination?
However, if there are demons involved, it’s a different story.
The people of the empire already knew that the Inspection Bureau had crossed the line by joining hands with Lillim.
So it’s enough to get them moving.
However, there was one area of concern.
‘If this happens, the internal strife within the empire will become too serious.’
The reason why peace in the empire has been maintained so far is because the four major powers were in balance.
If the balance was off, it meant that the framework of the empire could be shaken.
Of course, the damage will inevitably be passed on to the people.
‘It’s difficult, as expected. ‘What is politics?’
Elric sighed.
“First of all, I have already given the word to the Vatican. I confirmed that they had similar thoughts. So, I plan to visit the Vatican as soon as I get an answer.”
“When are you thinking?”
“Tomorrow at the latest. “As early as today.”
“You’re faster than I expected.”
“We have to move quickly so they won’t have time to react.”
Elric nodded and gathered his thoughts.
“Then, I’m sorry, but can I leave the work of the Holy See entirely to Guy?”
Gai opened his eyes in surprise and asked, perhaps expecting Elric to follow him.
“What’s going on?”
“I guess I should go to the south first.”
“Southern?”
“yes. “I had some errands to do in the Jewel Forest, and more than anything, I discovered circumstances where my ancestor’s tomb there seemed to have been robbed.”
It was clear that I had seen the legacy of ‘Summer’ with my own eyes.
Elric planned to raise the dragons and inspect the tombs of their ancestors as they moved on to summer.
“It’s because of the airship.”
“It’s similar.”
“Then there is nothing we can do.”
Gai also nodded, understanding the importance of the situation.
“Please travel safely.”
Wizard who swallowed talent
