blueteamnovel Chapter 68
Chapter 68
Chapter 68: Rising to Power (Part 1)
I was about to be ennobled as a Marquis, prompting my father and the rest of the family to hastily make their way to the royal capital.
I had steeled myself to accept this situation. If it’s come to this, I might as well make full use of my status as a Marquis.
"To cure His Majesty’s illness and save those suffering from the poison of the Liquor King, and then to be granted the rank of Marquis..."
Father stood frozen in shock.
"I always believed you'd accomplish great things someday, but to achieve this so quickly—Toma, you're truly incredible," Mother said, embracing me.
Her stomach was visibly swollen now—she was pregnant.
At 28 years old, she was in her prime.
"Big Brother is 'mazing!"
Sigvalt’s lisped words were utterly adorable.
I picked him up and gave him a hug.
"Toma-sama, you've grown into such a fine young man!"
"Lara, you’ve matured so much yourself in just a short time."
"Oh, stop it!"
Ouch. My back—don’t hit me like that.
But Lara was still the same scatterbrained Lara.
After this, my grandfather and I explained the chain of events to my father.
That was when I learned that my grandfather had stationed operatives near the Lightstar family for years, gathering evidence of their wrongdoings.
The Lightstar family was appalling—a rotting mess that had long since turned to sludge. Fraud, kidnapping, illegal confinement, murder, illicit drug trafficking, and illegal slave trading—it was all there.
It was clear that the Lightstar family had enslaved my mother. However, whether they had already erased her memory at the time remains unknown.
We can’t ask her about it, and the reason behind her memory loss remains a mystery.
While adulthood in this kingdom is recognized at 16, I still have other priorities, so who knows when I’ll officially assume control?
▽▽▽ Side Story: High Archbishop Macallan ▽▽▽
Rumors say an Apostle has appeared in the Kingdom of Kurudia.
Heh, how absurd. Apostles don’t exist. They’re nothing but a fantasy concocted by the Ashtent faction.
The Nilgud religion needs only the Catrias faction. It’s because of impostors like the Ashtent faction that such superstitions as Apostles persist.
We could ignore it, but that wouldn’t be entertaining for us.
"Should we leave this so-called Apostle in Kurudia unchecked?" (Macallan)
"Absolutely not." (Second Archbishop)
"Indeed, Apostles must not exist." (Third Archbishop)
For once, all three of us High Archbishops are in agreement. It’s rare to see us aligned like this.
The Catrias Theocracy is nominally led by the Holy King, but in truth, all power resides with us three High Archbishops.
There used to be just one High Archbishop, but over time, the role expanded to two, and then to three.
This three-archbishop system has been customary for over a century.
"So, how should we act?" (Macallan)
"We must eliminate this Apostle." (Second Archbishop)
Arthur, the lean one, slammed his hand on the round table. His delicate appearance belied his aggressive nature—his mind seemed more muscle than intellect.
"Why not just abduct the Apostle?" (Third Archbishop)
Goliath’s tone was almost feminine, but he was an overwhelmingly rugged man.
At first, I found the sight of a burly man in makeup, speaking in a woman’s voice, unsettling. Over time, I grew used to it.
His mismatched appearance and demeanor sometimes provided amusement, but he was dangerous. He enjoyed torturing boys and listening to their cries—a pastime I could never stomach, even with my own harsh tendencies.
"Abduction, then?" (Arthur)
"I’ll personally strip away the Apostle’s facade." (Goliath)
"Shall we deploy Haten?" (Macallan)
"Yes, let’s." (Goliath)
"Agreed." (Arthur)
"But if we’re going to deploy Haten, simply abducting the Apostle would be boring." (Goliath)
"Hmm, true. Shall we proceed with our other plan concurrently?" (Macallan)
"Fine by me." (Arthur)
"No objections." (Goliath)