Chapter 267. Payoff Secured (1)

"The Warrior has delivered the Holy Kingdom from the hands of evil!"

News of Caron's allied forces reclaiming the Ragheim Fortress and executing judgment upon the heretics who had strayed from the righteous path spread quickly throughout the Holy Kingdom.

To the faithful citizens who had long suffered under the Order of Truth's relentless demands for donations, it was like rain in a time of drought.

"The Light has sent the Warrior to free us from suffering!"

"The Warrior protects the Holy Kingdom!"

"Hail Warrior Caron! Hail Great Saintess Seria!"

For Caron, the celebration was hardly welcome. Yet, cheers in his name erupted from every corner of the kingdom.

For the foreign powers involved in the suppression, their presence—the Imperial Army, the Sultanate Army, and others—was conveniently justified as the arrival of the Warrior's companions. Word quickly spread that the Light had foreseen everything and dispatched not only the Warrior, but also his allies to save the Holy Kingdom.

Thanks to this narrative, Caron and the troops under his command were welcomed wherever they went.

"Warrior! Please wave your hand just once!"

"Warriorrrr!"

"Ha ha... Thank you. Thank you all so much," Caron replied.

He received endless praise from the people wherever he passed. Some even burst into tears the moment they saw him.

He offered a gentle wave from the carriage window, then let out a quiet sigh and drew the curtain shut.

Across from him, Beatrice let out a chuckle, then asked, "Feeling weighed down by your followers?"

"It's not so much the pressure... It just leaves a bitter taste," Caron answered.

"And why is that?" Beatrice asked.

"Because I think I've lost my chance of ever being the kingdom's troublemaker," Caron replied.

Beatrice already knew of Caron's personal goal in this life—he'd confided it to her over drinks once.

She took a sip from her canteen and gave a lopsided smile, saying, "At this rate, if anyone in the continent speaks ill of you, the people will probably riot."

"Oh, come on. It can't be that serious..." Caron said.

"A Warrior is, by nature, a living prophet. After your death, they'll probably write a new scripture about you. You should be honored. Being canonized isn't something just anyone can achieve," Beatrice continued.

At that, Orion, the Elven Union representative who had been quietly listening nearby, clicked his tongue and said, "Caron? A prophet who will save the world? Sounds more like the world's about to end."

Leo nodded vigorously in agreement, then added, "Exactly. If anyone knew what Caron was really like, no one would say that nonsense."

"Heh. But if you think about it, it's not wrong," Prince Samir of the Sultanate said. "Our kingdom owes Caron too. Whatever his reasons, in the end, he saved us all."

"...Prince Samir does have a point," someone murmured.

Inside the carriage led by six horses sat the key commanders of the recent campaign. The beastkin representative, Tauga, had yet to join them due to distance; but aside from him, the entire Caron Cartel was present.

Their shared destination was the Holy Capital. The reason for that was simple. The rebellion had been successfully quelled, and it was time to handle the aftermath.

"Caron, you've still got Elijah's head stored properly, right?" Leon asked.

Caron tapped the pouch of dimensional space at his side and replied, "Don't worry. It's frozen solid here."

It had taken quite the effort, but with Guillotine and Saintess Seria's holy power, they had managed to subdue Elijah properly.

Perhaps the Order of Truth had succeeded in mimicking demonic techniques—despite having only his head left, Elijah's consciousness remained intact.

According to Seria, Elijah wielded most of his Perverse Mana through his brain. In other words, unless they turned that brain to mush, the likelihood of his regeneration remained high.

"There's still a lot of information to extract from him," Caron said coldly. He had no intention of granting Elijah an easy death.

Compared to everything the man had done, death would be a peaceful release. And scum like him didn't deserve peace. Even his death needed to be defiled.

A chilling smile curled at the corner of Caron's lips, and Leo instinctively shivered at the sight. He let out a long sigh and asked, "Where are you planning to take it?"

"To the Magic Tower, of course. We'll have to vivisect him," Caron replied without hesitation. "This kind of work is best done by mages themselves. Just to be safe, we'll bring a few clerics too... The Holy Kingdom needs to send a new Archbishop to the empire anyway, right?"

With the rebellion suppressed, they had overcome the largest hurdle for now.

Caron mentally reviewed the tasks that still lay ahead. The Order of Truth, with Elijah at its center, had been effectively dismantled through the rebellion. Now, what remained was to sweep up the remnants.

Didn't Rael Leston leave a contingency plan around here?

Caron thought.

He'd been told that Rael had established a failsafe near the Holy Capital to secure his legacy. Now that the immediate danger had passed, they could afford to take their time locating it.

Of course, before that, there were still a few things Caron needed to obtain from the Vatican.

"Have we identified who was behind Elijah?" Beatrice asked.

Caron slowly shook his head, and answered, "There's no doubt that a Demon King was involved. But which one, we're still not sure."

"You said you sensed the power of Slaughter, didn't you?" Beatrice asked.

"That's what makes it strange. If Slaughter had orchestrated it, he would've acted more directly. That guy loves to get his own hands dirty," Caron replied.

"Is there any chance the Demon Kings were working together?" Beatrice asked.

"That's unlikely," Caron answered with a faint sneer. "Demon Kings are rarely allies. They spend most of their time trying to tear each other apart."

Each Demon King ruled over a separate domain within the Demon Realm, and they had no reason to cooperate with rivals. In fact, competition was far more common than camaraderie among them.

"Once we crack open Elijah's head, we'll know more. But one thing's certain—this wasn't a plot born overnight. Someone's been laying the groundwork for a very long time," Caron stated.

Just judging by the Order of Truth's results, it was clear this hadn't come together in a few weeks or months. It had been in the making for years—possibly even decades.

"Dame Beatrice," Caron said, turning to her, "Cleaning up this mess is going to take a long time. I'll need your help managing it."

Beatrice nodded without protest and replied, "Don't worry. I was planning on it anyway. I can't exactly claim I had no part in what happened, so I'll see it through to the end. Honestly, if you think about it, I too—"

"Dame Beatrice, you didn't really have a choice," Caron interrupted gently. "You were bound by those shackles, and you know as well as I do—dark magic affects even the mind."

As the group exchanged plans and reflections for the days ahead, a shout erupted from outside the carriage.

"Warrior! We've arrived at the Holy Capital!" the coachman said, his voice unnecessarily loud.

Moments later, the great city gates began to open with a heavy creak. Then, only seconds after...

"Wooaaaaah!"

"Warriorrrrrr!"

"Glory to the Light! Long live the Warrior!"

The cheers that followed far surpassed anything Caron had experienced on his previous visit. The roar of the crowd was so thunderous it seemed to shake both heaven and earth.

Caron pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered under his breath, "Honestly... I still haven't gotten used to this."

"Used to what?" Beatrice asked.

"The title 'Warrior.' The more I hear it, the more it makes my skin crawl. It's like... My limbs are cringing just from the sound," Caron answered.

For once, Leo said something right. "Seriously? You used to call yourself the Warrior all the time. What's with the sudden modesty? Now hurry up and open that window and wave to the people."

"Hah... This is why being famous is exhausting," Caron sighed, but did as he was told.

He opened the window and leaned out. Outside, white petals fluttered through the air like snow, and thousands of citizens stood watching the procession with awe and reverence.

Even though he grumbled, he understood the importance of the moment. That overwhelming chorus of cheers—one day, it would become a weapon far more powerful.

And so, with his voice ringing clear, Caron called out, "I have returned, my faithful citizens! Your Warrior, Caron Leston, stands before you!"

Caron waved grandly, wearing the thick-skinned confidence of a man who had learned to weaponize even a crowd's devotion.

The Warrior who had crushed the rebellion had come back to the capital.

***

As soon as Caron and his so-called cartel arrived at the Vatican, they were granted an immediate audience with the Pope. The meeting was held in the Grand Chapel of the Vatican.

Given the situation, the gathering was surrounded by layers of strict security from the paladins. Officially, it was a conference, but in reality, it was less a diplomatic negotiation and more akin to a good old-fashioned shakedown.

"Oh, come now, Your Holiness wouldn't refuse this much, would you? We're really not asking for much," Caron said with an easy smile.

"Still, this isn't something we've ever considered. We'd have to convene another cardinal-level assembly to—" the Pope began, but was cut off.

"I've heard there are quite a few artifacts infused with holy power. Wouldn't any of those happen to be useful for my journey?" Caron interrupted.

The others present, excluding the Pope himself, simply watched the scene with resigned expressions and nods of understanding. They had all been through it once before.

"The Holy Kingdom has many untapped resources, and until now, it's been quite closed off. You're lacking a lot of essentials. Why not start trading while you're at it?" Caron suggested.

"Caron, that's not something that can be changed overnight," the Pope replied.

"I'm not asking for everything at once. Just start slowly," Caron said.

Pope Eurino II let out a deep breath and pressed a hand to his forehead.

He'd known Caron Leston would make demands—he had been fully expecting it. But he hadn't anticipated this much brazenness on the very day Caron returned to the Holy Capital. He wondered if Caron couldn't have waited a single day to let the dust settle.

"I understand you must be overwhelmed, what with the rebellion only just being suppressed," Caron said with a sympathetic tone.

"Thank y—" Pope Eurino began, but was cut off once again.

"So if you could just send me a full list of the Vatican's assets, I'll go over it myself and pick out a few that seem appropriate," Caron interrupted.

There were highway robbers, and then there was Caron. With zero shame, he openly asked for a full inventory of church holdings. At this point, it was hard to tell whether he was a Warrior or just some street thug.

Caron casually sipped his tea and smoothly continued, "Come on, Your Holiness. Would I really ask for piles of gold and jewels?"

Well, at least he seemed to have some conscience left.

Pope Eurino offered a bitter smile and gave a slight nod, then said, "Ho ho, I never suspected you of that."

"I heard from the Saintess that there are lots of undeveloped mines in the Holy Kingdom. Especially ones with rare minerals like mana stones?" Caron asked.

"Mana stones are just seen as cursed rocks that give off ominous energy here. Besides, our country's never been one for exports. Why would we have developed them?" Pope Eurino said.

"Then how about this—we take development rights instead of money?" Caron suggested.

"You're really trying to squeeze blood from a stone, aren't you," Pope Eurino said.

"More like foie gras than blood at this point, wouldn't you say?" Caron said.

His real objective was to open the Holy Kingdom's gates to the outside world.

Its geographic location made it critically important—a strategic chokepoint connecting the North and South. If safe passage through it could be secured, it would unlock new routes to the Southern Great Forest, the Pajar Sultanate, and the Plains of Rest.

That would mean elves and beastkin could start engaging with the continent far more freely.

Of course, considering the Holy Kingdom's history, opening its borders to outsiders would normally be an unthinkable move.

But the Pope accepted Caron's request without much hesitation.

"If it's your will, then surely it is the will of the Light," Pope Eurino said, nodding with serene detachment. "The people will rejoice as well. I'll use my papal authority to approve your request."

And just like that, the decision to open the Holy Kingdom's borders was finalized. It marked the beginning of the kingdom's active involvement in shaping the fate of the continent.

Caron nodded in satisfaction, then said, "A truly wise decision. I'm sure countless faithful citizens will praise Your Holiness for—"

"...Don't people usually lick their lips a bit before speaking such blatant flattery?" Pope Eurino interrupted.

"I tend to have naturally moist lips," Caron replied cheerfully. "Oh, and I also plan to handle Elijah's sentence personally. I'll be taking his severed head back to the empire to conduct research in conjunction with the Magic Tower."

"Caron," Pope Eurino said sternly.

"Yes, Your Holiness?" Caron answered.

"Wouldn't it be easier if you just wrote down everything you want on a list and handed it to me? At this rate, we'll never finish this meeting," Pope Eurino said.

"Ha ha, I thought you might say that," Caron replied.

As if he'd been waiting for this exact moment, he reached into his pouch of dimensional space and pulled out a scroll.

It was a very long scroll, packed with writing.

"I actually started drafting this the moment I rescued Grand Saintess Seria. I didn't expect it to come in handy quite like this," Caron said.

"...And what exactly is that?" Pope Eurino asked nervously.

"Let's call it a kind of invoice? I'd appreciate it if you gave it a thorough review," Caron answered.

At that moment, Pope Eurino was certain that this man, Caron, was planning to strip the Vatican of every last pillar.

O Light...

he thought. He wanted to believe that there was divine intent behind sending this kind of Warrior at this time.

Pope Eurino accepted the scroll with a grim expression.

The others around the room looked upon him with deep sympathy.

Why did it have to be him of all people...

Samir thought.

I feel you, Your Holiness. I really do,

Orion thought.

They had inadvertently begun to feel a strange sense of kinship with the Holy Kingdom.

"Welcome to our circle of friends. We look forward to getting along well with you," Caron said with a bright smile as he gave a slight bow toward the Pope.

"Caron," Pope Eurino said with a tired sigh.

"Yes?"

"You could've made a fine merchant," Pope Eurino said.

"Oh, that is high praise indeed. I'll consider that as a career path if I ever get fired from being the Warrior," Caron replied.

At this point, he had extracted almost everything he needed from the Holy Kingdom.

Well then... Time to go search for our founder's legacy,

Caron thought.

It was finally time to confirm the blessings left behind by the merciful founder himself.