A Regressor's Bucket List

Chapter 205 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (10)

“The Saintess's Execution.”

At U-jin's sudden answer, Eliya frowned and unconsciously asked back.

“…What?”

It was because she couldn't understand his words at all.

If it was approved, it was approved. If not, it was not.

Why on earth would the Saintess's execution come up at this moment?

In Eliya's mind, she couldn't connect the flimsy preparations for the guild establishment with the imminent Saintess's execution.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

There was a limit to how random one could be.

To Eliya, it seemed as if U-jin had just blurted out "The Saintess's Execution" without any thought.

However, U-jin looked at Eliya, let out a small smirk, and asked her a question instead.

“In your opinion, what is the Order's disposition like?”

“…What? Why the Order's disposition all of a sudden….”

“Just because. Don't ask, just try to answer.”

U-jin, who had suddenly changed the subject.

The conversation was difficult to follow, but perhaps because he was pressing her for an answer.

Eliya tilted her head and recalled the image of the Order.

Then, she slowly began to list the words that came to her mind.

“Well… they prioritize procedures, adhere to principles, and… they have a cautious feel about everything. I suppose.”

It was only natural.

Her initial prediction that the guild establishment permit wouldn't be granted easily was also a guess based on the Order's rigid disposition.

The traits Eliya mentioned were not just about the Order itself, but a general list that included the common aspects shared by many priests belonging to the Order, to a greater or lesser extent.

Nod-

“That's right.”

“But why are you asking? All of a sudden.”

“Why do you think the Order is so cautious about everything?”

‘Is this twenty questions?’

Muttering quietly, Eliya tilted her head and thought in silence for a moment.

There was no reason to play along with this medley of questions whose purpose she couldn't fathom.

But whenever U-jin acted like this, there had always been a reason.

Even if it wasn't immediately apparent, she felt there must be some intention behind it.

‘…The reason the Order is cautious about everything?’

It was a known fact that the Order had a cautious disposition.

But even Eliya had never bothered to organize her thoughts on the reason why.

She needed a moment to think.

“……”

A moment of silence passed.

About thirty seconds might have passed.

Eliya recited the conclusion she had reached in her mind.

“Uh… first, because the Order as an organization is so large, once a decision is made, it's difficult to reverse.”

“And?”

“And… even though they are all bound by the name of the Order, it's difficult to call all the factions within the Order Territory a single entity.”

“……”

“Perhaps it's to prevent conflicts from arising within the Order due to strained relationships?”

U-jin nodded with a satisfied smile at Eliya's answer.

At the same time, he muttered briefly.

“Exactly.”

The continent was divided into the Order Territory and the Demon King's Territory.

It was split into just two powers.

Of course, strictly speaking, there were plenty of ambiguous regions that couldn't be classified as such.

But just as a butcher doesn't count the decimals when weighing meat, their size was so trivial that the only groups that could now be called 'powers' were the Church Allied Forces and the Demon King's allied forces.

And the war between these two groups, with the continent between them, had been going on for over several hundred years.

If the balance had tipped to one side, the war would have concluded long ago.

The very fact that the war had lasted for so long meant that the balance of power was being exquisitely maintained.

In other words.

At the current stage, rather than individual victories in the War against Demons.

...problems within the alliance could have a more fatal impact.

The current state of the War against Demons was so precarious that even a slight tilt to one side could cause it to be pushed back completely.

“To put it simply, the Order is walking on eggshells around its members.”

“……”

“The Order's Headquarters has the authority for now, but since many factions have gathered to form an alliance, they can't help but consider the other factions that make up the alliance.”

“…But what does that have to do with anything?”

She understood up to this point.

That the Order had a cautious nature, and that the alliance's solidarity was now the key factor in concluding the War against Demons.

However, despite understanding all that, Eliya still couldn't grasp the precise intention behind U-jin's words.

In fact, the lack of a direct connection between those two points and the Saintess's execution only made her head spin more.

However, Eliya's confusion didn't last long.

“Would the Saintess's execution be any different?”

Because U-jin's next words contained the meaning of everything that had been said before.

“……!”

Faction.

If one considered the Saintess and her followers as a single faction within the Order, she could instantly understand what U-jin was trying to say.

“If I were the Order's Headquarters, I think I'd be more concerned about matters related to the Saintess than matters related to most Constellations.”

“……”

She had overlooked it, but it was obvious.

Although much time had passed and their numbers had dwindled compared to when she was active.

The Saintess was a figure who had commanded numerous followers all by herself.

And it wasn't just a matter of ‘quantity’; they were a force that could exert considerable influence in terms of quality as well.

A considerable number of those followers were people who had been directly saved by the Saintess, and even those who weren't had received her help indirectly, whether through relatives or in some other way.

Considering the influence the Saintess had over them and their loyalty, the Saintess and her followers were a faction that the Order could never afford to ignore.

As a prime example.

“……”

Eliya herself was one of those who had received direct help from the Saintess, and she too was someone who could not accept the Saintess's execution.

When even a priest belonging to the Order was so openly displaying it.

The backlash from the followers regarding the Saintess's execution was not something the Order could take lightly.

In the first place, even though she had committed the sin of blasphemy and could have been executed immediately given the wartime situation, the very fact that they had dragged it out this long was because they had delayed it out of consideration for the followers' backlash.

Even if it had been diluted over time, from the Order's perspective, it wasn't something they could do with a lighthearted "Let's just get it over with!" attitude.

Furthermore, the Saintess's followers didn't belong to a single faction but were spread throughout the entire Order Territory.

And there were quite a few individuals who would lay down their lives at a single word from the Saintess.

In the unlikely event that the Order's fears came to pass, they would have an even harder time dealing with the aftermath.

“They are forcing it through out of necessity, but from the Order's perspective, would the Saintess's execution be a welcome event?”

“……”

“I don't think so.”

It was an event that would naturally provoke considerable backlash.

No, in fact, the backlash was already happening, so it would be more accurate to say it would be amplified.

The fact that they set the execution date much further out than was customary was likely an attempt to somehow dilute the backlash that could erupt all at once.

Various pieces of evidence pointed to it.

From the Order's perspective, the Saintess's execution was something they were doing reluctantly.

They were forcing it through despite the unpleasantness.

‘…….’

U-jin's statement that this timing wasn't bad was in the same context.

For another incident to occur while the imminent Saintess's execution was still an awkward situation.

...could only be seen as a welcome development from the Order's point of view.

“…So what you're saying, Hero, is.”

Eliya, having grasped the conclusion of the conversation, opened her mouth to speak softly.

“Are you saying that the Order's Headquarters might use the guild establishment and the Beastkin to divert attention from the Saintess's execution?”

Nod-

“Exactly.”

The Saintess's execution was decided.

Just as the date of the execution was being mentioned in articles and journals, and people's attention was beginning to focus on it.

The sudden appearance of the Great Migration of the Beastkin knocked the Saintess off the front pages.

There were even rumors circulating that the Beastkin Nation was being rebuilt.

In U-jin's opinion, the Order had no choice but to pay attention to this.

There was likely no better subject to divert people's attention until the day of the execution.

Moreover, it wasn't an event outside of their control.

The Order's Headquarters would inevitably learn of this incident through the UMC, and the UMC was already inextricably linked to the capture of this Base Camp and the Great Migration of the Beastkin.

It was impossible to know whether Ludwig Allegro had been aiming for this from the start, or if it was just a coincidence that fell into place while he was painting a different picture.

The context of the entire situation had turned in their favor.

When things aligned so perfectly, the Order's Headquarters would inevitably think it might be better to just approve the guild and let the Beastkin Nation be established.

The unusual phenomenon of the 'Great Migration of the Beastkin' had already taken root in people's minds, replacing the front-page articles.

If this curiosity was followed by 'rumors of the Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation' and then the actual process of the 'Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation' all happening in a chain reaction.

It would certainly be an event capable of gathering people's attention.

While people's eyes were turned to the reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation, they could swiftly take care of the troublesome Saintess's execution.

Of course, true followers of the Saintess, like Eliya, wouldn't commit the foolish act of being distracted by the mere reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation and forgetting about the Saintess's execution.

In truth, what the Order truly feared was not the followers themselves, but the unrest they could cause within the Order and the subsequent chain reactions.

Even if they couldn't divert the attention of the followers, it was enough if they could divert the attention of others in the Order who might be influenced by them.

And U-jin's prediction.

“I believe it would be better to grant the permit.”

...was becoming a reality in a secret meeting room in the basement of the Order's Headquarters.