novelraw Chapter 206 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (11)
Chapter 206 : Declaration of the Beastkin Nation (11)
The work carried out by the Guardian Cross Order was incredibly diverse.
As it oversaw all matters related to the War against Demons, it was not merely a religious organization.
It also acted as a coalition that united a vast area equivalent to half the continent, forcing it to perform tasks so complex and detailed that they were difficult to list one by one.
Officially, it recognized the independent autonomy of each region, and the work of the Guardian Cross Order was limited to handling matters related to the War against Demons.
In reality, however, it sometimes ignored autonomy and exercised transcendental legal authority for the sake of a greater cause.
Furthermore, the Order's duties were not limited to the public sphere; it also handled tasks people rarely associated with the image of a 'Priest,' such as Exorcists and the UMC.
In any case.
The highest bodies that oversaw all these duties, both in the light and in the shadows, were all gathered in one place.
This was the 'Headquarters of The Order'.
The supreme administrative body of the Guardian Cross Order, located in the 'Vatican'.
It managed the monasteries that trained Priests and the cathedrals of each diocese, and other agencies that any Priest would have heard of, such as the Secretariat of State and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—too many to list—all operated under its jurisdiction.
And within this headquarters, a secret meeting, unknown even to most Priests belonging to The Order, was being held.
A supreme council that convened irregularly, where the Cardinals, heads of the highest bodies in each of The Order's operational areas, gathered with a 'special agenda'.
It was the 'Reverse Cross Meeting'.
“I believe it would be better to grant permission.”
“...”
At the statement that cut straight to the chase, many of the Cardinals seated there fell silent.
Still, as seasoned veterans who had lived as Priests for decades, they did not let their expressions show.
But what could be felt in that brief silence was clearly 'displeasure'.
However, despite clearly sensing this atmosphere directed at him, Ludwig Allegro paid it no mind.
Instead, he shrugged at the gazes fixed on him, as if to say, 'What are you looking at?'
Considering the Order's hierarchical structure, it was an absurd act.
A seat had been assigned to Ludwig Allegro, the head of the UMC, in consideration of the unique nature and importance of its duties.
However, the authority to attend this Reverse Cross Meeting was originally granted only to 'Cardinals' and above.
In other words, except for Ludwig Allegro, who was a High Priest but had not yet received the rank of Cardinal, everyone present was a 'Cardinal'.
To put it simply, it was like a vice-minister speaking out of turn at a meeting of ministers.
Ludwig Allegro's attitude was certainly one to frown upon.
But strangely, no criticism was directed at Ludwig Allegro.
The reason was simple.
They were curious about the reasoning behind his statement that 'permission should be granted'.
After all, Ludwig Allegro was one of the people who had the most to say about the current situation.
Sure enough.
Instead of a rebuke, one of the Cardinals posed a question to him.
“Lord Allegro.”
“Yes.”
“May I ask the reason?”
There were two items on the agenda for this Reverse Cross Meeting.
The imminent 'Saintess's Execution' and the 'Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation'.
Ludwig Allegro's statement that 'it would be better to grant permission' was related to the latter, the Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation.
The great migration of the Beastkin had become a hot topic, filling the front pages, and at the same time, rumors were circulating that 'the Beastkin Nation would be rebuilt'.
As if on cue with those rumors, a guild application had been submitted from the private territory where the migrated Beastkin had settled—the first in 100 years.
He was suggesting that it would be best to approve that guild application.
“It's simple. Because it benefits The Order.”
“Benefits?”
It was a difficult connection to make immediately.
How on earth could approving a guild application—the first in 100 years—be beneficial to The Order?
The Cardinals' attention once again focused on Ludwig Allegro.
As if he had been waiting for the gazes to gather on him, Ludwig Allegro cleared his throat once and began his explanation.
“As you all know, the Saintess's Execution is not far off, and the voices of opposition are not insignificant. Although not reported separately, there have been several potential armed protests that our UMC discovered and dealt with preemptively.”
“...”
“As the date of the execution approaches, they will likely grow. Both in scale and number. If they reach a level beyond what our UMC can handle, they will grow uncontrollably from that point on.”
A sudden rebuttal came in.
“...The UMC isn't the only military force within The Order, is it? Isn't it the case that the UMC handles intelligence, and for direct action, you can request cooperation from other agencies?”
“...That is how the previous measures were handled. As you know, our UMC's main specialty is not armed force. The point I am making now is based on the assumption of a situation where the sheer number and dispersion of threats go beyond the level our UMC can detect and report from an intelligence perspective.”
“...”
Ludwig Allegro answered as if he had anticipated the question and smoothly continued.
“When we measured the frequency of incidents, the opposition was indeed increasing rapidly since the date of the execution was announced. Of course, this was partly because the initial numbers were low... but it was an exponential growth that could not be simply dismissed. But then, for a few days, that growth stopped. When do you think that was?”
“...The migration of the Beastkin Nation.”
“Yes, that's correct.”
Nod-
“For the few days that the great migration of the Beastkin Nation took over the front pages, the increase stopped completely. Of course, it will likely resume soon... but what's certain is that it was a significant effect.”
In truth.
Ludwig Allegro's words were less about revealing new facts and more about organizing what the Cardinals already knew.
From the very beginning, the fact that the two agendas of 'The Saintess's Execution' and the 'Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation' were decided upon simultaneously meant that, from The Order's perspective, these two issues were not considered separate.
“I believe this is a timely opportunity.”
“...”
“The only chance to divert people's attention from the Saintess's Execution.”
Shrug-
“Of course, I'm sure this isn't what you were expecting to hear from me. After all, you all already know this much.”
Suddenly, Ludwig Allegro's demeanor changed.
Then, he snapped his fingers.
A hologram appeared in front of each Cardinal's seat.
On a pre-prepared magic circle, a series of information about U-jin was displayed.
“This is the audacious individual who submitted the guild application to The Order. His name is Seo U-jin.”
And.
“From now on, you must listen very carefully.”
Snap-
He snapped his fingers once more.
In its place, instead of information about U-jin, a single photograph appeared.
A scene of Ludwig Allegro and U-jin sitting side-by-side on a bench, engaged in conversation.
For a moment, the hall grew restless.
- This is...
- Hah... If this is the case.
There wasn't much information that could be gleaned from a single photograph.
But these were men who had clawed their way to the highest echelons of the Guardian Cross Order, a hierarchy that required both political skill and capability to ascend.
There was no one in this meeting room who did not understand the message contained in this peculiar photograph, appearing at this specific time, coupled with Ludwig Allegro's attitude.
“A while ago, I made direct contact with the man named Seo U-jin. In fact, I had been paying attention to his movements even before that. I believed he was a suitable person to execute a plan I had been devising for a long time.”
“...”
“After a thorough investigation and a conversation with the man, I came to a conclusion. This is the person I have been waiting for.”
The person he had been waiting for.
At those words, gasps of realization rippled through the room.
The series of suspicions that had formed in their minds the moment they saw the photograph were now being confirmed by Ludwig Allegro's own mouth.
“After conducting a few tests to build trust, I immediately put the plan into action. The timing seemed right for various reasons. Also, because the man named Seo U-jin possessed abilities far greater than I had anticipated, the preparations were nearly complete.”
Shrug-
“Although it wasn't part of the original plan, the fact that the Beastkin Royal Family bloodline, which our UMC had been managing, joined Seo U-jin's party played a significant role. Normally, that process would have taken a great deal of time, but thanks to that, we were able to cut the preparation time by about half.”
Snap-
“First, I assassinated the black market's market maker who dominated the Beastkin slave market. As we already had him in custody, it was not a difficult task. Of course, no evidence was left behind to suggest our Order's involvement.”
It was a far more shocking story than expected.
In any of The Order's meetings, let alone the Reverse Cross Meeting, it was unheard of for a member to speak of assassinating someone affiliated with The Order.
This was a conservative organization where even the unavoidable killing of a person whose soul was tainted by a Demonic Species during an Exorcist's process was spoken of euphemistically.
This showed just how much Ludwig Allegro's current remarks deviated from The Order's common sense.
“And immediately after, I sent the coordinates of the main prisons in each Beastkin slave camp. There were four locations in total. With our UMC's support, a simultaneous strike would have been possible, but again, to avoid leaving any trace of The Order's involvement, I only provided indirect assistance so that Seo U-jin and his party could handle it themselves.”
“...”
“As of now, two locations have been struck, and all the slaves from those main camps have been moved to the private territory owned by Seo U-jin. I have just received a report that the third location was successfully struck a short while ago.”
Ludwig Allegro's shocking story continued.
With each sentence he finished, gasps erupted here and there, as the Cardinals of the highest bodies were astonished by the current developments.
No way.
They had never imagined that all of this was orchestrated by the head of The Order's UMC, Ludwig Allegro.
“And now, there is just one thing left.”
In every one of Ludwig Allegro's sentences, the introductory phrase 'According to my intentions' was implied.
One could tell just by his attitude.
“The approval of the guild territory for the Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation.”
“...”
“Once that is granted, the 'Reconstruction of the Beastkin Nation,' something I have long yearned for, can be completed.”