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・・・・・

Constantine was desperately clinging to the rope to avoid hitting rock bottom. He thought he had a firm grip, but it didn’t take long for him to realise that the rope he was holding onto was nothing more than an illusion, and his feet were already touching the ground. He just couldn’t bring himself to admit it.

He had already begun to let go of everything the moment he stole the devil’s relic from the temple for his own personal reasons. He was still subconsciously clinging to the glory of the past. Having lost both his honour and his beliefs, what was left for him now?

'Claudia...’

That was the name of Constantine’s final lingering attachment. It was shortly after the long and arduous religious war had come to an end. Peace had barely lasted ten years before it began to crumble again. The golden age of the Holy Empire of Roxitant was said to be nearing its end, and rumours of the empire's impending decline spread like wildfire. As the emperor continued to lose the trust of the people, the Holy Temple naturally gained more followers and influence.

The people had high expectations for Constantine, who had eradicated the rebellion of heretics and brought an end to the civil war. After all, it had only been a few years ago. He was a hero. A symbol of peace, balance, and integrity. Most of the fanatical followers who believed in the one and only true god, Deseo, revered Constantine as if he were God's very representative. The hero of silver, the saviour sent down under God’s command to save the world. He was the living symbol of the temple. To the point that it wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say that if Constantine fell, the temple would also fall with him.

That's why even the high-ranking priests dared not treat him lightly and were grovelling before him. Of course, the temple couldn't simply stand by and watch this happen. They had already attempted to kill Constantine once, disguising it as an honourable death. But that plan was foiled when Benjamin caught wind of it. Benjamin, who still found Constantine useful, whispered the temple's betrayal into his ear without asking for anything in return. As a result, the temple crumbled helplessly at the hands of the hero.

"S-sir Constantine… Pl-please, please spare me! I was wrong. I misjudged the voice of God!"

Then Benjamin, who had been watching from the side, burst into laughter and openly mocked him.

"Oh dear, how could you, a High Priest, misinterpret and fail to understand the will of God? This is a crime worthy of death.” 

From that day on, Constantine completely let go of his false faith. Realising he had already lost everything, he stopped clinging to the remnants of his past and became ruthless.

Later, when Benjamin attempted to justify himself, he shrugged and said, "I merely showed you the way; you were the one who chose to follow it." But Constantine realised that everything had unfolded exactly as Benjamin had intended. In fact, it was Benjamin who had planted the idea in the priests' minds to eliminate Constantine in the first place. 

Benjamin had set the stage for Constantine to abandon his unnecessary attachment to conscience and ethics. Honestly, could Constantine have really not known that? There was no physical evidence, but he certainly had enough circumstantial evidence. Yet, he chose to disregard his last vestige of conscience and trampled on it thoroughly.

"From the start, you know better than anyone that you are fundamentally incompatible with the word 'holy.' In fact, that sorcerer we killed years ago while possessed by a devil was far more holy than you ever were."

Perhaps this was called giving up. He decided to shed the burdens of a saint that didn't suit him. This time, he would truly become a new person. The newly appointed High Priest was chosen solely based on Constantine's influence. Not only the central temple but also the high-ranking priests of each regional temple were replaced with fools who would bow to power. The true head of the temple was Constantine. Despite these actions, Constantine felt no guilt. After all, this was the position he deserved in the first place.

Constantine thought, ‘If it weren't for me, could the temple and the empire have enjoyed such boundless glory? No, the temple would have gradually lost its followers and rotted away in endless civil wars.’

Until now, he had behaved like a loyal dog, following orders without question. Despite his humble origins, he possessed the skills necessary to rule and earned both respect and trust. His humility allowed others to mistake his kindness for weakness, leading them to climb over him, unaware of their true place. Those foolish subordinates who fail to grasp the greatness of their superior must be reminded of their position through force.

“Fear and resignation cultivate such obedience in them…”

Perhaps it was due to the depth of his thoughts, or maybe he was just momentarily exhausted. Constantine, who rarely voiced his thoughts, suddenly muttered to himself. 

Benjamin, extinguishing his cigarette on the table, curled his lips into a sinister smile.

"How foolish of you to realise it only now," he remarked. "I figured out long ago that you were just like me."

Those words jolted Constantine back to reality. Benjamin searched his pockets for a new cigarette, took a deep drag from the filter end, and languidly exhaled a stream of smoke.

“Come to think of it, now that we've had our fill of war, it's about time we start establishing a proper system."

 “...A system you say?” 

"Yes, the framework is already somewhat established. It seems you're both struggling to grasp it, so allow me to kindly explain it to you."

One was akin to a beast driven by instinct, while the other had lived leashed as the main pet of the temple, living without knowing his true nature. Benjamin openly criticised Lucas and Constantine. 

Upon hearing that, Lucas looked over with the expression, ‘This bastard is insulting me again' and Benjamin nonchalantly brought the lit end of the cigarette near him. He didn't actually bring it close. He merely just showed it to him.

As Benjamin took a deep drag, his cheeks hollowed out, and the tip of the cigarette glowed bright red as it burned quickly. When he lightly brushed it with his fingers, the ash fell to the ground. Lucas flinched instinctively, casting a wary glance at him. This reaction was due to the memory of Benjamin suddenly bringing the lit end of the cigarette close to his hand.

"This is exactly it."

"What?"

"Now, just seeing me light a cigarette makes you recall fear, doesn't it?"

"Who… who's afraid?!"

"Aren't you?"

Benjamin maintained a smug demeanour as if he knew everything. Then Lucas, hardening his expression, pointed at him and asked Constantine.

"Please, can someone take that devil bastard to hell?” 

“Well, it’s hard to say. I guess I’ll live until my lifespan runs out. Someone like me, worse than a devil, wouldn’t be particularly welcomed even in hell.”

“Perhaps I'll live even longer than Your Majesty,” Benjamin shrugged off the notion of death nonchalantly. After a brief diversion, he returned to the matter at hand. 

“Your Majesty is the embodiment of the ideal emperor I’ve always envisioned.”

Lucas, noticing Benjamin smirking while spewing nonsense, silently drew his sword. He didn’t know what Benjamin was up to, but he was prepared to stab him for real if necessary.

“Your Majesty is always emotional and impulsive. No one can predict when, where or how you will react. That is why everyone is afraid. Sometimes your unpredictable actions leave even me clicking my tongue in disbelief.”

The seed of a tyrant had indeed blossomed into a magnificent figure of oppression, fulfilling all expectations. He was just foolish enough to be easily manipulated. Even though Lucas seemed to be running around like a crazy horse, he was still simple to control. Benjamin swallowed his words, smiling sweetly.

“When and where do you think the end of my cigarette will point? At this moment, you can’t move or speak carelessly. This is what we call control through fear. If this goes on, you’ll learn to resign yourself.”

Lucas found it quite unpleasant to be used as an example for a demonstration, but since the idea was somewhat appealing, he asked for clarification.

“You mean they can’t move or speak? The people of the empire?”

"Absolutely. They will also no longer be able to see or hear."

"Hmm, that’s to my liking.” 

Benjamin smirked as if he had anticipated that reaction, and put the cigarette he had been fiddling with back in his mouth.

“In that case, please continue living like that.”

"Are you trying to provoke me?"

"Of course not. I'm actually praising you. Please continue to act capriciously, display your cruel nature without restraint, and ruthlessly cut down anyone who fails or succeeds. That's all Your Majesty needs to do."

“Well, no. That's not the end of it.” Benjamin lightly corrected what he had just said.

"How about hosting a swordsmanship tournament? Alternatively, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to actively support promising playwrights and the actress who is widely praised as the Queen of Opera.” 

“Was her name Lorelai, perhaps?” Benjamin mused to himself, recalling the actress with a captivating appearance and a heavenly voice, perfect for enchanting the audience. 

"Ah, that's what you meant."

Lucas responded nonchalantly as he sheathed the sword he had drawn. 

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to increase the number of low-class brothels near the slums. Since we can’t manage the street ruffians, we can just gather the useful and decent-looking ones and take them there.”

"Killing two birds with one stone."

"Then they’ll just keep quiet, right?"

"Of course, not all of them, but certainly most."

After saying this, he rummaged through his pocket, pulled out a neatly tied bundle of papers, and tossed it to Constantine.

Without any warning, it suddenly flew towards his face, but he caught it effortlessly, showing no sign of agitation.

"What is this?"

"These are meal tickets.”

"Meal?”

"Aren't the unfortunate people starving due to the prolonged war?"

Constantine shot him a look that seemed to ask, ‘Are you in a position to say that?’ It was obvious that Benjamin was the one who had first suggested the idea of a war of aggression to the newly crowned Lucas, just as he had enticed him before.

"Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Give them only to those who swear to become followers of your God, Deceo."

“...Are you talking about the follower's oath?”

"Of course."

The follower's oath held profound symbolic significance. It represented the act of cleansing oneself of all past sins and mistakes, being reborn as a servant of Deceo. Thus, compelling people to swear such a sacred oath for a mere piece of paper was unsettling. Constantine gazed at the meal tickets with a visible expression of distaste. It was a rejection rooted more in long-held 'conditioning' than in mere 'physiological' aversion.

"Why are you making that face? Aren't you finally becoming the saviour you've always desired to be? Are you still bound by useless doctrines?”

Benjamin muttered as if it were all a bother, but he knew Constantine, who had fallen into his trap, could never escape. He smiled charmingly, his red lips curving gracefully.

"Hmm, but simply feeding them won't be enough to qualify as a saviour. First, decorate the temple as grand and magnificent as possible."

Constantine couldn't understand the relevance. Then Benjamin spoke as if he were stating an obvious truth.

"It’s human nature to be easily misled by appearances. If you want to be seen as a saviour to the ignorant people, you first need to present a convincing exterior."

“Just like your holy and noble appearance,” Benjamin remarked, looking Constantine up and down. Despite having no expression on his face, Constantine radiated brightness. He didn’t need to wear a fake smile, unlike Benjamin himself, who looked like a villain to anyone. Just by donning the pristine white uniform of the Knight Order, he resembled the epitome of a righteous knight set to vanquish evil.

Constantine did not deny that his appearance had played a significant role in being recognised as the hero representing the temple. It was a fact. But that was it. Rebuilding the temple, which had its own history and tradition, was a different matter.

"Where would we get the money for that?"

The temple's finances were adequate but not sufficient to rebuild it grandly and elaborately. 

Then, after a moment of contemplation, Benjamin, who had a natural talent for extracting money from the poor, quickly devised a solution.

“You could sell pardons to the followers after expanding the temple as much as possible."

"Pardons? You don't mean..."

"Why are you asking like you don’t already know? It’s bothersome but of course, it's a certificate that absolves them of their sins and spares them from hell."

"Is there a more certain way to extort money from the temple than that?” He said it casually and waved his hand dismissively, indicating he didn’t want to be bothered anymore.

"You can handle the rest as you see fit. Just how long are you going to keep pretending to be modest? You're capable of becoming even worse than me."

"...” 

"I have high expectations of you, Sir Constantine."

Benjamin smiled sweetly with his signature, mask-like grin, patted Constantine's shoulder a couple of times and then left. At those words, Constantine furrowed his brow slightly and remained silent. 

There was no turning back now. No matter the circumstances, he was beyond the point of return. Now that they were in the same boat, he had to sink or swim with Lucas and Benjamin. Whether their end would lead to prosperity or ruin remained uncertain. But now, Constantine had no choice but to run blindly down the fixed path.

・・・・・

I learned about the current situation of the temple through Martina. As soon as I heard the phrase “a large-scale purge of priests was conducted in secret,” I immediately grasped how things were unfolding. 

'Constantine has turned it upside down!'

I recalled the appearance of the Holy Knight I had briefly encountered at the funeral. He exhibited a significant attachment to the faith and honour he had already lost. Having grown up in the temple from a very young age and being forced to live a life of martyrdom and purity, it was unavoidable that he felt this way, despite being contrary to his true nature. This highlighted the terrifying power of indoctrination.

But he wouldn’t have committed such a bold act alone. There must have been someone behind him. The probability of it being Benjamin was nearly 90%. If it were Benjamin, he would have used this as an opportunity to put a leash on Constantine. If that were the case, then by now, Constantine would probably be…

‘He’s probably busy blaming others like crazy.’

Or maybe he was justifying his terrible actions with various excuses. Of course, this was all just my speculation. However, based on the original novel and the information I had gathered so far, I was confident it would be mostly accurate. I clicked my tongue in disapproval and stood up from my seat.

Translator's Corner:

Ello, Reira here~! Thanks for reading my translations so far, hope you are enjoying them! I'm looking to pick up one more romance novel (all-ages) so if you have any suggestions, please let me know in the comments or via the "Contact Me" form. I did have a look at the Novel Updates forums and I think "Don't Look For Me" or "An Unexpected Proposal" look quite interesting, so I've put that on my tentative list too~

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