He became the most insane emperor of all time - Chapter 14

[Prospera’s Favor Level 1] [All internal affairs efficiency increases by 20%. Growth, production, probability of new talents, and espionage success rates are improved.] [Currently owned skills: Imperial Swordsmanship Level 4, Stealth Level 1, Ambush Level 1, Mana Heart Level 2, Ranger Tactics Level 1…] [Current active effects: Merchant Sponsorship, Leonis’s Favor Level 1, Prospera’s Favor Level 1]

I briefly reflected on the progress I had made so far.

Overall, growth was proceeding smoothly.

Not only was my personal training and development going well, but the army training and external espionage were also steadily progressing.

So far, it had been going well.

As long as this current issue was resolved smoothly, that is.

“It’s been a while, Your Majesty.”

“It’s truly been a long time, Cardinal. It feels like the first time I’m seeing you.”

Actually, this was our first meeting.

But I spoke ambiguously, as the other party might not realize that.

The first time I met the Cardinal, his demeanor was very pleasant, fitting of a religious figure, but I easily sensed that it was all an act.

[The Emperor’s eyes successfully read the other person’s thoughts.]
[Current thought: Is the Emperor going to act according to our wishes? The imperial power isn’t what it used to be, so it’s possible, but…] Tsk, this guy is already full of thoughts of trying to control me.

If he’s like this, I wonder how the Pope is.

The fact that he himself hasn’t come yet seemed to indicate that he wanted to engage in a power struggle with me.

Although he probably had something he wanted from me, it was clear he was in a weak position, yet his attitude didn’t sit well with me.

“So, what’s this all about? I doubt you came just to have tea on such a nice day.”

Of course, I didn’t have purely innocent intentions either.

As soon as the Cardinal arrived, I sent out spies to gather information on the internal workings of the church.

Devout clergy aren’t easily swayed, but there are more people in the world who aren’t devout than those who are.

The Cardinal himself may be strict, but not all of his attendants would be.

It wouldn’t be difficult to create spies within the church.

“I would never dare disturb Your Majesty, who is so busy with state affairs.”

Actually, I wasn’t that busy.

I spent my days idly.

The ones who were busy were my ministers.

“Let’s stop with the formalities and get to the point. Why are you here?”

I couldn’t just leisurely chat with the Cardinal, so I pushed him forward.

At the same time, I quickened my pace as we walked through the garden.

As my pace increased, the Cardinal, being a clergyman, struggled to keep up and had to respond quickly without much time to think.

“His Holiness the Pope wishes for Your Majesty to attend the upcoming Mass.”

The excuse is to invite me to attend a mass?

It didn’t feel much different from a religious person trying to convince someone to come to church on the weekend.

But someone like a Cardinal wouldn’t have come all this way just to do that.

“That’s not difficult, but what’s the real reason you’re insisting on my attendance?”

I asked directly for the reason, but I didn’t expect him to tell the truth.

“His Holiness wishes to personally bless you for the future of the Empire, Your Majesty.”

[The Emperor’s Eyes attempt to read the other person’s mind.]
[Opponent’s diplomacy: 6 vs my diplomacy: 10]
[Dice result]
[Opponent: 4]
[Me: 6]
[Mind reading successful!]

As soon as the Cardinal lied, the Emperor’s Eyes automatically activated.

Although the Cardinal had a diplomacy of 6, I had a stat of 10, which made me far stronger.

With a 6-sided die versus a 10-sided die, I was at a clear advantage.

The mind-reading succeeded immediately, and I could fully read his thoughts.

[Current thought: If I personally bless the Emperor in front of everyone, no one will think that the Pope has lost his divine power.]

Oh.

There’s such a secret.

The Pope had lost his divine power… and he wanted to borrow my authority to conceal that fact.

Not all clergy have divine power, but for the Pope, it was a fatal flaw.

However, he thought that by performing a blessing in front of everyone, it would clear up any doubts.

“Well then, I have a question for you.”

“What is it, Your Majesty?”

“If the Pope can’t use divine power, how does he plan to conceal that?”

“…!”

As soon as I casually asked, the Cardinal’s face turned pale and his expression fell.

Seeing his reaction, I couldn’t help but smile slightly and pressed further.

“Oh, and also. I’m curious why you’re going to such lengths to disguise it.”

Of course, it was clear that he was acting because of suspicions, but was it really necessary to put on such a show in front of the common believers?

The commoners would probably just go to church habitually, regardless of the suspicions.

There must be someone else he needed to convince to dispel those doubts.

“If you speak honestly, I’ll consider cooperating.”

If not, he could leave right now.

Of course, now that I knew the Pope’s secret, there was no way he would leave empty-handed.

I imagined he’d want to assassinate me, but then again, he couldn’t really do that, could he? He’s frustrated, right?

“Well… the Bishop Stella will be attending the service.”

“Bishop Stella, you say.”

A bishop-prince is a term used for the heads of the seven noble houses, who are also clergy.

And Bishop Stella was one of the seven noble houses of the Empire.

At least for now, she was classified as one of my political opponents.

“So, this is all a play to deceive her. No, more precisely, to deceive the one who made her bishop-prince.”

The real political enemy was the one who had made her bishop-prince.

“You plan to deceive the Purification Sect.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

As I had figured it all out, the Cardinal readily admitted the truth.

The Purification Sect.

They became rivals to the Imperial Church, which naturally saw a decline in power as the Empire fell.

Originally just a faction under the Empire Church, they had now become an independent sect.

“The Pope didn’t want to keep being accused by the Purification Sect.”

But no matter how much the Purification Sect might be challenging him, as the Emperor, if I got involved, they wouldn’t be able to criticize me easily.

The Purification Sect also had its rivals, and they wouldn’t want to give them any ammunition.

“So, despite needing my help, they still tried to deceive me.”

“Your… Your Majesty…”

If I hadn’t noticed, I would’ve ended up being used and left with all the blame.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable, I emitted a killing intent, and the petals and leaves in the garden around me were sliced by the aura imbued with my killing intent.

The Captain of the Guard, who was walking beside me, gestured for the guards to approach.

I could have charged the Cardinal with insulting the Emperor right there.

“Go tell the Pope that I’ll play along for now.”

Attending that service wasn’t difficult at all.

“But if I see any more actions that displease me…”

The consequences would be severe.

So, they’d better obey me.

I sent that warning.

***

“Your Majesty, we can begin now.”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

When I first arrived in this world, I started by sparring with a humble member of the Guard.

It was just one-on-one.

But now, I was sparring with four knights at once.

“Watch your back!”

“Over here!”

“Right side is open, Your Majesty!”

Clang! Clang! Ka-ching!

It was a training session designed for multiple enemies.

In fact, this kind of training was something that soldiers typically did.

But knights wouldn’t train at the same level as soldiers.

Unlike soldiers who used wooden swords, knights used real swords and even employed their auras.

Aura-blades required restraint, but enhancing physical abilities with aura was a dangerous practice.

Bang!

“Alant! Disqualified!”

Clang! Bang! Crunch!

“Wilhelm, Reinhardt, Kain. All disqualified. The Emperor wins. You all still need to work harder.”

The Captain of the Guard, Wolfman, who was watching the sparring, scolded the new recruits who had been easily defeated in the 4v1 match.

But he wasn’t too harsh. It wasn’t because they were lacking, but because I was simply that skilled.

“We’ll end here for today.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The guest you’ve been expecting will be arriving soon.”

“A guest, you say?”

A guest is a guest.

Bishop-Prince Stella had decided to visit the Imperial Palace.

After leaving the training hall and arriving at the palace, I took a bath to wash off the sweat and casually asked the Captain of the Guard as I came out.

“Do you go to church often, Captain?”

“I don’t go often.”

“Is it because of a lack of faith?”

“No. I’m a believer of the Imperial Protector Church. It’s just that I don’t have the time to go.”

The Imperial Protector Church.

A religion based on the five guardian deities associated with the founding myth of the Empire.

Leonis of Courage.

Justia of Justice.

Lustra of Purification.

Prospera of Prosperity.

Mysteria of Mystery.

Each guardian deity has different teachings, and followers select the deity that best suits their occupation, making it a polytheistic religion.

This is quite different from the mainstream monotheistic religions of Earth.

“Who would you recommend I follow from the five gods, considering I’m the Emperor?”

“As a knight, I would recommend Leonis of Courage, but…”

The Captain hesitated as he recommended Leonis.

“I think it would be a mistake to compare Your Majesty to just a mere knight.”

That was certainly true.

If I were to choose, Prospera of Prosperity would likely be the most suitable guardian for an Emperor.

“Then what about Lustra of Purification?”

As I exchanged such conversation with the Captain, a youthful voice spoke up from the side.

There, a beautiful woman with black hair, dressed simply in a priest’s robe, stood.

“Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Stella von Lakeshire, Archbishop and Bishop-Prince of the Eastern Empire.”

[Name: Stella von Lakeshire]
[Title: Empire Bishop-Prince, Archbishop]
[Stats: Governance 7, Diplomacy 9, Combat 4]
[Disposition: Devout, Logical, Cautious]
[Traits and Skills: Strong Divine Power, Exceptional Insight, Purification and Healing Divine Power]

With these stats, she was an S-tier.

If we were to rank the talents, she would likely be among the top-tier individuals in the Empire.

In a game, she would be a character people would be eager to recruit or eliminate.

With looks this beautiful, most people would want to recruit her.

If she weren’t my political opponent, I would probably feel the same way.

“Thank you for accepting my invitation. I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

“I, too, have been eager to meet you, Your Majesty.”

[Thought reading successful]
[Current thought: The Emperor doesn’t know the Pope’s secret yet. If that’s the case, it might be better to reveal the secret in front of him tomorrow…]

Ah, she already knows the Pope’s secret.

Well, the Pope’s plans had seemed a bit sloppy.

With the Purification Sect growing stronger, they might have learned of it through some means.

I don’t solely control the intelligence network.

“I invited you because I heard the Bishop-Prince would also be attending the Pope’s service tomorrow. There are not many chances for the Emperor to interact with the Bishop-Prince these days.”

The Pope is trying to use me to deceive her.

“It’s an honor, Your Majesty. I sincerely hope that the relationship between our Purification Sect and the Imperial family remains strong.”

The Bishop-Prince is also trying to use me to expose the Pope’s weaknesses.

Both of them were plotting against me.

Things were about to get really interesting.