Chapter 23: The King and the Cardinal

The King and the Cardinal

The heroes passed through post towns and camps before finally arriving at the royal capital.

Waiting for them there was a spy who had preceded them to the royal capital.　

"We have been waiting for you, Hero-sama. Please rest assured that we have booked accommodation for you for the time being. Of course, there is no charge."　

A group of heroes accompanied by a peace messenger.

The man was concerned about them and had booked a lodging that was above average.　

"It's a big help. And we were also saved at the post towns along the way. I never thought we'd be able to stay for free."

"Not at all. We have only made arrangements with the town representatives. Everything is at the king's discretion."

The man had already been making preparations in the post town that was the relay point.

In fact, apart from camping, the heroes didn't have to go through the trouble of finding a place to stay along the way.

"I see... you're as efficient as ever. I wish our country had someone as resourceful as you."

Satya was impressed with the man.

She has also plotted against humans in the past.

She honestly praised the man's skill.

"I am honored to receive such praise from such a noble demon general. However, the Saint has another matter to attend to."　

The man turned to Tiana and stated his requirements.

"Oh, for me? What exactly do you want?"

Tiana looked a little surprised at the sudden request.

"The other day... the devout King and Queen requested that the Saint give a speech. They requested that you come to the royal castle early. A room has been prepared for the Saint in the castle, so please be kind enough to come..."

"Ah... is that so?... If so, I'm afraid I can't refuse."

Tiana, feeling like she understood something, gave the man her consent.

"I will send my subordinates to pick up the hero the next day. Everyone else, please relax at the inn until then. The saint will be coming with me from now on."

"That's not fair! I want to stay in the castle too!"

"I'd rather stay at an inn than a castle. The castle is too stuffy for me to stay in right now."

While Asha envied Tiana, Erina, a member of the royal family, seemed reluctant to stay at the castle.

Naturally, both mother and child were neglected and not treated well by their stepmother at the royal castle.

Although Erina felt like meeting her biological mother for the first time in a long while, she also thought that it would be fine to arrange another occasion.

"If that's what you say, then we should go to the lodging that's been prepared for us."

"Hmm... well, if Erina doesn't like it, I guess there's nothing we can do."

"Sorry, both of you... it's not that I'm not reluctant to go to the castle, but ....."

Erina looked at Alto apologetically.

"Well, I'll go to the castle first... I'll see you guys later."

Tiana left the party for a while and headed to the royal castle with the man.

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On the way to the royal castle, Tiana asked the man walking next to her.

"Surely they have no business with me, as a saint, in the first place, right?"

"No, it is true that the Queen is devout and wishes to receive your lectures. That is not the case for my King, though."

"Oh, is that so? As a Cardinal, I have yet to receive the King's vote of confidence... An informal meeting would be a good opportunity."

"I really apologize, Your Holiness..."

In the reception room of the royal castle in the Rose Kingdom.

"Oh! Thank you for coming. I am the King of the Rose Kingdom, Crois Rose. This is my wife, Nay Rose. Please take good care of me and my wife."

"My name is Ney Rose. I look forward to working with you, Your Holiness."

"I am Yentiana Lovecas, the newly appointed Cardinal. I sincerely apologize for the delay in greeting His Majesty the King. It is an honor to meet the King and Queen."

"There's no need to be so intimidated, Lady Tiana."　

(It's like exchanging business cards between office workers... I'm not good at trying to figure out what others are thinking.)

Tiana was anxious to end the meeting quickly.

She is not bad at entertaining important people, but no matter how many times she do it, she never get used to it.

Of course, in the past, she has willingly done so for her own purposes.　

"But I was surprised to see that the next Cardinal would be so young. How was she chosen by the College of Cardinals?"

The king immediately asked Tiana some pointed questions.

A young woman who had just come out of nowhere suddenly became the head of the church.

It was obvious even to the king that some kind of movement had taken place behind the scenes.

However, even the spies were unable to grasp the specific details of what had happened.

The woman before him was so beautiful that if you looked at her, his own wife would pale in comparison.

However, it is impossible for the College of Cardinals, the governing body of the church, to be manipulated by such a honey trap.

The king was well aware of that.

"Due to confidentiality reasons, I cannot reveal the selection process... but I will say that the board of directors was made up of intelligent people."　

Tiana flashed the king a goddess-like smile.

The king had a vision of a halo around Tiana.

And he felt a majestic pressure.

This is something that only a true champion who has won the battle for the throne can understand.

Tiana, on the other hand, had no such intentions from the start.

From her perspective, she just has her eyes closed and is smiling.

"Well, well... that being said... I would like to ask Your Holiness, who I trust, to continue to guarantee my royal authority."　

"Yes, of course. It will be private, but we will hold a formal oath-taking session later. Although my proxy has already taken the oath... that is also an important part of my duties as the current Cardinal."

"Oh, I would really appreciate it. If we can gain the Cardinal's trust once again, things will go much more smoothly in politics."　

After that, Tiana talked with the King and Queen for about an hour.

Tiana speaks respectfully to the couple.

However, Tiana's demeanor as she spoke without hesitation to the leader of a country did not look like that of a woman in her mid-teens.　

The king was deeply impressed by Tiana.

(Don't be fooled by this woman's appearance. At least, inside she is no different from any other Cardinal before her, a deep part of the Church.)

He also evaluated it.　

"Your Holiness, if you have time... there is something I would like to discuss with you."

The meeting was still going on when the Queen started speaking.

"Yes, if it's for Her Majesty's sake, I'll be happy to discuss it."

Naturally, Tiana doesn't dismiss the request with a rude response.　

"Well, as a woman, I have something to discuss with you... If possible, let's continue our conversation in my room..."　

The queen looked at her husband and said to Tiana.　

"Well, I see. There are probably some things that women would like to talk about privately... so let's bring this meeting to an end."　

Although unofficial, the summit meeting between the Church and the Kingdom came to a close.

Tiana smiled and watched him leave the room.

The king left the drawing room, promising to meet again the next day.　

Tiana's gaze, narrowed by a smile, was already directed at the Queen.