“If you say it like that, I wouldn’t know.”

The man growled but complied well with the request for specific information.

“The prophet who told Count Ragno the location of the gold mine.”

“That’s right.”

“The prophet who told Viscount Melbon about the herb that cures his daughter’s illness.”

“That’s right too.”

“The prophet who revealed that the fiancée of Marquis Harmaden is a fraud.”

“That’s also true.”

“The prophet who warned that a dungeon burst would occur in Count Kopern’s territory.”

“That’s correct as well.”

Agnes wore a weary expression at the endless list of anecdotes.

<Goodness, there’s a lot of groundwork laid.>

“Our Reid is thorough and diligent. It’s a virtue of the final mastermind.”

The man nodded with satisfaction and arrogantly gestured toward the carriage parked outside.

“Follow me. The esteemed person wishes to see you.”

Reid immediately stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“......Surprisingly obedient?”

“The prince wouldn’t refuse a summons.”

“How did you know that...? Ah, I see. So that’s why they call you the ‘Black Prophet.’ You already saw through everything.”

Passing the man who had accepted it, we boarded the carriage. Even though the destination was already revealed, the accompanying men still tried to cover our eyes with blindfolds.

Unfortunately, their master had not instructed them to escort us politely.

With our vision blocked, the carriage wheels began to roll.

✠

“About thirty more minutes.”

“Ugh, boring. Traveling by carriage when we could use a teleportation stone.”

“The core institutions like the royal palace, mage tower, and shrine headquarters strictly block incoming spatial transfers. Of course, I could break the barrier with magic.”

“Wow, a 9th circle after all. Cool.”

“How about it? If we changed plans now, we could teleport instead.”

“No. Let’s keep our power hidden, Reid.”

“Right.”

The carriage was still moving, but we chatted leisurely and comfortably without blindfolds.

The men inside were put to sleep by my divine power, and Reid cast a noise-blocking spell on the carriage so that our conversation didn’t leak outside.

The driver, allied with the men, was probably unaware of the strange situation inside as he headed toward the palace.

<It felt more like they were escorting criminals than guests. I doubt we’ll be treated well once we arrive.>

“Considering the princes’ personalities, that sounds about right. But we can’t reveal that we’re the Mage Tower lord and the Holy Scripture bearer.”

<True.>

There was a good reason why we pretended to be commoner astrologers.

The Mage Tower lord and the Holy Scripture bearer were indisputably major figures of the Ragneif Magical Republic. No matter how obsessed the princes were with the throne, they wouldn’t recklessly involve foreign powers.

So we disguised ourselves as harmless commoners with influence — prophets.

[‘Architect of the Tower of Trials’ likes power-hiders.]

“Mild methods are bothersome and troublesome.”

Reid grumbled a bit. I needed to soothe him.

“But the advantage is that resistance is low and maintenance is easy. It’s harder to keep something than to get it.”

“.......”

Reid looked at me silently. Somehow I thought his gaze was a little deeper.

“True. It’d be a shame to lose what we’ve gained so easily.”

“Right, right.”

“A little trouble is worth enduring if it means making what you want forever yours.”

“Exactly.”

“You said you prefer mild methods too.”

“Hmm? Ah, yes.”

I’ve been getting along well with Reid lately, which is nice. But I wonder if I’m just imagining the nuance.

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ fusses happily over its passionate obsession with you.]

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ smirks slyly, suggesting that sometimes a more radical approach is better than a mild one.]

...Hmm, judging by the scales’ reaction, my ears aren’t deceiving me.

<What exactly is this mild plan?>

Agnes, who always fled our meetings so she wouldn’t overhear villainous plotting, finally grew curious.

“Well, the plan is....”

“I’ll explain.”

Agnes and I blinked in surprise.

“Reid, can you hear Agnes?”

“Now I do.”

“Huh?”

<What?>

I was startled. Didn’t it only respond to the awakening of the 8-tier divine power?

Agnes’s spirit form peeked at Reid’s face.

Since their eyes met properly, it seemed Reid could see Agnes.

<Really?>

“Yes.”

<How?>

“I did a little magic research whenever I had free time at the Mage Tower. I’m glad it worked.”

<Then how long have you been able to hear?>

“Some time now. I was curious about when Saint Agnes and the kid would use code words, but they haven’t lately.”

<.......>

I think Agnes was pointing out that whenever I said he had a bad personality, I always said he was handsome. It was awkward.

[‘The Word that Builds Worlds’ is displeased that you’ve been slyly hiding it.]

[‘The Scales that Judge Souls’ really likes schemers.]

<Ahem, anyway, Reid, nice to see you.>

“Yes, nice to see you.”

<By the way, you know.>

“Yes?”

“.......”

Ah, Agnes! He hates that!

But Reid’s reaction was gentler than I expected.

“......Is that so.”

He lowered his gaze as if reminiscing. Even that looked very much like the ‘old him’ Agnes mentioned.

The mood was quickly settled.

<So, how do you plan to conquer the kingdom? Tell me.>

Reid clasped his hands on his knees, exuding the aura of a final mastermind, and began.

“I will interfere with the succession.”

The so-called kingmaker operation.

“Currently, in the Vinchester royal family, the first princess Celestid has been deposed, and the first prince Hadeil and third prince Ligares are fighting for the throne. Neither side gains additional support, and a prolonged stalemate continues. But that means if a strong catalyst appears, either side can be crowned king.”

<Oh, so that’s why the skilled astrologer laid groundwork?>

“Yes. We spread rumors using the power of magic. That a newly appeared astrologer in the capital will decide the throne. We also created events to back up the rumor.”

We contacted nobles and gave them future information about gold mines, herbs, marriage frauds, and dungeon bursts.

The knowledge of regressors and spirit possessors was very useful in such cases.

<So you want to install a new king by your hand and control him as you please?>

“Yes. Prophecy is very useful, and the king will quickly come to rely on it.”

<That ability is too overpowered. Whether you want it or not, they’ll forcibly give you wealth or status to keep you close.>

“Yes. A regency should be fine. It’s a very mild plan, isn’t it?”

<Yeah, seems so....... Wait, I think I’m starting to feel weird too. You scheming to control the king—how is that mild? Ugh.......>

“Everything is relative. I can confidently say this is the most peaceful method I have devised.”

<Ah, villains with convictions are scary indeed.......>

Reid seemed to take it as a compliment and chuckled softly. Then kindly asked,

“Any more questions?”

<What if the mild plan /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ fails?>

“We’d have to use a less mild plan.”

<How many plans do you have?>

“Very mild, somewhat mild, mild but slightly radical, somewhat radical, and very radical—five plans total.”

<Five levels? So if one fails, you move up a level?>

“Well, that depends on the mood.”

<Mood?>

“If everything is annoying, we might skip from level one straight to five......”

Agnes was horrified by the mercurial villain’s temperament.

<No! The last stage is a military conquest!>

“Yes. You know that.”

<Sigh, at this point I hope the royal family won’t upset you and become your puppets.>

I hope Agnes’s wish reaches the royal family.

Since the topic came up, I tried to soothe Reid.

“Hey, Reid. Level five seems too extreme. Let’s stop at level four no matter what.”

“At level four?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Did I explain level four to you?”

“No?”

Reid smiled warmly and charmingly, narrowing his eyes.

“Level four is to cause a rebellion, purge the royal family, and crown you as the new king. The Rodeline dynasty. How’s that, my queen?”

“No, on second thought, level three seems my limit.”

“I see. Tell me if you change your mind.”

Just as our villainous casual conversation ended calmly, the carriage wheels stopped.

It seemed we had finally arrived at the palace.