Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 81: Nemis Dilemma

Jedo, a luxurious clube located somewhere in Grandera.

A group of influential people gathered at the top of a nine-story building. They were important figures. Their actions could shake the empire, but their expressions were not good.

“Good things require effort.”

Grand Duke Valder broke the quiet atmosphere.

“Indeed. There are always so many obstacles to good things.”

A noble from the Temple faction chimed in. The Grand Duke didn’t respond. Few were more wary of that “elder brother” than he was.

He had hoped time would take his brother, but it didn’t happen. A priest serving an ancient god had ruined what should have been.

They could see what they called a “good thing” as treason. But Prince Edmund, the Emperor’s son, remained silent and attentive, maintaining an unchanged expression. Armata, the Archbishop of the Church of Hillai, spoke in a gentle tone.

“It seems the Emperor has a serious intention to make the Princess his successor. His treatment of her completely differs from how he treats the Prince.”

“Archbishop, let’s stop talking about that. Isn’t it time you helped me a little?”

“Our Church of Elysia will always support the Prince. A noble person is already on their way here by land, so we should be able to pressure the Emperor.”

Archbishop Arice of the Church of Elysia assured.

The Archbishop of Grandera diocese was below a cardinal in rank, but he had great power. He was second only to the Pope and Saint in the Church.

What he said carried weight. Now, everyone turned to Hallonen, the Archbishop of the Church of Nemi. His opinion was the most important.

Nemi, the goddess of abundance, was the most revered of the three goddesses. Elysia, who burned evil with light, came next, while Hillai was the weakest.

Hillai’s divine power focused on healing, but Elysia and Nemi could also heal.

“You can do what you want, but let’s make one promise.”

The Archbishop of Nemi, who couldn’t resist alcohol, downed a bottle.

Afterward, he looked at the group with sharp eyes and spoke. Everyone waited with bated breath for what he would say.

“For the sake of the empire, you may dispose of the Princess, but do not touch that priest. I don’t want to end up like the vampires. This is not my will, but the will of the Mother I serve.”

It was clear who he meant by “mother,” and the gathering agreed.

“No, that man must die.”

But Archbishop Armata expressed strong disagreement.

“We shouldn’t provoke the ancient god by killing the priest directly. But is there only one way to get rid of someone? Hallonen, no one should serve a god greater than the goddesses. The authorities should remove such a person immediately to protect the faith.”

He made a cutting gesture across his throat. Archbishop Armata’s harsh words stunned the temple faction nobles.

This was a side of Armata they hadn’t seen before. Hallonen crossed his arms and responded with a scoff.

“Is that so? I’ll clarify— the Church of Nemi won’t be part of this.”

The real issue was the disagreement between the two archbishops. As they glared at each other, even Grand Duke Valder fidgeted, unsure how to act.

The Three Goddesses’ Church may seem united. But could three different Goddesses agree on everything? Even twins don’t always see eye to eye.

There had been many clashes before. But the alliance stayed strong as long as it benefited all three Goddesses. The Three Goddesses wanted balance. Armata and Hallonen, as earthly figures, could not change that.

Hallonen was the first to relax and smile.

“You’re rushing things. This isn’t something that just the two of us can decide. Even with Archbishop Arice, we wouldn’t be able to. Let’s wait until the Three Goddesses give us their answer. That way, none of us will have any complaints.”

“Agreed. I’ll wait for the goddess’s will.”

Armata smiled, though it was unclear whether he meant it.

On the outside, they seemed calm, but inside, things were much more complicated, especially for Hallonen, who appeared calm but was seething inside.

To think such a thing would happen to the Saint...

A few days ago, Hallonen had a dream. The goddess herself appeared in his mind.

This sacred experience moved him and made him afraid. The goddess rarely visits anyone; she only calls the Pope and the saints this way.

An archbishop meant something urgent for a god to choose. The goddess asked him to protect the priest of the ancient god. It was her will, and Hallonen couldn’t refuse. He didn’t ask why; he knelt in reverence.

Hallonen guessed why the goddess had intervened. The Mother needed Kyle, the priest of the ancient god, for something important.

Why? After thinking for a while, Hallonen concluded that something had happened to the Saint, the goddess’s representative on Earth.

Hallonen received confirmation just yesterday. When he read the secret letter from the Pope of the Holy Country, everything became clear.

The Saint was in a dire situation. The only hope to fix it was with Kyle, the priest!

This secret could never reach the Church of Elisya or Hillai. Grimudo had turned the saint, chosen by the goddess, into a songbird.

If others learned about this disgrace, they would mock the goddess’s followers. Worse, the other factions might try to steal her followers by using this incident against her.

The Polymorph curse that ruined the Western family... To think that would happen to the Saint...

No, they might even try to kill the songbird for good.

How hard could it have been to kill one bird? If Aridel died, the goddess would have lost her Saint. The Saint, created with great power, dying without fulfilling her role would have been a considerable loss.

Hillai and Elysia acted as allies, but their relationship was one of rivalry.

Now, there was a chance to bring down Nemi, who was in the lead. It would have been foolish not to act on it.

Elysia would have done anything to kill Aridel. She wanted to be the top goddess, so I had to keep this secret.

“I’m not sure what the hero’s party is doing, but we should bring them here..

Archbishop Arice interrupted Hallonen’s thoughts.

“A hero with great achievements should support the Prince. It would help both in justification and practicality. Her power could be useful if we need to take drastic action.”

“Don’t underestimate the Emperor.”

He spoke roundaboutly, but he had even considered staging a coup. The Church of Elisya has always been the most radical faction.

Grand Duke Valder’s smile revealed his bitterness. When his brother grew old and weak, people could ignore him.

But not now. The Emperor had regained strength. The Grand Duke knew how the Emperor had taken the throne.

The Emperor seemed kind. But he knew the difference between taking power and keeping it. Radical methods couldn’t rule the empire.

The Emperor had won the last succession struggle. The Grand Duke knew all about it, so he was always cautious around him.

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“Uncle, my father may have once been wise, but now he’s senile. He gave my sister many positions with no real merit and treated me disrespectfully despite my excellent service to the empire.”

He worried about his nephew. Even though he wasn’t very close to Edmund, the Emperor he knew still treated him as if he were his son. He did not expect this level of neglect.

He thought the Emperor would still pay attention to the Prince, even if he favored the Princess. But he didn’t. The Emperor wasn’t like that.

People do not change without reason. The Emperor had been attempting to provoke Edmund all along. But he knew the “elder brother” was not foolish enough to do so.

I should be ready to cut ties with these people if needed.

Grand Duke Valder, leader of the Temple faction, was that person. He would leave whenever it suited him, as long as it kept his position safe.

If a coup were to happen in the empire, it might be something the Emperor had planned from the start.

A loud explosion occurred, causing the ground to tremble.

The nobles, archbishops, and Grand Duke Valder all looked alarmed. If it had been one explosion, they might have thought a magician had messed up an experiment.

But the explosions kept going. Could it be a coup?

But who would be behind it, and why? The Temple faction, the only group with enough power to stage a coup in Jedo, was here.

So who was causing it?

Did the lower ranks act before the upper echelons decided to save the country? They had nothing prepared yet.

“Can you see anything?”

“No. Nothing. Where is the sound coming from?”

They were on the ninth floor of a nine-story tavern. While they couldn’t see all of Jedo, the view was high enough to spot something close.

No matter how much they looked out the window, they couldn’t spot any commotion. There was only the loud noise, but nothing seemed to be happening. No fires were being set, and no riots were breaking out there.

The explosions were coming from a distant place—the Cidatel Republic.

The turmoil in that far-off land has now reached them.

A new whirlwind of trouble began to sweep through the city.