Regressor of the Fallen Family Novel - Chapter 279 (New)

Chapter 279

“I expect we will be occupied with internal church matters for some time. It is only after the dust settles that we can truly repay Your Majesty for your help.”

Logan smiled at Iliya’s image within the communication orb; her face was bright with a sense of amusement.

“Repay me? There is no necessity for that, Saint Iliya.”

He spoke with total sincerity. He had already gained more than enough from this venture.

“These formal titles are a bit of a burden, Your Majesty. Please, speak to me as you did before.”

“No, I cannot show such lack of respect to an Archcardinal. Besides, I am no longer the Emperor of the Empire.”

Within the hierarchy of the church, the Pope and the Archcardinals held prestigious ranks comparable to kings. While this tradition had its roots in an ancient era when the Pope had deferred to the Empire, in a land where devotion to the Nine Gods was paramount, it functioned almost as a sacred law.

However…

‘The Pope has met his end, and perhaps the Empire will soon follow suit…’

Logan’s private convictions were of a much darker nature.

“I am in Your Majesty’s debt for everything.”

“How could I have possibly directed Saint Iliya’s path? Your own gifts have brought you to this summit.”

“No, I am truly thankful for Your Majesty’s benevolence. The church is destined for transformation, and the temple shall recover its ancient splendor. When that day arrives, I will settle my debt.”

“Haha. Well, if you are so determined, I suppose I cannot refuse an offer.”

“Oh?”

“I am not in the habit of declining gifts, particularly from someone who is a frontrunner for the papacy.”

“Ah… Haha, I see. I will certainly make good on my word. But such talk does weigh on me. It might be quite a task for someone as young and untested as myself to rise to Pope. There are seasoned figures like Archcardinal Austin to consider as well.”

Hearing this, Logan looked slightly confused.

“Other Archcardinals? Were they not all in league with the former Pope?”

“Well, they now assert that they were merely pawns in the Pope’s conspiracies… However, after the scandalous behaviors witnessed by thousands of the faithful, it would be difficult for any of them to take the throne, even with internal election protocols. The voice of the believers cannot be pushed aside so easily.”

“That is a fair point.”

“This means that choosing the next Pope will be a lengthy process.”

Hmm.

The transition of power in the temple was becoming increasingly tangled. While Iliya might not have realized it, Logan didn’t find this delay troublesome at all. He had been genuinely shaken by the recent temple provocations.

Shifting the conversation with a pleasant look, Logan inquired, “By the way, what exactly was that relic the Pope was using?”

“Pardon me? I assumed you were already aware?”

“How would I have known about that?”

“I actually would have been more surprised if you didn’t.”

“Ah.”

“…It was just a guess based on what was available.”

“The fact that you were privy to what even the Pope’s inner circle missed is quite a feat.”

“It was largely a stroke of fortune. Even the realization that it could mimic a Stigmata originally came from you, Saint.”

“It seems the church and I have been blessed by Your Majesty’s good luck.”

“Haha, it appears so. So, tell me, what was this device? It must be something truly extraordinary to replicate a Stigmata.”

Logan had a specific reason for his prying. The relics of the Nine Gods—the true divine objects—were the only artifacts known to naturally channel divine power. This had been an absolute truth throughout history.

In his previous life, the reveal of this object during the Pope’s ruin hadn’t meant much to him. But in this timeline, he needed to be far more vigilant regarding international power shifts. The appearance of a tool that could fundamentally change the church’s destiny was something he could not ignore.

“Initially, most assumed it was a lost relic. Archcardinal Tener Lainey even argued for the former Pope’s pardon on the grounds that he had recovered the tenth relic.”

“Initially? So, it is not a divine relic after all?”

“No. I could feel a slight variation from pure divine power, and another master who has reached the pinnacle of both aura and divine power agreed with my assessment. Thus, we concluded it is not a relic.”

“A master of both aura and divine power? Ah! You mean the Divine Shield…”

The name of the Divine Shield, Harman Killerbrew, was well-known to Logan.

“Yes. We both determined that it is not a gift from the gods, but a masterfully crafted imitation. This was later confirmed during the interrogation of the former Pope.”

“Did the Pope actually confess its origin so easily?”

Such secrets usually determined whether one lived or died. At Logan’s skeptical question, Iliya’s face stiffened for a moment before she replied with some hesitation.

“The church’s inquisitors broke him within a single day. However, his testimony is… rather bizarre.”

Ah, the church’s inquisitors. They were notorious for pulling confessions of imaginary heresies out of thin air. Yes, they were certainly capable of such things.

Logan imagined the grim reputation of those men, a bitter smile crossing his face, as Iliya continued in a somber voice.

“Supposedly, it is an artifact left behind by an individual with a strange title—the Demonic Holy Child (魔道聖子)…”

Buzz.

“Ugh!”

Logan was suddenly hit by a crushing headache, causing him to clutch his temples.

“Demonic Holy Child. Zibrick… Cassel?”

“Yes? You have heard of this person?”

“No, not yet. I’m not certain… More importantly, Iliya, was this object a small dagger by any chance?”

“No. It was a bracelet.”

“A bracelet… Ah…!”

Images from the final moments of his previous life surged through his mind—a colossal, terrifying magic circle. Inside, mountains of corpses piled high, and upon a blood-soaked altar, two glowing relics. One of them had been a bracelet.

“A bracelet… resembling a glowing orb, shining with a pure white light… is that it?”

“Yes? Yes, exactly! You did know of it after all!”

“…Ah. Well… Let’s just say I did.”

The sharp pain faded, leaving Logan’s mind clear, but the weight of the recovered memories brought a deep sense of fatigue. Even though he felt a desperate need for sleep, there was one more detail to verify.

“Did the Pope reveal where he found such an object?”

“He claimed he bought it at an Aserian black market in his younger years. It does not appear to be a lie…”

“Ha…”

Logan let out a heavy sigh of resignation. If the information extracted by those inquisitors was genuine, then it was likely the truth. If the item had been plucked from the black markets of Aserian, tracing its true source would be a hopeless endeavor.

The small spark of hope he held vanished.

‘Zibrick Cassel’s tomb… must I wait once again for the Empire to discover it?’

It was highly probable that the very ritual in that tomb had been what sent him back into the past. But now, he couldn’t afford to obsess over the complex magical arrays that required countless sacrifices—details that were now hazy in his mind anyway. He had no wish to repeat the agonies of his previous life, and even if his world fell apart, he would not endure those struggles again.

In this life, Logan’s goals were different.

‘That sword… the one I called the Holy Sword.’

The blade that allowed him, a simple knight, to evade the Empire’s Special Surveillance Team for over a month and strike into the heart of enemy territory. If he held that sword now, the war against the Empire would be far more winnable. For now, however, it seemed he had to put that dream aside.

“We are very intrigued by it as well. If there are other artifacts like it—ones capable of granting Archbishop-level divine power to someone with the talent of a mere novice—it would be truly…”

The rest of Iliya’s words drifted past him.

‘An artifact of the Demonic Holy Child. If another appears, I must be the one to claim it first…’

Lost in thought, Logan began to carefully organize the fragmented memories of his past life that had just resurfaced.

“Guard that bracelet well, Iliya.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Even if it is not a true relic, its power is immense. We plan to keep it as a sacred treasure of the church.”

“Yes. That is a relief.”

‘At the very least, I can ensure the bracelet never falls into the hands of the Empire.’

Despite the complications, his plans to change the course of fate seemed to be moving forward effectively. Even if much of it was due to sheer luck.

“The Pope impeached? This is pure madness.”

In the center of the Imperial Capital, Aserian, within the imperial palace and the private chambers of the 2nd Prince, a voice sharp with anger broke the stillness.

The servants, guards, and attendants all froze, holding their breath in terror. A handsome man with blue hair made a subtle gesture, dismissed everyone from the room. Once the chamber was clear, the man spoke in a low, measured tone.

“The world is being told a lie—that he owned an artifact capable of bestowing the divine power of a saint.”

“A tool that grants divine power? Does that sound remotely possible? It is far more likely that another true relic has been found.”

The 2nd Prince’s brow furrowed even deeper, but Leos remained perfectly calm.

“The church’s official stance remains as I said. Regardless of whether it is true, is that not the real source of Your Highness’s anger? You are still plagued by the fact that the McLaine Kingdom remains untouched.”

“…Yes. Logan McLaine, that lucky bastard, has slipped through the net again. How many times is this now?”

A suffocating weight seemed to press down on the prince’s chest. The frustration left the 2nd Prince looking remarkably tense.

“Are you not focusing too much on him? No matter how much luck he has, it cannot last forever. Should you not be more concerned with crushing the Lesser Kingdoms’ Alliance first?”

“No, something feels wrong. I have a powerful intuition about this. We cannot let him continue like this. You know well of the prophetic blood that runs through our imperial line.”

‘Your obsession comes from your pride, not a prophecy.’

The legendary gifts of the founding emperor had never actually manifested in any of his heirs. But Leos kept his honest thoughts to himself. Even as a high-ranking archivist, there were lines he could not cross.

In the heavy silence that followed, Leos said nothing.

“I must seek an audience with His Majesty.”

“Pardon?”

“I am going to have to take some risks if I want to erase him for good.”

The 2nd Prince’s eyes flashed with a cold, murderous light.