Kamil made a dumbfounded expression at Anya’s words.

“...Sorry? What do you mean? If you are saying that you want to frame Captain Ethan for everything…”

“No, it’s the exact opposite, actually. Why don’t we say that it was Ethan who got rid of Nigrato and saved Hiveden? Of course, we would have to discuss and make up the details. Oh, we can even say that Bishop Rietto cooperated and helped him. They are both dead, so it would be easier to make up the story,” Anya said.

Then, Juan’s gaze turned to Anya.

“Bishop Rietto died?” Juan asked.

“It seems that you didn’t know. He was found dead for some reason after Nigrato disappeared.”

“How did he die?”

“I witnessed the scene. The knight named Sina Solvane and I were protecting him together, but his head suddenly exploded somehow… It was a terrible sight. We think that he died from the aftermath of using a powerful Grace which was beyond his limit,” Kamil answered Juan instead of Anya this time.

Juan pondered upon hearing Kamil’s reply, and assumed that the sudden flow of power into his body during his fight with Nigrato had to do with Rietto—no one other than Bishop Rietto would have been able to demonstrate such an ability in Hiveden in the first place.

Juan didn’t feel at ease after hearing about Rietto’s death since he was the one who aided Juan’s victory, not to mention that Juan had suspicions about his death.

“I’ll have to look into his death later,” Juan muttered.

“But Anya… Why are you trying to make up a fake story like that?” Kamil asked.

“Because the Imperial Army will come,” Anya answered.

Kamil nodded her head as if she had immediately understood Anya’s intention.

“Although the responsibility of the Order of the White Crow lies with the Church, the empire’s administration will interfere as the Laus Mountain Scouts and Hiveden have suffered severe damage. Not only the Church but the Imperial Army will come to inspect the situation. So let’s make all this the Church’s problem by using Ethan and Rietto when the time comes,” Anya explained.

“They would become the empire’s heroes. I personally don’t mind going with the story, but there must be testimonies from other people as well,” Kamil said.

“But those testimonies won’t be as powerful as the testimony of the former Deputy of the Order of the White Crow. And I’m sure there isn’t anyone who saw everything up close.”

“Is the Order of Huginn okay with the plan? Even if we make a hero out of the captain of the enemy?”

“We don’t mind,” Anya, who became the new captain of the Order of Huginn, cheerfully replied.

“I know this because I’ve already died once, but one of the most meaningless things in the world is painting someone’s grave with gold. I bet the Order of Huginn won’t care about Ethan being praised as a hero as long as they no longer suffer from the damage,” Juan smiled.

Kamil flinched once again as she looked at Juan who was saying that he had ‘already died once.’ Anyone could tell that his comment implied that he was the emperor. There were many things that Kamil wished to ask and say to Juan, but doing so would be no different from acknowledging him as the emperor. Kamil shut her mouth as she was still unsure about everything, and brought up another topic instead.

“...But is all this really necessary? Why can’t we just say that you defeated Nigrato and reveal that you are the hero who saved Hiveden?”

‘And declare that His Majesty has returned to this land in the empire?’

Kamil swallowed her words with difficulty, as she knew that she would no longer be able to deny the fact that Juan really was the emperor if she did make such a bold move.

Kamil remained silent for a long time with her eyes lowered after she uttered her words. However, she lifted her head again when she didn’t hear any replies even after some time had passed. Upon looking up, she found Juan and Anya staring at her.

“Kamil. That’s a rumor that has already been spread far and wide,” Anya said.

“I’m sorry?”

“The rumor had spread even before the Order of Huginn could do anything about it, to the point that it couldn’t be stopped. The whole point of us suggesting to have Ethan shoulder everything is to confuse the Church. In fact, we have already thought of our next plan in response to what might happen afterward,” Anya laughed playfully. “Although that far future has yet to arrive.”

***

Juan, Anya and Kamil sorted out the immediate matter, and their meeting moved on to the next issue that needed to be addressed.

“Who do you think will come from the Imperial Army?” Anya asked.

“Perhaps the Church will send a Bishop since this incident is a pretty big deal. Since most things have been sorted out already, maybe a high-ranked official from a knight order or the army will come by themselves rather than sending the whole army here…” Kamil said.

“So someone like Barth Baltic?”

Both Anya and Kamil’s gazes turned to Juan upon hearing his question. Their eyes expressed a hint of surprise, perplexity, and confusion as if they wanted to know why he had mentioned Barth Baltic’s name.

“There’s no way the Regent would come,” Kamil answered.

“I agree. I am quite surprised that you expect the Regent to come.”

Anya and Kamil looked surprised, but it was Juan who was even more confused to see their reaction. Juan thought that if he had the choice of who to send, he would send at least the Regent to completely get rid of the trail left by the death of a god.

“The Regent is the current head of the empire. He is the Regent—even if he doesn’t wear a crown, he still holds the same status as His Majesty. There’s no way someone like him would come to just clean up this mess,” Anya explained.

‘Ah… of course.’

Upon hearing Anya’s explanation, Juan realized that they held a different point of view from him. They didn’t know how hardy a god’s life was, nor did they know how dangerous the gods are. Although they had seen the god of death in real life, they saw him die as soon as he appeared.

On the other hand, Juan had seen and fought gods who exterminated entire races. When fighting against and killing gods, Juan had to act as if he even hated the dust sitting on the chopped-up pieces of their bodies.

However, Anya and Kamil didn’t know all this; it was only natural for them to think that a high-ranked official wouldn't move for such an incident.

“...Maybe it’s for the best,” Juan muttered.

Juan hoped they would never have to know all this, as it would be hard for anyone to remain sane once they learned the terror of gods.

“Juan?”

“Nevermind. I thought that if Barth Baltic was still the same man as my memory, he might come himself. He’ll probably send the most powerful person within the Imperial Army if he decides not to come. Is there anyone else who holds a high rank that you can think of?”

“Hm. The strongest person is of course the Regent Barth Baltic, but…”

Juan had no doubt about Anya’s words. Barth Baltic was powerful enough to be called the empire’s number two even in the past when Juan had ruled the empire. Besides, Barth was a member of the Hornsluine race, which was known as a race that did not weaken even with age; there was a possibility that he might have become even stronger than he was in the past.

“How strong is Barth?” Juan asked.

“I’m not too sure because I’ve only seen the Regent on the platform. Actually, the Church and the Imperial Army rarely interact with each other. Wouldn’t the Order of Huginn know more about him?”

Anya shook her head at Kamil’s question.

“It’s also hard for us to confidently say we know more about him. Sir Ras Raud and the Order of Huginn did try to assassinate him in the past, but… we had to escape without being able to leave a single scar on his body, even when we had come up with a thorough plan. And that was from just Barth Baltic alone. Sir Ras Raud was very frustrated because of him.”

Anya made a gloomy face as she mentioned Ras’ name. It was clear that Ras had been relatively stronger at that time compared to now.

If Ras hadn’t been a match for Barth even when he had accepted Nigrato’s essence, Juan felt that Barth was even stronger than in the past.

“Who’s the next strongest?”

“I think that would have to be General Nienna Nelben of the Order of Penlil, although she’s not well known,” Kamil answered.

Anya glanced at Juan.

His Majesty had four adopted children; Gerard Gain, Nienna Nelben, Dismas Dilver and Ras Raud. Among them, Nienna Nelben was the second child. Juan held no objection to Nienna being considered as the second strongest in the empire, as she was already strong before Juan even taught her after adopting her when she was five years old.

“Nienna won’t come. I can’t imagine that kid leaving the Northern Front line unattended over an incident like this,” Juan said.

Nienna had been fighting the monsters from the Crack ever since she had the strength to hold a sword, and she silently remained in the cold land of the north even during the time when the emperor had been active all over the empire. It was even said that the people of the north were more loyal to Nienna rather than the empire. Above all, Nienna didn’t get along very well with Barth.

“What about the third strongest?”

“Captain Pavan Peltere of the Order of the Capital.”

“That would be Lenly Loen of the Imperial Guards.”

Anya and Kamil answered Juan’s question at the same time, and their gaze turned toward each other with curiosity.

“What? How can the Captain of the Imperial Guards be ranked third? He is way over the hill.”

“Anya, it seems that you think too highly of Sir Pavan. He would be fifth or sixth at most. There are lots of captains of the knight orders that are as good as him, and…”

“Enough,” Juan said.

Two knights were busy arguing over who was stronger than whom in the empire. Juan signaled Anya with his eyes to speak first.

“Pavan is the Captain of the Order of the Capital who directly works for Barth Baltic. There’s no way he is weak,” Anya answered triumphantly.

“It would be more accurate to say that he is the loudest barking dog of the Regent Barth Baltic,” Kamil derided.

“...I guess the Church doesn’t seem to be on good terms with the Imperial Army,” Juan said.

“The Templars are His Majesty’s fists and spears. How strong can the army and the military officers be compared to us? And they make all kinds of fuss when we try to exercise our rights.”

The Church and the Imperial Army often clashed over who had the right to command the other—just like the time the Order of the White Crow conscripted the Laus Mountain Scouts.

Although the Imperial Guard held a negative view of the Church, they couldn’t publicly rebel against them since the Church had a stronger influence within the empire. It was only natural for the knight orders and military officers who made decisions during times of war to be hostile to each other.

“What’s Lenly Loen like?”

Anya waved her hand at Juan’s question.

“You don’t even want to know. The honorable Imperial Guards of the past scattered into pieces a long time ago. The current Imperial Guards are the servants that manage and clean the eternal throne. It’s basically the tomb cleaners,” Anya explained.

“I have to agree with Anya on this one. Although there is no question that it’s an honorable position, the Imperial Guards that failed to protect His Majesty hold no value. After the incident of His Majesty’s assassination, the Imperial Guards hold only a title and no status. Now the Imperial Guards is a gathering place for people who are destined to never be successful. But Lenley Loen isn’t a person who should be treated that way.”

“Hmm.”

“Lenly was a genius who was supposed to be the next captain of the knight order he was in ever since he was appointed as a Templar. But for some reason, he went off his highway to success and joined the Imperial Guards. There’s also a story that he had a conflict with the Pope. He could have still rejoined the knight order if he had begged for forgiveness since he was an excellent knight, but he ended up applying for the Imperial Guards. The rumors say that he is one of the few who reached the fourth stage of Baltic Sword in the empire.”

“Stage of Baltic Sword?” Anya asked with curiosity.

“Oh, it’s nothing official, nor something to talk about in public. It basically quantifies the stages of the Baltic Sword. Because the exquisite principle of swordsmanship left by His Majesty is so mesmerizing, it gives amazing power to those who perform the stages of swordsmanship step by step.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of that. I was told that training the Baltic Sword to the extreme allows for magical effects; one’s movements become a cast, and the sword becomes the mana and magic itself. One of the senior knights of the Order of Huginn told me the same thing.”

“If stage one is at the level of an ordinary knight, stage two is at the level of putting spirits into a sword—most Templars including myself are at this stage. There is a female knight named Sina, and I believe she is at the beginning of entering stage two. Stage three is at the level of using the sword with several times the power and speed of ordinary people. Captain Ethan Etil was at stage three.”

“Interesting,” Juan muttered.

“In general, it is said that no ordinary human could be your match once you reach stage three. From the fourth stage, well—you can barely find anyone at that stage. Rumor has it that stage four has a visible effect beyond something physical. It really becomes magic, and Lenly Loen is at stage four at the very least.”

Kamil looked as if she was proud of being a Templar just like Lenly had been.

Juan made an odd face at Kamil’s story. The Baltic Sword certainly could turn a movement into a cast itself and give a magical effect, and it was also true that it had been quantified as stages. However, just because one reached a higher stage than the opponent didn’t mean he was stronger. While it was true that training in the Baltic Sword allowed for useful effects at higher and higher stages, Juan didn’t think it was a factor that determined victory in a battle.

Juan wondered if the fourth stage was worth praising like that. Juan assumed that the overall levels and skills of the knights had fallen over time.

‘How many stages did I make?’

The standard of the highest stage was the limit reached by Juan. After all, Juan’s current skills and abilities itself was the limitation of the Baltic Sword.

‘...Hmm.’

Juan had a number in his head, but he didn’t want to excite Kamil by speaking it out loud. Until now, Juan couldn’t properly perform his swordsmanship due to his size being too small. But things ought to be different now that his body had grown to the size of an adult.

‘I need to get used to my new body since it’s different in many ways from my heyday anyway.’

Instead of talking about the stage he had reached, Juan decided to return to the topic he had been talking about.

“I don’t think he would be coming either,” Juan said.

“Sorry? Oh, yes. Of course, he wouldn’t. The Imperial Guards are forbidden to even leave the holy city of Torra where the eternal throne is located, ever since the incident of His Majesty’s assassination. As far as I know, If anyone violates this, their fellow comrades from the Imperial Guards behead the violator,” Kamil explained.

“Weren’t we talking about who out of the strongest men in the empire might show up to Hiveden?”

“...Oh, right.”

‘Damn knights.’

“Then Pavan Peltere of the Order of the Capital is the most likely to come. Besides, he is Barth’s henchman,” Anya said triumphantly as if she had won against Kamil.

Juan grinned and rested his chin on his hand, as he recalled something upon hearing Anya and Kamil’s conversation.

“Maybe we don’t have to wait for them to come.”

“Sorry?”

“Although it was only for a short moment, I was empowered by being connected directly to my original body as the emperor during my fight with Nigrato. Since then, I’ve been feeling that I am very weakly bonded to my original body. While it's not a bond strong enough to share strength, I think I could still exert somewhat of an influence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that maybe I can connect to my original body and do something—we find them first before they find us.”