The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 217: Did You Like the Donation? (3)

Watching the two people exude such a harmonious atmosphere, Count Billow Norton clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Tsk tsk… What in the world is happening here? Why did Baron Fenris come to me with such a request…?’

The rumors had spread so quickly that they had already reached the royal palace. Discussions had even been raised about verifying whether Porisco should be acknowledged as a saint.

However, that discussion was immediately dismissed by the Marquis of Branford.

― “There’s no way that greedy bastard is a saint. I hear that the Fenris Merchant Guild distributed food under Porisco’s name? Find out what kind of scheme that rascal Ghislain is pulling.”

With just that one statement, everything was brushed aside as if it had never happened. All Count Billow had done so far was act out the part as Ghislain had asked him to.

After all, they had received a large donation of food in a dire situation, and it was difficult to refuse such a gesture.

Billow shook his head slightly before speaking.

“Well, I’ll take my leave now. The royal palace will send someone again soon for an official discussion.”

Porisco snapped back to his senses and then nodded with a saintly smile.

“Of course. I’ll be waiting.”

He deliberately emitted a trace amount of divine power, barely enough to surround his body. It was a power he rarely used, as it was taxing on him.

A soft, subtle glow enveloped his figure. From the outside, one might have mistaken him for a saintly elder.

Once Billow departed, Porisco glanced around briefly to ensure no one was listening before leaning in to whisper to Ghislain.

“If you can just maintain the current public sentiment, I’ll give you whatever you want. Since the discussions haven’t been formalized yet, the Archbishop will do everything to suppress the rumors. You’ll need to release more food and keep things moving.”

‘Once I secure my position and gain power, I’ll get rid of you somehow. Until then, do your part for me.’

Having decided to prioritize overcoming the immediate crisis, Porisco spoke without hesitation.

Even his tone of speech changed completely, treating Ghislain as nothing more than a business partner.

At Porisco’s sudden shift in attitude, Ghislain grinned slyly.

“Of course, I’ll invest generously. But wouldn’t it be fair for you to fulfill one of my requests first? After all, I’ve already given you something upfront.”

“Haha… That’s true. It’s only fair to give one for one in a proper deal, right? You’re asking for a priest to be stationed in Fenris?”

“Yes. I’m planning to establish a small shrine—if not a full parish—so I’d like you to send Priest Piote there first.”

“Oh, come now, we’re on such good terms. I’ll send you a more skilled and experienced priest than someone as insignificant as Piote.”

Porisco decided to go all in and spend freely. Sending over a decent priest wasn’t much of an issue.

For now, he needed to keep this bastard pleased to ensure his mouth remained shut.

At Porisco’s overly accommodating response, Ghislain shook his head and smiled.

“No, I think it’s better to stick with the original Priest Piote. Instead, I have another request.”

“Another request?”

“As you mentioned, shouldn’t there be something to serve as a ‘token’ between us?”

“A token? What more could you possibly need as a token? I’m already sending you the priest you want!”

“Give me a relic as a gift. Include a certificate personally signed by you, stating that the relic was handed over to me. I’ll go myself to pick out a suitable one.”

‘This insane bastard…’

What exactly was a relic? They were sacred and holy items, the remains or possessions of saints recorded in history.

The relic storage was strictly off-limits to outsiders. Even most nobles couldn’t even dream of setting foot inside unless they were someone of the caliber of the king or the Marquis of Branford.

And yet, this man wasn’t just asking to take a look—he wanted to personally select one and take it as a gift?

Fine, perhaps Porisco could use his authority as a bishop to allow Ghislain to visit the storage. But if it were discovered that a relic had been stolen, it wouldn’t just end with excommunication.

Porisco would be cursed not only by the Juana Order but also by other religious orders. Social disgrace would be the least of his concerns—his very life could be in jeopardy.

‘This son of a bitch really knows how to tighten the leash. What a dirty, vicious bastard.’

His opponent was a noble backed by the Royal Faction. If Ghislain were to wield a certificate with Porisco’s signature on it, even if word got out about him possessing a relic, Ghislain could simply claim it was a gift. The one who gave it would bear the brunt of the consequences.

Understanding Ghislain’s intent, Porisco feigned a troubled expression as he spoke.

“Relics… are items even the Archbishop cannot easily touch. No matter how much authority I wield, that is… a bit too much to ask.”

“Then let’s forget about it. I’ll take my leave and head straight to the Archbishop.”

‘You damn bastard!’

The man was impossible to reason with. It was as if he were saying, Refuse to cooperate, and you’ll die. But if you don’t give me what I want, you will also die anyway.

Porisco had never encountered such a person in his life. This man was practically a demon lord in human form.

If Hubert, the Tower Master of the Crimson Flame Tower were here to see Porisco’s current state, he would probably clutch his belly and laugh while asking, “So, he got you too, huh?”

Porisco broke out in a cold sweat and bit his lip.

“If I take a relic, I’ll get caught eventually. Are you asking me to sign my own death warrant?”

“Aren’t there plenty of relics? I’ll take something small and inconspicuous—just enough to serve as a token between us.”

“Ugh…”

Porisco couldn’t deny it—what Ghislain said made perfect sense.

The relic storage, with its long history, held a vast number of relics.

Among them, there were plenty of items that were practically useless, merely taking up space. Many were so obscure that unless someone specifically went through the records, they wouldn’t even know such items existed.

“Fine. But you’ll have to take something truly small and insignificant, something that won’t attract any attention.”

“No need to worry about that.”

Ghislain chuckled lightly and followed Porisco, who was radiating annoyance.

The relic storage was tucked away in the innermost and most secretive part of the temple.

The temple knights guarding the entrance bowed deeply when Porisco approached, their attitudes noticeably more respectful than usual.

With rumors spreading about Porisco potentially being a saint, they couldn’t afford to treat him with the usual disdain or indifference.

‘Hah, look at their eyes. Why couldn’t they behave like this all the time?’

Feeling slightly mollified by the reverent gazes of the temple knights, Porisco smiled. The more his influence grew, the smaller the Archbishop’s position would become.

As Porisco led Ghislain toward the relic storage, one of the temple knights hesitated and then cautiously stepped forward to block their path.

“Bishop, entry into the storage by outsiders is strictly prohibited. If an outsider wishes to enter, they must first receive authorization from the Archbishop…”

“What! How dare you block my way!”

Porisco’s thunderous rebuke caused the temple knights to flinch and take a step back.

“Do you not understand that this person is currently assisting me in carrying out a ‘divine revelation’? Are you suggesting the Archbishop is higher than Lady Juana herself? Do you wish to incur divine wrath and be cast into the fires of hell?”

The words ‘goddess’ and ‘revelation’ left the temple knights with no room to argue. On top of that, the mention of divine punishment sealed their lips.

As fellow believers, they had no grounds to oppose him.

“A-all right. Please, take your time and look around.”

“Hmph, let’s go, Baron Fenris.”

Porisco waddled forward with an air of arrogance, his expression dripping with conceit. Behind him, Ghislain’s face was painted with a look of admiration, albeit tinged with disbelief.

‘This bastard… he’s even more shameless than I expected.’

Even Ghislain, who had orchestrated this entire situation, found Porisco’s behavior so over-the-top that it was embarrassing to be seen with him. If this man were to gain true power, he’d undoubtedly become a tyrannical overlord.

For all the difficulty they’d had gaining access, the relic storage itself wasn’t all that different from a treasure vault in any ordinary estate. Treasures related to the Order were neatly categorized by grade and stacked accordingly.

Of course, not all of the Juana Order’s relics were stored here. The Juana Order spanned not only the Holy Kingdom but also numerous other kingdoms.

This particular storage only housed treasures related to the Ritania Kingdom.

Glancing around, Ghislain subtly nodded his head as he surveyed the space.

‘Still, as expected of a kingdom with a long history, they certainly have a lot here. Now, I just need to find it.’

Porisco quickly shut the door to the archive and spoke in a hurried tone.

“Quickly, make your choice. A first-class holy relic is absolutely out of the question. It’ll be noticed immediately. Go for a third-class relic.”

“Hmm, give me a moment,” Ghislain said.

He busily looked around the room before pointing to a robe displayed in the center glass case of the archive.

“What about that?”

“That’s the robe used by Saint Marteus 300 years ago, designated as a first-class relic… N-no, that’s absolutely off-limits! It’s too conspicuous, displayed like that!”

“Ah, I see.”

Chuckling softly, Ghislain strode purposefully toward one corner of the room.

A large glass display case stretched across one wall, filled with an assortment of items.

Not all relics possessed extraordinary powers. In fact, most were regarded as relics due to their religious significance or historical value rather than any exceptional abilities.

The kind of relics people typically imagined—those that exhibited overwhelming divine power—were exceedingly rare worldwide.

But in this archive, there was just one.

A single, genuine relic that no one knew about.

‘Found it.’

Ghislain’s eyes fell upon a small ring lying unnoticed in the corner of the glass case. It was a simple ring, adorned with a single white gemstone.

A relic unknown to the world, concealing extraordinary power.

‘The Blessing of the Goddess Juana.’

Though Ghislain had also obtained Porisco’s handwritten certificate as a way to hold leverage over him, this ring was his true goal.

‘I knew they’d store it carelessly like this.’

The ring showed no reaction when divine power or mana was infused into it, which is why it had been dismissed as insignificant and stored so negligently for so long.

But the ring’s true ability was extraordinary: it could absorb a priest’s divine power in moments of crisis and create a powerful protective barrier.

In other words, as long as divine power was present, it automatically activated a defensive shield without any conscious effort.

In his previous life, this ability had been discovered purely by chance. A priest fleeing with relics during a calamity had accidentally uncovered it during an incident.

‘Tossing this into a horde of beasts with the priest cowering inside—it doesn’t get more provocative than that.’

People often used the priest as bait because of the ring’s ability. Unfortunately, the priest, lacking sufficient divine power, had ultimately perished before being rescued.

‘This will be perfect for Piote.’

For others, Ghislain could teach mana cultivation techniques and share skills to help them advance.

However, Piote had to advance his own abilities on his own. In his previous life, no one had been able to unravel the structure of divine power.

‘In that case, I just need to pile on good equipment.’

Originally, Ghislain hadn’t planned to obtain this ring immediately. A civil war was bound to break out eventually, and low-grade relics with yet-undiscovered powers like this one could have been taken then.

But seeing how quickly Piote’s divine power was growing, Ghislain decided it was better to secure it sooner rather than later. It wasn’t just for Piote’s safety—there were other uses for it as well.

‘I’ll make sure he’s at the forefront during the chaos. He’ll be absolutely reliable.’

He had no intention of letting someone who could become a powerful defensive totem simply stay in the rear lines for support.

The ring’s defensive capabilities were far beyond the usual divine protection. With sufficient divine power, it could withstand even a dragon’s stomp.

It provided a level of survivability so absurd it made cockroaches seem fragile in comparison.

Handing the ring to Piote and throwing him into the middle of the enemy’s ranks would cause a perfect area-wide provocation. Just imagining it sent chills of excitement through Ghislain.

‘Hmm, maybe I should teach him some combat techniques when I have time. He’s perfect for leading the charge as the vanguard. Fighting and healing at the same time… Ha, what’s a paladin compared to this? This is the real deal.’

Ghislain entertained these thoughts without hesitation, even though Piote would likely be horrified if he heard them.

As Ghislain continued to gaze at the relics in the corner, Porisco approached him.

“Have you made your choice? Anything here should be fine; they’re all third-class relics.”

“That small, inconspicuous ring looks perfect. What’s that one?”

“Hm? Where? Oh, that? I didn’t even know that was there. What is it…?”

Porisco fetched a record book listing the relics and flipped through its pages a few times before clicking his tongue.

“It’s a relic left behind by a nun a very long time ago. No one even knows it exists, so you’ve made an excellent choice.”

Porisco felt relieved.

‘At least it’s not burdensome. I have no idea why something like that was designated as a relic… It must’ve been included just because it’s old.’

No one had ever paid attention to such a ring. Even Porisco himself hadn’t known it was there, so unless someone meticulously cross-referenced the list, it was unlikely to be flagged.

The temple hadn’t conducted a thorough inspection of the relics in the archive since it was established.

Even if they did, it was such a small and insignificant item that it could easily be dismissed as something lost ages ago.

As long as the rookie in front of him kept his mouth shut, there wouldn’t be any issues.

When Porisco nodded readily in agreement, Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.

‘Instead of letting such a precious item rot in the corner of a storeroom, it’s better to find it a proper owner.’

Even if the removal of the ring was discovered later, it wouldn’t matter. No one knew its true value, so he could just create a replica and return that.

“All right. I’ll take that one. Thank you for your help.”

The two carefully opened the glass case and pocketed the ring before leaving.