25-275

EP.275. [Victoria Begins the Sophist Subjugation Quest.] 

“Did the Holy See order you to return???” 

Eugene Schneider, summoned by Charlotte, was wide-eyed when he heard her news after returning. The reason: the Holy See had ordered the many nuns supporting Bahad to return immediately. 

‘Why? Did monsters break out at the Holy See too? But that doesn’t seem likely—their divine power is so strong, it’s hard for a dimensional rift to form there.’ 

Even offering support would be insufficient in this situation, so for the Holy See to demand a recall was highly suspicious. The real threat everywhere was invasion via dimensional rift, but the Holy See and its related sites were the least likely to be affected, and even if a rift did appear, their holy knights could handle it. 

‘Mother once said there was a rift at a Radiant Goddess Church holy site, but it wasn’t a major threat. If something happened now, they’d keep it quiet, not make a fuss.’ 

Eugene, recalling what he’d learned from Marianne about the Holy See’s past crisis responses, concluded this recall wasn’t because a rift had opened in their territory. 

“So I naturally asked the Holy See for details. But all they said was they’d explain the reason after I returned.” 

Charlotte relayed this to Eugene, her expression full of disbelief. 

“Even to you, a bishop-nun, they’re keeping it secret???” 

Eugene was genuinely shocked. In practice, bishop-nuns are the Holy See’s most powerful field agents and liaisons, and Charlotte was among the most influential and respected. To tell her to return first and only then explain made no sense. 

“So I refused. How could I return as a bishop-nun when the situation here is so dire?” 

With Eugene’s support, Charlotte grew more confident. She’d been unsure at first, but now, emboldened, she admitted she had rejected the Holy See’s order. 

“Are you sure that’s okay, sis? Isn’t it an emergency? Won’t you get in trouble for not obeying?” 

Even Eugene, who had been supporting her, was now worried, knowing how strict the Holy See’s internal discipline is. 

“Even if I get called to a disciplinary hearing, I’m not afraid. I have my convictions. My faith is no longer just about the Holy See, but about my true heart!” 

Eugene’s concern only fired up Charlotte more. Since falling in love with Eugene, she had shed all her inner censorship and now followed her own convictions in faith. 

“What about the other nuns? Did you ask them?” 

“Of course! Faith is about sincerity and comradeship! I consulted them, and they all agreed with me. We sent our united decision back!” 

“Wow! You’ve really become a tight-knit team on this mission!” 

Charlotte reassured Eugene by showing how thorough she was. 

“So after that, the Holy See responded.” 

“Did they finally tell you why they wanted you back?” 

“Not specifically. They just said it was more about the Empire and the Imperial Knights than an internal Holy See matter. That made me even more determined not to go.” 

Charlotte revealed that the Holy See’s inexplicable recall order was actually tied to the Empire and the Imperial Knights. 

‘The Imperial Knights make sense, but the Empire itself? That’s odd…’ 

Eugene thought Antoine must be secretly preparing a preemptive strike on Tyrannos, so Imperial Knight involvement made sense, but the Empire’s direct involvement was puzzling. 

“From now on, we will eliminate the leader of Sophist, the Jedi.” 

At that moment, the Imperial Knights’ preemptive strike on Tyrannos was already underway. The mission: to destroy Sophist, the true hands and feet of Tyrannos. Victoria had reached the secret headquarters of the Sophist Order. 

“All cross-checking between the information the Kaiser provided and what we already have is complete. This cave is a secret passage to the order’s headquarters, and connects to the Sophist altar where Raonjena, the second Jedi after Ulysses Schneider, is hiding.” 

Victoria and her team were in a warehouse in a remote city, with a map showing the cave entrance. She no longer needed to use Eugene as bait to break through Sophist’s defenses, thanks to the information provided by Kaiser Antoine. Antoine, who had collected information on Sophist since Ulysses Schneider’s time, had uncovered a secret passage known only to a select few within Sophist. 

“It’s good we have two Sword Seekers with us, but can we really take down Valgas in time, Victoria?” 

Parnese, looking at the map of the Sophist headquarters, asked Victoria. The base was complex, and Raonjena was thought to be Sword Seeker-level. The question was whether they could finish before reinforcements arrived. 

“According to the Kaiser’s information, Raonjena isn’t in perfect condition. He personally tested the effects of Sophist’s elixir, which caused serious side effects and forced him into hiding.” 

Victoria showed what she held in her left hand: the Sophist elixir—the key to this assault. Antoine had already known that Ulysses’s transformation into the Sword Demon was due to the elixir, and had closely monitored its development within Sophist. He discovered it was now widely used in the field, and that Raonjena’s disappearance was due to his own reckless experimentation with the elixir. 

“It’s amazing, Victoria. Even with all your efforts and our agents inside, we never even caught a whiff of this. For the Kaiser to know not only Valgas’s location but also that he’s half-crippled by the elixir…” 

Vincent, listening to Victoria and Parnese, was in awe. Victoria had been preparing through internal contacts even before joining the Imperial Knights, and both Parnese and Vincent had worked with her since she joined. They knew how hard it was to infiltrate Sophist. 

“Let’s just say the Kaiser’s grudge against Raonjena is beyond our imagination.” 

Victoria explained further, wanting her team to understand the gravity of the quest. 

“It’s not widely known, but Kaiser Antoine and Ulysses Schneider were close friends. Antoine worked hard to find out why Ulysses went from Sword Saint to Sword Demon. The key was Ulysses’s disciple, Raonjena, who was deeply involved in the incident.” 

Raonjena had been Ulysses Schneider’s top disciple. 

“I didn’t know Raonjena was once the Sword Saint’s disciple…” 

“Most of our generation wouldn’t know. But the Kaiser had enough contact to keep tracking him.” 

While the public believed Ulysses became the Sword Demon from an insatiable hunger for strength, Antoine, knowing how meticulous Sophist was, had always suspected otherwise. 

“Victoria! The twin swordsmen have arrived!” 

A knight outside announced the arrival of additional Sword Expert allies, sent by Antoine to reinforce the team. 

“Good. Let’s move out.” 

Clack...!! 

Victoria stood to begin the assault on the current Sophist Jedi, Valgas. 

“By now, they must have joined and started the quest.” 

At the same time, Antoine was reading a mysterious letter in his office, surrounded by armed Kaiser guards. 

“Then let’s begin our work as well.” 

Fwoooosh...! 

Antoine himself was also armed. With Victoria away from the Imperial Knights, Antoine was ready to launch a long-awaited project.