Survive as a Prison Guard in the Game

Chapter 148
Holy Empire (2)

In the northwestern part of the continent, Burning Hell.

Warden Rukel sat in his office chair and stared at the communication orbs. It has been a long time since the Council of the Six Kingdoms had convened.

Although they had scheduled the next meeting to take place once the new King of the Adrian Kingdom was crowned following the news of the Knight King’s death.

“Hmm…..”

And now, a new King of Knights is crowned.

No word has come from any of the other Kingdoms.

Rukel wanted to send a message first if he had his way. However, convening a meeting is the prerogative of Kings. An ordinary warden couldn’t summon the Kings.

*Tap*

*Tap*

Tapping his desk, he activated his communication orb and sent a connection signal to another kingdom’s communication orb.

This was something he would never have done normally.

However, he did it anyway, because the situation was as bad as it had ever been.

As each day passed.

The frequency of reports from the dispatched prison guards in various parts of the continent was on the rise.

The Demon Church was operating in the open.

Their activities were wreaking havoc on Free Cities and Neutral Territories across the continent, turning them into lawless zones and causing crime rates to rise rapidly.

Burning Hell’s manpower alone could not handle the growing threat.

The cooperative action of the Six Kingdoms was needed.

“Hmph…”

Brushing off his parched lips, Rukel picked up the teacup on his desk and took a sip.

*Tick*

*Tock*

*Tick*

Time passed so slowly that he could hear the ticking of a clock right near his ear.

And then, a light shone from one of the orbs.

*Flash!*

The orb that belonged to the Kingdom of Adrian.

-Can you hear me?

A familiar voice, one that he had heard a few times before. Rebecca, a former member of the Special Task Force and Cerberus.

The new Knight King of the Adrian Kingdom.

Although the relationship might seem awkward at times, Rukel replied calmly, already aware of the situation and maintaining a strict separation between work and personal matters.

“I can hear you, Your Majesty.”

-It’s been a long time, Warden.

“I should have attended the coronation in person, but due to work commitments, I couldn’t participate. I apologize.”

-No, I understand how things are in Burning Hell, I’ve dealt with it myself. That aside, what was the reason for calling me?”

Just as he was about to answer Rebecca’s question.

Light shone from a new orb.

It was the Holy Empire’s communication orb.

-What’s going on?

Following suit, the Resha Kingdom’s orb lit up as well, and the voice of the Blue Tower Lord rang out.

-A call from Burning Hell?

The voice sounded slightly surprised.

“I apologize.”

Rukel apologized sincerely, before resuming with his narrative.

“I had something really urgent to discuss, and I sent the connection signal even though I knew it would be rude. I apologize again if it offended anyone.”

-Well. That could be the case. What did you call about, anyway?

Rukel replied to the Blue Tower Lord.

“The Demon God Church is operating in full force.”

He relayed the whole story to the Three Kings.

“Now is the time for us to act in earnest….”

*Knock* *Knock*

“Warden!”

A frantic shout came from outside his door.

Rukel furrowed his brows and answered.

“I’m in a meeting.”

“It’s extremely important!”

His subordinate’s voice was so desperate that he asked the Kings to pardon him before opening the door.

The subordinate, sweating profusely and panting for breath, whispered quietly.

“King Ravino and King Crane are both missing.”

“What? When?”

“The news just came in. They say the occupants of the villa where King Ravino was staying are all dead, and only the King is missing.”

“……”

“We don’t have accurate information, but King Crane hasn’t been seen in a month.”

“I see.”

Dismissing his subordinate and returning to his seat, Rebecca, who had apparently received the same report at the same time, muttered.

-Ah…….

-What’s going on?

-What’s the problem?

Rukel answered the Pope and the Master of the Tower’s question.

“King Ravino has disappeared after his villa was attacked, and apparently King Crane hasn’t been heard about for a month.”

-What’s that…

-Hmm…

Rukel clenched his fists and spoke.

“Considering that the Demon God Church was involved in the recent successor selection of the Adrian Kingdom, it’s clear that what happened to Ravino and the Crane Kingdom was also the work of the Demon Church.”

Everyone fell silent, unable to say anything. Rebecca was the first to speak after a few moments of silence.

-We must prepare for war.

The Pope of the Holy Empire replied.

-The Demon Church has always brought disaster, and now that it has begun to be a threat, it seems certain another disaster will occur. I think it is right that we prepare for war.

-War…… I’ll have to contact the Red Tower Lord and the Yellow Tower Lord.

-In a week’s time, there will be a Saint’s ordination ceremony. How about we centralize it around the chosen Saint by the Goddess Veronica?”

An agent of the Creation Goddess.

Saint.

The power they possessed would be a great aid in the war against the Demon Church. Above all, the symbolism of the Saint was important.

Throughout history, there have been records of the Saint always playing an active role.

-I will contact the Kingdoms of Crane and Ravino personally.

The Pope’s words ended the emergency meeting, as Rebecca and the Blue Tower Lord responded with an acknowledgment.

One after another, the communication orbs disconnected.

With the Holy Empire shutting off, followed by the Kingdom of Resha, and only the orb of the Adrian Kingdom remaining.

-Warden, there is something Redin asked me to tell you.

“What is it?”

-He asked for a covert search to be conducted in the depths of the Underground Prison.

* * * Support the Translator by reading it in GalaxyTranslation97 Website, and NOT IN Aggregator Site * * *
* * * * Read in GalaxyTranslation97 Website * * * *
* patreon.com/SchattenTranslations *

After creating a clear gameplan in the Imperial Laboratory and contacting Marek for the necessary items, he set out for the Holy Empire.

Unlike the other kingdoms, the Holy Empire was not a large one.

It was originally a division of the Oberg Empire, but when the last Emperor had corrupt notions, it formed a Kingdom of its own.

A Saint and a Pope.

Together, they spread the Will of the Goddess of Creation, Veronica, and led the Holy Empire wisely.

“Welcome to the Holy Empire! If you are visiting for the first time, please gather here.”

Upon arriving at the Holy Empire, a bright-faced boy cheerfully welcomed people, waving.

Several people made their way over to where the boy was.

“Is this your first time?”

“Yes.”

“Come with me, and I’ll guide you through the Holy Empire.”

A service geared toward making sure first-timers didn’t get lost.

Redin didn’t need it.

Walking past them, he entered the Holy Empire. From the outset, he could tell there were a surprising amount of visitors.

So many that even if he stood still, someone would bump into his shoulder.

As he slipped out into an empty area, letting out a sigh, someone came up beside him and did the same.

A girl who looked about the age of a middle school student.

There was a strange aura about her that seemed to calm his mind just by looking at her.

“There’s a lot of people here, isn’t there?”

“Yes.”

“Is this your first time in the Holy Empire?”

“Not for the first time, I’ve been here a few times, but why are there so many people?”

“That’s because there’s a Holy Festival in a week where a Saint will be declared.”

A Kingdom led by a Saint and the Pope.

However, as humans, they couldn’t lead the kingdom forever.

After reaching a certain age, they would step down and a new pope and saint would be chosen.

So the Saint and the Pope were chosen with a considerable age difference.

When there are insufficient new saints, the long-serving Popes would step in to provide support.

And when the new pope is not so young, the long-time Saint will help.

In this case, the Saint had retired and a new one had to be appointed.

Redin knew that the way to choose a saint was for the branches in each kingdom to select candidates for sainthood, and then the candidates would be brought together to take an examination.

“In a week?”

“Isn’t that what you’re here for?”

He remembered Manuel’s dialogue.

-Five years ago, no saint was chosen in the sacred ceremony.

Could this have been part of the Demon Church’s scheme?

“Brother?”

“Ah…… I’m here because there is someone in the Church who I would like to meet with.”

“Really? Then come with me, I was just on my way to the Church.”

The girl smiled and beckoned.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

As he walked behind her, he examined her strange aura, and it was clear that she possessed an abundance of Divine Power.

This much divine power at her age.

It could only mean one thing.

A saint candidate.

He didn’t know why a Saint Candidate would be wandering around in these streets alone, but he followed the girl back to the Temple.

The most important thing right now is not whether she’s a candidate or not. It’s about meeting Manuel.

“Over here.”

The girl gestured to the huge temple.

It was a beautiful building made of white marble, with trees and flowers everywhere symbolizing Veronica, the Goddess of Creation.

At the fountain in front of the temple was a statue of Veronica the Creator.

As they walked past the fountain and into the temple, they found themselves in a room where various tasks were being carried out.

“Elsia, where have you been wandering around alone again?”

A middle-aged man who looked a bit older approached the girl.

Her name must be Elsia.

“See you later!”

Elsia waved and walked off with the middle-aged man, who glanced at him before turning away.

With that, he walked over and headed toward the receptionist.

“Welcome to the Holy Empire, brother.”

“There is someone I would like to meet.”

“Who is it?”

“Knight Manuel, a member of the Order of the Dark Knight.”

“One moment.”

The receptionist checked something and made a strange expression.

“Knight Manuel is currently out on a mission and hasn’t returned, if you could tell me your name and why you’re meeting with him, I’ll leave him contact information for when he returns from his mission.”

“Ah…… I’m here to thank him for his help the other day, my name is Bidel.”

“Is that so? I’ll leave him a note.”

“Thank you.”

After thanking the receptionist, he exited the Church.

‘What was that?’

When he last spoke to Manuel.

Manuel mentioned that he was returning to the Holy Order to hunt down a traitor.

Of course, as time went past, he may have been dispatched on a new mission.

But something about it felt off.

“Hmm….”

Pausing for a moment, Redin reviewed the information he had on Manuel.

Manuel had a private office and residence.

In addition to that, he had a private hideout. If he hadn’t returned to the Church, it was likely that he was quietly conducting research there.

The private hideout was mentioned in the game, so he was able to visualize the area and began heading there.

*Thud*

*Thud*

While walking slowly, taking in his surroundings, he quickened his pace when he felt a presence from behind.

The person trailing behind accelerated their own pace.

Confirming that he was being followed, he turned into a nearby alleyway and moved into a crowded area.

Feigning to be swept up in the crowd, he changed his face and body with the Mask of the Dead.

As he slipped back into the alleyway, using Ghost Walk, he scaled a building for cover. Just then, the man who had been following him entered the alleyway.

A man wearing a knight’s armor.

From their facial expression, it was clear that they hadn’t come bearing goodwill. Leaving the scene, Redin made his way to the hideout.

A small house on the outskirts of the Holy Empire.

Knocking on the door, but there was no response. He broke the doorknob and entered.

Despite the cozy exterior, the interior was dingy.

There was no furniture, except for a single desk.

Getting under the desk, he knocked on the floor.

*Knock, Knock*

An empty hollow sound.

Sweeping his hand across the floor, he discovered a handle, which he used to open a small compartment in the floor.

There were several books in there.

Pulling out the one on the far right, he flipped it open to uncover a diary that had been written with its most recent date.

Dated a week ago on this day.

-There is a traitor among the seven archbishops. Starting today, I’m going to investigate them one by one.