The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

I decided to change the way I thought about the Gryphon.

Until now, I had assumed that no matter what orders I gave, it would interpret them however it pleased and act according to its own will. But after this incident, I realized that wasn’t entirely the case.

The Gryphon hated the people of the Holy Nation.

In fact, hatred might not even be a strong enough word. I wouldn’t be surprised if it despised them.

After all, the reason it was alone—without its family or its kind—was because of the Holy Nation.

Not only had they enslaved it with magic, but they had also abused it to the brink of death, weakening it so they could forcibly control its movements.

Ironically, that was also the very reason it had chosen to follow me.

In any case, with its eagle-like vision, there was no way it had failed to recognize the Holy Sword gleaming under the light.

It had likely recognized the distinct mannerisms and swordplay of the Holy Nation’s people as well.

And yet, despite all that, it had held back enough to leave some of them alive.

That alone proved remarkable restraint.

"This is a headache."

Alice groaned, pressing her forehead.

She had stayed awake, waiting for my return. When she saw her father and siblings stepping off the train, she had watched with a complex expression. But then, when she saw the surviving remnants of the Holy Nation following behind them, she tilted her head in confusion. And when she saw the corpses being carried out afterward—she was speechless.

She had hurriedly gathered me, Leo, and the Sword Saint into the audience chamber, and after hearing the full report—this was her reaction.

"Do you think there are more spies from the Holy Nation?"

"I’m sure ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) of it. The Empire is vast."

The Empire stretched even beyond the sea. No matter how powerful its central administration was, enforcing its will over every corner of its territory was impossible.

And the Empire did allow freedom of religion.

However, within the Empire, the founding myth was far more deeply ingrained than the Church of the Goddess.

Unlike the structured faith of the Holy Nation, the Empire’s mythological belief was more of a cultural cornerstone than an institutionalized religion.

Trying to spread the Goddess’s faith in the Empire was akin to attempting to convert atheists—it was an uphill battle.

Moreover, the Empire’s people had tangible proof of their founding myth before their very eyes.

The tale of the first Emperor Fangryphon—how he emerged from chaos, became the king of the Gryphons, and forged a mighty nation.

Even if the part about him serving under the Goddess or opposing her had been omitted from historical records, the Empire itself stood as undeniable proof of his legend.

To tell an Imperial citizen to embrace the Goddess’s faith was to challenge their very identity.

Of course, religion had a way of breaking through even such barriers. But the Empire had long since taken steps behind the scenes to ensure that the Church never gained a strong foothold within its borders.

Even the churches that were permitted to be built faced subtle forms of pressure—enough to keep them from expanding too much.

Perhaps that was precisely why the Holy Nation had been so desperate to infiltrate the Empire with spies.

"There won’t be as many of them as in Belvur."

"That’s not exactly comforting."

Alice sighed deeply.

"Should we just leave them be? The Holy Nation is practically gone, and even if they try to rebuild, it won’t be the same Holy Nation they once believed in. They’ve lost all their power. Maybe they’ll just... give up, adapt to their fake identities, and move on with their lives—wait, no. That doesn’t make sense, does it?"

Alice had been trying to convince herself otherwise, but she immediately realized the flaw in her reasoning.

The proof of that was the people we had just brought back on the train.

Religious fanaticism didn’t just disappear.

Even in my previous world, where no undeniable proof of divinity existed, there had been people willing to kill and destroy buildings purely for their faith.

Here, in a world where miracles had once been real—where those who had wielded divine power had now lost it—they would only cling to their beliefs even harder.

"We have no choice but to cooperate with the lords."

"......"

Alice fell silent.

Alice closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“...Should we give you two some space?”

Claire, who had been listening to our discussion, cautiously asked.

Since this was a highly political conversation, she seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

Leo was the same. While he no longer turned pale like he had at the beginning of the semester, he still clearly had no desire to be dragged into matters like these.

“There’s no need for that.”

Alice’s response made Claire and Leo hesitate slightly.

For better or worse, Alice was not made of iron.

At the very least, she wasn’t the type to seize the nation in one hand and a sword in the other, striking down her enemies like the former Emperor, Arthur Fangryphon.

If Alice became Emperor, she might relinquish some of the authority of the throne.

But that was inevitable.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Absolute monarchies rarely lasted more than a few generations, not because of external pressure but because rulers who lacked the ability to wield such absolute power refused to relinquish any of it.

Eventually, as time passed and technology advanced, commoners would receive basic education, and once they did, they would realize just how unjust their place in society had been.

If, in that moment, the ruling class clung to their privileges without compromise, they would soon find themselves facing blades.

It was far wiser to secure goodwill while they still had the opportunity.

The Grace Family’s children, Claire and Leo, were part of the most devoted faction supporting the throne.

Alice would likely strive to maintain her bond with them for the rest of her life.

Of course, it wasn’t just because they were from the Grace Family—they were her friends.

“Ah, no need to worry about me. This is quite an entertaining conversation.” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The Sword Saint, who had been sitting slightly apart from Claire and Leo, spoke up.

...Well, I hadn’t expected him to leave anyway.

“But if you start negotiating with the lords too soon, you might look too desperate—before you’ve even taken the throne.”

Emperors never yielded in negotiations.

They expanded their authority by leveraging overwhelming military power and the Imperial treasury, forcing the nobility into cooperation rather than asking for it.

Those who had spent their entire lives under that rule would never feel grateful if Alice suddenly took a conciliatory approach.

They would simply see her as weak.

But aside from that, there were no—

“I don’t see why you’re overcomplicating things.”

The Sword Saint cut through my thoughts like a blade.

“These people have already lost the power they once relied on, haven’t they?”

...I could already tell what he was about to suggest.

Not that I wanted to know.

“Then there’s only one thing to do.”

A grin crept onto his lips.

“Find them and beat them into submission.”

It was a savage, predatory smile, like he had just stumbled upon something fun.

“...Master, they might not be challenging enough to be worth your time.”

“But there are many of them, aren’t there? And every single one of them was once well-trained. If we encounter them, they’ll charge in, ready to kill me. We, on the other hand, can capture or kill them as we please. But they know that if they get caught, things will be far worse for them.”

...Well, that was true.

The ones we captured today had begged for their lives as soon as they realized the gap in strength—

Oh. Right.

Their opponent had been the Gryphon.

Getting grabbed mid-air and hurled from a great height was... understandably terrifying.

Especially considering that if they survived the fall, the Gryphon had reportedly swooped down and thrown them again.

“We don’t even know where they are yet—”

“But you are going to start looking for them, aren’t you?”

“......”

I fell silent.

“The ones who openly integrate into society won’t be a problem. They’ll settle into their false identities and live as if they truly belong here—just like you were discussing earlier.”

“But those who refuse to accept that, the ones determined to return to the Holy Nation?

“They will cause more incidents like today.”

The Sword Saint spoke with a lazy confidence.

“Right now, Belvur has complete control over the remnants of the Holy Nation. And after that incident, movement between the Empire and Belvur has been heavily restricted. Border inspections have become stricter.”

“The only way for them to return is to sneak across the border. But they’ve lost all their contacts—the top brass is gone.”

“So their only option is to band together and find their own way back.”

“But the Empire is far too vast for a simple escape. Any route they try will be harsh.”

The Imperial Army was renowned for its elite forces, and after the incident, many lords were still on high alert.

Moving between fiefs was far more difficult than crossing state lines in my previous world.

While the lords couldn’t openly defy the Emperor, that didn’t mean they feared one another.

And as nobles, they had to maintain each other’s authority in order to preserve their own.

That meant attempting to cross the Empire to the border would be infinitely more difficult than expected.

“So your job is simple.”

“Look into which territories have been experiencing security issues, and see how they respond when you offer help.”

“It doesn’t matter if they refuse. Just take a small elite force and wipe out the problem before they even realize what’s happening.”

“That’s all.”

Everyone in the audience chamber fell silent at the sheer finality of his conclusion.