WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel ◈
Chapter 35: The Romance Fantasy Heroine Is Strong (5)
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I said that, but an emergency message from Violet meant something major had happened.
Of course, I couldn't just teleport from the Leon Kingdom to the Holy Kingdom to help her.
All I could do was provide whatever support I could.
“Commander, I think something happened in the Holy Kingdom.”
“How do you know?”
“Our Tinky Winky reported that she and the Saintess are getting worked like dogs.”
“…It might be a little early, but I should renegotiate her salary.”
At least I could help secure a raise by recognizing an agent's contributions.
That really was the best I could do.
Even Dale, that gathering of magic addicts, couldn't immediately do anything just because Dale itself sent out a request for help.
What could Leon, a nation of swordsmen, possibly do...
“Didn't you say we were short on money?”
“Your seniors haven't had any work lately. I'll have to take a little from them.”
It was unfortunate that my seniors' salaries would be cut a little, but Tinky Winky was currently the hardest-working agent in Leon.
For Codename Tinky Winky, my seniors would surely be willing to share their paychecks.
“Then are you chipping in too?”
“Of course not.”
My seniors were still lounging around, while I was only on vacation and still getting worked like a dog.
I couldn't say it outright to the Commander, but I was going to get worked even harder in the second semester.
“Fine. First, we'll contact our agents in the Holy Kingdom.”
Leon was a country where more people trusted swords than the Goddess, but aside from Leon and Dale, most people across the continent believed in the Goddess. Every nation had no choice but to pay attention to the Holy Kingdom's movements.
Religion usually did nothing because it had no reason to act, but once it did, it could send ripples through the entire continent. That was what made it frightening.
The hidden powers in the Holy Kingdom probably knew that too, which was why they used it politically.
Violet had said she was only going in to lay the groundwork this time.
If she was already asking to be saved, things had progressed further than expected.
Our Tinky Winky had already earned enough credit just by warning us in advance.
The problem was...
“It seems something happened, but we can't confirm what it is.”
The Holy Kingdom's security seemed tighter than expected.
The Commander had received several reports, but none of them had been useful, so he went to chew out the Intelligence Bureau.
When he came back, though, he could only frown in frustration.
“We aren't incompetent like the Empire, right?”
I asked because I was genuinely worried.
It would be a disaster if not just the Empire, but the entire romance-fantasy world was incompetent.
“You're probably the only person who talks about the Empire like that. Fortunately, we aren't incompetent. The Holy Kingdom's control is simply too thorough.”
“To that extent?”
“To that extent. The closer someone gets to the heart of the Holy Kingdom, the harder it becomes to use proper magical artifacts. Even this report was barely passed from someone inside to someone outside.”
So there had been a reason Tinky Winky had only managed to say, “Save me,” before going silent.
I thought she had stopped sending messages because she was doing better.
It seemed that after sending just that message, interference had made it impossible for her to receive anything.
“Can't we have another agent meet up with Agent Tinky Winky?”
“That'll be difficult. I already asked. Holy Knights are controlling the Holy Kingdom's major institutions, including the Papal Palace. Not only pilgrims and tourists, but even bishops are practically under house arrest...”
There was nothing we could do from here.
“We should prepare for what comes next.”
If there was nothing we could do now, we only had to prepare for later.
In that case, it would be best to reveal the details of this incident that Violet had told me about beforehand.
“Agent Tinky Winky did make some predictions.”
“There was more than just ‘save me’?”
“She said the information wasn't exact, and that she'd tell us more once she had something certain, so I waited.”
The Commander nodded.
Half-baked information could be worse than no information, but when all information had been completely cut off like this, even half-baked information was precious.
So I gave the Commander a rough report on this Holy Kingdom arc from the original story, based on what Violet had told me.
“That is what Agent Tinky Winky predicted from the scene.”
“The Holy Kingdom is rotten... Anyone who knows anything already knows that.”
“You knew?”
“They openly send letters to the royal family demanding donations to build churches. The royal family happily helps build churches in suitable places, but then they demand money to build enormous churches in absurdly remote backwaters...”
“What did you do?”
“I approved it, then had a few knights keep watch. Sure enough, they built the churches carelessly and embezzled the rest. We caught them, beat some sense into them, locked them up, and gave them a little re-education.”
“Doesn't the Holy Kingdom say anything?”
“We handled it without the Holy Kingdom finding out, then sent back around fifteen of them at once. The Holy Kingdom was probably too embarrassed to say anything.”
That was only possible because it was Leon.
It was a country where even ordinary commoners' children grabbed wooden sticks and bickered over practicing swordsmanship.
Along with Dale, Leon was considered the strongest nation after the Empire. Its faith in the Goddess was also relatively low compared to other nations, so the Holy Kingdom's influence was weaker there.
If another country had done something like that, the trash in control of the Holy Kingdom probably wouldn't have stayed quiet.
But looking at it the other way around...
“A reform is about to happen in the Holy Kingdom. The benefits we can gain from it...”
“Are there any?”
“Not many...”
Since the Holy Kingdom had so little influence over us, its reform would not benefit us much.
Then...
“We sell it?”
“Sell what?”
“The information we have. The Holy Kingdom has less influence over us, but there are places around us that get pushed around by them, right?”
I didn't even need to look far. One of the weak kingdoms bordering us required the Pope's approval as part of the process for ascending the throne.
It was technically only a formality, but the Holy Kingdom often had a say in royal successions.
“That's a good idea.”
This was a transaction between nations.
By using information that was useless to us, rather than simple material goods, we could make our relations with other nations a little friendlier.
“Ah, can we give it to the Empire for free?”
“Didn't you hate the Empire?”
“I said they were incompetent. I never said I hated them.”
I had considered warning a certain old man in a similar situation, who was probably getting worked like a dog today too.
But...
-Aryn has personally gone on a business trip to the Holy Kingdom...
“Ah...”
I heard that he was getting worked like a dog, just like our Tinky Winky, because he had met the wrong boss.
So I passed along what I roughly knew to the junior left covering his work and received their thanks. That was a week ago.
“What did you say?”
“I said a revolution had broken out in the Holy Kingdom. And...”
It seemed the original story had gotten twisted again.
#4 Holy Kingdom Correspondent, Codename Tinky Winky.
I desperately sent a request for rescue, but, as expected, nothing happened.
This damn sweatshop. One day, I'll quit... Except the pay is too good, so I'll protest for a raise as soon as this year ends.
Because I'm damn good at my job!
“Your Holiness, don't let them deceive you!”
It wasn't a 0.2-second Domain Expansion or anything, but I managed to deliver the Pope to Daisy by moving in bursts of three and five seconds.
It had taken two whole days. What an epic journey.
If I wrote the whole process as a novel, it could easily fill ten chapters.
Sadly, I wasn't the protagonist of this world, so it must have been skipped.
Thanks to all that effort, though, Daisy, the true protagonist, could now pressure Cardinal Sergio, the final boss, alongside the little Pope.
“...”
“...”
...But why weren't they doing anything?
When I looked over in confusion...
“...”
“...”
I could practically hear the song “No Matter How Much I Think About You” playing in my ears.
They were awkward around each other.
Way too awkward!
“Ah...”
Come to think of it, that was only natural.
They had just met. It would have been strange for them to immediately trust and rely on each other.
Damn it, I had barely recreated the original story.
But their story had been skipped by two years and disappeared!
“Your Holiness!”
Was it because Cardinal Sergio sensed the awkwardness between them?
Or because Cardinal Sergio saw that the Pope was still trembling in fear?
With a vicious smile, Cardinal Sergio called to the Pope.
“Urgh!”
That alone sent the Pope into a panic.
“Daisy!”
I urgently called Daisy, but Daisy looked confused for once.
She had the expression of someone who had no idea what to do.
Originally, they met by chance without knowing each other's identities, then parted ways.
Later, they learned about each other by chance. After that, Daisy uncovered the secrets of the Holy Kingdom and found out what had happened to the Pope.
When they met again, Daisy promised to save the Pope.
Then she really did save the Pope. Their mutual trust allowed the Pope to choose Daisy over the Cardinal before everyone, exposing the depths of their depravity.
“...”
But what would happen without all that?
Emergency. Double emergency.
It was already a problem that Daisy and the Pope had no emotional bond, but the Pope's lack of emotional growth was an even bigger problem.
What remained was a clueless little kid who had been continuously exposed to mental and physical abuse and gaslighting from a young age.
At the Cardinal faction's calls, the Pope flinched, visibly torn over whether to go to them or not.
“Your Holiness.”
That was why I stepped forward.
In the original story, the Pope chose Daisy and they won. What would happen if the opposite occurred?
Daisy's revolution had already begun with her fists, and she had no support base.
If the Pope's support went to the other side here, it could end as a coup rather than a revolution.
The romance-fantasy male leads with powerful backers and Daisy, the Saintess, might somehow survive.
But I had nothing. I could become the leader of a coup and vanish beneath the guillotine.
...Come to think of it, I was the one who kidnapped the Pope too!
“There's nothing to be afraid of.”
Keeping the best poker face I could, I took the Pope's hand.
Perhaps the Pope noticed the slight tremble in my hand.
The Pope looked at me in alarm.
Ah, shit. Then I probably don't look very trustworthy...
“I'll trust you.”
“...?”
“I remember what Violet said to me.”
“Your Holiness...”
“I believe Violet!”
Uh, well. Maybe our Pope trusted someone a little unstable more than someone dependable?
Either way, if the Pope supported Daisy now, things could proceed like the original story.
They would denounce the Cardinals, drag them before a court, and reveal their crimes to everyone in the Holy Kingdom...
“As Pope, I command you. In the Goddess's name, strike down those damned old bastards who sold their souls to that demon!”
“...?”
Popey... What are you saying...?
You weren't that kind of character...
This big sister is already having enough trouble with Daisy's character changing...
But the Pope looked up at me as though asking for praise, so even as my face crumpled...
“Y-you did well.”
For some reason, I had no choice but to praise the Pope, who had become strangely belligerent.
A Word from the Author
Tinky Winky's part ended up much longer than expected...
Footnotes:
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