Volume 6 Chapter 27-2 I Might Not Have Distinguished It Well Enough…
"You said Livia is your escort, huh?"
Julius nodded silently at Randy's words.
"So, who assigned that escort?"
What Randy was concerned about was that even while Livia was nearby, she had a watch that was more like surveillance.
As proof, Luke was on the verge of killing one of the escorts for peeking into Cecilia's room.
In other words, he thought that Livia and the original watch were assigned by different people.
"...Livia is affiliated with the military, you know. Currently, she also serves as the Marshal of Big Bro Ragnar."
"I don't know who, but it's someone named Ragnar."
Although he had asked, Randy did not know the name of the Empire's prince.
Next to him, Liz informed him, "He's the Crown Prince," but for now, Ragnar's position wasn't all that important.
Showing gratitude to Liz, Randy turned back to Julius once more.
"So that means the other escorts, or rather, the watchers, are..."
"It's likely... Big Bro Leonius. They said so too."
"He's the second prince."
Upon Liz's prompt, Randy said "Thanks," and murmured, "I see."
The identities of the previously vague individuals finally began to take shape.
Now, he understood well.
Rather than being trapped by what was right in front of him, if he thought of the story as a line, the fog lifted, and the aim of those individuals, as well as the current chaotic situation, became clear.
Finally reaching a part of the answer, Randy exhaled deeply and looked at Alan.
"Is it a succession struggle?"
"Most likely."
Shrugging, Alan made Randy snort, "They're a bothersome bunch."
"Hey! Don't just accept it between you two!"
Pouting, Catherine made Randy down the now lukewarm tea in one go, saying, "Well, hold on."
From there, Randy spoke about all the actions [Pilgrim of Truth] had taken until now.
Starting with the attack on Randy, the activities at Waldner, and then the underhanded moves in each territory.
All of it was undoubtedly a stepping stone for invading the kingdom──.
"But in the game──"
"That's just it."
With a sigh, Randy turned to Julius again, saying,
"Julius. Which one is related to the [Pilgrim of Truth]?"
At that question, Julius looked down slightly and fell silent for a moment, saying, "Well..."
"I think it's probably Big Bro Leonius."
"You're sounding rather hesitant."
However, Randy showed no signs of blaming him in particular.
In fact, the smile on his face indicated joy from his expectations being validated.
"I'm sorry. Actually──"
"So the military is using the [Pilgrim of Truth], huh?"
Julius, seemingly surprised by Randy's words, nodded and said, "...That's right."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Catherine leaned forward, trembling her lips as she said,
"That's... strange, isn't it? Why would the military use a group of fanatics?"
Catherine's furrowed brow made her arguments sound reasonable... but,
"It's not that strange."
Shaking his head, Randy continued, explaining that it's not uncommon for religious groups to serve as cover for various operations.
Even in modern Japan, there have been instances of terrorist activities aimed at overthrowing the government by cult groups.
Of course, there wasn't complete evidence that foreign nations were involved; after all, cults naturally appeared in that country.
There might have been support in the form of technology, but this time the Empire prepared everything themselves.
"If you manipulate ideologies and increase such groups within an enemy nation..."
"They'll end up toppling the country themselves, right?"
As Liz nodded, it was true that afterwards they could send in the military under the pretext of supporting anti-terrorism efforts and suppress the nation.
They could incite the citizens of that country to take control.
It was a convulsive but effective form of invasion.
"Their position in the game isn't strange either. Think about it."
"Well... what do you mean by that?"
Catherine pondered, but in reality, Randy made sense.
The emergence of those guys occurred around the time of Eleonora's revival when the Church was weakened, during the turmoil of the Braubelg rebellion, when things were most chaotic in the kingdom.
It wouldn't be surprising that during such a time a cult preaching apocalyptic thoughts appeared, even if there were foreign nations behind it.
It's just that it wasn't told in the game.
"But that's not all, since you approached me... right?"
Everyone's gaze turned to Julius at Randy's words.
"That's right."
Julius, who was now in the spotlight, continued, explaining how the [Pilgrim of Truth] had gained military support and transcended the realm of a cult.
"After some of them were taken over by the special forces, Big Bro Leonius was in command..."
What followed was the story of how a once kind and caring older brother, who had always thought of his younger sibling, became increasingly immersed in the cult.
Until then, there shouldn't have been any succession disputes, but at some point, the second prince, who led the cult, began to secretly oppose the crown prince.
"I didn't want to get caught up in that."
At Julius's words, mixed with a sigh, Catherine looked at Randy and asked, "So what?"
"How does this story connect to the earlier confusion?"
With a furrowed brow, Catherine heard Randy snort and say, "The answer should be clear by now."
"I told you it was about succession disputes. They're all trying to sabotage each other."
"Sabotage?"
Catherine exclaimed in disbelief, and Randy continued, "If I had to put it bluntly, this action indicates there are 2 heads involved."
"Rag, who oversees the entire military... the crown prince, and Leo, who commands the [Pilgrim of Truth] while being under the military... Leo something."
Catherine and Julius exchanged wry smiles, unsure if Randy was foolish or clever for not remembering the name.
"In any case, they probably want to use the [Pilgrim of Truth] to create confusion in the military, divide the kingdom, and invade all at once."
That was likely the strategy behind Crown Prince Ragnar's use of the [Pilgrim of Truth] as a military force.
"And the second prince... well, the cult leader has been teaching that the imperial family is involved behind the [Pilgrim of Truth]... this is an invasion."
That was why Julius was set up as a messenger, Randy continued.
"Why would they do something like that?"
With a furrowed brow, Catherine heard Randy sigh and say, "You said it yourself."
"Ellie's body... or perhaps another entity. In any case, their goal is the *divine vessel*."
Right.
The knowledge from the game was not a filter; it was indeed reality.
Randy sighed deeply and continued.
"They plan to sneak around while we're clashing with the crown prince, don't they?"
The room fell silent at Randy's words.
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