Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Elder - Ch. 115

"My King, I present the Pope's former Elder advisor."

The noble's ringleader was already sweating and nothing happened yet. I expected they would lock me away for a few days before I'm cited in front of the King, but since I laid the groundwork, well, more like Stern did before leaving on his mission, my agents stirred enough trouble that my audience had to be held the very next day.

"The Elder? Why is she here, and in chains?" The King asked just as surprised. Why exactly? It was part of a bigger plan, which went as I wanted. Yes, the nobles captured me, because I allowed it to happen. And they chained me up, but the fools used regular steel, not something my mana couldn't break.

And my mana shot through the roof ever since I performed that fake miracle in the slums. Whether it was official or not, I must have reached the level of a saint and felt unstoppable.

So why was I dragged in front of the King in chains?

"She is accused of high treason, calling both the Church and the King corrupt, and exciting the citizens to rebel against Your Highness." The noble claimed, and the King furrowed his eyebrows. His voice was shaky at best as if he felt my imposing aura growing with every moment.

"She called the Church corrupt? I made her the head of the Church, what are you talking about, Duke?" The sickly ruler asked, barely hanging on to his throne. He seemed weak, and tired even before the noble announced his ridiculous charges, but now his eyes gleamed with curiosity. "What do you say about this, Elder of the Church?"

"It is true, Your Highness, the Church struggles with deeply rooted corruption, but isn't that why you generously named me its leader to deal with it?" I bowed deeply, exercising humility of the highest order. "I have pinpointed the cause, but the Pope is a tough opponent, even after he fled."

"The Pope? Nobody saw him in ages, and you order the Royal Companies around like it was your private army." A different noble accused me this time, but he spoke out of line, upsetting the King. Good, everything they did and said only helped me at that point.

"Silence!" The King's retainer yelled, Stern's men. The royal bastard had connections everywhere, and he used them well. His ancestry made him an excellent tool for me, even while he was away, and now I got to test how his plans would work in practice. While I was still skeptical, the signs in the throne room promised a favorable outcome. If all else failed, I felt stronger than ever, wiping out all life here seemed trivial.

"Your Majesty, if I may." I waited patiently, staring at the ground before he gave me the right to speak. I knew this game well, apparently much better than the nobles. As Stern suggested, they only realized I was a fearsome opponent when I suddenly gained popularity, but I put in the effort behind every step to keep them powerless.

"Speak, Elder, explain this situation." The King raised his hand, and his bodyguards dragged me closer to his throne. "I hear an undead force attacked our city recently and broke through Sanctuary's gates. Then turmoil in the slums, and now the nobles demand your execution. Just what happened that I'm not aware of?"

"Right, Your Highness, it is all as you said." I started, suppressing a grin. "The Pope escaped our attack last time, and this was his response. The guard could not stop the zombie hordes, but when I heard of their invasion, I rushed to the location to defeat them. I couldn't celebrate my victory, once I faced the suffering of the people around, and learned of the horror of the place these nobles call slums."

"What are you talking about? The undead broke through the gates because the new leader of the Royal Company is out of town, and uses His Majesty's men as his private army." The ringleader accused again, but the retainer's strict glance muted him in the next moment.