Vol 2. Chapter 62: This Is an Open Conspiracy

The welcome ceremony concluded. The professors and students tasked with receiving the delegation from the Church of Radiance gradually filed out of Saint Selina Cathedral. After all, this place wasn’t open to the public under normal circumstances. Unless it was a special holy day, no non-clergy member was allowed to stay here overnight.

The bishops had entered the side residence. Only the Radiant Cross Knights assigned to maintain order remained in the hall.

Most of the students had already left. But not all.

Take, for instance, a certain blue-haired young man who, for whatever reason, had plopped himself down on a pew, legs crossed like he owned the place. In fact, he looked so comfortable that it seemed more like he was lounging in his living room than sitting inside a cathedral. His feet were even on the bench.

As if that weren’t enough, he had grabbed a holy scripture off the nearby jade table and was using it as a fan, waving it back and forth like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Excuse me, student. May I have a word?” Eventually, one of the Radiant Cross Knights couldn’t take it anymore and stepped forward.

“Hmm? What?” Vinny didn’t even try to hide how irritated he was at being interrupted. His tone was sharp and unpleasant.

The knight was visibly surprised. Normally, no matter a student’s background or family name, they would at least show basic respect toward the Radiant Cross Knights. This was the first time he’d seen someone act this arrogant.

“This is a sacred cathedral. It houses the memory of the Goddess and the honored saints of the Church of Radiance. It is also the resting place of Saint Selina’s soul. Please, show some respect in such a solemn and holy place,” the knight said, voice low and firm.

“Man, your arms sure reach far. What the hell does what I’m doing have to do with you? Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Do you even know who I am?” Vinny jabbed his thumb toward himself, nostrils flaring with pride.

“I don’t care who you are. That doesn’t give you the right to act unruly and disrespectfully in this sacred place,” the knight said, frowning.

“You don’t care who I am? Ha! Country bumpkin, you really dare say that to me? Who do you think you are? Since when did Saint Selina Cathedral become your private estate? Did you ask me for permission?” Vinny spat back.

“Student, please stop being unreasonable. Now, leave this place,” the knight said, brows furrowed deeply. His patience was visibly wearing thin.

“Oh, so now you’re trying to kick me out? Is this cathedral your family business? You think just because you escorted the delegation here, you’ve suddenly become important? Anyone watching would think you laid every brick of this cathedral yourselves.” Vinny raised his chin, eyes brimming with disdain and arrogance.

“Kicking me out? Are you out of your mind? This is my house! I’ll raise hell wherever I want, and you can’t do anything about it, got it?”

“You’re trying to control me? With my status, it’s already generous of me not to kick you squatters out myself!” Vinny snorted.

“So, after all that noise... who the hell are you?” The knight finally lost the last shred of patience. His tone no longer carried even a hint of courtesy.

“Hmph! Good question. But if I said my name, you’d be so terrified you’d tremble, your knees would buckle, and you’d fall to the floor in reverence! That’s why I’ve held back—until now.”

“Listen well! I am the one and only heir of the Fasylis bloodline, the sole inheritor of the Goddess of Radiance’s legacy, the last vessel of the Saintess’s blood, the holy and noble future Radiant King—Vinny Varelis!” Vinny jabbed his finger at himself, voice booming with overwhelming arrogance and pride.

Loud speech was forbidden in the cathedral, but thanks to the echo, Vinny’s voice reached every corner of the side hall, loud enough for all the Radiant Cross Knights on patrol to hear.

Pulling this off took serious skill—no ordinary person could feign this level of delusional confidence. But for Vinny, it was effortless.

“........” His proclamation fell squarely on every knight’s ears. The knight directly facing Vinny now wore an extremely peculiar expression. First confused—then suddenly enlightened, like he’d just gone, “Ohhh, so it’s you. That explains it.”

“Heh... Surprised? Didn’t see that coming, huh?” Vinny seemed completely unaware of what the knight’s expression meant. He looked thoroughly lost in his own world.

“I’m the last direct heir of Saint Selina herself. You realize your mistake now, don’t you? Well, lucky for you, I’m willing to be magnanimous. If you get on your knees and apologize, I might just forgive you. After all, I’m a reasonable and generous man. I don’t bother with insignificant peasants like you.” Vinny ran a hand through his hair, closed his eyes, and visibly sank into self-satisfaction.

“.........” The knight was silent for a long moment.

“Hey! What’s with the silence? I gave you a chance. Don’t say I didn’t!” Vinny pouted impatiently.

“My apologies, Young Master Vinny. I didn’t recognize you right away. Please forgive my earlier behavior. But waving around your status as the Saintess’s heir while throwing tantrums only disgraces the Fasylis line, the Goddess, and the Saintess herself.”

“And since you’re neither a Saintess nor a clergy member, please leave immediately. If you disturb the archbishops’ rest any further, I’ll be forced to take... less polite action.” The knight raised his gaze slightly.

“Oh, really? Talking to me like that? Were your knight credentials handed out wholesale? You dare defy the orders of the Saintess’s heir and try to drive me out? This is my house! I should be kicking you out! You’ve made an enemy of me now. You’ve reached the end of your days as a Radiant Cross Knight! Fine! I’ll sleep here tonight, commune with my ancestor Saint Selina in my dreams, and have her strip you of your rank from the heavens! May you never set foot in a cathedral again!” Vinny flew into a rage, spitting furious nonsense.

“You bunch of blind idiots! Squatters and slanderers! You’ll regret this—I promise you that!”

“Hah! You backwater yokels have the nerve to call yourselves Radiant Cross Knights?? Since ancient times, Radiant Cross Knights were personally chosen by the Saintess, blessed by her, and granted sacred weapons. You really think you qualify? Pah!” Vinny scoffed, jabbing his finger at the knight.

“Let me tell you the truth. After my great-grandmother—the last Saintess—passed away, the Church of Radiance no longer had any true Radiant Cross Knights! You’re just a bunch of impostors, cheap thugs propped up by the Pope! No blessings, no divine approval, no sacred weapons! You’re nothing!”

“At best, you’re just the Pope’s enforcers—his muscle! When demons come, all you’ll do is fall apart like a house of cards!”

“If you spew one more word of nonsense, don’t blame me for drawing my weapon in the holy resting place of the Saintess.” The knight’s voice turned ice-cold, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword.

“You’d dare raise a blade to me? Heh. Would you really?” Vinny didn’t stop. In fact, he glanced toward the door of the side hall—then caught sight of a figure in white stepping out. His voice instantly grew more forceful.

“You remember the Goddess’s divine revelation, don’t you? You know why She manifested? Because of me. It was all because of me!”

“She came to Karillian Academy to protect me! My ancestor came to save me! Do you get it?!”

Vinny didn’t seem to care if he sounded ridiculous. In fact, he sounded even more absurd as he continued.

“You small-minded fools! Stop making this about yourselves! Without me—Vinny—there wouldn’t have been a divine revelation! No miracles! All of it was because of me!” He pointed at himself with pride.

“You dare draw steel on me?! Do you not fear divine judgment?! Do you not fear Saint Selina’s wrath from beyond?!”

“I tell you, all I need to do is dream tonight and I can commune with them. I’ll have them strike you down with divine wrath!...”

“Enough. Vinny, stop. We need to go.” Mirexia arrived just in time to witness the final moments of Vinny’s tirade. Unable to bear it any longer, she strode forward and grabbed his arm to drag him away.

“Hey—hey! Don’t pull me! Mirexia, don’t pull me—I’m not finished yet!” Vinny clearly had more nonsense he wanted to yell. He had zero intention of leaving.

“I’m just saying! Not one word of that was a lie, right?? The Goddess revealed herself—because of me! Right? There’s no other explanation, is there? You think the same, don’t you?” he insisted.

“Enough. Everyone else is gone. We should go too.” Even Mirexia’s normally ice-cold expression was cracking under the pressure.

“No! I’m not done yet! I’m in the right! Why won’t you let me talk?! They’re the intruders here! Why are they allowed to stay in the cathedral but I’m not? This is my house!”

“I’m so sorry, Sir Knight. He’s not usually like this. He’s had some... emotional stress recently. He’s just saying nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.” Mirexia was visibly worn out, trying to keep Vinny from causing trouble while also apologizing for him.

“It’s fine. Just... please, Your Highness, have him be more mindful in the future. This is the resting place of the Saintess. It’s not somewhere just any mutt can throw a fit.” The knight, seeing that Princess Mirexia of the Camella Kingdom was apologizing personally, let it go.

Having a childhood friend like that... truly, what a burden. The knight couldn’t help but pity Princess Mirexia a little.

“You’re still telling me to be careful? Pah! Three keys! How many do you have?! Do you? Do you? Do you?!” Vinny’s mouth was still running.

“Vinny! Zip it!” Mirexia’s tone finally cracked with emotion. It seemed she really was about to lose it.

And so, the knights—and Archbishop Salphen, who had just reached the entrance to the side hall—watched as Mirexia dragged Vinny away. Even after their figures vanished from sight, Vinny’s shouting could still faintly be heard in the distance.

“What’s going on? What’s all the racket?”

“Archbishop, sir!” Only then did the knights realize that Salphen had witnessed the entire scene.

“Apologies for the disturbance. That student—Vinny, who claims to be a descendant of the Fasylis line—refused to leave and behaved disgracefully in this holy place. I approached to deal with the issue,” the knight explained.

“Oh, that Vinny?” Salphen scoffed, his eyes filled with contempt. “I almost forgot. I suppose he did somehow get into Karillian Academy. Hmph. If someone like that can enroll, I guess the academy’s prestige really is in decline.”

“And he’s causing a ruckus in this sacred place too? Lacks both talent and manners. A disgrace to the Goddess and the Saintess alike,” Salphen clicked his tongue like he was talking about something that disgusted him.

“But that little clown is quite considerate, I’ll give him that. Knew I was bored and put on a nice little show for me. You—write down everything that brat said and did. Submit a full report to His Holiness the Pope when we return.”

“Yes, sir!” the knights replied.

“Alright. I’m tired from the journey. I’ll be resting now. Don’t make me go through something like that again.” With that, Salphen turned and headed for the side chamber.

“Yes, sir.”

Before he left, Salphen glanced toward the direction Vinny had been dragged off.

To anyone else, that farce might’ve seemed like nothing more than a ridiculous performance by a delusional fraud, a clown playing his role. But Salphen noticed something others didn’t.

The reason was simple:

This sort of thing... he was an expert.

—

Elsewhere, inside the student council president’s office—

The same Vinny who had just thrown a full-blown tantrum was now sitting with his arms crossed, looking smug and pleased with himself.

“Mirexia, thanks for playing along earlier. Your acting was excellent,” Vinny praised with a smile.

“......” Mirexia didn’t respond. She remembered how, the moment they’d entered the sealed student council office and ensured no one else could hear, Vinny had instantly flipped from furious and foaming to grinning and chipper—like flipping a switch. The transformation had been instant.

She didn’t say anything. Her look said it all.

She felt unworthy of Vinny’s praise. After all, he was the real actor here.

“Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t do much. Just reinforced the image they already have of me,” Vinny shrugged.

He had done it on purpose—let the Radiant Cross Knights and bishops see it all.

The idea hadn’t come from Vinny, but from Vanessa.

Even though the divine revelation incident had officially been settled—both publicly and within the academy—no one could guarantee what the Church’s upper echelons, or even the Pope himself, were truly thinking.

Would they start to suspect something? Would their doubts turn to him?

That’s why Vanessa devised this strategy.

If anyone within the Church suspected the divine revelation had something to do with her, she would beat them to it—claim it herself loudly and obnoxiously, as Vinny.

And with his ever-consistent performance, he perfectly embodied what everyone believed him to be: a laughable narcissist.

Those higher-ups with overactive imaginations would hear the report and chuckle dismissively, shelving their suspicions.

The more Vinny took credit for the Goddess’s revelation, the more the Church would see him as a simple-minded fool desperately trying to grab attention and glory.

Someone that transparently ridiculous couldn’t possibly be hiding anything. Every word he said became a joke. And the more outrageous he acted, the less anyone would believe a word of it.

To ridicule is, in a way, to neutralize. So long as Vinny remained an obvious, easy-to-read jester in the public eye, no one would suspect him.

That... was Vanessa’s open conspiracy.