I don't want to.

　When Cecilia said that, Hercule couldn't believe his own ears for a moment.
　It was obvious that she was going to cooperate with him, so it was understandable.

　Seeing Hercule's puzzled face, Cecilia giggled.
　Hercule, realizing that he had been ridiculed, grumbled a little and said to Cecilia.

　Cecilia, can you please stop?　Can you please not play pranks like that?
　"Your Majesty.

　Cecilia stiffened her back, looked Hercule in the eye and said.

　I'm speaking as a medium now, Your Majesty. I'm not saying that you shouldn't call me by my name, but isn't it somewhat disrespectful to me to do so?

　"Hmmm ......, okay. So, High Priestess Medium, will you do me a favor?

　Hercule said half-heartedly, and Cecilia smiled and said.

　As for that, as I said before, 'No,' is the answer.
　...... Don't underestimate the adults too much, little girl.

　Hercule said with anger.
　Cecilia replied.

　"That's my line, Your Majesty. I have no intention of becoming your puppet.

　"Who do you think keeps you alive?

　"It's certainly thanks to you, Your Majesty. I'm not going to be your puppet." "Thanks to whom do you think you are alive?　I'm sure you're not the only one.

　Hercule let out a sigh and crossed his legs.
　He leaned his back against the sofa, folded his arms, and looked up at me.

　I've indulged you a little too much. Cecilia, I have you in my custody now. Think again. Do you know what will happen to you if you disobey ...... me?

　"With all due respect, .......

　Cecilia looked firmly at Hercule and said.

　I am not your vassal. I am not your vassal and therefore I am not obligated to listen to your orders.
　"What do you want to happen to me?
　That's my line. ...... What do you want to happen to me?　If you lose me, will you be able to replace me?　Can you take my place?

　Hercule frowned grimly.
　Needless to say, the answer was "no".

　Hercule himself could not take Cecilia's place as pope or medium.
　Even if he could, the clergy and the faithful would look at him coldly.

　It is possible to enthrone Lukanos or someone else as Pope, but ......
　If he does so, Hercule will lose all influence in the western world, and conflict with the Holy Monastery will be inevitable.

　Originally, Erkül's reputation among the clergy was not good, as it tolerated the Alectarians.

　Nevertheless, the clergy of the Lemurian Empire currently support Hercule.
　This is because of his achievement in saving Cecilia.
　However, if he were to disrespect Cecilia at this time because she does not listen to him, his growing support would fall to the ground.

　I don't care what happens to me. You can do whatever you want. The fact is, I'm safe because of you. But it's only this body you can do with, not the soul. You can't control my will.

　"Oh, so ...... that means you're against me, is that it?

　When Hercule said this, Cecilia tilted her head.

　Why would that be?
　"......

　Her attitude was so different from before that Hercule was puzzled.
　Cecilia's eyes still held no malice in them.

　I'm not your vassal, that's what I'm saying. I'm willing to cooperate with you, but only as an equal. I told you that. The interests of the Empire are aligned with mine and the Church's. I'm not going to argue with that.

　Then why 'no'?

　Because both the Empire and the Church will be disadvantaged if this continues.

　Cecilia said, with pure eyes.

　"Your Majesty, no, Master Hercule. "Your Majesty, no, Master Hercule, do you know how the world views me and Master Hercule?

　".......

　Hercule kept his mouth shut.
　There are many good reputations, but there are also bad reputations.
　It is the bad reputation that Cecilia is referring to.

　For example, ......

　"The current medium is the mistress of the Emperor of Lemuria. The medium is not a priestess, but the ...... emperor of Lemuria, who, well, holds it in his hand every night. She is the puppet of the Emperor of Lemuria and sells herself in return for his help. The Pope is still better than those whores. ...... Well, this is the kind of reputation I've heard with my own ears. That's what the citizens of Nova Lemuria are saying. I wonder what's going on in other parts of the country. ......



　Cecilia said, blushing slightly.
　Then she clears her throat.

　"And that's about it. If I were to help you with your current reputation, ...... it would only add to your bad reputation. It would be against the interests of the Church. And ...... increasing the authority of the self-proclaimed "Pope" is against the interests of Hercule and the Empire. That's why I can't continue to cooperate with you, Hercule.

　Cecilia said, and reached for the snacks.
　As she ate, Cecilia said.

　So, I think we should both work on our reputations first. To be honest, I don't really like the way the clergy are now. It is outrageous that churches and congregations should be allowed to accumulate wealth. All the wealth obtained from donations and contributions should be distributed to the poor. I believe that this is the right way for the church to be, and the proper role of donations and contributions.

　After hearing Cecilia's argument, Hercule ......
　He sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

　Cecilia's argument made sense, and it was clear that Cecilia herself did not have any hostile intentions towards Hercule.
　I also found out that Cecilia has almost 90% good intentions.

　(This is the first time I've seen something like this: ......)

　Hercule didn't know what attitude to take toward Cecilia.
　If someone comes at you with bad intentions, you should respond with bad intentions.
　But you can't return malice to someone who hits you with good intentions.

　So Hercule asked Cecilia.

　Cecilia, your point is well taken. Cecilia, I understand your point, but how exactly do you think our relationship can be kept from being inferred?

　"I don't think that's possible. If Master Hercule and I get along well, there will be a lot of people who will guess wrong. Because we are a young man and a young woman.　Moreover, Hercule has always had a bad reputation with women. Everyone thinks that the Emperor of Lemuria wouldn't be able to keep a young medium in his clutches.

　"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry about that .......

　I'm sure you're aware of that.
　If you say that, I can't argue with you.

　So, it is unavoidable that people will guess wrong. The important thing is to understand why your reputation is ruined when you are misunderstood. For example, if Hercule-sama and Lunalie-sama had a male-female relationship, would their reputations have been damaged?　At least, Hercule-sama's reputation has not been ruined. In fact, it went up when he was able to turn Hayastan into his country. Then what about Master Lunalie's reputation?　She was well-liked in the Lemurian Empire. And in Khayastan?　Your reputation with the pro-Fahrus faction went down, but your reputation with the pro-Lemurian faction went up, didn't it?

　"So you're saying that if we have a relationship with a man or a woman, it won't ruin our reputation if it's judged to be beneficial? Is that what you're saying?

　Cecilia nodded when Hercule said that.

　It is also important that you are not perceived as a slut. For example, if I were to receive beautiful clothes and ornaments from Hercule and wear them, or if I were to receive huge donations and lavish ......... No matter how pure and innocent my life is, there will always be people who will gossip about me as they please.

　And there are those who believe them.
　The important thing is not the truth of the rumor, but how many people believe it.

　So what do you want in the end?

　It's simple, an achievement. "The Pope is certainly gaining the support of many clergy and believers right now. But he hasn't actually accomplished anything yet. Their support for him is just an expectation.

　When people vote in elections in democracies, many of them don't give much thought to the policies of politicians.
　The majority of people cast their votes based on the expectation that the politician will make the country a better place (・・・・).

　That is why theatrical politics is established.

　However, this kind of politics does not last very long.
　The honeymoon period is over soon.

　What comes next is a strong disappointment at having been disappointed.
　That's why we need small achievements to raise expectations even more.

　But so far, the Pope has not accomplished anything.

　"So far, all the Pope has done is pick a fight with the Empire and Lord Hercule. And he is, after all, under the protection of the military power of the Fulling Kingdom, so his position is not really that different from mine. The situation is worse than it was in the days of the previous medium. The honeymoon period will soon be over. Then it will be our turn. We must live up to the expectations of the faithful and the clergy rather than the "Pope". Then the formation will be reversed.

　Accomplishments: ......

　In the past, Hercule had thought that he had achieved a lot by stopping the invasion of the Kingdom of Foulds and defeating heretics and infidels.
　But that's not what Cecilia is trying to say, is it?

　"Are these achievements, in essence, your achievements?

　"Yes, it is. I'm sorry to say this, but ...... Mr. Hercule. Would you like to give me the credit?　If you do that, my popularity will soar. If you do that, you might be able to stop the Kingdom of Tretum from coming to our side, and hopefully bring the Kingdom of Edelna back to our side. And ...... we may be able to gather the support of the churches and lords within the Fulling Kingdom.

　The more authority Cecilia has, the more convenient it is for her guardian, Hercule.


　However, Cecilia's growing authority could shake the Lemurian Empire, which is headed by the Emperor.

　In the Lemurian Empire, the Emperor must be the only one with power.

　But I'm willing to listen to you.
　Hercule thought so, and asked Cecilia.

　Cecilia, what kind of achievement do you want?

　When Hercule asked, Cecilia said, "It's about ordination.

　"It's about ordination.