"This project was shut down on the exact day your name surfaced in the Secret Society."
Silence enveloped the cabin, letting Henrik’s words echo louder than they should have.
"High Divine Circle," Lola whispered, her brows tightening. "Isn’t that—"
"Another member of the founding families," Henrik answered with a shrug, then shot Atlas a look. "Didn’t you tell her about the five founding families before marriage? Or did you trap her first through marriage before coming clean about the Secret Society? She seemed a little lost here."
Atlas automatically ignored Henrik and met Lola’s eyes.
"It is," he said, making Lola’s mouth form a small "o."
During her first month in the Order, Lola had studied the entire structure of the Secret Society. Of course, she was familiar with this so-called High Divine Circle.
From what she knew, according to history, aside from the Order — which had once been more or less a mercenary organization — the High Divine Circle was also the only "family" that wasn’t noble.
The House of Bellemonte and the House of Monreal were once recognized as noble families under the empire. As for the Tribe of Talmaru, they were also considered such, though they didn’t fall under the same traditional system as the other two.
And the High Divine Circle?
They used to be a church — a major faction within one — and even now, they still belonged to the Church.
They didn’t control nations like the other families, but their influence was massive. And unlike the other four families, they weren’t hidden. Known for controlling the Holy Land, the world recognized it as a major pilgrimage site.
This had surprised Lola during her lessons. She had known about the Church, but she hadn’t known it was actually part of the Secret Society. Still, in a way, it made sense.
"But... weren’t the other two members of the council also from the High Divine Circle?" Lola blurted out, pointing out what Henrik and Atlas already knew.
The Secret Society’s council consisted of seven members, one representing each family. The Church had its own representative, but the other two were more or less chairmen of the council from the same church.
Since the Church was considered the most neutral, the four families’ predecessors had agreed to this setup. Their main role was to enforce council rules and intervene during conflicts. For years, this council had been neutral even toward the Church and didn’t show any favoritism.
"This is bad," Henrik hummed as he casually leaned back. "If the High Divine Circle wanted the House of Bellemonte and the Order to fight each other, then that means..."
He trailed off, blinking as he thought through his words. He had been thinking about this since his discovery, and if he were honest, it worried him.
"They truly think so little of my house," he clicked his tongue, irritated and insulted. "Hah! How insulting!"
Atlas remained quiet while Lola gazed down, deep in thought.
"If Henrik Bellemonte hadn’t come to beg my beloved Atlas for help, it’s possible we would’ve gone to Ravah and uncovered everything anyway," Lola muttered, almost forgetting Henrik was there. "And this Henrik guy would surely be dead meat. There won’t be any place for him for sure."
Henrik frowned. "You’re saying your thoughts out loud, Ma’am."
"Assuming that clown didn’t swallow his pride, there would surely be conflict between the Order and the House of Bellemonte," Atlas muttered, rubbing his chin. "Of course, the Order would swallow the Bellemonte whole, considering his pathetic military strength."
A vein popped on Henrik’s forehead, his face twitching as the couple discussed his downfall like he wasn’t present. Even if they were right, it didn’t feel good to hear.
"Hey..." Henrik called, laughing through clenched teeth. "I can hear you. I’m right here."
"And if that happened... it’s possible that, using that excuse, the Church could make the other two families move against the Order," Lola blurted out, then gasped as if hearing her own words from someone else.
Atlas’s expression darkened as he reached the same conclusion, while Henrik raised a brow. The thought had crossed Henrik’s mind before, but he had dismissed it as overthinking. Now that both of them said it, his suspicion solidified.
"Well, the House of Monreal has the military strength and the resources," Henrik remarked. "They’re second in wealth and resources after me. Marceline is a smart woman, but she dislikes the Order more than she dislikes her damned husband."
"In other words, she would see the Order as a bigger threat than it already was once the Order takes down the Bellemonte," Lola hummed, and Henrik nodded knowingly.
"Exactly."
"The five families maintain a balance within the Secret Society and the world," Atlas spoke evenly. "One family may excel in something, but they fall behind in another aspect. But if the Order absorbs the Bellemonte, that gives us military strength to rival the Tribe of Talmaru and resources that threaten the House of Monreal."
Simply put, the High Divine Circle wouldn’t need to do anything, even if they allowed the fight between the Order and Bellemonte. Atlas already had grounds to challenge them after Ravah.
Those grounds might be valid, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t disrupt the balance.
So, the natural course of action would be for the other two families to move against the Order to stop Atlas from becoming too powerful.
If that happened...
"It’s safe to say it could spark another world war," Henrik raised a finger, swaying it sideways. The duo across from him showed no surprise. They had already thought of it.
Lowering his hand, he huffed. "This is why I couldn’t talk about this on the phone, Atlas." His tone grew solemn, his expression hard. "Wars happen often, but when two founding families fight, it affects the entire world."
"What I’m saying is..." Henrik paused, knowing that once he spoke, he couldn’t take it back. Still, it had to be said.
"I don’t know about the two of you, but it seems... the Church wants the Secret Society abolished."