Chapter 24: The Choice of the Abandoned Ones 2

In a secluded office deep within the Grand Cathedral, Archbishop Maxim regarded the two individuals before her with a grave expression.

Just moments ago, Tine and her friend Nune had repeatedly inquired about new accommodations for the holy knights, their faces etched with disappointment and dissatisfaction.

However, in contrast to their earlier demeanor, they now approached her with a self-assured air, presenting a proposal. Slightly perplexed, Maxim questioned them.

“So… you two intend to personally capture Santana?”

“Yes, Archbishop. That scoundrel Santana betrayed our order of holy knights and turned his back on you, Your Eminence.”

“As you are well aware, we possess the greatest martial prowess among the knights stationed in Milan. With our skills, apprehending him would be a simple task.”

“Hmm…”

Although Nune and Tine had consistently displayed unsatisfactory performance in the tasks assigned to them, Archbishop Maxim now had reason to consider their proposition favorably.

“…Very well, I shall provide my answer shortly. Wait here for the time being.”

“Yes, Your Eminence.”

“We await your command, Your Eminence.”

After temporarily withholding her response while giving them a positive gesture, Maxim pondered the potential gains and losses of this matter once the two knights had departed.

‘To have them capture Santana in exchange for my support… Admittedly, their skills might make it a feasible undertaking.’

While Nune and Tine were often lacking in intellect and possessed rather frivolous personalities, Maxim acknowledged their formidable combat prowess.

Among the holy knights in Milan, they were undoubtedly the strongest.

Maxim was well aware that their combat abilities were not vastly inferior even when compared to the elite Twelve Tribes tasked with guarding the holy city of Rome.

However, Maxim’s considerations extended beyond their mere capabilities.

‘Truthfully… even if they succeed in capturing Santana, it would serve little purpose beyond venting frustrations.’

Regardless of their competence, she had no desire to entrust matters to the very man she had excommunicated, nor would it be feasible to do so.

In other words, even if Nune and Tine successfully brought Santana back, it would not enable the holy knights to regain their previously comfortable lifestyles.

Yet, despite the lack of substantial gains, the archbishop was inclined to view this matter favorably.

Her motivation, however, did not stem from a mere expectation of venting frustrations against Santana.

‘Truthfully, Santana’s fate is inconsequential… The real issue lies with those two women… and the holy knights.’

The primary reason Maxim entertained this notion was the opportunity it presented to dispatch Nune and Tine, who could potentially cause significant problems, to a distant foreign land by providing them with suitable funds under the pretext of capturing Santana.

‘While the others are also a concern, those two in particular possess considerable personal combat prowess and impetuous personalities. If the holy knights were to instigate an incident, those two would undoubtedly be at the forefront.’

Even now, the knights lived in squalor within the cathedral.

Under normal circumstances, as the archbishop, she should have promptly arranged new accommodations for the knights and ensured their wages, while not equal to Santana’s era, were sufficient to prevent dissatisfaction.

However, at this moment, Archbishop Maxim had no inclination to actively fulfill such obligations.

‘Of course, I must provide some support. But that does not mean I can recklessly distribute funds as Santana did.’

It was not a matter of lacking funds.

From the outset, the holy knights were affiliated with the Papal State in Rome, and a certain amount of support was consistently provided to the archbishop from the Papal coffers each month. Additionally, the local lord allocated a budget to maintain the knights as a reliable contingency force during emergencies.

Properly managing these funds should have prevented the knights from resorting to sleeping on the cathedral floors, wrapped in cloaks.

Yet, the situation had deteriorated to this state due to none other than Archbishop Maxim herself.

Each year, from the regularly distributed funds for the holy knights, Maxim had secretly siphoned off approximately 40% for her personal use. This embezzlement had continuously subjected the knights to financial hardship and challenging living conditions.

Conducted in utmost secrecy and perfection, not a single knight had caught wind of this reality, leading them to naturally accept their impoverished circumstances as the norm for holy knights.

However, the knights, accustomed to such austere conditions, had experienced a transformation after Santana began his ‘work’, alleviating their financial plight.

With wages nearly doubled, various external support, and the provision of proper accommodations, the knights, who had grown accustomed to poverty and hardship, discovered the meaning of an affluent life and gradually became accustomed to it over time.

Consequently, when Santana’s departure forced them to revert to their previous destitute existence, they could no longer readily accept their former circumstances.

Unlike their initial natural acceptance of poverty, having tasted affluence, they now voiced their dissatisfaction with the present situation.

Even at this very moment, their reason for residing and subsisting within the cathedral was not merely a lack of alternatives.

Considering that in the past, the knights would have sought odd jobs and scraped together accommodations by their own means, their current actions could be interpreted as a form of protest.

A silent demonstration, demanding that Archbishop Maxim take responsibility for her misjudgment and restore their previous conditions.

To quell their actions, Maxim would have needed to allocate the embezzled funds properly and provide adequate support to the knights. However, she had no intention of doing so.

Had she successfully plundered Santana’s wealth as intended, she would have willingly restored the knights’ support funds without prompting.

But now, with Santana’s parting blow rendering her efforts futile, her lingering resentment prevented her from relinquishing one of her primary sources of income – the knights’ support funds.

Moreover, through her ascent to the position of archbishop, she had learned how to effectively manage subordinates.

‘There is no need to treat underlings too well; in fact, being too generous only encourages them to overstep their bounds eventually.’

The optimal approach was to placate them just enough to prevent outright dissatisfaction while maximizing her personal gains by maintaining a precarious balance.

Thus, rather than immediately allocating substantial funds for their support, Maxim determined that the best solution was to provide just enough to avoid outright discontent.

‘By dispatching Nune and Tine in this manner and moderately increasing the wages, the knights residing in the cathedral should no longer resist. This way, I can control their dissatisfaction and, with luck, even capture that wretched Santana…’

Deriving a small pleasure from the knowledge that she could prioritize her own interests in any situation, a smile tinged with greed formed on Archbishop Maxim’s lips.