Chapter 204

Chapter 204

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 204: Chapter 4 (4)

The apostle, leading tens of thousands, began to reveal his ambitions in earnest. Just as Allen had predicted.

-The god of the Holy Kingdom is fake, and my god is real.

He fiercely criticized the corruption of the Holy Kingdom, which turned a blind eye to its starving citizens while filling its own belly.

A Holy Kingdom that gives nothing, an apostle of a god who creates meat…

It was obvious whose side the masses and the continent would take.

-The time for my god to descend has come.

The apostle commanded an advance towards the Holy Kingdom, and the crowd, already ensnared by hallucinations and madness, obeyed the apostle’s words.

-God desires it.

That one phrase was enough.

The masses would willingly become martyrs for the apostle.

“No matter how toothless the Holy Kingdom is… will it really fall to a mere group of apostles?”1

Allen, who was lounging lazily in his chair gazing at the clear sky, shifted his eyes back to the clever Milk-Jug Mage. A faint smile crossed his lips.

“That’s how history unfolds, when you let your guard down.”

A tone close to certainty. Elena sensed that Allen knew something.

“Do you know something?”

“Well. Anyway, it’s about time for the Holy Kingdom to fall. Those guys, they’ve been in power for too long.”

The common view was that the pitiful group wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the Holy Kingdom.

However, the estimated number of apostles was roughly thirty thousand. Even if the Holy Kingdom had a hundred thousand, more than half were over fifty and incapable of fighting. The number of combatants the Holy Kingdom could muster wouldn’t even reach ten thousand; at best, they could scrape together five thousand.

Of course, how could thirty thousand men breach the high walls of the Holy Kingdom with just their bare bodies? There were a large number of heretics mixed among the group. No matter how strong the gates of the Holy Kingdom were, if they got bombarded by countless dark magic, they were bound to break.

Especially since the Holy Kingdom wasn’t even sensing the impending crisis, they would only grasp the situation when it was right upon them. By then, it would be far too late.

As per the scenario, the Holy King and the high-ranking officials would flee through the night to preserve their lives, and the Holy Kingdom would fall to the throng of apostates.

However, if the Empire were to intervene, as Allen proposed, it was uncertain how the fate of the Holy Kingdom would change.

Will they…?

It was an open secret that the Empire didn’t view the Holy Kingdom favorably. The upper echelons were just too corrupt. Of course, that could also be said about the Empire to some extent, but at least they didn’t betray their citizens in the name of God like the Holy Kingdom.

Moreover, the Holy Kingdom, rather than actively stepping up during crises on the continent, continuously protected its own interests, rendering it unworthy of the name Holy Kingdom.

Yet, despite all this, it was difficult to predict what decision the Empire would make.

…Allen just waited for the results.

“Group Leadeeer!”

Allen, who was managing affairs in the top-floor office of the guild house, saw Kancho with his circular bald spot rushing in.

“Catch your breath, and calmly.”

Kancho pressed his heaving chest with his hand to steady his breathing.

“News from the Holy Kingdom… has arrived…!”

Finally…!

It was news coming after a full three months since Monua left with Allen’s letter for Vermandois.

“The Holy King has fled….”

As per the scenario, the Holy King had fled, and…

“The Empire and the Saintess have defeated the heretics!”

A new ruler appeared in the Holy Kingdom.

Saintess Monua.

The war with the apostles was intense.

The frenzied charge of a group disregarding death instilled deep fear in people’s hearts.

In truth, they were not the enemy. Just like Monua, they were ordinary people who sought the divine to survive. Knowing this, Monua wept as she struck them down.

If it weren’t for the Ghost Flame Grenzo, who joined at the Prince’s earnest request, it would have been difficult to overpower the battlefield. The apostles’ forces were much stronger than expected.

After defeating the heretics, the Empire didn’t miss the chance to dismantle the Holy Kingdom’s system. The ruling class of the Holy Kingdom had always been a thorn in the Empire’s side.

The Holy Kingdom, which was granted autonomy for spiritual support, had to disappear if it failed to fulfill its role.

Thus, the existence of the Holy King vanished. Although there was resistance from the former king’s faction, neither the Empire nor even the Holy Kingdom sided with them.

A king who is not acknowledged is no longer a king. The position of the Holy King, maintained for hundreds of years, faded into history.

The Empire put forward Saintess Monua. Though lacking power, she was respected by the citizens of the Holy Kingdom.

-Before God, all are equal.

Monua opened the inner gates. She abolished unnecessary Holy Kingdom laws and followed the Empire’s laws.

She pulled down everything above to the same level below. At least in the Holy Kingdom, everyone stood on equal ground.

To ensure the Holy Kingdom was not above God…

The Saintess realized belatedly.

That God wasn’t only in the Holy Kingdom.

That God existed everywhere.

In the continent’s most noble Imperial Palace and even in its filthiest slums.

Monua released all the wealth that the former Holy King and bishops had to aid everyone.

To overcome this terrible drought together.

Then one day…

A visitor came to Saintess Monua… A visitor who was a little, no, very special to her.

As soon as she saw the person entering the room, she jumped up from her seat.

“Group Leader…!”

Monua was so delighted to see Allen that she forgot her saintly dignity and ran to embrace him. He warmly patted her back.

“You’ve worked hard.”

Realizing her impudence belatedly, she stepped back with a flushed face.

“I’ve been wondering how to properly express my gratitude.”

“It’s okay. I told you back then, it’s the result of your earnest efforts.”

“…If you hadn’t shown me kindness at that time, such a miracle wouldn’t have happened.”

“Who would doubt you’re a saintess…? Alright then. Let’s call it a mutual achievement.”

Allen gently smiled and extended his hand. Monua shyly smiled and took his offered hand.

“Well, Monua…. Have you found your god?”

TheSaintess smiled more brightly than ever before.

“Yes, I have.”

Though there was no miracle turning stones into meat, another miracle visited the continent.

“Group Leader Allen!”

Prince Murloc warmly welcomed Allen, who visited the Holy Kingdom.

“Your Highness. Have you been well?”

“Very well, indeed. How about you?”

“Well, I was holed up in Vermandois, preserving myself.”

They both smiled.

“It seems you’re planning to leave soon.”

“I must. The work is done.”

“It was a bold decision.”

“To create a saintess, how can I not? This will surely earn me a line in history. As the prince who brought forth a saintess.”

Murloc chuckled to himself before regaining his original expression.

“I planned to address it eventually. When religion decays, it’s a sign of downfall. And then, the perfect opportunity came.”

“I see.”

A long silence passed between them.

Allen quietly took something out of his bosom and slyly pushed it toward the Prince. He asked with his eyes what it was.

“A business proposal.”

“…A business proposal?”

The Group Leader smiled gently.

“Winter is approaching. Many people will starve to death. Yet, it would be hard to recklessly open the granaries. The capital alone has a population of fifty thousand, and even the Imperial Palace would be emptied in an instant.”

The Prince gestured with his chin to continue.

“Still, we should try to keep them alive as much as possible, shouldn’t we? Yet, we can’t just hand out precious grain for free… That’s why I’ve envisioned a state project.”

The middle-aged Prince lowered his gaze to the proposal he unfolded, then quietly recited its core idea.

“So… to install magical lamps along the boulevard?”

“A capital brightly lit even in darkness… Doesn’t it resemble the current situation? Surely, those who see it will feel awe toward the Empire. Plus, we can conduct relief efforts simultaneously. Even if we only provide two meals a day to the workers, they’ll flock like bees.”

The Prince understood precisely what Allen was conveying.

A massive civil engineering project to overhaul the entire boulevard of the capital.

With that, we can overcome this crisis.

“And the main roads in the capital are also in a state of disrepair. It’s time for maintenance.”

“…Not bad, but…”

Allen instantly understood the Prince’s hesitation.

The Imperial Palace wasn’t in a comfortable situation either.

“We will receive all costs for materials, including magical lamps, a year later… when this crisis is over, when everyone can catch their breath.”

Then the Prince burst into laughter.

“You seem confident that all this will be over by next year.”

“Yes. And if you wish, I will grant you the right to extend the payment by another year.”

It was indeed an extraordinary proposal.

One that was truly impossible to refuse.

“You… you’re a born businessman. Last time and this time, you make it impossible not to accept.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

The Prince tapped the table lightly with the bundle of documents in his hand, then slowly nodded.

“Alright. I will suggest it to His Majesty.”

“I would appreciate it.”

“If only Agnes had some flexibility like you, it would be much better. She has a bit of an old-fashioned side, you see. Sometimes she’s worse than I am.”

“Haha…”

If she had been flexible, he wouldn’t have had to go through such exhausting struggles just to recruit her in [Guild Master].

“Anyway, it was nice seeing you, Allen. I hope we see each other next time with good news.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I wish you blessings on your path.”

The two exchanged a warm farewell handshake.

And the next day, the Prince left for the capital early at dawn with Allen’s business proposal in hand.

Footnotes:

1: ED/N: It started as one and then more popped up. ↩️