Ch.147Governance (6)

“Your Majesty, a letter from Priest Ajax and 14 others has arrived.”

The various indigenous powers of Caroling are not interfering, seeing this incident as an opportunity to assess the capacity of their new lord.

Of course, their judgment was influenced by their previous assessment of the lord’s temperament when they were invited to Dijon.

Pleading for mercy to a lord who creates laws related to just about everything and resorts to force at the slightest provocation? That could only be seen as a novel form of suicide.

“Ah, those fools. Give it here.”

The Duke of Aquitaine casually takes the letter handed to him by his attendant and opens it.

It will undoubtedly be filled with pleas that would only irritate him to read, but he cannot help but look at it to glimpse how His Majesty treats nobles of status through these appeals.

The previous letters contained worthless complaints about the poor condition of the prison or the disrespectful attitude of the guards, which was somewhat disappointing. But now that the trial must be over, there should be something more substantial written.

“…Huh?”

However, the content of the letter was completely unexpected.

He had expected complaints about increased sentences or grievances about not receiving acquittals despite reduced sentences…

“What is the matter, Your Grace?”

“His Majesty… apparently observed the trial.”

That’s completely incorrect.

Claude had merely happened to be passing by and entered the courtroom after the trial ended upon hearing a commotion, but such details were unimportant to the accused. All that mattered to them was that the king entered at a precise moment.

But reading the letter’s contents, the Duke concludes that His Majesty observed the trial and, angered by the nobles and clergy who were dissatisfied with the verdict, imposed harsh punishments.

“And these idiots apparently threw tantrums over the verdict and prostrated themselves before His Majesty.”

“…Isn’t the court’s emblem derived from the emblems of House Bourgogne and the Lotharing royal family?”

The attendant responds with wide eyes, clearly dumbfounded.

Even the attendant knows this, so why don’t those fools…!

No, I should stop thinking about it. People’s intelligence varies greatly, after all.

“So His Majesty seems to have been enraged.”

“By ‘enraged,’ you mean…?”

“Execution.”

“…!”

To specifically mention that defying a court verdict can result in execution at worst and to demand it be handled according to the law… That’s just a polite way of saying “kill them.”

These fools seem to have understood this direct death sentence quite well, as they’re now begging me to appeal to His Majesty by highlighting their contributions in the Caroling War.

…Hmph.

‘Why should I do that?’

It would be a waste to use such merits on such a trivial matter.

I see no reason to save these nobles who are merely insignificant rabble that His Majesty didn’t even feel the need to pass off to someone else. As for the clergy, I have reliable information that they will soon be completely neutered politically, socially, and economically.

Above all, advocating for those who defied the authority of His Majesty and the royal family is an extremely dangerous act that could put me in His Majesty’s bad graces. If they want to die, why drag me into it?

*Whoosh*—

“There’s no need to bring me any more scraps of paper from these fools.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The Duke of Aquitaine feels no need to read further, despite there being much more to the letter.

The letter burns in the candlelight on the desk, eventually becoming unrecognizable ash.

……….

“This can’t be…”

The responses to the numerous letters sent to save his brother who had been taken to Dijon were utterly despairing.

Of the dozens of letters sent, only three received replies, and none of those contained a positive response.

Not from the Notre Cathedral Diocese overseeing the churches of the Caroling Kingdom, nor from the Dijon Cathedral Diocese overseeing the churches of the Lotharing Kingdom, nor even from the Holy See, the supreme church governing all churches.

“Why…?”

It was incomprehensible.

How could it be that the cathedral dioceses and the Holy See would not help when a clergyman following God’s will was in danger of death due to secular evil laws?

No matter how frightened they might be… if the two cathedral dioceses and the Holy See joined forces, teaching humility and common sense to an illegitimate child born without God’s permission would be as easy as eating cold porridge…!

“Damn it… this can’t be happening…!”

If his brother in Dijon were to die, future plans would be greatly complicated.

If there were a shortage of church priests, the Holy See would send new personnel, and if those newcomers were averse to their business, it would be the end.

He must save his brother imprisoned in Dijon by any means necessary, regardless of the method.

Yes, if he gathered all the nearby churches affected by the governor’s tyranny to form a large faction—

*BANG*—!!

“Ugh…?!”

The priest’s thoughts were cut short.

Startled by the sudden loud noise, he turned toward the source and saw intense backlighting pouring through the wide-open door.

Countless silhouettes emerged from the backlight, eventually transforming into people who strode into the church.

They wore strangely modified monastic robes, but their overwhelming presence made it impossible to comment on their unusual attire.

“W-who are you?!”

“Jean-Marc Martin, correct?”

“Who are you to—ah, no… no, that’s not me.”

The priest was about to ask who they were, but sensing some terrible future approaching, he hastily changed his words.

Without such intuition, he wouldn’t have risen to his current position.

“Not you? Seize him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Of course, the lie was in vain.

If you’re going to lie, do it properly. Trembling, avoiding eye contact, and mumbling is practically a confession.

“Age 42, appointed as a church priest at 30, since then amassed improper wealth through bribery and embezzlement… correct?”

“Improper wealth? I never—gah, urgh…!”

The priest, trying to defend himself with a flustered expression, is silenced by a fist to his stomach.

His legs instantly give way and his back muscles go limp, but the strong men holding him prevent him from collapsing to the floor. The priest hangs like laundry on a pole.

“Take this one to the prison at the governor’s office. And this church, now without an owner, will be under His Majesty’s direct control until a proper successor is appointed.”

“We’ve examined numerous churches since coming to Caroling, and it’s deeply saddening how rare proper churches are.”

“They weren’t all like this from the beginning. It’s just… the environment was bad.”

“Indeed, the theology we learned at university seems quite disconnected from reality.”

The Faith Inquisition, advised by Jeanne and founded by Armand, greatly laments the lack of normal churches in Caroling.

“But isn’t it good for all of us?”

“What is?”

“That there are many hypocrites to strike down.”

“Heh, that’s true.”

However, their lamentation soon transforms into a dangerous and thrilling exhilaration.

Due to the nature of the Faith Inquisition being dispatched far abroad, each member must possess qualities that prevent their will from breaking under external persuasion and pressure.

In other words, everyone in the Inquisition here has undergone severe mental training, almost to the point of brainwashing.

While it’s truly heartbreaking that the clergy in Caroling have lost their true faith and fallen into corruption, striking down such hypocrites is a fulfilling, beautiful act truly serving God. How could they only be sad about the corruption of Caroling’s churches?

“For the Lord.”

“And for His Majesty.”

……….

“Your Majesty, the stabilization of church territories in the Caroling Kingdom and the newly incorporated Lotharing Kingdom territories is nearly complete.”

“Well done, Armand. Though it’s entirely your domain, I would appreciate being informed in advance next time.”

“I apologize, Your Majesty. In my eagerness, I—”

“Spare me the insincere words.”

You think I don’t know you deliberately omitted reports for fear I might interfere with church matters?

I’ve sensed it since the coronation—Armand keeps irritating me in strange ways.

For now, I’ll let it pass since he’s loyal to me and diligently manages domestic church territories while handling the Holy See and dioceses well, but this continued behavior is troublesome.

“Ahem, first I’ll report on the current situation. Over 70% of the church territories in the Caroling Kingdom and New Lotharing Kingdom territories have been deemed corrupt, and purification efforts are well underway.”

“…Purification? You mean like auditing and dismissing corrupt clergy?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

See, no matter how annoying he can be, he does his job so well that I can’t easily interfere.

“Most of those clergy would have been directly dispatched from the Holy See. Has the Holy See said nothing?”

“The Pope, still not recovered, remains bedridden and paralyzed, unable to make proper judgments or responses. One might think of appointing a proxy as during the Crusade treaty, but for a Pope who has been badly burned once, appointing a proxy seems unthinkable.”

After realizing that the bishops and cardinals arbitrarily ended the Crusade by working together, the Pope was greatly shocked and has never recovered his former health. From what I’ve heard, he’s literally no different from a living corpse.

Moreover, since the Pope holds a lifetime position, retirement is impossible no matter how poor his health becomes. As a result, the Holy See is currently dysfunctional.

“That’s truly unfortunate.”

“But it’s the best opportunity for our Lotharing. Due to the Pope’s paralysis, the Holy See is brain-dead and unable to properly respond to whatever Lotharing does.”

“…?”

What’s this?

Armand’s reaction is much harsher than I expected.

As a human being, I expressed sympathy and regret for the Pope who has been paralyzed for nearly four years, but Armand is thinking purely in terms of profit and loss.

What’s with you? You’re a bishop, after all.

As a bishop, the Pope has been like this for four years, and instead of feeling compassion for him, you’re thinking about how it benefits Lotharing?

Um…

“Armand.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“…Keep up the good work.”

“I shall, Your Majesty.”

It’s a bit unsettling, but there’s no need to make an issue of it.

Besides, I have no reason to discourage clergy who are easily influenced by the Holy See from working for me instead of for the Holy See.