Chapter 175 : Chapter 175

Chapter : 175

The kingdom’s capital.

The king’s office was thrown into an uproar by the sudden news.

“Rebellions are not stopping in each domain.”

“Because of the rebellion, the trade network has been severed. It is difficult to supply materials smoothly to the southern directly-managed land. What should we do?”

“A lord from the royalist faction in the central region has collapsed to a peasant revolt, they say. His entire family was executed, and all of their property was confiscated….”

The peasants’ revolt, which he had definitely been told was nothing, was expanding at some point into an uncontrollable level.

Trade networks were cut off, domains were being plundered. The situation was truly not good. Even now, look. Were the expressions of the nobles reporting to him not wavering?

It was plain to see how badly they wanted to drag their armies back to their own domains immediately.

Where had it gone wrong, exactly?

Without realizing it, the king of the Elang Kingdom pressed and rubbed at his throbbing temples.

“I heard that remnants of the Crusader Knight Order are being seen among the peasant rebels. Is it true?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Some escaped remnants of the Crusader Knight Order are carrying impious books and rallying the peasants.”

“Well, now.”

It was truly ridiculous.

He thought they were finished and done, but instead those remnants, burning with vengeance, were grabbing his ankle. Where had the pride of being shepherds of God gone, that they were now joining filthy peasant rebel scum?

Then, suddenly, the king of the Elang Kingdom got caught on one word.

“Wait, a book?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. They are using this impious book to bewitch people.”

The noble who spoke, bristling with rage, slammed a single book up onto the table.

It was the Bible.

A translated Bible.

“They are throwing a Bible translated into the kingdom’s language at ignorant fools and swelling their power. You must not just sit and watch this, Your Majesty.”

“Hmmm….”

The king of the Elang Kingdom frowned. An object he had not expected had popped out. Even so, he could not speak carelessly.

This translated Bible was, in fact….

“Have you forgotten that this Bible has received authorization from the Holy See? And yet you call it an impious book?”

“H-however. How can a Bible be translated into letters that ignorant fools know. Think about it. If ignorant fools misunderstand a Bible made in the noble Ancient Empire language, what a great problem that would be.”

“Ahem. That is true, Your Majesty.”

As that noble shouted, the clergy around him nodded along quietly in agreement.

Even if they could not officially say it loudly because it was the Holy See’s position, it meant they thought the same to some extent.

“Hoo….”

Because of that, the king of the Elang Kingdom could only sigh. No, should he say his head throbbed even more?

Whenever he looked at those thick-headed nobles, the king of the Elang Kingdom felt like he could not breathe.

If the Bible was translated into the common kingdom language, did that not mean the power of the clergy who hosted Mass would shrink?

If things went wrong, nobles could even take that position….

And yet the backlash was that severe.

‘Hmm?’

Then, suddenly, another good idea brushed past him.

‘It might not be bad. Their course of action.’

Think about it. Not only that noble, but even the clergy looked extremely uncomfortable. Since it was the Holy See’s order, they said it could not be helped, but their hearts looked full of dissatisfaction.

And that meant.

‘They could become my side.’

It was not bad.

He was already struggling desperately to shrink the Holy See’s forces inside the kingdom, so if he embraced such anti-Holy See clergy well, maybe that would become possible someday.

“I will handle that part well. I will directly submit your thoughts to the Holy See.”

“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Then let us return to the main point. Court minister. Does it seem like this peasant revolt will die down easily?”

Then the Count Richeléon, who had been named, bowed his head and spoke.

“It does not seem easy. The peasant revolt is larger than expected, and it is organized. The local lords will likely not be able to suppress it easily, unlike before.”

“Is it because of the famine?”

“Yes. Because the famine has lasted more than two years, the finances of each lord have worsened. It seems they will have difficulty forming a proper army.”

If the Count Richeléon said so, then it was probably so. The court minister’s intelligence network was among the most renowned in the kingdom, no, on the continent. Then he had to turn this judgment in his favor somehow….

As the king of the Elang Kingdom’s thoughts stretched long, the Count Richeléon cautiously opened his mouth.

“How about leaving this situation unattended, Your Majesty?”

“Leaving it unattended?”

“Yes. After all, are not most local lords from the clerical faction? The more the peasant revolt sweeps through them, the weaker the clerical faction becomes.”

“Hmmm. Are you saying we should watch until they throw away their pride and bow?”

It was a fairly interesting suggestion.

The king of the Elang Kingdom, in a brief silence, tapped the desk with his finger.

TAP. TAP.

What should he do.

Should he watch like this, or should he fulfill his duty as a king.

Either way, there was profit left as a king in the end.

The king’s duty, to begin with, was the protection of the kingdom. No matter how hostile the local nobles were toward him, if they received help, they had to pay the corresponding price.

Whether that became loyalty or material compensation, there was nothing bad about it for the king.

But.

‘Still, that is no fun.’

To the king of the Elang Kingdom, that righteous path did not appeal to him.

Look at the path he had walked so far, and the things he had done.

When had it ever been proud, clean, and brightly shining. If he pretended to be clean and fair only now, people would only laugh at him.

He was, after all.

“I have decided. I will leave it unattended. From now on, there will be no support for the local lords. They must protect their domains themselves. Those who did not submit to me must, as they should, bear responsibility themselves. Summon the central army that was scattered in the provinces. The central army will protect only the capital!”

This was the right road to take.

That was why the king of the Elang Kingdom declared it more firmly than ever.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

“We will obey your command!”

---

-The king of the Elang Kingdom gathered the central army in the capital!

-The king has violated his duty of protection. We must protect our own domains ourselves. This is a disaster!

The news from the royal castle struck the kingdom immediately.

It was too hard to believe, but it had already happened.

Because of that, the local lords had fire at their feet. They had expected that if things became serious, the king would bring the army himself.

But there was no support.

Then what remained?

-Y, Your Grace the Duke of Bourgogne. Please protect us.

-Your Excellency the Duchess of Aquitaine. We need an army. Please support us with troops quickly.

-Your Excellency the Count of Anjou. Can you provide troop support!

They ran to the great nobles of each region, shouting desperately and begging for support.

The peasant rebels, with remnants of the Crusader Knight Order clinging to them, had already swelled into the thousands, and now they had even absorbed the battle command structure that had been the nobles’ exclusive property, gaining organization at the level of a regular army.

And when some greedy merchants began supplying them with goods, eyeing the wealth they plundered….

Now they had become so powerful that the petty local lords could not dare defend against them.

And this situation was the same not only in the kingdom’s north and center, but also in the south, especially the region where I was.

-M, Your Excellency the Margrave of Bellua. Regarding that military protection agreement for the customs union members….

-Pious Your Excellency the Margrave. I have come like this because I wish to become a member of the customs union. Please protect our domain.

Who was there to trust in the southern region.

The Margrave of Bellua, who had brought down Count Bozen and even received the title of Sacred Guardian from the Holy See, was none other than me.

As the situation changed, not only the existing customs union lords who had rejected my proposal, but also petty local lords from every province who had been testing the waters all this time began coming to me and endlessly courting me.

“Hoho…. Did you predict this, by any chance? No, how? Did you truly receive a miracle and come to foresee the future?”

Because of that, Magician Agpiel, who watched all of this, clicked his tongue in amazement. Of course, I wondered why someone who knew as much as he did was talking like Bishop Marco, the goat beastman.

“…What miracle, Magician Agpiel. If you think of the actions the king has shown so far, is this not an answer you can easily reach?”

“Mmm…. Well, that is true, but. Still, is it not difficult to fix that prediction as certain? Usually, they call that insight…. and sometimes they reinterpret it as foresight, too….”

Even as he spoke, Magician Agpiel looked at me with half-lidded eyes, as if suspicious.

“…….”

Ugh. Better to die than to suffer.

But even so, this was not the time to waste on bickering.

The situation was far too urgent, the visitors looking for me were many, and the things I had set in motion were proceeding at a dizzying pace.

“Chamberlain Hamil, you will take responsibility for the lords who want to newly join the customs union. Treat them with the best hospitality so their pride is not hurt, and take good care of the lords who want to proceed with military agreements, too. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord. Leave it to me.”

“Treasurer Palmer. You will manage the navigators and shipbuilding technicians we received support from Lord Gertman. I will delegate that authority to you, so go to the City of Mangtong with the dwarf technicians and build new ships.”

“M-me, sir?”

“Do you dislike it? If you dislike it, then getting buried in that pile of paperwork over there is not bad, either.”

“Eek. No, sir. I will go right away.”

“Viscount Avignon. Keep paying attention to intelligence. And check the harvest situation of other kingdoms, not only inside our kingdom. I need to consider how far we should adjust food stockpiling.”

“Understood. I will carry it out immediately.”

Because of that, I had no choice but to point to the vassals one by one and give orders like this.

This is truly dizzying!

Of course.

“Baaaahhh! My lord?”

“Mmm? What is it?”

“I have nothing. Mehr?”

“…Uh. Well, that is….”

There was not really any order I could give our adorable goat beastman Bishop Marco, though.

“Huh?”

Breaking into a cold sweat, I spun my head quickly inside.

Could I really crush that sparkling expectation of our goat beastman Bishop Marco?

“Ah! Right.”

I remembered one thing Bishop Marco was good at.

“Since the poor are boiling over due to the peasant revolt, hold a preaching assembly to comfort and support them.”

“Baaaahhh! Just trust me. My lord! Mehr. This is what I do best. Baaheheh.”

The goat beastman Bishop Marco went out with a bright expression, letting out his distinctive goat bleat.

I had worried he might complain because I gave him something too trivial compared to others, but thankfully, he did not.

Then, suddenly, a thought brushed through my mind.

That thing that troublemaking goat beastman often did whenever he preached.

‘…He would not do that to refugees, right?’

Yes.

Surely not.

If he did, the Holy See theologians here would boil goat soup, after all. He surely had that much sense of propriety.

Probably…?