Volume 3 Chapter 14 Unsettled
"Can we really say it's settled, Your Majesty...?"
"I believe so... but the Church of Shinathica will need to rebuild."
In Valzeil's office.
Reading the report, Valzeil said it was "settled."
"Silvio's vanished from the stage. But with him manipulating power for 15 years, the Church can't operate without a leader."
"Can the Pope move?"
"He probably can't. The truth Horace spoke 15 years ago plants enough doubt about 'true faith in the gods.'"
"The Church of Shinathica worships the 'Five Divine Gods,' after all..."
"Yeah. So, leaving it as is... it's completely irresponsible."
Were there excellent spies or mere onlookers in the Church's 'inner circle'?
A lot of information was recorded in the report.
Based on that, it's certain that Horace was "irresponsible."
"My take? Worship whatever you want. But with most of Theocracy Nation's resources drained by Silvio's 'research', and the Church's authority in shambles, we need strong leadership or it'll fall apart."
"What should we do, Your Majesty?"
"Not much we can do. Why, with the 'Divine Blood Travels' split, it'd be a bad move for us to intervene heavily in Theocracy Nation."
Valzeil wore a dumbfounded expression...
"'We protect our people, with or without the gods'... that's one of the two major beliefs at the world conference. Us, upholding that, saving Theocracy Nation would mean 'a nation that prays to the gods gets saved by one that doesn't'. We had a huge mess over that before. So, even if Theocracy Nation's in trouble, it's unlikely we'll come to their aid."
"I admit it's a foolish idea, but still feels it's inevitable."
"It's silly, but that's just how it is."
Valzeil lets out a sigh.
"...Still, no one wastes money on pointless research anymore. Only Silvio had real power, so now we have to decide who will take charge next..."
"There aren't many people around, Your Majesty."
"Yeah. Still, that doesn't mean we can't help out. Using the merchant guild to deliver supplies──that's what most will do. It's a hassle, but what else can we do?"
In Valzeil's mind, no matter how much the theocracy refuses Bloodline Nation's meddling, they can't ignore people in need.
Foolish rulers cause suffering for the common folk.
They understand that all too well.
"Honestly, I never thought Horace would turn out to be a monster, Your Majesty."
"That's the story, huh? I was surprised when I read the report too."
"There were no signs of anything strange. Unless Horace triggered some detection spell or sensor──something that catches monsters──the rumor doesn't hold."
Horace was a monster.
Valzeil realizes this goes beyond what they expected.
Usually, every town or city tries to set up ways to sense monster appearances.
That's standard in the capital.
But there's no record of Horace triggering any of those sensors.
Still, because it's Horace──someone so unpredictable──it's a wild card.
"We probably don't need to change how we treat him. Only the Church of Shinathica claims monsters are *always* evil. But some monsters are useful. Many folks might be surprised, but they're not necessarily villains."
"...Still, I do have some worries."
"Same here. But I doubt most will see it that way. Honestly, no one wants to make enemies of him."
"That's true, Your Majesty."
Horace's tactic: wipe out everything in a single sweep to make an example.
In other words: messing with Horace guarantees a very bad time later.
After what happened, most folks would rather not make enemies if they can help it.
"Still, there's always some 'idiot with a death wish' around. Better stay on guard, Your Majesty."
"I suppose so."
After all that talking, Valzeil let out a loud cough.
"Hmph... everything might not be settled, but at least it's 'stabilized,' right?"
"That's about the size of it. For now, just hope we don't end up in a worse mess because of that filthy curse."
"In the end, is that all it is, Ranza?"
Both Valzeil and Ranza seem a bit 'off'──no doubt about it.
The Silvio case has settled down, for now.
But that doesn't mean we can 'relax'──not by a long shot.
"...Hey, Ranza. You feel that unease too, right? It's not just me?"
"I get that feeling too... probably has something to do with the info Horace gave us. There's a hint of 'avoid this if you can' in his words."
"Ugh... So, he's just gonna dive into golem research now?"
Valzeil dropped the documents on the desk, a look of disbelief on his face.
"Well, that's irresponsible. What a troublesome guy."
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