Chapter 485: The Dagger

The first official broadcast of the Magic Network sent shockwaves through a quarter of the Southern Territory—almost overnight, this incredible, publicly accessible medium that allowed people to see distant scenes and offered fresh, engaging content became the hottest topic of conversation. Even in areas beyond the reach of the Magic Network’s signal, people had heard of the broadcast: newspapers quickly dedicated an entire page to introducing the inaugural program, explaining the basic concepts of the Magic Network and radio broadcasting, and summarizing the first episode of Witching Hour. Alongside that issue came something else:

A thin little book titled The White Knight.

This was a modest booklet, only a few dozen pages long, printed on cheap paper with simple binding—nothing like the thick, expensive scholarly tomes of old. Yet it was still a genuine book.

Selling for just ten copper coins, it was the first book in the Southern Territory aimed at the general populace. Its content was straightforward and unpretentious: the first half told the story of the White Knight’s birth in a novel-like style, while the second half contained the author’s reflections on how the Church of the Holy Light operated and his personal insights into the Light itself. Between the lines, a new path to the Holy Light emerged—one that started directly from “the people,” quite unlike the old sermons preached by priests. This sparked intense debate among common believers.

Some were deeply moved; others remained skeptical. But there was no denying that the authority of the Holy Light Church was gradually eroding among these people.

This was only natural: while the Church had many followers, not all were devout. Most ordinary people followed the Church simply for peace of mind. These shallow believers had only a superficial, fragmented understanding of the Holy Light scriptures and lacked strong conviction, so it was easy for them to change.

After all, the new doctrine was still “Holy Light”—it sounded similar enough. And as long as it was “close enough,” most common folk wouldn’t bother to scrutinize the differences; their energy was better spent on their own lives.

Of course, there were still staunch Church supporters among the commoners. Even though the Administration Office had completely cut off the Church’s missionary routes, creating a two-month vacuum of faith, and despite the influence of newspapers and Magic Network broadcasts, some people still clung to the old Church’s correctness. This was inevitable—but they were a minority, and over time, their conversion was only a matter of when, not if.

As for those who paid little attention to the Holy Light faith—worshippers of other gods—their greatest feeling at this moment was relief. Finally, someone had stepped up to rein in the Church’s extremist violence. They seemed not to notice that the Faith and Church section of the Cecil Weekly didn’t just discuss the Holy Light; it subtly planted common knowledge about all major churches… or perhaps they noticed, but most ordinary people were far less sensitive to such matters than the professional clergy.

Inside the Cecil Lord’s Manor, Gawain reviewed the report Heddy handed him. It contained sales figures for The White Knight, newspaper circulation data, and random surveys on Magic Network programs around Cecil City. The report was extensive, but its general trend was exactly what he expected.

“More newspaper commentaries and special editions will follow, along with regular Magic Network programs. The new church’s promotional campaign has already begun. Mr. Gawain Orlando has prepared articles that will pose the question—‘Should a new Holy Light order be established?’—in a discussion format. Meanwhile, propaganda agents across the region have started their work, ensuring that even in areas with low literacy and no Magic Network signal, enough people are engaged in these discussions.”

Heddy reported on the progress, while the old lord before her smiled with quiet satisfaction.

“Excellent,” Gawain nodded, setting the report aside. “This is exactly how it should be—starting with the grassroots. The clergy have been perched on their high horses for too long. They don’t realize that the vast majority of ordinary people are the foundation of their Church. Once the common folk lose trust and reverence, the collapse of the Holy Light Church won’t require a single shot or cannon blast.”

Rebecca, standing behind Gawain, listened wide-eyed to their conversation. (She was there to report on the Magic Network’s technical status.) She couldn’t help but blurt out, “So this really means we can kick those charlatans out of the Luan Cathedral?”

“What we’re doing now is driving the influence of those ‘charlatans’ out of the hearts of the Southern Territory’s commoners,” Gawain shook his head. “But this is a long-term project. People’s hearts are easily swayed, but not that quickly. The Holy Light Church has operated in Ansu for centuries; its roots run deep. To completely expel them from people’s hearts will take a long time. Making people question the Church is the first step; establishing a new church is the second. After that, it will take years—maybe decades—to gradually replace the old doctrine with the new, so that people truly accept this cultural shift. This isn’t something a few newspaper issues or broadcasts can accomplish overnight.”

“Wow,” Rebecca’s eyes went wide. “Changing people’s minds really takes that long?”

Heddy shot her a glance. “Of course. You took eight years just to stop drawing mustaches on the teacher’s face. Now imagine we’re trying to change the minds of hundreds of thousands, even millions.”

Rebecca stuck out her tongue. “Then… what about the priests in Luan City? When will they be driven out?”

“They’ll leave before that,” Gawain said casually. “I have no intention of letting them linger in the Southern Territory that long. The Church’s influence takes time to erase, but the priests themselves? Driving them out only requires one wave of popular anger.”

Heddy frowned. “Do you really think Amber can pull that off…?”

Gawain glanced at her and smiled, shaking his head. “Honestly, you’re underestimating her.”

Heddy looked half doubtful. “Really…?”

“Fighting people, Amber might back down from anyone. But operating in the underbelly of society, leading her own team to sabotage and infiltrate? She has talents beyond your imagination.” Gawain pulled a stack of documents from the desk. “You’ve probably seen the intelligence reports from the Luan City agents. You should take a look at these too.”

Heddy took the materials with a puzzled expression, but as she read, her face turned to one of shock.

“Supporters and opponents of the Cathedral have already begun to clash. The clergy are fracturing. Rumors about former Archbishop Lemont are spreading through the small chapel districts, along with dozens of other half-true, half-false whispers. The Cathedral keeps sending disciplinarian monks and church knights to suppress these rumors and leaflets. Every time they stamp one out, two more pop up. Even their curfews, rationing, searches, and interrogations become new sources of rumors and instability,” Gawain said calmly, watching Heddy’s reaction. “Amber and her team stay hidden in the crowd, always the first to seize on points that spark public attention and debate. They push just enough at the right moments… and then the division and suspicion among the people naturally follow.”

Heddy was stunned. Gawain continued leisurely, “During this process, Amber and her squad have caught nearly every moment when the clergy show their ugly side. These ‘moments’ become the photos and videos you and I have seen. After Gawain Orlando works his magic, they turn into widely distributed newspapers and leaflets, soon to be broadcast on the Magic Network. The anger toward the priests in Luan Cathedral will spread from inside the city to the outskirts, eventually becoming a unified wave.”

Heddy looked up, disbelief written all over her face. “You… taught her all this?”

“I taught her the basics, the foundation. She handled all the details herself and trained her team to be experts in this field,” Gawain said, a hint of admiration in his voice. “She really is… very skilled with a poisoned dagger.”

For a moment, Heddy was at a loss for words. All she knew was that for the first time, she saw that half-elf—usually annoying and timid—as a true powerhouse.

Even a little chilling.

…

Amber really was very skilled with a poisoned dagger. Lately, she had become more certain of it herself.

The sabotage in Luan City continued, gradually reaching a critical stage.

The tension and suspicion were spreading from the outer districts into the inner city. Doubts were no longer confined to commoners; even the clergy who worshipped the Holy Light were beginning to seriously distrust the Cathedral.

In a secret hideout, members of the action team reported the latest developments.

“Boss, it’s confirmed: a group of low-ranking priests have recently been publicly punished. Many more are locked in the Cathedral’s underground chambers, undergoing harsh penance. The number is higher than last time.”

Amber nodded knowingly. “The second batch of leaflets sent into the inner city is working.”

One subordinate couldn’t help but marvel, “I never expected that after the first batch was destroyed, some priests in the small chapel district would still hide those leaflets…”

“Those charlatans are human. And humans have hearts,” Amber toyed with the small dagger in her hand, watching the poisoned blade shimmer faintly with a bluish-purple glow under the dim starlight. She said casually, “When the first batch of leaflets entered the city, the priests on the fringes were probably just curious, stirred to a little doubt by the content. But at that time, they were still loyal to the Church, loyal to the Cathedral. The Cathedral itself clearly didn’t think so. They didn’t trust those low-ranking priests and clerics. They exaggerated the potential impact of the leaflets and treated the small chapel district’s people as ‘potential heretics with shaken faith’… and from there, things could only get worse.”

“But, boss, how did you know how the Cathedral would react? How did you know they’d misjudge the situation in the small chapel district?”

Amber glanced at the questioner. “Simple. When the Cathedral took action, I went to the small chapel district.”

“Huh?”

“The Cathedral’s divine wards are tricky, but the small chapels can’t stop me,” Amber said slowly. “Before those disciplinarian monks moved in, I hid a large number of leaflets in various small chapels. The long lockdown had built up a lot of pressure among those clerics, and the leaflets made them trust each other less. When so many leaflets suddenly appeared, even the chapel managers didn’t immediately suspect outsiders—they thought other people inside the Church were hiding them, because their own faith was shaky.”

“The monks probably found over a thousand leaflets in the small chapel district… but in reality, less than a tenth of that number made it into the inner city.”

Seeing her team’s astonished and admiring faces, Amber casually flipped the dagger in her hand. “You rookies still have a lot to learn…”

She flicked her wrist, and the poisoned dagger silently flew through the night air, embedding itself firmly in a wooden pillar inside the room with a soft thunk.

“It’s about time to send a message back to headquarters… No matter how slow the cathedral folks are, by now they should be aware of us. We need to get ready for the next move.”

(My mind feels like it’s trembling!!)

(End of chapter)