Chapter 490: The Impact
Coventry fell silent—and the silence stretched on for a long while.
After seeing that newspaper and hearing Amber’s words, the priest instantly connected all the recent events unfolding in Luan City. He pieced together the propaganda campaign the Cecils had been waging. Though all of it was beyond his usual experience and understanding, he could still analyze the Cecil faction’s methods and motives.
“You want to strip the Holy Light Church of the Southern Realm’s support, to drive the church out by stirring up the people. You’re cutting the church’s roots. It seems that Duke Gawain Cecil doesn’t like any authority in his lands besides himself.”
Amber looked at the priest with a hint of surprise. “I didn’t expect a cleric to see through these ‘worldly matters’ so clearly.”
“Well, that’s basically the gist of it,” Coventry replied.
“Are you really so sure I’d help you do this?” Coventry stared into Amber’s eyes. “Don’t forget—I’m still a servant of the church.”
“To be honest, I don’t believe it either. But our lord does,” Amber answered calmly. “He once said something—there can’t be only one righteous conscience left in the entire Holy Light Church. As a large organization, the church must have all kinds of voices, and some of those voices align with our interests. Wherever interests align, there’s room to win people over.”
“You say you want to exile the church, but also want the people to receive the Holy Light. What exactly are you planning?”
“Why ask me? After reading those flyers, don’t you already know?” Amber spread her hands. “I don’t really understand your priestly taboos, but from where I stand, releasing the right to interpret scripture, allowing the public direct access to theology, lowering the church’s authority, permitting freedom of faith… all of that is a good thing. And I believe you and your two friends here agree, or you wouldn’t have come.”
“Maybe… but can you really pull it off?” Coventry straightened up and met Amber’s gaze. He felt no overwhelming power from this half-elf girl, but he knew the terrifying force behind her. Today’s choice might decide life or death. Still, he spoke plainly. “Driving the Holy Light Church off this land and replacing it with you—or a puppet church you install—is just swapping one authority for another. Is there any real change? You might push new doctrines, maybe be gentler or more open than the church, but does the Holy Light truly reach everyone? Authority will always exist. As long as one group holds more influence, more resources, better channels, authority remains authority—just dressed up, polished, and made to look shiny.”
Amber was genuinely surprised this time. She sized up the fearless priest before her and nodded slightly. “Go on.”
“You judged the clergy of Luan City by ‘conscience’ and chose me. But frankly, I don’t think you’re more ‘just’ than the church. Though you’ve made the church a hated target and painted yourselves as the people’s champions, I don’t believe you’re better. You use those flyers to manipulate emotions, paint cathedral priests with broad strokes, build momentum with money and power to appear noble and right. But did you publicize the church’s aid during famine? The cathedral knights’ regular hunts of magical beasts? Your own mistakes?”
“You say you want to topple the church’s authority, but Cecil is just another authority. The difference is, the church controls people through faith, but your duke… he controls faith through his power.”
The intelligence agents present bristled with anger and immediately closed in, weapons at the ready. Coventry was a priest, not a fighter, and carried no magical implements. At such close range, the agents—equipped with specially crafted supernatural weapons—could easily kill a priest caught unprepared, along with his two companions.
Coventry’s fellow priests tensed but instinctively shielded him, ready to die alongside their leader.
Amber blinked. In this sudden tense moment, she couldn’t help but exclaim sincerely, “Wow, you make a lot of sense!”
One agent nearly dropped his molten-cutting dagger. “Boss?! Snap out of it…”
Amber waved off her subordinate and looked seriously at the shocked Coventry. “Exactly. I think you’re right. In fact, except for not putting it as bluntly as ‘divine right monarchy,’ what you said is almost word for word what Duke Cecil told me.”
The priest, who had braced himself for death, finally let his tense expression slip. “…Ah? That duke… he actually said those things himself?”
“More than that, he explained the whole process to many of us in detail,” Amber nodded calmly, meeting Coventry’s stunned gaze. “Do you think we call ourselves champions of justice? We never claimed to represent justice—we represent progress. Or rather… we represent higher efficiency and value.”
As she spoke, Amber picked up the newspaper. “See this? What do you see?”
Coventry frowned. “Your propaganda tools?”
“No. What you should see is that we can print hundreds of thousands of these papers in a single day, flood the entire Southern Realm with them. We can use this to promote new laws, to spread our faith. Why? Because we’re more advanced.”
“The common folk of Cecil City don’t freeze in winter because we built efficient magical heat exchangers. They don’t go hungry because we produce alchemical potions that boost crop yields in factories. They can freely discuss scripture, receive Holy Light healing, get free holy water, study doctrine regardless of birth, and become priests because we changed the church’s structure and fundamentally revised canon law. We found more effective ways to harness the Holy Light, enabling mass production of holy water and sacred artifacts…”
“So when you see these new laws, new doctrines, new things, don’t rush to ask if they’re just. Ask the people of Cecil City—are their lives better now or before?”
“Even a fool would say, ‘Better to have enough to eat and wear!’”
“Priest—I usually call people like you ‘holy frauds,’ but I’ll call you priest—don’t you think Cecil is more just? You even think what we’re doing in Luan City is dirty and underhanded. I have only one comment on that—good! You’re a smart man! And I like dealing with smart people.”
Amber paused. Coventry had somehow taken a half step back. The tall, thin middle-aged man seemed short of breath. This was the first time in his life he’d dealt with someone so unguarded, unmasked, unafraid, and utterly sincere. He was used to talking with all kinds of “high society” folk, who excelled at wrapping their morality and honor in words. But this half-elf, clearly a representative of the Cecil faction and no minor figure, had a style all his own.
“That’s right… I just realized… your flyers rarely emphasize justice or honor,” the priest said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. “What you say most is that everyone can eat and dress well, everyone can study doctrine, and holy water is free…”
“Exactly. That’s what we ‘unjust’ people are here to do,” Amber laughed. “I heard from Light that you’re a priest who rose from the common folk, and you still send your monthly donations back to the countryside. So, are you interested in Cecil’s ‘unjust’ authority? We eliminate dissent, control the Southern Realm, and use all kinds of honorable or dishonorable means to achieve our goals. As Duke Gawain Cecil told me—he will stop at nothing, pay any price, use every trick, and rule this land without noble pretense—to make this land prosperous and strong.”
“Maybe we’re not righteous and glorious. Maybe we’re just a new authority replacing the Holy Light Church. But we can give every Southern Realm resident a better life. And the Holy Light can continue to exist on this improved land.”
“Priest, do you want in on this ‘unjust’ business?”
The room fell silent. Coventry’s heart pounded. After several deep breaths, he finally spoke: “…There are about a hundred clergy in the city opposing Flamberge, mostly low-ranking, but we control the outer chapel districts…”
“All awakened and properly aligned priests will receive Cecil’s friendship. As long as you obey our laws and accept the new doctrines, you can continue your work here. You will still be messengers of the Holy Light. Even this Luan City… can remain a ‘Holy City.’”
If Amber’s earlier words had shaken Coventry deeply, this answer finally steadied his heart.
The situation was beyond saving.
Luan City was sliding into the abyss. Everyone in the cathedral district knew it. The Holy Light Church’s influence here was crumbling. Whatever the cathedral clergy did next would only hasten the collapse—whether they sat and waited to die, offered feeble defenses, tried to block the flyers, or even resorted to brutal repression of the common folk… there was no hope at the end.
The church had always held the power of speech. Now the Cecils had more of that power. A church that survives on “faith” simply could not continue.
In truth, there was no choice. Four days ago, when Coventry returned to the cathedral district under the escort of disciplinarian monks and cathedral knights, and found a note in his pocket signed “Daughter of the Shadow Goddess,” he already knew.
To save the lives of the few like-minded brethren left in the church, he had to agree to Cecil’s terms.
Before this, he only wanted to see the true face of the one about to rule all this.
Now, it seemed clear—it was not a glorious or great ruler, but a more fitting one.
“What should I do?”
Amber smiled. “We’re taking the cathedral—together with the people of Luan City. And you will become the symbol and representative of the awakened within the Holy Light Church.”
(Friends, the extraordinary PV2 is out!! Let me tell you, the scene visuals are stunning, especially the little chapel. It’s definitely a lavishly funded original artwork—God knows how much they poured in to prevent any visual glitches…)
(End of chapter)