Chapter 217
(Kyle Calendar Year 512: Age 19)
The Orb and the Church
Translator : PolterGlast
The day after the
New Year's conference concluded, I visited Bishop Grace for the first
time in a while, accompanied by Anne.
I had intended to
approach him immediately after my inspection of the territory to carry out the
request previously made by Lyla, but unfortunately, the Bishop
had been away on a long-term business trip, leaving the church open with only a
young priest in his place.
It seems Bishop
Grace was also heavily involved in the plague response, frequently
traveling back and forth to the Central Church in the Royal Capital or
attending to the establishment of the church in Ishtar that I had
requested earlier, often leaving the Teigoon church empty.
Because of that,
this time I made sure to confirm his return before visiting.
"Ooh! Well,
well, Demon Territory Count. It has been a long time, please excuse my
rudeness. I had been thinking of coming to visit you myself..."
"No, no, last
time I requested the Ishtar matter through my subordinates, so this time
I thought I should come directly. Since I also have some luggage, I thought it
better to visit in person."
"L-Luggage, you
say?"
Hahaha, as
expected, he hasn't changed even after becoming a Bishop. He must have
immediately guessed "luggage = golden-colored sweets." The Bishop's
face slackened magnificently for just an instant.
"Th-That is...
I see. Then, please, allow me to guide you to a room."
We were promptly
ushered into a room furnished with luxurious goods that hadn't been there
before.
"So, I surmised
you have a request. If it is something we can help with, that would be
fine."
"Of course.
Without Bishop Grace's power, our wish cannot be granted. I have come
today to request the establishment of a new church and infirmary."
"Hoh, a church?
And adding an infirmary too... that sounds like it will be quite a large scale.
That is, well, quite..."
"Is it
difficult after all? While you were away, I tried sounding out the Central
Church in the Royal Capital indirectly through Rosa. They seemed
interested, but... well... they mentioned an exorbitant gratuity... no, a
donation would be necessary."
"Those
misers...! Ah... no, excuse me. Well, a church is a place to worship God. Since
it serves as a temporary shrine where God descends, a meager building would be
difficult. Establishing a new one would naturally incur some expenses."
"Is that so?
Ooh! I had forgotten. Since being appointed Demon Territory Count, this
is a donation of gratitude to God for the peace and safety we have enjoyed so
far. Please accept it."
Saying that, I took
two bags containing 100 gold coins each, which I had entrusted to my bodyguard Sigurd,
and placed them on the table.
"My goodness!
As always, your parents, Count Solis and his wife, were devout, but you
surpass even them, Demon Territory Count. Your mindset will surely
always be with God's will."
Saying so, the Bishop
accepted the bags of gold coins with a beaming smile.
"Actually, we
feel bad about it too. Since it is a new town still under development, the
population is around 600, and even including surrounding villages, it doesn't
reach 1,000. However, just between us, we are developing it with the aim of
reaching a population scale of 3,000 for the whole area in the future.
Since it's a form of
upfront investment, regarding the establishment of the new church and
infirmary, we are providing land in a prime location of the town for free.
Additionally, we have prepared 200 gold coins as part of the construction costs
and about 100 gold coins to subsidize initial operating costs, but..."
"Let's build it
immediately! Where is it to be?"
The Bishop
leaned forward before I could finish my sentence. Like a puppy shown its
favorite treat but told to wait, unable to hold back.
"Well... having
asked you, isn't this going to put a burden on the church?"
"A new town
handled by the Demon Territory Count will surely need a church. For a
land where many people will gather, a church to guide faith and an infirmary as
a place of healing are indispensable. P-Please tell me where you plan to build
it."
"I believe you
know the town of Dimos. I visited the town myself a little while ago,
and new town planning is already underway. In terms of sheer capacity, it is
equal to or greater than Est.
The neighboring
villages have undergone construction equivalent to the pioneer villages in Teigoon,
and new pioneer villages are also being created. Including those, it is planned
to become a town encompassing ten villages, so I consider it almost equivalent
to a town where a lord of a general barony would reside."
"When you
sounded out the Royal Capital, did you mention that?"
"No, I only
probed whether it was possible in the first place, so I didn't even mention the
Demon Territory Count's name. I only spoke of a town on the scale of a
barony with a current population of around 1,000."
"Let's build it
at once! Before those misers in the Royal Capital realize its value!
Fortunately, I have become the Bishop supervising the entire southern
frontier region. Due to the reorganization of territories following the civil
war, the consolidation and reorganization of churches have also been entrusted
to me."
Looking to the side,
Anne was desperately stifling her laughter.
"Then, may I
leave the arrangements to you, Bishop? If so... Sigurd, Carla,
bring that here."
In front of Bishop
Grace, a total of five bags of gold coins, including the earlier ones, were
lined up.
"O-O-Of course.
P-Please leave it to me. I will take responsibility for lobbying the Central
Church in the Royal Capital to build a church and infirmary that the
townspeople can be proud of."
"As always, I
rely on your power, Bishop Grace."
"Leave it to
me. My current position exists because of the Demon Territory Count. I
am fully aware of that, so please do not hesitate to consult me on anything in
the future."
At this moment, I
had a slight concern, so I decided to ask the Bishop about it while I
had the chance.
"Then, Bishop,
taking you up on your words, I have a question. Sigurd, Carla,
could you excuse us for a moment?"
The two were
bewildered by my words, but when Anne gave them a look, they obediently
left the room. Most likely, Anne had strictly ordered them never to
leave my side for even a moment.
"Do you
remember what you said when the church in Teigoon was built—that aptitude
confirmation for Mages could no longer be done in Est?"
"Yes, of
course."
"So, that means
there is no Orb in the church in Est, correct?"
"W-W-What... My
word!"
"Please rest
assured. Anne here is my wife with whom I share everything. She will
never leak secrets nor pry. I cannot explain why I know a secret known only to
royalty, but regarding the history of church establishment, I have been
informed with private permission."
"H-How..."
"My father, Count
Solis, is also currently pouring effort into discovering Mages. However, he
does not know that aptitude confirmation cannot be done in Est. That was
concerning me."
"I... well, to
the extent I can answer... In Est, well, there is an Orb
now."
"Hearing that
relieves me. From here on, I am talking to myself. Please let it flow out the
other ear.
I deduced that the Orbs—of
which there is only one per territory—were moved from the noble lords who
joined the rebellion and were crushed. If so, twelve families were stripped of
their status as noble lords in the recent rebellion. Even if we account for the
ten Orbs lost to history, two would remain.
I believe the
territories currently without Orbs are likely territories that don't
even need them. Looking at the future, I suspect ten have been secured, and of
the remaining two, one was placed in Est. That is what I think."
Bishop Grace
had turned pale and was sweating profusely. I dared to convey that I knew the
secret for a purpose.
"Regarding
Mages in my territory, I have obtained private permission from the upper
echelons of the Royal Capital to conceal information. Specifically,
permission to strictly conceal any Mages not currently officially announced,
now and in the future.
Bishop, you
know the details regarding all Mages who are my companions. Therefore, I wanted
to convey that we have become comrades sharing a common secret, and dared to
open my heart. Going forward, any Mages discovered through aptitude
confirmation will be subject to concealment. This is the will of people in
positions that influence the upper echelons of the church as well. The fact
that I know about the Orb is proof of that; please keep this in
mind."
After the rewards
ceremony, I heard about the Gravity Mage from the Old Raccoon
(Marquis) and felt the need to prevent information leakage to the church
regarding Yoltia. Therefore, after consulting with the Old Raccoon,
I received permission to warn Bishop Grace, provided I didn't name
names.
"Bishop
Grace, the two of us... no, the three of us. We share the same fate. Let us
three definitely protect the secrets regarding Mages to the end. I have no
intention of sticking my nose into church secrets either. And those people will
support you from the shadows when the time comes."
Understanding that I
would pursue the matter of the Orb no further, the Bishop sighed
in relief. More than anything, the backing of the Kingdom's upper echelons
would be a great power for his future ambitions.
The Bishop's
complexion returned to normal—no, rather, he had the face of someone who had
realized something and steeled his resolve.
"Good heavens, Demon
Territory Count, you are a terrifying person. You've put a collar on me—no,
on the organization known as the Church—that cannot be ignored. Though, no one
other than me will ever know that fact... for all eternity."
Bishop Grace
declared that he was now completely standing on our side. If possible, I want
to keep him as an ally forever.
"I myself hope
that you, Bishop, will achieve even greater success in the future.
Cardinal, Archbishop, and... It is I who asks you to please freely consult me
whenever I can be of assistance."
After confirming the
Bishop's dreamy, ecstatic expression, we left the church.
While walking to the
administration office, perhaps reaching the limit of her endurance, Anne
started giggling like a young girl. Yeah, Anne's atmosphere has changed
quite a bit since around the time of the special envoy mission.
Before, except when
we were alone, she always maintained a tense, dignified demeanor, an aura that
kept everyone but me away. Knowing this, Sigurd and Carla were
dumbfounded seeing Anne's state.
Since I enrolled in
the Royal Capital's academy, Anne had been strictly educating the
two of them to become my future bodyguards. To Sigurd, Anne was a
demon instructor, and to Carla, she was a master and an object of
admiration.
"Takuhir-sama,
seeing how you wrapped the Bishop around your finger again was very
educational. It was like a game of wits between a fox and a raccoon."
Yeah, should I be
happy about that? Wait, they say "a game of wits between a fox and a
raccoon" in this world too?
Could this also be a
phrase introduced by the first King Kyle?
Harboring
complicated feelings and a newly born trivial question in my chest, we entered
the administration office.
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