The Medieval Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset

The Medieval-Modern Man With A Gamer Mindset 46

46. A Hole in the Pocket

In the distant past, in the days of the old world, humans lived alongside other races.

Without any outstanding features, they were ignored by the countless gods. Abandoned by the gods, had to choose one of two ways to survive.

First, they could swear feary to the races of the old world and live as their servants and sacrifices.

Second, they could offer up enough of their fellow humans as sacrifices to attract the attention of the gods.

The difference in these approaches soon became apparent. The moment the alien god, Lux Stella, descended, the world was divided into the old world and the new. However, not all humans joined the new world.

The majority of humans who had lived as sacrifices gathered under the name of Lux Stella and dreamed of a new world. On the other hand, humans who had already gained the favor of the gods fought to expel the alien influence and protect their current world.

However, not everyone stood on their ground.

Among those who dreamed of a new world, there were those who were blinded by the blessings promised by the old gods of the old world and turned their backs on their faith. The same was true for those who had served the old gods. Some of they realized that as long as the old world continued, humans would forever remain the weakest, and so they converted to the new world.

-When Vonichego had spoken this far, King Athelstan began to look at him with a suspicious glint in his eye.

“Is that why it doesn’t excommunicate Yubas? Why Powys must surrender its right of investiture? And why are the heathens beyond the sea starting to gather?”

Beating around the bush was a bad habit of those belonging to the Church. They were particularly adept at giving irrelevant explanations before getting to the main point. Sometimes, it was enough to make one lose focus.

However, this way of speaking was useful for lulling the other party into a false sense of security and making them impatient first. Only thoroughly after confirming King Athelstan’s patience did Bonichego finally change the subject.

“Yubas is descended from apostates.”

“I heard a rumor about that through Narva. They used the relics of Yise on their own accord.”

King Athelstan spoke in a roundabout way, as if to ask why he was stating something he already knew. He hadn’t expected Bonichego to use such a different approach.

“Yubas is a human kingdom said to have existed in this land 600 years ago, before the starlight of Inse arrived. It’s the descendant of the heathens who destroyed that kingdom.”

“What?”

“Approximately 200 years ago, they grew weary of the mutual slaughter and atrocities taking place beyond the sea, and they crossed over to the Isles of Dawn, declaring their conversion. They brought with them a wealth of information about the situation beyond the sea and the remnants of the heathens.”

A myriad of rumors instantly came to mind.

Yubas. A newly emerged house with an unclear origin. The strongest power in the archipelago, having annexed the existing local nobles while enjoying the overwhelming protection of the Holy See and amassing a powerful army.

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Before they knew it, King Athelstan and Aubert were facing each other, their mouths slightly agape. The one who regained his composure first was Aubert, the intelligence officer. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

“Now I know where that crude and barbaric nature comes from.”

“Hm.”

Instead of a long speech, King Athelstan replied with just a short cough.

From their excessively short name for a noble house to their tendency to resort to force at the drop of a hat, they were certainly closer to barbarians than to a traditional noble family. Of course, he hadn’t known that they would still be the same even after 200 years.

King Athelstan shuddered and broke out in a cold sweat.

“To think I almost let my family intermarry with such people. It would have been an indelible disgrace to my house.”

“…”

Aubert quickly reacted by closing his eyes tightly. Since there had never been a marriage, the king’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Sometimes, pointing out the truth had no effect at all.

Bonichego shrugged and continued.

“In any case, Yubas’s conversion was the catalyst that made the Church clearly recognize the heathens beyond the sea. Since then, Yubas and the Church have done their best to unify the Isles of Dawn and build a nation, making full use of their knowledge and power, but they’ve come to a difference of opinion over the investiture of the late Bishop of Illenfoot.”

“A difference of opinion?”

“Yubas’s idea was this: since the difference in power is clear, they should negotiate with the heathens on the condition that they recognize freedom of religion. The heathens would respect and preserve Yubas’s territory, and Yubas would give up its unconditional defense of the Lux Stella faith outside its own territory. …A very heretical and vile idea.”

At first glance, it seemed like a peaceful and reasonable proposal. At least, until one grasped the intention hidden behind the carefully chosen words. King Athelstan wasn’t dull enough not to notice that.

“Stalling for time. Throwing the other duchies out as bait and hoping they’ll wear themselves out. Even if it works, it’ll just be a treaty that’ll be torn up without mercy if they don’t narrow the power gap .”

“The Church, Your Majesty, thinks differently.”

The reason the Holy See had sent twenty knights of the Order of the Capital. The main point started here.

“Your Majesty has accepted that the unification of the Isles of Dawn cannot be achieved through the opposition of the local nobles. Unlike Yubas, who still wants to annex as much as possible, you intend to maintain the existing duchy system and develop it into a single, large defensive alliance. At the same time, you’ve begun stockpiling supplies on the mainland in preparation for a protracted war.”

Before the unification of the Isles of Dawn, the invasion of the heathens would begin. The Holy See, convinced of this grim future, had chosen a different path from Yubas, who still clamored for a single nation.

And at this very moment, Bonichego was speaking not as a member of the Miracle Examination Bureau, but as a special envoy of the Pope.

“For the sake of the defensive alliance system, Your Majesty intends to give up the right of investiture of every diocese in the Isles of Dawn, with the exception of a few.”

“…Except for our house?”

King Athelstan blurted out before he realized it.

“Your Grace, do not dwell on the withdrawal of the right of investiture. Your Majesty has chosen Powys, the closest to Illenfoot after Yubas and the first follower of Saint Illenio, as the last bastion. At this moment, when the threat of apostasy and the invasion of heathens is becoming a reality, Illenfoot, the landing point, will become an increasingly strategically important stronghold.”

Bonichego showed the grand picture that the Holy See was beginning to draw.

“Your Majesty is ultimately promoting the merger of the Diocese of Illenfoot and the Diocese of Powys, which will serve as its rear base.”

“!”

Only then did King Athelstan, who had been acting petulant, change his expression. Intelligence officer Aubert, who was sensitive to the movement of power, also widened his eyes and looked around at Bonichego and the Miracle Examination Bureau.

Aubert spoke on behalf of his lord.

“If the right of investiture were tied to a secular lord, then other secular lords would covet Ilenfoot by arguing that their own investiture was more legitimate.”

“A prince-bishop invested by His Holiness according to the ancient custom of the Church would be freer from such arguments… even in the absence of stigmata.”

Boniface’s last remark was pregnant with meaning.

The Papacy must have considered Narva a prince-bishop despite his lack of stigma due to several political factors. One was to merge the diocese of Powys with the bishopric of Ilenfoot, and the other was to secure a powerful local ally who could replace Ubas.

Crucially, this was something that could sway King Athelstan.

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“Above all, His Holiness will grant Your Grace the right to recommend a candidate. It is not full investment, and it will be subject to review, but it is not nothing.”

“There was a reason why Narva was persistently called bishop-elect.”

The Papacy had sensed much in Ubas’s change of heart and the threat of apostasy.

A prince-bishop who would never apostatize, no matter what, was the key to victory in the long struggle. At the same time, he had to be of noble birth, capable of minimizing the backlash from local nobles.

This was why Narva was called bishop-elect.

The House of Powys and Narva were entrusted with the mission of guarding the only sanctuary in the Morninglight Isles against the pagans who might come at any time. King Athelstan could not help but smile quietly.

He was recognized as a true believer who would never apostatize, a noble who would uphold justice. King Athelstan belatedly regained the courtesy befitting when dealing with a special envoy.

“…I was rude to the envoy sent by His Holiness. But if you had told me that part first, I would not have shown my immature side. Why did you tell me at the end?”

It was a simple question that Tannin asked to ease the atmosphere.

And King Athelstan realized once again.

“Because His Holiness ordered me to grasp what kind of person Your Grace is. Our actions would have been different depending on Your Grace’s nature.”

“….”

There is a good reason why the Church is hated, they say.

***

I was sitting on the bed, swinging my feet and munching on an apple.

Edwina, who had placed the appetizingly sliced apple on a tray, showed curiosity again.

“My Lord, by the way, the priests who came with you called you by a different name.”

“Huh?”

“Yes. They called you not a bishop, but a bishop-elect.”

Oh, my. It seems they are very strict about not adding one letter at the end. Well, I knew they were extraordinary guys from the moment they decided to burn down all the brothels of the saint.

“Is there much difference between a bishop-elect and a bishop?”

I swallowed a piece of apple and pondered. I got the title of bishop-elect, but I don’t know what’s different.

“Well, I think they do similar things.”

“What do bishops do?”

“Hmm.”

It was a question I had never really thought about. I had never met a bishop in my life. A bishop. They are probably people who collect tithes and take care of others with the margin they have gained from their easy life, right?

Or… they live in self-praise like Bishop Ganista.

For now, I had no choice but to mention the cases of Bishop Ganista and the dismissed Barnardo, whom I had encountered.

“The bishops I’ve seen either hide their power while pretending to be ordinary priests and then surprise everyone, or they indulge in luxury and rape women.”

“?”

“They sometimes do nasty things.”

Bishop Ganista seemed to be working. It’s a problem because he’s doing something on his own. But I don’t know what else he does.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that a bishop…

In this harsh world, it was a hidden honey that could be deliciously sucked.

“Still, it seemed like they didn’t have much to do.”

“Indeed. I can hardly imagine what a bishop’s daily life is like.”

Fine gentlemen who never see the light of day. That was often the image medieval people had of the clergy. I felt a little smug at the thought that I might be able to enjoy such a life.

Of course, I had said that I would do my best for my father…

But without work, I’d have nothing to do but play, right?