Chapter 408

After the Elpinel Church Order lost its authority, the Holy Kingdom was now divided into four factions.

The Shaulite, Astraea, and Keres Church Orders quickly gathered to form the largest force, while the Menes Church Order brought in the Kranus and Imela Church Orders to build a counterforce.

The former had overwhelming power but lacked a clear center, while the latter, though weaker compared to the first three, was on a rapid rise thanks to the existence of a saint candidate and their achievements in the Great Invasion.

The third faction was the alliance of the Bølberg and Grimnir Church Orders. They advocated for extreme war theories, insisting on crushing not only other races but also the entire diocese by force, and their voices grew louder.

The Aushrine Church Order maintained close ties with the Elpinel Church Order, but their influence was too small to be of much help. The Bimos Church Order, as always, remained indifferent to the Holy Kingdom’s affairs, doing their own thing.

These four factions endlessly checked and criticized each other, focusing on public opinion battles. They still remembered the religious wars before the Holy Kingdom’s founding, so they avoided all-out war, but the level of conflict was deepening.

Listening closely, it was a complete mess. A country the size of a kingdom engaging in sectarian wars? They must be out of their minds. They’re all heading straight for ruin.

—

“The Cardinal Conference has also devolved into a place for mutual criticism and checks rather than unifying opinions. They can’t even properly negotiate a single agenda, causing significant delays in governance. There is one agenda they all agree on, though…”

“…The dissolution of the diocese, right?”

The Special Operations Unit member affirmed Lacey’s words.

Even though they argue like enemies, all nine Church Orders except Elpinel and Aushrine agree on dissolving the diocese.

It wasn’t good news. They finally agree on something, and it’s the worst possible direction for us.

“At this point, it’s practically public knowledge. Was the diocese even necessary?”

“…It was necessary. A ship with multiple captains is bound to sink. In peaceful times, it might not matter, but in chaotic times like these, a unified decision-making body was essential to avoid wasting time and resources. In fact, after the diocese was established, the efficiency of the Church Orders within the Empire doubled… The establishment of the diocese became proof of the importance of a unified will.”

Well, that’s like a country transitioning from a parliamentary republic to a presidential dictatorship. Of course, decisions would be faster when a single leader pushes their agenda rather than coordinating everyone’s opinions.

What’s certain is that there’s not a single Cardinal from other Church Orders who would side with Lacey.

—

The Special Operations Unit member continued to share various pieces of information about the Holy Kingdom’s current state.

Some frontline priests, disillusioned by the upper echelons’ blatant power struggles, secretly formed a gathering. An Astraea Church Order paladin insulted a Bølberg sacred warrior as a butcher, leading to a duel… News like that, along with information about the current state of major cities.

“With the Church Orders focused on each other, corruption and decay are spreading in the shadows of the cities. Well-meaning saints are trying to eradicate it, but it’s not enough.”

Though not as bad as the Empire, where villages were wiped out by marauders and thieves roamed outside residential areas, the Holy Kingdom’s crime rate is also rising. It’s beyond what frontline paladins and priests can handle.

“Arvilen’s pleasure district has emerged, and in the back alleys of Barseba, criminal organizations are killing each other. Holon is struggling with drug problems, and here in Nasiriya, mysterious disappearances are increasing.”

Pleasure districts, gangs, drugs, disappearances—the cities are a complete mess. And, as expected of the Holy Kingdom, each city’s criminal organizations have distinct characteristics.

Arvilen, ruled by the Shaulite of Life and Imela of Love, is filled with brothels. Barseba, managed by Bølberg of War and Bimos of Fear, is a battleground for gang violence. Holon, governed by Menes of Dreams and Aushrine of Stars, is plagued by hallucinogenic drugs. And Nasiriya, home to Grimnir of Magic and Keres of Death, is seeing a rise in mysterious disappearances.

“…It’s more serious than I thought. What about Arad?”

“Arad is relatively stable. With the Astraea Church Order there, there’s no room for criminal organizations to take root.”

As expected of the city ruled by Astraea of Justice and Kranus of Fire, Arad is the only major city in the Holy Kingdom without a dark underbelly. In fact, aside from isolated incidents, crime is virtually non-existent.

Well, that makes sense. In a city where even a child stealing bread or someone slapping their lover or family member is burned at the stake, it’s no wonder.

In Arad’s courts, there are only two outcomes: burned to death or torn limb from limb. They used to have sentencing guidelines, but with high recidivism rates, they switched to executing everyone.

Though excessively harsh, it drastically reduced the crime rate, so there’s that.

—

There was also talk about Lacey.

Rumors were spreading that she was a traitor aiming to absorb the Church Orders—no, the entire Holy Kingdom—back into the Empire. Though few believed it since the upper echelons were spreading it intentionally… rumors have a way of becoming truth. And sometimes, they morph into even more extreme and radical versions.

Just look at the rumors about Hersela—once, she was thought to be a demon who chewed up Western children.

“Everyone’s been working hard. Thanks for the information. It’ll be a big help.”

After the long report, Lacey, who had been listening with a serious expression, made the sign of the cross and expressed her gratitude.

“An honor. We only did what we had to.”

“Your humility is also a virtue. Now, what should we do…?”

Lacey tilted her head slightly, pondering her next move. The Special Operations Unit member remained half-bowed, waiting for her command.

“With all the higher-ups as your enemies, we have no choice but to start from the bottom. That was the plan from the beginning.”

“Indeed. Hmm… First, we should start with a public opinion campaign to prepare for the hearing. Himmler, mobilize the Special Operations Unit to spread rumors in each city. Promote our legitimacy and criticize the current Holy Kingdom leadership’s negligence. Earlier, you mentioned a secret gathering of frontline priests dissatisfied with the higher-ups? It might be good to reach out to them. They could become valuable allies.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Himmler bowed with a determined expression. Lacey smiled contentedly and began detailing the rumors to spread.

The content sharply criticized the Holy Kingdom’s current state, blaming the upper echelons’ Cardinals and their followers. It subtly hinted that someone associated with evil was lurking within the Church Orders’ leadership.

It also praised the Elpinel Church Order’s achievements in the Empire, defending the Order and her actions. However, it didn’t include false information or baseless slander.

Even in a public opinion battle, she stuck to facts. Despite her extreme ideology, as a devout saint candidate, she likely saw manipulating people with lies as a sin.

“Lacey, about the city stories earlier, doesn’t that seem suspicious too? The Church Orders may be in chaos, but it’s only been less than a year. Can criminal organizations really grow that fast in such a short time? Especially in a country where the Church Orders used to punish criminals thoroughly. I suspect someone else is behind this. While spreading rumors, why not investigate this too?”

“…You’re right. It does seem suspicious. It’s worth investigating. Even if it’s unrelated to our goals, rooting them out in Elpinel’s name would be beneficial.”

Lacey nodded and ordered Himmler to secretly investigate the criminal organizations in each city, even infiltrating them if necessary.

It would be dangerous and tricky, but since the Special Operations Unit was created for such tasks, Himmler accepted her command without hesitation.