Chapter 218
Chapter 218: Did You Like the Donation? (4)
Porisco moved directly to his office and wrote out Piote’s appointment decree.
“The confirmation of the diocese requires a general assembly and the archbishop’s consent, so I can’t make a decision right now. However, I can issue Piote’s dispatch based on my authority, so I’ll write it for you first.”
“Please write it in such a way that others won’t interfere. Let Priest Piote be free.”
“It is a justification for a permanent mission, so Priest Piote can remain there as long as he desires.”
Now, Piote could freely stay in the Territory of Penris. Normally, receiving a permanent appointment for a missionary purpose granted a lot of freedom.
In the future, the church could still issue a forced recall or relocation order, but now he had grounds to refuse if he wanted to.
“Alright, isn’t that settled now? Both Piote has gained something and the sacred relic has been secured. Let’s move on to finish the revelation.”
As Porisco subtly wrapped things up, Ghislaine pulled a contract from his robe.
“Please write down everything that’s happened so far in your own handwriting, and affix the bishop’s seal yourself.”
‘Hah, this cunning little brat.’
A contract appears right out of his sleeve? It means he came prepared from the start.
Porisco stole a glance at Ghislaine and began to write the contract in a very complicated and densely packed manner.
After receiving it, Ghislaine tilted his head and read it.
“… Creator of this world, our mother, and the one who guides us with benevolence and mercy, Goddess Juana, please help us follow your path always. We entrust all our needs to you… Are you kidding me right now?”
“Oh, no. But still, I’m a bishop, so I should write the prayer first…”
“Ah, never mind. Just write down the facts clearly.”
“I-I see? Was it too long? Then I’ll rewrite it…”
“No, I think it would be better for me to just dictate it.”
Ghislaine ripped up the contract and pulled out a new one from his robe.
Typically, such contracts would be imbued with certification and preservation magic at the top, making them quite expensive.
And yet, he produces them nonchalantly.
‘What’s going on? Why does he carry so many contracts? What are you, a loan shark?’
Porisco looked at Ghislaine with an expression of disbelief. It seemed that many others were involved besides himself.
He wanted to mix in some prayers to complicate the interpretation but failed. No matter how hard he tried to create an escape route, the other party was too meticulous.
“Now, let’s write this down. I, Porisco, bishop of the Juana Sect, have received food support from Baron Penris… In exchange for…”
With tears in his eyes, Porisco wrote down the contract as dictated by Ghislaine and affixed his seal.
Now, he had genuinely caught himself in a bind.
‘Ugh, just wait. Once I become archbishop, I will definitely get that back and tear it to shreds!’
The contract stated that Porisco received support from Ghislaine and, in return, handed over a sacred relic. With the sacred relic being the evidence in Ghislaine’s possession, he couldn’t wriggle out of it.
Hastily handing over the contract, Porisco gritted his teeth and said.
“Now, quickly. We must solidify public opinion before the general assembly starts. The archbishop would have surely heard the rumors and won’t stay idle.”
“Don’t worry. I have someone beneath me who specializes in this. Oh, but before that, I have a piece of advice.”
“Advice? What kind of advice?”
“About the wealth you’ve accumulated through bribery. The archbishop will definitely be targeting that, and a wrong move could create problems.”
“Ugh, right…”
That was certainly true. He had hidden it in a secret vault, but the archbishop wouldn’t be unaware of it. He had probably marked it down for a critical time like this but pretended not to know.
He had to deal with it somehow, but how? It was wealth he had accumulated with hardships all his life, and he absolutely didn’t want to lose it.
“So, what should I do?”
“Just hand it over to me.”
“Y-you want that? All that wealth?”
“Staying on to keep it just means the archbishop will take it from you. The justification the bishop will provide is, ‘I received a revelation and diligently amassed this wealth and then used it to purchase food.’ If you get caught, can you clean that up? You’ll definitely be the one counterattacked.”
‘You’re the one who made that justification!’
Now that he thought about it, the justification was quite suspicious. But the water had already spilled, so arguing about it was a waste of time.
“Even so, that wealth is what I’ve built my whole life…”
“Why is a priest so greedy? Isn’t that against doctrine?”
“… If I get caught, I’ll just say it’s for the food costs, and if I don’t, can’t I keep it? Or just move it elsewhere…”
For Porisco, it was the best approach. After all, thinking of such matters is clearly not Ghislaine’s strong suit.
But that was only possible if Ghislaine agreed.
“Even if you move it elsewhere, getting caught means giving leverage. If you are going to do this, it would be best to cleanly handle it. Hand it over to me, and I’ll package it well to further enhance your reputation.”
“Ugh…”
It was indeed suspicious, but Ghislaine’s words weren’t incorrect.
Trying to explain afterwards would take more time and effort than preventing it before it occurred. Dealing with it cleanly was the safest approach.
Preserving his life and maintaining his position took precedence. Ultimately, Porisco clutched his tearing heart and handed over the key to the secret vault.
‘Am I possibly making a deal with the devil?’
A grim premonition welled up, but Porisco shook his head and threw off that thought.
‘As long as I can get through this current crisis. Once I become archbishop, I will get everything back.’
At that point, he could figure out how to get rid of that brat. So, for now, he needed to maintain a good partnership with him.
“Ahem, let’s start quickly. It must be handled cleanly.”
“Don’t worry. Just wait a little, and it will be done soon.”
Ghislaine grinned and tucked the key to the secret vault into his robe.
Thus, the two of them formed a thick enough bond to share a secret vault.
Lowell, receiving Ghislaine’s orders, immediately raided Porisco’s vault and released food while manipulating the rumors.
Not only Porisco’s name but Ghislaine’s name began to circulate widely in the capital.
The two even set a day to hold a show in the capital’s grand square where they distributed food.
“Archbishop Porisco!”
“It’s Baron Penris!”
The two smiled brightly as they raised each other’s hands high.
“The Goddess watches over you through me and Baron Penris! This is all the will of the Goddess!”
As Porisco shouted loudly, the crowd erupted in even more cheers.
“Woahhhh! They’re the ones who received the Goddess’s revelation!”
“Saint Porisco!”
“Saint Baron Penris!”
The royal family, the House of Marquis Branford, and the House of Count Ailzbur also released some supplies to appease the people’s sentiments.
However, in the face of the Duke faction, it was impossible to provide enough to satisfy everyone. No matter how much logistics were concentrated in the capital, food wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere.
Amidst all this commotion, Ghislaine crazily released food, causing chaos. Especially with the absurd justification of the Goddess’s “revelation.”
In fact… it worked surprisingly well.
“I heard that Bishop Porisco received a revelation and informed Baron Penris!”
“So, that’s why Baron Penris was collecting food like that!”
“How could that be believed? It’s because Baron Penris also received a revelation!”
“It’s only natural that we will win the war! Why? Because the Goddess is looking after us!”
The spies Lowell had planted stirred up the others from time to time.
The entire mystery had been unraveled. A solid basis was established for why Baron Penris had been stockpiling food.
Now, the truth didn’t matter. In difficult times, people needed something to lean on.
A priest who carries out the divine will and a noble under divine protection released food and helped alleviate difficulties.
What could be more trustworthy than that?
The popularity of the two soared without bounds.
However, the thoughts of those who were right there, smiling and putting on a “show,” were entirely different.
‘This little pompous noble… How can I bring him down later? Still, being popular is great. Thanks to him, everything is going well… Ugh! No! Let’s not think any more about it!’
‘The results exceeded expectations. By the way, what should I have for dinner? What delicious food is there?’
While Porisco’s head swirled with confusion, Ghislaine had no worries at all.
When civil wars and disasters strike, the contract he had written would mean absolutely nothing. Both the church and mage tower would inevitably align with the strong.
As long as he could extract everything worth getting until then, that would suffice.
*
Now that things turned out like this, the archbishop of the Juana Sect was incredibly flustered.
After driving out Porisco and reducing the opposing faction’s influence, he intended to present the successor he had chosen.
However, now that Porisco’s popularity had grown to the level of being called a saint, it became difficult to touch him.
“Quickly! Hurry and raid Bishop Porisco’s vault! He must have amassed wealth through exploitation and bribes—there should be books too!”
The archbishop had already grasped the location of Porisco’s secret vault.
Originally, he wanted to lay down a more solid foundation before finally securing the upper hand, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. After a bit more time, it would be impossible to touch him at all.
It was best to expose his weakness now to break the momentum.
At the archbishop’s command, the Temple Knights rushed into Porisco’s vault.
Seeing the inside of the vault, they froze in shock.
“W-what the…”
There were no treasures like gold and silver inside. Just neatly stacked old scriptures, priest robes, prayer books, and communion supplies.
To anyone else, it was a warehouse for a pure and exemplary clergyman.
Of course, the sight was shocking, but that wasn’t why they were surprised.
It was because of a huge inscription that was unmistakably visible on the vault’s wall.
[The Goddess has already known that you would come here at the behest of the wicked archbishop. Do you truly wish to fall into the fires of hell?]
It was as if it knew everything. Truly, a priest receiving the Goddess’s revelation.
In shock at the astounding sight, the Temple Knights trembled as Porisco appeared alongside Ghislaine.
“Now do you understand the truth?”
At Porisco’s imposing words, the Temple Knights dropped their weapons and knelt.
“Ah, Bishop Porisco…”
“Please forgive our sinful transgressions.”
“We followed the archbishop in our bewilderment until now.”
The Temple Knights began to weep as they confessed their sins.
Seeing that, Porisco nodded his head with a benevolent smile.
“I shall absolve your sins.”
At that, the Temple Knights cried even harder. They had mistaken him for a true saint and had slandered him as a greedy pig all this time.
In name of the divine, loyalty to the archbishop meant nothing. The Temple Knights, at their core, prioritized faith over personal belief.
The fear of falling into hellfire also contributed to changing their hearts.
Observing the Temple Knights’ transformation, Porisco let out a sigh of relief.
‘Phew, if I hadn’t cleaned up sooner, I would have really been in deep trouble. Good thing I listened to that brat. Ah, this kid is sharp.’
Since he had already decided to hand everything over to Ghislaine, Porisco came up with a scheme.
If the archbishop launched an attack shortly, then he could turn it against him.
As Porisco thought this, Ghislaine smiled.
‘Look at this? He truly hasn’t survived until now in vain. Despite his greedy disposition, he didn’t become a bishop for nothing.’
Rather than giving up on the wealth he lost to Ghislaine, he turned it to his advantage for his own profit. He was certainly no ordinary character.
It was better to have a straightforward fellow like this. With the right combination of carrot and stick, he could probably draw a lot from him in the future.
The effect was unmistakable. Starting with the Temple Knights, rumors rapidly spread.
As the rumors spread, Porisco’s dignity soared higher, and no one in the church dared to treat him carelessly. Porisco became increasingly arrogant.
Ultimately, this incident caused a complete inversion of the positions between the archbishop and Porisco.
At the general assembly, Porisco scratched his belly and spoke with an arrogant expression.
“The archbishop has made a grave mistake. Even so, to suspect me, a person of integrity, and send knights after me… Tsk tsk tsk! Had the Goddess not informed me, I might have truly suffered greatly.”
“…”
The archbishop had nothing to retort.
He knew all revelations and claims were nonsense. He had known Porisco for more than a year.
It was merely poor timing that led him to fall into Porisco’s tricks. That was known to the heavens, the earth, and all the bishops present.
But politics worked like that. Failing to attack became the justification for the enemy.
In order to maintain control over the situation, the archbishop first offered an apology.
“I’m sorry. I… I think I made a mistake. I received a false report, and so…”
“Huh! Does that make sense? You were trying to frame me, weren’t you?”
“N-no! I actually received a wrong report…”
“That’s a cowardly excuse!”
With Porisco’s relentless pressure, the archbishop broke out in a cold sweat.
Seizing the chance, Porisco attempted to push for recognition as a saint. Such things should typically be forced when the momentum was high.
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. At this point, it seems I should be called a saint. Shall we vote?”
Porisco said with brazen confidence, opening his arms wide.
However, not everything goes as one wishes. Porisco had picked the right moment but didn’t know when to stop.
The archbishop and the bishops following him reacted violently to his words, and soon the scene descended into chaos.
