CA – Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Monica held real power in the Holy See; at the same time, she was also the busiest person there.
Ever since Bishop Ralph arrived in the Bill Empire from the Central Church, he seemed to have entered retirement, leaving every matter for Monica to handle. He even handed over the finances. Everyone assumed the internal power struggle within the Bill Church was fierce and that Priest Monica had gained the upper hand. But only Monica herself knew that she had never intended to compete with Bishop Ralph for anything in the first place.
She had been completely pushed into this position.
She held no grudge against Bishop Ralph. The only thing she found repulsive was the utterly infuriating look on his face when he tried to curry favor with Reese.
Bishop Ralph didn't manage affairs, and the priests and clerics he brought with him were well-behaved and never caused trouble. Monica had absolute authority in the Church, and being a very serious person, she was determined to manage it in an orderly fashion.
When Tang Qiu was first promoted to Priest, she had assisted Monica for a time and knew just how much she valued the Church. For the first few days, she had even thought Monica lived in the conference room.
Because no matter if it was day or late at night, you could always find her there.
This time was no exception. Tang Qiu walked through the main hall to the conference room, nodded at Jonas who was standing guard outside, and pushed the door open. At a glance, she saw Monica sitting behind the desk, her head lowered as she wrote something.
Sunlight streamed in through the window behind her, the bright rays illuminating Monica's pale golden hair. The warm light seemed to melt the icy aura surrounding her, creating a warm and beautiful scene. If someone had said it was Archbishop Reese sitting there, people would have believed it.
After all, compared to the cold Monica, Archbishop Reese had always been gentle. If Monica's emerald eyes were like cold gems, then Archbishop Reese's were like a spring pond under a clear blue sky.
But after interacting with them separately, one would discover that Monica was clearly cold on the outside and warm on the inside, while Reese was the one who was truly indifferent.
Hearing the door open, Monica looked up slightly. Seeing it was Tang Qiu, she put down her pen, rubbed the bridge of her nose, and said, "You're back just in time. Marquis Gavin is in the reception room next door. Go and entertain him."
Tang Qiu subtly furrowed her brow, then nodded in helpless agreement. "Alright."
The Black Witches of Vandent were either dead or had fled. Although the Church's losses were also severe, only those within the Church knew the true situation. To the public, they had to maintain their prestige, so they simply announced that they had successfully driven out a group of Black Witches.
The monster that attacked the royal palace was also declared to have been under the command of the Black Witches, and the Church had already stepped in to eliminate it.
Regardless of the King of the Bill Empire's expression upon hearing this, the panicked populace was successfully placated. The deserted streets became bustling again, and the square in front of the Church was filled with believers coming and going. The scenes of prayer were even more fervent than before.
As the Church's prestige grew daily, its reception room also became a hot spot. The King's envoys visited three times a day, trying to probe the Church's situation both overtly and covertly.
The royal palace had been attacked, yet the Church had resolved the crisis with ease. When the royal authority was compared to the Church, the people's hearts clearly leaned toward the latter.
The King was so angry he slammed his desk again. His palace had been attacked, yet he hadn't even seen the mastermind, nor had he seen a body or discovered the reason. The Church had just directly declared the problem solved, and the trail of clues was cut off completely at Vandent.
The Bill Empire was, after all, one of the three great empires with the most influence on the Statu Continent. The royal family's prestige had plummeted during this time.
Marquis Gavin had dealt with the Church for over a decade and was very familiar with its people. He had expected to be received by Priest Monica, but to his surprise, a beautiful young new priest walked in instead.
He had some impression of Tang Qiu. He had seen her standing beside Monica during a previous visit to the Church. Because of her outstanding features and gentle demeanor, his memory of her was quite vivid.
Seeing Tang Qiu enter alone, Gavin's expression soured. He felt the Church had sent a new priest to fob him off. And because Tang Qiu looked easy to talk to, he took the offensive, raising his voice to question, "Why didn't Priest Monica come?"
"Does Your Excellency believe you are qualified to resolve the empire's troubles?"
Marquis Gavin had a sturdy build, and his stern face was indeed somewhat intimidating. However, Tang Qiu was not cowed by his show of force. Still wearing a faint smile, she gestured for the Marquis to sit down and said unhurriedly, "My Lord Marquis, there is no need to worry. The Church places great importance on the empire. All matters concerning the empire are decided personally by Priest Monica."
"Whatever troubles His Majesty the King may have, Your Excellency can tell me first, and I will relay them to Priest Monica."
Having once observed the interaction between Monica and Marquis Gavin, Tang Qiu already understood the Church's attitude toward the empire: wary, but not to the point of excessive distance. In short, they maintained a delicate balance.
The Church needed to solidify its prestige among the common people, and the royal family did not want to lose face. Marquis Gavin's mind raced as he quickly formulated a plan to extract information from this young priest. He understood the King's thoughts very well; if he could get the Church to tacitly admit that the monster attack on the palace and the Black Witches in the city were all causing trouble in the Bill Empire because of the Church, then the royal family could directly steer public opinion back in their favor.
Although the three great empires all appeared to have a harmonious relationship with the Church, in reality, the Church's existence was a thorn in the side of every king.
The church in the Gosse Empire had been burned to the ground, and the culprit had yet to be caught. The reason a new one had not been built was because the King of Gosse was obstructing the process. While he couldn't directly expel the Church, he was trying to move it out of his capital city.
With many thoughts swirling in his mind, Marquis Gavin felt his back straighten, no longer having to face the icy Monica. He lifted his chin slightly and said with a grim face, "Is Your Excellency trying to brush me aside? The King is very concerned for the safety of his subjects. Why has the Church still not informed us of the reason the Black Witches appeared in Bill?"
Faced with the aggressive Marquis Gavin, Tang Qiu still responded with a good-natured smile. "The Black Witches are eccentric by nature and bloodthirsty. Who can know why they chose this place?" She paused, pretending to think seriously. "Perhaps they were just passing by?"
So, were they to blame the Bill Empire for its bad luck? Marquis Gavin didn't dare to imagine how angry the King would be if he heard those words.
However, it was precisely because the King wasn't sitting opposite her that Tang Qiu would say such a thing. She glanced at Marquis Gavin, whose posture was no longer quite so straight, and suddenly felt that the task Monica had given her was far more interesting than dealing with boring church affairs.
"...To let Black Witches sneak into the empire and even summon a ferocious monster to attack the royal palace, the Church needs to do some self-reflection." Marquis Gavin's tone grew heavier. "The King allocates a huge sum of money each year to support the Church, not to see his subjects suffer."
That statement was rather severe. Tang Qiu lowered her eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and said softly, "Marquis Gavin is right."
Marquis Gavin thought he had intimidated her. A smile spread across his face, and he was about to press his advantage when he heard the priest across from him speak in a soft, pleasant voice, "What the Black Witches did this time was indeed outrageous."
She paused for a moment, then changed the subject. "However, it's fortunate that the Church was here. Otherwise, who knows how many more innocent subjects of the empire would have been implicated."
"Just imagine, if not for the wise and mighty King's support of the Church, perhaps we would be seeing more than just the suffering of his subjects."
What would that be?
Marquis Gavin instinctively completed Tang Qiu's sentence for her. Perhaps they would be seeing the suffering of the royal family?
Ignoring what Marquis Gavin was thinking, Tang Qiu smiled again and said, "His Majesty the King is truly farsighted. Of course, even without His Majesty's support, the Church would never allow its followers to suffer."
Marquis Gavin's face turned completely black.
The cordial and friendly conversation lasted the entire morning. When he left, Marquis Gavin barely maintained a polite smile. The moment he stepped out of the Church's doors, he wished he could fly away.
He would truly rather face the taciturn Monica than this gentle and "eloquent" young priest again.
After personally seeing Marquis Gavin off, Tang Qiu was in a reasonably good mood on her way back. As she reached the main hall, she was stopped by Jonas, who stuffed an invitation into her hand.
Tang Qiu opened the invitation, glanced down at it, and then looked at Jonas with a puzzled expression.
Jonas explained, "Priest Monica wants you to attend."
It was an invitation from Lady Bonnie, the most famous duchess in the Bill Empire, inviting a cleric from the Church to attend a banquet.
Tapping her finger lightly on the invitation, Tang Qiu didn't think for long before readily accepting. It was just attending a banquet... she was very good at that.
It seemed Monica was preparing to hand over the Church's diplomatic affairs to her. Holding the invitation, Tang Qiu's lips curved into a slight smile. This suited her intentions perfectly.
With her experience socializing in the noble circles of Edry, Tang Qiu handled the Bill Empire's scene with great ease. She frequented all sorts of banquets, and before long, the golden-haired cleric had become well-known to everyone. Almost everyone knew of the Church's newly appointed priest, who was gentle and kind, and also very interesting—completely different from the priests who had previously attended banquets, who would only maintain an arrogant distance from them.
The new priest was beautiful, with an elegant and noble temperament. She was gentle and considerate to others. Aside from dancing and drinking, she would not refuse any request.
Even when faced with rude requests, she would only smile and politely decline, never embarrassing anyone.
The new priest quickly captured the "hearts" of the young noble men and women. Aside from those in power, no one would dislike a priest, especially a gentle and beautiful one.
The status of a cleric already came with a halo on the Statu Continent, and a priest inspired even greater admiration. A new group of worshippers soon appeared in the Church's square. They were dressed in magnificent clothes with exquisite makeup, and their luxurious carriages nearly filled an entire street.
The commoners marveled at the nobles' extravagance and envied their beautiful dresses. More and more people came to pray, following the trend. For a time, the Church's popularity soared among both the common and noble classes, unmatched by any other.
Monica was somewhat surprised by this development, but after some thought, she didn't send anyone to stop it. Although it caused some trouble for the Church, the benefits ultimately outweighed the drawbacks. Perhaps she could take this opportunity to request that the King build another square nearby for prayer?
An idea sparked in Monica's mind, and she seriously considered whether this proposal was feasible.
The fervor outside did not affect Tang Qiu. She was in her room, curiously unwrapping the gifts that had been sent to her during this period. The gift boxes, bearing the crests of different families, were piled so high they nearly filled the room.
She casually opened a few and received quite a number of priceless rubies. The gifts sent by nobles were never too cheap, as they also represented their family's honor.
Tang Qiu set the opened boxes aside and randomly picked another one. She untied the ribbon and glanced at the delicate pearl necklace lying at the bottom of the box. Her gaze, however, fixed on the pink fabric next to the necklace, her expression becoming peculiar.
She picked up the fabric and found that its style and design were even more daring than the one Anna had given her.
Tang Qiu curiously looked down at the crest on the gift box, then at the sender's name, and was surprised to find that the owner of the gift box was not male. As she recalled, the sender was a very lively and cheerful young girl.
She raised an eyebrow, put the fabric back, and continued to open the other gift boxes. By the time she had opened them all, she had received more than a dozen pieces of suggestive fabric in various styles.
Half of them came from beautiful young ladies.
The customs on the Statu Continent are really open, Tang Qiu stroked her chin and concluded with a sigh.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment