Chapter 218: Did You Like the Donation? (4)
Bishop Porisco immediately moved to his office to write the appointment letter for Piote.
“The confirmation of the diocese requires a general assembly and the permission of the Archbishop, so I cannot decide that at this moment. However, I can issue the dispatch of Piote by my authority, so I will write that first.”
“Please make sure he is not disturbed by others. Let Priest Piote be free.”
“It is a justification for a permanent dispatch for missionary work, so Priest Piote can stay there as long as he wishes.”
Now, Piote could freely stay in the Penris Territory. Usually, getting a permanent appointment for missionary purposes grants a lot of freedom.
In the future, the church could command a forced recall or relocation, but he now had a justification to refuse if he wanted.
“Alright, isn’t everything in order now? You got Piote, and you got the sacred relic. Let’s hurry up and continue with the revelation.”
As Porisco subtly tried to wrap things up, Ghislaine pulled out a contract from his bosom.
“Please write down everything that has happened so far with your own hand. And make sure to use your bishop’s seal.”
‘Ha, this sly rascal.’
A contract comes right out of his coat? This means he came prepared all along.
Porisco glanced at Ghislaine and started writing the contract in a very complex and dense manner.
When Ghislaine read what he had written, he tilted his head.
“……please help us always follow the path of Goddess Juana, the creator of this world and our mother, who guides us with kindness and mercy. We ask you for all our necessities……. Are you joking right now?”
“Oh, no. But I’m a bishop, so I should write the prayer first….”
“Ah, forget that. Just write down the facts clearly.”
“R-right? Was it too long? Then I’ll write a new one….”
“No, I think it’d be better to write exactly as I dictate.”
Ghislaine tore up the contract and took out a new one from his bosom.
The contract typically had authentication and preservation magic like a merchant’s letter of credit. That’s why they were extremely expensive.
And he just pulls them out so casually.
‘What the heck! Why does he carry so many contracts? Who are you? A loan shark?’
Porisco looked at Ghislaine in disbelief. It seemed that many others were also involved.
He wanted to mix in a prayer to complicate the interpretation and failed. He tried to find a loophole, but the other party was too meticulous.
“Now, write this down. I, Bishop Porisco of the Juana Church, have received food assistance from Baron Penris, and in return….”
With tears in his eyes, Porisco wrote the contract as Ghislaine dictated and stamped it with his seal.
Now he had firmly captured his own weakness.
‘Ugh, just you wait. Once I become an archbishop, I’ll definitely get this back and tear it up!’
The contract stated that Porisco had received support from Ghislaine and, in return, provided the sacred relic. With the sacred relic, the evidence was firmly in Ghislaine’s hands, leaving Porisco without any options.
Ghislaine received support, and in return, it was written that he surrendered a sacred relic. With the evidence of the sacred relic in Ghislaine’s hands, there was no way to escape.
Bishop Porisco, roughly flipping through the contract, gritted his teeth and said, “Now, let’s get started quickly. We need to solidify public opinion before the assembly begins. The Archbishop must have surely heard the rumors and won’t stay silent.”
“Don’t worry. I have an expert in that area under me. But before that, I have one piece of advice.”
“Advice? What kind of advice?”
“About the assets you’ve accumulated from bribes. The Archbishop is definitely watching that, and it could become a problem if you’re not careful.”
“Uh, hmm….”
That was definitely true. He had hidden them in a secret vault, but there was no way the Archbishop wouldn’t know. He had likely kept an eye on it for a moment like this while pretending not to know.
He needed to handle it, but he was troubled about how. It was wealth he had poured his life into accumulating, and he absolutely did not want to lose it.
“So what should I do?”
“Just give it to me.”
“You want that? All that wealth?”
“Keeping it will only get you robbed by the Archbishop, right? The justification you’re proposing is that ‘you received a revelation and desperately hoarded wealth, which you used to buy food’… If caught, what will you do then? You’ll be on the defensive.”
“Isn’t that justification your doing!”
Now that he thought about it, the justification was indeed suspicious. But it was already spilled water, so arguing it would be a waste of time.
“Still, it’s the wealth I’ve built my entire life…”
“Why is a priest so greedy? Isn’t that against doctrine?”
“…I’ll say it’s for the food costs if I get caught, and if not, I should be able to keep it, right? Or I could move it somewhere else…”
For Porisco, that was the best method. He really was a clever one in matters like this.
But it would only work if Ghislaine agreed.
“Even if you move it elsewhere, if you get caught with what you had, it will ultimately give them leverage. If you’re going to do it, it’s better to handle it cleanly. Hand it over to me, and I’ll package it well to boost your reputation.”
“Hm…”
It was definitely suspicious, but Ghislaine wasn’t wrong.
Trying to explain things after an incident takes way more time and effort than preparing beforehand. Handling it cleanly was indeed the safest approach.
Right now, preserving his life and position was the priority. Eventually, Porisco clutched his tearing heart and gave Ghislaine the key to the secret vault.
‘Am I possibly making a deal with the devil?’
He felt a foreboding sensation, but he shook his head, trying to dispel that thought.
‘As long as I get through this crisis, I’ll have the chance to reclaim everything when I reach the position of Archbishop.’
At that point, he could devise a way to deal with this punk. So for now, he needed to maintain a good partnership (?) with him.
“Ahem, let’s get started quickly. It must be handled cleanly.”
“Don’t worry. Just wait a bit, and I’ll take care of it soon.”
Ghislaine grinned as he tucked the key to the secret vault away.
Thus, the two built a strong enough friendship to share a secret vault.
As soon as Lowell received Ghislaine’s orders, he raided Porisco’s storage and released more food, manipulating the rumors.
Not just Porisco’s name, but Ghislaine’s name began to spread high in the capital.
The two even set a date to hold a show in the grand plaza of the capital to distribute food.
“Bishop Porisco!”
“It’s Baron Penris!”
The two smiled widely, clasping each other’s hands and raising them high.
“The Goddess oversees you all through me and Baron Penris! This is all the Will of the Goddess!”
As Porisco shouted loudly, the people cheered even more wildly.
As Porisco shouted loudly, the crowd went wild.
“Waaaaaa! They are 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 food supplies to calm the public.
However, in a situation where they were opposing the Duke Faction, it was unreasonable to release enough food to satisfy the people. Food that didn’t exist simply couldn’t appear even in a capital so central to logistics.
Amid this chaos, Ghislaine frantically distributed food supplies, and it was bound to cause a commotion. Especially with the ridiculous justification of the goddess’s ‘revelation.’
In fact… it worked like a charm.
“Apparently, Bishop Porisco received a revelation and informed Baron Penris!”
“That’s why Baron Penris gathered all that food!”
“How did you believe that? Because Baron Penris received the revelation too!”
“Of course, we’ll win the war! Why? Because she’s under the goddess’s protection!”
Lowell’s spies were stirring up enthusiasm among the people at every turn.
All the mysteries were solved. The reason why Baron Penris hoarded food was now clear.
It no longer mattered what the truth was. In difficult times, people needed something to lean on.
The priest, who was executing the will of the god, and the noble, favored by the goddess, distributed food and solved the difficulties.
What could be more trustworthy than that?
The popularity of the two could only skyrocket.
Of course, the masterminds behind this ‘show’ had completely different thoughts.
‘That bratty noble… How am I going to take him down later? But it’s nice to be popular. Things are going quite well thanks to him… Ugh! No! Don’t think about it anymore!’
‘This is exceeding my expectations. By the way, what should I have for dinner? What delicious options are there?’
While Porisco was tangled in complicated thoughts, Ghislaine had no worries at all.
In the event of civil war or turmoil, the contracts he wrote down would mean nothing. The church or mage tower would inevitably follow the strongest.
As long as he could extract everything he could before then, that would be enough.
*
With the situation turning out like this, the Archbishop of the Juana Church was utterly bewildered.
After ousting Porisco and reducing the opposing faction’s power, he intended to promote his chosen heir.
But with Porisco’s popularity skyrocketing to the point of being rumored as a saint, it became challenging to touch him.
“Hurry! Loot Bishop Porisco’s warehouse! There must be treasures he accumulated by exploiting people and taking bribes! There’s probably a ledger too!”
The archbishop had already pinpointed Porisco’s secret stash.
Originally, he planned to set up a more solid trap and use it to secure victory in the end, but now was not the time to hold back. After a little more time, they might not be able to touch him at all.
It was best to reveal weaknesses now to break his momentum.
The temple knights, under the archbishop’s command, raided Porisco’s warehouse.
Upon seeing the interior of the warehouse, they were stunned and stopped in their tracks.
“Th-this can’t be…”
There were no treasures of gold or silver inside the warehouse. Only old scriptures, priest robes, prayer books, and communion supplies neatly arranged.
To anyone else, it looked like a warehouse belonging to a very honest, exemplary clergy member.
Of course, the unexpected scene was shocking, but what truly surprised them was the large inscription on the wall.
[The goddess has already known that you would come here at the command of the wicked archbishop. Do you truly wish to fall into the fires of hell?]
It was a message that seemed to know everything. Truly, a priest who had received the goddess’s revelation.
In a terrifying sight, Bishop Porisco appeared with Ghislaine behind the trembling Temple Knights.
“Now do you understand the truth?”
At Porisco’s majestic words, the Temple Knights dropped their weapons and knelt.
“Ah, Bishop Porisco…”
“Please forgive our irreverent sins.”
“We have followed the Archbishop in deception until now.”
The Temple Knights began to weep as they confessed.
Seeing this, Porisco nodded with a benevolent smile.
“I will forgive your sins.”
The Temple Knights wailed even more. They had mistaken this man for a greedy pig while he was the real deal.
Before the name of the divine, loyalty to the Archbishop meant nothing. The Temple Knights were fundamentally individuals whose faith prioritized their beliefs.
Even facing such a miracle, the fear of falling into the fires of hell played a part in turning their hearts.
Watching the Temple Knights, Porisco sighed in relief.
“Phew, if I hadn’t cleaned up quickly, I would have really been in trouble. Listening to that kid was a smart move. Ah, he’s clever.”
Deciding to leave everything to Ghislaine, Porisco concocted a plan.
If the Archbishop were to attack soon, he thought, why not turn that to his advantage?
Seeing Porisco, Ghislaine smiled.
“Look at this? He didn’t just survive this long for nothing. He didn’t become a bishop for no reason, despite his greedy nature.”
Instead of giving up after losing assets to Ghislaine, he maneuvered his way to gain benefits. He was certainly no ordinary man.
Having such a blatant character might actually be better. With the right balance of carrot and stick, he figured he could flush out quite a bit in the future.
The effect was undeniable. Starting with the Temple Knights, rumors began to spread like wildfire.
As the rumors spread, Porisco’s prestige rose, and no one in the church dared to treat him recklessly. Porisco became even more arrogant.
Ultimately, this incident completely reversed the positions of the Archbishop and Porisco.
At a meeting, Porisco scratched his belly and spoke with a haughty expression.
“The Archbishop made a significant mistake. No matter what, to doubt the incorruptible me and send knights? Tsk tsk, if the goddess hadn’t revealed this to me, I would have been in great trouble.”
“……”
The Archbishop had no words.
He knew very well that all of that was nonsense. He had known Porisco for years.
It was simply a matter of timing; he had fallen for that guy’s tricks. The heavens knew, the earth knew, and all the bishops present knew it.
But that’s how politics works. Failing to attack becomes the justification for the enemy.
To mitigate the situation, the Archbishop offered an apology.
“I’m sorry. I think…I made a mistake. I received false information…”
“Ah! Does that even make sense? You’re trying to frame me!”
“No, that’s not it… I really received bad intel…”
“That’s a cowardly excuse!”
Under Porisco’s relentless pressure, the Archbishop was sweating cold.
On a roll, Porisco tried to push through the sainthood recognition as well. Traditionally, such matters should be pursued when momentum is high.
“You must have heard the rumors. With all of this, I believe I could be called a saint, don’t you? Let’s vote?”
Porisco said with a completely unabashed demeanor, arms wide open.
But not everything goes as one wishes. Though Porisco had timed well, he didn’t know when to back down.
The Archbishop and the bishops following him reacted vehemently to the statement, turning the hall into chaos.
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