Chapter 28: The Love-Hate Relationship Between the Church and the Emperor
“How many times have we told you, priests of the Church need permission from the City Guard to preach in the city!”
“We already have permission!”
The trio looked towards the source of the commotion. A small crowd had gathered, and a squad of well-equipped soldiers surrounded two people, an old man and a young man. Judging by their attire, they were a priest and his deacon from the Church.
Flora, deeply concerned about Church matters, stopped and watched the unfolding scene with curiosity. Abyss was also in no hurry. If things went smoothly, he would have ample time to resolve all the issues, let alone a month, even a week would suffice. Afterward, he would fulfill Leona’s wish. Although he hadn’t asked yet, a sheltered princess like her, accustomed to a life of luxury, probably wouldn’t have any complicated desires, just wanting to have some fun.
The people seemed accustomed to such scenes. Most passersby simply bypassed the commotion with indifferent expressions. The believers who had been listening to the sermon had mostly dispersed, leaving only a few curious onlookers who, under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, didn’t dare get too close.
“You said you have permission? Then where’s your permit?” a soldier, who appeared to be the squad leader, asked the priest, extending his hand. “We need to see it before you can continue your useless speech.”
“This is not a speech! This is our monthly sermon! We must convey the latest will of the Nine Gods to all believers!” The priest seemed uncooperative, his eyes filled with anger and humiliation. “And just this morning, I was asked to show my permit by another squad of guards. Do I have to show it again?”
“What are you talking about? They are them, we are us. Patrol guards change shifts, of course. We don’t know if you actually showed your permit, do we, old man?” The squad leader sneered and shook his head, his tone aggressive. The other soldiers stepped forward, pressing in with hostile expressions.
The priest, seemingly used to such situations, said angrily, “I want to see your commander! I want to speak to him directly!”
“Oh no, you don’t,” the squad leader’s smile vanished. He placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, drawing it slightly. “Behave yourself and let me see it!”
“Father, just listen to them…” The deacon, still young, was terrified by the confrontation and pleaded with the angry priest.
“The Nine Gods will eventually deliver their punishment…” the priest grumbled reluctantly, but finally pulled out a document from his pocket.
The squad leader snatched the document, glanced at it casually, and tossed it back. “That’s better. As long as you cooperate, there won’t be any trouble. Why can’t you understand that? Let’s go, patrol somewhere else!”
The soldiers marched away in formation, leaving the priest standing there, taking a while to catch his breath and calm his anger before resuming the sermon with his deacon.
“Is the Church in such a sorry state now?” Abyss asked, surprised. “Just preaching requires the approval of the city guards. That soldier clearly didn’t care if the permit was valid. He just wanted to bully someone, right?”
“But the Church’s influence was quite strong in the previous city. They could even enter the inn to search,” Flora said, puzzled. “Maybe that place was actually under the Church’s control, while Golden Griffin City is under the Emperor’s control—are the Emperor and the Church not getting along now?”
“There must be tacit approval from higher-ups,” Leona said, waving her hand dismissively. “The soldiers in Golden Griffin City are elite and highly disciplined. They wouldn’t act like thugs on the streets.”
“It’s strange. The Church records do mention a few instances of discord with the Emperor, but such blatant oppression hasn’t happened before,” Flora sighed. She was no longer part of the Church and couldn’t intervene, but she still felt a pang of sympathy.
The Western Empire and the Church had always been cooperative, pursuing mutually beneficial policies in politics and economics. The Emperor wanted stability and development for his country, while the Church wanted to ensure the smooth spread of faith across the continent. Their interests didn’t clash. If anything, some cities in the Western Empire were more aligned with the Church, while others were more aligned with the Emperor—but the Church had no actual ruling authority. The ultimate power lay with the Emperor.
The Emperor didn’t have a strong reason to antagonize the Church, which was what puzzled Flora.
“The current Emperor is Beos. That kid is ten years younger than me, the eldest son of Empress Siana, oh, the current Empress Dowager,” Leona speculated. “I know that kid very well. He’s a complete mama’s boy, always following his mother around. This conflict with the Church is probably his mother’s idea. It’s a shame he’s just a puppet Emperor. And it’s no surprise that his daughter looks like me. He used to tell me how beautiful I was when he was little, saying he wanted to marry me and stuff. He must have married an Empress who resembles me. I died when he was eight, so luckily I avoided his adolescence.”
“Aren’t you his half-sister?” Abyss asked, surprised. “Why didn’t you break his legs?”
“Our royal family is different. On the continent, ordinary marriages are supervised by the Church, and only those recognized by the Church are considered official. Marriages between close relatives are strictly forbidden,” Leona whispered. “But our royal family sometimes arranges marriages within the family to preserve the purity of our bloodline. In these cases, the Church not only doesn’t object but also offers its blessings.”
Flora nodded. “I’ve heard of this. The Church calls these royal incestuous marriages ‘Marriages of Divine Mandate.’”
“Isn’t that just falsely claiming the will of the Nine Gods?” Abyss said playfully. “Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment?”
Flora looked at Abyss and couldn’t help but laugh. “As you said, the Nine Gods are just workers for the Creator God. Thinking about it that way, there’s really nothing to be afraid of. The others in the Church have probably figured it out already.”
Abyss couldn’t help but feel that he had corrupted the devout Flora.
“What’s the point of discussing this? Come on, I’ll take you to my favorite place,” Leona said impatiently, patting Abyss’s back. “A tavern run by dwarves. They have the best wine, and there are even female dwarves who perform stripteases! You have to see how funny it is to watch those bearded ladies dance!”
Leave a Reply