347: Chapter 24, Reinforcements = Confidence_1 347: Chapter 24, Reinforcements = Confidence_1 Atop the Holy Mountain, the atmosphere within the Clergy was growing more and more tense as the Human Alliance conference approached.
Even though the Blood Moon Horn had been recovered, the Clergy’s dark history still added a certain “billion” worth of shame to its reputation.
Amid the deliberate exacerbation by various nations, bad news about the Clergy continued to circulate throughout the Continent of Aslante.
In some places, churches publicly declared that the Church Headquarters had fallen under the control of the devil and would no longer accept any orders from it.
Even the Clergy’s activities within the Orc Empire were exposed.
It was wildly rumored that the Orc invasion had been a repercussion faced by the Alpha Kingdom after offending the Clergy.
In general, public opinion was currently extremely unfavorable towards the Clergy, and the onlookers were utterly overwhelmed.
There had been more scandals regarding the Clergy in the past year than in the past few decades combined.
As accusations constantly mounted, Shelter VII didn’t bother explaining anymore.
Mainly because there were so many loopholes that couldn’t stand scrutiny.
The more they tried to clear things up, the more problems would be exposed.
“Bishop Soren, how far have we gone in terms of public relations with various nations?
And how many supporters do we currently have?”
It was an awkward topic to discuss.
The power of a king and the power of a god were inherently antagonistic.
Even some nations usually having good relations with the Clergy didn’t want to see the Clergy’s influence extending any further.
“Your Majesty, the current situation is rather delicate.
Although we have rallied some support from several nations, most of them don’t hold much weight.
Even the Iberia Kingdom, a rival of the Frank people, has taken a very cautious attitude on this matter.
Perhaps our previous actions were too drastic, causing worrisome speculations among others, so…”
Bishop Soren swallowed his last words when he realized the Pope’s unhappy expression.
Admitting one’s mistake is much harder than making excuses.
Even though everyone knew that the current unfavorable situation was caused by their own reckless actions.
“That’s enough.
A little support from some minor nations will suffice.
The north is currently waging war relentlessly, and the Orc Army has just achieved a breakthrough, other races are also preparing to make their moves.
At this crucial moment, the Frank-people’s attacks on us are nothing more than loud thunder with little rain.
As long as we deny all their accusations, this will all pass soon.
At most, we’ll only suffer a little damage to our reputation.”
Shelter VII said with a gloomy face.
His words seemed casual, but they betrayed a deep sense of helplessness.
All previous popes had endured similar situations, yet during his term, everything was ignited.
On one hand, there was a conflict with a forceful ruler who lit the fuse.
On the other hand, the Church’s military expansion had led to a sharp increase in expenses, and to fill the deficit hole their methods had been overly aggressive.
The severe reactions from various nations were mainly because they were intimidated by the Clergy’s huge movements, awakening the terrifying memories deeply buried in their hearts.
wouldn’t have followed up so quickly.
“Your Majesty, the northern orcs are wreaking havoc.
The Alpha Kingdom can still hold on, but the Moxi Duchy and Warhammer Kingdom are already in danger.
Especially the Moxi Duchy, without external aid, it’s uncertain whether they can even survive this year.
Apart from our conflict with the Frank Kingdom, another main topic in the Human Alliance conference will inevitably be sending troops to support the Northern Three Kingdoms.
Confronting the different races is the basis of the Human Alliance.
According to the past convention, the proposal to send troops to support the northern frontier will surely be passed.
Now we’re being embroiled in accusations of colluding with the orcs.
If we only put on a show like we used to, we’re afraid it won’t be acceptable.”
Blake tried to express his views.
The return of the Blood Moon Horn allowed him, the shaky Judging Knights Leader, to temporarily escape a crisis, but his status was still unstable.
The more precarious his position, the more results he needed to show.
Otherwise, sooner or later he would be driven back home by his rivals, especially since the Clergy had paid a heavy price to retrieve the Blood Moon Horn.
The accusation of colluding with the orcs was also linked to the Judgement Knights.
But this matter couldn’t be blamed on the Pope, right?
Shelter VII’s eyebrows furrowed even more.
The current position of the Clergy among the human race is very awkward.
They presumably hold supreme power, their head being the leader in the religious world.
In reality, they, as the religious leaders, had long been reduced to rubber stamps.
Most of the time, they were scapegoats.
Even if the Pope gave orders, whether they could be executed or not depended on everyone’s mood.
Now that the situation has reached such an extent, even maintaining his nominal position as religious leader could be at risk.
“We may also have to participate in this support mission this time.
However, we should try to delay as much as possible, preferably until the situation in the north falls apart.”
Shelter VII said with a heavy heart.
As a veteran political fighter, Shelter VII knew very clearly that it would be hard for the Clergy, which was under the spotlight of public opinion, to get out of its predicament.
The best thing to do was to create big news to attract outside attention, minimizing the presence of the Clergy.
If they could gain some merit in confronting the different races and use that for their own promotion, it would be even better.
…
Lutesya, being the host of this Human Alliance conference, was bustling with preparation.
In the past Human Alliance Conferences, there were many representatives.
Not only did each country send a delegation, but major nobles and large power groups also sent delegates.
Three hundred and sixty-five councilors, represented the highest power institution of the entire Human Alliance.