Chapter : 37

Not long after the commotion ended, the special envoy from the Holy See, who had only been a rumor, truly came to find me.

I was nervous, wondering if there was something else (for example, a debate regarding the miracle), but the news the special envoy brought was nothing new.

Thankfully, it was all things I already knew.

That a crusade would be held to purify the southern region of the Elang Kingdom where heresy was spreading.

And that I, too, was to participate in this crusade.

Thanks to this, my heart was much lighter as I hosted the special envoy from the Holy See.

It had become a sort of meeting to organize and confirm the situation.

Ah, of course, there was one thing that was slightly different from my expectations.

“Hmm, you’re inviting me to the Holy See?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. Cardinal Adriano has invited the Margrave, in the name of the Holy See.”

“Oh-?”

Why? As far as I knew, Cardinal Adriano was the Chancellor of the Holy See.

The second in rank at the Holy See, a true man of power among the powerful. And he wanted to see me?

As if reading my thoughts, the envoy from the Holy See replied with an awkward smile.

“Cardinal Adriano is the type of person who must see things with his own two eyes to be satisfied.”

“He is a meticulous man.”

“Well, to put it nicely, he’s meticulous, but to put it badly, he’s very suspicious. No, in fact, he’s closer to the latter. Hoho.”

“?”

At the envoy's words, I was so flustered that I almost stuttered as I asked back.

“Is, is it alright for you to say such things?”

“What do you mean, Lord Margrave?”

“Ahem. About… badmouthing… no, I mean, evaluating Cardinal Adriano.”

“Ah-! I was wondering what you meant. It’s quite alright, Your Excellency.”

My heart instantly eased at the envoy’s words, tossed out as if it were nothing.

“Haha, it seems Cardinal Adriano is a generous man. As expected of one who leads the Holy See.”

“I doubt it. He’s more the type to hold a grudge to the very end…. So unbecoming of a clergyman. A follower of God should not be so. Tsk tsk.”

“????”

Watching the grumbling Holy See envoy, my mind went blank.

‘Isn’t this bastard crazy?’

I should have noticed from his attire! The clergyman, wearing a shabby robe unlike that of a diplomatic mission, seemed to belong to the ascetic faction, just like his clothes.

“Ahem, hmm.”

Fearing someone might overhear, I glanced around, but thankfully, everyone was busy emptying the cups in front of them.

What a relief.

“Why, is there a problem, Lord Margrave?”

“Ah, no. There’s no problem at all.”

In the envoy’s unblinking expression as he asked back, I saw the scariness of a medieval religious man.

In this damn medieval era, the nobles were a problem, crying out for honor, and the clergy were a headache, armed with their religious convictions.

‘Bishop Marco is a gentleman compared to this.’

Yes, the goat beastman who was unbecoming of a clergyman and only obsessed with money was much easier to understand.

These clergymen from the ascetic faction were really….

“In any case, thank you for letting me know. I shall prepare thoroughly and visit the Holy See properly.”

Well, since it had come to this, it was a good opportunity to build connections with the high-ranking officials of the Holy See.

For better or worse, my relationship with the Holy See was continuously growing.

At that, the Holy See envoy laughed heartily and spoke.

“Hahaha. When you come to the Holy See, you must seek me out. I will personally give you a tour. You must especially visit the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.”

“Hmm, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints?”

“Yes. There was a request from that department to be sure to bring you, Lord Margrave.”

Out of nowhere, an internal office of the Holy See wanted me? Then, realizing what the Congregation for the Causes of Saints did, I frowned.

“I heard that you once again exercised the grace of our benevolent God?”

“I’m afraid someone will hear. What do you mean, benevolent grace. It’s a misunderstanding.”

“Hoho, you are as humble(?) as the rumors say. There is already talk within the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. In my opinion, canonization may be difficult, but beatification is certainly possible. Hahaha.”

No wonder he had been so favorable to me all this time…. Faced with a misunderstanding I just couldn't seem to clear up, I massaged my throbbing head.

“Ugh, where on earth did you hear such a strange rumor?”

“Hmm, I heard that Bishop Marco performed a miracle of mind reading? Is that not so, Your Excellency?”

“……”

Oh my…. god.

Bishop Marco. That goat beastman bastard…. I really need to set a day to give him a good thrashing.

* * *

This little misunderstanding was only cleared up after explaining the whole story for three or four hours.

Thanks to that, I unintentionally grew closer to the Holy See envoy, so it was truly an unpredictable turn of events.

In any case, I promised the Holy See envoy that I would visit in the near future and sent him on his way.

The season was too poor to make a move now.

Winter, when the snow was slowly beginning to fall.

In the medieval setting of [Pangea Universalise], where there were no large-scale lodging facilities, nor fast and safe transportation networks like in modern times, moving in the dead of winter was something that required great resolve, even for a noble.

Besides, there was still too much domain work left to finish.

‘I’ll probably be able to move around spring at the earliest.’

Now that I had sorted out the internal malcontents, it was time to once again proactively develop the domain.

In particular, the journey to the Holy See was not a short affair that would end in a month or two. It was a grand journey that would take at least half a year.

Therefore, it was necessary to make plans in advance so that the domain could run on its own even in my absence.

That was why I sent a messenger to immediately summon Chamberlain Hamil, who was stabilizing the city of Markel.

Chamberlain Hamil greeted me with a rather gaunt face, as if he had suffered in the meantime.

“You summoned me, my lord.”

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Thanks to you, my lord, I have been well. I heard that you received an invitation to the Holy See?”

“Yes. The Holy See is gathering a crusade. They say they will subjugate the heretics in the southern region…. Before that, a cardinal wants to see me.”

“Indeed-! If the previous lord had seen this, he would have been deeply moved.”

In the past, would the Holy See have even given the Bellua Margraviate a second glance?

They would have gladly called upon the new rising power next door, Count Bozen.

Chamberlain Hamil shed tears of emotion at the changed status of the domain.

“I, Hamil, felt I had committed a great sin by not properly assisting you, my lord, but now a burden has been lifted from my heart. I can die without any regrets.”

“Now, now, my good man. What do you mean, die? How can you talk of dying when there is so much to be done.”

What a terrible thing to say. I was so short-handed I could use a cat’s paw. I had to keep Chamberlain Hamil working for a long, long time.

Whether he knew my dark intentions or not, Chamberlain Hamil replied again in a voice filled with emotion.

“Indeed, I will follow any command. Just give me the order, my lord.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

I soothed Chamberlain Hamil and slowly asked about the situation in Markel City.

The leeway I had to make my moves would be determined by the situation there.

However, the answer that came from Chamberlain Hamil was unexpected.

“Markel City has already been completely stabilized. The city council has decided to follow your orders, my lord, and has agreed to pay taxes every year.”

“Oh? Is that so? I thought their desire for autonomy would have been considerable.”

I was surprised by the unexpected turn of events.

When people are well-fed and grow more astute, they tend to want to make their own decisions.

In that sense, the people of medieval cities were no different from potential dissidents.

The development of medieval cities could be seen as a history of struggles for autonomy against their rulers.

But to give up all their rights without a word of complaint?

Chamberlain Hamil smirked and continued.

“They too have come to realize where their wealth comes from. The city's merchants, who have had a taste of the cheap goods pouring out of the factories, have become even more active supporters.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

“The Markel city council has agreed to transfer all rights to you, my lord, if you permit them some minor autonomy. In return, they asked that you take full responsibility for the city's defense.”

“They just want to suck out all the good parts for themselves. Well, still, it’s not a bad deal since I’ve gained full ownership of a city that’s a key part of the trade network.”

If this was the case, the city's problems were well settled, and now I only needed to worry about the feudal vassals.

It wasn't a bad result; no, it was an incredibly good one, and I was very pleased.

“You’ve worked hard, Chamberlain Hamil.”

“Not at all, my lord. On the contrary, I have learned a great deal thanks to you.”

“Hm? Learned?”

At that, Chamberlain Hamil nodded his head vigorously.

“Yes. I gained a great deal of experience while managing the city. I came to realize how dangerous our previous domain management was, and how we operated without sufficient funds.”

“Well, you don’t have to go that far….”

“No, my lord. It may not be better than collecting ransoms from war, but considering the costs of preparing for war, it's not quite the same. And considering the money that comes in every month, every year, the amount earned from the city is truly astronomical.”

“Hmm. That is true.”

“Thanks to your insight, my lord, although we are generating more domain revenue than before, it turns out we were just working for the benefit of others.”

Wow. Who would have thought the warmonger Chamberlain Hamil would change like this?

Was this the same man who used to say he could just win money to pay off debts? The sudden change was astonishing.

“Do you know how much our products sell for when they pass through the hands of the city’s merchants and go to other regions?”

Regardless of my surprise, Chamberlain Hamil passionately continued.

“Double. They sell for double.”

“I’m well aware of that. That’s why I’ve been trying to continuously develop the domain and create markets.”

“No. That’s not enough, my lord. You must create not just a simple market, but a relay market.”

“Oh?”

“The location of the former free market, Fort Proven, which was opened to the common domain residents, is suitable. If we connect the Ram River and the Seine River, I believe it can become an intermediate point connecting the north and south via the river.”

“Hahahaha.”

For his thinking to expand this far. I was so surprised that all I could do was let out a hollow laugh.

It was a mind-boggling change, considering that the Chamberlain Hamil I knew from [Pangea Universalise] was not like this.

“Good. Very excellent. I’ll do as you say. Since it’s come to this, can you take charge of it?”

And as I accepted his advice.

-Tiriring!

A system notification popped up.

[You have accepted Hamil Ludwig’s advice. Hamil Ludwig's rank will increase.]

[Ordinary - Extraordinary]

[Hamil Ludwig’s thinking expands due to the diverse experiences you have provided.]

[Notification: Be aware. This world is not a world of data where beings simply live as they are programmed. Among the countless people you have passed by indifferently, many could become outstanding individuals if given the opportunity. You must not let that slip by.]

[Notification: Grant your subordinates more experience.]

[Notification: Upon developing 10 subordinates, the special trait ‘Inspiring Lord’ will be activated.]

[Current Progress 1/10]