?48: Chapter 47, Encountered_1 48: Chapter 47, Encountered_1 The battle for Dardiel City kicked off, and eight thousand miles away, at the Church Headquarters, the protest letter from the Alpha Kingdom was also received.

    “Look at the mess you’ve made, the waves have just started, and the rightful owners are already knocking on our door!”

    While speaking, Shelter VII tossed the protest letter directly to the Judging Knights Leader, Blake.

    It was obvious from his look that His Holiness the Pope was genuinely angry.

    The power struggle between theocracy and monarchy has been going on for more than just a day or two; it’s fine to plot schemes in secret.

    But bringing things to the surface disturbs the tacit understanding between both parties.

    Especially the “Blood Moon Horn,” a notorious evil tool recognized by everyone.

    It was clear to the world that the rebellion initiated by the Skeleton Society was supported by the clergy.

    “Your Holiness, please rest assured!

    We, the Judgement Knights, will handle the matter of the Blood Moon Horn.

    A single war cannot prove anything.

    Similar tactics have not been uncommon on the Continent of Aslante.

    As long as they do not have substantial evidence, we can insist that they are mistaken, and outright deny the loss of the Blood Moon Horn.”

    Captain Blake assured.

    Deep inside, he couldn’t help but curse.

    Supporting the cult organization to cause trouble was his subtle hint to his subordinates.

    No leader would directly order actions that demand responsibility and may potentially make them scapegoats.

    Clearly, the judgment abilities of his subordinates were not adequate.

    They played their hands a bit too much, and accidentally gave away the renowned “Blood Moon Horn.”

    As an old force, the Church had more than one or two evil tools.

    If they wanted to make trouble, they shouldn’t have used the most recognizable “Blood Moon Horn”.

    Such underhanded affairs, once exposed, would make everyone lose face.

    Times have changed; nowadays, the Church doesn’t have the guts to confront each kingdom directly.

    “How do you plan to resolve this?

    The Alpha Kingdom branch, controlled by those nobles, is directly going to use the pretext of rebuilding churches in the Southeastern Province which were destroyed by the Rebel Army, to reduce the taxes sent to the Church.

    Since this incident was caused by your Judgement Knights, the loss will be deducted from your military budget.

    When it comes to military supplies, no reduction will be made, find a way to fill the gap yourselves.”

    Shelter VII gruffly stated.

    When was the last time the Church, which was once extraordinarily wealthy, was short on money?

    But this scene, unexpectedly, occurred during his reign.

    Strictly speaking, since the collapse of the Church’s rule over the continent three hundred years ago, the finance of the Church had been going downhill.

    With the support of huge capital reserves, the Church held on. S~ea??h the Novёl?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    By the time of Shelter VII, the Church had exhausted most of its ancestral property.

    The Church needs to expand its military power, and restore its glory on one hand, while trying to increase income and decrease expenditure, and solve the financial crisis on the other.

    Its days were not easy.

    Since the expansion of the Church’s military, tensions with other kingdoms on the Continent have arisen.

    Aside from a bunch of small countries still controlled by the Church, the remaining major kingdoms were doing everything in their power to stop the Church from regaining its strength.

    Since the kingdoms lack the ability to directly intervene with the Church’s decisions, they often resort to “hitting the wallet” in order to delay the Church’s process of regaining strength.

    Without a doubt, the Church is not one to be messed with lightly.

    Faced with targeted attacks from the various nations, they retaliated fiercely, and supporting cult organizations was part of their strategy.

    Making a mess was secondary, the most important thing was to raise money.

    Due to the discrimination from various countries, the Church had to find unconventional ways to acquire sufficient funds.

    The Courage Potion within the Skeleton Society, for instance, originated from the Papal State.

    While it appeared that the cult organization was plundering recklessly, the wealth they stole was largely being redirected to the Papal State through a series of secret transactions.

    As long as the price is right, magic potions, alchemical products, and even evil tools or demons, can all be traded.

    In order to amass wealth, the Church has gone to extreme lengths.

    Despite all this, it barely managed to support the huge military expenditures.

    Upon hearing the decrease in budget, Captain Blake was on the verge of tears.

    Even though the taxes sent by the Alpha Kingdom branch were meager, it was still enough to sustain a Cavalry Corps, or five Thousand-man Infantry Corps.

    On the surface, it doesn’t compare to the benefits of supporting the Skeleton Society.

    But maintaining a continued flow of taxes far outweighs the one-time benefits of robbery.

    Based on past practices, once the taxes sent from different kingdoms to the Church decrease, they never increase again.

    This means that the budget the Judgement Knights are now losing will be hard to recover in the future.

    Just as he was about to argue, the cold stares from his colleagues calmed Blake down.

    The current problem was not simply some tax money; the real concern was the potential domino effect it might trigger.

    If all the kingdoms on the continent followed suit, the financial pressure on the Church would be even greater.

    Most importantly, as other kingdoms grew stronger, they became completely independent of the Church.

    They used to rely on the Church to suppress the evil spirits, but now, each nation had cultivated their own forces.

    Plainly speaking, the Church’s job was taken from them, and now it’s merely living on its past glory.

    This unimpressive and insecure figure always aspires to be the leader, how could it not invite resentment?

    “Your Holiness, rest assured, I will immediately send people to retrieve the Blood Moon Horn, and sever ties with the Skeleton Society, leaving absolutely no trace.”

    A bright idea occurred to Blake, and he immediately made the promise.

    …

    Under the scorching sun, the Fifth Army, which should have been resting, continued their march.

    There were still a few hours before nightfall, and they were only about ten miles away from their destination.

    A bit of extra effort was only appropriate at this point.

    With the main force of the Allied Forces able to reinforce them promptly if they were to be ambushed by the Rebel Army, safety was assured.

    There was no need to conserve energy for such a short distance.

    While the soldiers strived to march, for the nobility, a mere ten miles was nothing; it was merely a cup of tea’s duration on horseback.

    Hudson, currently riding on a War Horse, was leisurely enjoying the beautiful scenery, preparing to continue his slacking.

    “Suspicious caravan detected heading towards Dardiel City from the southeast.

    Suspected to be rebels…”

    The message from the spies interrupted Hudson’s slacking and also ignited the enthusiasm of the Robber Party.

    Although a previous dispute over spoils had caused some dissatisfaction, this did not hinder everyone’s desire to rob, especially when the meat was delivered right to their mouths.

    Without waiting for a discussion, everyone unanimously decided to rob it.

    Anyone showing up at this critical moment heading for Dardiel City was considered part of the Rebel Army, regardless of their affiliation.