III. The Marve Holy Nation
“Your Majesty, the Marve Church has announced a new doctrine,”
Gamaras reported with a tense expression in the throne room.
He used to have a typical villain’s face with fleshy cheeks, but after I entrusted him with domestic affairs, he has become thin and transformed into a benevolent-looking man. In fact, he’s an excellent politician, and it’s thanks to Gamaras that the muscle-brained Faloon is able to function properly.
I don’t necessarily need to hear reports in this particular place, but since I’m supposed to act like a king, I try to sit on the throne whenever I have free time.
The Marve Church mentioned in this report is the largest religion on the Ares continent. The healing magic used by the priests is basically granted by the Marve God, and most countries have the Marve Church as their state religion. Faloon also formally has the Marve Church as its state religion.
I’m not particularly devout myself. My life has never been blessed enough to believe in the existence of gods. Even now.
“The three points of the new doctrine are: the prohibition of eating monster meat, the prohibition of large-scale use of monsters, and the protection of noble status.”
Hmm, all of those are common-sense issues. Most countries wouldn’t have a problem with them. But in Faloon, not a single one is being observed. Sadly, there is no such thing as common sense in this country.
Still, the content seems to be aimed directly at Faloon.
“Does the Marve Church hold a grudge against our country?”
I don’t have much interest in the Marve Church, nor do I recall persecuting them.
“Your Majesty, are you aware that our country has been without a Marve bishop for a long time?”
A bishop? Come to think of it, there used to be one. I recalled a fat old man who acted arrogantly as God’s representative during national events.
“Indeed, there isn’t one now. What happened to the previous bishop? If I recall correctly, you were quite close with him?”
The fat priest must have been close enough to Gamaras to be called part of the Gamaras faction.
“Yes, I was indeed close with the bishop. However, the fact that I was close with him back then means that he was involved in corruption and wrongdoing…”
Gamaras trailed off. Ah, I see. Well, anyone who associated with Gamaras back then was bound to be no good.
“Did you kill him along with the other nobles when I seized the throne?”
I don’t remember at all, but it wouldn’t be surprising if I did. After all, the Hundreds were killing indiscriminately. Those uneducated brutes couldn’t tell the difference between nobles and bishops.
“No, the bishop wasn’t in the castle at that time, so he was unharmed. However, since he had amassed wealth through corruption, I later confiscated all his assets and banished him.”
……If he did something like that, it’s no wonder the Marve Church doesn’t have a good impression of Faloon.
“So that’s the reason?”
“No, we reported the corruption to the Marve Holy Nations as well, so it’s not like our country was solely at fault. However, they haven’t sent a replacement bishop.”
No matter how much the bishop was at fault, there probably aren’t many who would want to come to a country where the previous one was stripped naked and banished.
“Well, we have no need for mere formalities like a Marve bishop in our country.”
I dislike ceremonies and such troublesome matters, and there haven’t been any particular problems due to the bishop’s absence.
“As expected of you, Your Majesty. That ruthless attitude of eliminating waste is what makes you a true king.”
Gamaras knelt down. Wait, the way he says it makes it sound like I’m just being stingy.
“So, how shall we respond to the Marve Church’s new doctrine?”
I think it’s fine to accept it. The content is reasonable.
To begin with, I never wanted to eat monster meat. Unless a war breaks out, we have no need to use a monster army. The remaining nobles in Faloon, Cadonia, and Dorsen are like family to us.
I don’t see any problems, do I?
But perhaps I should discuss it with Nicol and Carmilla first.
Since I’ve entrusted the countries to those two, I need to explain properly to avoid confusion. Religious matters are delicate issues.
As for the prohibition of monster meat, Nicol doesn’t eat it, and Carmilla only reluctantly ate it, so I’m sure they’ll both agree.
If I alone agree to the new doctrine, the Hundreds might vehemently protest. Cassandra would probably inflict domestic violence on me. However, if Nicol and Carmilla agree, the responsibility would be dispersed. Yeah, that’s not a bad idea.
“I’ll discuss it with Nicol and Carmilla before deciding on a response.”
“Understood, I’ll make the arrangements immediately.”
Following my instructions, Gamaras hurriedly left.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Since we couldn’t leave Cadonia and Dorsen without rulers, we ended up holding a conference with Nicol and Carmilla through magic.
By the magic users’ sorcery, Nicol and Carmilla’s figures were projected onto the walls of the conference room, and their voices could be heard from there. Quite convenient.
In addition to Gamaras and Ruida attending, Gamaras is a facilitator, and Rueda is a priest giving advice.
Frau was also sitting next to me for some reason. Well, she’s the queen, so it’s fine for her to be here, but I don’t recall inviting her.
First, Gamaras gave an overview of the Marve Church’s new doctrine. The content was as I had heard before. Nicol and Carmilla had probably already heard about it too.
After listening to Gamaras, Nicol asked with a serious expression:
“In other words, the next target is the Marve Holy Nations?”
……How did he arrive at that conclusion from what was just explained?
“They have quite the nerve, picking a fight with Faloon. Those servants of God are acting rather arrogant,”
Carmilla said with a mocking laugh, holding a fan to her mouth.
Huh? You too? Even though you hated monster meat so much?
If we accept this doctrine, you won’t have to eat that disgusting meat anymore.
“Are you two opposed to the new doctrine? The other side is the largest religious organization on the Ares continent, you know?”
Since I’ve entrusted you with the countries, I wish you’d take this a bit more seriously. In a way, this could be a good opportunity for Faloon to become a decent country.
“I see, so you wanted to confirm if we were prepared to make enemies of the Marve Holy Nations, brother.”
Nicol, who was still rather childish when he went to Cadonia, has grown more stately and kingly. With his black hair and eyes, he resembles me as brothers would, but he used to look more delicate. He now has a child with his wife, Queen Rubis.
The now mature-looking Nicol was saying something I didn’t quite understand. What’s this about being prepared to make enemies of the Marve Holy Nations? I didn’t have any such thoughts.
“To be sure, the citizens may become unsettled. But did you really think we looked like such weaklings who would falter at that level?”
Carmilla said, her purple hair cascading over her ample bosom as she remained alluring. Despite having a child, her beauty has only been polished further.
Sure, she’s beautiful, but does that mean you’re also keen on picking a fight with the Marve Church?
“Wait. The peace and well-being of the people are a king’s duty. You mustn’t take that lightly.”
I reprimanded the two with as much dignity as I could muster. I’ve been a king longer than either of them. I need to take the lead here…
“We understand, brother. There’s no need to test us so much,”
Nicol said with a wry smile. Test? Test what?
“Monster meat is the very foundation of Faloon. Without it, Cadonia and Dorsen cannot sustain themselves. No matter how disgusting and poisonous it may be, we cannot simply abandon it now.”
Carmilla twisted her lips in distaste, but it seems she’s still accepting of the meat.
For monster meat to be the foundation, just how wretched a country is Faloon?
I want to live eating more delicious food.
“As Lady Carmilla says, the Hundreds exist because of monster meat. And Faloon exists because of the Hundreds. The Hundreds led by you, brother, are the very foundation supporting this country. It’s because of the Hundreds that Faloon, with its small military force, was able to advance to the center. The Marve Holy Nations must dislike that, so they’re trying to weaken Faloon’s military strength by cutting off our monster meat supply. Our monster army must also seem quite formidable to them. Iris and Vulcan are likely behind this, working to weaken us. What a troubling effort they’ve made.”
It seems Nicol considers monster meat more important than I imagined.
Indeed, our current military power relies heavily on the Hundreds.
Thanks to them, we can get by with fewer soldiers. Plus, since they’re eager to go to war, I can send them into battle without feeling guilty.
If monster meat is prohibited, how would the Hundreds react?
……They’d probably go berserk. They might even start a civil war. Ogma and Cassandra would probably side with them too. Thinking about it, that’s not very tasty.
“There’s another issue,”
Nicol continued. What else is there?
“The protection of noble status.”
Gamaras nodded happily at the words of Nicol, his grandson from a different mother – Nicol’s mother was Gamaras’ daughter.
The protection of noble status? But there are hardly any nobles left, mainly because you all persecuted them so much. So what issue could there be now?
“While we’ve banished most of the nobles, if we accept the new doctrine, there’s a high chance they’ll demand the restoration of their status. Even if the individuals themselves have passed away, their relatives may act as proxies and demand the return of their lands and assets. The Marve Church will likely support them in this. Iris and Vulcan will also back the former nobles. In that case, domestic unrest would be unavoidable. Since the new doctrine uses vague phrasing like ‘protection of noble status,’ it’s legally problematic. What exactly does ‘protection of noble status’ mean? To what extent should their status be restored? Can we base it on our domestic laws and precedents? Or must we follow the Marve Church’s instructions? It will be a massive headache. It’s completely unacceptable. At most, we could perhaps accept the part about prohibiting the use of monsters.”
I had never considered that. The nobles’ wealth? They’ve probably squandered most of it already. There is revenue from the arena, but I don’t want to hand it over to those guys. It certainly could be a troublesome issue.
TLNOTE: While waiting for the next chapter , I implore you dear readers to read other masterpiece novels that also written by the same author :
- Who killed the Hero?
- The Suspects of Necromancy
- The Wicked Princess and 12 Eyes – The Strongest Squires and the Legendary Evil Woman, the Second Time in Her Life
- The Exiled Merchant Saves the World with the Power of Gold (translated by my friend meerkat)
Volume 2 English translation has been removed from this website, buy the official version when it’s out in April !
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