King
Chapter 113 - 113 96 Adding Fuel to the Fire_2

113: Chapter 96, Adding Fuel to the Fire_2 113: Chapter 96, Adding Fuel to the Fire_2 Yet this legendary Divine Spirit, although ruthless in striking down heresies, seems to have never interfered with the infighting among its believers, according to the records.

Especially since it hasn’t shown itself for thousands of years.

Scholars across the continent never shy away from questioning: The Theory of the Deity’s Retreat, The Theory of the Deity’s False Testimony, and The Theory of the Deity’s Emptiness…

True or false, the Clergy surely detests these theories and wishes nothing more than to annihilate their proponents.

Regretfully, these people are vehemently protected by their nations, denying the Clergy an opportunity to act against them.

Even a minor noble like Hudson knows of these theories, which attests to the rulers’ attitudes.

…

Holy Mountain

Upon receiving the news from the Alpha Kingdom, Shelter VII was so infuriated that he almost choked on his own bile.

By around sending someone to destroy the evidence, ostensibly to prevent escalating tensions and to protect the grand plans of the Clergy.

Regrettably, plans don’t change as quickly as circumstances do.

The fallout from the scandal involving the Blood Moon Horn had not yet ended, and now a new scandal surrounding the murder of the King’s Special Envoy emerged.

The Flying Dragon Cavalry sent by Clergy were wiped out, causing substantial losses to the Clergy in the Alpha Kingdom.

As for the ordinary income from the tithe, indulgences, and donations…

it was safe to assume that not a single copper coin would be seen in the future.

“Captain Blake, is this how you assured me?”

Shelter VII asked sternly.

While loss in money was bearable, what mattered more was the already tattered reputation of the Clergy, which took another blow.

Since he took office, he put a lot of effort into the reputation whitewashing plan for over a decade, and this incident might well bankrupt it entirely.

Explanations were meaningless since the Alpha Kingdom aired out all the dirty laundry, whether they were supposed to or not.

A single mishap in their operation shifted the entire narrative against them.

Regardless of how many explanations were given, the public would readily believe that the Alpha Kingdom held the Blood Moon Horn, which subsequently provoked the attack by Clergy.

In fact, Shelter VII had the same belief.

Why would they jeopardize their relationship by murdering the King’s Special Envoy without any prior grievances?

He saw no issue in Carlos’s independent decision.

The only problem was his carelessness that led to exposure.

The small relief was that the Blood Moon Horn didn’t fall into the hands of the Alpha Kingdom, allowing the Clergy to save some face.

Otherwise, their support for the cult organization would be completely exposed under the daylight.

Despite negative repercussions, Shelter VII felt the sacrifice of the Flying Dragon Cavalry was worth it.

It was one thing to be implicated, but the solid evidence was another matter.

Even if it was a pitiful pleading, the Clergy desperately needed it to cover up their shame.

As long as they had it, they could shamelessly deny any accusations.

Although it didn’t have any practical implications, political matters often ended up with people insisting on their innocence, even if they know they were at fault.

While they could maintain a strong front to the public, they couldn’t neglect the internal responsibilities.

Wherever there were people, there would be conflicts, and the Clergy was not unified.

Without a reasonable explanation, it would be impossible to justify their actions to all parties involved.

The Cavalry, who suffered a devastating loss, didn’t need to take responsibility.

However, as the superior, Blake was naturally accountable for his subordinate’s inefficiency.

Unfortunately, the Blood Moon Horn had slipped out of the hands of the Judgement Knights.

From start to finish, Blake was deeply involved in the matter, leaving him without any room to argue.

“Your Majesty, as the regiment commander of the Judgement Knights, I cannot absolve myself from the responsibility of this incident.”

Blake accepted the responsibility courageously and turned his hopeful eyes to his peers, hoping they might speak for him.

Whether he did any PR work behind the scenes was unknown.

For now, at least, Blake was seen as a good believer who bravely accepted his duties.

“Your Majesty, while Captain Blake is responsible, the true culprits are the ones who were guarding the Blood Moon Horn.

The Flying Dragon Cavalry was merely doing their clean-up work.

Though their actions were exposed, they managed to hide the Blood Moon Horn, effectively offsetting any blames!

The Alpha Kingdom is thousands of miles away from us, with several countries in between.

No matter how discontent they are, they can only shout from a distance.”

All movable assets have been frozen by them.

The worst-case scenario is already upon us.

As long as other countries don’t interfere, this matter should draw to a close.”

Cardinal Soren’s words made Shelter VII roll his eyes.

It would be sufficient to plead, but coming from him, it sounded like he was giving up.

However, this correctly depicted the reality the Clergy had to face.

The Alpha Kingdom couldn’t touch the Clergy, which also meant the Clergy couldn’t do anything to the Alpha Kingdom.

Confronting them head-on was naivety only children would have.

They were mature politicians who knew how to weigh the risks and benefits.

As for the identified scapegoats, it was simply their misfortune.

Although they were punished before, they weren’t sentenced to death.

Now that someone had to take responsibility, they had no choice but to bear it once more.

They couldn’t possibly demote a high-ranking official for such a trivial matter, which would disrupt the balance of power within the Clergy, could they?

Even if they had to deal with Blake, they would need to find a suitable successor first.

Otherwise, removing him prematurely would surely throw the Judgement Knights into chaos.