The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 101 - 32: Gray’s Reforms (2)

Chapter 101: Chapter 32: Gray’s Reforms (2)

Just when everyone believed Gray had won a decisive victory in his power struggle with the Church, Gray thought otherwise.

In truth, he felt he had lost—and lost completely.

Starry night, Lion King City.

On the rooftop of a small house, Gray and Carl quietly watched the people inside a room through the open window of a building across from them.

A drunken man was beating his wife, shouting as he struck her: "Go ahead, report me! Report me! The Holy Knights will stand up for you, and I’ll be thrown in jail tomorrow. But once I get out, I’ll start beating you all over again, just like now!"

Standing beside him, Carl spoke softly: "Holy Knight, the situation is complicated, so I felt it necessary to inform you. It’s not just this family; in fact, we’re encountering more and more unusual cases."

"Her husband is beating her?" Gray asked softly.

"Yes."

"Then why doesn’t she divorce him? I recall that the new law allows them to divorce freely."

"But what governs people’s lives isn’t just the law," Carl said. "The law has changed, but people don’t see divorce as a good thing. A divorced woman finds it hard to remarry, and living alone is even harder. Moreover, they have children."

"What if we force them to divorce?"

"That woman would hate you."

"We saved her, and yet she would hate us?"

"Yes, because she doesn’t believe you’re saving her."

"Why is her husband beating her?"

"Because he has no job now. In the past, he worked every day from morning till night just to fill his belly, leaving no extra energy or time to beat his wife."

"Why did he lose his job then?"

"He didn’t lose his job; his job lost him. He willingly gave up his work because we distributed enough money for him to live without working. And as long as he doesn’t work, he’ll always remain poor and entitled to our welfare assistance. According to the current welfare policy, we can’t let him starve."

"Are there many such cases?"

"Few in the past, but they’re becoming more frequent now. Additionally, our wealth distribution has made Lion King City prosperous, but it’s also caused everyone to become indulgent. Goods in the market are starting to run low. Despite neighboring countries desperately importing to us, prices keep rising. Above all, many people are becoming lazy and unwilling to work."

Gray suddenly thought of something. He leapt directly off the rooftop, landing flawlessly on Tenidas’s back in the alley below.

Riding Tenidas, Gray galloped along the street and headed directly toward the city outskirts.

Carl jumped off the rooftop as well, mounted his horse, and followed close behind.

Two demons stood silently atop a tall tower, watching them.

...

Soon, Gray arrived at the farmland outside the city.

A vast expanse of farmland had been overrun with wild grass.

Gray was stunned as he surveyed the scene. He dismounted, bent down, touched the desolate soil, and murmured, "I allocated all the Royal Family’s lands to them, yet... they refuse to farm? Before, when they had to pay exorbitant rent, they were willing to cultivate. Now, they’re unwilling?"

"Because of you. You’ve given them enough money to survive, so they’re enjoying life. Why go through such arduous labor?" The Black Cat said.

"But I didn’t give them much. The total is significant, but divided among individuals, it’s not excessive."

"It’s already enough for them to live on."

"Don’t they yearn for a better life? Is living merely about survival? If they labor, they could achieve more."

"Regrettably, that’s not how they seem to think."

Carl rode up from behind: "Holy Knight..."

"Return to the city. I want to be alone for a while," Gray said casually, his back turned to Carl.

"Uh... alright." Carl turned his horse and left.

The empty farm was now left to Gray alone.

Or rather, it was Gray, Tenidas, the Black Cat, Catherine, and Vivian who remained. Well, there were still "quite a few people."

...

Dean’s residence.

Andrew and Dean were quietly seated across from one another.

Dean kept his head lowered, seemingly awaiting Andrew’s instructions. Andrew, holding a folder, flipped through its pages with evident displeasure.

"It’s all useless. Is this the best you can uncover?"

"Apologies. After all, the Holy Father forbids me from approaching the Holy Knight too closely, so the information I can obtain is extremely limited. I hope you can understand."

"Then why were you made a bishop? If you’re so useless, even replacing you with a dog as bishop would make no difference."

Dean glanced at Andrew briefly, managing only a forced laugh.

"Mage," a voice suddenly rang out.

Turning his head, Dean saw a man in black leather armor push open the door to the balcony and enter.

The man casually glanced at Dean before respectfully saluting Andrew. "Holy Knight Gray has left Lion King City. His horse is exceptionally fast, and we couldn’t catch him."

"Do we know where he’s headed?"

"No. But we’re sure he’s gone, and he likely won’t return soon. After all, Carl, who had chased after him, has already returned alone."

Andrew tossed the file onto the table and spoke softly, "Alright, commence the operation."

"Operation? What are you planning?" Dean exclaimed.

"No one informed you? The current situation is dire. The Holy Father has demanded immediate results. Apparently, you need to reconsider your position with the Cardinal Court."

Andrew pressed on the armrests and slowly stood up.

The man in leather promptly draped a blue mage’s robe over him.

The two promptly leapt off the balcony and left.

Rushing onto the balcony, Dean widened his eyes, staring vacantly at their retreating figures.

...

Gray sat silently amid the abandoned farmland, gazing at the fields in silence.

"There’s no need to feel so down, Gray," the Black Cat said as he lifted his visor and leapt out, licking his paws. "This is perfectly normal, isn’t it? There will always be slackers. People still like you now; your reputation is sky-high. The Church has lost."

"But they weren’t slackers before. I’ve made them lazy. I’m causing a disaster."

"A disaster? What disaster?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Gray replied. "If they don’t farm, there will be no harvest. Even with money, they will eventually starve. And if we rely on money to buy grain from neighboring countries... I know that’s already happening right now. Neighboring countries don’t have limitless grain. Once we exhaust their supply, they’ll face shortages too. Then, the disaster won’t just befall Isaac."

"Uh... it could really end up like that?"

"It’s not just that. You sleep while I study legal reform every night, so you don’t know what’s been happening. I’ve used laws to suppress all crime, but new crimes are emerging. It’s utterly dire. I’ve eradicated villains, but now good people are becoming villains."

"Wait, I don’t get it," the Black Cat said, confused.

"The law only punishes certain crimes. Much of deterrence actually comes from other factors—such as being avenged for harming others. Because of the law, no one faces revenge anymore. So, relationships among people are deteriorating, giving rise to clever new villains. They don’t break the law, so I can’t punish them. No matter how I amend the law, they always find loopholes."

The Black Cat listened, speechless. "It can actually happen like this?"

"Yes, though I hate to admit it. This is reality," Gray said dejectedly. "I may seem to have suppressed all crime, but I haven’t turned them into good people. Instead, I’m turning some good people into bad ones... I’m triggering a disaster."

"But people still respect you, don’t they? They can’t find a better ruler than you. You’ve defeated the Church; everyone thinks so."

"But that’s not what I want. The respect they still have for me is only because they don’t realize I’m making their lives worse."

The Black Cat fell silent. Gray’s predicament was clearly beyond his understanding.

The wind blew gently, rustling the wildgrass around them.

The night was perfectly still.

After a long pause, Catherine spoke: "So, for us, the hardest thing has never been enforcing justice. It’s changing humanity. As I’ve said from the beginning, humanity as a species has never been synonymous with greatness. If you are kind, they will exploit your kindness. If you are upright, they will exploit your integrity. If you are generous, they will exploit your generosity. The Holy Spirits won’t even allow us to directly interact with humans because humanity corrupts us. Funny, isn’t it? Angels intend to inspire humans but end up being turned into Fallen Angels. This is why the Church exists: to maintain some distance between us and humanity. But by doing so, the Church’s purity can no longer be guaranteed."

"Vivian, do you have anything to add?" Gray asked.

Vivian thought for a long time before responding: "Actually, I don’t have much to say. From a demon’s perspective, I think you did well. I’m not talking about bringing disaster to Isaac. I’m talking about defeating the Church. At least, everyone believes you’ve succeeded, don’t they? I’d bet they’re panicking like ants on a hot stove right now. Strategically speaking, this time, you’ve won."

"In other words, I’ve gained nothing but fame. And fame is precisely the thing I shouldn’t have gained." The soul flames flickering in Gray’s eyes betrayed the depth of his despair.

"Look on the bright side—at least you’ve grown closer to reality, haven’t you?" Vivian said. "These months governing have surely given you new insights into humanity. This will benefit your faith. I mean, after better understanding this world’s reality, you might want to reconsider your beliefs."

Gray slowly stood up and began to walk back.

Tenidas followed closely behind.

In his mind, the angels’ and demons’ arguments, dormant for months, resumed their clamor.

"Gray, the desire to lead others toward goodness is correct. But there are many methods. Some are positive, others negative. Sometimes, suffering can also make people yearn for light. Meanwhile, prosperity may cause them to forget gratitude. You’ve just used the wrong method. We can try another way."

"How novel—you want Gray to bring them suffering? Gray, you’re right. The problem lies with humanity itself. You strive tirelessly to make the world better, offering them aid freely, yet they defy you. They don’t deserve your efforts. If you can abandon your compassion for them, you’ll find happiness."

"Abandon his compassion? You’re urging him to forsake divine faith!"

"No, quite the opposite. If you no longer see humanity as equal beings, is letting go of compassion truly a betrayal of divine faith?"

...

Meanwhile, a group of people crept into a mansion near Pearce Cathedral under the cover of night.

"Shelley lives here, right?"

"Yes. She isn’t clergy, so she can’t reside in the cathedral."

They looked up toward a second-floor room with a lit lamp and open window.