The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!
Chapter 102 - 33: Gray’s Reforms (3)

Chapter 102: Chapter 33: Gray’s Reforms (3)

"Gray, we’ve spent an extraordinarily long time, yet we have still not found the right way to guide humanity. Honestly, I am very frustrated. It’s not that we do nothing, but rather that we can’t do anything. The church today, though fraught with various problems and vastly different from what we initially envisioned, you have to admit, they are doing quite well. At the very least, they haven’t let demons take over humanity," Catherine spoke in Gray’s mind.

"So, your standard of ’quite well’ is simply that humanity hasn’t been controlled by demons? Hahaha. By the way, were your earlier words meant to set the stage for convincing Gray to surrender?" Vivian sneered. "How do you know humans haven’t been controlled by us? Across the entire continent, including Gray, there are only five Holy Knights. Cardinals? Just thirty-two. Beyond these, who else do you think truly upholds sacred faith in your eyes? Even among these people, do they genuinely believe in holy faith? Do you know how many Demon Envoys exist across the continent? How many humans are willing to trade with demons? We simply disdain creating a church to decorate a false peace like you do."

"At least people lean towards goodness! Only goodness is praised! In the grand scheme of things, we’ve won!"

"Really? That’s just because they don’t dare to admit their darker sides. Isn’t vanity one of the evils you define? The more you paper over the cracks, the more it proves your failure!"

"You! You’re twisting words! Gray, don’t listen to her! You should believe in me; I’m the Guardian Angel guiding you towards goodness!"

"Gray, it’s still not too late to give up. Embrace the darkness—it will bring you unparalleled joy! Trust me, holy faith is nothing but an impractical burden!"

"You!"

"What? You don’t like it? Bite me if you dare!"

"Argh—!"

Catherine and Vivian fussed as usual, with Vivian as always gaining the upper hand. Gray, however, seemed to have no intention of heeding either of them.

He walked along the path, suddenly mounted his horse, and began galloping around Lion King City, inspecting field after field of farmland. Despite the bickering angels and demons in his mind, he remained silent.

The black cat inside his armor also stayed quietly, merely watching.

Most of the farmland was desolate—yes, most of it. Almost every field was overrun by weeds and lacked care. The farms exuded an air of decay. The only consolation was that not all were abandoned. At least some people still worked diligently.

A shepherd was snoring in a small hut beside the sheep pen. The sheep inside were down to a few, each one emaciated, but at least there were still some left.

Gray rode past the sheep pen silently.

...

A middle-aged man in tattered clothing was negotiating with a nobleman amidst a barren farmland.

The middle-aged man shouted, "You should pay more for this land! It’s not small, and look, it’s very fertile! A year ago, such land would’ve easily sold for five gold coins!"

"Things aren’t the same as they were. The Holy Knights distribute money to people every month now. Isn’t this farmland something the Holy Knights gave you?" the nobleman replied dismissively. "Even the most fertile soil requires people to farm it, and I can hardly find anyone. I don’t even know why I’m buying it. I’ll give you five more gold coins if you plant this farmland and farm it for three years. A year ago, your reward would’ve been just one gold coin."

"Then forget it. I’ve worked myself to the bone for most of my life. Now that the Holy Knights rule, I have no interest in dealing with land anymore," the middle-aged man said.

"Then it’s settled. Two gold coins. If you won’t sell, I won’t buy."

Gray rode past them silently.

...

A merchant was working late into the night to receive his stock. Cartloads of goods were parked near a warehouse on the outskirts, and workers were busy moving items into storage.

"Damn that Allen Kingdom for raising prices again. Good heavens, the Holy Knights need to hand out more money, or we won’t be able to afford anything," the fat merchant bellowed, wiping sweat and venting his anger on the workers. "Haven’t you eaten? Move faster! If you keep being this lazy, I’ll deduct your pay!"

But as soon as he shouted, the six workers there dropped their goods onto the ground in unison.

"What are you doing?" the merchant demanded.

"We’re done! We don’t even want the pay anymore!" The lead worker snapped with a fierce glare. "Move it yourself!"

"Wait!" the merchant quickly called out. "Don’t! I’ll... I’ll give you more pay."

"How much more could you give? More than the Holy Knights?" scoffed the lead worker. "Think again. We’re outta here!"

With that, all six workers left shouting together.

The merchant collapsed onto the ground in frustration, staring at the mountain of goods as he took deep breaths. "Good God... I can’t even afford employees before I run out of stock?"

Gray passed silently on horseback.

...

In a tavern on the outskirts, a large crowd was drinking and gambling. Someone raised a glass and called out, "A toast—to the Holy Knights who gave us a carefree life like the nobles’!"

Instantly, everyone in the tavern raised their cups. Whistles, cheers, and revelry filled the air.

Gray rode past the window without a word.

"At least... they still adore you," the black cat muttered softly.

"The amount they adore me today, they will hate me just as much tomorrow," Gray replied quietly.

As Catherine had said, if you are kind, someone will exploit your kindness. If you are righteous, someone will exploit your righteousness. For the flaws of the human heart are intrinsic, and no amount of goodwill can change that. This was the stark reality before Gray. The reason Heaven adhered to holy faith for millennia yet remained powerless.

After circling most of Lion King City, Gray finally spoke, "Catherine, can you calculate how much grain I’ll need to remedy the situation if I act now? Everything else can wait. But grain, I caused this, and I must resolve it no matter what."

The fierce argument between the angel and demon in his mind abruptly ceased.

Gray continued, "This was my mistake—I admit it. Don’t worry, I will not fall into darkness. But I must immediately seek a solution. The road to faith is never smooth. I shall press on as I always have!"

Silence. A long, deep silence. The angel and demon were both struck speechless.

The night wind blew gently, stirring the clouds in the sky, the branches of distant forests, and the wild grass in the abandoned fields.

Gray sat atop his horse, silently gazing towards Lion King City under the silver moonlight.

"You idiot..." Vivian muttered at last in exasperation.

"I don’t know either," Catherine admitted softly. "This land produces two harvests a year. Missing one season shouldn’t require an enormous amount, but it certainly won’t be little. I do have an idea to remedy this... If you are willing to admit your mistakes to the church and welcome back Benedict II, I think the church could help. Bob’s situation can be discussed further. After what happened before, I doubt Benedict II will be as arrogant. We could negotiate terms to ensure Bob isn’t harmed."

"Like Dean suggested earlier?"

"Yes."

Vivian interjected petulantly, "Or you could simply embrace the darkness. Then you wouldn’t need a solution at all. Let the church handle their own mess. Don’t you find them insufferable? Isn’t it tempting to cause trouble for the people you hate? They might even be scheming something nasty against you right now. Honestly, I don’t understand—you have such a golden opportunity to fall into darkness, why not grab it? A single nod and you could become the Demon Lord’s most favored envoy."

Ignoring Vivian’s taunts, Gray asked, "If the church were to handle this, how would they go about it?"

"They would probably gather surplus grain from other nations. There’s no way Isaac’s territory has enough. They’d have to request aid from neighboring countries."

"Then if the church can gather grain from other countries, so can I."

"Why do you think you can?" For once, Vivian surprisingly sided with Catherine. She said, "Right now, other nations are probably eager for your downfall. If they realize Isaac is facing a famine, they might refuse to sell grain at any price. Didn’t you just hear? Imports to Isaac are getting more expensive!"

"If they refuse, I’ll persuade them one by one!" Gray said with determination.

"With what? You’re not planning to declare war, are you?" Catherine exclaimed in shock.

"No, I mean genuine persuasion," Gray said earnestly. "I will visit them one by one and seek the support of their royal families. Before the next harvest, I will bring back enough grain."

"I don’t think that’s possible," Catherine said.

"I also think the chances are slim," Vivian agreed.

Even the black cat chimed in, "I think it’s impossible too."

Yet Gray remained resolute: "I will not surrender to the church. A mistake is a mistake. There’s no excuse or justification. Reality’s hardships cannot serve as an excuse to waver in faith. By the same token, I will not evade my mistakes. If I committed wrongs, I must take responsibility. Justice is not a bargaining chip! I will do everything in my power to fix this!"

Neither the angel nor the demon could find words to respond.

...

"No matter the obstacles, I will not falter!"

Gray spurred his horse towards Pearce Cathedral.

...

Meanwhile, Shelley stood trembling in her room, confronted by three mercenaries and Andrew.

A small bottle of translucent white liquid was tossed into Shelley’s hands.

"Drink it," Andrew said softly, his pointed ears twitching. "As long as you drink it, I promise not to harm you or your grandfather."