NOVEL WEB EP.12
Golden Cross Church.
The largest religion on the continent and the state religion of the Apellia Empire.
This venerable faith has been around for over a dozen centuries, long before the establishment of the Apellia Empire, and its main doctrine is to worship the God who saved the world from all evil.
While there are many ways to describe these believers, I would define them as follows:
Calvinists.
True to their name, which includes “golden,” they were extraordinarily favorable towards commerce. Their doctrine asserted that as long as one earned money through legitimate means, no one could touch their wealth.
The reason the Merchant Guild could grow without hindrance from the nobility or the state lay in the strong protection offered by these sects, which kept secular powers in check—need I say more?
This extended to the clergy as well.
So, let me clarify beforehand: priests affiliated with the Golden Cross Church were free to indulge in wealth and luxury as they pleased.
“Oh dear, our Archbishop.”
“Yes, yes indeed.”
Thus, the sight of this plump middle-aged priest shivering in front of me while hosting a drunken feast was hardly a crime. Enjoying one’s life with money they earned is something even their scripture permits.
“Hey, this doesn’t look like something bought with the bishop’s money, does it?”
“Th-this is just wine used during mass at the cathedral! We received it as a donation for free! There’s absolutely no embezzlement here!”
However, doing so with embezzled money was a different story.
“I haven’t lived that long, but I’ve never heard of using top-shelf brandy for a church mass.”
Jingle jingle.
Just shaking the nearly empty bottle sent a fragrant floral scent wafting through the air. Having experienced fine dining as a noble, I could tell right away.
This wasn’t your average expensive stuff.
Unless someone was seriously deranged, no one would offer something like this for casual use.
So there could be only two possibilities.
“Be honest. How did you obtain this?”
The Archbishop kept glancing at my expression, and upon seeing me furrow my brows, he hurriedly opened his mouth.
“I-I swear, there’s no embezzlement! It’s just that a few people offered to give valuable items for mass in place of cash donations!”
That was a hard-to-believe answer. Sure, it wasn’t unheard of to donate goods to the church. But usually, that involved contributing buildings, land for construction, or decorative items for the cathedral—not consumables.
After all, those who made such donations were usually looking to emphasize their devotion to the faith; it would be absurd for someone to donate something that would just get used up.
“So, can I sell all this and convert it to cash before reporting? Or just send it to the Holy Kingdom instead.”
At those words, the Archbishop’s expression turned pale.
Of course. This had to be some sort of item received in exchange for something. Whatever that something was, it was evident it wasn’t something to parade around proudly.
“Oh, no!”
I had been waiting for that response.
“Hmm… it seems a bit of a waste for you to keep all these fine items to yourself, so let’s distribute them to other parishes within the empire. If we do this in your name, the others will surely be pleased, don’t you think?”
I pretended to start walking away, and immediately the Archbishop grabbed my arm.
“W-wait a moment!”
He looked at me with an earnest expression. But he didn’t dare speak recklessly. We maintained a standoff for a moment as he desperately tried to read my expression.
“What… do you want?”
He finally made his choice.
“It’s nothing major. You just need to help me with one task.”
He looked flustered, glancing around as if unsure what to do.
“I-I’m sorry, but I need to know what you desire. Even though I may have had a bit of greed, I absolutely cannot take part in anything illegal!”
What’s wrong with this guy? Stubborn in strange places.
I was slightly taken aback, but it didn’t really matter. What I was going to request wasn’t anything grand.
“It’s nothing like that, just help me create a pretext for a quick escape to the Holy Kingdom at the right moment.”
At this, the Archbishop perked up.
It seemed he had caught onto a contradiction in my words.
“…Didn’t you say you just came from the palace?”
“I am currently residing in the palace.”
I waved my hand goodbye to the Archbishop, who was looking at me with a face that screamed he had been duped, and left the room.
—
I had acquired a good pretext generator, but that didn’t mean I could just leave the capital immediately.
Unfortunately, coming up with a convincing excuse for Maria didn’t happen simply by pressing the Archbishop’s panic button.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, I’m heading to the cathedral for some volunteer work.”
“…As far as I know, you weren’t that devout of a believer, were you?”
“Well, it’s just a way to mingle and make some acquaintances.”
EP.12 (cont’d)
“…Well, I suppose it’s fine.”
Especially since Maria was suspiciously well-acquainted with my personal life.
Unfortunately, while I believed there existed some divine entity that cast me into this world, whether it was the deity worshipped by the Golden Cross Church remained uncertain, so I had never truly engaged in religious activities with any earnestness.
Maria was fully aware of that. She even knew it when I wasn’t around.
“Well then, I’ll be off today too.”
“Just don’t forget that tomorrow is the day you’ll be meeting His Majesty.”
“I have enough sense to remember that much.”
I bid her farewell and headed toward the cathedral.
The volunteer work was, of course, a mere pretext. However, I wasn’t completely slacking off; I would hang around the cathedral until the nuns or the priests asked me to lend a hand, at which point I would gladly assist.
“…If you’re just sitting there, why don’t you help us with our work?”
Having watched the Archbishop for the last two days as he bustled about, he sighed and said,
“Everyone is doing their jobs well on their own, so isn’t my involvement just a hindrance?”
He had long since abandoned any formality, so he wasn’t flustered by my casual tone.
“Well, at the very least, you could keep an eye on the children at the orphanage next door to ensure they don’t hurt themselves while playing. Please don’t waste time just sitting here.”
Remarkably, the Archbishop was more diligent than I expected.
No, really.
“Why is there an orphanage within the castle walls? Isn’t this a space for the nobility?”
“The orphans come from outside the castle. In the past, the cardinal overseeing this area felt that if they were abandoned by their parents, they should at least spend their childhood in a good place, so he moved the church’s orphanage here.”
The first time I saw him, he appeared utterly typical of a corrupt clergyman, submerged in drink. But it seemed that was merely due to his fondness for alcohol.
The most shocking thing was when he claimed he had never embraced a woman in his life.
“I swear to the Lord! I have never engaged in impure deeds, whether with prostitutes or illegitimate relationships!”
“So, is it that someone with such a track record has been expertly extorting money from the nobility?”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve touched confessions, so it’s all fine, right…?”
“So are we to praise the Archbishop for this?”
“…”
Is it because the concept of contract exists as doctrine? The Golden Cross Church was remarkably open when it came to money matters. They even operated a foundation openly engaging in financial dealings under the church’s name. Perhaps that’s why Archbishop Paul had an extraordinary knack for accumulating wealth.
He wasn’t spectacularly skilled in business; he simply had an exceptional nose for money.
Now that I had a hold on his leash, I took a look at his accounts: it was astonishing how he extorted money from wealthy nobles and merchants by whatever means necessary.
Of course, this didn’t quite align with the church’s doctrine of earning money through legitimate means, and if it came to light, it would have been more than enough to get him impeached from the archbishopric.
However, from what I had observed over the past couple of days, there was hardly any corruption that would qualify him as a villain. In retrospect, even during the drinking party I had witnessed, there was no trace of women or drugs—just suspiciously expensive wine and his inebriated companions sprawled across his room.
“I don’t know, no matter how I think about it, I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“What is it that you’re dissatisfied with now?”
“That a crime committed by an archbishop would simply involve receiving kickbacks at his level?”
He broke into a sweat, glancing around nervously, signaling for me to lower my voice.
“T-that alone is enough to cost me my head, so please keep your voice down…!”
“There’s no sexual misconduct, no collaborations with heretics, no apostasy—are you saying you just lived to eat and extort money?”
“Well, I think I understand how Lord Wilhelm feels about priests….”
But in fantasy novels, isn’t the notion that clergymen are corrupt an established norm? Shouldn’t the crimes committed by an archbishop overseeing the imperial capital be a bit more… grandiose?
Not that I genuinely hoped for such a grim scenario. If clergymen were honest…, if they were honest…
An extortionist isn’t the same as honest…?
Anyway, it’s not a bad thing for a clergyman to be diligent in his work.
Well, regardless of Archbishop Paul’s character, he did have a point. Eventually, I could discuss the main issue with him only after his schedule came to an end in the evening. So there I was, idly keeping an eye on the orphanage to ensure none of the children fell over when a priest approached me.
“The Archbishop has summoned you.”
“Oh, finally.”
I got up from my spot and headed straight for the Archbishop’s room. He was seated in his finery, waiting for me despite the day’s labors being done.
The atmosphere was a stark contrast to what we had discussed earlier about trivial matters outside.
“So, what are your plans?”
EP.13 (cont’d)
The matter of whether we could trust each other had already been thoroughly discussed yesterday. Now it was truly time to formulate our plans.
“First of all, Archbishop, all you need to do is earnestly participate in the rite of passage tomorrow.”
The Archbishop raised an eyebrow at my words.
“Isn’t the easiest way to say you’re heading to the Holy Kingdom for religious reasons?”
Sure, it was true that many often vanished at night under the pretense of a pilgrimage, but that wouldn’t work in my situation.
“No, you can’t fool Maria with that.”
“Y-you mean Her Highness the Princess…?”
The gravity of the topic caused him to shrink back.
Even as an archbishop, he was still just a high-ranking official in a secular state, so dealing with royalty must weigh heavily on him. But since it wouldn’t escalate into a diplomatic issue, it wasn’t something to fret over.
“Maria knows an unusually alarming amount about my personal life. It feels like she has someone watching me.”
“Watching…!”
He looked like he might pass out from fear.
“…It’s a private matter, so don’t worry too much about it.”
“The fact that it’s a private matter makes it even scarier!”
Is that so? Well, she wasn’t a child who couldn’t distinguish between public and private, so I didn’t think it would be too dangerous.
I shrugged my shoulders and continued my explanation.
“Anyway, here’s my plan. I’ll build rapport with you, and you’ll leverage your position as archbishop to request my help with tasks related to the Holy Kingdom.”
The Archbishop still seemed unsure if stepping into this kind of thing was the right move, but he nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, that’s the most reasonable approach.”
“But if we suddenly act like we’re close, Maria will get suspicious.”
“That’s true.”
He agreed as I laid out my rationale slowly.
Fortunately, it seemed easy to persuade him. I pointed at the calendar marked with tomorrow’s date.
“So, let’s showcase our friendship at the rite of passage tomorrow.”
“…We’ve only known each other for three days, haven’t we?”
He was right about that.
But that wasn’t an issue.
“It’s not like I’m leaving right away. It’ll be at least a month before I can leave, so that’s enough time for us to fit into each other’s vibe and say we’ve become friends, isn’t it?”
Now the Archbishop nodded in understanding.
“True, that amount of time should suffice.”
Yet he still appeared to harbor doubts.
“But what request could we possibly make to Lord Wilhelm in the Holy Kingdom? It’s somewhat embarrassing to say this in front of the imperial nobles, but the Holy Kingdom has its own military strength.”
Fortunately, I had a confident answer ready for that question.
I pointed my thumb at myself.
“My alias is Monster Hunter. So what exactly do you think I do?”
“Monster hunting, I assume.”
“Exactly.”
Historically, the reason nobles would request my services wasn’t merely due to the strength of monsters. It was only natural that the strength of a knight order would far exceed that of an individual like me. A properly trained knight—one alone might not pose a problem, but a group would be a challenge even for a sword expert like me.
Moreover, most regional lordships had their own knight orders, big or small.
Thus, the reason they turned to me wasn’t just about combat capability.
“Monster hunting, particularly hunting large monsters, is far too inefficient for an army or knight order to handle, isn’t it?”
It’s annoying. The costs far exceed the returns, yet if you completely ignore the threats, the complaints of the citizens would start rising—this delicate form of irritation was precisely the foundation upon which I’d built my current reputation.
The Holy Kingdom couldn’t escape this logic either.
“To my knowledge, I’ve heard that while the outskirts might occasionally face monster outbreaks, isn’t it true that if we use the excuse of my friendship with you, Archbishop, to take on a commission this year, it would look quite good?”
“Indeed, you’ve thought this through.”
Well, it was a plan hastily concocted over the last couple of nights, but still.
I agreed with the Archbishop’s assessment. Even I recognized that it was an undeniably solid plan.
“Then let’s go with this.”
“Understood.”
And so, I returned to the palace with a light heart, comfortably stretching my legs out and drifting off to sleep.
—
“The Empress wishes to see Lord Wilhelm.”
“Damn it.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said I understood.”
“Uh, uhh… Yes…”
Realizing that I had been in a coffin was an unforeseen revelation on the day of the rite of passage.