Episode 215: Did you like the donation? (1)
Porisco looked Giselle up and down with an arrogant expression.
‘Is this kid the rising star of the North? The young man has only gained fame thanks to the Marquis of Branford.’
He had heard news of the war, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t shake the suspicion that he had won by luck because of the drought.
‘If he was really that great, Countess Aylesbury and Lady Branford wouldn’t have rushed to find a priest and sent him.’
People only see what they know. That was exactly the case with Porisco.
The gossip of the nobles who ignored Giselle and the fact that she came from a harsh northern region were enough to create prejudice.
‘If it weren’t for the Marquis of Branford and the Countess of Aylesbury, I wouldn’t have dared meet him.’
There, Porisco is riding on the power of the religious order.
As a bishop of a religious order, he was in a position where even the nobles had to bow down to him, so it was easy to look down on someone like Baron Aesong.
But there was another reason why Porisco did not like Giselle.
‘That cheapskate who sells cosmetics… … Our income has decreased because of those cosmetics!’
The Joana cult, which worships the goddess of beauty, has been taking care of the beauty care of many nobles with its divine powers and has been collecting donations.
However, since cosmetics that are much cheaper and have better effects have been introduced, the church’s income was bound to decrease.
Since the amount of money coming into Porisco’s pockets had also decreased, it was natural that he would show an obviously unpleasant expression from the first time they met.
But Jiselle didn’t react much to his seemingly ignoring gaze. She simply bowed her head slightly and handed him a box.
“This is Baron Fenris. The priest Fiote you sent has been a great help to the territory. This is a gift I give you as a token of my gratitude.”
Porisco opened the box slightly and smiled happily without realizing it when he saw the jewels inside.
Although I am used to receiving gifts like this, I still feel good every time I receive one.
My dissatisfaction with Giselle has eased a little.
“The Countess of Ailsburg has already donated a lot… … . Now that she is giving us this, I guess she has something she wants?”
Indeed, this was not a skill that came from having received a bribe once or twice. He knew very well that if he received something, he had to give something back.
Jiselle continued speaking with a slight smile.
“Yes, our territory is in a difficult situation and there are many people who are having a hard time. That is why we are trying to unite the hearts of the people of the territory through the power of faith.”
“Oh, so you’re saying that we should create a new parish there?”
“Yes, I guess it’s because a proper religious order hasn’t yet established itself in our territory.”
“I understand that in the North, there are few believers in Lady Juana. Aren’t there many followers of other goddesses?”
Joanna is the goddess of abundance, production, economy, fairness, talent, and systems.
It also symbolized beauty and luxury, making it very popular among nobles, merchants, and officials.
In other words, it meant that it was not very popular with the people of the impoverished north.
To Porisco’s question, Giselle answered as if it was no big deal.
“Even so, everyone only believes superficially. Since there is a priest named Piote who can truly use divine power in the territory, the number of believers following Lady Juana will increase quickly.”
About half of it was true. In fact, there was an increasing number of cases of conversion among the people who experienced the divine power of Piote.
When Porisco heard those words, he showed a deep laugh.
‘Oh my, the northern country bumpkin got a taste of divine power and his eyes rolled back.’
As a bishop, I have seen country lords do this more than once. The quality of life changes when there is just one priest in the land.
Of course, because the number of priests was extremely small, it eventually became the exclusive property of the nobility.
Forisco pretended to think for a moment, then blurted out a word.
“Well, it will be difficult to get to the parish, but if you build a temple for Lady Juana, I will send a few monks and evangelists to serve.”
‘Where did you get the idea to take the priest away with such a trick?’
Since I took a bribe, I could grant him a small favor. But I had no intention of keeping Piote there any longer.
‘You must have gained some experience since you went out. If you roll it around here and there, you can make a lot of money.’
The priests were precious geese that laid golden eggs. He had to pick as many of them as possible before Piote’s status rose further.
There was another reason: a priest could only exert influence in the church if he had many priests following him.
Jiselle said with a slightly disappointed tone.
“Then, could you not allow Father Piote to stay in our territory a little longer?”
“Hmm, well, if it’s not a lie… … Ahem, what am I saying. If it’s not an official order, I can give you an extra three months with a small donation.”
“Donation… … . Okay.”
As Jiselle was about to say goodbye and leave, Porisco asked, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Are you leaving already? Not making a donation? Are you going to send it to Fiote right away?”
“No. If you’re going to donate, do it properly. I’ll get ready and come back to you soon.”
Only then did Porisco smile happily.
“Yes, the goddess loves her faithful followers. I will expect your faith and sincerity, my Baron. I hope you come well prepared.”
I already knew that Baron Fenris had a lot of food and iron ore in his possession.
Porisco began to secretly anticipate what kind of great gift he would receive.
As soon as Giselle left the temple, she spoke to Lowell.
“Let’s get started. Move as you’ve prepared. Are you sure you can do it?”
“Yes, that’s my specialty.”
“Okay, let’s just make that greedy bastard lose his mind. Let’s send him to heaven.”
“I see. It will really feel like heaven.”
Lowell and his men scattered throughout the capital, carrying plenty of food.
Jiselle stayed at the crow mansion she had previously purchased and gave various orders to her servants.
After about a week, Porisko became very displeased and started swearing at Giselle.
‘Why hasn’t the guy who said he’d donate come yet? He’s such an arrogant country bumpkin. I need to get Fiote back immediately.’
Since they didn’t give me an official order, I couldn’t help but think they gave up because they felt it was a waste of money.
‘You’re such a petty guy… … It’s so hard to keep a priest for so long. But what if I need more money? There are so many places to grease.’
Forisco was in a very difficult position these days. He was in conflict with the archbishop and was getting more and more frustrated, to the point where he was on the verge of excommunication.
There were even rumors going around that the archbishop would soon convene a general assembly to remove himself.
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He tried to change public opinion by bribing other bishops and nobles here and there, but the situation did not improve easily.
‘Damn it! Why are you yelling at me when we’re all eating together? I just ate a little more!’
Everyone eats the same thing from behind. But when Sega is pushed back, that becomes a weakness.
I had planned to use the bribe I got from Baron Fenris for something similar. But I gave up because he never showed up.
Porisco clicked his tongue a few times and erased Giselle from his mind. He forced his worried face to disappear, smiled, and moved toward the auditorium where the sacrament was being held.
But every time he passed by, he noticed the temple servants looking at him and gossiping.
‘What is it? Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t it like you’re looking at something strange?’
It was strange. In the way he usually looked at me, I felt fear and a hidden contempt. But today, it felt a little different.
I felt uneasy for no reason, so I quickened my pace, and I could gradually hear people chattering.
“That person… … is like that.”
“I’ve been hiding it on purpose… … all this time… … .”
“The rumors are already… … suddenly starting this morning… … .”
I couldn’t hear properly, but I could hear that it was hidden on purpose and that the rumor had spread suddenly.
‘What is this? Has the Archbishop already made a move? Is he now manipulating public opinion outside? Is he trying to kill me for sure? What should I do? If I am excommunicated, I will truly die. Whether I kill the Archbishop first or die myself, I must find a way quickly.’
After completing the ceremony in a somewhat confused state, Porisco decided to go outside to find out what was going on.
For the past few days, I’ve been feeling heavy and uneasy, so I’ve been just lounging around inside the temple, eating and sleeping. So I haven’t been able to properly grasp the situation.
As he went out with a few of the temple knights, Porisko felt that something was different in the atmosphere than before.
“It’s Bishop Forisko!”
“Ah, we’ve been misunderstanding him all this time.”
“He is the saint of the slums!”
I could hear people around me shouting loudly. In the past, they were people who avoided me as if they had seen something I couldn’t see.
This is because the divine power was only used on wealthy nobles, and people who were sick and suffering were completely ignored.
He was so blatant in discriminating against people and accepting bribes that he was given the nickname ‘the priest of greed’.
He didn’t care though. He was a different race than those insignificant people and the one chosen by the goddess.
however…….
‘What? The saint of the slums? Me?’
The title of saint is not given to just anyone. It is a title that only those who give everything they have and sacrifice themselves for the people can receive.
And Porisko knew very well that the name of saint was as far away from him as the ends of the world.
In the first place, he had never been to the slums, except when he was forced to do so to fulfill his service hours as a junior priest.
Why would a noble person like you go to such a dirty and smelly place?
But even after hearing that, I couldn’t help but check it out.
“Rain, let’s go to the slums.”
People’s gazes and treatment changed. I felt strange. My voice trembled without me knowing.
“Prepare the carriage, prepare the carriage quickly.”
The slum was quite far away, on the outskirts of the capital. It was not a distance that his obese body could walk.
Arriving at the slum with a nervous mind, he was once again met with a surprising sight.
“Oh, the saint has come!”
“Bishop Porisco has arrived!”
“Our savior has finally appeared!”
The poor people started to chatter noisily and then started to crowd in. He flinched for a moment and took a step back.
But the temple knights only smiled and did nothing to stop the approaching poor people.
“What, what are you guys doing… … Those guys right now… … .”
Porisco couldn’t finish speaking because all the poor people suddenly fell to the ground and bowed.
“Thank you! Thank you, Bishop!”
“Thanks to the bishop, my grandson was able to survive!”
“Please forgive me for cursing you all this time! I didn’t know your deep intentions!”
Some sobbed, some sang hymns, and even an old man came to him on his knees and kissed Porisco’s feet.
Forisco, who was worshipped by the people, felt an intense pleasure run down his spine for a moment.
‘This is it! This is what I wanted! This is what I lacked!’
Because of his status as a priest, he could not marry. He could not wield power as freely as other nobles.
I lived a life of good clothes, good food, and a good night’s sleep, but that was all.
No matter how much bribes I received and how much wealth I accumulated, my desires were not satisfied. I had to play secretly, watching the eyes of those around me.
But look at this! Everyone is truly adoring and worshiping themselves.
‘I feel like I’ve become a god!’
Porisco felt something finally filling his heart.
Honor, the power to truly command the respect of people and to transcend power.
Forisco has opened its eyes to a new greed.
Although he was satisfied, he still did not know why they were praising him. He had to know the exact reason.
“Why, why are these interest groups doing this to me?”
The temple knight answered, still smiling.
“It’s no use pretending not to know now. The rumor has already spread throughout the capital. How could you have hidden such a deep meaning all this time?”
The eyes of the temple knight were filled with respect. Porisco shook his head vigorously and asked again.
“Oh, what kind of rumors are you talking about?”
“It is rumored that the bishop has been so diligently amassing his wealth for this very moment. Didn’t he foresee a coming drought through a revelation from the goddess?”
“Me, me? You received a revelation?”
The revelations of the Goddess can only be received by saints.
It’s absurd for a man to receive revelations. I’ve never even had a dream about a dog, let alone a revelation.
But the temple knight continued speaking as if he no longer had to hide anything.
“Yes. You gathered wealth through revelation and used that wealth to buy food and distribute it to the poor. People who were suffering from drought were saved thanks to you, Bishop. Since it was the word of God, I understand why you kept it a secret.”
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Porisco’s fortune is being used diligently as bribes to survive.
How heartbreaking it was to see the wealth in the secret vault dwindle every morning.
And in this day and age, where do we get enough food to distribute to the slums?
“Where do I buy food?”
“Didn’t Baron Fenris come to the capital with a huge amount of food at the bishop’s request? Many people have seen it.”
‘Baron Fenris!’
When I heard that name, my mind snapped to its senses.
The guy who said he’d make a big donation soon and then suddenly disappeared. Why am I hearing his name here!
As Porisco was sweating profusely with a complicated expression on his face, someone approached him from a distance, pretending to know him.
“How… … . did you like the donation, Saint Porisco?”
