Episode 219 How many things have you done? (1)
Those who followed the archbishop could not stand it any longer and rose up, pointing their fingers at Porisco and shouting:
“Men cannot receive revelations! It is written in the scriptures that only saints can do this! Do you really not know this even though you have become a bishop?”
“But I have never preached the will of the Goddess or spread the gospel to the world! I have only taken bribes!”
“Honestly, considering how I’ve lived so far, it doesn’t make sense for me to be a bishop! You need to have a conscience! You don’t need to verify anything!”
There are several conditions that must be met to be recognized as a saint. Of these, Porisco did not meet even a single one.
Of all the priests gathered in the hall, the one who took the most bribes and did the most evil things was definitely Porisco.
It’s just that others have also committed evil deeds to some extent, so we turn a blind eye to them.
But even though he was rotten, a priest was a priest. It was absolutely unacceptable to acknowledge that guy as a saint. If that guy were to become a saint, it would be a sign that the end of the world had come.
Of course, the bishops who followed Porisco were in an uproar, demanding that he be recognized as a saint.
“Huh! If the one who received the revelation is not a saint, then who is a saint?”
“This is what everyone is hoping for!”
“You are like blasphemous people who go against the will of God! You also took bribes!”
The priests fought each other for days, gossiping about each other like nobles in the political arena. If the fighting got any worse, it seemed like the church would be split in half.
In the end, Porisco took a step back, licking his lips. No matter how greedy he was, he knew that he had to give in at this point.
‘Well, is this still too much? I’ll need a little more time. I’ll need to get the church’s approval before the royal family can give me strength.’
It was something that required the approval of the church and the kingdom. It was only possible if they secured overwhelming influence to the point of unanimous approval.
It was so difficult to receive the title of saint. That’s why it had to take a long time, and most saints were only honored after death.
‘Tsk, it would have been easy if I could just display incredible divine powers like a saint… … .’
It was a little disappointing, but it was okay.
The parishioners of the capital all praise and follow him. The archbishop can no longer touch him. His popularity has grown too much for that.
‘Phew, it really seems like the goddess saved me right before I died. No, did that brat suddenly appear and save me? Damn it! By the way, I’d feel better if I could just steal the contract.’
Thanks to Aesong, I was able to save my life, but my property was all transferred to Baron Fenris, and he exposed my weaknesses. It was as if I was forced to become clean.
Anyway, if you continue to live a good life like this, you will eventually be able to earn the title of saint.
For a moment, Porisco felt a strange sense of discomfort.
‘Living a good life? Me? Am I crazy?’
Ever since I met that kid, I felt like I had become strange.
* * *
“Well, I thought it would be difficult to become a saint.”
Jiselle chuckled when she heard the news.
If becoming a saint were that easy, even dogs and cows would be called saints.
The envy and jealousy of people are more frightening than you might think. This was especially true for priests who had honor but could not wield power as freely as the nobles.
There was no way that they would have readily agreed to the appointment of Porisko as a saint. Priests from other denominations also deliberately went around badmouthing Porisko.
Because they also do not want a saint to appear.
“Still, it won’t be difficult to become an archbishop in a few years.”
The current archbishop lost his influence in an instant, while the influence of Porisko increased to an incomparable degree.
Unless a major mistake is made, the operation of the church will be dominated by the faction of Porisco.
“When I become an archbishop… … I will designate dioceses and ask them to send more priests and temple knights.”
Although Porisco would be furious if he heard it, Jiselle was determined to scrape it all the way to the bottom and get it.
“Well, let’s wrap things up here… … .”
There was someone I had to meet while I was in the capital.
Anyway, I had to come back sometime after the war was over, but it would save time if I took care of Piote’s business while I was in the capital.
“Should I go see the Marquis now? He must have heard a lot about me, right?”
It wasn’t just the religious community that was in an uproar. The nobles staying in the capital were also making a lot of noise about Giselle’s antics every day.
“A revelation from the Goddess? You predicted a drought with that? And if you get that guy involved, it’s just a rumor. I told you that duckling is a warlock!”
Marquis Maurice Macquarie, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, cried out in shock when he heard the news. Even the most superstitious man could not readily believe it.
A ridiculous rumor had already hit the capital once: information about how the Earl of Fenris had won the war.
“A flying machine? Knights falling from it? That duckling is the Sword Master? Does that make sense, you little punks! Why are all the rumors about that little punk like that? None of them are true!”
There were vivid testimonies from the Cavaldi army that fought against Fenris, but the nobles of other regions who only heard word of mouth never believed them.
Because each and every one of them was a rumor that broke common sense.
Naturally, the sources who had been gathering rumors were busy breaking the news every day.
“That kid is manipulating information! He spread ridiculous rumors to make things more confusing! Get the real information by getting in touch with your officials right now!”
The rumors about war had not yet been properly confirmed, and now even rumors about saints and saints were spreading, so Maurice was only harassing his innocent subordinates.
It wasn’t just Maurice. The capital’s nobles were busy continuing meaningless discussions amid the chaos.
“What kind of revelation could Baron Fenris, who is neither a priest nor a saint, have received? He must have spread false rumors again like last time!”
“Oh! Then how do you explain the drought that was prepared in advance? If you say that you received a revelation, it makes perfect sense.”
“Then, the power to fly and become a sword master was given to you by a goddess? Think about it rationally! Think about it rationally!”
“Why does that make no sense! A goddess can make you fly and give you strength and all that! She can even tell you to stock up on food!”
“Haven’t all the sources already analyzed it? It was just a coincidence that the immigration plan was blown up! I told you it was all just a rumor!”
“The climate crisis is real!”
Only unconfirmed rumors spread like wildfire. The story of Giselle was never left out at any banquet where nobles gathered.
At the ‘Investment Success Club’ banquet, Meriel also asked Rosalind.
“Not long ago, there were rumors about him flying in the sky or being a master, but now it’s a revelation from a goddess? Of course, it’s a lie, right?”
“Yeah, I guess I’m just being crazy again.”
“Anyway, I can’t figure out what he’s up to. ‘Saint Baron Fenris’? Isn’t that just hilarious?”
“Where in the world is there a saint who is crazy about money?”
Rosalind pouted her lips as she thought back to the old days. It must have cost a lot of money to unpack that huge amount of food.
But she, who was proud of knowing Giselle’s personality quite well, thought that Giselle would not have suffered any harm.
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‘There must have been something he was after. He must have received as much as he spent, or perhaps even more, from somewhere. He must have robbed Bishop Porisco, right?’
Aside from that, one thing was certain: Giselle’s popularity had risen to an incomparable level compared to before.
With everyone in the capital talking about Porisco and Giselle, the Marquis of Branford had a headache.
“Gisel, Gisel. Because of that guy, even the intelligence officers are wasting their energy on useless things. He spread strange rumors about the war, and now he’s supporting a greedy guy like Porisco? Why on earth does he do such things?”
As informants worked tirelessly to confirm the truth of the rumors, useless documents piled up day after day.
Naturally, both the person reporting it and the person verifying it have reached an embarrassing point.
Meanwhile, the main character of the rumor suddenly came to see the Marquis of Branford.
He didn’t even stop by to say hello as soon as he arrived in the capital, and only came loitering around after he had finished his business. He was still such an arrogant guy.
“How have you been, Marquis! I am here!”
The Marquis of Branford asked with a sullen expression at the cheerful greeting that seemed to come from visiting a friend’s house.
“You’re so popular. What are you thinking, doing something like this? You’re not the type of person to act thoughtlessly, are you?”
“I just did some charity work. I guess everyone is having a hard time these days.”
“You’re doing charity work? And you’re not even getting paid for it? And you’re doing it with Porisco? Does that make sense?”
“My nickname these days is Saint, Saint. Haven’t you heard?”
“… … .”
The Marquis of Branford unconsciously pressed his temples. He was already a pain in the ass, and now he was popular.
‘It seems like it gets harder and harder to control the mask as time goes on.’
No, when was it ever under control?
Marquis Branford sighed and said with a fake angry expression.
“Yes, it’s a charity project, but I told you not to cause any trouble, and you ended up causing a huge one. The Duke’s family will never let that happen.”
“You didn’t expect that, did you? That’s why you sent the 2nd Corps. Honestly, weren’t you happy?”
That was also true. To be honest, I felt good when I heard the news of victory. It was because it completely reversed the mood of the pro-prince faction, which had been pushed back by the Duke’s family.
The Marquis of Branford chuckled at Giselle’s bold words.
“Yeah, it wasn’t bad. But because of you, all the informants in the capital are suffering.”
“Why are you saying this?”
“There is this revelation, and there are also issues related to the war. I think it would be better to ask him directly. How did you take over the castle so quickly?”
In response to the Marquis of Branford’s question, Giselle answered confidently, as if she had nothing to hide.
“I will be honest with you, Marquis. I built a flying machine and entered the enemy castle with 100 knights. After wiping out the enemies guarding the gate with a surprise attack, I broke down the gate, and soon our troops entered and wiped out the enemies in one fell swoop.”
“… … .”
It was the same thing that the informants had been telling us. Those ridiculous rumors.
As the Marquis of Branford remained silent, Giselle asked quietly.
“What… is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“… … You flew into the sky? With knights? With 100 knights?”
“yes!”
“How do you break the gate?”
“I broke it by myself.”
“You… broke it alone?”
“you’re right!”
“… … .”
It is already a well-known fact that there are no knights in Fenris. But what? 100? A mere baron is talking about a number that could be as high as a lord.
Flying is so absurd that it’s not even worth discussing.
Above all, can you single-handedly break down a thick gate? There are only two people in the kingdom who can do that. Count Balzac, who holds the title of Master, and the Commander of the Royal Knights.
‘Even that information is not certain. Because no one has seen it properly.’
Anyway, they only achieved that level of inaction after they passed middle age.
No matter how talented she was, it was absolutely impossible for someone her age.
“Phuhu!”
Toleo, the commander of the Marquis’s Knights, who had been listening from the side, ended up laughing without realizing it.
Tolleo straightened his posture and said as the Marquis of Branford glared at him.
“……sorry.”
The Marquis of Branford had only been embarrassed a handful of times in his life. But after meeting Giselle, he had been embarrassed a great deal more often.
He pressed his temples a few times again and shook his head as he spoke.
“Fine. It’s probably a military secret, so you probably don’t want to talk about it properly. I fully understand that the Duke might find a way to deal with it. Tell him not to look into the matter any further.”
‘… … I guess I’m not as trustworthy as I thought.’
Jiselle clicked her tongue without realizing it.
In any case, the hot air balloon was planned to be used as a means of transportation and reconnaissance within the territory. As the knights continued to be active, rumors were bound to spread.
Since this was a problem that was bound to come to light eventually, I had no intention of hiding it in the first place.
But since it doesn’t make sense by modern standards, no one will believe it even if you tell the truth.
‘If you see it in person, you’ll all know soon enough. My skills too… … No, you’ll probably continue to doubt them.’
As I was still only a half-master, it wasn’t a technique that I could easily use even as a Jiselle. However, I didn’t intend to advertise it openly in order to get recognition.
Who cares if others believe it or not? I’m not doing this to look good to anyone.
Marquis Branford, who had no way of knowing what was on Giselle’s mind, clicked his tongue and got straight to the point.
“You’re not the type of person who would just come to say hello. So, what do you need?”
“As expected, the latter is very easygoing and easy to talk to. Please give me just one official position.”
At those words, the Marquis of Branford tilted his head.
Why would someone who doesn’t like to be tied down suddenly ask for a government position? And even if it’s only nominal, doesn’t he already have a title? The title of Northern Military Support Manager.
“What kind of official position do you need?”
“Please appoint me as commander of the Northern Army.”
“… … .”
The Marquis of Branford was speechless.
As always, Giselle came back with something very big.
