Chapter 25: Religious Reform (2)

Throughout history. Every dictator who has ever existed in human history faces a single dilemma.

That is the justification and basis for maintaining power.

If you're a King or Emperor in a hereditary monarchy, inheriting the throne itself becomes the justification, but dictators don't have that luxury.

They need to justify their hold on power and their long-term rule somehow.

They need to convince the people that they should rule, that their rule is beneficial, you see.

And what if this justification effort fails? Or is unsuccessful?

'It's just guaranteed destruction, isn't it?'

In such cases, there are two possible endings.

Either be dragged down by the enraged populace and die miserably, or be overthrown by another in a Coup d'état.

If you have a separate support base or military power, you might be able to hold on by force... but even then, your limit is just surviving a little longer.

Unless you're a really lucky case like South Korea's "290,000 Won President," it's difficult to even save your life.

Even that octopus-headed guy was exiled, sentenced to death, forcibly dragged around, and suffered all sorts of humiliation.

"These bastards, they've actually used their brains. They even thought to use the commoners they usually despise."

Therefore, the Nobility's ploy hit me pretty hard.

I seized power through a military Coup d'état with the Revolutionary Army, took control of the Capital, and stripped the Monarch of his authority.

I justified my rule with the logic of [Leading The Kingdom properly in place of the incompetent Monarch who indulges in luxury].

There were other justifications like [Holding the Nobility accountable for their mistakes] or [Reclaiming the territories lost to the Empire], but...

Anyway, the most essential core was that one thing.

I've been arguing that it's better to be ruled by soldiers than by a fool who retreats from the Front Line to buy a Tiara.

What if the Clergy starts inciting the people now?

What if they start denouncing us everywhere as unfaithful ones who defy the Goddess's will?

"Once it starts, there's no way to counter it..."

It's a checkmate. It's impossible to recover a damaged reputation, whether through defense or rebuttal.

This is a world where illiteracy is still high and religion is deeply intertwined with daily life.

The influence of the Clergy among the ignorant commoners is absolute.

They'll definitely believe whatever the Priests say.

'It's easier to fabricate one lie than to clarify a hundred truths. But these bastards are trying to take over the nation's top media outlets? In an era without newspapers or radio, this makes the fight unfair.'

Considering the Church of the Goddess's nationwide network and organizational power, bad publicity will quickly spread throughout The Kingdom.

Soon, public support for us will plummet.

The moment we lose our power base, the Nobility and Royalty will surely go crazy with revenge.

The only way to stop it would be to kill or imprison the Clergy.

Of course, even if we did that, public sentiment would still plummet, with people asking why we're imprisoning their Priests.

This was a simple yet fatal tactic. To think they would drag in another faction just to push us into a crisis.

As expected, centuries of power struggles passed down through generations haven't gone to waste, have they?

"It can't be helped. If it's come to this, I'll flip the board."

In the end, the solution I came up with after much deliberation was simple.

Since a fight on the same Stage is impossible, let's prevent the Stage from being set up in the first place.

As it happens, I had a very useful card for this kind of operation.

"Adjutant!"

"You called, Your Excellency?"

"Can you contact the Priests in this area? Tell them to come to my office... no, to our Central Army garrison. Set the date for ten days from now."

"Wouldn't suddenly calling them cause a strong backlash? They're all busy people with their own duties."

"Tell them they'll be adequately compensated if they come. I'll make sure they won't regret it."

They want to overturn public opinion through Priests nationwide? Then all we have to do is make the Priests our allies.

* * * * *

And so, the day of the meeting arrived.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency. I'm Johan, in charge of the Northern Church of Rahator."

"I'm Saul. I manage the annex school of the Southern Church in the Capital."

"We are from the Southern Region of the Great Plains—"

The Central Army's training grounds were bustling with Priests invited from all over, as long as the transportation Environment allowed.

Although they were low-ranking Clergymen who had just barely passed their Ordination and left the rank of Deacon, these were the backbone and roots of the Church of the Goddess.

They are the ones who conduct Mass and administer Sacraments, in place of the high-ranking Bishops and above who don't often handle fieldwork.

"Greetings, Priests. I am Carolus von Roytel, Vice Chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconstruction."

First, I spoke politely, like with the Young Lady of Arshakh, but with a slightly condescending tone.

It would be better to give a polite impression as someone seeking cooperation.

"The reason I've gathered you all here today is simple."

It's not to tell you to kill each other... obviously.

"It's to offer you the opportunity to become Bishops."

"E-Excuse me? B-Bishops, you say?"

"I haven't heard of anyone being replaced or retiring yet..."

"That's true. For now. But it won't be for long."

I unfolded a list of the various dioceses throughout The Kingdom, along with the names of each bishop.

Roughly 100 entries. These individuals were the officials who controlled the entirety of The Kingdom's Clergy.

Among them were five archdioceses recognized for their particular importance; the core leadership of the Church of the Goddess within The Kingdom.

Since five Cardinals from the archdioceses governed the Denomination in place of the Pope, who held little sway within the nation.

"You all recognize the regions listed here, correct? I intend to hand these over to you."

And these individuals would now be replaced by the Priests before me.

"The method is simple. Accuse the Bishops of embezzling Tithes and dismiss them."

"E-Embezzling? Such corruption is completely unheard of within the Church..."

"Don't even think about lying. I already know how much the upper echelons of the Church are lining their pockets."

The Priests tried to feign denial, attempting to maintain their facade of respectability. However, I had long since obtained inside information and grasped the reality of the situation.

It's the same in any nation, but a religion interwoven with Power and Collusion, wielding immense authority, is inevitably bound to become corrupt. Money flows easily, and it's a simple Environment in which to put it to use.

The Church of the Goddess was no exception.

Thanks to the monthly Tithes collected from the faithful, even after deducting the Clergy's living expenses and facility maintenance costs, a substantial sum remained.

They purchased farms, acquired orchards, and amassed Property.

They lent money at exorbitant interest rates to those in desperate need of funds.

They'd been engaging in such practices for hundreds of years, so the scale of the corruption was beyond imagination.

In total, it would dwarf even the combined wealth of two or three Dukes or Grand Dukes.

"Honestly, isn't it unfair? The higher-ups are gorging themselves while you barely scrape by?"

"..."

And you know what's interesting? This corruption was, unexpectedly, highly centralized.

This was because the Church of the Goddess required every church and cathedral to remit all collected Offerings/Tithes to the central authority.

Since everything but the bare minimum for living expenses and budget was surrendered, there was no opportunity for lower levels to accumulate wealth.

All the luxury, corruption, and embezzlement belonged to the esteemed Bishops and Cardinals.

In other words, all the money the Priests worked tirelessly to earn through Sacraments and Masses went straight into the pockets of those high and mighty.

"You must have wanted to overturn this injustice at some point. But until now, it was difficult. Because..."

"Even if you raised a fuss alone, it was clear no one would join you. So you couldn't even bring yourselves to try."

The Priest who had earlier identified himself as Johan spoke up. Yes, that was the correct answer.

Harboring discontent internally and openly expressing it are two different matters. This current exploitative System had been firmly in place for hundreds of years.

It wouldn't crumble just because a few individuals decided to rebel now.

Rather, only those fools who dared to raise the banner of revolt would be permanently buried.

Among ordinary Priests, only 1-2% at most could hope to ascend to the position of Bishop.

A lucky few would be promoted and recoup their losses, but the rest would simply be used and discarded in the name of the Goddess. For their entire lives as Clergymen.

"But this time will be different. Because I will be your backing."

That's why I intended to exploit the resentment that had festered within them. Thoroughly, and according to my own designs.

"Gather your respective congregations and rise up. Drag out those gluttonous, pot-bellied Bishops and punish them according to the will of the Goddess."

So rise, you enslaved ones. Take up your pitchforks and stab those greedy pigs to death.

"Are you telling us to incite a riot?"

"In a sense, you could say that. There's no need for concern. The Central Army won't interfere. You needn't worry about being suppressed by the military."

I'd blocked off any possibility of suppression through government intervention. In terms of Personnel and military Power, we held a decisive advantage anyway.

While the Papal See might pose a threat, the Cardinals had little in the way of substantial forces beyond a handful of Guards, making them easy to subdue.

It was a situation practically begging them to get started. I added one more statement.

"The Priest who takes the most initiative and makes the greatest contribution in each diocese will be appointed Bishop. Please give it your all."

First-come, first-served rewards based on performance.

If you don't act fast, the opportunity will go to someone else.

Furthermore, this might be their only chance to ever become a Bishop.

The result of combining the most effective elements for motivating enthusiasm?

Before long, the entire nation began to blaze with Red Guards led by Priests.