NOVPUBPorisco quickly returned to his office and prepared Piote’s appointment order.
"The establishment of a diocese would require a formal assembly and the Archbishop’s approval, so I can’t authorize it at the moment. However, assigning Piote as a missionary falls under my jurisdiction, so I’ll handle it now."
"Please ensure it’s written in a way that prevents interference, allowing Piote to act freely."
"As a permanent missionary appointment, Piote will have the freedom to remain there as long as he wishes."
With this, Piote was effectively granted permission to stay in the Fenris territory indefinitely, under the guise of missionary work, which allowed him a great deal of autonomy.
While the church could issue a recall or relocation order later, Piote would have grounds to refuse if he wished.
"Well, then. Isn’t everything settled now? You have Piote, and you received a relic. Let’s proceed with the revelation."
Eager to conclude, Porisco was attempting to wrap things up when Ghislain pulled out a contract.
"How about putting everything we’ve discussed in writing? Please sign and seal it as well."
"This sly bastard..."
The fact that Ghislain had brought a contract with him suggested he’d planned this from the start. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Porisco shot a glance at Ghislain and then began to write a very convoluted, lengthy version of events, filling the paper with flowery words and ambiguous phrasing.
Ghislain raised an eyebrow as he read it over.
"...‘To the creator of this world and mother to all, to Juana, goddess of kindness and mercy, may we ever walk in her light. We entrust all our needs to you....’ Are you serious right now?"
"Oh, well, I am a bishop, after all. It seemed appropriate to begin with a prayer...."
"Forget it. Just keep it to the facts."
"R-right. I may have gone overboard. Let me start from scratch...."
"No, better yet, I’ll dictate, and you write it down."
Without hesitation, Ghislain ripped up the original document and pulled out a fresh contract.
Contracts were typically enchanted with authentication and preservation spells, making them both expensive and secure.
"Why... why does he have so many contracts on hand? Who even is he? A loan shark?"
Porisco gave Ghislain a look of astonishment. Clearly, many others must have been caught in Ghislain’s net before him.
Hoping to muddy the waters with religious language had failed. Ghislain’s thoroughness left no room for escape.
"Alright, write this down: ‘I, Bishop Porisco of the Juana Church, received food aid from Baron Fenris, and in exchange....’"
Holding back tears, Porisco grudgingly wrote out the contract as Ghislain dictated and affixed his seal.
Now, Ghislain held an undeniable advantage over him.
"Just you wait. Once I’m Archbishop, I’ll find and destroy this!"
The contract explicitly stated that Porisco had received aid from Ghislain and had provided a relic in return. With the relic itself in Ghislain’s possession, Porisco was trapped.
Handing over the contract reluctantly, Porisco gritted his teeth.
"We should hurry now. We need to solidify public support before the assembly convenes. The Archbishop will undoubtedly hear the rumors and won’t stay idle."
"Don’t worry. I have an expert who handles this sort of thing for me. But, there’s a piece of advice I wanted to share first."
"Advice? About what?"
"The wealth you’ve accumulated through bribes. The Archbishop will likely target it. If handled poorly, it could be problematic."
"Hm...."
Porisco knew Ghislain was right. Although he’d hidden his fortune in a secret vault, it was doubtful that the Archbishop was unaware of its location. Likely, the Archbishop had been keeping quiet, waiting for the right moment to act.
Porisco needed to figure out how to secure his wealth. It had taken a lifetime of scheming to amass, and he couldn’t bear the thought of losing it.
"So, what do you suggest?"
"Just hand it over to me."
"Hand it over? All that wealth?"
"Keeping it will only get it seized by the Archbishop. You’re currently claiming you ‘gathered funds under divine revelation and used them to buy food.’ Could you handle the fallout if it’s exposed? The backlash would be brutal."
"You’re the one who made up that excuse in the first place!"
The rationale suddenly seemed suspicious, but there was no point in fighting it now.
"But it’s my life’s work...."
"Why are you so greedy? Isn’t that against church doctrine?"
"If I get caught, I’ll just say it was for food purchases. If I don’t, I’ll keep it. Or I could move it somewhere...."
Moving the funds elsewhere was probably the best solution for Porisco. His mind was still sharp when it came to schemes.
Of course, this plan would only work with Ghislain’s cooperation.
"If you try to move it, there’s still a chance it’ll be discovered, which would give the Archbishop grounds for action. A clean handover would be best. If you give it to me, I’ll package it in a way that will only raise your standing."
"Ugh...."
Though Porisco was skeptical, Ghislain’s reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.
Damage control always required more effort than prevention. The safest course was indeed to make a clean break.
Reluctantly, Porisco handed Ghislain the key to his secret vault, his heart aching.
"Am I making a pact with the devil?"
An ominous feeling washed over him, but he shook it off.
"All I need to do is survive this crisis. Once I’m Archbishop, I’ll have a chance to reclaim everything."
When the time came, he’d deal with this meddling baron. But for now, maintaining a cooperative "business" relationship was essential.
"Very well, let’s proceed. Just make sure everything is handled neatly."
"Not to worry. I’ll have it done in no time."
Grinning, Ghislain pocketed the vault key.
Thus, the two men forged a strong "bond" that extended even to Porisco’s private vault.
As soon as Lowell received Ghislain’s orders, he emptied Porisco’s vault and redistributed food, while manipulating the rumors further.
Now, not only Porisco’s name but Ghislain’s as well echoed throughout the capital.
The two even staged a grand event in the central square, distributing food to the people as a spectacle.
"Bishop Porisco!"
"Baron Fenris!"
They beamed, raising each other’s hands in a show of unity.
"The goddess watches over you through Baron Fenris and myself! All of this is her will!"
Porisco’s booming voice incited wild cheers from the crowd.
"Wow! They’re messengers of the goddess!"
"Saint Porisco!"
"Saint Baron Fenris!"
The royal family and noble houses, such as the Marquis of Branford and the Count of Aylesbury, had also tried to ease the public’s hardships by releasing some food.
However, with the noble families currently in conflict with the duke’s house, they couldn’t provide enough to satisfy the people. Although the capital was a trade center, it couldn’t suddenly produce more food.
In contrast, Ghislain was distributing food almost recklessly. Combined with the "divine revelation" narrative, it caused a sensation.
Incredibly, people readily believed it.
"They say Bishop Porisco received a revelation and told Baron Fenris!"
"That’s why Baron Fenris gathered so much food!"
"How can you be sure? Because Baron Fenris also received a revelation!"
"Of course we’ll win the war! The goddess herself is watching over them!"
Lowell’s spies, embedded among the people, fanned the flames, adding fuel to the rumors.
Every mystery about why Baron Fenris had amassed so much food was now "explained."
At this point, the truth no longer mattered. During hard times, people desperately needed something to believe in.
Here were a priest acting under divine will and a noble blessed by the goddess, distributing food and alleviating their suffering.
What could be more trustworthy than that?
Their popularity skyrocketed.
Of course, while they smiled and clasped hands in the public display, their private thoughts were quite different.
"This bratty noble... How do I get rid of him later? Still, it’s great to be popular. Thanks to him, everything’s going well... No, I need to stop thinking about it!"
"Better results than I expected. Now, what should I have for dinner? Something delicious sounds good."
While Porisco’s mind was racing, Ghislain’s thoughts remained remarkably lighthearted.
In truth, the contract Ghislain held would mean nothing if civil war or disaster struck. In such times, loyalty to powerful figures trumped all.
As long as Ghislain extracted all he could beforehand, that would be enough.
---
With the situation unfolding as it did, the Archbishop of the Juana Church was deeply unsettled.
He had planned to eliminate Porisco and reduce the opposition’s power, intending to install his chosen successor.
But Porisco’s popularity had grown to the point where he was even rumored to be a saint, making it impossible to touch him.
"Hurry! Seize Porisco’s vault! It must be full of wealth he extorted from the people and took as bribes! Look for the records too!"
The Archbishop had been aware of Porisco’s secret vault.
Originally, he intended to use it as his trump card, a decisive blow to secure his victory. But he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. If he delayed, he’d lose any chance to move against Por
isco.
Following the Archbishop’s orders, church soldiers raided Porisco’s vault.
What they found shocked them to the core, stopping them in their tracks.
"This... this can’t be...."
The vault held no treasure or gold. Instead, it was neatly filled with old scriptures, priestly robes, prayer books, and sacred items.
It was the vault of a pious priest, a shining example of purity.
Though this surprise was unexpected, it wasn’t what left them frozen.
On the wall of the vault, emblazoned in large letters, was a message:
*The goddess has foreseen your arrival under the orders of the wicked Archbishop. Do you truly wish to burn in the fires of hell?*
As if knowing in advance what would happen, it was a prophetic warning. Truly fitting for a man supposedly blessed with the goddess’s revelation.
Shaken by the eerie scene, the soldiers trembled.
Behind them, Porisco and Ghislain appeared.
"Do you now understand the truth?"
Porisco’s dignified words brought the soldiers to their knees, casting aside their weapons.
"Ah... Bishop Porisco...."
"Forgive us our sins."
"We were deceived by the Archbishop."
The soldiers began to confess, weeping as they did so.
Porisco, his face the very picture of benevolence, nodded in forgiveness.
"I absolve you of your sins."
The soldiers, now thoroughly convinced of Porisco’s sainthood, wept openly. They realized they’d misjudged him, condemning a saint as a gluttonous priest.
In the face of divine revelation, their loyalty to the Archbishop meant nothing. Their devotion outweighed their personal convictions.
Watching this unfold, Porisco felt an immense sense of relief.
"Thank goodness I cleaned it out in time. That brat’s advice wasn’t half bad. Smart kid."
Porisco had devised a small ploy, deciding to use the Archbishop’s impending assault to his advantage.
Ghislain couldn’t help but smile as he watched.
"Look at that. No wonder he’s survived all this time. As greedy as he is, he didn’t rise to bishop by chance."
Porisco hadn’t merely surrendered his assets; he’d turned the situation to his advantage.
With this incident, Porisco’s reputation soared, and the church was left in disarray.
At the church assembly, Porisco scratched his stomach and spoke arrogantly.
"The Archbishop made a grave error. How could he send soldiers to raid my vault, questioning my integrity? Shameful."
"...."
The Archbishop had nothing to say.
He knew it was all nonsense, but the damage was done. In politics, failure to attack meant empowering the opposition.
The Archbishop attempted to salvage the situation by apologizing.
"I’m... sorry. I made an error in judgment, following false information...."
"Are you serious? This was all a scheme to discredit me!"
"No, truly, it was a mistake...."
"Excuses!"
Porisco’s relentless attacks left the Archbishop sweating.
Emboldened, Porisco went a step further, even pushing for recognition as a saint.
"You’ve all heard the rumors. Shouldn’t I be recognized as a saint by now? Let’s put it to a vote."
But ambition could only take him so far. Though his timing was impeccable, Porisco failed to know when to stop.
The Archbishop and his followers vehemently opposed him, plunging the assembly into chaos.
