29 – 6. Miracle!
The church is smart.
If they were stupid to begin with, how could the Europa Church have taken root throughout the continent despite being persecuted for over a thousand years?
One of the secrets to surviving for so long was the ability to measure angles.
How far should I stab so that the opponent doesn’t throw a punch and just becomes a nuisance? In short, he had mastered the tightrope walk to extract maximum benefit.
“Bishop, if you do this, the knights will not remain silent.”
“I know. But what can these idiots do? There are many knights who have already sworn oaths to us, and there are plenty of faithful people who would gladly give up their hands if they tried to rebel. “If they had any sense, they would realize the difference in power and quietly leave.”
“Then, what if the excommunicated people protest more strongly than expected?”
“Then shouldn’t we achieve God’s peace as we promised? Even if it means using somewhat stronger means.”
The church was not wrong.
Although it hurt their pride and made them angry, the excommunicated knights and mercenaries understood well that they were outnumbered.
But there was one small and cute mistake in their calculations.
It was a complacency that did not take into account that trouble would come in right outside.
“It’s dinner tonight. Got it? “This evening, as the sun sets, come out into the streets unnoticed and gather at the church in the southwest.”
“Do not be afraid. Our Black Finger Bandits will be together. “Shouldn’t we make the church pay for its hypocrisy?”
We even poured oil on the fire, so it was bound to burn very brightly.
And the long-awaited D-Day.
The cheerful rebellion of the excommunicated mercenaries and knights almost ended before it even began.
The undisputed number one reason why numerous conspiracies sank without being implemented is because of the law of ‘Only you know.’
“This is a secret, keep it to yourself. “I’m telling you this because we are old friends.”
“… “What on earth is it that makes you talk like this?”
“Tonight, we will turn this city upside down. Let’s take advantage of this opportunity to make a lot of money and get away quietly. And I’m making a fresh start from afar.”
“Wait a minute, isn’t that dangerous?”
“There are people who have decided to join us. You can do it at night when you go to sleep with peace of mind. “We are in a situation where we have not made a pledge to each other, so let’s stick together.”
So, it was natural that the spreading conspiracy reached the ears of the guards.
If you have a heavy mouth and are good at keeping secrets, the names of mercenaries and knights who are impatient to boast about what they know cry.
“Don’t move! You are surrounded. “Drop your weapons and surrender!”
“f*ck you, you bastard!”
“Our secret would have been perfect, but who… “No, you?!”
“I am sorry. “I guess I’ll have to settle down in Villach by now.”
“You, you! “We’ve been friends since we were five!”
“It’s noisy, so shut up!” “You guys should leave too.”
Even so, the thieves who plotted were disappointed by what they saw and did not abandon their plan.
Anyway, they both knew that there was no way things would work out as former mercenaries.
If the perfect plan had been implemented, they would have been trembling and worried that the person they contacted might be a private unit created by someone high up and infiltrating the civilian population.
So, it is within the expected range for infighting to occur among themselves and for them to be arrested.
There was a separate purpose to be achieved.
One is to cause chaos in the city.
This goal was successfully achieved in its own way. When the Count, who had made Villach his fiefdom, ordered a war to cut off all unrest, the city became noisy and noisy.
In addition, the attack by thieves did not seem like a coincidence to anyone. Only the guards on the walls and gates who had been resting after shifts were dragged out, making it a nuisance.
And here is the long-awaited second goal.
“The door, the door is opening?”
“There are no traces of crossing the castle wall, so I guess…” … !”
Take advantage of the confusion to open the castle gate.
No matter how bad their lives were, these mercenaries and knights would not have accepted the proposal to join hands with bandits to overthrow the city, but now their anger was suppressed even before it exploded.
The battle, which was originally planned to start at night but started at sunset, lasted half a day.
We are already busy with enemies coming from all over, but the peacekeepers have decided to stand up to the oath breakers.
As it was a relatively new organization, there was little sense of belonging. Moreover, as it was nighttime, identification of enemies was not possible properly.
“Die, Ethan!”
“Die, you thief!”
Attacks allies, then suddenly joins the bandits, and then changes sides again out of curiosity.
In this way, pandemonium unfolded in Villach.
The few people who came to their senses, the city manager, sent people to spread the news to the surrounding area.
It was this morning that the messenger rode his horse and rode hard to inform the earl, the real owner of the city, and the surrounding villages.
*****
“Now that things have come to this, we need your help! Please help save the city.”
After I finished explaining the story, I looked at the priest in front of me who was desperately asking for support.
Not only was I there, but there were also five people who looked like mercenaries.
“Shall we go?”
“… Hold.”
They whispered softly, exchanged glances a few times, and then nodded.
And then he started by saying, “Ah, I too have a strong desire to fight,” And then made excuses like “I’m hurt because I’m injured,” Or “I’m a little tired,” He muttered in a whisper as if he had come up with something, and disappeared before the priest could say anything.
The priest could not bear to catch them.
Seriously, it was just a nonsense excuse that I couldn’t listen to, but in other words, it meant, ‘I will see how the situation unfolds and decide where to stick.’
If we forced them to ask for help here, the mercenaries might be so surprised and scared that they would reflexively plunder the place.
As always, there is no need to understand why the conclusion is reached the way it is.
Naturally, the next target became me.
It may be surprising, but knights have great power.
The level is not determined by enlightenment, but by how much money is spent on weapons and armor.
I have a suit of armor and a horse.
He was officially ordained a knight and gained some experience.
This alone makes him one of the highest ranked knights of the era.
What’s more, isn’t my sword now surrounded by sword energy?
“The bishop who barely escaped the chaos promised a great reward.”
“I see.”
“Relics, gold coins, anything is fine. “Maybe we can buy new equipment with it.”
But if we invested more money, we could expect more.
To be considered a complete knight, one must have high-quality chain armor made by a top craftsman and at least two horses to ride. And if possible, a squire to use as an errand boy.
The priest was definitely scratching that itch.
Money is always right. It was a journey I set out to improve my reputation and own my own real estate in the first place, and I couldn’t help but be tempted.
“Oh, yes! “Didn’t you say you were going to the Vatican?”
“Yes.”
“Remuneration may be paid in papal gold coins. Of course, even if I were paid in other gold coins, I wouldn’t give you less.”
Oh, I kind of want this. That means they won’t charge currency exchange fees.
When I went to the Vatican, I had to exchange money anyway. Imperial gold coins were used in other regions as well, but you couldn’t buy things with dollars at corner stores.
The currency exchange fee wasn’t a penny or two, so it wasn’t a bad thing.
Also, you can get scammed, but the church is a little more trustworthy in that respect.
Nevertheless.
“Because there is a child I am protecting.”
“Ah… ….”
Because a promise was a promise.
You never know what might happen if you take a cute girl like Licia anywhere and leave. What would have happened if we had left Villach just one day late?
Besides, he can’t drag me by force. Because I am a free person.
There were countless classes, but if we had to divide them into two categories, there were free people and slaves.
The representative type of slave is the tenant farmer. This is not an inscription that contains the word small three times, but refers to farmers who were dependent on the land in exchange for protection.
Because they are enslaved, it is impossible to leave the territory unless their master releases them.
I used to be a tenant farmer like my mother, but not anymore. I let him go when his biological father kicked him out of the estate, saying he was a mess.
In contrast, free people refer to nobles and people like me who were once slaves but are free to wander.
In other words, I had the right to do whatever I wanted. This is a right that cannot be violated by anyone.
“Well then, goodbye. May God have pity on them.”
The priest had the expression of a child who realized the true nature of Santa.