第１７８９堀：各国の教会評価 (Part2)
"Yuki-sama—or rather, men in general—often treat death as a mere punchline. I suppose that is simply the nature of your sensibilities. We, however, could never bring ourselves to accept you walking into the jaws of death."
"My apologies, the conversation has wandered. It seems the soldiers are calm, and I understand they harbor no particular ill will toward Weed or Ohe. That being said, if we were to release Baron Siana, would she be able to return home without incident?"
Indeed, the fact that we are still holding Baron Siana and the other nobles captive stems from the uncertainty of whether it is safe to let them go. We have learned that the Clearstream Church wields immense power—enough to exert influence even over the great nations. To release them without a calculated strategy would be…
"I would like to say she could return. But the Church will undoubtedly intervene."
"As I feared…"
It was to be expected. The Church cannot afford to let its influence wane, so they will surely obstruct her path at every turn. The most straightforward method would be to silence her permanently.
"Come to think of it, have you heard that the Marquis who led the Church’s forces committed suicide?"
"No, that is news to me. Though, it is entirely plausible. During our council, the Marquis was shouting that he could not allow word of this defeat to reach the ears of his superiors."
"So, the implication is that they were certain of victory in this campaign. And your understanding is that they would resort to sabotage precisely because they cannot afford for the truth to be known?"
"I believe that is correct. The Church is a fixture in virtually every nation across the North. Since the Clearstream Church is not at odds with other sects, information would leak instantly the moment she stopped at any town or village with a chapel."
...The Church’s reach is far more extensive than I had anticipated. It is peculiar, though; for an organization that acts with such belligerence, it is strange that they maintain cordial relations with other sects—sects that should, by all accounts, be competing for the same pool of believers.
"They are on good terms with other churches? Usually, there is significant friction between them, both in terms of followers and political influence, is there not?"
"That is true. Where people gather, conflict is inevitable. However, most churches focus on saving souls and offering the occasional blessing from their deity, so the rivalry rarely becomes severe. Of course, since it affects the volume of donations, some places are quite bitter, but the Clearstream Church is genuinely diligent in its monster subjugation efforts..."
"I see. So, in that regard, they have earned the public's trust."
"Exactly."
How troublesome. It is true that churches rarely come to open blows, but the fact that their success in monster hunting has fostered such cooperation is something I can understand, yet find impossible to accept. At this rate, it will be difficult for Baron Siana and the others to return home safely.
"However, the great nations and their vassal states were hoping for the Marquis to fail, were they not?"
"Yes. I heard they were quite reluctant about this entire affair. I suppose that is precisely why the Marquis could not afford to retreat."
"Well, when you boast that loudly and then suffer a defeat, the repercussions are bound to be catastrophic."
"Indeed. He had secured support not only from his country but from the Church as well. The fallout will be unimaginable."
And yet, the higher-ups were secretly hoping for his failure.
"Hmm. Then, what was the original schedule for the war? You surely didn't expect it to be settled this quickly, did you?"
"That is correct. We did not think they would lose so easily. Even if they were to lose, we expected it to take much longer. After all, we assumed they would be occupied with the monsters migrating from the North."
Come to think of it, the migration of those monsters was the catalyst for all of this. It stands to reason they couldn't simply ignore that.
"Then, what if we were to send them off under the guise of an envoy?"
"An envoy, you say… but…"
And so, Yuki-sama and the Baron began to deliberate on their next course of action. The Church appears to be remarkably shrewd, possessing a reach that is nothing short of a nuisance. Why they chose to invade the South remains a mystery.