Royal Power and Divine Authority

Canglan City, Emerald Palace

Ever since news arrived that the "Blood Moon Horn" had appeared in the Southeast Province, the high-ranking officials of the Alpha Kingdom had been losing sleep, and even the great King Caesar III was no exception.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't have warranted such a large-scale mobilization of important figures for a mere evil artifact, even if it had a fearsome reputation in history.

After all, the Blood Moon Cult's dominance across the Aslant Continent three hundred years ago was due to multiple reasons, with the "Blood Moon Horn" being only one of them.

To believe that a single evil artifact could wreak havoc and plunge the continent into chaos would be to underestimate the foundations of the major powers.

The crux of the issue was the emergence of the "Blood Moon Horn," which was also linked to the Church of Dawn. Once the Church was involved in anything, no kingdom dared to take it lightly.

The Alpha Kingdom was relatively fortunate, possessing sufficient autonomy. The Church's power here was not strong enough to influence national decisions.

Even though they still paid tithes to the Church, the noble faction had always paid lip service. The "tithes," which should have been the Church's most significant income, were barely enough to cover the daily expenses of the churches here.

If it weren't for the fear that the Church might withdraw due to its inability to sustain itself, they probably could have gone even further. The fact that people below acted this way was naturally inseparable from the support from the upper echelons.

The Blood Moon catastrophe three hundred years ago was not only a contest between the ruling class and the rebels but also a struggle between royal authority and divine authority.

The Empire of Light, supported by the Church, disintegrated during that struggle. The ten great legions, which were the Church's military backbone, were reduced to less than one-tenth after the war, and the heavily damaged Church was forced into a strategic contraction.

This was just the beginning; the Church still held considerable influence in local regions. The conflict between secular royal power and divine authority continued.

Through the efforts of several generations of kings, employing tactics such as infiltration, division, bribery, and suppression, they succeeded in driving a wedge between the local Church organizations and the Papal State, allowing the Alpha Kingdom to successfully cage the Church's power.

Now, the Church organizations in the Alpha Kingdom, nominally under the command of the Pope, were in reality secretly controlled by the great nobles from various factions.

The kingdom's archbishop was a member of the royal family, and the bishops in various regions were all scions of great noble families. Both in terms of talent cultivation and internal promotion, they had formed their own independent systems.

They selectively followed the Pope's orders. If it harmed their own interests, it was treated like scrap paper.

Under these circumstances, the relationship between the Alpha Kingdom and the Papal State was naturally not good.

The absence of direct conflict was due to the principle that the law does not punish the multitude. Most kingdoms on the continent with even a moderate amount of power played this game.

Countries that had not yet completed the restriction of divine authority were also striving in this direction, making the Pope hesitant to act rashly.

Regardless, they were all under the banner of the Lord of Dawn. If pushed too far, he might just start anew, creating a multitude of papal states, big and small, and then there would be no game to play.

The Lord of Dawn had not manifested his divine presence for thousands of years, and their reverence for the gods had long since dropped to its lowest point. If not for the fact that they needed the Church to deceive the common people, it was uncertain whether the papacy could even continue to exist.

Every effect has a cause; it was because the papacy had been too overzealous in the past, frequently sending people to the stake, that even kings felt insecure.

The current Alpha Kingdom was much more harmonious. Although the King and the noble faction were still in constant internal conflict, there were no longer instances of nobles being sent to the stake.

They were all one family; even if the power struggle failed, at worst, they could retire early and live at home, with very few instances of complete annihilation.

"The Blood Moon Horn appearing in the Southeast Province, it seems our good-natured Pope is not as benevolent as he appears on the surface.

But he shouldn't have started with my Alpha Kingdom. Does he really think it's still three hundred years ago, and everyone has to defer to them!"

King Caesar III said with a cold laugh.

Strength was always the greatest confidence. Freed from the Church's exploitation and oppression, the strength of the kingdoms across the continent had undergone earth-shattering changes.

Even though the royal family had suffered heavy losses in the Orc Wars a hundred years ago, showing signs of decline and struggling to suppress the domestic great nobles, the kingdom still maintained political balance under Caesar III's efforts.

On the issue of dealing with the Church, the noble faction's stance was unanimous. After all, no one wanted an extra ancestor who took a cut of their money, especially one who could send them to the stake at any time.

Even though the papacy had been trying to change its external image in the past century, almost never sending nobles to the stake, it still failed to gain their approval.

"Your Majesty, this is to be expected. After three hundred years of recuperation, the papacy's strength has recovered considerably.

Although it doesn't match its peak, it still surpasses any human kingdom on the continent. Now that their development has reached its limit, it's not surprising that they are turning their attention beyond the Quikning Peninsula.

The appearance of the Blood Moon Horn in the Southeast Province is likely a probe against us. If Count Pierce can sever their outstretched hand in time, the Papal State will probably shift its target again.

Before this, similar incidents have occurred in the Frankish Kingdom, the Dante Kingdom, and the South Bank Kingdom."

Prime Minister Duke Newfoundland replied calmly.

The softest persimmons are the ones they choose to crush. If the papacy wants to regain its former glory, the first step must be successful.

Choosing opponents requires great skill. If the influence is too small, it not only fails to create deterrence but may also trigger a joint boycott by various countries.

If the opponent is too strong, and they are taught a lesson, it would be embarrassing.

"The papacy is not monolithic; not everyone likes to stir up trouble. Most cardinals wish to maintain the status quo.

The organizations that want to stir things up are mainly the Order of Judgment Knights, the Inquisition, the Holy Temple, and the Gate of Heaven... these notorious organizations.

It's possible that the Blood Moon Horn falling into the hands of the Skull Society this time is the work of one of these factions. After all, it's not the first day they've manipulated cult organizations to sow chaos on the continent."

Minister of Military Affairs Duke Affierro analyzed calmly.

It was ironic that the organizations that suppressed heresies the most fiercely ended up becoming their supporters.

But there was no other way; without heretics, how could the Church's greatness be demonstrated?

During the era of the Church's strategic contraction, only the endless emergence of heretical cults causing local disturbances could highlight the Church's importance.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the increasingly powerful noble faction had been constantly competing with them for business.

The heretics that should have been suppressed by them were eliminated by the nobles first, leaving them no opportunity to perform.

As a result, in the minds of many commoners, the Church was reduced to just churches for prayer and priests who only knew how to make money.