Ran Into Them

The Battle of Dadir City commenced, and the Holy See's headquarters, eight thousand miles away, received a letter of protest from the Alpha Kingdom.

"Look at the mess you've made! You stirred up a little trouble, and before the ripples could even settle, the real owners have come knocking!"

As he spoke, Pope Pius VII tossed the letter of protest to Blake, the commander of the Order of Judgment Knights. His expression made it clear that His Holiness the Pope was truly angered.

The struggle between divine right and royal authority wasn't new. Any backstabbing in secret was fine, but bringing it out into the open broke the tacit understanding between them.

Especially with a distinctive evil artifact like the "Blood Moon Horn," which everyone knew was in the possession of the Papal State. Its appearance in the Alpha Kingdom clearly signaled to the world that the rebellion initiated by the Skull Society had the Holy See's backing.

"Your Majesty, rest assured! Regarding the Blood Moon Horn, we, the Order of Judgment Knights, will handle it.

A single war doesn't prove anything. Similar tactics have appeared on the Aslant Continent before.

As long as they don't have tangible evidence, we can simply claim they mistook it for something else and deny the loss of the Blood Moon Horn."

Commander Blake vowed.

Deep down, he couldn't help but curse. Secretly supporting heretical organizations to cause trouble was indeed something he had hinted his subordinates to do. No leader would directly order such a responsibility-laden, potentially scapegoat-worthy task.

Clearly, his subordinates' comprehension skills were lacking. They got carried away and accidentally handed over the renowned "Blood Moon Horn."

As an established power, the Holy See possessed more than just one or two evil artifacts. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they shouldn't have used the most recognizable "Blood Moon Horn."

Once such clandestine matters were exposed, it would be an embarrassment for everyone. Times had changed; the Holy See no longer had the confidence to openly confront the major kingdoms.

"Resolve it. How do you plan to resolve it?

The Alpha Kingdom's branch, controlled by those nobles, used the excuse of rebuilding the churches in the Southeast Province destroyed by the Rebel Army to reduce the taxes sent to the Holy See.

Since your Order of Judgment Knights caused this mess, this loss will be deducted from your military budget. Military spending cannot be compressed; you'll have to find a way to make up the shortfall yourselves."

Pope Pius VII said irritably.

When had the Holy See, once wealthier than any kingdom, ever lacked money?

Yet, this situation had occurred during his reign.

To be precise, ever since the Holy See's dominion over the continent collapsed three hundred years ago, its finances had been in a state of deficit.

With its abundant accumulated foundation, the Holy See had managed to persevere. By Pope Pius VII's time, the family fortune left by his ancestors had been largely depleted.

On one hand, they needed to expand their military and restore the Holy See's glory; on the other, they had to increase revenue and reduce expenditure to solve the fiscal deficit. Life was not easy for the Holy See.

Ever since the Holy See began expanding its military, relations with the continental kingdoms had become tense. Apart from a few small countries still under the Holy See's control, the remaining major kingdoms were all trying to prevent the Holy See from regaining its strength.

The kingdoms lacked the ability to directly interfere with the Holy See's decisions, so they mostly targeted its "money bag" to delay the Holy See's recovery.

Undoubtedly, the Holy See was not a pushover. In response to the targeted attacks from various kingdoms, it also launched fierce retaliation, and supporting heretical organizations was one of its methods.

Disruption was secondary; the more important goal was to amass wealth.

Under the tacit suppression of various kingdoms, it was difficult for the Holy See to obtain sufficient financial resources through legitimate channels, forcing it to take unconventional paths.

For example, the Courage Potion from the Skull Society originated from the Papal State. Nominally, it was the heretical organization plundering everywhere, but in reality, most of the looted wealth flowed into the Papal State through secret transactions.

As long as the price was right, magic potions, alchemical products, even evil artifacts and demons could be traded.

It could be said that the Holy See had reached a point of madness in its pursuit of wealth. Even so, it could barely cover the enormous military expenses.

Hearing about the budget reduction, Commander Blake was on the verge of tears. Although the taxes sent by the Alpha Kingdom's branch were not substantial, they could still support a cavalry regiment or five thousand-man infantry regiments.

On the surface, this was far less than the profits from supporting the Skull Society. However, tax revenue was continuous, whereas plunder was often a one-time gain.

According to past practice, once the taxes sent by the various kingdom branches to the Holy See decreased, they never recovered. This meant that the budget the Order of Judgment Knights had now lost would be difficult to regain in the future.

Just as he was about to argue, the murderous glares from his colleagues calmed Blake down.

The current problem wasn't just a matter of a small amount of tax revenue; the real trouble was the potential chain reaction it could trigger. If other kingdoms on the continent followed suit, the Holy See's financial pressure would only increase.

Mainly, as the strength of the various kingdoms grew, they had completely shed their dependence on the Holy See. Previously, they needed the Holy See to suppress demons, but now each kingdom had cultivated its own enforcers.

Simply put, the Holy See's job had been snatched, and now it was just freeloading. Moreover, this freeloader was restless, constantly wanting to be the boss, which naturally invited hatred.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will immediately send people to retrieve the Blood Moon Horn and sever ties with the Skull Society, leaving no trace behind."

Blake, with a flash of inspiration, immediately promised.

Under the scorching sun, the Fifth Army, which should have been setting up camp to rest, continued to advance.

There were still a few hours until nightfall, and with only the last ten-plus miles to their destination, they had to push themselves.

After all, with such a short distance, even if they encountered a surprise attack from the Rebel Army, the main allied forces could provide timely reinforcements. Their safety was guaranteed, so there was no need to conserve energy.

The soldiers were the ones rushing; for the noble lords, a mere ten-plus miles could be covered by horseback in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Hudson, riding his warhorse, was leisurely admiring the beautiful scenery, preparing to continue his slacking-off endeavors.

"Southeast direction, a suspicious convoy has been spotted heading towards Dadir City, suspected to be rebels..."

The scout's report interrupted Hudson's slacking-off, while simultaneously igniting the enthusiasm of the looting party.

Although the previous division of spoils had been unpleasant, it didn't affect everyone's enthusiasm for looting, especially when such prey was delivered right to their doorstep.

Without any discussion, everyone unanimously decided to rob them. At this critical juncture, heading towards Dadir City, even if they weren't rebels, they were practically rebels.