Moderate Reformists

"Dean Benjamin... this time, you've really made a huge mess of things."

At a tavern by Pearl Lake, Duke Colin met with Benjamin again. Only this time, his expression was exceptionally complicated, and the way he looked at Benjamin was like he was looking at a monster.

Benjamin answered with a smiling squint. "Of course. If we hadn't made it this big, wouldn't all our efforts have been for nothing?"

Two days had passed since the posters had been plastered all over the kingdom, yet their impact was still fermenting. For some reason, The Church had been slow to respond this time, and its suppression of discussion was nowhere near as swift as before. Instead, public attention only grew higher and higher, until everyone knew about it.

Graffiti resembling the poster comics had even begun appearing on the streets of certain cities. The artists were unknown, but nearly all of it cursed The Church. Clearly, some righteous folk among the common people had been inspired by Benjamin's actions and begun voicing their dissatisfaction as well. Some had even directly cleared the mages' names, most likely the work of Hori Kingdom's exceedingly rare native mages.

This gave Benjamin hope.

Not everyone had been kept in the dark. Even though The Church brainwashed people day after day, this country had still preserved a clear sense of self-awareness.

Thus, when he met Duke Colin again today, it was not merely to fulfill the nobles' wish to see the king. He had further plans as well.

"...No matter what, I helped you get that batch of goods through the gates. It's time you fulfilled your original promise, isn't it?" Duke Colin sounded somewhat anxious. "Where is His Majesty? I need to see him."

"His Majesty is in this village. Once we finish talking, you