Over the next week, the Hori Kingdom sank into even greater turmoil.
After Ikor's army withdrew from the border, large numbers of priests returned to the Royal Capital and held a coronation for the princess. It was probably the most deathly silent coronation in history. Nobles, knights, clergy... according to those who had witnessed it, everyone present had been like wax figures. Other than the obligatory speeches, no one dared make the slightest sound, as though taking one extra step would get them arrested and hanged.
And supposedly... The Church really had secretly hanged several priests over the past few days.
No one knew the truth, but those rumors alone were enough to breed even more suspicion. For a time, everyone in Havenlight felt threatened, so skittish that even the rustle of wind or cry of a crane put them on edge. Many could not even sleep soundly.
Yet beyond the Royal Capital, unrest raged just as fiercely.
The Church's forcible installation of the princess as monarch provoked a massive backlash. With all sorts of people fanning the flames, rebel forces sprang up one after another, opposing local governments. Bandits and mountain brigands took advantage of the chaos to loot and pillage, leaving the people in untold misery.
And at such a time, rumors about the "Black Nightmare Society" suddenly drifted through the populace like ghosts.
"I heard... the Black Nightmare Society was founded by His Majesty himself before his death."
"Back then, His Majesty had just escaped The Church's house arrest. Drifting from place to place and unable to contact his former supporters, he had no choice but to establish an organization like this. Unfortunately, once it grew stronger and stronger, The Church could no longer sit still. They sent assassins to secretly murder His Majesty. Before he died,