"Jerren sure was taking his time."
In the Meeting Hall of the Royal Capital of Leyndell, sunlight slanted through the high windows, casting geometric patches of light across the polished floor. Tarnished, Morgott, and Ranni sat around a table.
"Overall, the timing is just right." Ranni rested two hands on her lower abdomen and folded the other two before her. "Only after clearing out the Mohgwyn Dynasty's eyes and ears in Altus Plateau and Liurnia can we travel to Caelid without concern."
Morgott let out a heavy sigh. Leaning against his chair, he tapped the table lightly with his gaunt fingers. "The Second Church of Marika... I never imagined the Mohgwyn Dynasty would dare run rampant right under Leyndell's nose. That they infiltrated us so deeply is my failure."
By any reasonable standard, even if Morgott lacked the resources to undertake extensive repairs on his own mother's churches after taking power, he should at least have sent people to guard and maintain them. Now a church had become a nest of Bloody Fingers, and he, the Grace-Given King, had known nothing about it. He certainly wasn't winning any awards for filial devotion.
Then again, Marika had thrown him into the sewers the moment he was born. With that sort of "kindness" to repay, it seemed understandable that Morgott hadn't repaired those churches. In fact, merely refraining from ordering every Church of Marika on Altus Plateau razed to the ground already counted as magnanimity-repaying cruelty with kindness.
Ranni had no desire to comment on someone else's family affairs and remained silent. Tarnished broke the silence with a grin. "The Second Church collapsed completely during the fighting. It's the perfect chance to rebuild it. Stormveil has excellent stonemasons and workers. Leyndell just needs to pay."
Morgott considered this briefly, then shook his