Chapter 93

The temples in this country were divided into tiers.

First, the most ordinary criteria that could be applied were the location of the temple and the reputation of the priest in charge.

For some unknown logic, temples generally tended to be treated as higher-tier the more difficult their accessibility was.

Conversely, urban temples that anyone could enter were often frowned upon, as it was said that worldly stains more easily clung to their buildings and serving priests.

Furthermore, the priest in charge who represented the temple was also important.

When someone renowned for their faith took the position of priest in charge, people flocked from all over the country, and naturally, donations increased as well.

Thus, it was common for priests who had made something of a name for themselves in faith to be assigned to famous temples.

And the Grand Temple was considered the highest-ranked among temples.

These temples were mostly built in barren places like the middle of wastelands or the center of deserts.

Naturally, the priests in charge appointed to such places were also those whose names alone commanded respect.

But according to the novel, there weren't as many Grand Temples as one might think.

Firstly, building a temple in such places would incur huge transportation costs, even for the smallest temple.

Secondly, even if one managed to build it somehow, saintly priests worthy of a Grand Temple were rare.

Lastly, priests were still human, and while they kept a distance from the secular world, they only distanced themselves as much as they could tolerate.

A Grand Temple, which was difficult to build and even more difficult to staff, in the north?

One of the invited priests spoke.

"I heard from Brother Russel that Your Grace had a profound interest in establishing a Grand Temple. While worthy praise should be given for your deep faith, may I ask why you suddenly show a different course than the previous Duke?"

"By the previous Duke, do you mean my father?"

"That's right. It might be a bit uncomfortable to say this, but the Hartmann ducal family under the previous Duke was somewhat... passive toward the temple."

It seemed like he was trying to phrase it nicely by circumlocution, but interpreting those words would mean something like:

'In the past, despite being a noble, you barely made donations, never showed your face, so why all this fuss now?'

Indeed, Hartmann had secretly maintained its own faith system.

So they would have created a separate chapel within the ducal residence.

But strictly speaking, Hartmann's faith was considered heretical.

There was nothing good about revealing this fact to the priests, so he decided to make the most of Russel.

"My memories of the previous Duke are also vague. Most of the documents that could be consulted regarding this have been lost."

"Ahem. Then are you saying you cannot answer the reason?"

"But there is one thing I can clearly state here and now. I was impressed by Sir Russel Nabilov's courage, and when I learned where the source of his courage came from, I naturally developed reverence."

The priests began to look at each other.

One of them asked again.

"What did Brother Russel say that made such a deep impression on you?"

"He said that protecting the weak according to the doctrine is a duty bestowed by God, and also the responsibility of holy knights like himself. Hearing this, I asked in return. That responsibility was not chosen entirely by one's own will; wasn't it burdensome?"

"And then...?"

"Sir Russel said, 'Everyone has a mission bestowed upon them when created by God.'"

He rose from his seat and walked slowly for a moment.

With each step he took, the priests' eyes were busy rolling to follow him.

"I was feeling remorse for the world after experiencing the unfortunate event that occurred in the ducal family. My ancestors earned a shameful crime, and I alone survived from the family. I wandered for a long time seeking my reason for existence. But then Sir Russel said it. That everyone has a mission. That one only comes to know it through awakening. At that moment, I realized."

His footsteps stopped abruptly.

All attention focused squarely on him.

Someone gulped.

"The reason I survived was to atone for my family's sins and ensure that my family members could be cleansed and enjoy eternal rest with pure souls."

"Such..."

"Yes, due to personal circumstances, though I have neither been baptized nor properly visited a temple. Still, since that day, I have continuously prayed while sincerely contemplating what a life of repentance might be."

As he pretended to wipe away tears, a small murmur arose among the priests.

Nodding their heads, the priests whispered in soft voices.

"To have such a kind heart at such a young age."

"How could it have been an easy decision to resolve to bear all the sins of the family? He's only as old as my child, yet his thoughts are so profound."

Good. Good. He had established a good image once.

He sat back down, immersed in thoughts.

"...For that reason, I became interested in a Grand Temple. A Grand Temple is the place where one can get closest to God. If a temple is built, I think I can always maintain a serving heart."

"Your heart is truly commendable, Your Grace. But building a Grand Temple is not as easy as one might wish."

"Could you point out which parts are problematic?"

"First, the construction of a Grand Temple is managed by the Central Temple."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"But since the Central Temple operates with offerings and donations collected from the entire parish, it would be difficult to allocate a budget for Grand Temple construction right away."

"Budget?"

"Although it's hard to estimate, if a Grand Temple were to be built in the north, wouldn't it take at least 10 years?"

He inwardly sighed at the priest who spoke of 10 years as if it were a dog's name.

He would probably die of old age before the Grand Temple was completed.

The priest continued, stroking his beard.

"This is even estimating minimally; it could take longer than that. The annual donations also vary. Even if Your Grace were to support the construction to some extent..."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. I was thinking of building the temple in Hartmann and then donating it to the Central Temple."

A momentary silence fell over the office.

"D-donate... you say? A Grand Temple? From Hartmann?"

"Yes. Isn't that obviously what should be done? So there's no need to consider the temple's budget. What concerns me is something else."

"What aspect is that?"

"No matter how splendid a temple I build, will it be elevated to the status of a Grand Temple? My only sorrow is that my earnestness might not reach God."

"Of course, if it's the north, there would be some consideration..."

"It's not about consideration, Priest. I want a firm guarantee."

The internal atmosphere changed in an instant.

Not just himself, but everyone here was no ordinary person.

According to what Arndt, who mainly managed guests, had gathered, these people were either priests in charge of large temples spanning from the south to the east and west, or promising figures who held significant positions.

The shift from discussing the depth of faith and belief to business was instantaneous.

He nodded to Arndt, and Arndt approached the priests with a silver tray bearing six small silk pouches.

"Priests, our brothers. Surely, the Central Temple cannot handle a matter as significant as the donation of a Grand Temple on its own? You would certainly want to hear the opinions of some individuals."

Each person received one pouch.

Everyone glanced at their neighbors as they slightly opened the pouch.

"Gasp...!"

One of the priests inhaled sharply and then tightly gripped the pouch.

Others had similar reactions.

They either looked into the pouch with surprised eyes or hastily closed it and feigned composure with a fake cough.

As most of the reactions were satisfyingly predictable, a smile naturally came to his face.

"It's my small token of sincerity. Aren't we all brothers before God? So this is just like a small gift from a younger brother to his elder brothers."

"T-this, but..."

"Surely my elder brothers wouldn't refuse one small favor from their cute youngest brother filled with aegyo."

It must be confusing.

But inside those heads, even more self-centered thoughts would be spinning around.

Because priests were human, this was a moment he'd been planning since hearing that they could never go to a temple in a remote area.

Desire is what keeps humans human.

And he had targeted the most universal human desire.

There was some time difference, but eventually, all the priests tucked the silk pouches into their sleeves.

Perhaps to break the awkward and embarrassing situation of accepting bribes, someone casually remarked.

"Though Your Grace refers to yourself as the youngest brother, wouldn't this make you the person with the most say in our family?"

"That's right, and if the most devout person is the youngest brother, then it's only natural."

"Doesn't faith deepen when there's someone nearby who encourages it? If Your Grace is willing to shoulder the sins of the family and repent, who could say that is wrong?"

"Hahaha, that's right, Brother. Very right indeed."

Even as he smiled with downcast eyes, they created absolution for his actions among themselves.

After the outwardly harmonious meeting ended, the priests hurriedly returned to their guest rooms.

Arndt, who had personally seen them off, turned to look at him.

"Did you deliberately choose six people?"

"Reactions differ when it's just two people versus when it's a group. The atmosphere is not something easy to ignore."

"Your Grace, you're truly meticulous."

Watching political news in Korea makes this kind of thing easy to do, Arndt.

He rose and handed two letters to Arndt.

"Send the one to the Aisling Merchant Group as quickly as possible."

"What's the content of this? Is it an urgent matter?"

"Nothing special, just asking to borrow some gold coins for the construction of the northern Grand Temple. About two thousand pieces?"

"Whaaaat? Two thousand pieces? Are you buying a whole city?"

Arndt jumped when he heard the amount.

Was that so surprising? He just chuckled.

"Aisling owes me for the mithril ore. According to the contract, I'm not responsible for supplying mithril ore, right? But when Yvonne came with a pitiful face, I did it out of sympathy."

"That means..."

"Once we start redeveloping the mine, mithril ore will be available again. But only through the Aisling Merchant Group."

Since Aiden wasn't one to simply take a loss, it seemed necessary to offer this much compensation to borrow gold coins.

Arndt nodded and promised to send it by the fastest courier, then left the office.

The priests who filled the castle received lavish treatment and left the castle after three days.

Besides the six priests he had secretly called, there were several others who, pleased with the generous hospitality of Hartmann Castle, promised to help whenever needed.

And about two weeks later.

Two letters arrived at Hartmann.

One was a letter from the Aisling Merchant Group regarding the gold coin loan.

Though Aiden expressed disgust at the nobles' sense of money, he showed curiosity about the mithril mine that he had come to own.

The content was that he would visit the ducal residence to discuss this and either modify or newly draft a contract.

The other was from the Central Temple.

The letter mentioned that he had temporarily gained authority over the northern self-governing territory,

And that his heart ached seeing the collapsed temple site, so he wanted to build a larger and more magnificent temple and donate it.

And the Central Temple responded that they would gladly accept this.

At this point, all the groundwork had been laid.

The news that Hartmann was rebuilding the northern temple spread instantly among the nobles.

And around the time the nobles were ascending to the capital for the Corpus Christi celebration,

Rumors abounded that the Hartmann ducal family had become one of the counterpoints to the royal family, namely, a member of the Temple Faction.