Chapter 21: Adaptability

Philip’s proud head drooped silently. He remained speechless for a long time, his gaze shifting between the two of them before finally settling on the other person. “It is an honor for our region of Homer to be so favored by the Light Church. I wonder what support we can offer in return?”
The Light Church had always had a tense relationship with Duke Philip. Years ago, they had even fallen out over certain matters. Had someone not stepped in to mediate at the time, their relationship might have deteriorated even further. Although Philip still had a number of Light Church mages in his own mage group, over the years he had deliberately reduced his reliance on them and begun recruiting other magicians instead. This made the Light Church even more suspicious of Homer’s religious policies, fearing that Homer might be the first region in the entire Kingdom of Nicocia to lift restrictions on dark religions and adopt even more lenient—or even completely open—policies, which was undoubtedly unacceptable to the Light Church.

“Your Highness, I believe you may hold some deep misunderstandings toward our Church of Light. Let’s not discuss who was right or wrong about what happened in the past. After all this time has passed, and with the Royal Council and Archbishop Jazair stepping in to mediate between us, that matter should be considered settled. Yet I find that Your Highness still holds certain biases against our Church of Light. For example, when it comes to hiring members for the Mage Corps, Your Highness prefers to spend vast sums of money and effort to recruit outsiders rather than inviting mages or priests from our Church of Light to join. Personally, I think these decisions fall within Your Highness’s authority, and I wish to say no more. However, as part of the kingdom’s religious policy to prevent dark forces from emerging within its borders, this is an agreement reached by all regions of the kingdom, including Homer, and our Church of Light. If we allow dark forces to spread in our own territories, the consequences will be extremely severe. Once evil dark forces take control of people’s thoughts and beliefs, the entire continent will be plunged into chaos and bloodshed. I believe Your Highness must also be aware of the suffering endured by the people during the rule of the Dark Empire hundreds of years ago. Think about those evil necromancers, soul witches, and dark sorcerers bringing various undead creatures, abominations, and magical beasts. Think about how the simple people, corrupted by such extreme and dark ideologies, became insane. What kind of world would that create?! I believe any lord with a sense of justice and responsibility toward his people would not want to see such a thing happen, let alone Duke Philip!”

The speaker was also a pivotal figure in the entire Homer region—the chief mage of the Homer region’s Mage Corps and an important missionary sent by the Church of Light to that area. Of course, his primary duty was not missionary work; that fell to priests and clerics. His responsibilities were first to ensure the Church of Light’s absolute dominance in the region, second to prevent and eliminate the presence of dark forces there, and third to assist secular lords in maintaining their rule. The first point was his main responsibility. It can be said that since Onasis became the chief mage of the Homer region’s Mage Corps, the relationship between the Church of Light and the lords of that region has improved significantly. The bishops appointed by the Church of Light in the region also adhered to the church’s goals: on one hand, they downplayed conflicts over secular power to avoid direct confrontation with the upper echelons of Homer, and on the other hand, they actively expanded the church’s influence beyond Cyprus, striving to maintain its control over the region in this way.

“We have always hoped that Homer could become a model region for the kingdom, as it is one of the most important areas in the Kingdom of Nicosia. Seeing the relationship between the kingdom’s central government and Homer reach this state fills our Light Church with deep concern. With the orcs eyeing the north, a conflict within the kingdom under such circumstances is certainly not what anyone wants. Therefore, our Light Church hopes that both the central government and Homer can be more rational and pragmatic, avoiding situations that become uncontrollable due to economic disputes. By stepping back, we can achieve greater harmony, and our Light Church is willing to act as a mediator to prevent the escalation of this conflict.”

Facing the priest Onasis’s nagging preaching, Philip remained outwardly calm but inwardly despised him greatly. While this man was top-notch in terms of magical skills and expertise, with no one in Philip’s mage group able to match him, his character was far from as pure and upright as his outwardly pious appearance suggested. He was skilled at deception and often hid his true intentions behind a friendly facade, misleading most people with his sincerity. But for someone like Philip, who had spent his life navigating intrigues and politics, such tricks could not deceive him.

The Light Church claimed to be committed to saving the people of the continent from lost faith and urging them to repent and do good, but in reality, it used the guise of spreading its doctrines to expand its power. Philip had long realized this, which was why he broke ties with the Light Church outright, using that opportunity to make them more restrained. Yet he also knew that the Light Church had deep roots among the common people of the continent, and completely cutting them off would bring many troubles to his rule. A relationship of mutual dependence, exploitation, restraint, and exclusion—this was likely the dynamic between the various regimes on the continent and the Light Church. When one side’s needs surpassed those of the other, that side would become dominant, only to shift again when things reached a certain threshold.

“Mr. Onassis, as you said, the conflict between me and the Church of Light has become a thing of the past. Mr. Onassis and Bishop Bella have worked very well together with Homer, and I must say I am quite satisfied with that. However, the current situation could indeed disrupt the already unstable state of the kingdom. His Majesty the King is misled by some sycophants and holds misunderstandings and prejudices toward us, the major lords. I have also discussed this with Grand Duke Zelin. Although Homer is my territory, it also belongs to His Majesty the King. Homer has never had any other intentions, but the kingdom has recently done many things that hurt his feelings. I am very regretful and worried about this. The situation around the kingdom is also quite severe, especially with the threat from the orcs in the north. At such a time, we should work together to overcome difficulties. I am very sad about what is happening. If the Church could do something helpful to ease the tension between the kingdom’s center and Homer at this time, I would be extremely grateful.”

Seemingly choosing his words carefully, Philip paused before continuing, “Although the Church of Light is growing healthily in Homer, I believe there is still room for improvement and further development. On this point, I am willing to discuss it with the Church, and Homer is also willing to do more to promote the Church’s spread there.”

A hint of satisfaction finally appeared on Onassis’s lips. Although it was hard for ordinary people to discern any meaning in Philip’s words, for those who shared a mutual understanding, this was already a form of compromise. The Church of Light faced many restrictions in spreading its teachings in Homer, even lagging behind some other neutral religions, which was what upset the Church the most. Achieving a breakthrough in Homer could also have a positive impact on other regions, such as Galle.

“Your Highness, I believe that through communication between our Church of Light and Homer, we will surely find more common ground. As for the kingdom’s center, I am also confident that after careful consideration, His Majesty the King will be able to see the situation more clearly and make a decision that benefits both sides.”

The rich brown-black liquid in the coffee cup emitted a strong, aromatic scent. Philip and Onasis met eyes, both instinctively pulling their gazes away. In many cases, they had to rely on each other for support—prosperity and adversity shared—but their fundamental interests seemed to have irreconcilable conflicts. This strange situation would continue, sometimes becoming even more apparent.

“Mr. Onasis, I’ve heard there are signs of dark forces emerging in the Caucasus. Have you heard of it? It’s not a good sign. Although the Caucasus is under my jurisdiction, I must admit that my influence and control over that remote region are quite limited. I’ve also heard that Bishop Bella has sent Priest Gustav to preach there. Could they really be unaware of this? Please pay close attention to this. I’ve also heard that the inquisitors from the Church Tribunal have been touring the kingdom recently. If you feel your own strength isn’t enough to uncover the truth, I think it would be wise to bring this issue to the Tribunal’s attention. Some problems are best resolved before they take root.”

Philip’s measured words sent a chill through Onasis’s heart. In fact, the Caucasus had already drawn significant attention from the Church of Light. The Great Secretists were active there frequently, and it was rumored that the local lord of the Caucasus might be involved in the death of Mage Melon in Versailles. Coupled with the glowing praise from the Church of Light’s missionaries for that lord, it was unclear why the Archbishop hadn’t issued any clear statements regarding the Caucasus. This, combined with the two senior knights of the Order of Rema staying in the Caucasus and failing to make contact, made Onasis wonder what was so extraordinary about the son of the Ramla treasurer to make Grand Duke Philip so wary, to the point of wanting to use the Church’s power to suppress or even eliminate him.