Chapter 10: Crisis of Faith
The chaotic situation in Jazair showed no signs of easing. Although the orcs’ attacks had temporarily ceased, they still gathered large forces around Jazair. The Blue Dove Corps retreated to the second line of defense, a defensive network built around the city fortresses of Nierang, Mainsstein, and Schleswig. Over ten thousand soldiers from the Blue Dove Corps along with local border guards held positions here. Once, the land outside this arc-shaped defense line was the richest and most fertile farmland in the kingdom’s north, but now it had become a hunting ground for the orcs. This was also the only defense line surrounding Jazair; if it were breached, Jazair would be left exposed to the orcs’ fierce attacks.
The wealthy people of Jazair began withdrawing their assets from the city, while their important family members secretly migrated south to safer areas like Cologne and Yundame, which were near the province of Gallia. Though these places seemed safer, it was clear that if the orcs broke through Jazair, even these areas would be doomed. Transferring assets to places like Cologne and Yundame wasn’t entirely secure either. Looking around, it seemed there were few areas in the kingdom still free from the orcs’ threat.
At this time, Gran’s investment initiatives arrived in Jazair. The canal project from Matdam to Lake Nirel piqued the interest of some merchants in Jazair, but what really caught the attention of the kingdom’s wealthy was the fact that two regions—Caucasus and Leon—, which had long been outside their scope of interest, were now within their consideration.
Matdam was already somewhat famous in the Abyssal Sea and the Northern Mid-Sea regions. Despite the restrictions imposed by Homer’s navy, these wealthy individuals all had some form of backing. The inland canal route from Odessa to Matdam had never been completely closed, and although the routes from Matdam to the ports along the Mid-Sea coast were plagued by evil dragons, they were still growing in prosperity.
The opening of the Khatynia River route further opened up the interior of the once isolated Caucasus region. This route enabled smooth connectivity between the Caucasus and various countries and cities along the upper and middle reaches of the Khatynia River, thus easily solving the food shortage problem. The ports of Matdan and Bahomun were also fully capable of handling the export of goods from the Caucasus and the import of goods from outside. If the canal from Matdan to Lake Nyerere, which seemed somewhat exaggerated, were successfully built, even Lyon could be integrated into the overall water transportation system. Just imagine the high-quality iron ore from Izmir being transported out at low cost via waterways—one can only imagine the vast wealth opportunities this entails.
While the fundraising campaign for the Mani Canal was in full swing, many exiled merchants and wealthy elites from the North had already turned their attention to the Caucasus and Lyon. Seeing their northern cities and fortresses reduced to ruins by the barbarians, they had lost all hope of returning. Finding a safer place to settle became their top priority, and Gran naturally became their main source of advice.
Puber also failed to realize that his friend’s fundraising campaign in Jazair would have such far-reaching consequences. The displaced northern elites and merchants had already lost faith in the kingdom. Even the army, once hailed as the kingdom’s guardian, and the invincible knights of the Light Church were either utterly defeated or disappeared silently in the face of the barbarians’ atrocities. Their property, homes, and lands were seized, leaving them with nothing. Filled with hatred for the barbarians, utter despair for the kingdom, and complete disillusionment with the Light Church, they fled south in panic. Now, they had to struggle to find another way out.
Upon receiving the news from Puber and Mahagumi, Komer fell into deep thought. Mahagumi’s intelligence indicated that although these northern elites, merchants, and commoners, who had a certain economic foundation, were disappointed in the kingdom, the Light Church, in which they had placed great hopes, also performed disappointingly. Faced with the aggressive advances of the barbarians, aside from the light mages in the kingdom’s magic corps, the Light Church seemed reluctant to send more mages. They responded coldly to repeated requests for help from the kingdom’s central authorities, either refusing on the grounds that the church did not have enough mages available or shirking responsibility by claiming they needed the consent of the pope, who was in retreat for meditation.
The Faith Tribunal of the Light Church, which had always taken a tough stance against the beastfolk, suddenly fell silent. Noroyla, once regarded as a madman, became the savior of the northern nobles and merchants at this time. Yet this so-called savior sent all the Tribunal’s elites to the south under the pretext of fighting demons and defending righteousness, leaving only one priest behind. All this gradually turned the resentment and hatred of the northern nobles and merchants toward the Light Church. A kingdom that could not protect them from being slaughtered and ravaged by faithless beastfolk in times of crisis could indeed be abandoned, but the faith they had relied on as a spiritual pillar was also beginning to crumble—though this collapse was extremely subtle and gradual.
This was an opportunity, Ko thought silently. Of course, it applied not only to the Caucasus and Leon. While the desire for economic benefits was indeed a factor attracting these northern merchants and nobles, it also held infinite opportunities for the Dark faction. In Ko’s view, the Light Church and the Four Great Lords’ decision to punish the kingdom for its disrespect toward them was nothing but a foolish and short-sighted act. Although this could undermine the kingdom’s authority and intimidate the Four Great Lords, thereby strengthening the Light Church’s influence in those regions, they seemed to have forgotten the views of the nobles and commoners in the kingdom’s central territories. The collapse of faith was more important than anything else. To regain the trust of these growingly confused people would require several times, even ten times, more effort—and timing. And now, he could simply deny the Light Church such an opportunity.
The Caucasus region already showed such a trend: the powerful Light Church had no advantage in spreading its teachings here. The people from Melen, Main, and Susor were clearly disappointed and dissatisfied with the Light Church’s failure to help their countries and cities. Although this was not enough to completely shake their faith, their trust in the Light Church had clearly declined, and their enthusiasm had diminished significantly. The Light Church’s missionaries’ attempts to raise funds to build a Light Church in Matdan were met with unprecedented indifference, falling far short of the expected amount. This left Priest Belan and Pastor Kustav extremely disappointed.
Leon was once another hope for Priest Belan and Pastor Qustaf, but Leon’s situation only deepened Belan and Qustaf’s despair. The newly freed slaves, whether half-orcs or mortals, held no goodwill toward the Light Church; in their eyes, the Light Church would always side with the nobles, helping them exploit and oppress them—except, of course, for the great Lord Comer.
A sense of distrust toward the Light Church seemed to permeate all the lands under Lord Comer’s control. Priest Belan and Pastor Qustaf had discussed this issue many times and reported it to Archbishop Tullado of the Homer region. They attributed these troubling signs and trends to three main reasons: the high proportion of non-human races in the Caucasus and Leon, the misunderstandings among immigrants regarding the Light Church, and Lord Comer’s overly permissive religious policies and so-called equal opportunities for missionary work. The first two could only be improved through long-term, persistent efforts, but the third could be addressed by exerting pressure on Comer.
What troubled Belan and Qustaf was that the lord seemed to spend little time in Ugru; his whereabouts were unpredictable, and he might vanish without a trace to Bohemia or Rosenberg. Even when he was in his own lands, he was mostly found in Leon, Santiago, Bahomun, and other places. By the time Priest Belan and Pastor Qustaf rushed to the lord’s manor upon learning of his return, they often found him already on his next inspection tour.
Though they occasionally encountered Lord Comer, and although he appeared to show understanding and support—even offering to cover the costs of building Light Churches from his own funds—overall, there was little real change in the region’s situation. Worship of the God of War, Mars, grew increasingly common among half-orcs, while mortals also showed growing reverence for him. Merchants worshipped the God of the Sea, Poseidon, and the God of Commerce, Mercury. Farmers adored the Goddess of Harvest, Demeter, and the Goddess of Hunting, Artemis. Dwarves proclaimed themselves followers of the God of Forging, Vulcan, and the God of Wine, Bacchus. Elves favored the Goddess of Youth and Beauty, Aphrodite. Although no one dared openly claim to worship the God of the Underworld, Hades, this chaotic mix of beliefs still left Belan and Qustaf deeply troubled.
They don’t know what exactly is wrong—how can people here lack faith to such an extent, how can they despise the great God of Light, Apollo, to such a degree and instead worship those deities long buried in forgotten history? Such a thing has never happened elsewhere. Even in the South, where dark forces are prevalent, it’s mainly a struggle between the faith in the God of Light and the God of Darkness. But the situation here is utterly bizarre. Could this place really be cursed by a demon god?