The Holy Church Begins with Bestowal of Blessings

Chapter 366 : Not Kneeling Fast Enough

There was a moment of silence in the Senate, until it was finally Priest Agamemnon who broke the stillness.He said, 「Councilor Fenrir is only responsible for managing the Assassins' Guild, and all actions of the assassins must be approved by me, even if it is just the mission to assassinate a — commoner.」

Under such circumstances, even when Priest Agamemnon said the word "commoner," it sounded slightly unnatural.

However, after he finished speaking, the councilors clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to Councilor Fenrir, who sought to stabilize his position and seize power, Priest Agamemnon, who upheld justice and actively maintained order, naturally earned their greater trust.

At least, they wouldn’t be visited by assassins just because of one person's selfish whims.

Even these councilors feared the assassins, for this was no longer the Old Testament Era where nobles held centralized power.

Back then, nobles enjoyed the highest authority and martial force within their territories. Those who could dispatch assassins into such noble fortresses to eliminate them were invincible, even in open confrontation.

After all, even if one noble died, their bloodline heirs would carry on, ensuring the noble family did not collapse.

So, instead of resorting to assassination, it was better to throw a slave into another noble’s territory and then launch a formal accusation or confrontation.

But now, in the New Testament Era, nobles had to work diligently to recruit martial force within their territories. After all, one of the most intuitive hallmarks of the New Testament Era was that every individual was granted freedom by the Lord.

In theory, if a commoner could no longer survive in a noble's territory, they had the right to leave and seek life elsewhere.

Of course, that was only in theory.

After all, even in the wilds without bandits, there were still beasts, and commoners found it hard to fend off such creatures.

Only those powerful individuals could disregard these beasts.

Therefore, they did not believe there were no Tier Four assassins within the Assassins' Guild. Those were the ones who could truly threaten them.

So when Priest Agamemnon declared that the authority to permit killings rested solely with him, the councilors could finally relax a bit.

They had already suspected that Priest Agamemnon wielded a hidden force behind the scenes, so the Assassins' Guild merely made that threat more explicit.

Once relieved, Councilor Bevan took the lead to speak, 「Councilor Fenrir is right. If those nobles dare to oppose the decisions passed by the Senate, then they are betraying the King, betraying Lundex.」

With a smile, Priest Agamemnon asked, 「So Councilor Bevan is also in support of this policy?」

Bevan did not answer directly. Instead, he said, 「Recently, while organizing the tasks for the establishment of the Merchants' Guild, I noticed one glaring issue: the severe barriers between noble territories.」

「This causes discrepancies in product pricing, all due to territorial fragmentation. It would be understandable between regions like Greenwood, the Northland, or the Woodlands. But even in adjacent noble lands, the price gap for the same item is enormous. I believe this must be addressed.」

「And the guild should shoulder this responsibility. Only then can all commoners in Greenwood access the full range of products Greenwood produces, rather than being barred simply due to residing under different noble jurisdictions.」

「Therefore, alongside the policy announcement on knights, I hope you can also issue one regarding the Merchants' Guild.」

Having said that, Bevan drew a sealed document from his chest and signaled the hearing-impaired attendant to deliver it to Priest Agamemnon.

As the attendant passed over the document, the other councilors looked at Bevan with peculiar expressions.

Especially Puniel, who wished he could have similarly prepared the Warriors' Guild matter in advance.

It was now obvious: Priest Agamemnon intended to use the Knights' Guild policy to purge a round of Greenwood's nobles.

Perhaps it was related to Baron Hobert awakening a divine being in Greenwood?

The councilors were uncertain.

After reading Bevan's document, Priest Agamemnon showed a smile.

He said, 「Though I originally intended to delay other guild affairs for a while, it is clear that the faster we establish the guilds, the faster the lives of Greenwood's commoners will improve.」

「So the Merchants' Guild policy shall be issued simultaneously.」

These words sent chills down the councilors' spines.

If Priest Agamemnon truly meant to use the Knights' Guild as an excuse to cleanse Greenwood's nobles, then wouldn't Bevan's proposal of the Merchants' Guild also become another pretext?

They could almost hear the thunderous heartbeat of someone in the chamber, pounding from fear.

Bevan stood, gave a slight bow, and said, 「Wise as always.」

Only then did he return to his seat at Priest Agamemnon's gesture.

But this act of his made all the councilors except Julian feel nauseous.

That Bevan fellow truly knelt thoroughly.

Even Councilor Fenrir had only offered verbal submission.

Yet now, among the seven councilors besides Priest Agamemnon, three had openly declared their support.

At this point, the fourth supporting councilor would become crucial.

So Jeffrey spoke up before Puniel could, 「Just as our wise Administrator says, the earlier the guild policies are implemented, the better. Therefore, I believe this new knight policy should be carried out as soon as possible.」

Even his voice carried a bard-like intonation.

This kind of blatant flattery made all the councilors shiver, including Priest Agamemnon.

He understood clearly: Fenrir, Bevan, and Jeffrey were stating they would sit firmly with the Senate. They chose their identity as councilors over their noble heritage.

But the sycophancy in their words was increasingly repulsive.

Priest Agamemnon was more accustomed to their usual backroom bickering.

After all, these politicians' stances were entirely dictated by benefit and force.

If not for the overwhelming violence Priest Agamemnon held, and the benefits they could gain from this policy, they would have attempted opposition regardless.

Now that they were pledging loyalty so swiftly, they would also be the first to betray him when needed.

Thus, before Puniel could curry favor, Priest Agamemnon said, 「Since that is the case, let us vote by raising hands.」

Puniel cursed inwardly, realizing he had missed the perfect chance to pledge allegiance.

So he raised his hand faster than anyone, his speed belying any signs of physical decline.

Or perhaps it was because Hastings had yet to react in time to compete.

As for Julian, he was unconditionally supportive of Priest Agamemnon's every word, and saw no need to show his loyalty.

Yet, no matter how quickly Puniel raised his hand, Priest Agamemnon paid him little mind.

After all, with four councilors publicly expressing support, the remaining three were mere formality.

Having concluded this matter, the meeting was ready to adjourn. This council session was convened solely for the Knights' Guild policy, and government officials would spread the policy across all of Greenwood.

As for Puniel's Warriors' Guild, it had yet to reach the significance warranting Senate discussion.

But just before Priest Agamemnon could announce adjournment, Julian raised his hand.

Priest Agamemnon and the others were momentarily surprised, but quickly sat back down.

Priest Agamemnon asked, 「Councilor Julian, do you have further matters to raise?」

Julian stood and said, 「The matter of the Woodlands seeking to come under Lundex's rule must be spread by the bards. All of Greenwood must know.」

Priest Agamemnon fell into contemplation.

He understood Julian’s intent.

It was nothing special, merely a variation of the propaganda strategy they had once used in Greenwood.

So Priest Agamemnon turned his gaze toward the now-sweating Councilor Youn.

Clearly, Councilor Youn had also caught on to Julian’s implication.

「Councilor Youn, it has been half a month since your assigned guild's matters were settled,」 Priest Agamemnon said calmly.

「Yes, yes, it has already been half a month,」 Councilor Youn stammered, standing hunched. His voice trembled with panic. 「I did send people to find those bards, but they hold no regard for the Senate, and were extremely resistant — even refusing to speak with me.」

「They are too —」

Councilor Youn desperately tried to explain the bards' arrogance, how they showed no respect toward the Senate.

But Priest Agamemnon interrupted him coldly, 「So you mean to say, you can't even get these bards to spread a message?」

His words startled Councilor Youn, who clutched the table, while the other councilors looked at him with eyes gleaming with greed, like wolves surrounding their prey.

Such was the design of the Senate's roundtable — every member was completely exposed to the scrutiny of the others.

Councilor Youn opened his mouth, trying to say more.

But Priest Agamemnon spoke first, 「Councilor Youn, you should know that lies are sin, while honesty is virtue.」

With those words, he stared intently at Youn.

Councilor Youn's face was twisted with struggle, but in the end, he could only tremble and say, 「I am sorry. I am not yet able to make the bards obey and carry out orders.」

Having said that, he collapsed into his chair as though all strength had been drained from him.