"Loren, I'm sorry, I didn't expect it to be like this, I ......"

"No need to explain, Webb - I know what I should know. ”

Byrne Cathedral, looking at the empty and overly "simple" furnishings around him, Loren, who was sitting in the only chair in the room, held the scriptures in his hand, and said to Weber, a pale priest with panicked eyes.

Belch... Or should it be called the Bishop?

Looking at the little priest in front of him, who had lost a lot of weight and even had wrinkles on his forehead, Loren, who was obedient, pouted a little awkwardly, and blocked his mouth with his hand in embarrassment.

Forehead lines, purple eye bags, slightly arched back, slightly swollen fingers full of calluses... Compared to a few months ago, he is at least ten years "mature" in appearance.

There was not a single book on his desk except for a set of three scriptures, some were just messy scrolls, and some had been instructed and some had not.

Except for two chairs and a coffee table, there is no decent "furnishings" in the room.

The walls of the previous bishops' paintings had been filled with dense scriptures, and the handwriting seemed to have been written by the priest himself, and the corners of the bonsai, statues, and knights' armor were nowhere to be seen, except for a few floors that were as smooth as new and somewhat abrupt.

Probably... It's all become three meals a day in the orphanage when I came outside the door, right?

Obviously, the price has been deliberately tossed and raised by two to three times by the United Chamber of Commerce, but the orphanage can still afford malt porridge and eggs... In the current Red Blood Castle, these two are already equivalent to new wines.

As for the little priest himself, the neat and tidy clergy garments, although of high quality, still show signs of whitening after washing, and the knees and elbows under the garment are particularly worn.

The main responsibility for this matter lies with little Yode, and it is basically because of him. Gently closing the scriptures, Loren sighed: "Of course, I'm not saying that you don't have responsibility, but that's what we said... I promised to support you, and new reforms are imperative!"

"In any case, a church that is incorruptible, leads by example, and promotes justice and fraternity, cannot be harmful to the principality, can it?"

Shrugging, the black-haired wizard explained lightly.

But the little priest clearly misunderstood his thoughts, and saw these words as an excuse for Loren.

"Such a church cannot be harmful to the principality... But I must have been in a hurry. Webber was at a loss, unable to sit down and unable to stand: "I... I'm so scared! I want to prove myself so much, that I can change the church, that it can be a real place of spiritual guidance, not a secular place mixed with politics and money!"

"Maybe you'll laugh at me, maybe you'll think it's ridiculous, but I've always had this fear, Loren... You, or the adults of the Duchy of Byrne behind you, and the Byrne Church in the Imperial Capital, will withdraw their support for me at any time. ”

It is this inexplicable fear that persists and urges me to realize my ideals as soon as possible and turn everything into an irretrievable fait accompli. The decadent little priest looked tired and slumped in his chair:

"Maybe... I should have apologized to Countess Charlotte—after all, if I hadn't won her over to agree to my new reforms in the first place, little Yode's resistance would not have been so strong, and the consequences would not have been so severe. ”

"If I were you, I wouldn't do that. Remembering the way Charlotte looked at little Yode before, Loren sighed:

"She's in a very bad mood right now, so if you don't want to be unlucky, let's wait. ”

"Because of me?"

"No, it's because of some stupid guy who killed himself and didn't know it. ”

The black-haired wizard chuckled, curling the corners of his mouth.

"In any case, congratulations on a successful mission. The little priest who was stunned before he reacted smiled dumbly, raised his head and looked at Loren calmly:

"The ruler of the south and the dragon king family of the Heavenly Dome Palace are so close to each other, trusting each other, working together... Hehe, the last time something like this happened was back in the tenth generation. ”

Intimacy, collaboration?

The corners of Loren's mouth curled up with a hint of mockery.

If you send someone to watch and secretly order the Grand Duke of Lothair to gather troops to guard against the invasion of the ancient wood forest, it can be regarded as "intimacy", and it is "full cooperation" to plant nails among your own knights......

Then Loren would rather that His Majesty Eckhart II of the Heavenly Dome Palace would better guard himself like a thief.

"Webb, you're not the same as you used to be. The smiling black-haired wizard raised his gaze:

"The little priest who confronted me at the Imperial Judgment in Golovin did not think about whether his actions would cause trouble to others. ”

"He will also do everything in his power to achieve his dreams, and he will also feel pain in order to hurt others... But he will still do it, and he will never stand in front of others with sincere fear like he is now. ”

The little priest was stunned, and a wry smile appeared on his tired and pale face.

"It's... Probably it's a change of identity, when you're alone, you can be free, you can let yourself realize your ideas, but when you carry something, everything changes. ”

"Just like Loren yourself, isn't it?" he raised his head, his calm gaze met the black-haired wizard's eyes: "In the past, although you would lower your profile, you were always a maverick and only for yourself, but now you are burdened with the rise and fall of a country, and even the survival of an empire, and you have gained power, but you can no longer be as free as before." ”

The smiling Loren looked at him without any change in his expression.

"So, now the two of us, who were once free, but now bound by ourselves, sit here and understand each other's difficulties. The black-haired wizard took a deep breath: "We both know how difficult it is for each of us to achieve our dreams, but now that we have set off, there is no turning back. ”

The little priest did not speak, but his eyes were full of approval.

Once you've taken the first step, there's no turning back.

Reforming the Church and completely separating the believers of the Holy Cross from imperial politics will be a shock to the Byrne Church and to the Holy Cross Church itself!

For it meant that the Church would be reconverted, that the Church would no longer have any interference in politics, that the "monasteries" that had usurped the land and the wealth of the empire would be abolished, and that a large number of clergy would return to the ascetic life of the Old Kingdom.

The church itself will become a simple place for the people to find faith and psychological comfort, and in the imagination of the young priest Weber, even "social assistance" such as orphanages should be transferred to the local lords.

"Yes, I know very well how difficult it is for my dream to come true. The little priest who had been contemplating for a long time spoke softly: "That... What about you, Loren?"

"What exactly is your dream?"

A soft voice resounded in the silent church.

Soft as a breeze, light as a cicada.

The black-haired wizard raised an eyebrow, a little surprised that he would ask this.

"Maybe you'll be surprised, no... You must have noticed it a long time ago, and I have been watching you. The little priest had a sincere expression: "I have always wondered what you have been working so far?"

"In the beginning, I always thought that you were firmly on the side of Ebolden, but then it seems that this is not the case, and you will cooperate with the wizarding class because you can draw their power into the camp of His Highness Brandon;"

"Later, I think you've been working hard for His Highness Brandon to defeat Crown Prince Conrad, but that should be only one of your goals, because if you were truly loyal, you wouldn't have snatched Byrne out of his hands. ”

"Later, I thought you might be trying to create a world driven by money and profit, but in my conflict with the United Chamber of Commerce, the Council of the Round Table took my side, making His Excellency Yod the Younger a target of the Duchy. ”

"So I'm really confused, very lost... Loren, what do you want, your dream Byrne, what does the world of your dreams look like?" the little priest asked, raising his gaze as if tentatively:

"Where is your goal?"

Loren pressed his hands to his stomach and didn't answer him immediately.

The words of Master Haringvan Ashamai are still ringing in my ears.

“...... Your fear comes from enemies who are too strong, you are busy because it is so much beyond your power that you have to strengthen you, you are behind bars and embattled......"

“...... Anyone who wants to save the world on their own will eventually find themselves betrayed by their trust, all their faith, and reduced to the point of confronting the whole world......"

“...... Your subjects, your friends, are desperate to help you, but can't understand what you're doing......"

Incomprehensible confusion......

Loren saw this emotion in the eyes of the little priest.

Should I tell him?

Weber's belief in the Holy Cross was absolutely unquestionable, he believed that spiritual guidance could save the world, that the Holy Cross was the future of the Empire, and that it would be done at any cost.

What would he think if he knew the "so-called truth" and knew that the Holy Cross was actually a "weapon" made by the wizards of the Dragon Kingdom to control people's hearts and balance the evil gods, a useful tool in the hands of a ruler?

Will he abandon his faith completely, like "Logan the Hat", and devote himself to turning the power of the void into a weapon for humanity and rebelling against the rule of the Holy Cross, or will he be like Bishop Fanecis, who will have a complete mental breakdown and become a lackey of the evil gods?

Either way, the collapse of faith brings about the collapse of the spiritual world... The most important thing is that, although it is a bit cold to say this, the little priest is not a member of his "inner circle", even if he is a friend, but Loren cannot trust him as much as he does with Luceen.

The two can still work together right now, but maybe one day... will become an enemy again.

But on the other hand, if you can rebel against the little priest and make him a supporter of his own church system......

Belch... Wouldn't it be too impractical?

"What I want... is a free Duchy of Byrne. ”

After a moment of hesitation, Loren still decided to be on the safe side, temporarily stabilizing the little priest and letting him continue to cooperate with him.

But the little priest clearly misunderstood what he meant.

"Freedom?" Webb was stunned, his expression was stunned: "It's like... Is it the same at Ebolden?"

"Ebden ... No, no, of course not, before the Wizard Tower and the Heavenly Dome were put in order, Ebolden was completely controlled by the free aristocrats and chambers of commerce who had a lot of wealth. ”

Waving his index finger, Loren laughed: "To a certain extent... It's because I don't want Byrne to end up like that that that I still support you, knowing that little Yod will strongly oppose it. ”

Weber, who seemed to understand whether he understood or not, bowed his head, but still had a "confused" expression.

"By freedom, I mean freedom of choice—I want to create a freedom that follows the order and allows the subjects of the principality to have more choices, regardless of family, bloodline, or origin. Loren's expression gradually became solemn:

"An ordinary knight's family, the eldest son inherits his father's armor and sword, the second son can join the church and pursue his faith, and the third son becomes an apprentice to a wizard's academy or a joint chamber of commerce for the family's livelihood, proving himself with knowledge or wealth. ”

"The three children may each go their own way, parallel and equal, without distinction of rank by choice, the eldest son may provide for his elderly father, the second son may do good deeds and earn a good name for the family, and the younger son shall send letters from afar telling his father and brothers where he is traveling, and that all is safe, so that they may be reassured."

"When the youngest sister of the family is finally about to get married, the three elder brothers can come up with a rich dowry and let the younger sister marry in style, without the need for their parents to save money;"

"The eldest son, who has been on the army for many years, may be admired by a noble girl in a castle, the younger son, who is well-informed, may fall in love with an elf or other alien at first sight, and the second son, who has joined the church, receives good news and sends blessings to both brothers at the same time, instead of treating them the other way;"

"There will be differences in their wealth and status, but all choices are free for them, there is no difference. ”

The black-haired wizard paused for a moment, and his voice was steady: "This is my dream, this is what the world of my dreams looks like—and in order to make this dream come true, I need power, and a lot of power." ”

"If a person wants to realize his dreams and make a real difference, he must have more supporters, more wealth, more power and people's hearts, and only with these can he be qualified to talk about 'changing the world'!"

"So... You're going to support Brandon. The little priest groaned, his voice trembling a little: "For he is the only one who has become the thirteenth... Loren, you have a chance to make your dreams come true, don't you?"

"Power, wealth, hearts... All three are indispensable. Loren nodded without hesitation:

"So... Webb, my Bishop, I will do everything in my power to help you with the Church's reform program. ”

"What about you, will you help me achieve my dream?"