CH 201

Chapter 201 – The Matter About The Adol Religion

“I see. Well, that’s a reasonable line.”

The next day. Ellen, who heard the news about the Adol religion, quietly nodded her head in agreement.

“If you think it’s reasonable, that’s glad to hear.”

Sylphy, who sat opposite Ellen, exhaled.

The treatment of Adol religion was decided at last night’s meeting. It was straightforward to maintain the status quo.

Naturally, the Liberation Army’s instructions will be followed, but we will return the Adol religion’s property in Merinesburg as it is. In return, the Adol religion will stabilize the hearts and minds of the believers who visit the church.

The Adol religion will also be asked to eliminate its anti-subhuman teachings according to the contents of the old scriptures discovered in the Great Omit Wilderness and to promote the spread of the Adol religion as it should be. A sudden change of policy would probably cause distrust among the people, so this will be a gradual process.

We have obtained a tentative agreement that the budget given to the Adol religion by the Liberation Army or the administration will be revised after a close examination of how the current budget is being used. Ellen also seems to want to take this opportunity to get rid of the so-called “money-grubbing” priests.

Since such people are basically from the mainstream, she wants them to be banished or executed by making up appropriate charges. Ellen had a very nice smile on her face when we were talking about this topic. It seems that Ellen was quite annoyed with the stinkers in the mainstream group.

And so, after all the discussion was over…

“Sylphy! Why are you showing such a soft face to this invader? They should all be crucified and then burned!”

The red jersey, which had remained silent next to Sylphy until now, uttered an extremely radical remark. Hearing those words, Sylphy covered her eyes with one hand and let out a sigh, while Ellen gave me a ‘what’s with this stupid-looking tomboy’ look from next to me. No, yes, I know exactly how Ellen feels.

“If-aneesama… you promised not to talk, didn’t you?”

“That’s true, but… isn’t it strange! The Merinard Kingdom is in trouble because these people incited the Holy Kingdoms! And so it’s strange that they’re practically blameless!”

The red jersey pointed at Ellen and shouted.

“It’s already been twenty years since If-aneesama went to sleep. One generation has already passed in Merinesburg. Naturally, there are more and more Adol believers in Merinesburg. Under such circumstances, if we, who are in effective control of Merinesburg, massacre the clergy, it is obvious that the security situation will deteriorate significantly. Besides, Eleonora’s sect is not a mainstream sect that advocates the exclusion of subhumans but a nostalgic sect that tries to protect the old teachings that advocate harmony with subhumans. It is also close to the philosophy of the former Merinard Kingdom. It is in our mutual interest to join hands and build a cooperative system.”

“But the Adol religion is our enemy! I mean, you! Why are you sitting next to her?”

“Eh, because it would be unbalanced if it were like three against one. It would be like we’re pressuring her.”

“Aren’t you on Sylphy’s side! Sit over here! That’s not right!”

The red jersey screamed. She pointed at me and sat down and stamped her feet.

“Hey, Sylphy, is she really your sister? Is she really a princess? She’s so far away from my image of a princess.”

“If-aneesama is a bit… passionate.”

“That’s a very thoughtful way of putting it.”

“It must be difficult for the Witch of the Black Forest to have a sister who’s so inadequate.”

“Why are you all acting so unified!”

Mukii! The red jersey shouted at us three with an angry glare! The red jersey is really a very loud one, geez.

“What if we do what you say and wipe out the Adol clergy, but then the believers start a riot? Are you going to wipe them out too? There are a lot of Adol believers and a good number of clergy in the territory of the Merinard Kingdom, you know?　Do you want to crucify them all and burn them to ashes? Who stands to benefit from that?

“T-that’s…”

“If you do that, you will never be able to make peace with the Holy Kingdom. Are you saying that we should kill each other until either the Holy Kingdom or we are completely destroyed? Hmm?”

In fact, I think it’s not impossible to clear the Holy Kingdom if we use magic sparkling stone bombs all over the place, but I have no intention of doing that.

“…..”

Where did all that energy from earlier go? The red jersey immediately became silent… If you’re going to get all teary-eyed and silent at the slightest poke, then don’t talk from the beginning, you idiot.

“Kosuke, just leave it at that. If-aneesama is, um… still young, after all.”

“Young, you said, but she’s Sylphy’s sister, right?”

“That is true, but as an Elf, she is still a child… although the age difference between us is almost gone after twenty years of sleep.”

Sylphy then turns a concerned look at the red jersey. The red jersey that was looking down ── Ifrita-san was spilling tears from her azure eyes. Why are you crying? It’s as if I made you cry.

“You made her cry. You made her cry.”

“Shut up!”

Ellen is expressionless, pointing at me with both index fingers.

“If-aneesama… Um, we’re not at the stage now where we just need to defeat the enemy anymore. We have to act with a view to making the Holy Kingdom agree to our demands and how we can bring this conflict to an end. If we do so, the existence of the Adol religion, which has a pipeline to negotiate with the Holy Kingdom, is indispensable for us. So we can’t do what If-aneesama said.”

“Some of them can be burned to the ground to your heart’s content, though. Or the stinking priests who drink in the daytime and take their women into their bedrooms.”

“I’m trying to get my story straight, so don’t mix it up… Speaking of which, isn’t your boss or whoever he is supposed to be getting here by now?”

“Yes, that’s right. He should be here today or tomorrow.”

“Well… if he is, he should be caught in the reconnaissance alert by now. As soon as we find them, we’ll contact you, and you can get ready to welcome them.”

“Understood.”

Sylphy leaves the room with Ifrita, who is still shedding tears.

“You are not going with her?”

“I’m the one who made her cry. Well, I can’t stay too long with her.”

Today, I have to make a field for making medicinal herbs and also life potions using the herbs that are gathered in a way that will have minimal impact on the market. I have a feeling that if I have to make a field, I will be forced to make not only a field for medicinal herbs but also a regular field. Potatoes and beans can be stored well and will not go to waste even if I start making them now. If there are any leftovers, they can be sold or used in soup kitchens or any number of other ways.

“You are also very busy. I have a strong image of you just lying in bed, though.”

“That’s because we first met like that. I’m actually a very hard worker, you know.”

I said this and made a strong fist, and unexpectedly Ellen fell toward me. She laid her body on my lap and looked up at me with her back flat on the floor.

“I don’t want to work. Everyone is always coming at me with anxious eyes, calling me Saint-sama, Saint-sama. It’s exhausting.”

“That’s tough. You work very hard, Ellen.”

I gave her a combing stroke around her forehead, and her red eyes, which were looking up at my face, narrowed pleasantly. Hmm, cute. I wish I could skip work like this… but that happiness didn’t last long, and shortly after, a horned devil appeared and took me away to work.