Translator: Cinder Translations
...
The two of them held their breath, watching the noisy crowd pass by outside.
"Phew!" Liszt patted his chest. "Looks like they're not coming for us."
"I'm going to check it out!" Sevya took down the cloak hanging on the wall and started heading downstairs.
"Are you crazy? Why stir up trouble?"
Liszt grabbed her arm. Seriously, didn't this woman know who she was?
Sevya turned back, initially intending to scoff at his cowardice, but seeing the worry on his face, she softened and said, "Don't worry! No one will recognize me like this."
She shrugged off Liszt's hand, donned the cloak, and added, "I'm very interested in any news about the church."
With that, she turned and headed down.
"Sigh!" Liszt stomped his foot in frustration and followed her.
…
"Angelo!"
"Angelo!"
The street was buzzing with voices, the new bishop's name being chanted repeatedly. Some people were extremely agitated, while others were just joining in for the excitement.
Sevya and Liszt followed the flow of people, realizing they were moving towards the cathedral.
"Hey! Sir, what's going on?"
Liszt gently tugged at the sleeve of someone nearby and cautiously asked.
"Those damned vampires from Collins are coming to exploit us again!"
The person launched into a friendly greeting about the so-called "vampires," and through their somewhat chaotic and colorful local vernacular, Liszt learned the background of the situation.
After Sevya stirred up a major incident, the church had imposed a prolonged high-pressure policy on Niceport. Later, under the new bishop Angelo's leadership, the lockdown was lifted, which angered Archbishop Elvis of Collins, prompting him to send envoys to Niceport to publicly reprimand the local bishop in front of several high-ranking clergy, inciting anger among Angelo's supporters.
To make matters worse, the envoy also brought a tax increase order from Collins—under the pretext of addressing the rising costs of the so-called "purification squads," the new archbishop Elvis, on some recommendations, imposed a special religious tax. Historically, the church had always collected another form of religious tax from believers—the tithe, which required individuals to "donate" one-tenth of their income to the church. However, this tax was not based on actual income, as the church lacked the means to accurately calculate each individual's earnings.
The new religious tax was a head tax, meaning that everyone, regardless of income, including the elderly and children who couldn't work, would have to pay it.
What further incensed the people of Niceport was that 90% of the new tax revenue would be sent to Collins, managed by the archdiocese, leaving only a meager 10% for the local church in Niceport.
As soon as the news broke, it caused an uproar, stirring various undercurrents in Niceport, even prompting the previously cooperative Horns Bay Alliance council to take action against the church.
While Horns Bay was known for its thriving maritime trade, nearly half of its countries were landlocked. Coastal nations amassed vast wealth from sea trade, which had long been coveted by the inland countries, who could only scrape by in the hills and small plains. Ironically, these inland nations were particularly devout to the Father and almost always obedient to the church's directives, which is why the archbishop of Horns Bay was stationed in the powerful inland city of Collins rather than the economically prosperous Horns Bay Alliance.
Coastal inhabitants had long suspected that the church used the tax revenue collected from them to secretly support the inland countries, ensuring their loyalty to the church.
The council sent a delegation led by Marquis Foster to negotiate with the archbishop's envoy from Collins. During the negotiations, both sides held firm and could not reach an agreement, leading to a stalemate. The Collins envoy was unyielding, leaving no room for bargaining.
What infuriated the archbishop's envoy was that the local bishop Angelo and his supporters stood alongside the council opposing the tax increase. In the envoy's eyes, this was akin to betraying the church.
As negotiations stalled, this morning brought a new order from Collins—removing Bishop Angelo from his position in Niceport and sending him to Collins for trial on charges of colluding with witches to corrupt the church. Several other high-ranking church officials from Niceport, all of whom were Angelo's supporters, were also to be dismissed and sent along.
Once again, public opinion in Niceport erupted. Angelo was a respected cleric who had tried to avoid wrongful accusations during the witch hunts before he became bishop, and after his appointment, he had eased the long-standing high-pressure tactics, making him very popular.
Now, facing "transportation" to Collins, the public naturally would not stand for it.
It's unclear who instigated it first, but a large-scale parade was spontaneously organized, with more people joining along the way, heading straight for the cathedral.
"So many things have happened while we've been holed up these past few days. Sigh, just as my office was about to open, trouble breaks out," Liszt said, shaking his head and sighing while holding onto Sevia's arm.
"I want to go see," Sevia said, looking visibly excited. Clearly, she was eager for the spectacle, probably wishing it would escalate since it involved conflict within the church itself.
"Don't! In situations like this, it's easy for stampedes or riots to occur. It's better if we don't get involved," Liszt warned.
Sevia frowned, "I'll just take a look from a distance! You go back." With that, she joined the crowd.
Liszt reluctantly followed her.
The two made their way to the square in front of the cathedral, which was already filled with people from all directions of Niceport.
"Release them!"
"Give us back our bishop!"
"Drive out Collins' thugs!"
Cries erupted, and the church knights stationed at the cathedral entrance appeared tense, as they had never seen such a scene.
Liszt quietly asked a nearby person, "Sir, what's happening inside?"
The man replied gravely, "Marquis Foster is making his last efforts inside! Sigh, I really don't know what Archbishop Elvis is thinking."
Just then, the cathedral doors suddenly swung open. In full view, Angelo and his companions emerged, hands shackled, flanked by armed escorts. A haughty-looking high-ranking cleric shouted at the crowd, demanding they clear the way.
The powder keg was ignited!
The crowd, long suppressed, erupted with fury.
"Too much!"
"Collins' henchmen!"
Someone shouted, "Charge in! Kill these bastards!"
This seemed to serve as a signal, and the crowd coalesced into a hammer, smashing toward the cathedral doors, only to be blocked by the line of church knights.
The messenger from Collins grew furious. Was this still the gentle lamb of the Father? They were nothing but a bunch of thugs! He shouted sharply, "Anyone daring to storm the cathedral will be killed without mercy."
However, the knights did not draw their weapons. On one hand, they faced ordinary civilians they interacted with daily; on the other, it was still just pushing. If real casualties occurred, they wouldn't be able to contain the mob once it lost its reason.
Moreover, many among the knights were supporters of Angelo…
The thin line of defense was quickly breached!
"This is outrageous!" The messenger's expression shifted from anger to fear.
"Retreat inside!" A group hastily pushed Angelo and the others back into the cathedral, shutting the doors.
But the doors were soon smashed open as the enraged crowd surged in.
"It looks like the archbishop's messenger is in for a rough time!"
At the entrance of a nearby alley, Liszt and Sevia quietly watched the scene at the cathedral.
"Hmph! They brought this upon themselves," the witch scoffed.
Suddenly, a window on the second floor of the cathedral swung open.
"Throw it down!" "Throw it down!"
Waves of shouts came rolling in.
"What's happening now?"
Liszt focused, looking up at the second floor.
He saw someone being pushed around, and then one person was lifted up.
With a thud, the person was violently thrown out of the window!
Before they could even cry out in pain upon hitting the ground, the surrounding crowd surged forward to beat them mercilessly.
Thud!
Thud!
The sound of bodies hitting the ground echoed continuously.
The archbishop's messenger and his entourage were hurled out one by one.
(End of the Chapter)
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