Chapter 121: The Resolution (Part One)
Winter was in full swing, with bone-chilling winds and piercing snow battering the Royal City. Just when the city thought the icy grip was loosening, the sky darkened suddenly, and down came the rain—torrential, like someone forgot to close the heavens.
But for the good folks and nobility inside the city, this unexpected downpour couldn’t dampen the bubbling excitement.
In the year 1189 of the common calendar, late December, news broke out that within the New Currency Exchange controlled by the Rossius family, some clergy members had been cooking the books, using their positions to pocket royal taxes—a shocking amount that could make even the greediest merchant blush.
The gossip spread faster than a wildfire, originating from the Royal City’s Arbitration Office and quickly reaching everyone.
Rumor had it that some of those ill-gotten gains were used for the church’s expenses. However, given that the Royal City hasn’t seen a disaster relief effort in years, nor grand construction projects or any attempts to battle the Abyss or bandits, it seemed a tad fishy. The city folks lived comfortably, and when things did go awry, it was usually the City Guards or the Arbitration Office that moved in.
The one real fuss was a couple of years back when whispers of human experiments led to a massive crackdown in the city—I mean, just imagine: people getting their tongues cut out and eyes gouged!
Other than that, those clergy members were just busy selling indulgences like they were selling hotcakes.
Since the Rossius family took over the Money Exchange, it became a one-track mind: higher taxes, higher taxes!
Instead of fixing real issues or providing support for citizens, they shamelessly played the divine card, fooling the masses, while both bishops and archbishops ran around with Rossius, their heads stuffed with cash and zero divine insight. It was this growing disconnect that finally pushed the situation over the edge.
“What nonsense about church donations! That money is not funding the church but is lining the pockets of those high-ranking clergymen living lavishly behind closed doors!”
“The monasteries are up to no good too! Many novice nuns find they have to ‘sell their goods’ to the bishops just to get a proper baptism!”
“Rotten coin traders and shameless clerics—a whole army of vampires living off the backs of the Ethanbel people! Return our money!”
Wintery city dwellers, undeterred by the cold, rain, or any form of logic, gathered in droves, umbrellas in hand. They first cornered the main branch of the New Currency Exchange in Chrisrodney City, then the cathedral, knocking down saint statues and smashing doors, only to find they still weren’t getting the answers they wanted. Undeterred, they marched overnight to the Royal Arbitration Office, chanting demands for the truth.
As for the Royal Palace?
They wouldn’t dare go there. They knew they’d be dragged off for good!
After days of chaos, instead of the revolt dieing down, it only grew stronger. With the Arbitration Office losing control of the mounting pressure, about to explode into a full-blown citizen riot, the Royal Palace finally made a move.
With the collaboration of the Ethanbel Royal Family and the Leykmon family, Queen Elizabeth, alongside more than half of the council members, officially signed the “Canirles Agreement” with the Currency Exchange. The church’s various tax schemes—like local taxes and livestock taxes—were abolished! Any remaining normal taxes should first be reviewed by the palace and deposited into the treasury. Any cleric caught mismanaging tax funds or transporting treasures from the Holy City would be treated as a criminal under Ethanbel law—big trouble!
Once this news dropped, it sent shockwaves throughout the city.
The following day, the council presented the “Fifty-Six Articles,” plastering them all over the cathedral entrance and around the entire city, opposing any clerical practices in Ethanbel that involved selling indulgences for profit, while urging citizens to resist superstitions.
With the excitement from the previous day’s tax reduction igniting a wave of joy among the citizens, they adored their queen more than ever, and their grievances against the church and the Currency Exchange grew louder, making this move even more popular!
By late December, the Queen announced a pardon throughout Ethanbel, revoking the church’s authority to punish heresy. The pardons extended to those wrongfully accused of heresy, the Pope’s decree was openly burnt, and the Knowledge Association was classified as a violent organization—any City Guard that tackled them would receive a reward.
Suddenly, those once arrogant Knowledge Association members became the most wanted criminals, like rats crossing the street!
By the end of December, the list of crimes committed by nearly a hundred senior staff from the main Currency Exchange was released, detailing the laundry list of misdeeds by the Rossius family. There was a massive purge of management at the Exchange, and the Royal Palace declared that mining rights for gold and silver belonged to the citizens of Ethanbel—a declaration that opened up a battle for sovereignty over mining and minting in the kingdom.
And this silent war, from the get-go, had results that were abundantly clear…
As the “dechurchification” efforts progressed, the fiery spirit in Ethanbel sparked closer ties with the empire.
Not long after, Pasifal took a bunch of the kingdom’s finest blacksmiths back to the Winter City. They had some serious learning to do at the central workshop while many apprentices remained behind, following palace arrangements to go to Chrisrodney City to study the finest architectural arts in the Western Continent.
Also in late December, an imperial envoy from Shanter Castle arrived at the Royal Palace, meeting with Queen Elizabeth to discuss contracts concerning iron ore purchases and weaponry negotiations.
And let’s be honest, I did most of the heavy lifting for this whole ordeal.
Putting aside all the nitty-gritty details, after the public trial of Archbishop Hogtus, I secretly arranged for the young girl Aili to be housed in a side room of Vilo Garden.
She locked herself in, refusing to speak to anyone for days, fasting until she passed out and got revived by the servants. One night, she found me and said there was no need for me to go to the southern border of Silgaya anymore.
“Sister, I know what you’re trying to make me understand. I’ve seen everything there is to see in the Royal City lately,” she said, her eyes glistening with emotion.
So she opened up to me about her past three years.
“That year I left the Royal City without saying goodbye.”
“I entered the Choir of Saints seeking the truth, and the baptism went smoothly, which I considered my luck; they said I had a talent for it.”
“Later, they found out I was a survivor from the Katarloma Orphanage. After sharing some stories of the past—maybe out of pity—someone told me that Teresa… is actually a high-ranking member of the Gate of Truth.”
“Before that, I’d already started putting some pieces together. I had seen the battle between Teresa and you, and after I became a preparatory member of the Choir, I realized that was the power of Infernal Fire—a powerful, overwhelming force.”
“At that point, I began to understand what happened back then, but in turn, that only confused me more! The more I learned, the more questions I had. I found myself spiraling into deep turmoil, realizing I was easily swayed…”
“And then, by chance, I met the Romani Doctor.”
