I Became the illegitimate son of a duke

74 – Disposition of the church decree (4)

“Huhhhhh-up?!”

“What, why… Hmmm?!”

‘…Heh heh.’

As soon as the soldiers, who had just been on duty and were idle on duty, saw me, they trembled as if they were holding knives.

I never thought I could see the soldiers’ faces so clearly even in the dark. No, should I say I feel it rather than see it?

The shadows on the vaguely visible faces rather show the emotions of the soldiers better.

“Hard work.”

“N…Yes!”

“…Huh? That, that… Your Majesty.”

I thought it would be uncomfortable for me and they would be uncomfortable as well, so I was about to say hello and quickly pass by, but one of the soldiers grabbed me by the horse.

“Hmm? Why?”

“Isn’t this man… The… Prisoner…”

“Prisoner? Oh, you mean Jeanne. Yes, he’s a prisoner. Why?”

“Oh, nothing! Sorry, Your Majesty!! Am I presumptuous?!”

Aww, noisy.

The soldier rolls his eyes here and there, wondering what he was thinking, looking at me and Jeanne alternately, and then suddenly apologizing with a loud voice.

Soon after, another soldier who saw my reaction panicked and covered the screaming soldier’s mouth.

What, why are you doing this?

“…Pass by.”

I was taken aback by the sudden abnormal behavior, but I decided not to inquire further because I felt only fear and no other emotion from the soldier.

I don’t think you’ll be terribly scared if you ask questions like that, despite the difference in social status.

“Oh…Yes!”

“Good job.”

The soldier continued to bow down to the two passing by, and Jeanne smiled at the soldiers and bowed her head. And the soldiers who heard Jeanne’s natural encouragement became more confident that what they thought was right.

Isn’t there only one thing a king can do with a prisoner so pretty on a night like this?

The soldiers see Jeanne’s smile and feel her beauty, and at the same time feel a bit jealous of Claude, who despises that beauty, but soon the jealousy disappears as a mist.

A little bit of jealousy is only when the level of the other person and I are the same, so what the hell can I do with jealousy when there is such a big difference in social status?

“aaa… Almost died.”

“…That’s right, I’m very envious.”

“You…! Watch your mouth!”

“No, I went that far, isn’t it okay?”

When Claude and Jeanne finally disappear, the two soldiers on duty begin to talk freely while stretching their necks and waists.

One of them envies Claude, remembering Jeanne’s appearance, and the soldier who was leaning on her waist yells at him in fright, but the soldier who actually hears it ignores it.

These soldiers are just acting out each other, mentally organizing reports to their other lords, Chloe and Ines.

…………

“Hey, isn’t the view nice? It’s a garden that our gardener put all his energy into.”

The garden at night has a strange charm different from that of the day.

You can hear grass bugs chirping everywhere, and the soft moonlight pouring through the leaves creates a mysterious atmosphere.

Perhaps it rained a little during the day, and the smell of the fragrant forest is everywhere.

“Yeah… Good, very good.”

Jane seems to like the garden quite a bit too.

Looking at those eyes looking at me, they seemed very impressed. Well, it’s only natural to be impressed when you come out to a beautiful garden like this after you’ve been imprisoned for so long.

After saying that, Jeanne followed me as I walked in front of her, and her handcuffs on Jeanne’s wrists shook with a jingling sound. The sound of her handcuffs merges with the grass bugs in the grass to create a pleasing sound.

As she walked along listening to the music-like sound, she noticed the road leading there.

“Oh, let’s go back here.”

“…? Yes.”

If you go down this road, you will find a bench where Chloe drugged me and acted boldly before, and where Chloe and Ines had a rough fight.

Sometimes I feel weird when I pass by, and if Jeanne, who has a special ability, sees her bench, she might notice something. Just in case, I’ll go another way.

Fortunately Jeanne didn’t ask me any questions.

Her head tilted and then nodded, it seems that she was questioning why she was going back, but Jeanne trusted my judgment and she didn’t seem to ask any questions.

Oh… She didn’t have any contact with me, but she trusted me so much from the beginning.

Jjlang- jjlang-

After that, the two of us walked for a while in silence. Only the sound of Jeanne’s handcuffs and her grass bugs and footsteps are all around.

The slightly damp dirt road made the footprints clear, and it wasn’t until I saw the footprints of the two of us in front of me that I realized that I’d done a full circle around the garden.

Umm… It’s kind of boring just walking around like this.

“Aren’t you a little bored?”

“I’m fine, my saint. Even walking alone like this is an undeserved reward for me.”

“No, it’s even a reward… I tried to do something else when I was bored, but it’s a pity.”

I thought I had already done everything I wanted to do with the walk, so I wanted to try something else, but Jeanne didn’t seem bored at all.

I can’t help it, she seems to like taking walks, so keep going like this –

“Ah… Ah…! Come to think of it, it seems a bit boring.”

“…Really??”

Then she said that Jeanne threw her hand out and panicked at her, and now that she realized it, she opened her mouth and said she was bored.

… Huh, Jeanne apparently heard her back and changed her words.

With that expression and the way she speaks, her entire body shows that she is nervous that I might change her mind.

As much as her appearance, she has a cute side in her personality and behavior. It would be nice if the religious beliefs were reduced a bit.

“Then let’s go get something to eat. In prison, they only give you something tasteless, right?”

“Yes, yes yes…”

“Wow…But what if they say it’s really bad?”

“Ah, ah… That… Sorry…”

“Just kidding, kidding. Come on, let’s go.”

It’s forbidden to give prisoners anything other than prison rations, but that’s a law that ordinary people have to abide by, and I’m the king, and I’m the law here, so I guess it doesn’t matter.

She’s a bit late, but the kitchen always makes a little more than the right amount of food just in case, so Jeanne will definitely have some leftovers. She must have cooled down a bit, but I can’t help it.

I led the hesitant Jeanne to the dining room, where luckily the cream soup, bread, and a few pieces of meat that the castle attendants ate for dinner were left.

The taste must have faded slightly as it cooled down a bit, but Jeanne didn’t care about that and ate the meal very happily. She was just a cute girl for her age.

…………

“…Yes? Is this really… An order from the Seonghwangcheong?”

“That’s right, priest. The Constellation said that the sale of these indulgences is absolutely necessary to build a new church to show off the heretics.”

“First of all… Okay. Go back.”

“I will. I will leave this here.”

What is His Holiness thinking…?

The civil war in the empire is intensifying. I see new corpses of heretics and crusaders every day around me.

In this situation… What would happen if I sold this indulgence?

Of those who still have not lost their faith, it is certain that there will be many people who will change their minds due to indulgences, and heretics who have changed their minds will become even more angry.

Thanks to the burial of the corpses regardless of heresy, our church barely escaped the phone call, but if it became widely known that they were selling these things, our church would be attacked by cults that day.

‘I just burned it and it didn’t happen… I can’t do this.’

Perhaps these guidelines and indulgences were preached to all churches. That would mean that even if I tried hard on my own, I was already good at it.

Furthermore, I have to sell this indemnity book to prepare a donation and send it to the Seonghwangcheong, but if I don’t send anything, the Seonghwangcheong will suspect me of embezzlement.

Above all, there is no way you can refuse the orders of the Holy Hwang and the Holy Hwangcheong. Because the name of Seonghwang is the truth in itself.

How… How do I…?

If you leave it as it is, heresy will gradually increase. You can get a lot of donation money, but it’s more urgent to send those who are blinded by heresy to repent and send them to heaven…!

“Priest…?”

“Ah, ah… Sister, what’s the matter?”

“That… There was a loud noise…”

“…Ah, ahahahaha… I’m so sorry. I made a fuss.”

After listening to the nun’s words, the priest finds that the items on her desk are randomly mixed and scattered on the ground.

The priest smiles shyly and picks up the fallen items, and the nun comes over and tries to clean it up with her, but the priest shakes her hand and pushes her away, saying that she has to deal with it herself.

“…Kuh.”

After sending her nun out, the priest, left alone in her room, gritted her teeth as she sorted out her things.

No matter how much you don’t like it, you can’t refuse the instructions of the noble Seonghwang and his subordinate Seonghwangcheong.

The priest prepares to sell the indulgences according to the order of the Holy Hwangcheong, while constantly thinking of ways to appease the heretics who will be angered by this.

Of course, all these methods were useless, and soon after, the church was quickly burned, plundered, and reduced to ashes by the offensive of the angry Reformers.

Fortunately, the money obtained from selling indulgences has been safely sent to the Seonghwangcheong.