I was excommunicated from the Holy Knights

94 – Mercenary King and Madwoman 1

In the course of war, it was not just the enemy that threatened us directly that had to be eliminated.

An ally you can neither trust nor control.

I knew very well that it was probably the one that had to be eliminated first before the enemies.

Especially in the position where they know what they will do later, this is even more inevitable.

However, I was able to recognize that we didn’t have to take the loss for this.

With the knowledge of future developments…

It wasn’t too difficult to come up with the easiest and most effective way to get rid of a troublesome ally.

*

Mansfeld and Christian’s armies finally got a break from the Palatinate

They, who had been stirring up the Palatinate with all their might for the past few weeks, were actually enjoying the joy of the victor by adding this ‘war’ that ended with their victory.

All over the camp, dinner tables and wine pots filled with rich dishes made from plundered food were laid out, and the soldiers and their families ate and drank to their heart’s content in the meantime, enjoying the situation.

But at this moment…

Apart from the atmosphere of such a cheerful banquet, the two people who can be said to be the main characters of this war in reality.

Mansfeld and Christian were faced with a problem to deal with before enjoying the victories.

It was about a man captured by soldiers who raided their supplies.

“Is this the Archbishop?”

“Yes, it is. I found them while burning their munitions as ordered by the captain and captured them.”

“Perhaps something might be useful, so I brought it quietly without any major problems.”

Of course, in the process of dragging me here, I was kicked and punched several times because of this woman’s resistance from time to time.

However, such a light (?) act was very natural in dealing with prisoners, and there was no particular problem.

If he cut off his limbs or violated his body, there was room for trouble. There are very few cases where such a beating is caught.

Just like that, right after hearing the situation report, Mansfeld nodded slowly and spoke to his subordinates.

“Yeah, well done. Speaking of an archbishop, it was practically the same as capturing a local lord alive. I will give you the prize money generously.”

“Go…Thank you, Captain!”

Speaking of the prize money, it was an amount that would not even be visible compared to the enormous booty obtained in this war anyway, so Mansfeld decided to spend generously.

Just like that, right after the soldiers who received the prize money left the barracks…

Mansfeld and Christian, standing next to him, looked at the archbishop in question and began a brief interrogation.

“So, are you Maxim Cafeo, Archbishop of Milan? You are a much younger woman than I heard.”

“That… yes. I am Maxim.”

At Mansfeld’s words, Maxim lowered his head and spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

It was a polite attitude that was 180 degrees different from when he was angry with the soldiers just before.

Of course, this was only a very natural behavior based on Maxim’s instinct to be strong against the weak and weak against the strong from Maxim’s point of view.

From nob le mt l. com

No matter how much he was a prisoner in his position, unlike the lowly soldiers who couldn’t do anything about themselves, Manspelt in front of him was the leader of this mercenary corps.

In other words, it is only natural to treat them respectfully as they are beings that hold on to their own lifelines.

Seeing Archbishop Maxim bowing meekly in front of him like that, Mansfeld asked a question in a slightly calm voice.

“Yes, what is the Archbishop of distant Milan doing on such a rugged battlefield? Even the paladins brought it.”

“Yes, it was because the emperor’s decree had been issued, and as a priest I had to obey it. And in the last battle, my job was to guard the munitions, and I usually attended the strategy meeting with General Tilly’s generals.”

“… It’s a strategy meeting… why are you telling me that fact right now?”

Archbishop Maxim is lined up with unsolicited stories.

Mansfeld began to have some doubts about her excessively cooperative attitude, and looking at him, Maxim said in one voice as if it were natural.

“Isn’t that a natural thing? Anyway, my life now depends only on Captain Mansfeld. In a situation like this, any clumsy resistance would only increase the time of meaningless suffering. It is natural to cooperate with Mansfeld-sama in order to live.”

“Um… ”

Regarding Archbishop Maxim’s words, Mansfeld was able to recognize that she was indeed a person with no backbone, apart from the title of archbishop, and at the same time, he was able to know that she was a person with a certain amount of brains in some ways.

In other words, a typical quick-witted little man, nothing more and nothing less.

There was a reason why this woman was able to rise to the position of archbishop at such a young age.

“If so, that would mean… from now on I can answer any questions I want. Like the information from the Emperor I heard while I was with General Tilly.”

“Yes, of course. Ask anything you want. I will tell you everything without any lies. instead.”

“instead?”

Maxim withdrew her politeness a little while ago, and then she spoke to Mansfeld in a voice that seemed to show a determined will.

“As much as I cooperate, Captain Mansfeld, please guarantee my safety. If you keep that promise, I will tell you all the facts.”

“Well, I know it’s not that difficult. do that.”

“thank you. then..”

At the same time as such a basic condition was accepted, Archbishop Maxim confided everything he knew according to Mansfeld’s question.

In this way, while grasping the current internal circumstances of the emperor’s army, a smile automatically appeared on Mansfeld’s lips, while seeing Maxim spewing out these facts to himself, he began to laugh inwardly.

A typical scum who wastes the lives of his subordinates and colleagues because his life is precious.

From nob le mt l. com

No matter how much it was, it wasn’t like an employer, but as much as Manspelt cared for the lives of his subordinates, it was not difficult for Mansfeld to know that this woman in front of him was more trash than he was.

‘In that rotten church, guys like this are bound to run wild, well, even our heretical forces aren’t in the same position as others say…’

The church’s forces are routinely carrying out dirty acts such as embezzlement of funds and sale magic, and selling indulgences.

Although some voices for reform came out from within, recognizing the seriousness of the situation, this was only a minority.

The pope and his entourage, the mainstream, were still distraught, reeling from luxury and pleasure.

But… even so, when it came to the question of whether the religion of heretical forces was intact, to be honest, from Mansfeld’s point of view, there was no way to answer that there was.

I still heresy myself..

In other words, the power of the heretical religion itself was not very strong, as it could only be referred to as beings outside the mainstream.

Unlike the church forces, which are deeply corrupt but form a single framework under the central heart of the pope, heretical religions have not been able to easily join forces as each priest and leader has a different voice.

Although they seemed to be trying to gather under one flag with the cause of religious freedom right now… the so-called ‘unity from orthodoxy’ still fell short of the power of the church.

And.. As much as they knew this atmosphere, the heads of heretical religions were trying to increase unity among themselves by forming strict rules and a hard atmosphere, and in this regard, they sent countless people to the execution ground or condemned and killed normal people as demons. In terms of damage, they were committing acts comparable to those of the church.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me anyway, but I just want to make money in a place where there is a war, that’s enough.’

While thinking about that, Mansfeld gave orders to treat Archbishop Maxim generously, who had cooperated with him anyway.

Immediately after sending the archbishop away, Christian, who had been watching the situation, began to slowly approach Mansfeld with his signature mad smile.