Chapter 284: To Each Their Own (2/2)

At the same time, the monks were the pillar of the Brilliant White Church’s intermediate fighting forces. Popes, saints, saintesses and various chosen ones notwithstanding, every member of the two most feared covert bodies of the Brilliant White Church-the White Court’s Wetwork Platoon and the Heretical Magistrates of the Thirteenth Partisans-were handpicked monks.

“Brother, apologies for interrupting your meditations.” The local bishop rose and bowed. “We’re counting on you for this tourney.”

“It’s fine. It had been deemed necessary, and it is a part of my meditation.”

The monk in the lead accepted the gesture with composure and nodded his head in return.

“Will someone come bring our brothers to their guest room?” The bishop turned towards the other clerics.

“That’s unnecessary. We just need one empty room, and we’ll handle anything else.” The monks’ leader merely voiced a simple request, stopping the bishop from giving his group a warm reception.

“Don’t you need food or anything else? Alright then…”

The bishop eventually relented, and had his clerics lead the monks to a vacant room behind the sanctuary.

And when the monks left, one of the clerics staying behind quietly asked the bishops. “Your excellency, is it really worth calling them here? That Ash Illum crystal we used was so pure that it could have sold for three Abbys on the black market!”

“You’re being short-sighted.” The bishop grimaced in response. “Requesting help from Yinstein was necessary-ever since those warmongering gorillas of the Temple of Glory spoke to Mayor Corinth a while ago, he was suddenly much more disinterested in us. Even the nobles siding with him rarely present tithes to us these days…”

“But didn’t they tell us that they weren’t aware of that when you visited the Temple of Glory?” The cleric asked, puzzled.

“Are you believing whatever they say? Moreover, whether it really was them, it is a reality that our influence is continuing to decline.”

The bishop shook his head even as he left the basement with the cleric.

Even though the new emperor was already attempting to interfere with Lancaster affairs, offering olive branches to many of the city’s nobles and there had indeed been some who were interested, the Atherton family still rules Lancaster. In fact, after having held the position of mayor for over forty years, Corinth’s personal authority was not to be toppled by the emperor’s lackeys and a little profit.And with Corinth setting an example, the other nobles naturally followed suit and stop sending out bimonthly tithes or any other offerings they usually gave to the Brilliant White Church.

When he arrived on the surface, the bishop declared solemnly, “This can’t continue! We must have the world know that the Brilliant White Church is number one! The best!”

“Therefore, the Twin City Cup is the best opportunity-I know not why Mayor Corinth would organize the tourney, just as I am not interested in knowing. Even so, as long as the Brothers could claim the top placings, our great name would undoubtedly gain stature once again, and the nobles would remember that we are no small fry, for the Holy City of Yinstein has our backs! As do our lord, the God of Light, the greatest of the Seven Divine Fathers!”

“Impressive as always, your excellency! You’ve easily thought up something we could never have imagined!” Picking up on the cue, the cleric immediately licked his superior’s boots.

That was when an unusual gust could be heard from the outside. The bishop turned to find several dragons carefully gliding over the skies of Lancaster.

They were the wyvern knights—an elite force of the Temple of Glory!

The look on the Brilliant White Church bishop’s face turned dark. “You’ve even called in those things, and you’re still saying the Temple of Glory isn’t involved?” He muttered, gritting his teeth.

Hence, as the Twin City Cup loomed, unseen undercurrents began to surge within Lancaster.