When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

Inside the City Hall of Joan of Arc Castle.

On the ancient stone-brick walls hung Western-style royal tapestries, depicting the heroic deeds of the Leia Royal Family.

The accompanying priest, Rohak, stood expressionlessly behind Algang, this drowsy old Archbishop, whose beard bobbed up and down in the glass of water.

Visible to the naked eye, colorful oil slicks and skin residues floated in that glass of water.

To the left of the old Archbishop, Monte Yac crossed his legs, a faint smile on his lips, while Bo Ao Lie, being a Northerner, sat upright and solemnly.

"Hmph!"

Occasionally, when their eyes met, Monte Yac would snort coldly, while Bo Ao Lie would quickly turn his head as if he had seen something dirty.

This snort awakened Algang, who forcefully closed his eyes and confusedly drank the greasy water in one gulp.

Looking at the two men's confrontational stance in front of him, Algang frowned; this scene seemed familiar to him.

For him, the position of Bishop at Joan of Arc Castle, although a promotion, was honestly a tough job.

On one hand, there was the rebellion in Rapids City, on the other, the rebellion at Cold Spring Castle, and nearby, there was also a Salvation Army inexplicably opposed by the Pope.

He was in a semi-retirement state, the only reason he stayed in the church was to cover for himself and to protect his descendants of monks.

Yes, as a monk not allowed to have offspring, Algang needed to protect his descendants.

The social and medical standards of the Empire determined that even nobles could not ensure that children could survive to adulthood, or that all offspring would survive.

So, to ensure the family lineage continued, the Imperial Nobility would have many children as insurance.

The primogeniture established by the Empire's law often only worked in the core areas and for the great nobles.

For other regions far from the Pope, like Norn, the practice of equal inheritance was still prevalent, making the family estate smaller and smaller.

In the end, the church became a good place to accommodate excess noble children, especially since cathedrals provided many lucrative holy positions.

If the heir in the family died, these priests could revert to secular life and inherit the estate, not delaying anything at all.

Juanuo had once sharply commented that this was "pretending to be pious, regretting it later."

The farther from the "civilized center," the more likely the church was controlled by local nobles, like the bishop of the Norn Region, where the Pope had almost only confirmation rights, not appointive power.

So, despite Algang being a monk not allowed to marry and have children, he was already a third-generation church person.

"Archbishop of Constans sent me with a message for you." Algang, carrying a faint smell of alcohol, was much better than before.

"What message?"

"The Salvation Army must be annihilated at any time; not doing so is not an option." Algang preemptively set the tone for this meeting, determining whether or not to fight. "Only by exterminating this rebellious force can you address the matters in Rapids City."

Monte Yac glanced at Bo Ao Lie in front of him, originally wanting to refuse as usual, but he recalled the carrier pigeon from Falan that flew in yesterday.

Back then, the Falan people, through Duke Kush, mainly wanted to place a thorn in the Thousand River Valley, cooperating with Grandiva, to add trouble to the current Leia Church.

For the Falan Kingdom, using this channel to send Royal Constitution Knights to Joan of Arc Castle legally and legitimately was already a success.

As long as the Royal Constitution Knights could properly station at Joan of Arc Castle, the constant influx of Falan merchants and El merchants would turn this place into a market for selling goods.

With military assurance and economic control, over time, this place would become a de facto city outside the map for the Falan Kingdom.

For the Leia Kingdom, which had loose grassroots control, this unscrupulous method was very effective.

According to the letter from Sir Lorenzo, their primary goal was to muddy the waters of the Thousand River Valley to trap Prince Kongdai there.

"Sir Bo Ao Lie, what do you think?" Monte Yac asked Bo Ao Lie with a faint smile.

"They are unlikely to initiate an attack." Bo Ao Lie replied in a deep voice, "At least not before mid-March."

"Why?"

"I got news that Grand Duke Moliat has sent Mountain Knights from North County to support them.

Now that they occupy Gray Furnace Town but don't advance, they are probably waiting for the support of those knights."

Bo Ao Lie predicted that the other party could not possibly initiate an attack; they were not as easy to deal with as those country knights from Tbe Plain.

Almost every Imperial Knight could overcome the so-called fear of charging.

Because even if they fell from their horse, with extraordinary protection, they wouldn't die.

Ultimately, it's not about winning or losing but how to maximize the benefits of winning.

Especially since the knights in the command already had a share in Duke Kush's estate and industries.

"Why don't you, Bo Ao Lie, take command and lead a defeat straight out of the city, are you afraid of them?" Monte Yac said, tugging at his shirt collar and revealing his hairy chest.

Bo Ao Lie coldly looked at him: "I'm not afraid, I'm afraid you'll do something when I'm gone."

"Would I seize Joan of Arc Castle while you're gone? Am I such a despicable person?"

"Hard to say."

"You... alright, if you don't go, I won't go either." Monte Yac nonchalantly took a sip from a silver flask he took out of his pocket, "My lord only ordered me to garrison; I'm here to protect Falan merchants, as long as the Salvation Army doesn't attack them, I naturally won't fight."

"But those damn short-haired ones plunder our nobles all around; they destroyed numerous monasteries, knight estates, and assets." Algang knocked on the table, expressing his dissatisfaction.

The city hall quieted down; Monte Yac and Bo Ao Lie stared at each other without speaking, and even the sound of swallowed saliva from the onlookers was so clear.

"How about this, Bo Ao Lie, Bishop Constantine granted me full authority to handle this; you can rest assured to go to battle." Algang, who was never responsible, rarely gritted his teeth, "I mean no offense, if Mr. Monte Yac indeed encroached on your interests in Joan of Arc Castle, find our church, we will compensate you."

Had he known earlier that this Salvation Army could be so impactful, he wouldn't have let things slide or glossed over.

Bo Ao Lie turned his body in surprise: "Your Excellency, are you serious?"

"We will absolutely make it up to you, if indeed Mr. Monte Yac does such a thing." Algang turned his head, staring directly at Monte Yac, "If you really do this, the Longsar Clan will forever be the enemies of the Dorak Clan."

Monte Yac straightened up and laughed, "How could it be? Even if we wanted this city, we'd have to do it according to basic laws."

After a moment of silence, Bo Ao Lie nodded, "Okay, but give me some time; it's currently spring planting, and I don't want to affect the estate's harvest next year."

Algang lightly coughed, "May I propose a suggestion, though I'm unsure if it's foolish?"

"Please, go ahead."

"During the spring planting season, while farmers are planting, citizens are idle. Why not recruit a batch of citizen soldiers, let those knights from Tbe Plain lead them, to annihilate the Defensive Army?"

"What does this mean?" Bo Ao Lie asked in a deep voice.

Algang composed himself: "Send those country knights to attack the Defensive Army; if the Salvation Army comes to rescue, then we can lure them out of Gray Furnace Town and annihilate them.

If they don't come to rescue, then kill or drive out all those Defensive Army, make them slaves and take them away, so no one dares to join the Salvation Army.

Otherwise, with the current spread of the Defensive Army, it might disrupt the spring recruitment."

"What do you think of this strategy?"

"Can bother the Salvation Army a bit." Monte Yac sat up straight, "However, they might only dispatch one or two companies...well, they call them divisions, haha."

"Taking the edge off their morale is also good." Bo Ao Lie stood up, "Then let's do it this way."