LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 343
Thus, matters concerning the necromancers were concluded for the time being.
The necromancers, who were beyond repentance, were sent to South Romania after some preliminary processing to be executed, while those who could repent were given a period to atone for their sins based on their transgressions, and they were to live as priests of death under strict supervision.
Even the slightly radical inquisitors were managed somehow, so this should wrap things up.
Ah, just for reference, a request for knowledge about necromancers came from Procyon, but I dismissed it after giving them a proper scolding.
It was priests who were formerly mages that caused such incidents. They certainly had the audacity to make such requests! Hmph!
From the perspective of the Church of Life, I did apply some pressure on such mages, but I ended up letting it slide by spinning it as the misbehavior of some mages…. In the end, I couldn’t apply any real pressure, and it kind of just faded away.
Hmm… Should I apply pressure through Sia? But no, the mages aren’t very faithful. Even the God of Magic, Sia, is only trusted by those who need her; if Sia tried to force something, it wouldn’t stick at all.
“Instead, we decided to raise the selling price of mana stones.”
If they don’t understand through words, then physical pressure must be applied!
“But will that be alright? I think the wizards in Procyon will strongly oppose this….”
“If they don’t like it, they can repent properly and apologize. Besides, mana stones are a very important resource that many others besides Procyon also desire.”
Mana stones, collected from monsters, are fundamentally infused with the monster’s magical properties. Of course, it’s really just an excuse to collect fragments of darkness that are embedded in the stones. Still, there have been several problems arising from using mana stones carelessly without removing the fragments of darkness. For others, this might be the truth.
Anyhow, the method to remove such magical properties was entirely in the hands of the Church of Life, and the purification of such mana stones was one of the Church’s significant sources of income.
Adventurers from all over the world would transport the unpurified mana stones to the headquarters of the Church of Life, where they would undergo purification—what I mean is, the collection of fragments of darkness—before being sold elsewhere.
Originally, this was a task performed at the Church of Life’s temple in Procyon…. However, there were too many unpurified mana stones being collected globally! So, a proper purification facility was established at the Church’s headquarters.
Anyway, the purified mana stones are sold at appropriate market prices and spread across the world…
“Still, raising the price just for Procyon…”
“They deserve it, given they aren’t showing any remorse. Plus, the mages treat money as if it grows on trees!”
Magic scrolls are still hot sellers, and with the advancement of magic, various items are continuously being released! Procyon still has a lot of money!
“If they apologize sincerely, we can normalize our dealings, but I really don’t expect those snobbish mages to bow their heads!”
“Yeah. Well, it does seem likely.”
Hmm… Now that I think about it, it’s even more infuriating. They committed wrongs and didn’t even bother to repent?
What should I do about these pests…. Hmmm….
Should I unleash a plague or something?
No, that’s not it. Yeah. That’s ridiculous. Just because I’m irritated, I shouldn’t unleash a plague; other humans would suffer greatly too. I should hold back. Yeah.
Hmm… What should I do? How can I suppress those irritating folks? To break the pride of Procyon’s wizards…
Should I tighten their money supply? Or create a competitor and initiate some competition?
If I inflate the price of mana stones in Procyon and reduce income with the appearance of a competitor…. Maybe those guys will show at least a little remorse!
“For now, let’s just go with raising the price of mana stones in Procyon. I’ve thought of other methods, but that’s something to handle externally, not within the Church of Life.”
“Is that okay? What if Procyon objects to something…?”
“What we did is simply a slight increase in the selling price of mana stones as a form of protest against Procyon. If they repent and apologize, we can quickly revert it.”
At my words, the high priest nodded slightly.
“I understand. Then, we’ll handle Procyon accordingly.”
After saying this, he bowed his head in salute, but then he turned back as if remembering something.
“By the way, not only in North Romania but also from South Romania, there have been several requests to transfer the undefeated flag….”
“Is it the Emperor?”
“No, it’s not. After secretly sending a representative to investigate, it turned out to be some of the prominent nobles.”
Hmm. Prominent nobles, huh. Not the Emperor… interesting.
Are they asking because they want to use it themselves? Or are they requesting it as a tribute to the Emperor?
Either way, it has value for exploitation.
“Let’s spread some rumors about those nobles. That they are aiming for the Emperor’s throne and are seeking the undefeated flag.”
“Is that alright?”
“Yes. They will deny those rumors themselves, but the Emperor will become mistrustful of those nobles because of such rumors.”
The high priest looked somewhat troubled at my words.
“If distrust builds between the nobles and the Emperor, won’t that be problematic? Why do we need to spread such rumors…?”
“Are we still receiving updates from North Romania?”
“Yes. The priests or pilgrims from each temple are sending information in real time.”
“Then the discussion is swift. In a situation where North Romania is divided into pieces, what would happen if South Romania raised an army to attack North Romania?”
The high priest’s face deepened with concern.
“It would lead to a great war.”
“Yes. One side of the empire is falling apart, making it an opportune moment for South Romania. Although the necromancer issues have delayed things a bit.”
There may have been some damage due to the necromancers, but it wouldn’t take long to recover from it.
Once the cleanup is over, they would surely raise an army, and the splintered North Romania wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
In such wars… the loss of numerous lives is a given.
If there are a lot of dead, then the underworld’s workload increases!! I really don’t want that!!! If I’m not careful, I’ll have to go lend a hand!!!
“In that context, if rumors spread that certain prominent nobles are eyeing the Emperor’s seat, what do you think South Romania’s Emperor would do?”
“Umm… He would keep the nobles in check.”
“That’s right. North Romania, fragmented and squabbling before his eyes, is less concerning than the nobles from South Romania who may be sharpening their knives behind his back.”
The blades lurking in the shadows are always the more dangerous ones.
“Given the situation, he will avoid raising troops and engaging in war. It would be a measure of suppressing conflict.”
“Indeed… It’s fascinating how a single rumor can finely tune the overall situation.”
“Of course, if the Emperor of South Romania is someone like, ‘Forget the rumors! I’m going to do as I please!’ then that changes everything.”
If the Emperor were that way, he would wage war regardless of losses.
“Is the Emperor of South Romania such a person?”
“From what I know, no. He’s not very aggressive and prefers to focus on domestic affairs. His goal was to keep the capital, Semerium, prosperous and the people well-fed.”
“Hmmm… He sounds like a good person. I doubt spreading rumors would instigate a war…”
Still, it might be wise to take some precautionary measures.
“Let’s limit the rumors in South Romania. As for the rest… I’ll take care of Procyon myself.”
“Understood.”
With that, the high priest bowed and left the room.
Now… should I create a formidable rival for the wizards in Procyon?
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
That day, a dwarf saw something in his dreams.
Something silver showed unprecedented wisdom.
A new method to bestow magic upon tools using mana stones. A new process. New wisdom. New results.
Even a small shard of a mana stone emitted a dazzling light, being more efficient and effective than existing methods.
“O Silver Wisdom!!”
The shocked dwarf woke up and hurriedly grabbed any piece of paper lying around him, frantically searching for a pen.
Moments later, the dwarf realized the ink in the pen he was holding had run out and was unusable, so he quickly picked up some coal lying nearby and began sketching what he had seen in the dream: a new type of magical circuit.
It wasn’t particularly important, but someone watching that scene was wearing a content smile.