Chapter 75: Side: The Inquisition (2)

The archbishop of the Whiston Archdiocese has acknowledged the existence of vampires.

With that, the trial was practically over.

'If you start something, you should see it through to the end.'

And just as I thought, the other side had the same idea, and an immediate backlash erupted.

"Bishop! What are you talking about! Aren't there victims bitten by vampires here?"

What the wizard of the Yellow Tower pointed to were the dairy farmers.

On their necks, there were identical marks as if they had been bitten or scratched by something.

"Are you saying that this is the wound inflicted by Lilith?"

"That's right!"

"That's a lie! I have never done such a thing!"

I, who had tried to stop Lilith from shouting in anger, turned to the archbishop and asked.

"Father, what happens if someone commits perjury in a religious trial?"

"You will have to spend thirty years in the Vatican prison, and even if you get out, the label of being a perjurer will follow you for life."

As the bishop's words came to an end, the dairy farmers and wizards of the Yellow Tower flinched.

Thirty years in prison was one thing, but being labeled as a perjurer means a life sentence.

If we were to consider it a past life, it was like drawing a red line.

Moreover, the otherworld was even harsher, as perjurers were branded with a mark of perjury, making it impossible to hide.

Perjury in the religious trial was equivalent to lying in front of 'Heavenly Father.'

"Did you hear that?"

"...I heard."

"Then I will take it that those wounds were inflicted by Lilith."

The dairy farmers silently agreed.

And.

"Mister Taito."

"I got it."

Taito, who had been observing the trial from the spectator seats, stepped forward.

The holy knights tried to stop such Taito, but,

"I only wish to confirm."

They stepped aside at Taito's words.

It wasn't that they were overwhelmed by his aura or that he was a strong opponent.

Just that the archbishop of Whiston had waved his hand to dismissed them.

"Growl."

Taito sniffed the wounds and bite marks of the dairy farmers, which had hardened like stone.

And he came to a conclusion.

"This marks were left by wolves."

At Taito's assertion, the dairy farmers' faces turned pale.

The wizard of the Yellow Tower shouted.

"That's a lie!"

"Are you saying that I lied just now?"

"...Hic!"

The wizard who made eye contact with Taito hiccupped.

The mountain lords who value honor are famous for not telling lies.

He doesn't take lightly the fact that his words are being dismissed.

Above all, it wasn't just Taito who was present at this meeting.

"The smell is different, isn't it?"

"This definitely smells like a wolf, huh."

The beast folk in the observation seats gathered and sniffed at the dairy farmers and Lilith.

"He-heek!"

The dairy farmers, who never imagined they could even detect the smell, turned pale and green with fear.

"Arrest the perjurers!"

At the archbishop's shout, the holy knights took the wizards and the dairy farmers away.

It was at that moment when the religious trial completely came to an end.

*

"Hmph, liars are getting what they deserve!"

Lilith scoffed as she watched the dairy farmers being dragged away.

If it were up to her, she would have liked to deal with them herself, but just knowing that those damn church people took them away was enough to make her feel better.

Lilith returned to the exit. For the few days waiting for the trial, she couldn't even drink any blood and was trapped in the cell, so her vision was blurry. And then a white milk bottle appeared.

"Please drink."

"Thank you, wizard."

Lilith, who received the milk bottle handed over by Yuri, lifted her head and gulped down the milk.

"Ah! Milk after my grievances is resolved is the most refreshing taste ever!"

Lilith's face regained its vitality after drinking fresh milk.

"But Wizard, is it okay that you lied because of me?"

"Why does it matter? They were the ones who lied first."

"But didn't they say that perjury is not allowed in the Inquisition?"

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

Yuri committed perjury during the religious trial.

The claim that if Lilith was driven out of the Empire, we won't see refrigerated food anymore was a lie.

During the exchange with sharing the low-temperature sterilization method, Lilith taught the principle of refrigeration at the White Tower.

Even without Lilith, it was possible to use the self-contained freezing at the White Tower.

So, the claim that they wouldn't be able to see refrigerated foods if Lilith was banished was a lie.

Lilith had to be shocked by the fact that Yuri would even commit perjury for her sake.

"...Did you really believed my words?"

"Isn't Lady Lilith's word more trustworthy than those who sell spoiled milk?"

A wave of emotion surged through Lilith's heart.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome. And I have never committed perjury myself."

Lilith tilted her head.

"Didn't you also inform the White Tower about the refrigeration magic?"

"It's true that the effectiveness decreases when a human sets it up. And I was thinking that if Lilith was banished, I wouldn't be able to use the freezing circle anymore."

Lilith's eyes widened.

"Did you really have go that far?"

"Yes, so claiming that refrigerated distribution will no longer be plausible in the Empire is not perjury."

"Still, collaborating with Gelato production is out of the question."

Yuri made an agreement with the archbishop to collaborate with Lilith's Milk for the Church's gelato production.

They decided to increase the production volume by a whopping tenfold.

However, Lilith was barely managing just by distributing milk.

The former Dairy Farming Association chairman committed fraud, causing immense damage.

The First Princess helped, but that was only to prevent Lilith's farm from being seized.

The already confiscated farms could not be reclaimed, and Lilith was fully repaying the debts for the funds that the Dairy Farming Association had illegally accumulated.

Therefore, there is no capacity to produce even the milk needed for gelato.

But.

"Aren't there dairy farmers who were taken away?"

"What do you mean by 'they'?"

"You can produce it on their farms."

Lilith blinked.

"Is it really okay?"

"Yes, the children of that farms families were all involved in this perjury, so you should reach a suitable 'settlement'."

"Oh! Then that could work!"

Lilith's eyes sparkled.

Perjury in the religious court was a grave sin, enough to be socially ostracized.

The families of the dairy farmers had to desperately deny any involvement, whether they had committed perjury or not.

It was a situation where one had no choice but to offer unconditional cooperation to Lilith, even if it meant for survival.

Lilith had devoured the dairy farmers without spending a single penny.

They were paying the price for their own actions, so it could be said that it was a case of reaping what they had sown.

"However, it is still unreasonable to increase the gelato tenfold right away."

"You can take your time."

"What do you mean by that? Didn't you make a promise with the archbishop?"

"We haven't set a schedule or a deadline for when to increase production, so it's fine."

"...Is that really okay?"

Lilith thought this was completely a scam.

"Things like this, you just go for it and see what happens."

"Well, human society is tough."

"I'll gradually teach you."

Yuri just simply smiled faintly.

*

The religious trial of Lilith held in the Archdiocese of Whiston was the center of public attention.

And as a result, not only the citizens of the Empire but even the Holy See had to be astonished.

"Is it true that Archbishop Garrod recognized vampires as children of God?"

"Ugh, Lord Garrod, how could you come to such a conclusion..."

The outcome of the ecclesiastical trial by the archdiocese held strong authority, but it does not represent the opinion of the entire church.

The final decision on matters that could cause controversy was to be made by the Pope and the cardinals.

The cardinals did not understand Archbishop Garod's judgment at first.

"If it's the vampires' technology, they say they can increase the gelato production."

"Being able to increase gelato is certainly a happy thing. However, accepting vampires as children of God is a separate matter."

"They said the increase in production is tenfold."

"...."

"...."

Of course, not only the cardinal who brought it up, but everyone's mouth dropped open.

"Tenfold, you say?"

"If it's tenfold, how much would the alternative production be..."

The cardinals were finally able to understand Archbishop Garrod's decision.

While the religious trial and gelato were separate matters, a tenfold increase in production was simply too significant.

Above all.

"They say that without vampires, it would be impossible for the distribution of refrigerated food to exist."

In an instant, the Pope's hand, which had been scooping gelato with a kind smile, came to a sudden halt.

"Your Holiness?"

"I have never heard of the doctrine being above the will of the Lord."

"Y-yes, that's right."

The cardinals had puzzled expressions, wondering why the Pope suddenly brought up such a topic, but they understood his intentions through his subsequent words.

"God has never put a fence around His children."

It is humans who have defined vampires as beings to be rejected.

Heaven was the creator who embraced all beings.

"If refrigeration technology and gelato can save countless people, isn't that a great act of kindness?"

"...That's right."

The Pope was speaking indirectly, but there were no cardinals who didn't understand.

It was to ensure that there would be no disruption in the supply of gelato.

"It is not right to put up barriers between the children of God."

It was the moment in the Church when Lilith was recognized as a child of God.

*

The Church has officially announced its position to acknowledge vampires and formally name them "Vampir."

Along with that, the contents of the religious trial were made public.

"I heard that the wizards from the Yellow Tower committed perjury!"

"I knew that this would happen!"

It has come to light that the wizards of the Yellow Tower committed perjury during the religious trial.

The Yellow Tower distanced itself, saying it was just an unilateral action of a rogue wizard, but the citizens of the Empire were not ones to willingly accept it.

All the issues that had been piling up over time, such as the Prohibition Law and various other problems, have exploded due to this perjury scandal.

"Repeal the Prohibition Law immediately!"

"The Yellow Tower should publicly apologize!"

"Apologize to Lilith!"

The movement to repeal Prohibition, led by the nobility, began to spread throughout the Empire.

And,

"A-are you saying that cheese is can be mass-produced?"

"Oh my, Lilith's Cheese."

With the full support of the First Princess, Lilith's Cheese has begun mass production and distribution.

In the process, even I encountered unexpected problems.

"Cheese is best when you dip it in milk!"

The First Princess started developing strange recipes.

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