Chapter 60: You Are So Devout!

Holy City, Bethlehem.

Unlike the bustling imperial capital of Saint Lawrence, the Holy City of Bethlehem, located in the southern part of the empire, was like a pearl nestled among the mountains. Though it had long restrained its presence, it remained impossible for anyone to ignore.

As the legendary place where the God of Light descended, Bethlehem boasted the most magnificent cathedral and the greatest number of sacred statues among the four nations of the continent.

It was also home to the Holy See, with Lateran Palace at its center serving as the residence of the Pope.

Legend had it that deep within the Star Cavern of Bethlehem lay a half-intact scroll of the fabled "Book of the Angel Rachel," the very first scripture in existence. It was also said that devout believers could communicate with the divine through dreams within the Star Cavern and receive their will.

Bethlehem had its own laws and its own army. Under the rule of the Pope, it functioned almost as a nation within a nation.

However, the current Pope, Clement V, had held his position for twenty years. Since attending the coronation of the Emperor eighteen years ago, he had never set foot outside Bethlehem. All affairs of the Holy City were managed by the Cardinal Camus Blancard.

The current recruitment of believers to construct sacred statues was also carried out under the orders of Cardinal Blancard.

At this moment, outside the Holy City of Bethlehem, a rather peculiar group had arrived.

A procession of about fifty men moved forward unhurriedly, solemnly making the sign of the cross with their right hands over their chests as they walked.

The soldiers of Idar had escorted these fifty individuals to the outskirts of Bethlehem and went no further. The remaining distance would be walked by the believers themselves.

In his past life, Bruno had witnessed the grand spectacle of pilgrims traveling to Mecca, and the sight had left a lasting impression on him.

Since every noble domain was required to send people to build sacred statues, how could he ensure that the church's bishops would remember the believers from Idar?

They had to witness the unparalleled devotion of the people of Idar!

After all, forming a good relationship with the church had its benefits. Every noble in the empire required the church's recognition to establish legitimacy.

More importantly, everyone, including nobles, was required to pay taxes to the church—specifically, the infamous tithe tax!

The tithe tax was levied on the total agricultural output, requiring subjects to surrender one-tenth of their agricultural and livestock produce in either goods or currency.

This was one of the church's most important sources of income!

Though the tax burden was mostly passed down to commoners, Bruno still felt deeply pained whenever he thought about resources from Idar's lands being given away.

Even if they were mere peasants, they were still Idar's peasants—why should they be paying the church?

But if he could win the church's favor, then the amount of tithe tax could become much more flexible.

Among the fifty men, one named Mike had the deepest understanding of the teachings of the Church of Light. Because of this, Bruno had chosen him as the leader of this group of ruffians and regarded him as the most devout believer among them.

Bruno had solemnly promised the workers that their families in Idar would be well cared for during their absence.

For Mike, however, the greatest incentive was that once he completed the mission Bruno assigned him, he would receive a hefty reward upon returning to Idar!

Although this group of fifty men was not particularly large, their continuous crossing of themselves and murmured prayers at the city gates had immediately attracted the attention of the Holy Army.

"Halt!"

A Holy Army soldier blocked their path.

"Where do you come from? What is your purpose?"

Mike, caught off guard by the sudden shout, flinched but quickly steadied himself. After recalling the instructions from Lord Shabi and Lord Bruno, he made another sign of the cross over his chest before answering:

"We come from the land of Idar, and we are devout believers here to construct sacred statues in the Holy City…"

Hearing Mike's words, the other nearby soldiers immediately turned to look at them.

"Are you believers… or soldiers escorting commoners?" The soldier, thinking he might have misheard, asked again.

"We are believers! We have come to build sacred statues!" Mike declared firmly.

"Then… where are your guards?"

"Guards? Why would we need guards? We came here voluntarily!" Mike asked, looking genuinely puzzled.

Something's wrong.

This is very wrong!

Every commoner conscripted by nobles to build sacred statues usually arrived with despair written all over their faces. Even the soldiers of the Holy Army would never volunteer for such work.

Who in their right mind would willingly abandon their family and homeland, travel countless miles to Bethlehem, and volunteer to construct sacred statues?

In this era, a man was the pillar of his household. If he left to build statues, how would his wife and children survive?

Most noble lords only cared about forcing workers to complete construction, never about what happened to their families afterward.

Even if a worker managed to survive the labor and return home, chances were he'd find his wife had already been taken by someone else.

One would need to be incredibly devout to make such a sacrifice!

Even the soldiers themselves couldn't help but look at this group with newfound respect.

"Follow this road straight ahead to the central plaza and report there."

"May the God of Light bless you," Mike whispered as he once again crossed himself over his chest.

Inside a side hall of Lateran Palace.

Cardinal Camus Blancard was flipping through a thick register containing the names of all the conscripted workers from across the empire.

"Have all noble domains sent their workers for the statue construction?"

His voice was hoarse yet commanding, exuding an undeniable authority.

"Aside from Duke Eric, who guards the empire's northern border, all other noble domains have gradually sent their workers."

A bishop beside him answered cautiously.

"Duke Eric…"

Cardinal Blancard tapped his fingers against the table, pondering for a moment before making a firm decision.

"No matter how long we wait, the North will never send anyone… In that case, begin construction. Assign the Holy Army to oversee the work."

"Yes, Your Eminence."

The bishop bowed his head and immediately complied.