In a spacious room somewhere, a vibrant carpet was spread, countless armors and weapons adorned the sides of the room, a huge Light Sun emblem was hung on the wall, and on the opposite wall hung a detailed and huge world map.
Various religious decorations dotted every corner of the room. Below the Sun emblem was a very wide desk. On the chair behind the desk, a figure dressed in a scarlet robe was seated.
He was a handsome man with short golden hair and a chiseled face, without a beard. At first glance, He looked to be around thirty years old, with a natural sharpness in His eyes. At this moment, the man was sitting in a dignified posture in the chair, looking intently at the official documents placed on the desk, and occasionally picking up a pen to write something on them.
In front of the man, a cleric wearing a high-level cleric's robe stood. A small amount of armor was covered under the robe. The cleric, with a buzz cut, stood in place, looking seriously at the man's actions, seemingly waiting for something. There was no other sound in the space except for the rustling sound of the man in red writing. This unspoken silence allowed the tension in the air to spread.
"So... the pilgrimage ceremony in Lecher Valley this month was held smoothly?" After finishing writing on a document, He looked up and said to Blake in front of Him. Blake paused slightly after hearing His words, then immediately spoke.
"Yes, Captain Hilbert. Although there was a delay due to the matter of Natsuki, the overall pilgrimage there has now ended. In this ceremony, the Sister who preached the gospel was chosen as the key Propagator of the ceremony and was arranged to appear in many places and even serve as the nominal host of the pilgrimage ceremony. In order for Her to have a higher status when attending these events, Lecher Valley even held a promotion ceremony for that Sister in advance, promoting Her to Senior Deacon.
"Overall, although this pilgrimage ceremony in Lecher Valley was different from the past, it was also very successful. That little Sister seems to have gained a lot of prestige during the ceremony. It is foreseeable that after this batch of pilgrims return, they will further spread the story of this little Sister, and the influence of the Natsuki incident will spread to other Kingdoms as a result."
With a solemn expression, the cleric spoke frankly to the man named Hilbert in front of Him. Listening to Blake's words, Hilbert raised His eyebrows slightly, and then muttered with a twinkle in His eyes.
"Heh... It seems that Amanda is determined to promote that little Sister well. Thinking about it, it's true. Such a good propaganda material, wouldn't it be a pity not to use it more..."
Hilbert stated calmly. Listening to Hilbert's words, the cleric couldn't help but speak.
"Captain Amanda is using this little Sister to expand Her influence. If this continues, they will sooner or later become an obstacle to our affairs, Captain Hilbert. Are we just going to stand by and do nothing?"
"Of course, we stand by and do nothing, what else can we do? Since they have already gained the advantage in this Natsuki incident, don't confront them on this aspect anymore. Such a head-on clash in adversity will not look good, whether in front of the faithful or in front of the Holy See. Blake."
Hilbert said lightly. From His appearance, He didn't seem to care much about Natsuki and that little Sister. Instead, after putting down the pen in His hand, He picked up a newspaper on the desk and unfolded it to read, while the cleric named Blake said somewhat angrily.
"This propaganda opportunity for Natsuki was also picked up by Captain Amanda, right? Originally, our military action against Natsuki was a certainty, but we didn't expect the Abyssal Serpent evil followers to suddenly come out and cause trouble, completely changing the whole situation. It's a pity."
Blake's words revealed regret, while Hilbert looked at the newspaper in His hand with a calm expression, speaking slowly as He read.
"There's nothing to regret about this... It's just a small opportunity, if it's lost, it's lost. Just wait for the next suitable time. Compared to peace, conflict and disputes are the norm in this world. In the border areas, there are many examples similar to Natsuki, and even more serious ones.
"In the thousand-year history of the saint church, naive people like Amanda have appeared more than once, trying to sing a different melody on the path opened by the saint church's fire and sword. But... as long as the disrespectful still exist, conflict and subversion will not stop, and their melody will not yield any results."
While reading the newspaper, Hilbert stated calmly. Listening to Hilbert's words, Blake paused slightly, then thought for a moment before speaking.
"Captain, do you mean... we don't need to pay too much attention to Captain Amanda and that little Sister, and just continue to wait for the next opportunity?"
"Yes, and it won't take long to wait. Isn't there one right now?"
Hilbert said so, and then spread the newspaper He was holding on His desk. After seeing Hilbert's action, Blake went to look at the content on the newspaper, only to see the large headline written like this.
"The unrest in Adus Kingdom continues, opposition forces have controlled the capital Adis, King Makhand's whereabouts are unknown."
Seeing the words written on the newspaper, Blake was slightly startled, and then said in surprise.
"This is... the rebellion in North Wu Adus a few months ago? Has it actually developed to this point? If the opportunity Captain is talking about is this, then that means the rumor is true, the rebellion in Adus is related to the otherworld?"
"Of course, there is a connection. Without the support of the otherworld behind them, how could those opposition forces progress so quickly? Recent intelligence from Adus has proven that the Savior Descends Faction is very active there. They should be deeply involved in this rebellion."
Hilbert spoke indifferently, then He turned His gaze to the news on the newspaper.
"Not long ago, the Adus noble faction sent envoys to Holy Mountain, requesting military assistance in the name of the rebels seeking otherworld support and planning to install the otherworld in power. And the rebels there also sent a letter saying... they do not want to be enemies with the saint church, but only want to overthrow the corrupt rule of the current dynasty, but when mentioning the issues of the otherworld and faith, their attitude became vague again."
Hilbert said so. Listening to Hilbert's words, Blake in front of Him looked serious, and immediately spoke solemnly.
"The issue of faith is not to be ambiguous, it must be clear. If they are entangled with the otherworld and even want to install the otherworld in power, then a Holy War is inevitable! Even in a border Kingdom like Adus, at least overall and openly, the clarity of faith must be maintained! Captain, we have every reason to directly send troops if they do this!"
Blake said very seriously, as if looking forward to immediately leading troops to Adus, while Hilbert continued to speak unhurriedly.
"Yes... In formal communication, they are not even willing to clarify their religious stance, but this alone is enough for us to agree to the request of the Adus noble faction and lead troops to purify the otherworld...
"Now the Holy See has ascended to the upper realm and is sensing the will of heaven. Before His Holiness returns, more decision-making power is temporarily handed over to the Cardinal Council, and the affairs of Adus will be fully handled by me in the Cardinal Council. The joint request of the Adus nobles, the vague attitude of the rebels, the evidence that the otherworld is active in Adus, plus my influence in the Cardinal Council... All these combined are completely enough to make the council pass the resolution for a new Holy War. Amanda can't stop it even if She wants to..."
Hilbert said calmly. Listening to Hilbert's words, Blake's face showed obvious excitement. He said frankly.
"Then Captain... when will we march into Adus?!" Blake said frankly, but Hilbert's response was beyond his expectation.
"March into Adus? Heh, that might have to wait for a while..."
"Wait for a while? This... why do we still have to wait? Captain, didn't you say that under so many conditions, sending troops is a very easy resolution to pass?" Listening to Hilbert's words, Blake said somewhat confusedly. Now that the Holy See has gone to the upper realm where the Three Saints are and is temporarily away, the largest decision-making body of the Church is the Cardinal Council, and Hilbert, as a pivotal figure among the Cardinals, should find it very easy to pass the Adus Holy War resolution under so many favorable conditions.
Such a Holy War should be quick, quick to decide, quick to attack, quick to judge, and quick to purify. This kind of delay is not Hilbert's character.
Facing Hilbert's words, Blake felt very confused, and Hilbert's answer greatly surprised Blake. He smiled mysteriously and spoke with a light laugh.
"Because... in the Cardinal Council, I did not propose sending troops. Instead, when Amanda said that the affairs of Adus should be treated more cautiously and military force should be used carefully, I agreed with Her opinion."
"What..."
Listening to Hilbert's words, Blake's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but take two steps back. He didn't expect the person in front of Him to say such words, that He would agree with the opinion of His political opponent all along.
"Captain Hilbert... Captain, Captain didn't make a mistake, did Captain..."
"Of course, I didn't make a mistake. I agreed with Amanda in the meeting, stating that the matters of Adus should be treated cautiously and military force should not be used easily. And I went even further, proposing to send a special envoy team to Adus, to comfort both sides of the war and try to achieve peace, and also to educate the ordinary Adus people who may have been blinded by otherworld ideas, giving them a chance to return to the embrace of the Lord..."
Hilbert said slowly. Listening to His words, Blake's unbelievable expression grew heavier and heavier, and finally completely turned into a state of astonishment. Looking at the stunned Blake in front of Him, Hilbert continued to speak with a smile.
"And in order to make Adus feel the sincerity of the saint church, I recommended the Holy Mother evangelist who has recently been brilliant, Vania Chafilun, as the leader of this team. He has the precedent of educating tens of thousands of people in Natsuki, and this time He will surely be able to make good use of His enthusiasm to educate the otherworld in Adus."
Hilbert said easily. Listening to Hilbert's remarks, Blake was first still in a daze, but after a while, He seemed to have come back to His senses and felt a slight unease. After thinking carefully, a sudden realization dawned on Him, and His expression suddenly brightened.
"Yes... That little Sister that Captain Amanda is paying attention to, that little Sister who became the educator of Natsuki by luck, if She is pushed to the forefront to handle the affairs of Adus, as long as the situation deteriorates later, Her status and influence will plummet, and Captain Amanda's propaganda activities centered around Her will all be in vain! She Herself will also be significantly affected!"
Blake spoke quickly. He now fully understood Hilbert's intention. This was to use this opportunity to completely pull down the little Sister whom Amanda had put on a high platform and reduce Her influence!
Blake knew very well that the reason why that little Sister was able to educate Natsuki was entirely because of the Ebergrass Church. The Ebergrass Church used a conspiracy to instigate Natsuki to confront the Church head-on, but after their conspiracy was exposed, Natsuki, realizing that they had been used, wanted to negotiate peace with the Church, so they found this Sister as a step down, which led to the matter of a Sister educating tens of thousands of Natsuki people. This is the inside story of this incident, and many high-level Church officials know it.
Therefore, Blake also knew that the little Sister named Vanya was essentially just lucky; She had no ability to convert thousands of people. She didn't have that ability! She was essentially just a beautifully packaged vase by Amanda, and Her main purpose was propaganda, to be seen by others, by the public, but She was only good to look at, not useful. The core of the vase was just an ordinary little Sister!
Obviously, Hilbert knew that the best way to deal with a vase is to put it higher, double the effort to put it higher, higher than Amanda expected, higher to a position that does not belong to Her, higher to a position that She cannot adapt to at all, and then let Her fall and break Herself.
The special envoy of the Church on the Adus civil unrest issue, fully responsible for resolving the otherworld issue in Adus, and even mediating between the warring parties. This is the position that does not belong to that little Sister, a position that, once She is put there, She will definitely fall and shatter.
Hilbert knew that the internal problems of Adus could absolutely not be solved by a little Sister, so He deliberately wanted Her to go. He would use all His power in the Cardinal Council to make Her go, just to see Her failure.
After that little Sister fails, Hilbert can still express His heartbreak over the situation in Adus failing His original beautiful expectations, and then pick up the card of using military force again. This will strike a blow to Amanda's recent expansion of influence, and secondly, He can still use sending troops to expand His own influence. Thirdly, it also promotes His image of using military force sparingly. This is a much better option than directly sending troops from the beginning.
"Amanda wants to promote a vase... Then I will fulfill Her wish and put this vase higher. When the wind blows the vase down, it will be Herself who gets hit." Sitting in His chair, Hilbert said in a relaxed manner, His expression as if everything was in His hands.
"I have arranged for the media, both inside and outside the Church, that I can control, to start creating momentum for the news that the Natsuki evangelist is going to Adus. This, combined with Amanda's propaganda, will surely create a considerable momentum. I am looking forward to... the scene where Amanda is overturned by the wave She created."
Hilbert said so, then He shifted His gaze to the world map hanging in the room. His gaze focused on the northern part of the Ufeiga Continent in the south of the map. He was looking forward to the continued development of the situation there.