You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 165 The Reasons for the Witch Hunt
Every organization, regardless of its initial purpose, has only two ultimate goals.

One is survival.

Secondly, development.

There's not much to say about its continued existence; the key is development.

The development of religion is about spreading faith and attracting believers.

However, in fantasy worlds, the supernatural class that is most impacted is actually the divine authority.

The Pope's power comes from the gods, and the Church's monasteries are found all over the world.

But this doesn't change the fact that supernatural powers are also in the hands of others.

The church's missionary work and increased influence meant a decline in the power and benefits of the king and nobles, which naturally aroused their dissatisfaction and resistance.

We can preach, but we can't give you all the cake on the plate, otherwise what will we eat?
This is a game of strategy.

In the process of finding a balance, the tithe system gradually took shape, requiring nobles to pay one-tenth of their output to the church.

But don't even think about anything else.

Especially after the conquerors established the Black Iron Kingdom, they suppressed the main force of the Church within Sinnoh.

The Vatican is unable to act and can only engage in small-scale operations at most.

There was no standard system for tithes; it varied from place to place, with some paying more and others less. Some nobles were bitter enemies of the church, while others were believers in the church's gods and were willing to pay more, and their sons would often become priests or enter monasteries.

But as long as the army of the Grand Duke of Rage Tide remains in blockade Sinnoh, the Church cannot act recklessly.

“Say what you will. That’s just how the world is. There will always be blasphemers. But humanity needs a home.”

Garin said softly,

"You can't deny that if there were no gods, then to whom should we pray? We need someone to pray to, right? It could be the Heavenly Father, the Lord, God... I believe in them because I don't want to live a hopeless life and then fall into endless darkness after death; I don't want to see eternal suffering and never be redeemed; I don't want my soul to be without support and my mind to fall into the abyss..."

Roman, sitting on the bench, interjected, "You think the church is the light of humanity?"

After thinking for a moment, Garin nodded and said.

"It is now. I mean now!"

Roman wasn't angry when he heard him say that. What he wanted to overthrow was the entire backward era, and the Papacy was just one part of it.

Garbage should be dumped in the garbage dump.

He doesn't actually oppose the gods, as long as they don't get in his way. If a being can't exert influence on the human world, then he's already lost.

But given the current stench-filled environment, Garin was not wrong.

He sees things more clearly than anyone else.

Religion can improve social stability.

The power of faith is formidable, and it is indispensable to humankind.

You can say that the gods are meaningless.

To say that the church is meaningless is not acceptable.

Although the latter is also dross, at least it can provide spiritual sustenance.

“You should know that the Church is now very sensitive to witches because of the war in the north. And the Grand Duke of Cracked Armor probably doesn’t have the strength to protect you now.” Garin stared into Roman’s eyes.

But all he saw was a pair of red eyes that showed no fear.

The young lord stretched out his index finger and pointed to the sky.

“Ten thousand men.” Roman raised his chin. “The Vatican should at least be able to muster an army of ten thousand to attack. Perhaps then they will have a chance to completely annihilate my forces. If I survive, the Pope will never rest in peace, because I will start over. And next time, I will be even more cautious.”

Garin remained silent.

I'm telling you that the church has a far-reaching influence. How many divisions do you think the church can send?
"Do you know how much preparation time it takes to support an army of ten thousand?" Roman met his gaze.
"Half a month? A month? Fine, let's assume he's acting swiftly. I'll give the Pope ten days. His army needs to cross a thousand miles. How long will that take? Will two months be enough? Do you think he has the capability?"

“‘The War of the Silver Moon’…there have been people in history who thought like you,” Garin muttered.

First, it must be clarified that Roman was not the only nobleman who kept witches; some nobles also secretly conspired with witches, using their power to carry out their nefarious schemes. A hundred years ago, the Silver Moon Lord received assistance from witches, thus turning against the Church.

But the powerful nobleman underestimated the influence of the church, and when he raised the banner of opposition, he was horrified to discover that he was not fighting against the church.

The pope did not even mobilize the army, yet his familiar neighbors launched a surprise attack on his territory.

This is because the Pope legitimized such actions, claiming that the Silvermoon Lords were controlled by witches and had fallen into the abyss, allowing other lords to freely plunder the Silvermoon Territory without incurring divine punishment.

Lord Silvermoon was deserted by his followers and surrounded by enemies. He held out in his castle for several years until he ran out of ammunition and food. His descendants were also exiled, and that lineage disappeared without a trace.

The undercurrents and power struggles involved cannot be summarized in just a few words.

Roman scoffed, "Some things require the right timing, location, and people."

He came to this remote and impoverished place precisely to buy himself time to develop.

If his fiefdom were located in the heart of the Grand Duchy, it wouldn't have developed at this pace.

There are too many constraints. Just adjusting the work mode will attract the attention of the Archmage, and if it gets to the Black Iron King, there will be no way to stop it.

I'd rather start a new era than stay in the Grand Duchy.

If he still cares about the King of Sinnoh and the Pope, then he's come here to explore for nothing.

Even if those two really knew he was keeping witches, so what?

He even dared to rob his neighbors; if the Pope dared to mobilize the surrounding nobles to attack him, he would dare to beat them all up.

A bunch of worthless scoundrels, do they even deserve to fight him?

“Come help me, Garin. You are devout, but you should be wiser. I like wise men and hate fools.”

“I can’t teach Gweil… I can only teach her some basic knowledge at most,” Garin said helplessly.

"Then come and see what you think of this girl?" Roman beckoned.

Sanna sat obediently on his lap, while looking at Garin with some curiosity.

The hermit quickly understood Roman's meaning. He was silent at first, then his eyes twitched, and his face and beard trembled as if a rat had crawled into a long, smelly boot.

"When did you awaken?" he asked.

"Recently, for about twenty days."

Is there anything unusual about your body?

Sanna truthfully described her changes: she slept soundly, woke up very hungry, and her body became stronger and stronger.

"Good news, good news..." Garin nodded repeatedly, like a silent gourd.

Roman frowned. "Don't try to fool me, you need to give me an explanation!"

"I agree, okay?" Garin said, sounding somewhat distressed. He then turned to Sanna and asked, "Did you awaken because of Geviel?"

"I...I don't know..."

"That must be it, otherwise it would be too much of a coincidence. The conditions for a witch to awaken are very strict. Her potential needs to be stimulated, and sometimes it needs an external force to trigger it. Most witches never know that they have magical potential until they die."

Now that things have come to this, Garin has stopped pretending.

Roman assumed he knew this knowledge, and upon hearing this, his heart stirred.

Is there a way to create more witches?

“If the Pope knew you were thinking like this, he would definitely kill himself and you.” Garin was now all too aware of Roman’s dangerousness.

“I swear! — Your idea is more terrible than blasphemy.”

"Really not going to work?" Roman frowned.

He felt that such a method must exist, but it certainly wasn't widespread, otherwise witches would be everywhere.

"It's not impossible. All women have the potential to become witches, and all men have the potential to become wizards. Compared to male wizards, perhaps because the baby is gestating in the witch's womb for a longer time, their offspring can inherit certain faint traits. The only price witches pay for giving birth is a weakening of their power—some people believe that what they give birth to is not human at all, but a potential demon. Now you understand why the Church conducts witch hunts."

(End of this chapter)