Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Thump! The girl shoved the other girl hard, letting out a cry of shame and indignation:

"Go to hell you!"

Chapter 1: 'Gentle' Actions

The Papacy of this world operates outside the national order, uniformly following the instructions of the Holy City. Even the laws of Otus rarely mention how to treat clergy, the most important reason being the Holy City's enduring strength over millennia, the creation of countless miracles, and the powerful Papacy's armed forces behind it.

That was the strongest main trunk, extending into different branches all over the world, penetrating everywhere through the faith accumulated over thousands of years and the presence of holy knights. The nobles either fawned over them or turned a blind eye to their presence in their territories. Even though they were extremely envious of the monthly 'donations' collected by the Papacy, they had neither the law, the force, nor the courage to touch the interests that belonged to the Papacy.

Because nobody wants a large number of paladins to come all the way from the holy city to their doorstep as guests.

However, in Ryūka's mind, a group that does not produce, pay taxes, obey government orders, or manage the people but collects money and has its own armed forces should be called a mafia.

As for the merchant guilds and adventurers' guilds in Sochi, although they were also unruly forces in Ryukyu's eyes, at least they actually paid taxes.

Adding to the matter of Linhu Town, Liu Xia was even more eager to target the Sochi Cathedral. Once they were dealt with, other forces, whether civilian or noble, would have to consider the weight of his position as governor. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated to the previous sentences.)

Hinatil is currently asleep, which is their weakest point, but they cannot act recklessly. On one hand, Ryusha arranged for people to keep an eye on her, and on the other hand, he used money to pave the way, sending people to the capital to pay homage to Archbishop Randall, looking for a way to 'gild' Lindsay.

At the same time, Ryūsha will not forget to put pressure on the people of the Holy See first.

So, on the third day after the new governor took office, something of moderate importance happened in Sochi.

All the owners of shops, buildings, and land around Sochi Cathedral were invited to the castle on the same day. Some left happy, some sad, but they all had one thing in common: they took plenty of gold coins and gold certificates with them.

"This is a huge financial blow. If it weren't for the wealth we seized from the nobles before, we wouldn't even dare to think about this..."

Kania grumbled softly beside Kira, who had just taken office as Finance Minister and had already spent a large portion of the budget. Meanwhile, Hetia and the others, each with their own tasks, were all pleading poverty and requesting more budgets, which made Kania's face turn pale as she looked at the bills.

"That's not robbery, that's spoils. Don't worry, the money spent will be returned, and the Vatican is something we'll have to deal with sooner or later. Right now, we're spending one sum of money to do two... no, three things, and besides, there's also the Emperor's funding!"

In the council hall, Ryuga casually looked at the property deeds on the table and said that just now, he had coerced and lured the purchase of all the properties around Sochi Cathedral under the guise of conscription, and Kania's manipulation of people's hearts was indispensable in the process.

As for what it will be used for, it will naturally be to establish the Sochi branch of the Otus Empire Military Academy. In addition, Ryūka wants to use this to put some pressure on the Sochi Cathedral. And this room is almost full of heretics, even Kira has no objection to Ryūka's extravagant spending today.

Now, Nemi has become Ryūsha's personal maid; a former shadow guard, she's agile and readily available. Zona is next door setting up the new intelligence office, while Megan is establishing the city's defense department, essentially a police force. Hafran has taken over military affairs from Hetia, who is now tasked with training in the administrative duties Ryūsha has assigned her, being deployed to the front lines as deputy governor. Melanie is responsible for managing non-combat mages, allowing their magical abilities to be used in production, construction, medicine, and agriculture.

Their territory will be integrated with Liuxia's territory under a unified management system. The establishment of the school will provide a valuable opportunity for their respective departments to practice collaborative skills.

From this day forward, the people of Sochi witnessed astonishing speed of administration.

The properties around Sochi Cathedral were divided into four blocks, with some moving and others closing down. Zona had her shadow guards investigate the value of each property and the impact of the relocation on the original residents, allowing Ryūka to provide the most suitable compensation.

Megan and Hafley, along with the city guards and military, maintained order and assisted with the relocation, clearing the area as quickly as possible, isolating unauthorized personnel, and ensuring that those temporarily homeless could find affordable housing. They also gave a good dressing down to any petty thieves trying to take advantage of the situation and any landlords overcharging…

Then the magicians appeared. Under Melanie's command and Anjaberg's calculations, they precisely used magic to destroy all the houses and buildings in the block, clearing away the rubble and then rebuilding.

Of course, the mages alone couldn't handle the destruction and reconstruction of four city blocks, so Ryūsha also recruited a large number of workers through a labor relief program. These freed slaves and peasants who had migrated from the north, under Hetia's command, worked feverishly on construction and road repairs, and Sochi suddenly became bustling with activity…

Now, everyone from food vendors to water sellers to building material vendors is making a fortune. The influx of people means a wealth of business opportunities. But while the merchants are happily counting their money, they are unaware that shadow guards are secretly investigating everything they do, including whether they belong to a merchant alliance. If so, they are using this incident to investigate each merchant's sales channels, financial resources, and relationships with each other.

The only one forced to become an outsider was the Sochi Cathedral, which was located at the center.

Priests, nuns, knights, and other clergy members stared blankly as the area around the church was completely sealed off, followed by a cloud of dust...

On the first day, only a few streets were blocked off, and people could simply take detours. But after that, even detours became increasingly scarce. Construction barriers were erected in almost every area, and Megan, along with the city defense team, forbade anyone from approaching, leaving them only a long, difficult, and bumpy path filled with flying bricks.

Now, not only were people unable to come to the church to worship and donate, but even communication with churches in the surrounding villages and towns became a problem. In the end, the clergy discovered that if they wanted to go out to buy supplies, they had to take a two-hour detour, and the narrow, rugged paths meant that each person could not carry much.

“Father Rocco, that young governor did it on purpose! We have at least several hundred priests, nuns, knights, and various apprentices here, plus their servants! Yesterday, more than a dozen people went out on the pretext of having business and haven’t come back. Four of those who went to buy supplies collapsed from exhaustion, and three others were injured by falling bricks! We have some food reserves, but who knows how long they’ll have to go on like this! And the city guards are ignoring us! What are we going to do if this continues!”

A group of priests and nuns surrounded a clergyman of about thirty years old, weeping as he lamented. This clergyman, named Rocco, was one of the attendants who had come from the Holy City with Hinatil. Besides him, there was also a Papal Knight named Joel Reynolds, equally worried. He was currently in charge of the Sochi Cathedral's defenses. Although he possessed the strength of a Grand Knight and commanded dozens of Papal Knights, without Hinatil's support, he was utterly powerless against Ryukyu.

These two were Hinatil's right-hand men during her previous trip to Linhu Town. Therefore, they were somewhat aware of the current situation. Rocco wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, muttering incredulously:

"How should I know? It's only been a few days. Everyone's seen construction, but have you ever seen anything like this? They just started work the day before yesterday, and the next day everything outside was razed to the ground. When I woke up today, there was only one road left to walk on! How could we possibly react... That kid... he's ruthless!!!"

He was all talk and no action, while Joel Reynolds, the Grand Knight, was the second son of a nobleman loyal to the Papacy. Having grown up amidst various conflicts, he was clearly more discerning. He pondered for a moment and said:

"How about we send the people we arrested a few days ago back and see what happens?"

"What are you giving them! They're all heretics suspected of practicing cults!"

Rocco gritted his teeth and said, "As the administrative officer of Hinatil, I have already reported this matter to the Holy City as my achievement. You want to release people right after the letter was sent out? What a joke!"

Chapter 2 Intrigue and Schemes

Rocco pushed up his glasses. He was the second-in-command of the Sochi Cathedral! All he did was arrest a few troublemakers, and now he was being forced to bow down to a child!

I've never heard of anyone daring to force the Vatican to bow down!

"So what do you plan to do?" Joel asked with a long face. He was a young man who was not yet thirty years old. Although he and Rocco had been ordered to come here by the Holy City, the two of them did not get along well.

Everyone understood that Ryūka was now going against them, but the opponent was using this tactic instead of open armed confrontation. In this situation, whoever drew their sword first would suffer, and as the paladin in charge of the battle, Yor was even less inclined to get into trouble than Rocco, who was hiding in the rear.

"Everything will be alright once Lady Hinatil returns..."

"But Lady Hinatil has gone after that girl and there's still no news of her. For now, we should keep a low profile and stabilize the situation..."

Rocco clearly refused to heed Joel's advice. He glared at Joel and asked:

“Holy Knight Joel, are you afraid of that governor? Heretics are rampant in his territory, and the Holy City will punish him sooner or later! As the frontline fighters, we cannot bow down and show weakness! I think your faith is not devout enough!”

Then, Rocco confidently added, "You know, Bishop Hinatil has the scepter bestowed by Lady Carmela; even a Heavenly Rank expert can't harm her. She's probably suffered some injuries and is recovering under the blessing of the divine kingdom; she'll be back soon."

Joel sighed and silently left. Rocco, however, waved his hand, leading several clergymen, and said:

"Come with me to meet that young governor. I want to see if he's really determined to oppose the Vatican!"

Rocco walked straight out of the cathedral. Sochi Cathedral, resembling a small castle, stands opposite Sochi Castle. Its interior is divided into various sections, and in front of it was once a wide street lined with bustling shops. But now it is dusty, surrounded by piles of rubble, and a group of city guards patrols back and forth.

He stormed forward, unleashing a holy spell that shattered the banner blocking his path. Dozens of priests followed behind, only to be suddenly stopped by the city guards armed with magic guns.

"What do you want to do!"

Rocco looked at the young soldiers before him, quite wary of the magic guns they carried. He knew these men were just commoners, incapable of fighting spirit or magic, who would normally kneel before a high-ranking priest like himself. Yet now they arrogantly stood in his way!

This is outrageous! He had never heard of the world being like this before!

The lead soldier didn't speak, but tapped a sign next to him with the butt of his rifle. The sign had a red circle drawn on it, with a diagonal line dividing it, and below it were large characters written in Ottoman.

'No passage allowed'.

The seal of the Governor-General of Ryukyu Sochi was also stamped next to it...

"Heh... Can't you guys talk?"

A flicker of arrogance and malice flashed in Rocco's eyes as he watched the soldier's finger rest on the outside of the trigger ring, pondering for a moment. The troublesome thing about this weapon was its range, but at this distance, he had no reason to fear them.

They're just a bunch of farmers!

As a high-ranking priest from the Holy City, Rocco's abilities extended far beyond chanting scriptures and performing healing spells. At the Grand Priest level, a priest's holy aura was nearly as powerful as a mage's magic. Although Rocco wasn't a combat-specialized priest like Joel, he was still quite confident in suppressing a few ordinary people.

Without any warning or chanting, pure holy energy erupted from his body, sending several soldiers flying.

What kind of magical weapon it is depends on who wields it; I don't think it's as dangerous as the rumors suggest.

Watching them fall heavily to the ground, groaning in pain, Rocco wore a satisfied expression. He made the sign of the cross and arrogantly gave orders to the soldiers:

"Summon your governor to see me!"

A soldier on the ground angrily got up, raised his gun to fire, but was stopped by his comrade next to him, who gently shook his head: "Have you forgotten what the governor ordered?"

The young man's chest heaved violently, then he spat out a mouthful of dirt and ran away without looking back.

"you!"

A hint of malice flashed in Rocco's eyes, but another soldier stopped him with a smile: "Reverend Father, please wait a moment."

"This is how you should treat yourself," Rocco sneered, and soon the sound of rapid hoofbeats reached his ears.

On the towering warhorse sat a tall and beautiful female knight. Her height of over two meters and the battle axe in her hand made Rocco's heart skip a beat. But he quickly rallied his courage, puffed out his chest, and adopted a haughty posture, telling himself that she was just a noblewoman, probably one of Ryusha's lovers, nothing to be afraid of!

The priest behind him, a local from Sochi, changed his expression, squeezed behind Rocco, and whispered something in his ear.

Rocco's face first showed confusion, then turned pale, and finally cold sweat broke out.

When Megan dismounted, her metal boots slapping the ground, the esteemed priest's legs were already a little weak.

"Father, is there anything I can help you with?"

Megan smiled gently, her mild demeanor seemingly quite different from the horrifying past Rocco had heard. This reassured him somewhat, and he said, his neck stiffening, "..."

"I want to ask you, what exactly are you trying to do by surrounding the church!"

"What are you doing? Construction work? Didn't you see it, sir?"

Megan feigned surprise, and Rocco, gritting his teeth, said at this obvious act of feigning ignorance:

“Miss Payne! You are now the Viscount of Otus, and I hope we can have a fair and frank conversation, without going around in circles! If your word is not enough, I would like to have Governor Ryukyu come and talk to you!”

“It’s the Governor…”

Megan's face darkened instantly, and even the air seemed to grow heavy. In her eyes, Rocco clearly showed no respect for Ryūsha, which was unacceptable to her, a loyal follower.

"Very well, Governor... Your Excellency..."

Rocco shuddered twice and said rather unwillingly. Then Megan smiled brightly, mounted her horse, and said, "Then please, priests, follow me. The governor is just ahead. Please do me the honor."

Having said that, she urged her horse forward on its own.

Rocco hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should go, fearing that the other party would devour him. But considering that if Ryukyu really dared to make a move, she would probably have already stormed the church, and Megan didn't seem to care whether they came or not, he gritted his teeth and followed.

A group of priests had no choice but to follow behind, walking like prisoners of war. This made Rocco feel extremely humiliated. Before arriving in Sochi, he had a distinguished resume, and no lord had ever dared to be so disrespectful to the clergy.

Everything will be alright once Lady Hinatil returns!

Soon, the days will return to a time when nobles fawn over them, and a vast expanse of devout believers kneel in prayer, handing over gold coins one after another during their own worship services.

Just then, the boy's clear voice rang out.

"Ah~ isn't this Father Rocco? My apologies for not greeting you sooner~ My apologies for not greeting you sooner~"

Rocco looked at the boy who appeared in front of him. He was wearing strange clothes, a loose linen top and bottom with many pockets, and a bright orange-yellow color. He also wore a hat made of woven wooden pieces, like a helmet.

"you are?"

Rocco frowned. He was certain he had never seen this boy before, but the boy seemed to know him very well and called him by name directly.

Meanwhile, Megan hurriedly dismounted and knelt on one knee in front of the boy, appearing obedient and docile.

"Your Excellency."

Is he Ryukyu?! Rocco looked at the strangely dressed boy. If it weren't for his brightly colored clothes, he wouldn't have stood out among the laborers. He didn't have the airs of a governor at all.

A brown-skinned girl behind Ryusha whispered something in his ear, and Ryusha looked up at the group of priests, then asked Rocco:

"Lord Joel isn't here?"

Rocco felt a strange sense of unease. Ryūka hadn't actually met him before; she had already arranged for someone to investigate all of them. This sent a chill down his spine, making him feel as if he had stepped into some kind of trap.

But he still tried to calm himself down and asked Ryūka:

"Your Excellency, what exactly is this construction project? Why haven't you informed us?"

"By order of Emperor Otus, the Sochi branch of the Imperial Military Academy is to be built. As for notification, are normal administrative actions of the Sochi Province required to be reported to the Papacy?"

“Governor Ryukyu!” Rocco was enraged by Ryukyu’s tone. He raised his voice, but quickly deflated after seeing Megan’s cold and murderous eyes.

“Meghan, you must not be rude to the priest.”

"Yes." Megan obediently stepped aside.

"Father, I don't know what happened to their normal construction work. Why are you so angry?" Liu Xia blinked, looking completely innocent.

"Construction is fine! Your people have completely surrounded the Sochi Cathedral! They've only left us a narrow, winding path! And it's not even a straight one! It meanders through the construction area! How are we supposed to get in and out?! Isn't this intentional?!"

Rocco spoke righteously, while Ryusha listened to everything with a shocked expression, seemingly unaware of the situation. Rocco assumed it was all an accident, and was just thinking that Joel was overthinking things when he heard Ryusha angrily say to Megan:

"How could this happen! How come there's still a small path left! Didn't we say we had to seal off the construction area?!" Are you in the forest? Are you in the forest...?

"I apologize, Your Excellency, it was my dereliction of duty..."

Rocco could hardly believe his ears. He stared at Ryusha with his mouth agape, then threatened her, his voice trembling with fear:

"Your Excellency, it seems you are openly going against the Vatican, is that it? I advise you to think carefully..."

"What are you saying! How could I go against the Vatican?" Ryuka smiled. "It's just construction. I just don't want the priests and nuns to get injured when they pass by the construction site. Please forgive me. Besides, I have already informed the Vatican that the area around the cathedral is expected to be impassable for a while, so please prepare the necessary daily necessities."

"Nonsense! When!"

"It was the very second day after I took office."

At this moment, Nemi, who was behind Ryukyu, stepped forward and said, "Lord Ryukyu, I forgot to tell you, Bishop Hinatil and Father Rocco were not there that day, so our messenger had to come back."