Chapter 71

“We’re not doing nothing on our end either, we’re paying a fee as it’s written in the negotiation agreement…”

Reverend Sebrino snorted at the question of whether the temple was doing free service.

‘Apparently, the Imperial Merchant Guild collaborated with Yunette, who drastically reduced the temple’s offerings… They didn’t enter the cosmetics industry to reduce the influence of the temple on the nobles, did they?’

He didn’t know what their true intentions were, but he felt some resentment since that was the result anyway.

‘I’ll have to get that compensation from somewhere else.’

Sebrino replied with a refreshed smile.

“Now that you mention the payment, I’m disappointed. Young priests don’t sell their divine powers for just a few pennies.”

Rather, Sebrino, who was a priest, spoke rudely as he talked about ‘selling’ the divine power.
However, Viscount Conrad, who was paying a considerable amount of money for the temple, was dumbfounded and forced to keep his mouth shut at the words of Reverend Sebrino.

‘A normal family can live six months with the money used to call a priest once. Wasn’t it a framework for dividing and using divine power? Even in the temple, it would be beneficial if we didn’t let the priests loaf around on the justification of serving the people of the Empire.’

Pressing down his boiling emotions, Viscount Conrad spoke in a casual tone.

“Did perhaps something happen on the temple’s side that upset you, Reverend?”
“It’s not an easy task to find people who are in demand of divine power. It seems that the Piaast Empire is putting too much pressure on the priests in the name of serving the country…”

In the end, this conversation was about asking for more money.
The more Sebrino continued to speak, the more difficult it was for Viscount Conrad to resist wanting to leave this place.

“We’ve written down everything the priests treated and expressed our gratitude.”
“I think the priests are having a hard time because of that. It makes sense to give them extra pay equal to the day or time they are dispatched.”

Viscount Conrad wanted to vomit out his thoughts and tell him that they weren’t even doing treatments properly right now.
There was no way around it.
Right now, they were being paid according to the divine power they used to treat a patient’s sickness. If it was simply a matter of calculating compensation, he could negotiate.
However, the problem was that there were things that the temple had done so far, so he knew their wicked intentions.

‘There are a lot of people who say that they don’t treat them properly. Aren’t they just stalling on purpose?’

“Before that, please call them patients, not people who are demanding divine power.”
“Haha, you’re too stiff.”
“I’m not angered, I simply couldn’t ignore that. There are many situations that lead to death or major disability. I just want you to prevent something that can end with first aid from becoming a major illness.”

Viscount Conrad wanted to say that it wasn’t such a big deal, but swallowed his words.

‘If a capable priest decides to and pours out divine power, it’s not impossible to reattach even a severed leg. But the empire’s dispatch of priests usually doesn’t even require something like that!’

No, was it correct to say that the dispatched priests could not do it in the first place?
The high-ranking priests didn’t usually go to the provinces, and even if they went once or twice, it was only for the people who were backed up by the temple’s factions.
And all of them were passive in their treatment.

Let’s say that they may not want to cure those who are not believers of Ibafne. They were definitely getting paid, but it was an agreement with the empire. He tried to understand that much.
However, according to the doctrine of Ibafne, those believers were the ones the temple should care for.

Why didn’t they want to suffer any loss at all?
Rather than supporting and encouraging helping others, he didn’t know why they were demanding excessive compensation for every treatment.
Even after receiving treatment through the tax system, those people sought God Ibafne. Even as they died, they cried out to God Ibafne.

‘I don’t know how the priests can pretend to be ignorant when people are sick and dying!’

“The way compensation is calculated… I can’t understand the reasoning of such a stern Empire.”
“…”
“In the first place, everything on this earth is a blessing from God to man. The Empire cannot tax the temple of Ibafne.”
“Are you asking for a change in the way compensation is calculated and a tax exemption?”
“And if you know how hard we have worked so far, give us land to build a temple in the imperial capital.”
“Ha.”
“Also, if the construction of the temple is entrusted to the patients who have risen after being treated by a priest, wouldn’t that mean they received a blessing from God?”

In the end, it was a conversation to give them money, land to build the temple, and the manpower to build it.
It was really characteristic of the temple of Ibafne, which interfered in domestic affairs and babbled about the high priest being above the emperor.

‘Should I say that it’s a good thing they’re not pushing the emperor with their salutations now?’

It was a good thing that Crown Prince Enoch’s position was really solid; they even had interfered with the throne decades ago.

But that couldn’t be ignored.
If the imperial family did not comply with the temple’s request, they would persistently condemn the believers who went to the temple.
In particular, they would make the high-ranking nobles feel special by favoring them and ignoring the commoners.
Recently, they were a temple that cured the headaches of high-ranking nobles while ignoring the dying commoners.
At least nowadays, it could be said that it was fortunate that the high-ranking nobles didn’t go there because of cosmetics.

Viscount Conrad had been recounting the evil deeds of the temple, and he thought he knew why Reverend Sebrino had come to him like this.

‘He must be worried that the influence of the temple will diminish.’

That must have been why he came out so strongly from the beginning.

‘He didn’t say all that thinking I would meet all his requests in the first place. The negotiation is… gradually getting out of line.’

Viscount Conrad tried to lead the negotiations rationally.
Considering the people of the empire who would suffer under these negotiations, he could not be emotionally offended.
However…

“Whether it’s a mild pain or a serious injury… Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the divine power used varies. Are you saying you want the same pay?”
“Isn’t it because the empire has overworked us? We have no other choice.”
“We’re just talking about taking care of the people of the empire. The war ended a few years ago. Even if it’s overwork… If there are no injured soldiers on the battlefield, a priest doesn’t have much to do. You know, don’t you?”

The negotiations were just going in circles.
Then, something that happened in the past was brought up.

“Come to think of it… Some priests told the disabled veterans that they were the dogs of the empire and that they were punished because humans kill humans, right?”

Viscount Conrad’s face hardened.

‘Is the Reverend going to bring up that incident?’

It wasn’t something that Reverend Sebrino would mention first, let alone so lightly as a joke.

“… The veterans who the priests who were sent to the provinces met are people who suffer from insomnia or anxiety. They are honorable meritorious men who fought for the Empire.”

Reverend Sebrino was relaxed until the end.

“No, I mean I sympathize with what they said to some extent. Because their words were too intense. After all, war is bad, isn’t it?”
“Reverend, do you agree with what they said?”
“I mean, you’re being too sensitive.”
“Reverend! It wasn’t like the Piaast Empire had invaded anyone. Are you saying we should have stood by and just got attacked by the Terrisson Kingdom?”
“Nothing is more precious than human life. If you treat them with love, they will respond as well.”

It’s just like that. Sebrino opened his palms as if he had no other intentions.

It was bullsh*t.
The Kingdom of Terrisson had been brutally invading the empire.
To the extent that it couldn’t even be taught properly because no one could bring themselves to speak about it. Something unspeakable for young children…
Only a few injured soldiers could not bear the insult, but the priests demanded compensation for the damage using the attack as an excuse.

“Priests are bound to be uncomfortable in the battle between humans. The priests sent to the provinces said they also saw drunkards fighting each other using their fists.”
“That’s not possible. Patients who come looking for a priest undergo a rigorous screening process. If they were drunk, it means they were trying to borrow the power of alcohol because they couldn’t bear the pain.”

Viscount Conrad added that patients who were secretly hiding an alcohol addiction would be blocked.

“And even if they are soldiers struck by monsters, the temple…”
“Well, I’ll come back.”

But Reverend Sebrino stood up without even listening to him.
He seemed to have a hunch that Viscount Conrad wouldn’t accept it right away. He added that he would give him a chance.
But as he was about to go outside, he added one last thing.

“By the way, His Highness must be sincere to the soldiers who went crazy because they went to war. If it doesn’t work, isn’t it troublesome for you too, Administrator? Haha.”

——