The banquet Serafina hosted with her wives was quite nice.
Come to think of it, we haven''t had a chance to see each other yet.
"When things calm down a bit more, we can go to a canyon outside the city and play in the water..."
Laviala''s ears twitched.
"As you can see, I''d rather you didn''t do that," she said. There is no way to stop an assassin outdoors. And in the canyon, it is difficult to block all the roads.
"I know. At least I won''t put my wives in danger."
"By the way, you have a big diplomatic schedule coming up."
"I think we''re going to have a meeting with the Cathedral of Orsent."
The Cathedral of Orsent, which controls Josai Prefecture, is virtually the most powerful force in the vicinity of King''s Landing.
"The number of believers that can be mobilized is 20,000 in the vicinity of King''s Landing alone, and as many as 100,000 if they are gathered from all over the country.
"Moreover, unlike the peasant soldiers who were forcibly conscripted, those who fight for the faith are strong in spirit. They used to have little military training, but the quality of the army and the quality of the weapons is getting better and better.
"For now, I''m on your side, but we''ll see what happens."
I slowly put the wine in my mouth. It tasted bitter, perhaps because I had eaten it after something sweet.
They ostensibly do not fight battles that do not involve faith. In fact, they have never helped kings to fight each other. I hope they keep it up.
--Never give the monk a second thought. They pretend to be righteous but behind their backs they''re doing crazy things. Then, the High King who did his reckless things with impunity is more sincere.
No, I don''t think that would be called sincerity. ...... I understand what Oda Nobunaga is trying to say.
Religious power is a kind of aristocrat and lord, I guess it is the same in any world. If you think that it is an organization for pure faith, you will be hurt.
Especially the Cathedral of Orsent, which originally came from heretics, but became powerful and gained a lot of power. Moreover, the position of high priest has been held by the family of the founder of the sect for generations.
Originally, new movements of religions occur in urban areas where the population is large. It is only natural that such movements would be born in the vicinity of the royal capital, where the population is concentrated.
In the past, when the royal families fought each other, the royal families mobilized the Mona faction, a martial faction of the temple, to destroy the opposing nobles.
After that, however, the Mona faction set up a kind of vigilante group within the royal capital to strangle the city.
This was a very special situation in which the Mona faction took over the police power of the capital, even if only for a few months. Some merchants of other faiths were killed.
In the end, the powerful nobles suppressed them, but that was a very dangerous sign. Although the Monaists are a little more moderate now, we must be cautious when dealing with religious forces.
"Hey, Mr. Raviara, let''s not talk politics just yet."
Serafina accused me of talking too much.
"This is a place for relaxation. Don''t put on the face of a military officer.
"However, that''s Laviala''s job. ....... Ruffling feathers is not really the elf''s forte. ......
"Yes, yes, no excuses! You have to take a break somewhere, because there are no unimportant days or free days in the regency, and you will collapse from exhaustion!"
I was listening to Serafina''s words, thinking that she had a point.
"Come on, Raviara, drink some more. Let''s enjoy it as if it were the devil''s immoral banquet.
"No, that''s not a good idea. ....... Various temples will be angry with you. ......
Absolutely. ....... We don''t even wish for that kind of disorderly behavior. .......
Besides, it would be bad for the regent''s reputation.
"I know. But if you think you can get by just by being serious, you''ll lose your footing. Not from a hostile lord, but from somewhere else."
Serafina, too, can get a little serious at times.
"For example, where is it?"
"The king is new. And merchants are coming in from the regent''s stronghold. Conflicts of interest are slowly arising among the merchants. I have seen such a movement in my province.
Three seconds later, Serafina laughed again and went to give Rumi a drink.
"Come on, princess, it''s a rude day. There is no crime in getting a little drunk.
"I was taught since my monastic days that one should not drink alcohol. ......"
"Don''t worry. After the age of ten, you''ll be fine. You''ll feel better in no time."
"Hey, hey! Don''t force me to drink!"
When I tried to stop her, Rumi hugged me tightly.
"Regent, I''m still afraid of alcohol. ......"
"Yes, I won''t force you to drink as long as I''m around, don''t worry. Serafina, this is not education. If you try anything funny, I''ll dismiss you as an educator and leave you in Fleur''s charge!"
"Right. I''ll be careful from now on. But you should be thanking me.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
At times like this, it''s hard to tell if Serafina is just being honest or if she has something on her mind.
"Look, I think I''m getting closer to the princess..."
Rumi was hugging me tightly, and she had the face of a girl in love like never before.
"Your body is so sturdy, my lord. ....... Your brother''s body was a bit more stout. ......"
I wondered if I could be compared to Hasse, but I guess it''s not surprising that I''ve only seen that much of a man''s body. He was in a monastery for a long time.
"I had to fight as a warrior for a long time, so I naturally have this kind of body. It''s also inevitable that you don''t have the body of a warrior. I don''t like the situation where the king has to go into battle many times.
"Yes, that''s right. ....... But why does being attached to the Regent make my heart ache rather than feel secure ......?"
I put my hand on his head.
"I''m sure that''s something you don''t learn in a monastery."
Slowly I will get closer to my wife.
Serafina''s smug look in the back was a little irritating, though. .......