City of Desire: Chapter 1022 Bishop (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

‘I will not disappoint you, my lord; I will give my best to convince her,’ said Hardt.

A few minutes ago, Arenthal had agreed to meet with my representative. She had met Robin and Tara, but that was before she had become Marchioness of Almin.

The meeting is set two days later.

We wanted it tomorrow; we would have agreed to meet even today, but she didn’t agree. Our meeting is the same day; Viremont will be arriving at Inam.

Most of his army had already gathered there. Once he reached it, they would march into the region.

“I know you will.”

I cut the call and looked at the information in front of me. This is complete information on her capture of Almin. It’s not a capture, more like the utter idiocy of one man.

I hope he pays the ransom quickly and brings his men back. I do not want Viremont to capture Deerpond.

That would be disastrous for the whole region. Nobody would like a man like Viremont to control an important city like Deerpond.

Summerfield is an idiot, but he is a man we could work with. While he tests our patience, we can still find ways to work alongside him.

It would be a completely different ball game with Viremont.

“I do not believe it's just confidence that she is meeting us the same day; Viscount Larcastle is going to meet Viremont in Inam,” said Argis, and I laughed.

“It's not.”

Until now, things have been a little predictable.

She came to the region and captured one of the two cities we had expected. Now things are unpredictable; we don't know what she will do next.

She has a good army and powerhouses, but Viremont has more than twice as many.

I have a feeling that her next move will play out on paper rather than on the battlefield. That could be just as dangerous if it leads to the battlefield.

I have to do everything to convince her otherwise.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes; a moment later. Aura came out of me, and skills activated.

The office is not the right place to train anymore, but it’s the place I have. I have fifteen minutes before my next meeting, and I want to do some training.

Enemies are circling me from all sides. I need to be ready; I need to be strong to deal with them.

Soon, fifteen minutes were over, and I stopped. A few seconds after that, the door opened, and a man in his mid-to-late sixties stepped through it.

He is a man with a gentle face, wearing a gentle smile that makes one feel peace.

He had long white hair and blue eyes, and wore an elaborate priestly robe. He looked at me, and I looked at him; a second passed.

“Lord Silver,” he greeted finally, with his expression tightening ever so slightly.

“Bishop Song.”

The man was the bishop of Greltheaven from the Church of God of War. They have made Greltheaven a diocese and appointed him as its first bishop.

I was not surprised when they informed me of their decision, as Greltheaven’s population is reaching a million. I am surprised that they decided to send him before the war.

It’s quite a sign from their side.

They are not taking any risks by doing that. Whether it is Grimvale or Viremont, they would not dare to harm him. So, sending him before the war is a sign that they believe I could survive the storm.

It’s quite different from the opinions in both courts. It is their opinion that I will fail.

Especially when I am stretching my forces to protect all the cities of my dominion.

Instead of focusing on my jewel, Greltheaven, which they think is idiotic, and it looks that way to many.

The answer is simple: I am greedy, but more importantly, I want to prove it to others. That even if they come to me from all sides, I could deal with them, and I will.

“I hope your journey to the city has been well,” I said, pushing aside the distracting thoughts.

“It was, my lord,” he replied.

“The church is grateful that you have granted the authority to open the diocese and the authority to admit new members.” I smiled at that.

He was not talking about worshippers, but the recruitment into the church.

Which I had not given them until two weeks ago.

Since they returned, they have been behaving well. Of course, they tried to influence and convert some people stealthily as their sources, but that is natural with the churches.

Aside from that, they followed the rules, like staying quiet in matters of state. Built the required hospitals and offered free medical services.

“The diocese is vast, and its congregation is large. Allowing us to maintain our own guards would help us manage the church and its affairs more efficiently.

“More importantly, better organization would allow the church to serve those in need far more effectively.”

“No sentinels, Your Grace,” I replied simply. He wants guards, the church’s own guards.

The Church Sentinels are far more than mere guards. They are protectors, spies, and infiltrators, trained to observe as much as they were to defend. I would not allow such people into my city.

Perhaps someday, when the Church had proven itself worthy of my trust, I would reconsider.

But not now.

“My lord, we really need them. They are especially trained to protect the church, and that is all they will do.”

“I promise you; they will remain in the church and will not take a step outside without explicit permission,” he said. He is giving quite a lot, but no.

“I remember the day. If I hadn’t arrived on time, my chief and her friend’s bones would have been rotten in some gutter,” I replied, my tone harsh.

It is not acting; there is genuine anger in my heart, and he could see it through my eyes.

I still remember seeing Valentina and Lena that day. The pain, the fear they had in their eyes. I have never seen such emotion in her eyes, even when they faced the Great Horde of the undead.

“That… was a misunderstanding. I promise you that will never happen again.” He replied.

It wasn’t an apology. I will never get that.

The incident still burns in my heart, and I vowed never to let anything like it happen again. I cannot legalize it openly—not yet—but I have repealed every law that punishes it.

The police have also been unofficially instructed to ignore any incidents: no arrests, warnings, or intimidation. Any officer who oversteps is punished as a warning to the rest.

That seemed to spread as the city attracted more GSMs. We have also created an unofficial area in the city for them.

Valentina is very passionate about that and is protective.

“As that may be, but right now, no sentinels.” They could continue using mercenaries for security, and I maintain a heavy police presence around the church areas.

The police also increase their presence during emergencies.

“Archbishop Kraniz prayed you would survive the storm ahead. He believes you will,” he said, with a fawning smile.

I am sure these people said something similar to Viremont, Grimvale, and others.

“Please thank his excellency for him.”

“The priests and acolytes he brought would help us a lot,” said Argys as the man left. The Church of God of War is a pain to deal with, but I bear them for a reason.

They have many people, including highly leveled healers, which we will need.

“They will.”

Initially, I controlled their numbers, but slowly gave permission for more as they behaved. However, their numbers were still far fewer than the Church of Dusk and their privileges.

The church of the Goddess of Dusk has earned that with blood.

They were instrumental in Greltheaven's survival. They fought against the undead in every battle.

This time, their help is even more vital. Seeing we are besieged from all sides.

“It would have helped greatly if the Dusk had changed their stance on fighting the non-undead. Archbishop Alanis is one of the Dominion’s most powerful powerhouses.”

“Their paladins are formidable as well,” he added, and I sighed.

I had asked them, but they remained adamant. Even so, they would be invaluable. I was certain the undead would make their move.

I had no doubt.

They have been silent for too long, and given the powerhouses that arrived, they will attack.

They would be fools not to, with the conditions providing the perfect opportunity for them, and the undead are not fools.

The churches are a great tool, but also dangerous if not handled well.

It is why negotiations with many churches are at a standstill; many are unwilling to accept the conditions I have placed on them.

Well, if they want to be in my dominion, they have to accept those conditions.

I will not let them in without it.

‘Criminal is moving,’

I was lost in my thoughts when Rayna’s voice rang out in my mind.

“Finally,” I replied.

I thought he would wait until the end of the week.

All the other ways to interrogate him failed. So, we used a slightly riskier approach to get the information from him. Playing on his ego as well as the code he has.

Now, let’s hope we succeed.

We will; there is no doubt about it; I have read his desire and know how seriously he takes his code.

I don’t enjoy giving such an opportunity to a criminal. Especially the one who committed so many crimes that even ten death sentences wouldn’t be enough, but we need information.

For ourselves, but also from merchants.

There is pressure from Belnin; I need to give them something or him, which I am not willing to do. He will stay until I get every drop of information out of him, and then even more.