The exposure of the Salvation Church dealt a devastating blow to the duchy.
The Four Great Churches declared the Salvation Church a heretical sect, and lords aligned with the duke faction began defecting one after another.
The departure of Marquis Rodrick, in particular, was a critical loss. As a powerful noble, his defection to the Royalist faction prompted others to scramble to proclaim their innocence, insisting they were not heretics.
At this point, even feigning ignorance would not work for the duchy.
In other circumstances, even if minor accomplices had confessed, the duchy could have dismissed it, demanding more concrete evidence.
However, the Four Great Churches publicly declared the Salvation Church a continent-wide enemy. If the churches were to backtrack now, they would lose their authority.
This left both sides with no room to retreat.
Bang!
Raul, the duchy's strategist, slammed his desk and glared at the middle-aged man in a black robe standing before him.
"Arbiter Gartros! How could this happen? Why did this have to erupt just before the war? This makes everything far more difficult!"
Just as Ghislain and Marquis Rodrick were starting their war, the duchy had been assembling its vassals and preparing for battle. But instead of uniting, the duke faction's lords defected en masse.
Now, the duchy was in an incredibly unfavorable position, pitted against the kingdom's nobles and the religious orders alike.
"Facing the entire kingdom is one thing, but the Four Great Churches as well? That's impossible! Even if we win, foreign powers will intervene! And what about the 'Gate'? Marquis Branford has discovered it!"
Raul was fuming, his anger palpable.
He had just received news that even the location of the "rifts" had been exposed. This revelation had thrown the entire kingdom into chaos, a situation far beyond his ability to control.
Gartros, the middle-aged man, responded with a calm gaze.
"It seems Ravier made a mistake. If only the crusaders had been exposed, we could have managed the fallout. But for them to discover the location of the 'Gate'..."
That location was the one thing that must never be discovered. Yet, for some reason, Ravier's actions had led Marquis Branford to mobilize his army.
"If only Ravier's death was the sole breach, it could be dismissed as coincidence. But for the other locations to be pinpointed accurately suggests that someone leaked the information from within."
"…Are you saying there's a traitor among us?"
"Perhaps Ravier spoke before he died. But we cannot be certain of anything right now."
"Then what should we do? We can't move openly for now, though the same is true for them."
Both the Royalist faction and the Four Great Churches had yet to act directly against the duchy. The duchy's power was simply too overwhelming. It was akin to a mouse trying to bell the cat.
But everyone knew that a confrontation was inevitable. The tension was palpable.
Gartros pondered briefly before asking,
"Has the Apostle said anything?"
The Apostle referred to Duke Ernheart Delphine.
Although the church wielded its power under the guise of fulfilling the Apostle's mission, Ernheart had remained conspicuously silent.
Raul shook his head several times.
"Once again, he says we should handle it ourselves. But surely, he must be disappointed. The Grand Plan has been delayed repeatedly..."
"And Enforcer Idun?"
"He's on standby. He was originally supposed to head north once the war with the Royalist faction began, but for now, things have stalled. Marquis Rodrick and Count Fenris are locked in battle."
"Who do you think will win?"
"I'd say it's fifty-fifty. Marquis Rodrick has the larger force, but Count Fenris is the Master."
Gartros nodded thoughtfully before speaking.
"Very well. Wait a little longer. We must observe the situation more closely."
The Salvation Church was on edge, unsure if the Royalist faction knew more about the rifts.
Before long, they realized the situation was worse than they had imagined.
Marquis Branford of Lutania, a powerful nation, was a well-known figure across the continent.
In his letters to the kingdoms, he detailed the actions of the Salvation Church and the locations of the rifts.
The responses from the kingdoms varied.
"The Four Great Churches confirmed this?"
"Does this mean such heretics have been operating in our kingdom as well?"
"Unbelievable!"
"If Marquis Branford of Lutania says so, we can't ignore it."
"We'll investigate for now..."
Some influential leaders in certain kingdoms rejected the investigation outright. But they couldn't ignore the pressure from the religious orders.
Eventually, evidence of the Salvation Church's actions surfaced in other kingdoms.
The entire continent was shocked. A clandestine cult had operated for so long, killing countless people without their knowledge!
Moreover, the cult had been conducting incomprehensible activities in hidden locations.
Rumors spread uncontrollably. The backlash from the intellectual elite was particularly fierce.
"What were the nobles doing all this time?"
"They were too busy lining their own pockets to notice a cult committing atrocities!"
"The kingdoms need reform!"
The uproar spread in unexpected directions. The Revolutionary Group, once dormant, began stirring, and many people joined their cause.
Meanwhile, nobles who had aligned themselves with the Salvation Church were unable to withstand the growing pressure and began raising armies.
Unlike the Delphine Duchy, most kingdoms lacked nobles strong enough to resist the crown.
Thus, they had no choice but to act preemptively before they were targeted.
"A rebellion has broken out in the Kingdom of Seiron!"
"A civil war has started in the Kingdom of Turian!"
"The Kingdom of Moravis is even attacking the religious orders..."
The entire continent was engulfed in war. At this point, the Salvation Church had no choice but to reveal itself fully.
Declaring their identity, they openly aided the nobles allied with them. At the same time, they began forcefully converting people in areas where they held influence.
"This is chaos."
After being briefed on the situation, Raul could only mutter those words. The entire continent had descended into madness.
And it had all started because of just one person.
"Count Fenris..."
How could one person wield such influence?
He had not only thwarted the duchy's plans but also captured Ravier, exposing the Salvation Church's secrets.
Gartros turned to Raul, reproaching him.
"Why was he not eliminated sooner? He revealed our plans before we were ready. Half of the gates we prepared have been shut."
"..."
Raul had no response. Overturning Lutania had been his responsibility.
But who could have predicted this? That a young noble from the North would grow so much in just a few years and ruin everything?
Understanding Raul's frustration, Gartros stopped scolding him. His own words were tinged with regret.
"Many of the gates have inexplicably been shut. Either Ravier confessed before his death, or he fell victim to some form of mind manipulation. How else could this have happened?"
Ghislain had used no such methods. Mind control wouldn't have worked on someone as strong as Ravier, nor was it likely for him to confess voluntarily.
Yet no other explanation fits the situation.
"There's no choice. We must open the remaining gates before they are destroyed."
"Aren't they still unstable?"
"We can't wait any longer. If we delay, we'll be the ones destroyed. The other Arbiters agree."
The Salvation Church had become a continent-wide enemy, and so had the nobles who aligned with them.
They couldn't face the combined forces of the continent's kingdoms. If this continued, defeat was inevitable.
The only option was to summon another power.
"The plan has deviated greatly, but it's enough to plunge the continent into chaos. And the appointed time is drawing near."
Thud!
Gartros struck his staff against the ground and continued.
"Send word to all followers in Lutania. We will open 'the Gate.' The 'Holy War' to create a new world begins now."
***
"This is the work of our lord."
"Hmm."
At Claude's words, Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.
The entire continent was in turmoil. Every kingdom had mobilized armies, claiming they would eradicate the Salvation Church and seal the rifts.
Even Claude hadn't anticipated the situation escalating to this extent. What Ghislain started had grown into a continental-scale event.
In some ways, it was remarkable, and in others, utterly absurd.
For Ghislain, however, the current state of affairs was undeniably welcome.
'Everyone has been forced to take notice.'
In his past life, the calamity struck without warning or preparation. No armies had been raised, and in the early days of the tribulation, the devastation was immense.
This time, things were different. The number of rifts had already been drastically reduced, and the tension caused by the Salvation Church had heightened the vigilance of the lords.
The problem was that there were always those who refused to listen.
"What about those insisting on conducting research?"
"Every kingdom has at least one or two who want to leave the rifts open, claiming they need to study what they are. Even the mutants have piqued their curiosity."
"Ha... I explained it so clearly, yet they still do this?"
"People tend not to believe what they haven't seen for themselves. And some are eager to see if they can exploit it for their own benefit."
It was the same in his past life. Many had pondered how they could harness the rifts for power.
The information Ghislain provided about the rifts was intentionally limited.
Even he didn't remember every rift from his past life. There were places he had never visited, ones too far away, or locations he simply hadn't paid attention to. There were bound to be blind spots.
Even in Lutania, there were likely rifts that had gone unnoticed. Every single one sealed meant less damage, but deliberately leaving some open? That was asking for disaster.
If one of those rifts opened, the resulting damage would be unavoidable.
After hearing the report, Ghislain clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. I can't go around sealing all of them myself. I guess they'll only learn after getting hit a few times."
"Let's ensure we're prepared first."
"Yes, we must. The battles ahead will only grow fiercer."
Ghislain shared what information he had about the rifts with his vassals and also passed it on to the Royalist faction.
He warned them that people living near rifts would start to mutate, and unknown entities would emerge from the rifts.
People were curious how Ghislain knew all this, but he brushed off their questions, claiming he had heard it from Ravier.
The discovery of actual mutants lent enough credibility to his claims.
"What's the Salvation Church up to?"
"They're working with the lords who have allied with them. While their numbers aren't large, the priests wield considerable power. Especially the high priests—they are said to possess strength nearly on par with superhumans."
"It won't be easy to subdue them all."
"The situation varies by kingdom. Some are on the brink, while others are gaining even more influence. Few places are as stable as Lutania."
"That's to be expected. It's hard to make the first move against the Delphine Duchy."
The duchy's power was so immense that even with the Four Great Churches involved, attacking them head-on was a daunting prospect.
The high priests of the Salvation Church, who exhibited strength rivaling that of superhumans, added to the challenge.
Still, Ghislain's side was no longer to be underestimated. The very fact that a stalemate had lasted this long was proof that even the duchy had to respect the Royalist faction's strength.
The issue was that this state of relative calm wouldn't last much longer.
"Now that the Salvation Church is making its move, this equilibrium won't hold."
"Do you think they'll use the rifts?"
"Yes, it's the best way for them to weaken the other lords and sow chaos."
Claude nodded, his expression grim.
"Hmm, we'll need to prepare quickly."
His expression wasn't serious because of the dire situation—it was because he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work that lay ahead.
Ghislain nodded and asked, "We've secured plenty of Fairy's Blessing, right?"
"Yes, and the self-sustaining fields are well-managed. We'll be able to harvest it continuously for the next few years."
Fairy's Blessing was the key ingredient for making potions. Thanks to it, Fenris had stockpiled an extraordinary quantity of potions.
Currently, those potions are being supplied to Perdium as well.
But Fairy's Blessing wasn't just used for potions.
"What's the status of the other medicinal developments?"
"We've diluted it significantly for mass production. One root can now yield hundreds of bottles."
"Good. We'll need a lot of that medicine. Keep ramping up production."
"Do we really need this much?"
"Not for us, but for others. Share the formula with the Royalists. Make sure Marquis Branford sends it to the other kingdoms as well."
"Understood."
Until now, Ghislain had fought this battle largely on his own. But that was no longer the case.
Even with fewer rifts, the threat they posed remained. What could be shared must be shared, and what could be taught must be taught.
Only then could the continent stand a chance against the looming dangers.
Fenris not only developed new medicines based on Ghislain's knowledge but also accelerated efforts to recruit and arm more troops.
More soldiers and weapons—this was Ghislain's vision for the future.
At the same time, the stabilization of the Western territories was being handled, leaving everyone busier than ever.
One evening, as everyone toiled away, the people of the estate gathered outside to gaze at the night sky.
"Wow, it's beautiful!"
"I've never seen so many shooting stars!"
"Quick, make a wish!"
Bright shooting stars streaked across the dark night sky.
The meteors seemed endless, as if spreading across the entire continent.
The people were delighted by the rare and stunning sight.
Only one person.
Ghislain stood silently, gazing at the sky with a cold expression.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]