Crack
The bishop's hand bled as he crushed a crystal glass.
A spy who was sent to the palace returned with disturbing news.
"What by the name of Chrunus do you mean Aurelia is alive and got coronated?!" His brows furrowed to such an extent that his face became as wrinkly as oak bark.
The hooded man shrank back in fear, "Lord Bishop, it seems that she somehow had beaten the Paladins you sent after her. And Milan is nowhere to be found."
"No shit, if she is free and officially became a queen means that Milan is dead." He waved his hand, removing the crystal fragments embedded in his hand.
His face wore a look of disgust and contempt for the woman who somehow was able to get recognized by the senate.
And not only that, she wasn't crowned in the Cathedral of Chrunus but instead in the Palace.
It was a mockery of the Church.
The apostate queen had to be sacrificed, she had to be removed from existence so that the Heresy of the Cross could be removed.
'And yet, Church lost 8 Paladin contingents." Such immense losses couldn't be explained to the cardinals.
Many of the elite tier Paladins were lost, while not the strongest, they were still an immense asset.
There was no silver lining here, he had both lost a lot of influence over the 1st legion and many loyal soldiers of Chrunus.
Once Aurelia had been sacrificed, he would offer his own life.
This blunder was a sin against Chrunus, and as such, he needed to rectify and make amends with his life.
He wasn't the first bishop nor the last. If he had fixed his mistake and honorably committed suicide, he would be welcomed in the domain of Chrunus.
"Make a request from the cardinals." He closed his eyes while inhaling and tilting his head back, "We need to take control of the first legion, no matter the price."
The spy bowed, "Understood, lord Bishop."
The Bishop placed his hand onto his face before squeezing his head.
Not even the heresy of Natura was this stubborn and powerful.
Every day, more and more reports came to him about practitioners of so-called "Christianity" backed by the new Queen Aurelia.
This so-called God they follow was a threat of never-before-seen proportions.
"Such a lofty title, not even designing to have a name." His teeth sank into his lower lip, drawing a small amount of blood.
He would have to stop hunting for Heresies of Natura, Payne, and other traitor gods.
With a weary step, he approached the elaborate couch and slumped down, his body hitting the soft cushions like a sack of potatoes.
"How did this happen... I spend so many resources to make sure capital was free of heresy..."
And despite him sending Paladins to purge heretics, even at a mere sign of their arrival, the heresy of the cross still sprouted under his very nose.
It was like an ugly blackthorn, it had buried itself into the very heartland of Chrunus.
While it proved itself to be resilient, it did not mean he was powerless to fight against that which would undermine the righteous rule of Chrunus.
After all, even the worst blackthorn could be burned away.
With the glorious power of Chrunus, it was even easier to purge such instances.
Heresy of Natura was notoriously hard to remove, especially due to people living in the countryside worshipping her.
But by cutting down forests and reeducating the children of heretics, it was possible to set them on the right path.
And so by grace of Chrunus, those heretics were extinct in all but name.
He pushed himself up before approaching the window.
His mind raced; he knew precious little about the Heresy of the Cross.
What was known was that the false apostate queen backed it, who in turn was protected by an immensely powerful Paladin and White winged harpies.
'To ally with demi-humans... She well and truly abandoned Chrunus. Foolish girl.' In a way, he pitied her.
She did not know the truth, and so she turned to a false faith.
However, no matter her reasoning, instead of seeking salvation and education in the way of Chrunus, she started converting others to her heresy.
It was a crime worthy of death.
Knock.Knock.Knock
A knock came from outside his office, it was most likely another spy.
He pinched his nose bridge, "Enter!"
The door creaked open as a hooded figure slipped in.
"My lord, the heretics of the cross that were sighted leaving Golden Cup have been captured and are currently awaiting your judgment." Man knelt.
Bishop's lips curled into a smile as he heard the news.
They had found out that the new heretics were gathering in the Golden Cup inn.
After an extensive investigation, the suspicions were confirmed, which prompted the Bishop to send Paladins to arrest everyone inside.
However, when he turned to face the spy, he was surprised to see his face pummeled to pulp.
Bishop raised his eyebrow. "What happened to you?"
Spy bowed down, his head almost reaching the floor, "Forgive me, my Lord, but once Paladins burst into the Inn, I wanted to support them."
He then stopped, contemplating his next words carefully.
"Go on."
"An old woman did this to me." His voice cracked with embarrassment.
"You got your ass kicked by a granny?" The bishop raised his eyebrow, his voice low and threatening.
"Forgive me! Only after stronger Paladins arrived were we able to capture her!" His head touched the floor as he begged for forgiveness.
The bishop stared at the Spy in silence.
Why would an old woman be a problem for even a weaker paladin?
No matter how much he wrecked his head over how that was even possible, he couldn't come to a reasonable conclusion.
"Lead me to prisoners, I will decide their fate." The bishop's voice was low and seething with fury.
That woman would be punished for daring to fight against the justice of Chrunus. That he could swear.