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「What is the meaning of this insolence?!」

Kayn's stentorian voice shook the very walls of the undercroft.

Having successfully imparted Ysolva's tale to the District Masters near the end of the meeting, I was greeted with the usual stares I was accustomed to. Much of the same people were present.

Seyna and Nabal were impressed, Feriss was even-tempered, and Rysef was borderline embarrassed.

Thus my entreaty had begun—no number of judgmental glares could stop me.

「Why, "this insolence", Kayn, is the same insolence you persistently show your fellow slum dwellers. The slum dwellers all of you were meant to protect! Everyone here has blood on their hands, and unless we take action the bodies will only pile up.」

The old man quivered with outrage at my response. Even Melyn was hesitant in interrupting me.

All was going to plan.

「Lorenzo, you've made your point. There's no reason to continue this polemic. We understand your concern, and in due time, we'll address it. But right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The drug cartel should be our foremost priority.」

The Ashen Thief, who had sat idly by during my tirade, pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke up.

「If you understand my concern, then why have we turned a blind eye to the Church's attacks against the slum dwellers?! They were responsible for the drug crisis in the first place! You know it, I know it, everyone in this room knows it, and yet for two years we've been twiddling our fingers as they encroached on our territory!」

My sharp tongue only further raised tensions between us. Rysef was fed up with my unruly conduct.

「We've been through this Lorenzo! Have you learned nothing from the incident two years ago?! Making an enemy of an institution that far outclasses us only mortgages our future and leads to nothing but ruin!」

「We're already on the fast-track to ruin you lummox! How can you not see that?!」

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound of Kayn's staff striking the stone floor echoed throughout the room.

He maintained a great deal of authority over the other District Masters, so it was no surprise he reclaimed their attention in an instant.

「It is quite lamentable. A bright young soul tainted by the radical ideals of warmongering fools. For what purpose do you advocate conflict with the devout followers of Vel, child?」

「Conflict eh? That's one way to put it. We'll definitely be at odds with the Church.」

Seyna, of all people, took notice of my unusual phrasing and probed into my true intentions.

「Boy, are you not pursuing a violent takeover?」

「Heavens no, Master Seyna! Do not mistake me for the likes of you! I know better than to resort to barbaric measures. Violence is never the answer after all!」

The Viridescent Queen was visibly getting annoyed with my circumlocutory answers. She leaned back and crossed her arms.

「So what? You plan on engaging in civil discourse with those religious snobs? Don't waste our time with such pointless optimism, kid.」

「The project I'm requesting doesn't involve interacting with the Church directly, but if executed correctly, could wipe them off the Jazgan continent.」

My reply only further confused everyone in the room.

「Explain, my dear apprentice.」

Rysef moved in with raised eyebrows.

The District Masters were finally intrigued by my proposal. Now was the opportunity to unveil the special plan I'd been concocting since yesterday.

「As all of you may or may not know, Yarzon is to be named a holy city. We're effectively knee-deep in Church territory. The Velzyn's presence also makes it virtually impossible to launch an assault on the castle.」

「Meaning?」

「Meaning, Master Seyna, they've got us cornered. Our years of inaction have allowed them to secure a foothold in this city. If we were to fight for control of the city now, we'd quickly find ourselves in a losing position.」

Nabal and Seyna looked at each other. They were unhappy with my forecast, but ultimately open to my supposed miracle plan.

The sole skeptics of my scheme were Feriss and Kayn. They proved to be tough cookies to crack.

From my pocket, I pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. The paper containing the names of people who were in on the drug peddlers.

Passing it around the roundtable, I cleared my throat.

「The last Jazgan city untouched by the Church's sphere of influence was Yarzon. Two years ago I'd seldom hear about Velism. Today, it's all the town ever talks about. Now, what drastically changed in a mere couple of years... eh Mel?」

「H-huh?! Me?! U-um... uh...」

「Public perception!」

I comfortingly tapped the flustered thief girl on the shoulder and proceeded with my explanation.

「Due to the efforts of the people on that list, the Church's approval ratings have skyrocketed. These men and women were all implicated in quite possibly the single most devastating endemic in slum dweller history and I'm here to share with you the outcomes of their cruelty.」

Slam!

The table shook like the gravity of my utterances.

Much like my mentor Potternuggets, I may have slightly dramatized my speech at points to maximize the impact of my exhortation. It was... corny, but it did its job.

Everyone was at the edge of their cold stone seats.

「Disunity! Turmoil! And inversely with the Church's reputation—revulsion against the slum dwellers!」

Murmur emerged from all corners of the chamber. They began to see where I was going with this.

「It's no secret all of Yarzon hates us. We're a congregation of isolationist thieves and we're the reason this city's considered a shithole. Being the source of a narcotics problem doesn't help our case. "Slum Dweller City" isn't exactly an endearing title.」

「Get to the point, boy.」

「You already know the point, Master Seyna. With the slum dwellers in shambles and our public opinion at an all-time low, would anyone bat an eye if we were to disappear one day?!」

Seyna's impatient countenance dissipated as she considered the implications of my words. A harrowing future awaited us.

Feriss also appeared to share a look of trepidation. The Silent Illusionist was gradually understanding where I was coming from.

But across the table sat a shriveled prune who was unreceptive to my argument.

「I applaud your sophistry. But I fail to see any reason why the Church would target us. Why would an esteemed institution, whose credo is to abide by Vel's kindness, bother themselves with a lowly "congregation of isolationist thieves"?」

「I once naively bought into the presupposition that they were converting slum dwellers into followers of the Church. But the more I mulled over this hypothesis, the less it made sense...」

「And the answer to my question?」

「The answer was and is in plain sight.」

「Hm? I don't follow...」

The Ashen Thief sighed and illuminated his old friend.

「Us. He's talking about us, Master Kayn. The District Masters.」

It didn't take long for Rysef to realize what I meant. Given his history of eerily accurate deductions, he was probably aware of the fact from day one.

「You're all legends. Living fairy tales with unimaginable strength. The Count himself is afraid of you. And to the Jazgan government, you're the insurmountable wall that stands between them and ridding Yarzon of its poverty.」

「I can understand the Jazgan government, but where does the Church fit into all this?」

「Simple. Jazga's defense pact with Merulea.」

「Again, you'll need to elaborate, boy. I'm no seer.」

「The Church is headquartered in Merulea you bumbling coot! Jazga views us as a threat and requested assistance! To accomplish this and in return, they send the Velian Church to the nation and spreads its influence. Only then, was the presence of the Velzyn tolerated.」

「That is textbook mental gymnastics, child. If they truly wanted help from Merulea, they'd have received a detachment of Merulean soldiers instead of the Velzyn. The basis of your argument is flimsy at best—」

Rysef bolted up and interrupted the Silver Saint, sending shockwaves through everyone in the room.

Poor Melyn had to keep her head down as she sat between me and the Ashen Thief.

「In all due respect Master Kayn, I find it counterintuitive to keep heckling the boy with these combative assertions. Isn't it common knowledge we're on thin ice with the nation of Ingvard? Those bastards across the Nimbus Sea would definitely view Merulean reinforcements as a provocation. I highly doubt you've overlooked that little detail.」

「Rysef, am I to take that as you siding with this troublemaker?」

「I never said anything of the sort. I speak purely with my district's interests in mind. The least you could do is hear the kid out. He may be a troublemaker, but he's still a prodigy where it counts. Wouldn't you all agree?」

He turned to the other District Masters, who naturally nodded back.

「Heh, we rarely ever see eye to eye on things, Rysef. But yes, the boy never fails to impress me. He even managed to get poor Nago involved. I could recognize his sloppy handwriting from anywhere.」

「I'm o' th' same mind as Seyna. Notwithstandin' his impulsive tendencies, I do want t' hear how he plans t' save us from impendin' doom. I'll take anythin' at this point.」

Seyna and Nabal flashed me a smile.

Feriss also solemnly bobbed her head and awaited the rest of my speech.

Everyone was on board except for the Silver Saint. His impatient glare pierced me like a well-placed arrow.

「So Lorenzo? What is this solution that'll save us from disaster?」

「Well Rysef, how else to fight the fire, but with fire?」

And arrived the time to bring out the most powerful persuasive weapon from my diplomatic arsenal.

Ka-chunk!

I could finally spend my savings on a worthy cause.

「Z-Zozo... h-how much is in that purse..?」

「Ten platinum coins, Mel. While your nose was buried in those novels, I was grinding for the coin that could be used for this scheme of mine. The slum dweller tenets may prohibit it, but without the funds, this plan will fall apart.」

I unlaced the string around my coin pouch, indeed revealing a sum of wealth no slum dweller should have possessed.

Rysef scratched his head and after a brief pause, chuckled.

「Ahaha! At this point, I'm not even fazed. So, when you say fighting fire with fire, I can only assume you mean...」

「Repairing our relations with Yarzon and its people. It's our only shot at driving the Church out of Jazga. And to do that, we'll need to refrain from committing any more crimes. Instead of stealing to feed ourselves, we should buy our provisions like any other denizen. Since we require a decent amount of coin to provide for the thousands of slum dwellers under our care, I'll lend you the money I've earned during my side job, interest-free.」

Kayn, however, was not having any of it.

The doddering District Master shakily rose from his seat, prompting his two aides, Brahm and Yent, to support him in his trembling fury.

It was a pitiful indicator of his age. The same age that clouded his judgment. The Silver Saint was past his prime.

「This is preposterous! You dare flaunt a violation of our forefathers' guiding commandments?! You might as well take your riches and leave us, boy! We do not associate ourselves with those who have crawled their way out of poverty!」

「Master Kayn, are you listening to yourself?! This is exactly why a third of Yarzon is below the poverty line!」

And that was the clincher.

The District Masters, so beholden to their traditions, had failed to realize the consequences of enforcing these tenets.

By penalizing the prospect of earning coin and getting richer, they had unwittingly raised a community of slobs. With no incentive to work, the slum dwellers became lazy and reliant on supplies from the Sentinels.

In that regard, we really are no better than leeches. Feeding off the upper castes and worsening this country's economy... I can see why Jazga would send the Church after us...

This couldn't go on. The slum dwellers and the Sentinels that governed it were fundamentally flawed.

「Before we can even think about making our public appearance, we need to change how we operate. To that end...」

I took a deep breath and clenched my fists.

「I propose we abolish the slum dweller tenets, and the district system!」

And what filled the room were shocked faces and a stillness shrouded in uncertainty.

I was about to undo decades, if not centuries of slum dweller history.

「Boy, you just don't know when to quit do you?」

「The oppressive yet vague nature of these rules has stunted our growth as a community! We must do away with—」

「You think you can waltz in here and spit on our ancestors' legacies? And Rysef, how can you sit there and tolerate this... this... ridicule?!」

The Ashen Thief shook his head and sat back down.

「Because for once... I agree with Lorenzo. The tenets are a joke—Master Lakua shared my sentiments.」

Common ground achieved. My success rate was steadily increasing.

「We should never have been divided in the first place. The Maon and Zandra Districts bore the brunt of this arbitrary district system. With the border restrictions lifted, we can finally cooperate as a single unit and work towards making an appeal to the court of public opinion.」

Feriss and Nabal were visibly relieved to hear my remark.

Due to unequal access to facilities, their slum dwellers were the biggest offenders when it came to district-crossing. Supply shortages were also not uncommon.

In short, everybody would be happier without them.

After a swift glance to verify the reception to my proclamation (which was needless to say, overwhelmingly positive), I went into the next phase of my master plan.

「With that out of the way, I'd like to talk about how we're going to oust the Church from power. And that starts with all of you.」

The District Masters was ready to receive my counsel.

「Two years ago on the same day, I foolishly raided the underground drug peddler base, and in exchange for information pertaining to that base, I convinced a crowd of hundreds to buy into my lies and turn away from a person they'd once idolized. I merely did so with words. And as the adage goes: "actions speak louder than words". A friend once told me... or I guess the brother of this friend once told her...」

I reached into my pocket and squeezed Ysolva's handkerchief.

It gave me strength knowing her few utterances would serve as the springboard for our recovery.

「"If you ever make a new friend, always help them out!"」

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