I approached the muscular bishop.

“Bishop Carlo.”

“Y-Yes, Your Majesty?!”

“Please be honest with me. You and I are both aware of how corrupt the Church has been lately. I’ve uncovered some reports and frankly, I am quite vexed that the dignity of Empire’s religious authority has fallen so far.”

Bishop Carlo paled and looked down at his hands in silence.

“Your Majesty! Have mercy! I implore you!”

A young Templar who seemed to be the age of fifteen had got on his knees before me. Hm? This kid is…

“I beg of you. Please have mercy on Bishop Carlo!”

“Stop that, Elliot! You’re being rude to His Majesty!” Bishop Carlo tried to get him to stop but the Templar Elliot refused to get up.

“Please Your Majesty! Bishop Carlo has no hand in an-”

“I already know that young Templar. I’m not blaming him.”

“H-Huh?”

“Honestly, do you think I am the type to play the blame game here? I’m sure you know by now that I put an effort to investigate these matters in detail. I know Bishop Carlo is innocent in all of this otherwise, I would’ve punished him here and now, no questions asked.”

My words caught them all by surprise. Perhaps they thought, I was going to use Bishop Carlo as a scapegoat. I explain my reasons before they start getting into the rumor mill.

“The actions of the guilty party are their own. I don’t believe in collective responsibility. Quite the contrary, Bishop Carlo, were you not the one who did the actual religious work and tried to mitigate the damage?”

“W-Well…”

To make up for the many faults and negligences of the Upper Clergy, Bishop Carlo worked tirelessly to ensure the Church continues its spiritual function. In a good way, the Atlantasian Orthodox Church continued to function despite having most of its regular clergy suppressed by the Upper Clergy. But from another perspective, he became a corporate slave with all the tasks with the Upper Clergy pushing their responsibilities on him. Being the man that he was, he didn’t complain about the heavy and almost impossible workload...

But the turning point was when a young orphaned Templar who he had cared for since boyhood was executed as a scapegoat for a revealed crime that was one of the doings of an Upper Clergyman.

And it just so happens his name was Elliot.

Could that be the same Templar before me?

Bishop Carlo tried to appeal on his friend’s behalf but the appeals were denied. I remember the flashback cutscene where the poor templar had been accused and judged. After which there was a silhouette of him being hanged.

When he found out the truth, he knew he couldn’t sit by any longer. He was powerless to stop his uncle by himself so he sought Arte’s help.

Which was how the original storyline was supposed to go. But we’ve skipped several chapters of that and gone straight to getting things nipped in the bud.

“Still we need to address the actual problem at hand. We need to restructure the Church’s organization. Just as the Empire is being purged of corrupt individuals running state affairs the Church needs to be cleansed to re-establish itself as spiritual support of our nation.”

Bishop Carlo and the rest of the Lower Clergy listened to my declaration with eyes akin to someone listening to a sermon on a pulpit. Oi, you guys are priests here not me! I guess, it does help that being a proactive Monarch and giving attention to their religion can boost their morale.

“For that, in my capacity as the Supreme Governor of the Atlantasian Orthodox Church, I appoint you Titular Bishop Carlo von Wotila as the new Patriarch.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Eh? Wait...WHAT?!!!”

Bishop Carlo collapsed to his knees again. It wasn’t just him though. All the clergy looked shell-shocked at my declaration while quickly changing to expressions of great joy.

“Why sound surprised? As the Supreme Governor, I can appoint the next Patriarch.”

The Atlantasian Orthodox Church functions just like the Church of England or the Tsar-era Russian Orthodox Church in my previous world. The Emperor held significant power in appointing the next Patriarch or approving a duly elected one. For many centuries it had always been the latter. I guess I am the first monarch to break that trend.

“B-But Your Majesty?! I-I’m unworthy for such a role-”

“I wonder…”

I smiled at him.

“Were you not doing all of your uncle’s tasks for him? That would mean you have the experience. Not to mention you are the only remaining member of the Upper Clergy so you have the seniority. Plus, you have the respect of the Lower Clergy. With all those checked out, you are the best candidate. They seem to think so.”

I motioned to the clergy directly behind him. All of them were giving the “We Believe in You” look toward Bishop Carol. Even more so from Templar Elliot. It’s quite funny seeing the giant Bishop Carol looking like deer in headlights.

“Right now, I need someone who I can trust in rebuilding and leading the Church. So until you find someone best suited for the position of Patriarch you are to assume the role.”

After contemplating for a bit, he takes a deep breath, “I...will not fail you or the Church…”

Oh? He managed to stop stammering. I can still see him nervous.

“I’ll be leaving it to you then, Bishop...or rather...Patriarch Wotila.”

There was some loud cheering from the Lower Clergy, Templars, and the Knights who were within earshot.

“With St. Arturs still in such a state, we will hold your investiture in the Chapel of the Imperial Palace. Once the rubble has been cleared, we can start with the reconstruction of the Cathedral. I may have to assist with donating some funds from the Imperial Coffers. And not just that, we need to work on the reconstruction work for the affected areas.”

“Indeed, the fire originated from the Cathedral so I feel we are also to blame for this incident.”

It was me.

“Let us coordinate further from here on out.”

“As you will, Your Majesty.”

And with that Patriarch Wotila and the rest of the Clergy bow before me. I nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, I see Nils approach me. Perfect timing to exit.

“Your Majesty, it is time, the Imperial Carriage arrived.”

“Well, if you’ll excuse me.”

I swept my cape and began to walk away with Nils.

***Inside the Imperial Carriage***

I sat quietly. I cast a Silencing Spell to prevent eavesdroppers.

“You look exhausted, Will.”

Thank you Captain Obvious...

“Things have gone hectic…in an instant...”

It all went from staging a trap to capture insurgents to disaster response.

“You know, I’ve been hearing a lot of praises about you from the common folk. You even raise a good impression of yourself towards the citizens.”

I felt a flush in my cheeks. “In what way?”

“Seriously? Well, take a look at it from this perspective. The Emperor gallantly rode his horse, leading his army and knights into the fire to save the innocents and stop the disaster before the flames consume us all. Even going out of his way to save a young beastkin girl from falling flaming debris. It shows you’re a brave, strong, and compassionate ruler. Even I was moved.”

I covered my face. That’s embarrassing…

“Apart from the good publicity, there’s a lot of things that have worked out well for you. Those insurgents have been axed and their plans stopped before they could even begin. We even got the Patriarch, the Grand Master, and even the Upper Clergy!”

“I wanted them to be convicted...not cooked to perfection...”

“Pfft~”

“What’s so funny?”

“The way you can make serious statements sound like a joke is always getting to me.”

“Oh really? Does “I am seriously thinking of increasing your workload” sound like a joke then?”

“Please forgive me!” even though we are in a moving carriage, Nils performed a spectacular dogeza.

“You do know I was just being sarcastic.”

“Geez… You’re grouchy without sleep.”

Even though he was grumbling, he looked quite relieved.

“Well...I’ve been up all night. I’m still racking my brains about what caused that explosion.”

“Ah, about that…I received word from Nera. She and Brother Niko found out who did it.”

“Eh? Who-?”

I tried to recount the many other antagonists of Grand Saga but what Nils told me took me by surprise.

“It was Nyla.”

Eh? Nyla-chan?

For those who are unaware. Nyla is their youngest sister. She isn’t old enough to be a member of the Night Lurkers and she loves to play pranks on her older siblings.

“Yes, when Nera returned to our Estate. She met Nyla and she was asking if I enjoyed her little switcheroo on the perfume bottles. Nera realized she switched the bottles meant for the operation.”

“She did WHAT?! That girl... What bottle did she switch it with?”

“The one with the red stopper.“

“RED?! That one contained H2S!”

“H2S?”

“Hydrogen Sulfide. It’s an extremely flammable gas that smells like sewers!”

Damn! Now that explains that explosion! The plan was to use an Alchemic Reproduction Circle to release a nerve agent that would incapacitate the insurgents. But thanks to Nyla’s playful prank, we wound up producing large quantities of H2S!

Why did I have a bottle of H2S? Well, ironically enough I was testing creating gas bombs. It seems to be quite effective. Scratch that, too effective.

“Why that bottle of all things?!” I say in exasperation.

“She probably thought that was a cologne bottle. I mean the bottles look almost the same apart from the stoppers. Knowing her, she probably thought of a nice prank of switching my cologne with something that stinks.”

Nils had a slightly wry smile. He was too soft on his younger sister.

“She should still know better than to mess around with chemicals! I’m going to give that girl a long lecture later.”

“Nera and Brother have already put her through the wringer. As for you, I think you have enough problems to deal with already. But getting worked up is not going to do you any good. How about you get some rest? It’s still a long way to the Palace.”

“I’d be lucky if I can get a nap in this damn carriage.”

This carriage was a typical, garnished carriage. Even more so, since it was the Imperial Carriage. Unfortunately, it lacked one important invention that made rides very comfortable: a suspension. My ass feels like meat being tenderized.

I need to find someone who can make one soon.

***A few days later, Night Time, Imperial Apartment Balcony***

I was sitting on the balcony in a dressing gown, drinking green tea I procured in Ryukyu Region while writing down in my journal.

As a result of the investigations, several noble families had fallen.

There were some protests when the Knights had barged into their properties but they were forced to shut up when it was announced that the very corpses of their family heads and representatives were found in the bomb site at St. Artur’s Cathedral and had signed a document along with their signet rings.

Some families were kept from the dark about their activities and were genuinely shell-shocked by the revelation. They were spared from having their nobility stripped or worse executed. They only had their heads replaced with the more competent sons and are now under strict supervision.

Other families, however, had evidence revealing them to be also doing some criminal activities. They were immediately stripped of their nobility with their fortunes and assets seized. Those who partook in those activities directly or were in support of the initial plan of trying to overthrow the monarchy were executed.

Being a teacher in my former life, I managed to quickly pass a law that spared minors. Originally, there was a 3rd Degree of Consanguinity Law that would’ve had those children executed with their parents. However, by issuing my Minor’s Responsibility Law I managed to mitigate that. I guess being an absolute ruler does have its advantages.

I don’t get it but for some reason, the parents seemed to have resigned themselves when the law had been passed. I guess they still had some bit of heart for their kids. Those under the age of 12 were sent to orphanages. Those from ages 13 - 17 were sent to workhouses. Unfortunately, I noticed that those closer to 18 had already partaken in some criminal activities so I had those excluded to be sent as slaves.

Some who were deeply ingrained in that rotten nobility culture would find it difficult but I hoped those who were still innocent would find a new way of life. I also made it a point to visit these orphanages once in a while. I made sure that these kids were secretly watched over to prevent any “avenge me” situations.

On an unrelated note, to my utter shame, just like Nils said, I wound up gaining a heroic reputation amongst the masses. People were praising me for my swift response to that night’s fire which was now called the Great Fire of St. Artur’s or the NIght of Divine Purge.

The last part was apparently, many devout believers believe it is the Gods’ Wrath descending upon the corrupt nobles and churchmen who were using the divine lands of Cathedral to plan heinous crimes.

They were also praising me for my swift delivery of justice to the corrupt nobles, my compassion for sparing the innocent and saving the commoners, as well as my bravery for delving into danger for the sake of his people.

Nils had already told me this but I was rolling around the floor of my chambers in shame.

My popularity even boomed further when I announced my plans to redevelop the areas with low-cost but sturdier replacement housing as well as the construction of a government and church-run health center in the area. Initially, I was concerned with opposition from the locals who would probably protect their shabby homes. So the fires burning them down may serve as a blessing in disguise. The people were more than willing to accept any aid that came from the government and greatly approved the health center.

Strange enough, there was a massive influx of charitable donations. So much so that I did not have to redirect the confiscated fortunes. A mix of decent and opportunistic nobles and merchants donated quite the sum. Perhaps, it was to appease me or to hide the fear of possible divine retribution.

Because of this, I could enact the building projects as a way to…ahem*...compensate for the disaster.

All the while, nobody seemed to have noticed the disappearance of the former Prime Minister’s daughter.

Well, nobody is ever going to know…

I took another sip as I glanced at the moons. The seven moons glowed in the clear night sky.