nagpurpolice Chapter 49 concludes.
Chapter 49 concludes.
"Quiet." Mr. Victor's words reached everyone's ears clearly.
In the first row of the auditorium, Kingsley DeMoury's projector stood up and turned to face the audience:
"Gentlemen, I am Kingsley DeMerry, the Chief Sheriff of Lorraine."
The auditorium quieted down a bit, and Kingsley continued:
"There have been nineteen attacks in the Eastern Region so far, with two in Lorraine, accounting for less than eleven percent."
Nunns employees in the Lorraine region account for more than 20 percent of the total workforce in the Eastern Region.
The data shows that the security situation in Lorraine is at least no worse than in other places, so there is no need to transfer security authority.
Father Stein immediately stood up and retorted:
"Bishop Demery, no matter what, data is data, and the feelings of the people are another matter. The parents here today, their children were almost injured, and you are still talking about data?"
Are those injured students and the dead just statistics?
In the lecture hall, some people echoed, while others argued or remained silent; voices emerged from all directions.
Bishop Kingsley sighed: "Clerk Stein, I have no intention of arguing with you. The transfer of policing authority requires a reason, and the reason you have given is completely invalid."
"Reason?" Stein asked loudly.
"For a Nunns employee, a rat-man, to stand on the grammar school platform wearing your church's priestly robes is an insult to all citizens of the Holy Kingdom. Is that reason enough?"
Hans stood up from his seat, and Fafner turned to see his face flushed red.
"Clerk Stein, Fafner Beckett was a colleague of mine in the Ryan Port Inspection Team."
He's a diligent worker with strong professional skills. He was the one who first discovered the spirit amber during that discovery. You can't judge him as a person just because of his bloodline.
"Who are you?" Stein turned his head and asked.
"Hans, captain of the Ryan Harbor Inspection Team, a third-level priest of the Church of the God of Death."
Gregory also stood up and sat down next to Hans:
"I am a fourth-level priest of the Church of the God of Death, and I don't want to argue with you. During the month we worked together, everyone knows that the little guy worked harder than anyone else."
That day, while inspecting raw wool in the warehouse, he was breaking it with his bare hands, without even wearing gloves. You say he was insulting the people of the Holy Land? I think he's far better than those who only talk the talk.
Stein's expression was not good, and he was about to continue speaking when...
"Alright," Aldrich's projection said to him, "Pastor Stein, please sit down."
"Yes, Master!"
Aldrich turned to Victor: "Bishop Zaitsev, your men certainly know how to talk."
"They are simply stating the facts," Mr. Victor said.
"Bishop Zaitsev,"
Aldrich stood up, and the hall fell silent instantly as everyone focused on the words of the regional bishop's assistant:
"I also want to ask a question today—where exactly does the Church of the God of Death intend to lead the Holy Kingdom?"
Your god of death speaks of tolerance, equality, and that the Nunns are also human beings.
And what was the result? The Nunns used the tolerance you gave them to attack our children. Nunns employees work as teaching assistants in your church, and you think that's normal?
"Furthermore, regarding the jurisdiction over security in Lorraine, how long did your inspection teams investigate those spiritual materials that flowed in from Ryan Port?"
Mr. Victor remained silent for a short while after hearing Aldrich's words:
"Fafner Beckett is my student. He has a high talent for magic. He is a formal priest who has passed the church's examination. His abilities are obvious to all."
"Ability?" Aldrich chuckled.
"Bishop Zaitsev, this isn't a matter of ability! Bloodline is bloodline, and rules are rules. You are challenging tradition! You are challenging authority!"
"The laws of the Holy Kingdom stipulate that all people, whether they are employees of the Narns Empire or of human or rat-man blood, have equal status," Bishop Victor replied calmly.
"Heh, you're talking about law here, Bishop Zaitsev, are you joking with everyone?"
Your Church of the God of Death has gradually lost His Majesty's trust from back then to this point, and you still haven't reflected on it!
Who let those attackers bring in the spiritual materials they used? It was your Ryan Harbor inspection team! Who allowed those Nunns employees to remain in the Holy Kingdom? It was you advocates of tolerance!
Kingsley's voice rang out: "Lord Aldrich, please watch your words."
"What's wrong with my words?" Aldrich turned to him. "Bishop Demery, during your years as sheriff, has the crime rate in Lorraine decreased? Has the crime rate among the Nunns decreased?"
"Crime rate and the transfer of policing authority are two different things."
“It’s one thing for me,” Aldridge said, taking two steps toward the board of directors.
"If the security situation is bad, then someone else should take charge. The Church of the God of War has experience, a system, and the ability in this regard."
You, the church of the god of death, just focus on your prayers and funerals.
The air in the lecture hall seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Mr. Victor said:
"Mr. Aldrich, you are the inspector for today. Please return to your duties."
Aldridge stared at Victor's projection for a few seconds:
"Okay, I won't say anything more. But I have a request."
"Speaking."
"I'm curious to see that little guy come up on stage; I have a few questions I'd like to ask him."
Victor paused for a moment, then looked in Fafnir's direction.
Fafner stood up,
The chair scraped softly against the stone floor as he walked from the aisle toward the platform.
Fafnir's priestly robes were neatly worn, and the brown raven feathers on his chest shimmered under the lamplight.
He walked to the front of the stage, faced Aldridge's projection, and bowed slightly:
"Greetings, Lord Aldrich."
Aldridge didn't return the greeting, but looked down at him.
Fafnir sensed a spiritual wave pressing down from the direction of Aldrich's projection:
"You are a descendant of Nunns employees. Your parents are still treasurers at Lorraine Manor. With so many attacks on Nunns employees happening across the region recently, public distrust of the Nunns is rising."
Do you think that staying on as a teaching assistant at the grammar school would help this situation?
"Sir, I am only a second-level assistant priest. My job is to assist Bishop Victor in teaching. I am not qualified to comment on the whole situation."
"I'm asking for your opinion."
My opinion is not important.
Aldrich chuckled, withdrawing the spiritual pressure he'd been exerting: "You certainly know how to talk. Do you think you're worthy of wearing this holy priest's robe?"
Fafnir glanced down at the brown raven feather on his chest:
"This priest's robe was issued by the church. I have great respect for the Church of the God of Death, and I am very grateful for the church's teachings and help to me."
"Heh." Aldrich remained noncommittal, taking a step forward, the projected face magnifying before Fafnir:
"Let me ask you another question: if one day the Nains Empire and the Holy Kingdom go to war again, whose side will you be on?"
The lecture hall instantly became lively, with people discussing it with great interest.
Fafner was silent for two seconds.
"My lord, I was born and raised in Lorraine. My parents are Narns. I have lived in the Holy Kingdom for nine years... To be honest with myself, I cannot answer this question."
"Can't answer?"
"I can't answer that."
Aldrich stared at him for a few seconds, then turned and shrugged at Victor:
"Bishop Zaitsev, did you hear that? Your assistant doesn't even dare to say he 'stands on the side of the Holy Kingdom'."
"Because he shouldn't have said it," came Victor's disgruntled voice from the side.
"Bishop Aldrich! That's enough. A nine-year-old child shouldn't be forced to answer such questions. This isn't a test; it's blatant harassment."
"Making things difficult?" Aldridge turned around. "I was just testing his loyalty."
"You don't have that right."
"I am the deputy chief judge of the Eastern Regional Joint Court, and I have the authority to supervise all public officials in the region."
"A Level 2 Assistant Priest, I asked him a few questions, what's wrong?"
Mr. Victor stood up, the Victor in the grammar school office stood up, and the projection became clearer.
"Mr. Aldrich, that's enough. Your question is irrelevant to the agenda, and I will not allow my student to answer it anymore."
"Everyone, I want to make it clear here today that the position of the Church of the God of War is that the issue of the Nunns employees must be dealt with strictly."
Those who attacked should be sentenced or expelled, and as for those who infiltrated the clergy under the guise of 'equality'—”
Aldridge paused for a moment: "It's time to clean it up."
Someone else stood up in the lecture hall.
It was a middle-aged man in the back row wearing a dark coat, with a sacred tree emblem and noble coat of arms pinned to his chest.
"Lord Aldrich, I disagree with your statement."
"Oh?"
"I am a member of the Ryan City Council. My family has venerated the Sacred Tree for generations, and we have no connection whatsoever with your Church of War or Church of Death. But today I must say," he glanced around the lecture hall:
"Your Church of the God of War have overstepped its bounds."
The congressman continued, "Transfer of policing authority? Cleanup of the clergy? What do you take Lorraine for today, under the guise of a trial? The territory of your god of war?"
"Please watch your words."
"My words are very clear," he said, stepping out from between his seats and heading towards the auditorium door: "I refuse to attend this kind of meeting."
The congressman pushed open the door and left without looking back.
The door closed softly behind them, but everyone heard it.
The lecture hall was silent for a few seconds, then another person stood up—a young man dressed in a simple gray robe.
"I am the manager of the third public canteen in Ryan City. My name is Lor." His voice was not loud.
"Fafner Beckett comes to the cafeteria every day. He always stands patiently at the back of the line. I know him well."
Once, a poor student lost a copper coin, and he paid for the student's meal out of his own pocket.
I don't understand anything about bloodlines; all I know is that this child is a good child.
After he finished speaking, he also walked towards the door.
Bishop Kingsley's projection tilted slightly, his gaze lingering for a moment on the closed door before returning to the platform.
"Lord Aldrich," his voice was a little louder than before:
"Today, we have nobles from the territory of Lorraine, councilors from the city of Ryan, representatives from various churches, and teachers and parents from grammar schools."
As the deputy chief judge of the regional joint tribunal, we respect your authority, but your remarks just now have completely exceeded the scope of the duties of an inspector.
I would like to remind you that Article 3 of the bylaws of the Eastern Regional Joint Court states that the duty of the inspectors during hearings is to oversee procedural fairness, not to express opinions or stances. You just said "it needs to be cleaned up," and I will include that statement in today's meeting minutes.
Aldridge's projection stopped in the center of the stage, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
"Bishop Demery, are you threatening me?"
"I am doing my job."
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, and the air in the lecture hall became heavy.
Captain Campbell sat in the military seat to the right of the board of directors, and he hadn't said a word since the meeting began.
He rested his hands on the armrests of his chair, sitting upright in a standard military posture. His gaze swept over Aldridge, over Kingsley, over Fafnir standing in front of the podium, and finally landed on Mr. Victor.
He knew Viktor Zaitsev; they weren't close, but they had interacted a few times.
In his view, the bishop of the Church of the God of Death was a reasonable person who acted with discretion.
But what's the use of reasoning? In the Holy Kingdom, in the Eastern Region, in the territory of Lorraine, reason has never been the only bargaining chip.
Campbell recalled what the fleet commander had told him before he set off: "Just go, don't make any statements. The military won't get involved."
I'm sitting here today, nominally as a military observer, but really just here to make up the numbers.
He was also a follower of the god of war. Some of his sailors were followers of the church of the god of death, some were followers of the church of the god of war, and some believed in nothing.
But once he boarded the ship and put on the uniform, he became a member of the Holy Kingdom's navy, not a member of any church.
As for what Aldrich said—Campbell knew perfectly well that the Church of War had been infiltrating the military for years, and many junior officers were their followers.
There's not much to say about that; they have a system, an organization, and decades of accumulated connections and resources.
What about the Church of the God of Death? They preach equality and tolerance, but the Holy Kingdom has been unstable in recent years, and the people don't want reason.
“Lord Aldrich,” Fafnir said, “my parents taught me that a person is not judged by what he says, but by what he does.”
Every day I strive to be a useful person to others: diligently inspecting goods when I was in the inspection team, and teaching students well when I was at school.
I hope you see this. Regarding the question you asked me, I truly cannot answer it.
I don't want to cause trouble for Bishop Victor, the Church of the God of Death, or the grammar school.
Fafner took a deep breath: "Therefore, I am applying to resign from my position as a teaching assistant at the grammar school."