"Please do, Sir Saint. I and my duchy are honored to have you in our great hall. Please do let us know how we can be of service."

Cass’s tone was smooth and even as she returned the Saint’s gesture.

What I found interesting was that none of them had introduced themselves with their true names. I was guessing that priests at the Saint level were meant to give up their real names and go with the "Servant of God" title instead.

Did that mean he’d given up his Saytan privileges too?

"Your Grace," the Saint began, his voice carrying across the hall. "I have come to know of the decreased amount of trust in the Father and the decreased number of His believers."

He shook his head slowly and caught the cross hanging against his chest in his hand.

"It deeply saddened me," he said, looking down at the floor as if in genuine pain.

"I have come to see the problem for myself."

He turned his face back toward the Duchess.

She listened to him with that same calm and stern expression, giving nothing away.

If I could see where this was heading, then Eldrin and Cass surely could too.

"I have come to speak to the nobles, the ones whose hands are meant to lift fellow humans out of their grief and poverty and show them the path toward God," he said, gesturing to the filled galleries on both sides of the hall.

I see. That was why all the nobles and named merchants had gathered here.

"They are all here, Sir Saint. Please, give us your divine guidance."

As much as that sounded respectful, anyone could understand that she’d just cut him off from further theatrics and prompted him to get to the point.

The Saint nodded, acting oblivious to it.

He then turned to face the gallery.

"I, the Saint from the Starfall Enclave, stand before you to ask for your helping hands in building a bright future for all the poor souls suffering from basic necessities in the slums of this duchy."

He stepped forward dramatically, extending his hands toward the crowd of nobles and merchants. The pages of the book he was holding fluttered violently as the wind from the open windows added to the dramatic effect.

That was a bold move, I had to admit.

He’d addressed the duchy’s slums, right in front of the Duchess herself, and asked for donations to a private organization to fix them.

That might have sounded noble on the surface, but in political terms, it sounded more like:

"Dear big purses, your Duchess couldn’t fix the slums, so I will do it instead. Support me in spreading my branches, and you shall get what you crave."

Actually, that made perfect sense. Merchants craved reputation and nobles craved influence. The more branches they got to support, spreading their name or influence, the better.

In fact, this was an open invitation to a competition: who could donate more and grab higher incentives?

Was it okay to read this much from a single line?

Yes. Absolutely. Because the one who’d said it was none other than the Saint from the capital’s branch: The most powerful SBV’s branch in the entire Imperium.

I turned my head slightly, just enough to look at Merin.

Because Merin herself had worked in the Starfall Enclave.

But surprisingly, she was trying to hide behind Lydia, and she was doing it without me ordering her to.

Strange.

Shouldn’t she be making herself seen so she’d have a chance of being saved?

Merin held a high position within that branch. There was a real chance the Saint could have known about her.

"So please," the Saint announced, his voice ringing out powerfully, "show this servant of God... how many good souls here will stand with His will and reach out to the suffering souls."

As if to prove me right, the gallery filled with raised hands.

Dozens of them. Maybe more.

This might be a testament to the Saint’s influence over the nobility and merchant class.

But to me, to the Saint, to Ilya, to Kael, to Eldrin, and most importantly to Cass... this was a testament to her losing authority.

Because nobles and merchants leaning toward other sources to fill their needs showed a dropping trust in Cass’s ability to provide for them.

The sheer number of important figures in the galleries openly supporting the spread of SBV’s influence, right before the Duchess’s face, was wild.

Bold.

I could see Kael’s hand making a trembling fist beside me, her knuckles white from the pressure.

She was barely holding back her rage.

This wasn’t just an insult. This was a public declaration that Cass’s grip on her own duchy was slipping.

And everyone in this hall knew it and now witnessed it.

"I am deeply pleased by the sheer number of good souls willing to join me in taking another step toward fulfilling God’s will," the Saint clutched the golden cross with both hands. The book he’d been holding was now closed.

He shook his head in self-contentment, like in some 90’s TV drama.

"I am honored that a person of your caliber has taken an interest in the suffering souls of my duchy," the Duchess replied smoothly. "And I am proud to see the number of my noblemen willing to support your great cause."

She clapped lightly, directing the gesture toward the crowd in the galleries. Her smile was small and soft.

"No, it is I who am honored to be in the presence of such genuine souls," the Saint replied, returning the Duchess’s gesture with a slight bow.

"So, Sir Saint," Cass inquired, her voice still perfectly composed, "how do you wish to put these sinners to work for your divine cause?"

She gestured toward us, the ones standing across from the Saint, surrounded by jailers.

Yes, I would like to know that too. Not that I was a sinner... at least not on their level.

Now that I thought about it, I was probably at a higher level than these mundane sinners.

Gawd damn!

"Ah... I believe that no sin is beyond God’s bottomless forgiving heart," the Saint said, looking at us with his arms opened wide. His voice carried across the hall like a benediction.

"I would like to give them a chance to redeem their sins."

He smiled, an innocent and pure smile, completely out of place on such a stern face.

I had a very bad feeling about this.

"I would like them to be put in service of God and gradually wash themselves clean of their sins," he continued, turning back to the Duchess and bowing slightly in a formal gesture.

"So, I ask the most beloved child of God, Your Grace, to grant them that chance by employing them to build the cathedral, offices, and orphanages for the suffering souls."

So he wanted free labor.

Understood.

But why the fuck was I part of this?!

I wasn’t even a convicted criminal! I’d just been thrown into prison yesterday! and was released the same day!!!