Chapter 1368 - 584: Old Guard Construction

Chapter 1368: Chapter 584: Old Guard Construction

"Old Guard, are you trying to emulate the Rick Guard?" Alfred immediately thought of the Empire’s Rick Guard.

"Pretty much, somewhat close, but everything is reversed." Laine nodded, "The Rick Guard is the Emperor needing an elite cavalry unit, because the Empire has excellent infantry but lacks good cavalry. We, on the contrary, need an excellent infantry corps, so we need Old Guard."

"Mm." Alfred nodded. The Temple Knight thought for a moment and said with interest, "Speaking of which, the Justice Church has long been aware of this. Paladins, Ascetic Monks, Holy Shooter Army, Charlemagne Cannon Corps, Templar Order, Hospital Knight Order, our church is doing quite well in this regard."

"That’s not unusual." Laine sneered, "You’re not unfamiliar with the Justice Church’s situation."

"Speaking of which, what did Luther Huse actually say to almost get excommunicated?" Laine asked casually.

"He came to the Justice Cathedral and delivered a speech that shocked the entire Brunswick." Alfred nodded, "This combat priest openly declared that he can no longer endure the church’s accumulated problems over two thousand years. He believes there are countless issues that need to be corrected."

"Firstly, the various ranks and positions in the Justice Church are overly bloated. Many so-called clergy and church roles don’t need to exist, but in reality, many positions are filled with people who are merely occupying space. Then there’s the excessive establishment of deputy roles—a single regional bishop can have several or even a dozen deputy bishops, with unclear management and overlapping duties. It’s excessively bloated, and he hopes to streamline the departments, at least eliminating a quarter of redundant clergy positions."

"Then there’s the issue of parishes. Many parishes, like Modheim Parish, Drakwald Parish, and Hilvanian Parish, have been abandoned for years, yet the entire set of parish officials still exists and operates. For instance, the Hilvanian parish’s regional archbishop resides in the Stier Territory office, only sailing to Helvfen marshes during bishop elections, where a few votes elect a new regional bishop, and then they sail away again."

Alfred also spoke with some indignation, "Indeed, Huse isn’t wrong; our church is somewhat bloated internally."

"Hehe, according to this combat priest’s ideas, how many people would lose their livelihood as a result?" Laine sneered and shook his head, "Continue. Since he’s bold enough to say this, there must be more."

"Next, Luther Huse argued that there are problems with the collection of tithes and various donations. From the Great Chant Master downwards, the entire church is riddled with corruption problems. A tithe is collected from self-farming peasants and, before reaching headquarters, is siphoned off layer by layer, with many funds and resources disappearing mysteriously. Most clergy are more obsessed with politics and soliciting more donations from nobles, merchants, and commoners than remembering the mission left by the God of Justice and Charlemagne—to fight against Chaos Evil to the end."

"Finally, Luther Huse fiercely attacked the Church Council. He believes that the council shouldn’t focus on pursuing grander banquets, ceremonial conferences, and more grand and magnificent temples, nor should they focus on collecting tithes and participating in the Empire’s internal affairs. His words angered the entire council, demanding he apologize to the Empire within three days and swear he was merely rambling drunkenly." Alfred continued, "This combat priest did not agree, so the council prepared to excommunicate him. It was His Majesty Vicma who stopped this action. His Majesty Vicma didn’t approve of such drastic measures, recognizing the church’s internal issues but finding Huse’s views too radical to adopt. Angrily, Huse left."

"...The ideal is beautiful, but reality is harsh." Laine said with a profound smile, "Do you believe that if we really did as Huse requested, it would be a real disaster? Think about it, with Huse’s words, how many people would lose their jobs? Lose the positions they rely on for survival? What would these people do?"

"But Huse isn’t wrong!" Alfred was still somewhat indignant, "We do need change, just like you, Laine, what do you say?"

"It’s actually quite simple. Luther Huse isn’t wrong, and Archbishop Vikma didn’t do anything wrong either." Laine nodded, speaking leisurely, "The Justice Church has endured for two thousand years since Charlemagne. Maintaining a high level of self-discipline and strong cohesion, lasting two thousand years to this point is quite impressive. Don’t forget, the God of Justice never proactively demands changes to the church’s structure. He always simply answers questions and tells the archbishop what the next goal is. Thus, through long-term development, the entire church, as you said, has become highly bureaucratic from top to bottom."

"So Luther Huse’s views are wrong?" Alfred pressed.

"His views aren’t wrong, but his position is wrong." Laine shook his head, the Duke himself bowing his head in sigh, "Look at me, when I came to this country, did I go directly to the Imperial Palace in Kulona, passionately denouncing the nation’s various bad policies and shortcomings? Did I point in front of all the dukes, telling them the peasant system is terribly outdated and your rule is too dark?"