Chapter 177: It’s Decided—The Wealthy Archmage Miss Iresha!

Translation by: Weebsread👹

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Corruption. Decay. The loss of faith.

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Among the clergy of the Holy See, no charges could be more damning.

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“You claim I’ve lost my faith in the Holy Light?”

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Even for Doro—who had long since abandoned hope of Promotion—this sudden turn in what should have been a routine disaster relief mission was intolerable. He had even planned to reward those involved by sharing his own salary, yet now, everything had gone awry.

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He stared at the young man before him, eyes wide, anger trembling in his voice.

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“Do you have any idea how much I’ve sacrificed to spread the Holy Light since joining the Holy See?”

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“When the demons trampled the Northern Countries over a decade ago, I was the first priest here to volunteer for relief efforts! Every autumn, when monsters invade, I’m always the first to respond. When the City of Argos was struck by plague—spawned by the Evil God’s power—who risked his life to save the townsfolk? Me!”

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“For thirty years, I have served the Holy See and spread the glory of Alicia with trembling reverence, never daring to grow complacent. I have kept this cathedral in flawless order! And now… you say I have lost my faith in the Holy Light?”

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Becoming Steward Doro—reaching such a rank without anyone’s backing—was his proudest achievement.

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Even a century from now, when his bones lay buried and forgotten, this would be the shining legacy engraved on his tombstone.

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Yet with a few words, the man before him had denied the value of his entire life’s work.

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“So a glorious past means your present must still be glorious?”

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Lin Wei’s expression did not waver as Doro recited his achievements.

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“Keeping the cathedral in order—is that your way of boasting about a flock of puppet clergy who don’t even pursue the most basic virtues of the Holy Light?”

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“Thirty years of service—does that mean you can face the starving outside these walls with not a shred of compassion, thinking only of gold coins? When you chose to have merchants sell supplies instead of giving them to the desperate, did you ever spare a thought for the penniless refugees begging for help?”

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“Selena the Pope decreed that cathedrals across the land should distribute supplies to spread the Holy Light, but to you, it’s become just another task, a chore. You abandon disaster relief for the sake of your puppet clergy’s benefits. You lean on your past glories, never once reflecting on your own decay.”

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The difference in tone between the Knights of the Holy See and the Saintess was like night and day.

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Doro, nearly fifty, was so enraged by this merciless rebuke that his breath came in ragged bursts.

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Never before had a fellow member of the clergy shamed him so completely.

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But… the gap in power between them was insurmountable. There was nothing he could do.

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The sheer purity of the Holy Light radiating from Lin Wei made the difference plain. Anyone personally appointed as an Honor Knight by Selena the Pope was, by definition, a force beyond compare.

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And every word Lin Wei spoke now stripped Doro of his last scraps of dignity.

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“You…”

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He tried, desperately, to defend himself.

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But the world around him seemed to swell and press in, and the anger that had flared within him crumbled to dust.

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“When did Doro, who once burned with passion to spread Alicia’s glory—become this…?”

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Lin Wei’s voice softened, and he opened his palm.

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A torrent of Holy Light, impossibly pure, whirled in his hand like a living vortex.

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The radiance was so sacred, so brilliant, it was almost unreal.

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Doro couldn’t move. Couldn’t struggle. Couldn’t escape the force pinning him in place.

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The Holy Light—so familiar, a presence he touched every day—now felt utterly alien in Lin Wei’s grasp.

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His anger melted away, replaced by creeping lethargy and a sense of profound loss.

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“This is…”

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Doro’s eyes widened as the Holy Light drew near.

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The sensation of impending death crashed over him in an instant, just as it had the day he’d called down the Holy Light to incinerate Evil God cultists. Now, that same judgment was falling upon him.

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“Reach back to when you first joined the Holy See—feel your heart, and answer me. Are you the same man now as you were then? Would the young Doro have turned his back on refugees dying outside these walls?”

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“When did you, a member of the clergy, lose all compassion for the weak?”

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“Think about it—hard!”

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Lin Wei’s words thundered through his mind, powered by a surge of Holy Light that threatened to dissolve his very consciousness.

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His limbs, his blood, his organs—every part of him ached, as if his life itself was slipping away.

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Time itself seemed to slow under the weight of death, and memories flickered before his eyes like lantern shadows.

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He saw himself as a young, ordinary cleric, gazing up at the statue of the Goddess Alicia with hope.

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He had set out to spread Alicia’s light, to fight for justice.

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He had stood on the front lines countless times, facing threats to humanity, saving civilians, drawing strength from their grateful smiles, rising through the ranks by merit alone.

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His past was, truly, something to be proud of.

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But at some point… he had stopped striving and started settling.

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It wasn’t just that his youthful fire had faded—he’d lost even the basic compassion expected of the clergy.

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Protecting the local clergy, budget shortages, waiting for supplies… There were always excuses for every decision he made.

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But none of that could justify his utter indifference to refugees on the brink of death.

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Was this truly the conduct of the Holy See’s clergy?

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Was this the Goddess punishing him at last?

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BOOM—

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Doro, still in his Holy See uniform, collapsed beneath the blazing radiance of the sun.

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The Holy Light engulfed him, but aside from pain and terror, Lin Wei did not truly destroy him.

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“Mr. Lin Wei?”

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Yalis, standing beside him, genuinely thought Lin Wei was about to execute the steward.

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She was angry—furious, even.

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But since the day she became Saintess, she had been taught: never let emotion cloud judgment.

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Doro may have decayed, but he hardly deserved death.

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Thank goodness Mr. Lin Wei hadn’t gone that far.

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“I just made him see the light again—reminded him of what it felt like to be bathed in the Holy Light,” Lin Wei said quietly. “If he were truly wicked—if he’d abused his post to torment the people—I’d have strung him up for public execution. But for someone simply rotted by the Imperial nobles until he’s blind to suffering… well, in a way, that’s the Holy See’s failure for not nurturing the Holy Light regularly.”

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“And let’s be honest, there’s probably a part of him that still doesn’t see the people of the Northern Countries as his own.”

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From the very beginning, the Holy See had been rooted in the Empire, spreading outward from there.

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For a thousand years, the Northern Countries had only tenuous ties with the Empire.

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From the Holy See’s perspective, they were just a collection of heretics with their own faiths.

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And as the old stewards lost their faith, decisions like Doro’s became, sadly, all too understandable.

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But the Holy See’s original creed had always been about defending justice and uplifting the weak.

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Race and nation had never been a barrier.

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So really… how had it come to this? How was it that he—a Demon Lord—understood the Holy See’s ideals better than they did?

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Nobles truly were terrifying in their ability to corrupt; even honored clergy ended up ossified and callous under their influence.

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“Let him sleep for a couple of hours. Maybe he’ll remember what the Holy Light truly means.”

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“When we get back, I’ll have to report this to Selena the Pope. She needs to issue divine decrees regularly to all steward-level clergy, or this corruption will only spread.”

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He’d thought the Holy See’s only problem was its reluctance to support Veya.

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That alone made change difficult, with constant opposition and obstacles.

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Yet a single trip to the borderlands had revealed rot running all the way to the top.

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It seemed the work ahead would be far tougher than he’d imagined.

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“All right. Now that we know what’s going on, let’s move on.”

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“First order of business: recall all the merchants, buy their supplies at the official price, and distribute everything free of charge under the Holy See’s name.”

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“Now then… are you the City Lord, Tawatz?”

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Feigning death. Hiding in plain sight.

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Doing everything possible to minimize his presence.

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But Lin Wei’s gaze found him anyway.

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City Lord Tawatz, trying his best to look uninvolved, wiped cold sweat from his brow and forced a smile.

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He was already nervous as could be, but now he did his best to look harmless.

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“Y-yes, I’m City Lord Tawatz.”

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“Good afternoon, Miss Yalis, Sir Lin Wei.”

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“I’ve actually noticed Doro’s loss of faith for some time now, but as a member of the clergy, I couldn’t interfere. And this whole idea of having merchants handle disaster relief—I was against it from the start, but, well—ah!”

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He never got to finish his excuses. Lin Wei’s fist crashed into him, cutting him off.

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BAM!

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The supposedly hefty City Lord crashed into the wall like a cannonball, spiderweb cracks spreading from the impact.

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The man who’d been playing dead a moment ago was now embedded in the wall, completely stuck.

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“You… you people!”

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“So, we’re supposed to ignore you insulting Selena the Pope, is that it?”

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“This isn’t just a lesson—it’s the punishment you deserve for slandering the great Selena the Pope.”

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Tawatz swallowed the words he’d been about to say—something along the lines of “I’m a noble, you people from the Holy See have no right to lay a hand on me.”

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He shifted painfully, but the injury was only superficial.

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Still, if he kept running his mouth, he might not walk out of here at all.

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“I apologize, Sir Lin Wei! My words were reckless—I accept my punishment!”

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“Good.”

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So, even the nobles who managed to become City Lords had some redeeming qualities.

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They knew when to bow, when to stand tall, and they were generous with their displays of humility before the strong.

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If this had been the scion of a powerful noble family, he’d probably have argued back and forced Lin Wei to escalate from “minor discipline” to “public execution.”

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At least Tawatz was willing to cooperate, which made things easier.

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“Three things.”

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“Y-yes, sir!”

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With a painful grunt, Tawatz popped out of the wall.

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He breathed a sigh of relief. This level of injury was nothing—a Priest could patch him up in a heartbeat. But Lin Wei’s orders had to be handled carefully.

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“First: recall all merchants, buy their goods at the official price, and distribute them for free.”

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“Second: prepare enough food for a hot meal, and make sure every refugee gets fed before dark.”

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“Third: mobilize the citizens to set up temporary shelters outside the city, and have the city guards take shifts maintaining order—no riots allowed. Pay the residents at least double the market rate. Absolutely no free labor, understood?”

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Three simple orders, but pulling them off would be anything but easy.

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Tawatz hesitated for a moment, then realized exactly what Lin Wei was getting at.

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“You want all this done under the Holy See’s name?”

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“Mm. Is there a problem?”

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Lin Wei could make the big decisions, but he wasn’t a local. Mobilizing the townsfolk—that was the City Lord’s job.

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“No problem at all. It’s just… about paying the residents—can the Holy See afford it?”

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Lin Wei’s eyes snapped toward him, and Tawatz trembled, hastening to explain.

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“It’s not that I begrudge the gold coins. I simply don’t have any. The City of Argos is a border city—we don’t have our own treasury. Day-to-day expenses are covered by subsidies from the Governor. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have teamed up with Doro to try and make extra money… The only thing I could possibly reallocate is the military budget, but if the High Council found out, they’d have my head!”

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Embezzling military funds for the Holy See’s mission?

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Those words alone were enough to make anyone break out in a cold sweat.

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If any political rival got wind of it, it wouldn’t be a slap on the wrist—it’d be a grave in the ground.

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“Is that so?”

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“That’s right, Mr. Lin Wei,” Yalis said softly, lowering her voice.

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“All local military expenses are reported by the City Lord, but misappropriating those funds is a serious crime—especially if it’s spent on the people of the Northern Countries. If the Empire investigates, he’ll be in deep trouble. He might even be dragged to the Imperial Capital for Judgment.”

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Tawatz was nearly moved to tears.

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This was the legendary Miss Yalis! If the Griffin Duke ever passed through here on his way back to the capital, Tawatz would fall to his knees and kowtow for saving his life.

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“I see. Then forget about the military funds.”

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There was no reason to force the issue.

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Lin Wei fell silent, deep in thought.

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“Where am I supposed to get enough gold coins?”

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He could request an emergency budget from the Holy See, but that would take time. The local cathedral barely had enough priests, and even if they pooled all their funds, it wouldn’t be enough to buy much, let alone pay wages.

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“I should’ve asked Selena the Pope for an advance…”

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“Yalis, how much gold do you have on hand? Can I borrow it?”

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“I brought ten thousand gold coins. Not sure if it’s enough…”

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Without hesitation, Yalis handed over her savings card.

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It was her duty as a member of the clergy, and even if Lin Wei hadn’t asked, she would have offered.

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“It’s not much, but it’ll get us started—at least enough for a hot dinner.”

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Ten thousand gold coins sounded like a fortune, but with tens of thousands of refugees outside the city, and who knew what other cities were facing, it would not go far.

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“I’ll pay you back when we return to the Holy See.”

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Lin Wei ruffled Yalis’s hair and took the card.

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But where was he going to get the rest?

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“Should I make a trip to the Holy See after all?”

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That would waste precious time.

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Tsk… If only someone would just lend him a pile of money right now.

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“What’s going on? Why are all the clergy here knocked out?”

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“Someone actually dared to attack the Holy See? Eileen, fall back—be careful! We’ll get the city guards for backup.”

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“What? You call yourself a Hero, and your first instinct is to run for help when there’s trouble? Rain, use your Scouting Skill and check inside—if anyone’s hurt, treat them immediately! What a pain, this city—”

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Wait. That voice—

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A sudden commotion echoed from outside.

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Lin Wei, who’d been wracking his brains over the gold, perked up instantly and strode to the door.

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The familiar party of five reappeared before his eyes.

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The vigilant Hero Oshu shielded Eileen, the archer, behind him.

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Beside him, the party’s hot-blooded “logistics officer” wore his usual dumbfounded look, while a timid figure in a black robe hid at the rear.

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Yet today, Iresha—who should’ve been in the backline—was striding boldly up front!

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Her wine-red eyes gleamed with suspicion, and the magic staff in her hands glowed with power, making her presence loom larger than life.

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“It’s decided, then… The wealthy Archmage Miss Iresha!”

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