Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 985: Chapter 555: Closing the Net

”There are no signs of decay or corruption.”

”The Church has truly abandoned this place.”

The Mendicant Monk and Candlelight Priest sensed the disappearance of surveillance, and then they traveled among the people, leveraging their reputation from the great war.

They began to interact with some people and, from these individuals, the Monk and Priest gained deeper insights into what happened in Hamlet.

Initially, the Monk thought the sheriff’s claim about the Church members fleeing was false, and that they were actually persecuted.

However, after investigation, it turned out they indeed fled in the face of a bandit invasion, which was quite a slap in their face.

But recalling the endless presence of Fishmen last night, it’s understandable why they chose to leave. According to the Church’s rules, towns with fewer than a hundred people do not need a church, and this area faces numerous dangers.

So the withdrawal was procedural, not an escape.

How can church affairs be considered an escape?

Initially, the Monk admired the Lord for leading such a small group to establish the current Hamlet.

But the more he learned, the more fear he felt.

This Lord had no regard for the Church, removed the church to build schools, desecrated graves, and persecuted devout believers, replacing various canon laws with other laws and regulations.

Not to mention insulting the Church’s corruption, criticizing its ignorance, and denouncing its oppression.

Hamlet, this bizarre place, has erased everything related to the Church, yet it hasn’t been destroyed in the endless disasters; instead, it thrived.

Even now, most people in town are unwilling to interact with Church members because they’re genuinely enjoying the benefits.

But according to the Mendicant Monk, it was the Lord who took away the believers’ reverence for the Holy Light, which affects the source of the Church’s power, something they cannot accept.

If a place that excludes the Church yet develops rapidly is allowed to exist, it would be a great blow to the Church.

The Empire does not allow such a formidable territory to exist!

The Mendicant Monk tapped his magic wand and said in a deep voice, ”This poses a great threat to the Church and must be corrected.”

”But aren’t there no signs of corruption?” The Candlelight Priest lacked the political insight, focusing more on the essence of things.

No evil transformations were found, nor any cruel ritual sacrifices, only a continuous fight against an unknown evil cult.

”No! I now suspect the Lord is a heretic in disguise. We must restore the Holy Light to Hamlet.” The Mendicant Monk struck his magic wand heavily, uttering resolute words in rebuttal.

The Church is always so domineering and arrogant, and when it says you subvert the Holy Light, you’d better have the power to actually subvert it.

This is ultimately a world where the strong are respected, unlike Lance, who fears attracting scrutiny, adopting a conservative and cautious attitude towards supernatural power.

The Mendicant Monk, without any scruples, freely wielded powerful supernatural power to win hearts; under the Holy Light, he seemed like a divine emissary on earth.

Especially with the rumors spreading due to the Lord’s disappearance, in this oppressive environment, the emotionally deprived populace had their feelings stirred, and some even confessed to them as pious believers.

These devout believers, under Lance’s oppression, dared not express their faith in the Church, but now they were finally unleashed.

These people accused the Lord of desecrating the Church, providing a reason for the Mendicant Monk to incite the public.

But it was clear the Mendicant Monk didn’t act directly; instead, he started narrating the Church’s Holy Canon in the square under the guise of an announcement, with some words inserted like needles, stirring things up.

Humans are so fragile that they need faith to fill their inner void; no matter how much Lance suppresses them, as soon as there’s a chance, they’ll inexplicably show dependency on the Church.

They forgot how they were deceived, exploited, enslaved, and oppressed, and who brought them all of this.

Even with a little pressure, Hamlet hasn’t exploded yet; these people are impatiently collapsing and seeking new sanctuary.

The Church’s many years of control over the lower classes make people accustomed to being ruled by these ”messengers of God,” and instead of standing up against them, they prefer to rely on others, unable to distinguish if it benefits them.

Ignorance, apathy, madness... all of these seem to truly depict those people.

But actually, not everyone is a fanatic; those incited by the Monk are just a small portion, mostly new refugees.

They have not experienced the hard beginnings in Hamlet, have not stood by the Lord’s side to struggle together, and when they arrived, the situation was relatively stable, making them feel it’s what they deserve.

As for those older people who built Hamlet, especially those who interacted with the Lord, their loyalty cannot be shaken by such circumstances.

Even illiterate old farmers picked up hayforks, angrily wanting to stab these traitors to death!

If it weren’t for the sheriff and the military personnel’s persuasion, the enraged populace would probably have hanged those ”Hamtraitors” who insulted the Lord.

The sheriff repeatedly emphasized the reason against internal conflict, and in his words, he already defined them as mobs disrupting the order and pointed the Church towards the start of a rebellion.