Chapter 115. New Year

Clack... clatter...

Francesca rolled her dice with a sharp, knowing smile. “Currently, we have His Highness staying here in the North. If Miller suddenly begins supporting you in your holy war, the Imperial Palace will immediately claim that we are trying to incite an Imperial rebellion. And you know exactly how harsh the Imperial Palace is regarding rebellions, right?”

Miller shook the dice in his hand and cast them across the wood. “The vassal council system which forces every noble house to divide the power to direct their Lords, exists specifically because of past rebellions. The Imperial Palace’s vow of ‘upholding the Goddess’s teachings’ will be weaponized to march the Imperial Army right to our doorstep.”

Both Kavya and Samuel nodded grimly, glancing toward the window where the relentless snow finally seemed to be stalling.

Samuel rolled his dice. “Which is exactly why His Excellency, Bishop Kevin, wants to blame the death of Bishop Anna on a small, local rebellion in the Nexus Barony. She was visiting the territory, as it is her maternal hometown...”

Kavya nodded in agreement, shaking her dice. She stared at the bone cubes with determination and let them fly. “Tsk... a low number,” she muttered, then looked back up. “We will officially hire your mercenaries to help suppress that barony's uprising. By the time the Central Church tries to blame us for her death, we will already have a fully justified, legal partnership. Ironwood will be acting as hired peacekeepers, completely shielding you from being accused of participating in some grand treasonous scheme by the Third Prince.”

Francesca chuckled at Kavya's low roll, scooped up her own dice, and rolled a perfect twelve. “I won again.”

Tapping her cane lightly against the floorboards, she continued, “That cover story might actually work, provided you hire a few other mercenary groups alongside ours to make the contract look believable, right?”

She looked over at Miller, who had folded his arms across his broad chest. He fixed the two junior priests with a heavy, unyielding stare. “This small rebellion in the Nexus Barony... what exactly happened there to cause it?”

“The Nexus Barony stubbornly refused to adopt the mutual trade agreement that the surrounding territories were heavily pushing,” Samuel replied, recalling the intel. He glanced at the window again. The sky was finally clearing of the heavy snow clouds. “That refusal caused a massive trade embargo. Since the winter freeze just hit, the local population was left starving and frustrated by the skyrocketing prices, eventually boiling over into a violent riot.”

Wait... so it was Ivan’s aggressive trade lobbying that caused the Nexus Barony to erupt... which is what made Bishop Anna rush there in the first place? Francesca's breath hitched slightly as the pieces clicked together. That explains the sudden difference in the timeline! The Holy Civil War started differently in my past life, but those economic actions actually triggered the butterfly effect that brought it earlier!

“Our mercenaries will expect very fair pay for defending the Northern Central Church,” Miller stated, his oppressive aura pressing down heavily on the two junior priests. “Furthermore, my wife has a few demands that she wishes the Northern Church to publicly add to their agenda during this Holy Civil War.”

Francesca smiled warmly. He caught on so quickly. Even without knowing about her past life, Miller intuitively understood that if they dictated the Church's political demands, they could control the entire timeline even if diverted. If we need to stabilize this mess, I need the Northern Church's demands to mirror the exact ones from my past life. That way, the war will progress predictably.

“Shall we shake on it?” Francesca smiled, extending her hand across the table toward Kavya.

Just then, a sudden, heavy rush of water echoed from the world outside, washing over the castle walls.

“It is the New Year’s Holy Rain,” Kavya muttered in awe, reaching out to firmly shake Francesca’s hand, sealing their pact in the shadows of the turning year.

Terrace, Lord’s Castle, Ironwood Viscounty

Tip... tap... tip...

The heavy raindrops struck the stone walls as the people of the Viscounty gathered out and about in the courtyard below, joyfully soaking in the Holy Rain. Standing on the high terrace overlooking the celebrations, Kenny looked up at the midnight moon, holding Stella’s hand tightly in his own.

"It is quite a wonder how the Goddess is never late to make it rain on New Year’s night, every single year," he murmured in awe.

"She does show mercy to us tiny humans by giving the water back to the earth," Stella smiled, wrapping her arms warmly around him despite the freezing downpour.

Nearby, slightly shielded by the castle architecture, Lana and Motya were taking part in their own celebration.

"I wonder what His Highness is doing at the Hollowland Viscounty right about now..." Lana commented. She was seated on one of the stone benches on the terrace, entirely unbothered by the rain, drinking heavily alongside her companion.

Motya scoffed, looking up at the glowing moon before downing her full glass of liquor. "My gut tells me he is out there doing something completely unhinged again. Just you wait. Once he returns-"

Lana snatched the bottle from her hand, pouring herself another heavy glass. "Why do you always have to be so incredibly strict with him? Why can't you just let that charming, quirky man be?"

Motya sighed, lightly flicking the drunk Lana on the forehead. "I am in love with his charms just as much as you are. But if you are going to be pouring all of your love onto him, then he needs to have someone else who is willing to be hard on him to keep him grounded."

"Why do you..." Lana hiccupped, the alcohol clearly hitting her system. "Why do you get to decide that all by yourself?"

Motya smiled warmly, playfully flicking Lana on the forehead one more time. "Because..."

She trailed off. Even as she searched for a reason, the cold rain hitting her face and washing her mind into a clear, sober state failed to give her a proper answer.

Instead of arguing the point, she stood up and pulled her companion up by the arm. "Come on. Let us get you back to your room. That is more than enough New Year's celebration for you tonight."