I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 305: Reformation (8)

The concept of reincarnation in another world existed, so I thought that gods must exist as well.

Once something that could logically happen occurs, there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again.

"Once is hard, but twice is easier. Anything, really."

However, this can only be described as the work of the gods.

"So, Father Stefano completely cornered Archbishop von Nassau in front of the nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, and when the Archbishop had nothing more to say, he ordered Father Stefano to be burned at the stake without any questions, is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Honestly, I had expected this kind of outcome. Once such a situation arises, you can somewhat guess the result.

Father Stefano was an elite who had graduated with excellent marks from a seminary that only the best attended, up to the doctoral level, so intellectually, he was not inferior to the Archbishop. Furthermore, it was clear that Father Stefano was the one who stood for justice, not the Archbishop.

It was an argument that could not be lost, unless one decided to lose.

Even the Archbishop of the Holy Roman Empire, despite his status, would not have executed a heretic without a trial, as such a hasty execution would lead to problems later. That’s why the Inquisition would have taken place.

"He must have been thoroughly questioned, like a dust storm under the Guldari Bridge on a rainy day."

"And Father Stefano, without showing the slightest fear, went up to the pyre."

"According to letters sent by other priests who correspond with us, that's what was recorded. Even after ascending to the pyre, he preached that indulgences were unjust and that salvation could only be achieved through faith."

When I sent Father Stefano off, I honestly thought he wouldn’t last long.

Given the radical and unacceptable claims he had made within the Deus Church, there was no way he could have survived.

Even so, his death would have been meaningful.

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"If one apple is buried in the ground, it will eventually grow into a tree that bears hundreds or thousands of apples."

Father Stefano's martyrdom would bring forth a theology that could replace the decayed Deus Church, leading to a religious reformation and saving countless people from the corrupted faith.

In fact, in seminaries, they say that every time a Christian died in the Colosseum, ten new Christians were born.

"But Deus sent rain to save Father Stefano from the pyre."

...Even now, hearing this for the second time, my head is spinning.

Yes, I acknowledge that a god exists, a hundred times over.

But for it to rain when Father Stefano was about to be burned at the stake, ending a nationwide drought?

'The citizens of the Holy Roman Empire must be having their minds blown.'

Even the most hardened atheists would probably be attending church starting tomorrow after witnessing such a miracle.

Of course, just because their minds were blown doesn’t mean the Emperor and the entire nation would repent and change.

Humans are as wicked as Satan, and our instincts make us value our own purses more than the will of the gods.

Naturally, I exclaimed in amazement.

"This is bigger than I thought. I never imagined a miracle would happen."

"Isn't this a good thing for us?"

"A huge opportunity indeed."

To exaggerate a bit, it's like buying land for a new city in the countryside, only to find out that it's a massive oil field.

Maybe I should send more donations to the Deus Church, or rather, to Father Stefano.

No matter how much money he gets, he won’t be corrupted.

The more he works, the more it naturally leads to civil war...

It’s both an investment and a donation at the same time.

"Because of the miracle, Father Stefano was immediately released from the Inquisition, and now he's being very respectfully protected by the Elector of Saxony."

"The Elector of Saxony has beaten us to it."

Right now, Father Stefano has become like an 'Emperor' in the Three Kingdoms.

Just by being with him, one could gain a righteous cause.

If we can convince Father Stefano to continue attacking the corrupted Deus Church, issue editorials denouncing it, and spread the true faith to those skeptical of war...

With just a little more agitation, the soldiers led by the Elector of Saxony would soon turn into Crusaders setting off for a holy war.

'Is he after the Emperor's throne?'

I wonder if he doesn’t realize he’s ruining his own country.

No, anyone who reaches such a position can't be that foolish, so he must know exactly what he's doing and still want the Emperor's throne.

"The politics of the Holy Roman Empire are still outwardly stable, right?"

"I’ve heard it’s like the calm before a storm. The Emperor and the Elector of Salzburg, as well as other pro-Emperor electors, believe that Father Stefano’s teachings are heretical and that the Vatican will refute his sophistry soon. They think that after that, it will be too late to burn him at the stake. On the other hand, the Elector of Saxony and other ambitious electors believe that Father Stefano’s teachings show the true form of the Deus Church, and they argue that the Church must be reformed around him."

Without the miracle, if I hadn't intervened, it would have taken at least five more years for the electors to make such moves.

Although Father Stefano's new Protestantism, with its benefits of not paying tithes and not sharing power with the Church, was appealing...

'Without the miracle, his cause would have lacked the legitimacy.'

But now that a state-scale miracle proving the will of Deus has happened, the situation has become even more chaotic.

Upon further reflection, it seems that Deus also wants me to make a lot of money through this civil war.

I should put more effort into good works.

"We don’t even need to intervene; a civil war will erupt soon."

"What will you do?"

"The answer is clear. Let’s pour oil on the fire, and bring everything that could burn to it."

If war breaks out in the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Holy Roman Empire, the larger it is, the more profit I can make.

To make a lot of money, one must invest a lot, it’s common sense...

I also need to spread knowledge that will benefit the Holy Roman Empire, right?

"Contact the publisher, and tell them to burn and discard everything I had given them in that box. It’s no longer useful."

"Understood."

"If a miracle has occurred, we must make good use of it. I need to revise what’s written inside that box."

What I had written inside was that everything the Deus Church was saying was false, a scheme to extort money, and a simple summary of the true teachings with Father Stefano’s message.

'Even if the serfs are ignorant, they’re not stupid.'

When they hear this, they’ll naturally be interested, and they’ll harbor a deep resentment against the Church that exploited them...

"When they find out that the rain came just as Father Stefano was about to be burned at the stake, everyone will change their minds."

If someone like Sebastian or I, who isn’t very religious, hears this, it’s one thing.

But the serfs, or the common nobles of the Holy Roman Empire, will think:

‘Has Deus abandoned the Deus Church?’

"We should rewrite the manuscript reflecting this and distribute it throughout the Holy Roman Empire."

"How about we let the bards of the Holy Roman Empire spread it? Father Stefano’s hero story will reduce the Holy Roman Empire to ashes."

"Let’s do that."

Bards are like the reporters of this era.

Of course, like 21st-century journalists who always twist the truth into sensational lies...

These bards tend to embellish actual events, turning everything into "myths," but they are experts at spreading information.

"Also, let’s spread this news to the Toscana Empire as well."

I interrupted Sebastian.

"Why share it with them? I got the information a day earlier than everyone else, and there’s no need to share it."

The greatest value comes from knowing valuable information alone.

'Information that everyone knows is useless.'

"I’ll share it slowly later."

Information is something you use as much as you can before sharing it with others.

If I spend a million alone, it’s a huge amount of money, but if a million people share it, it’s worthless.

'Exclusivity is always the best.'

"Still, I should let His Majesty know soon."

Working with the Emperor will bring in more money than doing it alone.

And then, I’ll inform our Duke.

"I’ll request a private audience."

Let me know if you'd like me to continue!

And as soon as I arrived at the palace, I immediately said to the Emperor:

“Heaven is helping Your Majesty.”