[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing":3,"chapter-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-81":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Holy Church Begins with Bestowal of Blessings",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688904,2156,"Chapter 81 : You Will Regret It","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>Chapter 81: You Will Regret It\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gobelow Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, the ruling Lancay Family had been exterminated, and their manor in the village was undergoing renovations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren was appointed by Administrator Piero as the temporary official of Gobelow Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This position was secured by Darren’s family through a substantial bribe in gold coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being in the town brought them closer to the center of power, making them more sensitive to the lord’s commands and providing greater safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, under the previous lord’s suppressive policies, town families like theirs looked down upon rural families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no matter how much one developed, a single word from the lord could bring knights to trample their manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the new lord took office and relaxed control over certain matters, the power of the village gentry began to swell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made the town families quite envious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, when the opportunity arose, Darren’s family maneuvered to have him appointed as the administrator of the village, which now had a power vacuum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goal, naturally, was to establish a foothold there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His family was among the lower tiers in the town; securing this position required significant expenditure and favors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Darren himself felt uneasy upon arriving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had received news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Werewolf attacks had slaughtered an entire village overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He certainly knew that werewolves appeared just like farmers during the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at night, they transformed into seasoned hunters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So even if werewolves do attack the village, you only need to hold out for one night.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When dawn breaks, you’ll be the hero who repelled the werewolves and protected the village.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The villagers will rally around you, and we’ll work in the town to help you firmly establish yourself in the village.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You can start a new family; then, you’ll be the head of this new family.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the family head said this, Darren remained reluctant until he left the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He considered himself unambitious; holding a minor official position in town was sufficient for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, he resisted anything that might threaten his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, upon reaching the village and seeing the Lancay Family’s manor, a thought occurred to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This place will belong to me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, his initial resistance turned into enthusiasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That very day, he publicly read Administrator Piero’s appointment and began mobilizing the villagers to prepare for wartime conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, some people were uncooperative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the Lancay Family was gone, but some reputable individuals in the village remained; they too coveted the Lancay manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren’s family certainly didn’t send him alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They provided him with eight hired guards and ten reasonably strong slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While not a formidable force, would these peasants dare oppose Lord Darren?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, after Darren decisively hanged a few people, no one dared to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren didn’t even bother fabricating charges; he simply urged the peasants to rebuild defensive lines centered around the manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village’s wooden walls were somewhat useful against small military attacks but ineffective against werewolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially given the shortage of combat personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Darren gathered them around the manor to construct new fortifications.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lancay Family had invested more in defending their manor than the village itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for what to do if the inadequate defenses led to peasants being killed by werewolves?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lancay manor was large enough to accommodate eighty people, and during wartime, it could squeeze in over a hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren brought young women into the manor, sheltering them inside the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought in older children to assist with logistics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brought the village’s original guards and strong men into the manor, integrating them with his hired guards to form a defense force for the manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the ten slaves, Darren left them outside the manor with the peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See, Lord Darren hasn’t abandoned you; he’s placed half of his own people among you for protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The peasants weren’t all fools; they guessed Darren’s intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what could the remaining elderly, sick, and disabled do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strong and healthy wouldn’t step out of the manor to stand with them at this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also knew that gathering the strong together increased their chances of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially after Darren skillfully divided the crowd and, under the pretext of unifying resources, collected all the external food supplies into the manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, those outside fell into despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t dare assault the manor; they couldn’t break in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All they could do was desperately pile up defensive structures before nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, their strength was insufficient to build wooden walls; they could only stack wood and mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such defenses might make it slightly harder for werewolves to climb over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, when darkness fell, their eyes were filled with despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t dare sleep, merely trembling as they held wooden sticks and farming tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed slowly; the werewolves didn’t come, but they were met by a group of people arriving in the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even on the day they died, they wouldn’t forget that night when someone came carrying a glowing cross.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person leaped over the defenses, glanced at them, and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like I’m not too late.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the night passed peacefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Monk George, you should know that werewolves capable of destroying an entire village aren’t something we can fend off just by defending,\" Darren whispered as he leaned in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was daytime; the villagers had been organized to build fortifications, and Darren, under guard, had left the manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to recruit George and his group; he could see they were elite warriors, and if they entered the manor, they could better protect Lord Darren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What about them?\" George asked expressionlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, my dear Monk George, I know your church people are compassionate and unwilling to see them die,\" Darren said, somewhat theatrically extending his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But sometimes, we must learn to make choices.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we try to protect them all, our strength will be spread thin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Those werewolves are seasoned hunters; they’ll spot our weaknesses and exploit them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must understand, when facing werewolves, the weak can only tremble under their claws, scared out of their wits.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This will affect the warriors’ combat effectiveness, allowing the werewolves to pick us off one by one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Therefore, we should be more rational, abandon some of those who should be eliminated, and let the valuable ones survive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren tried to persuade him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, from atop the wooden wall, he had seen the faintly glowing cross on George’s back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be a precious magical item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to recruit George’s elite warriors; he wanted that magical item even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these, his family could be built on a solid foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. Darren, you’re right, but I refuse your proposal,\" George said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My faith doesn’t allow me to watch these innocent people die before me due to the invasion of dark creatures.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Therefore, I will stay with them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Darren was somewhat annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faith? What faith?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was merely something to deceive the peasants, just a switch from the Flower Church to the Church of the Sanctuary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the gold coins used to build the new church were donated by gentry like them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yet, this church dog wouldn’t protect Lord Darren but chose to protect these peasants who only went to church for free sacraments?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed inwardly but still managed a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, Monk George, I respect your faith,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, if you regret it, I’ll open the manor gates for you anytime before the werewolves attack.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, George’s people were guarding in front of the manor; when the werewolves attacked, they would naturally protect Lord Darren along with the peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, upon entering the manor, he couldn’t help but whisper to the gatekeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Starting tomorrow, halve their food rations; the manor’s food reserves aren’t abundant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George, who was about to help carry wood, paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had heard Darren’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>",1309,"2026-06-06T13:52:13.932Z",1,"novelbin.me","1da1669114593111786293d41937eb52777d11053fc1c8ac6d0ee02353d156d5","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-82","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-80",373,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-cover.jpg"]