Do ratmen dream of the sacred tree of spirits?

Chapter 93 A Sudden Turn of Events

"—Little Fafnir, your letter has been received. Regarding the matter you mentioned about the suspension of afternoon classes, I have sent a letter to the Lorraine Territory City Hall. The Eastern District Joint Court believes that the provision of informal after-school tutoring courses for children of the poor should be supported. The relevant notice has been copied to Bishop Leiden and the school principal."

At the end of September, Fafnir finally received a reply from Mr. Victor at the grammar school.

Along with this came a notice sent to the East District School for the Poor Children, received by Tyrell Gideon, from the United Inquisition of the Eastern District, with instructions from Vice-Chief Inquisitor Victor, requiring the school principal to reform the afternoon classes for informal students from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., believing that such classes should be offered.

When Fafnir arrived at work, he made a point of going to the principal's office on the second floor. Tyrell saw Fafnir and his face turned ashen. He pretended to be relaxed and said, "So what if he recovers? It's no big deal."

Fafnir hadn't expected Tyrell to be so straightforward. "That's good," Fafnir nodded. "I'll inform the students tomorrow."

He turned and walked out, and as he reached the door, he heard Tyrell's gritted teeth behind him.

"Fafner, you're quite capable, haha."

2

When Fafnir saw Tyrell's angry expression, he knew he had done the right thing. In Fafnir's understanding, Tyrell was not angry about the reforms themselves, but because someone was "challenging his authority."

He never understood why so much trouble had to be made. It was just a tutoring class for non-regular students, was it really necessary?

Will the upcoming Foreign Affairs Committee really care about these things?

In early October, the news spread widely in society. It is unknown who first spread the word, but the Narns Empire launched a surprise attack on the Holy Kingdom's border. It is said that the Narns Empire had taken a series of actions on the border in early September, forcing the Holy Kingdom to make preparations in advance.

News of the “unprovoked provocation by the Narns Empire” spread throughout the territory of Lorraine. Due to its proximity to the Empire, Bishop Leiden had to convene a general meeting of the entire territory to discuss the matter, requiring representatives from all relevant units to attend this temporary meeting.

The entrance to the city hall was filled with horse-drawn carriages.

When Fafnir arrived, the lecture hall was already more than half full. There were no assigned seats this time, but everyone naturally took their places according to rank and status. Fafnir found a seat towards the back and looked around, recognizing many familiar faces. Bishop Kingsley sat on the platform, and Hans was in a seat near the front.

Oh, Sister Fanning is also on the stage, but she's on the edge.

As the clock struck the hour, Bishop Leyton ascended the platform, wearing his black priestly robes, the golden raven feather on his chest standing out under the lights. Edmund Grey followed behind him, standing to one side of the platform.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have gathered you all here today to brief you on the border situation," Bishop Layton's voice resonated throughout the assembly.

In the corner, everyone listened quietly.

"Three days ago, a small force of troops from the Nanes Empire attacked border outposts and villages in the eastern region of the Holy Kingdom. As of now, seven villages have been confirmed to have been captured and two border outposts destroyed. The number of casualties is still being tallied."

A buzzing sound filled the lecture hall. Bishop Layton raised his hand to signal for quiet: "The Holy Kingdom's army is already organizing a counterattack, the main force of the Eastern Region is gathering at the border, and the armed forces of the Church of the God of War have entered a state of combat readiness."

Bishop Layton paused for a moment: "This is not a declaration of war, but it is similar in nature. The Narns Empire has chosen this time to make its move, which clearly indicates that it has been preparing for a long time. Now, Bishop Gray's assistant will explain the important points to note in the near future."

Bishop Gray's assistant explained matters concerning security control and resource allocation, but Fafnir didn't pay much attention. However, a message from Bishop Gray's assistant caught Fafnir's attention: "—According to the decision of the Holy Kingdom's Supreme Council, the Nunns Empire is engaging in blatant provocation against us. We have decided to adjust our policy towards Nunns employees. Currently, there is only one clause: all technical personnel from the Nunns Empire with sixteen-year employment contracts, including medical personnel..."

Engineers, financial personnel, teachers, and others were directly assigned to military units across the country for training. They will directly participate in the war against the Nains Empire. This is the Holy Kingdom's revenge; this is the Nains Empire reaping what it sowed.

Ah—thankfully, Fafnir's heart, which had been pounding in his chest, finally settled. His parents had left the Holy Land a few weeks ago. He was grateful to Mr. Victor; otherwise, he didn't know what he would have done. Sigh—

However, Fafner then thought, "My parents are in Aurora Province, which is a border province. Are they safe?"

What if the Nunns Empire conscripts them into its army? Damn it—

Fafnir became worried again.

"Furthermore," the bishop's assistant turned a page of the document, "as a result, the delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee, which was scheduled to visit Lorraine this month, has cancelled its trip, and the visit to the East End School for the Poor Children has been terminated accordingly. Those descendants of Nunns employees should not receive any special treatment—"

Fafnir glanced at Tyrell not far away and, wow, Tyrell looked terrible.

After the meeting ended, people gradually left. Fafnir remained seated until most people had left before standing up. As Fafnir walked down the aisle of the lecture hall, he saw Tyrell Gideon standing there, talking to several people. Tyrell looked unwell, and his voice was very low. As Fafnir passed by, he vaguely heard a few words: "The delegation has been cancelled." "Then the renovations—" "Will the funding—"

The next morning, when Fafnir arrived at school, he was astonished to find Tyrell's carriage already parked at the school gate. It was rare for the man to arrive so early. Fafnir went into the school building, attended the first class, and during the break, he ran into Ms. Anna in the corridor. Ms. Anna pulled him aside and whispered, "Did you notice? Gideon looks terrible today."

"I saw it."

"I heard the delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee was cancelled," Ms. Anna said. "He was busy renovating the school, replacing desks and chairs, and installing lights, all for those people to see. Now that they're not coming, all his work has been for nothing."

Fafnir felt a sense of pleasure and relief.

"And another thing," Anna lowered her voice even further, "I heard that the funding for the renovation project was specially approved by Bishop Leiden, but now that the delegation isn't coming, the money might be cut. The contractor has already ordered the materials, and if they can't pay the final payment—"

She didn't finish speaking, but Fafnir understood.

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