Steel Empire
Religious Ambition

A few days passed, and it was Sunday. The day on which the people of Kufstein, both high and low, will gather for mass, or liturgy as it is known in this era. Right now, Adela was standing outside Berengar's door with a hint of hope in her heart as she prepared to knock on him and ask Berengar the same question she had been asking ever since she first arrived at Kufstein. Unlike Berengar, who was secretly an atheist, Adela was a true believer in the gospel and upheld the church. However, whenever he approached his fiancee to attend Sunday services together, he always had a reason why he could not leave. So he began to fear that he was, in fact, an infidel or an apostate which was a condition he could not accept. Today she has a strong determination to drag the man she loves to church and save her potentially damned soul. Therefore, he let out a heavy sigh before knocking on the door of Berengar's room where he was exercising at the moment.

"Listen, will you attend the Liturgy with me? Quite quiet without your presence..."

To his surprise, the door opened, and Berengar smiled. He completely forgot that he was currently only wearing underwear while his upper body was gleaming with sweat, a sight that caused Adela's face to redden in embarrassment. It took him a while to realize why he was acting in such a timid manner before he realized that his eyes were fixated on his developing stomach. He quickly raised a finger and closed the door while saying.

"Attent"

by the time he returned, the young master was wearing a white linen shirt stuck to his sweaty body. This was a little better, and because of that, Adela regained her composure before asking the question in her mind for the second time.

"Listen, will you attend Sunday services with me?"

He had no intention of letting him cheat now that he had opened the door. However, what really surprised him was Berengar's direct acceptance of his request.

"of course! Today I am quite free, and I want to attend the liturgy with you."

This was quite a shock to him; ever since he arrived, he had never once accepted his request to go to church together, but now suddenly, he agreed as if it was his usual thing to do. Was he really overwhelmed managing his secular activities all this time? He only felt foolish for doubting the religious views of his fiancee, which he held in high regard.

Berengar sniffed himself before asking the young girl, who seemed very excited about the fact that she would finally attend the service with him.

"Let me clean myself up a little bit, and I'll meet you at the castle gate in a quarter of an hour, okay?"

Adela quickly agreed to her request before punishing him as if she wished him to escape once he left her sight.

"Don't be late!"

Berengar nodded and smiled; shortly afterwards, Adela left, and Berengar's dropped his facade. Before murmuring quietly

"I think he's lucky I have a plan for the Church."

After that, she took her clothes and went to the bathroom, as promised. He will arrive at the castle gate fully clothed in fashionable clothes within a period of fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, Adela had been waiting for him at the entrance with a bright smile on her face. Berengar quickly grabbed the little girl's hand and took her to the Church inside the village where his entire family had gathered.

By the time she arrived, she had noticed that Lambert was there with Linde, and Henrietta was grouped with their parents. Linde had a surprised expression when she saw Berengar attending church for the first time since he arrived. He wasn't very religious, but at least he pretended like that. Berengar was usually quiet about the topic and avoided the church as if it was the center of the plague. However, the heavenly beauty was greatly disturbed when she saw her lover attending the church with her fiance. After greeting his family and lover, Berengar walked to the chapel with Adela before standing tall as the pastor continued his sermon. There were not many benches in medieval times, and therefore, unless one was old or weak, they usually stood in the middle throughout the service.

As Berengar looked at the lavish ornaments of the Chapel, he was inside; he could not help but scorn the scene. Obviously, the church here was quite wealthy, yet he had never seen them in the field helping the villagers in any way. He will not doubt if the chief priest himself embezzles funds to fill his own pockets; after all, the church is mighty, rich, and most importantly, corrupt, especially in this timeline. When he scoffed at how beautiful this single church was, it did not escape the attention of Deacon, who was a young man who was currently in the last phase of the path to the priesthood. Although the pastor himself did not notice Berengar's reaction, the deacon inevitably did.

After the ceremony was over, Berengar originally intended to speak to the priest; after all, he wanted to establish a relationship with the church. In particular, he was looking for an open-minded pastor who might come in handy in the future. However, before he could, he was approached by the Deacon, who was quite friendly in his behavior.

"Your Majesty Berengar, that's your name, right? I heard many great things from the mouth of the parish about your many deeds. Do you have a minute to talk?"

Berengar was quite curious as to why Deacon approached him; therefore, he took time out of his busy schedule to see what this saint had said. Berengar followed the man to a remote area, where they began chatting.

Deacon was a young man, quite possibly even younger than Berengar. The man had short dirty blonde hair and emerald eyes.he was the third son of the Saxon Prince and chose to join the church rather than compete with his brothers to inherit his father's land. This decision turned out to be a wise one, considering that most of his five brothers had a terrible accident after the young Deacon left his family. Therefore, he was a man who not only realized Berengar's precarious position but also actively supported him; in fact, he was, he is currently a member of Berengar's vast spy network throughout his family's lands. Even Berengar did not know the identity of all the little birds that reported to his lover about the activities of his enemies.

The young man was eager to welcome the son and heir of the Baron whom he had helped with his hard-earned fight against Lambert's plan. Therefore, he bowed in front of Berengar respectfully and said his part.

"My lord, I doubt you know who I am, but I am one of the many members of your intrigue network, and I know why you are here. You're trying to get into a relationship with the church, is that true?"

Berengar was surprised that a deacon would become a member of his network of agents, and therefore, he proceeded with caution. Test the young Deacon with a question known only to someone who reports directly to his spymaster.

Deacon is an intelligent person and instantly knows that he is being tested by Berengar; if he is a fake, he will most likely nod his head and recognize Adela as his spy. But that didn't happen. Instead, the young man smirked and gave a correct answer.

"Funny, I remember talking to a young woman with strawberry blonde hair and sky blue eyes, not to mention**********excellent."

Berengar's expression was indifferent, but he was overjoyed because he already had church members working for him in the shadows. Therefore, he clasped the man's shoulder and apologized for the exam.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness; it seems that you're really my supporter. People can never be too careful these days. What's your name?"

The man smiled widely after hearing Berengar apologize for having tested him; he was truly a man of character as he had heard.

"I am Ludolf, deacon of this church."

Berengar walked around the area with Ludolf and picked up the golden trophy; once again, he decided to test the young deacon and see if he fit in with his plans for the future.

"Tell me, Ludolf, what do you think of the garish ornaments we see around us. Golden crosses, trophies, chandeliers, and even rosaries. Isn't this a waste of church funds?"

Ludolf smiled once more after hearing Berengar's view of the Church's wastage of expenditure.

"I totally agree, my lord. Unfortunately, the Reverend of this chapel and the Bishop of Innsbruck were more concerned with appearances than helping commoners. Something I've heard you've accomplished quite well replacing us. Wherever I go, it seems to be the status quo of the church today. Siphoning money from people like leeches with promises of salvation in return for their hard earned coins. Using it to build a luxurious chapel like this. Such wastage of expenses if you ask me ... "

Berengar's lips began to curl into a smile. Although this young man might not look much, he had the potential to become Martin Luther in this world. With proper guidance, and support he may very well break the Papal grip over the European Kingdom. Something Berengar wanted so badly. If his aspirations come true, then he cannot make the Church use unlimited power throughout Europe as it does today. He needed to start a revolution from within, and it just so happened that this young deacon named Ludolf already had some revolutionary ideas. If pushed in the right direction, he could become a powerful ally against the authority of the Church. So Berengar decided to act like the devil on the young man's shoulder and guide him in causing a great schism in Christianity.

"Ludolf, I have a lot of the same sympathy; that's the reason I haven't attended a service lately. Do you want to take a walk? I would very much like to discuss my concerns about the direction the Church is heading. .."

Ludolf, a wide-eyed and faithful young man concerned with church abuses, took this seemingly good-natured young man to his word and followed him for a walk. Both will have very long discussions about the differences between secular and spiritual authority and the separation of Church and State. By the time the two had finished speaking, several hours had passed, and Ludolf felt as if he had been enlightened by Berengar, a few hours had passed, who acted as if he was a pious man concerned with ecclesiastical corruption and its impact on Europeans. So Berengar not only gained further support from Ludolf in his war of intrigue against his brother, but also in his future struggle against the Church and their overreaching power. One thing is certain; this person is very important to Berengar'

After sending Ludolf back to the chapel with much to think about, Berengar returned home. Where he ate with his family. Adela was happy that she went to church with him. Although Linde looked at her strangely; she had many questions about why she went to church and with whom she spent her afternoon. But now is not the time for that topic. After sharing food with his family, Berengar took a bath and then returned to his residence, where he further developed plans for Kufstein City in the future. Shortly after, she hears a knock on her door and opens it to find Linde, who jumps into her arms. Berengar received his embrace while kicking the door shut. After kissing each other passionately for a while, Linde broke free and finally asked the father of her son the question on his mind.

"You don't seem to be the kind of man who takes the gospel seriously... Why did you go to church?"

Berengar could not help but laugh as he sat on his bed and poured wine for himself and his lover. After taking a sip from the cup, he answered the question honestly.

"I have a plan for the church. I will not lie; I seek to destroy his rule over this land and its people by any means necessary. Truly I find the hypocrisy, corruption, and power of the Church in this world to be terrible."

Linde was quite surprised by his ambition. The Church has held significant authority over Europe for centuries, but the man she loves claims she wants to end that era abruptly and implies the use of force to achieve her goals. Although he was not religious, he understood the important power of the church; it would not be an easy task.

"You know, if word gets out about your plan, the church will declare you heretical ..."

Berengar almost choked on his wine as he laughed at Linde's words.

"Let them come; I don't count on God's protection. Instead, I believe in the thunder of weapons and the people who use them. The army won the war, not the faith, and before long, my army will rival the legendary power of the Kingdom of Heaven!"

Although he was exaggerating, it would not be a lie to say that his army had become quite complete and well-trained, better than any other power in the world today. Even if they only acted as militias at the moment, they would be the core of his strength when he inherited this land. Their numbers swelled day by day, and now after he had produced the armor right beside their arms, it was now, Berengar felt as if his troops could easily contend with a force five times their number on the battlefield. After all, his weapons were extremely effective against the greatest units of the era, and with the right tactics, he could overcome any enemy. Over time, his weapons would become more efficient, and at that time, no one would be able to stop him.

To be honest religion has a purpose to serve in many of Berengar's plans, but the Church that refuses to submit to its will does not do so. Berengar would use scripture and the concept of divinity in his future propaganda efforts. Although he personally did not believe in such things, he realized that Religion played an important role in the functioning of society. Therefore, he had plans to reform the Church, to what extent it would depend on Ludolf and those who would support his efforts in the future. As for Catholicism and the pope's authority over secular affairs, he would never admit to such a thing. The persistent refusal to submit to the will of the church will cause much conflict with the papacy in the near future.

Linde didn't know what to say after hearing such a speech; either Berengar was a lunatic, or he actually had the ability to change the world. Personally, he did not care if the Church's power over this land collapsed and supported the rising ambitions of the man beside him. After finishing their wine, the two adopted their fancy*n and exchanged vows in the darkness of night. For the rest of their waking hours, they are very*dead keb*together with each other.