So the Medieval Age Has a Split Inheritance System…
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Ai
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 64.5 – Skit
In the Miller duchy that Palmer acquired, those who converted to the Palpal religion had begun the hunt for those who still believed in the Knut religion. Since ancient times, people have repeatedly persecuted those who belonged to other religions. Especially until the late Middle Ages, when religion and politics were closely linked, those who belonged to other religions were considered enemies.
The Miller duchy still had many followers of the Knut religion. The baron, Palmer’s ex-slave, had first destroyed a Church of Knut. Barons who had been former slaves were given a manual that Palmer wrote himself, titled ‘How To Rule A Barony: For Dummies.’ The very first page said that the first thing to do was to destroy the religious texts.
By the way, the book had 88 pages, and since literacy was a requirement to raise one’s status, all of Palmer’s slaves-turned-barons were able to read it.
Naturally, destroying a church aroused antipathy. The original baron, who was also a follower of the Knut religion, was also stripped of his status. In some cases, people raised arms to usurp the new power, but Palmer’s barons were exceptional, even among slaves. And so, they were able to fight back, catch the rebels, and execute them by hanging.
A dozen strong men were all knocked unconscious by this former slave. As those who were hung in the center of the city woke up, they were questioned by the baron.
“Are you a believer of the Knut religion?”
“Yes! That’s right! Now release me immediately!”
“Then get martyred.”
Those who said they were believers of the Knut religion were martyred. The baron’s sword pierced through the man’s heart, and blood spurted out of him. The residents watching the persecution screamed, but the baron didn’t care. Some desperately tried to stop the baron’s onslaught, and some tried to hit him, but none of it had an effect.
“The Knut religion teaches you that thou shalt enter heaven if you are martyred, correct? We of the Palpal religion have a mission to help those of the Knut religion with their martyrdom, and we shall be rewarded.”
The baron spoke of the doctrine of the Palpal religion, but very few were those who didn’t already know of it. Word of it had already spread across the duchy, and most disliked it. A religion whose mission was to help other religions be martyred was too ridiculous after all.
The townspeople couldn’t understand why the baron suddenly spoke of such a thing, but more than half of them understood when the baron spoke his next sentence.
“Well then. Is there a comrade of the Palpal religion among you? If there are, I would like to ask you to help this believer of the Knut religion. In return, I will advance your reward myself.”
The hanged men already testified that they were believers of Knut religion, and were gagged immediately after. No takebacks. Eventually, a boy appeared among the townspeople and declared that he was a believer of the Palpal religion. Obviously, this was staged. He wasn’t even a citizen of this town, but nobody cared. He was to help the baron in case nobody stepped forward.
Then, the boy stabbed the hanged man through the throat. The man struggled for a while as he bled profusely, but eventually stopped moving. The blood stained the boy’s shoulder which made him tremble, but this was also an act. The baron tapped the shoulder of the boy and said.
“Such a zealous devotee. As the first who courageously stepped forward to help these people, I will give you my personal reward as well.”
When the baron confirmed that the hanged man was dead, he gave the boy a small bag. The boy opened the bag to show off its contents on the spot, overjoyed. Inside were multiple silver coins. The townspeople had mixed reactions. Some felt it tragic that a young child, who looked to be ten years old, was made to kill an adult just to receive money. Others were jealous.
“Well then. There are still 12 Knut believers here… are there other believers of the Palpal religion here?”
When the baron asked, several townspeople raised their hands. There was no doubt that they were enticed by the money, but they were definitely thinking of joining the Palpal religion as well. Once this occurred, the negative cycle wouldn’t stop. Eventually, the situation where the Palpal believers would kill Knut believers was created, and the 12 new believers of the Palpal religion murdered the 12 Knut believers, which produced hundreds of Palpal believers.
This kind of scene unfolded every time Palmer dispatched a slave-turned-baron and believers of the Knut religion were naturally weeded out. In every barony, the same thing repeated like a skit, but not only a few people witnessed it more than once, most of those people were believers of the Palpal religion, so it didn’t matter.
Gradually, everyone in the Miller duchy was tainted with the Palpal religion and they began to look forward to the crusade, the opportunity to kill Knut believers. The skit that made use of the group psychology gave Palmer a great deal of advantage as well as a smooth start to the baron’s reign.
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