[FMMIKA] Chapter 258: Opposition

It's not the fractured Spaniards of today.

It's not the equally divided Italians or Roman Empire, for sure.

And certainly not the ones crying out in fear and proclaiming, "The end of the world is upon us!" and then squeezing the last pennies out of the church.

Speaking of which, if it was already the end of the world, why did those priests still need money? Quite bizarre.

If they were only scamming money through their doomsday nonsense, that would be one thing. But many priests genuinely believed that the end of the world was imminent and God was about to pass judgment on all of humanity—yet they were still working tirelessly to collect funds. Artorius found this very hard to comprehend.

Did they plan to take that ill-gotten money to hell?

Those who truly believed in God's apocalyptic judgment would be damned. Yet, despite their beliefs, they pursued wealth relentlessly. It was truly perplexing.

But perhaps it was not so surprising coming from this corrupt church, which had decayed to its limits. Its organizational structure seemed destined for no development and no hope of success.

Compared to them, Artorius was more cared about other things.

"They've really done it, haven't they, Fujimaru Ritsuka?"

What truly pleased Artorius was the Master of Chaldea.

"That king is not Charles VII. He is a demon from hell. His companion is not the Holy Maiden Jeanne d'Arc but a demon disguised as Dark Jeanne d'Arc."

Everyone, do not be fooled!

That king was using machinery from hell, stances and weapons from hell, everything he possessed had been acquired through dealings with demons! Everyone, don't be deceived! If you're a true believer, go after them!"

Similar discussions spread rapidly across the lands of France.

Artorius knew who was spreading these rumors, who opposed his rule, and who desired to return to the good old days.

Most of them were those severely affected by this intense reform or those whose interests were harmed by it.

Those businessmen who could no longer amass wealth through monopolies.

The landowners shattered by the Industrial Revolution.

The nobles who could no longer freely whip their slaves due to legal reforms and emancipation declarations.

The priests who had been obliterated by natural science, unable to even collect indulgences, let alone tithes.

Apart from the obvious opposition from those vested interest groups, there were also the pitiable and resentful people.

Those who were exploited within the existing system. The peasants who lost their land, bandits, mercenaries, and serf soldiers. These people either rallied under the lords' and nobles' armies, or they genuinely believed in the king being a demon from hell.

Of course, there are also some people who simply want to profit from it. They want money, they want to get ahead of everyone.

All of those people were currently gathering in the southern regions of France. They were preparing to unite, aiming for a major event.

Of course, all of this was within the Dragon Emperor's expectations. He intentionally allowed those people to unite, even letting them delude themselves into thinking they had a great chance of winning.

The purpose was to bait them out.

However, what Artorius didn't anticipate was a small, ragtag group that identified themselves as the 'Holy Crusaders of Chaldea'.

While the big shots were still in the midst of uniting, this group, easily identifiable by their appearance, was wreaking havoc throughout the land of France.

Their numbers were small, and due to their 'stances', they were unwilling to engage the French army head-on.

The big shots who were in the process of uniting seemed to view them as mere bandits and rogues, useful to some extent but not worthy of much attention.

Yet, in this very situation, this group with an extremely edgy name inflicted the greatest damage upon Artorius.

They sabotaged transportation infrastructure, destroyed warehouses, distributed leaflets, delivered anti-Charles VII speeches, spread propaganda, and so on. They executed asymmetric warfare methods that brought trouble to Artorius.

Indeed, they sabotaged the railway, cut the lines, and then proceeded to damage the mighty steamships. In this chaotic world, France, once so bold, now shivered in fear.

"Hahaha... what the heck is all this? Have I completely turned into a villain? Hahaha..."

Seeing the losses in his own country over the past two days, Artorius burst into gleeful laughter instead of anger.

"This is just too amusing, Fujimaru Ritsuka. What a funny woman... hahaha..."

"..."

"Your Majesty, why are you so happy?"

Watching Artorius laugh heartily, Carmilla couldn't help but feel puzzled.

In her eyes, this rather edgy band of bandits was as annoying as a bunch of pesky fleas. She assumed that anyone leading such a ragtag bunch would be an equally irksome character.

'Why doesn't His Majesty detest that woman?'

According to her thoughts, after seeing all this, the Dragon Emperor should have displayed a look of genuine disgust, as if he had just spotted cockroaches, and then issued an immediate order to eradicate them.

'Why?'

Carmilla wanted to ask but didn't dare to. However, since it wasn't really a matter to be kept secret, Artorius casually answered her curiosity:

"Because it's all about the perspective."

"From the viewpoint of 'Proper Human History' and 'Human Order', this Singularity is nothing more than a game. We don't need to take the game itself too seriously."

"What truly matters is the observation through these games. Observing the players who are in it with us. That's what matters."

"..."

"But..."

Hearing the Dragon Emperor speak that way, Carmilla couldn't help but feel somewhat unacceptable. Although she was a Servant and had already passed away, her life, in theory, should have ended.

But with the appearance of the Dragon Emperor and his unbridled display of power, the miracles, the constructions, the heart-pounding wars, and conquests, grand palaces, colossal cathedrals, museums, universities, and miraculous structures all made Carmilla feel overwhelmed.

All of it gave her an illusion that 'this is for a great cause, I should strive for it.'

However, the Dragon Emperor revealed the actual situation to her and told her it was just a mere game.

It left Carmilla feeling dazed and unable to accept the reality for a while. Once she processed it, she felt a sense of frustration.

It was as if she had unknowingly failed.

If the Dragon Emperor deemed that 'funny woman' as the player seated opposite him, didn't that imply she wasn't that woman's match?

This left Carmilla feeling deeply unsatisfied.