Luxuria (Chapter 3)

A disturbing rumor began circulating through the streets and alleys of Klistu the day after the Earl departed for the front lines.

"Hey, have you heard? The Earl's wife, Luxuria, is a promiscuous woman..."

"Oh? Tell me more over a mug of ale."

"I heard it from someone else. They say Luxuria has an incredible figure, with breasts like melons and a ridiculously full rear. More importantly, she's always insatiable, constantly begging to be taken. They claim she's been chosen by 'Lust' to be its avatar, which is why she has such a body!"

"I've also heard she loves to fool around with the nobles at her parties. Every man who attends her parties praises her endlessly. They say she's refined, but the Earl's been cuckolded so badly that she’s had ten or twenty children with other men. That’s why the Earl doesn't have any children of his own."

"Even after marrying the Earl, she hasn't curbed her ways. She often goes out at night in her underwear to find men. She's a real slut..."

"You talk like you've had her."

"And why not? Her breasts are so soft that just squeezing them makes them wet, and if you knead them a bit, she'll even spray milk!"

Such vile, vulgar, and depraved rumors filled the air, captivating the curious populace and deeply agitating Luxuria.

"Church!"

Luxuria, dressed in a pristine white gown, struggled to contain her growing anger as she looked at the collected rumors spread out on the table.

It was clear that the Church was attempting to tarnish her reputation and, by extension, defame her husband as well.

This action was akin to the Church declaring its challenge to royal authority. However, the Church had chosen a very opportune time: her husband had taken a significant force to the front lines, the royal family was in a state of upheaval due to the new king's ascension, and the Northlanders were conducting retaliatory raids...

The situation was a tangled mess.

Luxuria frowned, realizing that her social connections were currently of little use. Perhaps the quickest solution would be to ignore the rumors and let the populace speculate until her husband returned with the army, at which point the rumors would gradually dissipate.

However, Luxuria could not be certain that the Church wouldn't further incite the populace, possibly even sparking a revolt and fabricating evidence to 'prove' these rumors...

Moreover, with the army fighting at the front, if her husband were to be recalled and the battle lost as a result, the royal family might bow to the pressure and have both her and her husband executed.

She couldn’t even flee.

Such an action would only validate the rumors in the eyes of the Church, leaving a power vacuum that the Church would exploit, making her and her husband mere pawns in the struggle between the Church and the Crown.

"This is truly hopeless... Knowing that the noose will kill you but being unable to refuse its grip on your neck."

Luxuria sighed deeply and called for a guard, giving her orders:

"Go and summon two people to the Church. Inform them that I invite the new bishop to discuss these rumors."

The guard acknowledged the command and, along with another armed guard, left the Earl's manor. This movement was observed by the Church’s spies stationed nearby, who quickly reported back to the Church in Klistu.

"Haeld, what do you think?" An elder, flipping through The Seven Deadly Sins, spoke calmly.

"The manor's guards are few but well-equipped..." The mysterious robed figure, called Haeld, removed his hood, revealing a youthful yet fanatical face. "However, many believers are convinced Luxuria is the embodiment of Lust and are willing to sacrifice themselves to eliminate the Daughter of Lust."

"If that's the case, although it may be somewhat unjust, for the sake of building the Earthly Paradise, Haeld, go forth and act."

The elder solemnly placed The Seven Deadly Sins into the youth’s hands. Under the gaze of the statue of the Messiah, bathed in stained glass light, he appeared as a figure of holy purity.

Outside, a fanatical believer suddenly stabbed at the guard with a hidden dagger. The guard noticed in time, kicked the assailant away, and instinctively drew his sword.

"He's killing! Luxuria sent someone to kill in the Church!"

A dramatic scream echoed from behind, distracting the guard. The fanatic quickly pulled a warm, bloody pig heart from his robes, smeared it on his white cassock, and ran off, shouting for help.

"Help! Help!"

The onlookers and believers turned to see the Earl's guard with his drawn sword and a blood-soaked fanatic fleeing.

Instantly, the crowd outside the Church erupted. Ordinary citizens fled, while bold believers surged towards the Church entrance to stop the 'murderer.'

Before the guard could react, several armed believers rushed forward, attacking the fully armed guard with farm tools.

These brainwashed believers genuinely believed the guard was an assassin sent to kill the new bishop, and they attacked with all their might, only to be swiftly cut down by the skilled guard.

Blood stained the Church’s entrance.

Now, everyone witnessed the guard killing people at the Church, and with the widespread rumors, even those who initially saw it as mere gossip began to have doubts.

"Maybe Luxuria really is the embodiment of Lust? The Daughter of Lust possessed by a demon?"

As if by design, events unfolded one after another, leaving no time for the public to process.

Suddenly, four or five fanatics armed with crossbows emerged and fired at the battling guard.

Iron-tipped bolts pierced the guard’s armor, ending the skirmish with eight believers dead and two guards killed.

"Believers!"

The Church’s doors slowly opened, and a young man in a white robe with a red sash stepped out.

"The rumors circulating among the people have inadvertently revealed the conspiracy of Luxuria, the Daughter of Lust, lurking among us!"

"To maintain her plot, she attempted to assassinate the newly appointed bishop, aiming to disrupt the Church’s order and facilitate her escape, hoping to persuade the Earl to shield her!"

"This! Is the evidence!"

He pointed to the dead guards on the ground, ignoring the murmurs from the crowd.

"Fortunately, our brave souls uncovered her plot and united to stop them from entering the holy sanctuary. May their souls rest forever in the presence of the Messiah."

"Since the most conspicuous of the Seven Deadly Sins, Lust, has manifested, it means the other six sins have also tainted the entire kingdom!"

"Look at our country now! You toil away daily, working from dawn till dusk, and all you get are a few pieces of bread and a bottle of ale."

"Now look at those corrupted by the Seven Deadly Sins! They feast on delicacies! Drink fine wines! They wear the clothes you weave, live in the houses you build, eat the rye you grow, and mock you, calling you lowly, ugly, vulgar peasants!"

"Can you tolerate this?"

The crowd began to stir, growing increasingly restless until someone in the crowd shouted, "No!"

Like a dam bursting under floodwaters, the cry started with one person and quickly spread, becoming louder and more intense.

"No!"

"No!"

"No!"

Seeing the crowd's emotions rise, Haeld smiled in satisfaction and continued in his youthful yet seductive voice:

"They are swine!"

"They are parasites!"

"They hoard everything for themselves and leave you with scraps!"

"They have fallen, corrupted entirely by the Seven Deadly Sins!"

"But we, the Church, are called by the Messiah to build an Earthly Paradise where everyone is equal, and milk and honey flow freely!"

"In the Messiah’s sight, we will eliminate all corruption and give you what you deserve."

"In the Messiah’s sight, we will eradicate all evil, bearing all sins ourselves."

"In the Messiah’s sight, we will protect all lambs, under the eternal, loving gaze of the Messiah!"

The crowd grew frenzied.

Stirred by fervor, the swelling public opinion filled the open space before the Church, all eyes fixed on Haeld, captivated by his vision of a beautiful future.

No one paused to consider whether their labor could match the promised utopia; they only thought about their hard work yielding a mere piece of bread while some achieved unimaginable wealth by 'merely speaking...'

"To the manor! Capture the Daughter of Lust alive! The Church will restore everything that is rightfully yours!"

The irrational, enraged mob, coupled with manipulated public opinion, required only a slight nudge to surge like a flood, armed and dangerous.