Vittorio was a man of many follies. Takuto could understand the intent behind each of his wacky actions, so it didn’t bother him too much, but the same understanding couldn’t be expected of others. The higher a person’s position in the government, the more serious and responsible they tend to be. Be it the Dark Elves, Antelise, or Yona’Yona, those who were seriously devoted to Mynoghra and Takuto couldn’t tolerate Vittorio’s misdeeds. They took the chaos caused by his rampant behavior as a personal failure and struggled with it mentally.
Looks like this is the spot for me to step up and help them out, Takuto decided.
“Well, it’s inevitable for Vittorio to screw things up. That jester falls under my direct purview, so I’ll take over this matter. On that note, if he ever shows any signs of stirring up trouble again, report directly to me about it. I won’t make you take responsibility for anything he does.”
The first problem to resolve was where the responsibility lay. Antelise was responsible for all of Dragontan, and Yona’Yona was entirely responsible for the Cult of Ira as its de facto leader. Of course, they were partially responsible for letting the Cathedral get built without informing him, but Takuto sidestepped that inconvenient factor. Nothing would get resolved otherwise.
Making exceptions wasn’t favorable for any organization, but when it came to Vittorio, exceptions became the rule, unless you wanted to be in for an even bigger headache. And so, Takuto chose his words carefully to make sure the two women wouldn’t feel even more depressed. He spoke his next words out of consideration for their positions as well.
“Anyways, as much as I can’t approve of the way it got built, it looks like everything came together in the end, right? I assume it’s working as it should, but what do you have to say on the matter, Antelise?” Takuto asked the mayor.
“You assume correctly, sire,” she answered. “As you can see, this bizarre, splendiferous, esoteric building is more than worthy of serving as our Cathedral, and it has become an important holy site to the followers of Ira. Its existence has led to an uptick in pilgrims coming from within and without the country, which naturally contributes to Dragontan’s economy…”
“It’s become a holy site believers feel the need to make a pilgrimage to, eh? So, it’s serving as a proper place of worship, since the cult has outright banned idolatry,” Takuto concluded.
“Y-Yessh,” Yona’Yona said, biting her tongue out of nervousness. “B-Believers in Ira come from all over the continent to visit this grand Cathedral. Th-Things will get a bit complicated if the mighty Ira himself were to denounce Dumeli Tula— Oh, forgive me! I wouldn’t dare speak in opposition to His Unholiness’s divine decisions!”
“Yup, I know,” Takuto said casually. “I can see the problem with that.”
Takuto had been going over the building’s purpose with Antelise to ensure she didn’t feel solely responsible for it and potentially order its removal later without consulting him. But through that conversation, he learned of a hidden benefit that hadn’t even occurred to him.
Simply put, the Cathedral had become a hot destination for people to visit. Believers came to the Dragontan Cathedral to pray to Takuto, effectively maintaining peace in Mynoghra. With how fanatic the cultists were, they would have pushed their way right through the Accursed Lands to the Palace where Takuto resided if they hadn’t had Dumeli Tula as a place of worship instead.
When I think about it like that, I better jump on approving this Cathedral as a place of worship for the Cult of Ira and throw my full support behind it. I initially wanted to limit it before it became too powerful, but that’ll only make my life more difficult in the long run.
Vittorio likely had built the Cathedral because he knew it would eventually come to this. Not asking for permission or even reporting on it was just a part of his rotten personality. But seeing as he was continuing to do things in a way that was hard to understand but kept everything moving along as it should, just went to show that the Gleeful Spin Doctor was in peak condition even after coming to this world.
“I see. I’ll think about what to do with this Cathedral a bit more before I decide,” Takuto said. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, you guys. I’m not holding you accountable for this.”
I need to carefully consider how much backing and approval I want to give the Cathedral and the cult.
The Accursed Lands, the capital of Mynoghra, wasn’t suitable for conducting trade, so he preferred developing Dragontan in that direction as Mynoghra’s second city. The Cathedral would inevitably serve as a catalyst for growth and make a significant contribution to the town’s development. But Takuto wasn’t interested in transforming it into a religious capital. He wanted his second city to excel in economics and production. Now he needed to strike a balance between using the influence of Dumeli Tula without overshadowing and shrinking the town’s commercial activity.
Vittorio had gone and presented him with yet another difficult task. And it was a task he was very much looking forward to resolving. As a lover of all things Domestic Affairs, Takuto delighted in tasks that required him to use his brain to run the empire. He hated how much combat-related activities had taken him away from good old Domestic Affairs lately. He thought it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to take a short break to enjoy this problem.
Well, it was a bad idea.
His mind had been so preoccupied with the joys of Domestic Affairs, he’d entirely neglected to pay attention to his surroundings.
“C-C-C-C-Could you be…our unholy god?!” a high-pitched voice called out to Takuto.
It was a miracle he hadn’t been spotted sooner—by the cultists. The first person’s commotion spread at the speed of light, and people with a crazed glint in their eyes appeared out of the woodwork. They surged around Takuto like an addict spotting the sweet source of their addiction.
“Oh, crud… This is seriously bad news!” Yona’Yona warned.
“Run, Your Majesty!” Antelise shouted. She wasn’t kidding around. She was seriously worried about Takuto’s safety. “A festival is about to begin!!”
“Why does everyone look so unhinged?!” Takuto shouted back. “And wait, why a festival?!” He was confused about the mob suddenly holding a festival, but there was no time for him to figure it out.
“O-Obviously because God Ira has descended upon his unholy cathedral of Dumeli Tula!” Yona’Yona cried. “Such a grand and glorious event will surely be spoken of for generations— Omigosh! Does this mean I’m currently experiencing a myth in the making?!”
“Yona’Yona! Can’t you do something about the— Ah, crap! She’s lost it like the others!” Takuto groaned.
“Oh no, Your Majesty!” Antelise cried out. “They have completely blocked our escape! Believers are coming from the woodwork, literally!”
“C-Cultists are way too scary…”
In the end, Takuto escaped from the cultists into the back alleys and disengaged the Botchling’s Mimic skill to prevent being discovered. When he checked with Antelise about it later, he learned they had held the Takuto Ira Graces Us with His Unholy Presence Festival after that. He didn’t go near Dragontan for a while after that.