Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

After the first major uprising against the Church occurred in Messiah, the headquarters of the Horn Bay Church in Collins reacted swiftly. They immediately assembled a force from various regions to form an army to suppress the uprising in Messiah.

At that time, the coastal nations had not yet officially become hostile to the Church, allowing the Church Army free passage through these countries.

Thus, the Church Army easily reached the main city of Messiah. The citizens of Messiah, having heard the news, hastily left the city to confront the Church Army in battle.

However, the armed forces Messiah could deploy were merely a makeshift army, centered around a few knights dissatisfied with the Church, and mostly composed of conscripted militia.

The most prestigious anti-Church knight, Sir Richardson, became the linchpin of Messiah's side.

The lord of the independent territory of Messiah, caught between the furiously uncontrollable populace and the assertive Church, who had sent troops directly, felt it best not to offend either side and fled with his confidants to seek refuge elsewhere.

But how could a hastily assembled army stand against the Church Army, seasoned in hunting witches? Furthermore, the coastal nations' military prowess was more adept at naval warfare, whereas the Church's forces, mostly from the inland nation of Collins, were experts in land combat.

Outside the main city of Messiah, the two armies clashed, and within two hours, the outcome was decided, with Messiah's forces suffering a crushing defeat and hastily retreating back to the city.

Due to poor organization, the retreat quickly turned into a rout, with the panicked soldiers, no longer heeding commands, even clogging the city gates.

Their gamble paid off. This was not a cunning plan by the people of Messiah, but a genuine rout.

The gates of Messiah's city were captured by the Church Army before they could even be properly closed.

In this era, the capture of a city gate typically signaled the end of a siege. Messiah quickly fell entirely into the hands of the Church's forces.

The Church Army conducted a thorough search of the city, arresting many who had participated in the riot, and then publicly executed them in the square.

Particularly, Sir Richardson, who had commanded the army, had his head chopped off and hung on a pillar in the square until it dried in the wind.

Even pleas from the lord of Messiah, joined by leaders of nearby nations, were futile.

The mass execution on the nineteenth day of July in the Horn Bay calendar, thus, became known as the July Nineteenth Massacre.

The people of Messiah were deeply traumatized.

Although the initial spark was extinguished, embers remained hidden, ready to reignite given the right conditions.

Under such oppression, anti-Church dissent surged in Horn Bay, with various dissenting organizations emerging like mushrooms after rain.

The now deceased Sir Richardson became the spiritual leader for these groups.

"Remember Richardson, remember the Nineteenth of July!" became their collective slogan.

In this climate, the Church's original witch-hunt activities completely lost public support. Propelled by the publication of "Record of Injustices," more and more people believed that the Church was only using witch-hunts to target dissidents and seize the wealth of innocents.

The Grand Duchy of Eton was the first to take a stand, declaring that any action by the Church within its territory must be approved and supervised by the Grand Ducal government; otherwise, it would be illegal. This included investigations, trials, and punishments of witches and heretics!

Archbishop Elvis was furious and immediately announced his intention to send troops to repeat the action in Messiah in the Grand Duchy of Eton.

However, the second and third countries also issued statements in quick succession, declaring they would adopt the same measures as the Grand Duchy of Eton.

The escalating conflict even led to a split within the Church itself, as a large number of clergy from the coastal nations began to break away from the Church, openly declaring their refusal to follow the directives of the Horn Bay Church.

They connected with each other, mutually supporting and reorganizing according to the Church's internal structure, calling themselves the New Church, in contrast to the Old Church, to signify their break.

The leader of this New Church faction was none other than the central figure in the first defenestration incident — Bishop Angelo of Fort Ness in the Horn Bay Alliance.

It was in Fort Ness, under his representation, that the clergy opposed sending ninety percent of the tithe to Collins. When the Church's emissaries decided to arrest him and take him to Collins for punishment, the enraged populace of Fort Ness stormed the cathedral and threw the Church's emissaries out of the window.

This situation was beyond Archbishop Elvis's expectations. He had thought it was just a few troublemakers stirring up issues, but he hadn't anticipated so many nations banding together against the Church, with even a large number of clergy standing against him.

Of course, in the Archbishop's eyes, this so-called New Church faction was nothing but heretical, an impure existence.

Yet, Archbishop Elvis found himself in a dilemma over whether to use military force against the Grand Duchy of Eton.

It was at this time that the papacy once again sent emissaries to Horn Bay.

…

"We must strike hard! To deal with these heretics who deviate from the Father's teachings, a strong hand is necessary to bring the ignorant coastal populations back to the right path."

"Archbishop Elvis, please lead us in battle against these heretics!"

In the grand hall of the Horn Bay Church, a man wearing a crown, seated to the right of Archbishop Elvis, loudly exclaimed.

He was King Segovia II of Collins.

Collins, situated inland within Horn Bay, was the nation most in favor of taking a hardline approach against the coastal states. From nobles to commoners, the desire for war was incredibly strong.

As the host nation of the Horn Bay Church headquarters, everyone in Collins took pride in living where the Father's glory shone directly. However, due to geographical limitations, Collins was not as affluent as the coastal nations.

This disparity between spiritual superiority and material backwardness caused a significant psychological dissonance among the people of Collins. They viewed the coastal residents as vulgar nouveaux riches, secretly envying their immense wealth.

"Your Majesty, please be patient."

Among the clergy seated to the left of Archbishop Elvis, one stood up.

He had a loyal and honest appearance, with graying hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a somewhat sparse beard.

"The papacy sent Antony and me to Horn Bay with the aim of making one final effort. War — is something nobody wishes for. Once war breaks out, how many mothers will lose their sons, how many wives will lose their husbands, how many children will lose their fathers?"

The newly arrived papal emissary in Collins, Libett, slowly articulated his views while looking around at the audience.

"How much needless suffering and tragedy will be added to the world, something I believe the merciful Father does not wish to see."

"Therefore, Antony and I will go to the coastal nations, praying for the continuation of peace and preventing the outbreak of war."