Power Deal
Bishop Matt fainted after his issue with his illegitimate child was made public, and he was quickly carried away by his servants.
Most nobles knew what would happen to him next.
Typically, there are only two possible outcomes for such incidents.
The first is that Bishop Matt calls upon the forces backing him to protect him, and everyone pretends nothing happened, continuing as usual. But if Bishop Matt doesn't have a strong backing, the situation becomes interesting.
Because toppling Bishop Matt and replacing him with a new bishop to collect wealth is one of the most common maneuvers.
Here, we have to mention the significant conflict in the Middle Ages between the Church and the Emperor, which is the issue of bishop investiture.
Bishop investiture means who appoints the next bishop.
Traditionally, in the Holy Roman Empire, the emperor, as the secular leader of the Roman Catholic Church, held the power to appoint bishops to local offices.
However, the church and the Holy Roman Emperor were not always on the same page. The church and the pope usually had their own ideas and thus wished to reclaim this power. However, the Holy Roman Emperor particularly needed this power to achieve local control and fill his treasury.
As mentioned before, the church was one of the few sources of education in the Middle Ages. Bishops often also served as local administrative leaders, thus, bishops could be both power grabbers and managers of both regional and diocesan treasuries.
As a result, bishop investiture gradually became tied to money.
Some people even spent large sums specifically to buy the investiture of a bishop. Once in office, they would engage in rampant money-making activities, including selling fake relics, illegally dealing with diocesan estates, and imposing various levies on the faithful.
Similarly, such corrupt practices of buying church positions spurred church corruption and led to the rise of reformist forces.
Conosa watched the scene unfold and shook her head helplessly.
She patted Damian and complained, "You are really bold. How can you show Bishop Matt such disrespect in public? You could have discussed the matter with him in private."
Conosa seemed to be speaking for Bishop Matt, but in reality, she confirmed in public that Bishop Matt had indeed had an affair and an illegitimate child.
Damian, holding his sword, feigned high morality and said, "I truly did not expect the highly esteemed Bishop Matt to have moral issues. It's really regretful."
Their words at this moment cut off Bishop Matt's last hope for help.
Now, the only way to keep Bishop Matt in his position would be the protection of the Archbishop of Metz.
In the early medieval Roman Catholic Church, archbishops did not encompass all regions, and the number of archbishops in a country was very limited. For example, in France, there were mainly the Archbishop of Sens and the Archbishop of Reims, but no Archbishop of Paris. In Germany, there were a few archbishops like those of Magdeburg and Metz.
The archbishop wielded great power, relying on his prestige and relationship with the emperor. But for a remote place like Gothingen, the Archbishop of Metz was already a formidable giant.
As for why Gothingen's diocesan jurisdiction was under the Archbishop of Metz rather than the Archbishop of Sens of the closer Nancy…it was because Gothingen is on the northeastern border of the Duchy of Lotharingia, close to the Duchy of Saxony and the Duchy of Franconia in Germany, while the capital Nancy is southwest, near France.
However, the Archbishop of Metz was busy wrestling with the Duke of Franconia, debating whether the local people's allegiance was more to the state or the church, so he likely had no time to deal with Bishop Matt's affairs.
Their dispute had grown so intense that the Archbishop of Metz was said to have even incited the people to surround the duke's castle, alarming many nearby nobles.
After the ceremony ended, Damian finally had time to check the new attribute he had gained.
[Congratulations on unlocking the title: Baron of Milhouse]
The Baron of Milhouse title increased charisma by one point, making Damian more outstanding. But evidently, this increase in charisma didn't genuinely make him more handsome; it was just embellished by his status, like he had four private apartments on Wall Street.
The Baron of Milhouse title did not unlock any new troop types, given that Damian had already unlocked high-value units like the novice knight when he obtained the castle owner attribute.
However, this title did reward Damian with a personal bodyguard.
This bodyguard was akin to a regular officer-level guard, responsible for all-around protection of Damian.
But for Damian, his personal protection was not a pressing need. He was more interested in another new feature he unlocked.
With two territories under his control, he unlocked the ability to assign garrisons through the system.
Damian could choose to station elite officers or regular military leaders in his castles, providing various degrees of benefit.
For example, Jeffrey, currently stationed in Milhouse Castle, as the leader of the brigand knights, conferred benefits like "5% reduction in knight recruitment cost" and "reduced likelihood of bandit outbreaks."
A regular soldier leader like Jeffrey could provide two beneficial buffs.
But specialist elite officers responsible for governance could offer at least five beneficial buffs.
Therefore, Damian needed to continue working hard to explore ways to unlock the recruitment of elite officers.
When Damian returned to the free city of Gothingen with abundant gains, he felt much relieved upon seeing his citizens and Grace, who was still presiding over trade affairs.
It felt like a hero returning home after achieving great deeds.
After returning home, he was physically exhausted and lay in bed, intending to take a nap.
However, he quickly found himself unable to sleep.
Because a group of halflings that had been waiting nearby for some time urgently sought him out.
They chose to pledge allegiance to Damian and expressed their willingness to offer war beasts as tribute.