In the next few days, the Hori Kingdom fell into a chaos of public opinion.
On the day of Havenright, the queen's body was placed in a coffin filled with flowers and carried around the city by soldiers, which confirmed the authenticity of the death. Under such circumstances, no matter how fierce the anti-church momentum was, it could not help but fade away, and people's attention was instantly diverted.
At the same time, a large number of soldiers appeared across the country to suppress the protesting crowds, and they gradually maintained the chaotic national order. Black flags were hung at the door of every house to commemorate the death of the queen.
But... although the streets are much quieter, the rumors in the streets have not decreased but increased.
"His Majesty the King has disappeared, and Her Royal Highness the Queen has died suddenly. Could it be that the gods want to destroy our Horli Kingdom?"
"Her Royal Highness the Queen is fine, how could she be assassinated suddenly? What do those holy knights do for food? Your Majesty has been taken away once, how come you haven't made any progress?"
"How did His Highness die... I think there is something fishy about this matter."
In just one day, the news of the Queen's death overshadowed the Indulgence Incident and became the most discussed topic. The official statement is that the mage assassinated the queen, and the church's informants continue to promote this statement among the people. However, after so many things, the prestige of the church in people's minds has dropped again and again.
Many people doubted the truth, and Benjamin even issued orders to the secret departments of colleges everywhere to publicize the statement that "the church killed the queen." In an instant, rumors skyrocketed. Although the public did not necessarily think that the church had really killed the queen, they were increasingly worried.
And the opponents of the church did not completely die out.
After order was restored, churches across the country reopened, but the number of daily worshipers was about half less than before. In many places, priests even hire a group of cleaners. Before opening the church every morning, they have to clean the graffiti on the church doors and walls, otherwise they will not be able to see anyone.
"These bastards... one day, we will dig them all out and burn them into nothingness with the holy light."
In the dark morning, Coster's priest ordered people to clean up the graffiti on the door while suppressing his anger and speaking in a low voice.
"Take your time, we are the target of public criticism here." Next to him, another older priest reminded in a low voice, "His Majesty the Pope has confirmed that the Black Nightmare Society is hidden in our city, and they are responsible for all sins. source."
"Of course I know. But...why doesn't His Majesty the Pope just seal off this city? Send out the Paladins and search the whole city. I don't believe how long those sneaky guys can hide!"
The elderly priest said: "There is no explanation above, but... maybe it's because of the devil."
Suddenly, the young priest was shocked: "That devil? Is he in Coster?"
"Other than that devil, who else could do such a thing?" The elder priest patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, His Majesty the Pope must also understand this truth. It won't be long before he will definitely take action."
The young priest heard this, nodded, turned around and continued to direct the cleaning of the church. The elderly priest also returned to the church, and the streets of Coster returned to silence.
However…
In fact, Benjamin is not hiding in Coaster as they say. At this moment, he was on the boat, holding another mobilization meeting, and the Black Nightmare Society's ship was drifting slowly offshore.
"Dean Benjamin, Your Majesty, what happened to him...?"
There were about a hundred people sitting in the cabin, which was much more impressive than before. However, since the news of the queen's death came out, the members of the Black Nightmare Society have never seen the king again, so they can't help but feel a little worried.
"Your Majesty learned the news of the queen's death and was very emotional. He is unable to come out to meet with you for the time being." In this regard, Benjamin was helpless and could only say, "Don't worry, your Majesty just needs some time to calm down."
Hearing this, the members looked at each other. But the most critical thing at the moment was obviously not the king, so they quickly turned their attention to another issue.
"What should we do? Should we continue to instigate strikes?"
Benjamin shook his head.
"The church is on guard, and it will be difficult for us to create such a big impact again." He said slowly, "What we have to do now is to fight a public opinion war with them, so that people can more clearly understand the true face of the church."
"How to do it?"
When Benjamin heard this, he suddenly turned around, knocked on the blackboard, and wrote a title on it - "Pravda".
"We can start a newspaper." He started while writing. "From posters to street graffiti, we can only express our thoughts in the most primitive way. We are no different from street gangsters and can be easily discredited. But now , it’s time for us to enter the palace.”
"Run a newspaper?"
After hearing this, most of the members looked a little surprised and confused.
Apparently, they didn't know enough about the details of Benjamin's deeds at Freden. Therefore, they had never even heard of a newspaper like "The Free Mage" that was out of print after only one issue.
However, after a short period of thinking, many people showed bright expressions.
This is a process from private to official, and in the minds of the public, newspapers often have a rational and serious image. If they could publish a newspaper that exposed the dark side of the church, people would no longer treat them as a piece of shit.
Moreover, they were really looking forward to the flabbergasted look on the faces of the priests when they saw the newspapers.
"But... can we really make this thing work?" But some people still raised questions, "Maybe as soon as we send it out, the church will ban it at all costs, and the general public will not dare to buy it. Maybe even the name will be passed on. stay home."
"Yes, believe me, the church no longer has that ruling power." Benjamin smiled slightly, "They have too many things to do. Deal with the queen's funeral, rebuild the administrative system, suppress the protesters... In most cities, not The vacant official positions have not yet been filled, so where will they find the manpower to block our newspapers?"
After hearing this, the members thought of the scene in Coster City and nodded.
Indeed, there are only so many soldiers and paladins in the country. They can't even control the people who paint slogans on the walls. The workers who went on strike last time were not arrested. They really have a lot of room for maneuver.
"Since everyone has no objections, then... let's start brainstorming." Seeing this, Benjamin continued, "If you choose to join the Black Nightmare Society, I believe that you must have many connections with the church. I don't want to expose everyone's secrets. Scars, but we need these stories.”
"And it's time for the church to take responsibility for these stories."