In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities-Chapter 54 Divide The Spoils

Baron Kensington, meanwhile, couldn’t hide his awe. He was practically drooling at the chance to see and converse with a noble, ancient divine beast. For a magical beast enthusiast like him, it was overwhelming.

When Count Charles received their message, he was deeply shocked. While everyone had suspected some kind of conspiracy, no one had expected to secure such definitive evidence. This was truly an enormous development.

Court Marquis Woodrock, his expression heavy, immediately dispatched a message to the royal palace. The wyvern confiscated from the holy knights soared toward the court, carrying the urgent report.

With that, the matter was no longer in their hands. Whatever decision the court made, they had no choice but to follow.

Michael sighed, acutely aware of his own weakness. In his current state, there was little he could do. He needed to grow stronger—and to do that, he would have to maximize the benefits from this campaign.

Strength came with power, and power required money to function.

The coalition of minor nobles, which had briefly united during the "recapture" of the villages, disbanded like a castle of sand. The spoils of their campaign were being divided, and disputes arose over the allocation of resources.

Baron Kensington was particularly troubled as he reviewed the contribution lists. While loot obtained through plundering was claimed individually and avoided disputes, dividing 50% of the total wealth of Crowley’s barony proved far more contentious.

The value of the barony’s lands and tangible assets was immense, and every noble present was eager to claim their share. Even before contributions had been fully calculated, they began arguing over who had done the most.

If not for Baron Kensington’s efforts to mediate, there would already have been half a dozen duels.

The northern nobles were poor and each had their own calculations. If the wealth of Crowley’s barony were liquidated, it would exceed one million gold. Half of that—five hundred thousand gold—was to be divided among the coalition, a sum greater than the fifty-year net income of most estates.

The staggering amount put everyone on edge. Alliances dissolved in the face of greed, and the camp erupted in shouting matches, finger-pointing, and even three duels.

Ultimately, Baron Crassus secured 10% of the total wealth for his domain—a recognition of Michael’s contributions. While other families grumbled, they could do little else.

Michael and Baron Crassus opted to forgo land claims in favor of receiving their share entirely in gold. As a result, they gained a staggering fifty thousand gold.

Excluding plundered loot, fifty thousand gold was their reward—proving once again that war was a path to wealth.

However, it was now time to return the serf-soldiers borrowed from other domains. While it felt like throwing away hard-earned gains, it was unavoidable.

He had trained these men, only to have to return them. The thought was deeply frustrating.

Though he could secretly keep the stragglers who had been left behind, the serf-soldiers distributed by Count Charles had to be returned.

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Using a bit of subterfuge, Michael identified soldiers who didn’t wish to return to their original lands. He officially marked them as deceased, bringing around one hundred additional serfs to the Crassus domain.

These serfs expressed a desire to bring their families over if given the chance. With the heads of their households gone, their families were likely to become impoverished slash-and-burn farmers anyway, so relocating them wouldn’t be difficult.

Sigh… All I’ve gained is fifty thousand gold, some grain, and one hundred serfs, Michael thought, realizing the limits of his current position.

He was eager to return to his domain and make the most of his new resources.

While the wealth of Crowley’s barony was being carved up and distributed, a formal complaint from the Kingdom of Lania arrived at the Papacy of the Church of Radiance.

"Look at this!" Pope Allegro III exclaimed, hurling the letter of complaint at Bishop Orion, father of Orpheus. "Your son caused this disaster! Thanks to his schemes, we’ve gained nothing but a pile of complaints!"

Orion, outraged by the Pope’s attempt to shift blame, retorted heatedly.

"How is this solely my son’s fault? What about Xenon, the knight commander? What was he doing there?"

The two engaged in a bitter argument, their accusations cutting into one another like self-inflicted wounds.

Eventually, realizing the futility of their squabble, they coughed awkwardly and tried to calm themselves.

"This is not the time for this. We need a plan," Orion muttered.

"I agree. We must not acknowledge this publicly," Allegro III said.

The struggle between royal and divine authority was nothing new, and countless schemes had played out behind the scenes over the years. But rarely had something so scandalous come to light.

"This must be framed as an isolated incident of personal misconduct. Harsh as it may seem, we have no choice."

While they couldn’t deny the reappearance of the blood quill, they could limit the papacy’s accountability to acknowledging its theft as an individual act of defiance.

Rumors that the papacy had sought to increase donations or secretly supported fanatics had to remain unproven speculation.

"Rest assured, Your Holiness. I will handle the aftermath," Vito, the captain of the First Order of Holy Knights and the Pope’s right-hand man, declared confidently.

As Vito strategized, Pope Allegro clicked his tongue, calculating how to cover the financial losses. For nearly two centuries, rebellious kingdoms had drained the papacy’s resources. Now, this scandal added further strain.

Is the divine abandoning me? he wondered bitterly. Why had this disaster occurred during his papacy?

The papal secretaries were already drafting a response:

The theft of the blood quill was a personal act of defiance. However, the papacy acknowledges its moral responsibility and will provide reparations. All damaged temples in the Kingdom of Lania will be rebuilt, and royal and noble tithes within the kingdom will be waived for three years.

The letter, though lengthy and filled with legal jargon, carried a clear subtext:

Take this as compensation and return our people to us. Push further, and we won’t hold back either.

Diplomacy, after all, was a game of sparring without striking the face.

After dismissing Bishop Orion and Commander Vito, Pope Allegro III sat in the sacred seat, lost in thought. How could the financial losses from this incident be covered?