Chapter 8: The Kingmaker Who Picked the Wrong Side

Late at night, in the city church, guided by a priest, Su Na—wearing a grey hooded cloak—met the fat merchant Karl again in a prayer room.

Seeing the main party, Su Na, Karl immediately put on a warm, flattering smile and guided her to a plush sofa that looked entirely out of place in the simple prayer room.

Actually, the concept of a “sofa” didn’t exist in this world; it was just a fully upholstered chair filled with cotton or soft materials, but it was close enough for Su Na.

Once Su Na was seated, a nun nearby set down a tray of tea, bowed, and retreated, leaving Karl to open the wooden chest on the table and reveal its contents.

“Lord Su Na, please take a look…”

It was a complete military foot-stirrup crossbow set, including spare strings, bolts, and a waist-chain belt.

The waist-chain belt was used for cocking the crossbow; one could hook the bowstring with the belt and use the strength of their hips and core to draw it, saving the crossbowman’s stamina.

However, regular heavy crossbow units rarely had the chance to use such a thoughtfully designed mechanism; only elites were typically issued them.

Su Na took the heavy crossbow from Levi and examined it carefully; after a long moment, she looked up at Karl with a meaningful glint in her eyes.

“The Kortel Merchant Guild has certainly brought me a great surprise.”

“I only wanted to buy some bolts; our Fafnir family cannot afford a behemoth like this.”

Su Na had suspected the Kortel Merchant Guild would have a large stock of bolts, given they operated under the Holy Church.

If noble lords like her had so many craftsmen, a massive asset conglomerate like the Church—which had people, land, and wealth—couldn’t possibly be worse off; whatever they could do, the Church could do better.

But she truly hadn’t expected the Kortel Merchant Guild—or rather, the Church—to be so bold as to openly sell prohibited items like heavy crossbows.

Crossbows and armor had always been strictly prohibited for private sale or possession.

Setting armor aside for a moment, crossbows were banned primarily because of their ultra-low training costs, high convenience, and concealability.

Crossbows were different from bows; at the very least, a qualified archer required semi-professional status because they needed military training and enough strength to draw the bow effectively more than five times—the training cost itself acted as a natural barrier.

The advantages of the crossbow compensated for the bow’s weaknesses, and they were easier to mass-produce with a lower learning curve.

Their exceptional armor-piercing capability at close range and the suddenness of not needing to hold a draw made them naturally suited for assassination.

If concentrated, they could form an army, and no ruling class would accept such an unstable factor.

Furthermore, as she understood it, the Church had the capacity to manufacture crossbows but not the right to sell them; they could only produce based on official orders from the kingdom.

Nobles like Su Na who wanted to buy crossbows had to first apply to the kingdom, and only after an audit would the kingdom place an order.

This wasn’t a mandatory command from the kingdom, but a clause in a contract signed by the Royal Family, the Church, and representatives of the nobility to limit the Church’s influence in the secular world.

Even the heavy crossbow units in noble territories had clear scale limits.

Since there was a contract, it had to be observed, at least on the surface.

Su Na was only driven to buy consumables like bolts privately because of the crisis in her territory; even if caught by the kingdom, it wouldn’t be a major issue—at most, she’d receive a harmless warning.

But if it involved finished military crossbows and the matter came to light, things would get ugly.

She didn’t want to play the role of the “Holy Saint of Balancing Books” for the Church—buying a hundred and suddenly having the kingdom find thousands on her record, turning her into a rebel leader overnight.

And frankly, they didn’t seem to be on such intimate terms; even if these items were to be moved, they shouldn’t be traded with Su Na, who was currently just an heir and not the legal Baron of Fafnir.

“No, no, no, you misunderstand; they aren’t for sale, they are a gift!”

Karl’s fat face looked quite friendly when he smiled: “A thousand heavy crossbows and five thousand bolts—we, the Kortel Merchant Guild, won’t take a single cent. This is a small gift our guild is presenting to the Kingmaker family.”

Su Na’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this; she set her teacup back on the table, sat up straight, and said solemnly: “I only want to buy some bolts—ten thousand of them at market price. If your guild is willing, we’ll exchange money for goods; otherwise, please speak with my father regarding other matters. I will be at the Lord’s Manor awaiting your reply. Farewell.”

Having said that, she stood up, preparing to leave.

‘Baron Fafnir has always been the Holy Church’s most loyal ally; you are more than welcome to confirm this with your father. It is only right to give some small trinkets to an ally.’

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