No one in the Amid Holy Nation opposed the declaration of the holy war announced by Pope Eirik Malmé.

This was because everyone involved in politics, the military, or the temples had anticipated that a holy war would be declared soon. Even though some commoners and the royals or nobles of subordinate nations, such as the Mirg Shield Nation, harbored bitter feelings about it, none of them dared to openly oppose it.

With the transformation of the empire into a theocratic nation, the words of the Pope of Alda's temple—the ruling authority—had effectively become the words of Alda, the God of Law and Order. To defy the government was tantamount to defying the god himself.

Particularly in the case of the Mirg Shield Nation, they had been saved by Heinz and his companions, heroes dispatched by the Amid Holy Nation, when a section of the Boundary Mountain Range shifted to form the Ark Mountains. As such, they were in no position to openly rebel.

“But how are we supposed to start this holy war? The enemy lies beyond the uncharted Boundary Mountain Range. Even if we were to attempt an attack by sea, terrifying sea monsters, whirlpools, and reefs await us.

Isn’t it impossible to launch an offensive from our side?”

The king of the Mirg Shield Nation cautiously raised his concerns in the form of a question, indirectly asking whether the plan was feasible. Though he appeared to be a ruler capable of offering opinions rather than merely currying favor with his suzerain state, inwardly, he was gripped by fear. He worried that the Holy Nation might compel his soldiers to undertake a fatal expedition, either to cross the Boundary Mountain Range or to forcibly land via the perilous sea, all under the guise of divine will.