The exposure of the Salvation Church dealt a critical blow to the Ducal House.

The Four Major Orders had declared the Salvation Church heretical, and lords aligned with the Ducal faction began defecting one by one.

The defection of Marquis Rodrick, in particular, was a devastating blow. As a powerful noble, his alignment with the Royalist faction caused others to scramble to proclaim their innocence, desperate to disassociate themselves from the heresy.

The situation had reached a point where the Ducal House could no longer feign ignorance.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Salvation Church's affiliates had confessed, they would …