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As expected, the meeting turned out to be awkward. Every last one of them eyed me with suspicion.
There was the priest from the Sonnenlicht Church, who guided 40% of the population.
Then the manager of the Ruhigermond Temple, 20% of the population were under her guidance.
Followed by the others who were local animism or nature worship. Being a trade city, Lüenheit attracted a lot of wanderers, so the religious mix was colorful.
There were even werewolf worshippers. One of them looked ready to cry from joy just seeing me—but please, don’t pray to me.

The Sonnenlicht priest stood up, wearing a stately ceremonial robe. A stout, middle-aged man.

“I am Jucht, priest of the Sonnenlicht Church. You must be Vice-Commander Veit of the Demon Lord’s Third Division?”
“That’s right. I’m Veit.”

Trying to keep my tone as dignified as possible, I placed the petition he’d sent on the table.

“I’ve read your request. But before responding to any individual matter, I have something to say to all present religious leaders. May I?”

Jucht nodded calmly. “Yes, if we’re to receive an answer.”

Huh. He’s more level-headed than I thought. Given how aggressively he’d submitted the petition, I’d expected some kind of fanatic. But he carried himself well.

Facing the whole room, I laid out our official stance.

“This is the policy of the Demon Lord’s Third Division regarding faith in Lüenheit.”

Everyone tensed—except for the werewolf worshipper, whose eyes sparkled. Seriously, stop that.
I made a point not to look in his direction and continued:

“We respect your beliefs and will uphold religious freedom in Lüenheit, just as before.”

I smiled as I said it. Everyone relaxed. A few even smiled back, relieved.
But I needed to set some ground rules.

“However, there are three things that will not be allowed. First: any act of hostility against the Demon Lord’s army—including inciting rebellion or insulting His Majesty. That said, we’re not asking you to worship him. Acknowledging his worldly authority is enough.”

I glanced around. No one objected.

“Second: any act that violates Lüenheit’s laws. You are expected to follow secular law.”

Still no objections. Good. If anyone complained, I’d just sic Airia on them.
And this next one was the important part.

“Third: any act that could be considered persecution of other faiths. If you want your own beliefs to be respected, you must respect others as well.”

That line clearly struck a chord—especially with the leaders of the non-Sonnenlicht faith.

The Sonnenlicht Church was the largest and most powerful group, and they often used that to pressure others. Forced conversions by Sonnenlicht clergy were basically an accepted reality in this world.
They truly believed they were doing it out of good, so it was hard to deal with them.
So this declaration served two purposes: reining them in, and currying favor with the smaller sects.

“The Demon Lord’s army will not enforce or tolerate forced conversions. Just as we worship our Demon Lord, so too may each of you worship the god of your choosing.”

One of the werewolf fanatics burst into tears. I chose to ignore him.

Naturally, the one who looked the most displeased—even if just for a second—was Priest Jucht. He knew this meant no more “evangelizing” through pressure.
I smiled at him.

“That said, Sonnenlicht worship and pilgrimages will continue to be permitted. In times of war, some restrictions may apply, but even Lüenheit’s laws account for that. Any objections?”

Jucht’s frown was quickly replaced with a polite smile, and he gave a deep bow.

“I’m grateful for your generosity. I never imagined you’d allow this much freedom.”

Clever old fox, this guy.

Still smiling, I replied: “So please—don’t go starting any rebellions.”

“Haha, of course not,” he finally gave me a smile that seemed somewhat genuine. I wasn’t ready to trust him fully yet, but at least he didn’t seem like he was about to pull anything… for now.

Since this was more of a formal announcement than a debate, the meeting ended pretty quickly.
Apparently, the other religious leaders had also come with requests, but since I preemptively granted everything reasonable, they had nothing left to ask.
As the group started to file out, the leader of the Ruhigermond Faith approached me. A woman in her early thirties, dressed simply—very different from the grandiose Jucht.

“Thank you, Lord Veit. On behalf of all Ruhigermond followers in Lüenheit, I offer you our gratitude.”

She bowed deeply. She didn’t say it, but it was clear she’d had trouble with the Sonnenlicht Church too.

She continued: “We Ruhigermond followers will offer you our full support—you personally, that is.”

Meaning they weren’t about to pledge allegiance to the Demon Lord, but were happy to help me, out of gratitude.

“Thank you. I respect the teachings of the Ruhigermond Faith—its emphasis on individuality and self-discipline resonates with me. I can’t play favorites, but I intend to treat all faiths fairly.”

That sounded like something a politician would say—but given my position, I was a politician now. It’s the best I could do.

The leader of the Ruhigermond Faith smiled and nodded, and asked me to shake hands. I accepted. It might be the first time for me as a werewolf to shake hands with a human.

“If you ever find yourself in trouble, Lord Veit, feel free to use my magic. I may be unskilled, but I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Magic…?”

Still smiling, she introduced herself.

“Forgive my manners—my name is Mithi. I run a private school for astrology here in Lüenheit.”

There was a reason I’d sided with the Ruhigermond Faith.
Their philosophy of personal growth and non-interference appealed to artists and mages alike. They weren’t numerous, but they had a way of influencing both the people and those in power.
A weak minority on paper, but dangerous to oppose.

“Thank you, Lady Mithi. As a fellow mage, I’m sure we’ll have much in common. I look forward to working with you.”

As a werewolf, I specialized in self-enhancement magic. But when it came to divination magic, such as looking into the past and future, humans were unmatched.
Probably because humans are obsessed with knowing the future. That desire, that anxiety, is what fuels their interest in fortune-telling and prophecy.

Thanks to this unexpected win, I returned to my room in high spirits.
Time to start planning my next move to win over Lüenheit’s people. I had to get it done before the Miraldia Allied Forces showed up.

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