The High Cathedral of Oros did not react with lightning or thunder. It reacted with a Margin Call.
By noon, the Academy's atmosphere had curdled. The air felt heavy, like the pressure before a deep-sea collapse. Kaelen sat in the center of the training grounds, surrounded by thirty members of the Golden Guard. They weren't practicing swordplay; they were kneeling in a circle, their mana-veins glowing with a stable, violet hue—the signature of Kaelen's "Restructured Grace."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION] [Passive Income Stream: ACTIVE] [Garnished Mana from 30 Guards: +4,500 KP/Hour] [Daily Tax Status: FULLY PAID (Surplus: 12,000 KP)]
"I feel... lighter," Captain Valerius whispered, staring at his gauntlets. "For ten years, every time I drew my sword, I felt the Church's interest-tax biting into my soul. Now? The power just... stays."
"That's because you finally own your own light, Captain," Kaelen lied, his voice a soothing balm. "I've simply moved your debt to a more... flexible lender."
Suddenly, the heavy iron gates of the Academy groaned. A carriage made of solid, unreflective obsidian rolled onto the grounds. It bore no crest of the Church, only a single, vertical line: The symbol of the Senior Auditors.
From the carriage stepped a man who looked like he was folded out of parchment. He wore a grey suit that seemed to absorb the colors of the world around him. His eyes weren't eyes; they were spinning numerical dials.
[TARGET: Senior Auditor Malachai] [RANK: High-Level System Enforcer] [KARMA: NEUTRAL (Zero Balance)] [THREAT LEVEL: FATAL]
"Saint Kaelen," Malachai said. His voice sounded like two dry stones grinding together. "There has been a report of 'Unregulated Financial Activity' within this district. Thirty guards have suddenly declared 'Spiritual Bankruptcy' and transferred their tithe-obligations to an offshore account."
The Golden Guard stood up, their hands moving to their hilts.
"Stand down," Kaelen commanded, his voice sharp. He turned to Malachai with a polite, razor-edged smile. "I'm simply performing charity, Auditor. Is it a crime to help the poor?"
"In the eyes of the Bank, 'Charity' is just a gift-tax evasion," Malachai replied. He pulled a black quill from his pocket. "You have ninety seconds to prove the 'Source' of the mana you used to refinance these men. If the source is the Void... you will be liquidated on the spot."
[WARNING!] [Deep Scan Initiated by Senior Auditor.] [Current Masking: 82%... 75%... 60%...]
Kaelen felt the Auditor's gaze peeling back his skin, looking for the trillion-point debt hidden in his marrow. He looked at Alaric, who was vibrating with the urge to strike.
Not yet, Alaric, Kaelen signaled with a glance.
"The source?" Kaelen laughed, a sound of pure, arrogant gold. "You're looking at it. I didn't use the Void, Auditor. I used the Accumulated Merit of the People."
Kaelen raised his hand, and the Ledger of the First Default pulsed inside his mind. He didn't hide his debt; he repackaged it.
[SKILL ACTIVATED: Debt Collateralization (Lv. 1)] [Action: Bundle the 'Gratitude' of the 5,000 villagers in Valois into a 'High-Yield Security'.]
Suddenly, the Auditor's dials stopped spinning. He saw a massive, shimmering wall of "Positive Karma" protecting Kaelen. It wasn't Kaelen's karma—it was the karma of everyone Kaelen had "saved," bundled together to hide the black hole underneath.
"You've turned human gratitude into a tradeable asset?" Malachai's dry voice actually cracked. "That... that is technically legal under the 4th Bylaw of the Celestial Exchange."
"It's not just legal," Kaelen whispered, stepping closer until he could see the tiny numbers reflecting in the Auditor's eyes. "It's profitable. Tell the High Priestess that the 'Saint' is no longer a charity case. I'm her new Competitor."
Malachai stared at him for a long, frozen minute. Then, he tucked his quill away.
"The Audit is... inconclusive," Malachai stated. "But be warned, Kaelen. The Bank does not like competition. They will raise the 'Global Interest Rate' for this entire Kingdom just to flush you out. You've saved thirty men, but you might have just bankrupted the world."
"Let them raise the rates," Kaelen said, watching the obsidian carriage depart. "I'll just offer a better refinance plan."
As the carriage left, Seraphina walked up to Kaelen, her face pale. "You just threatened a Senior Auditor. Do you have any idea what the Church will do now?"
"They'll do exactly what any failing business does, Seraphina," Kaelen said, looking toward the High Cathedral on the hill. "They'll try to 'Buy' me. And I'm going to make sure the price is everything they have left."