The Andes Dream-Chapter 219: The Cost of Corruption in Faith

Carlos sighed, stood up, and walked toward a cabinet filled with alcohol."Would you like some?" he asked. "An aristocrat from New Granada—the Lozano family—gave me this bottle. They also believe we want to create an entire country, and they wish to make peace with me."

Krugger looked at the bottle with curiosity and then surprise."A Martell... I have seen bottles like that in Frederick the Great’s study. I was fortunate enough to share a drink with him during one of our meetings. He was obsessed with everything related to France. I never understood why, though I must admit I enjoyed the drink."

Carlos smiled at this, then took a seat and spoke slowly."You may already know that I come from a ducal family, so I understand both the good and the bad sides of the aristocracy. Honestly, I was always disgusted by how they treated my mother and me. Though I must admit, seeing my father so high and mighty always made me envious—especially knowing I would never reach that position.

"And now, you are giving me the opportunity to reach at least a partial status close to that. But in truth... I am afraid of what I might become if I allow myself to obsess over a throne and the power of a monarch.

"Of course, the real reason I hesitate is not only that, monarchy is something passed from generation to generation... and I know my son better than anyone. Royalty has never made him envious, nor filled him with ambition. To be honest, before we were driven out of New Granada, he simply followed my steps—doing whatever I told him. He studied what I told him to study and played when I told him to play. It was... a rather sad life."

Carlos paused briefly.

"Of course, that was after my wife—your daughter—died. When she was alive, he was more cheerful. She had the ability to inspire him. For a time, he even painted under her guidance. Then, after he fell sick, he suddenly changed. It was strange... I am certain he saw or experienced something in his sleep, though I do not know what."

Krugger raised an eyebrow. He had always wondered how Carlos and his daughter had raised that little devil obsessed with books and machines. He knew of rare geniuses—men like Euler, of whom Frederick the Great had spoken with admiration. He had even once seen the man in the streets of Berlin when leaving the palace. But hearing of a genius and having one within the family were entirely different matters.

So he could not help but ask,"Why didn’t you ask him? Aren’t you worried that what he saw might not have been good? Perhaps one of those demons that hide in dreams... maybe he sold his soul," Krugger added with a slight laugh—though deep down he wondered if demons might indeed be real. Of course, he did not dare say that aloud.

Carlos, upon hearing this, nearly spat out the cognac he was drinking. After coughing and forcing it down, he replied,"Are you crazy? Do not dare say that—even as a joke—in these lands. Perhaps Europe is already passing through the Enlightenment and might treat it lightly, but most people in New Granada are deeply traditional and devout. If you speak like that, a furious crowd may come for our heads tomorrow."

Krugger shrugged innocently."Sorry... but you cannot deny it is suspicious."

Carlos shot him an irritated glance before continuing,"Honestly, at first I thought the same. But seeing that he still has the same personality he had as a child with Anna, I believe it was her doing. Perhaps she convinced God to let her see him, and through her words he returned to the way he was when young.

"After all... when have you ever seen a demon worry about his family? Or work tirelessly for his aging father in another continent, far from home? Shouldn’t demons be performing human sacrifices, drinking blood, and such things?"

Krugger shrugged, unsure of what to say. From his perspective, it almost sounded like a bargain with a demon—but Carlos was right about one thing: the boy had always been disciplined in his morals. He had never hurt anyone, never drunk to excess, never behaved out of order. Even killing was something Krugger had never seen him do. And the depth of his love for Catalina—free of lust or corruption—eased his thoughts a little.

"Then... he began to obsess over knowledge after that?" Krugger asked.

Carlos took a slow sip and nodded. "Indeed. And the reason I tell you this is not for you to curse my son, but to make you understand my fear. If he were to obtain a crown, I am afraid he might return to the time when he only followed my footsteps—no smile, no passion, only obedience. That is something I could never forgive myself for. Nor could I face my wife, Anna. With what face would I look at her in Heaven and confess that I ruined our son’s happiness for my own ambition for power?"

Krugger fell silent. He shook his head, drained his cup in a single swallow, and spoke with a bitter chuckle.

"Perhaps you are right. I would not sleep peacefully either if I had to explain to my wife and daughter that, after already ruining their lives, I found my grandson only to ruin his as well. She would probably throw me out of Heaven herself."

He exhaled slowly.

"But if we do not choose monarchy... then what? A republic? I would rather die than let my grandson grow under such an inefficient system."

Carlos smiled faintly and finished the last sip from his cup."I do not know. But I am certain Francisco is already thinking about it. In the letters he has sent me, he speaks of studying ancient and modern systems alike. Perhaps he will create something suited perfectly for himself—maybe a union between monarchy and other forms of rule. Who knows?"

He set the empty cup aside.

"For now, we should not think about systems, but about the present. If we fail to take New Granada, all these words will become nothing but a joke... and we may be forced to flee to Prussia and live the rest of our lives depending on you."

Krugger nodded solemnly."Do not worry. The soldiers I brought have already adapted to the climate. They are training your servants and have begun recruiting new troops. We made sure to leave the Spanish loyalists aside—we feared they might betray us in battle. Honestly, I still do not understand why you would allow them into your army. Do you not see the danger of keeping them close?"

"There was nothing I could do. The fanatics were going to attack, and I had only my servants by my side. The Spaniards had also been abandoned by the viceroy, so a common enemy created an alliance. Of course, after their defeat I knew this alliance would eventually break. That is why I left it to you to build the army."

He stood up and walked toward the cabinet, carefully putting the bottle away. One cup was enough. He did not know if he would ever be able to buy another bottle like that himself, so he wanted to save it for important conversations.

"Let us begin with what you suggested. Use the servants you are training to attack the Church. That way we can secure their loyalty to us. If they dare to attack the Church, they will never dare to do the same for the Spanish."

Krugger raised an eyebrow."Didn’t you say the people of New Granada are deeply devout? And yet you would send them to attack the Church?"

Carlos replied with an amused tone,"They follow God, not the Church. Because of its business with loans, the Church actually has a poor reputation in these lands. If not for the prohibition of other faiths, people would have abandoned the Catholic Church long ago."

Carlos shrugged."There was nothing else I could do. The fanatics were going to attack, and I had only my servants by my side. The Spaniards had also been abandoned by the viceroy, so a common enemy created an alliance. Of course, after their defeat I knew that alliance would eventually break. That is why I left the task of building the army to you."

He stood up and walked toward the cabinet, carefully putting the bottle away. One cup was enough. He did not know if he would ever be able to buy another bottle like that himself, so he wanted to save it for important conversations.

"Let us begin with what you suggested. Use the servants you are training to strike the Church. That way we can secure their loyalty to us. If they dare to attack the Church, they will never dare to betray us for Spain."

Krugger raised an eyebrow."Didn’t you say the people of New Granada are deeply devout? And yet you would send them to attack the Church?"

He was genuinely surprised. He had not realized that the Church’s reputation here had decayed so badly. Slowly, he nodded, a faint satisfaction appearing in his expression at the opportunity before him.

"In Prussia," Krugger said, his voice lowering into a dark, restrained rumble, "everything was... civilized. The Old King, Frederick, was a philosopher before he was a soldier. When he moved against the Church, it was done with ink—dry decrees and diplomatic suffocation. Lands were taken with a pen, monasteries turned into schools or barracks with nothing more than a signature."

He drew slowly from his cigar, the ember glowing faintly in the dim office.

"I spent half my life watching those rigid bishops—men who walk as if their spines were forged from stolen gold—look down on us. We bled in the mud for the State while they sat safely inside their cathedrals. I always wanted to do more than serve them a legal notice. I wanted to see the moment they realized their ’heavenly authority’ could not stop a single ounce of lead."

He leaned slightly across the desk, the scent of Martell and Cuban tobacco thick in the air between them.

"So you can count on me. I will not even give them the chance to refuse. I will take every inch of land they possess. But tell me—what will you do about the Church itself? Even if you weaken it, destroying it would be impossible. People may accept the loss of its power or wealth, but if you try to erase their faith, they will resist."

Carlos took the final puff of his cigar and placed it calmly in the ashtray.

"I do not plan to destroy faith," he said quietly. "I plan to open these lands to any religion that is legal and obeys the law. We will offer protection and ask no taxes for the ground where temples are built. Their survival will depend entirely on donations. And those who serve in the Church will also stand beneath the law."

His voice hardened slightly.

"I will secularize the entire institution and place it under state authority. Every movement they attempt will be visible to us."

Krugger glanced around, found an old bottle of wine, and poured two cups. He lifted one toward Carlos.

"A toast," he said, "to your resolve. May we build a land where the children can live better lives than we did."

Carlos smiled faintly and raised his cup in return.

That night, an open conspiracy against the Church was born within the lands influenced by the Gómez family.Yet the suffering that would follow would not remain confined to those valleys.

Neither the Church nor Carlos understood that the decision made in that quiet office would echo far beyond New Granada—becoming the first spark of a purge that would one day spread across the entire Spanish Empire.