The charitable distribution ceremony was exactly as boring as Elara had predicted.
Three hours of Church officials droning about divine generosity while distributing food to the city's poor. Noble families attended in their finest attire, performing public charity while privately calculating social benefit. Common folk waited in patient lines, grateful for assistance regardless of the pageantry surrounding it.
Damien stood in the noble section, maintaining appropriate attentiveness while his mind worked through more interesting problems. Demon attack patterns. His father's intelligence reports. The growing corruption percentage that had ticked up to 5.4% despite careful power management.
And Elara, standing on the ceremonial platform in full Saintess regalia, blessing each recipient with golden divine light while Sister Catherine hovered like a particularly aggressive guard dog.
