Chapter 474 The distance between belief and legend
The tribunal is the king's accomplice.
Edward was not the only one to have such an epiphany, a little person far away in Quemu Territory also couldn't help but have such thoughts in his heart.
His name is Hank.
But unlike the Archduke Edward, the Archduke certainly knew that that thing was just a saying, something to be told to outsiders.
But Old Hank felt this from the bottom of his heart——
Saint Sith is probably really dead.
“By the orders of Lord Hegmo de Valu, the ‘Knight of Radiance’, and His Excellency the Grand Inquisitor Jimenez! In order to show the kindness of the king and the Holy City, and to save other starving compatriots in the Dusk Province, the Quemu Territory, as a pious example, is here. Our Lord needs you to donate your harvest! All the food will be distributed to those in need! This is a supreme merit, and our Lord will bear witness to your piety..."
In the square of Maitian Village.
A cavalryman on a tall horse came to the villagers, cleared his throat, and read out the decision of the tribunal in a loud voice.
The autumn sunshine should have been warm, but when it fell on the villagers of Maitian Village, it only made them feel chills from the bone marrow.
Just yesterday, these people walked into the village with kind faces, praising them as the most devout people in the entire Twilight Province and the most loyal lambs of Saint Sith.
But when they saw the grain exuding the aroma of wheat, these "shepherds" immediately put on a completely different look, asking them to hand over the unheated grain with the overall situation in mind.
I have to say that Jimenez is a capable referee, and of course he is good at more than just killing people.
He will also use gentle means towards devout believers, which is the so-called "carrot and stick" strategy.
For example, those villages that cooperate with the "procedural justice" of the Tribunal will be provided with food and clothing, while those villages that resist the Tribunal's purge will be regarded as heretics and undergo key "liquidation".
Of course fatherless children will hate the Holy See, but now these ungodly orphans may have to face the hostility of other villagers first. With just a few adjustments in the distribution of food, they could transform the villagers' hatred of the Holy See into hatred within the villagers.
Now the entire Dusk Province is starving, and only the farmers in Quemu Territory have food. Of course, the food must come from here.
The king was also a man who pretended to be asleep. After waking up, he waved his hand and sent the order to the earl.
Looking at the murderous courtroom and thinking about the dagger under the pillow, Earl Theron thought again and again. His hundreds of kilograms of flesh were really not enough for them to cut. In the end, he gritted his teeth and decided not to take sides and let these guys who had gods behind them fight.
Now he has become the most pious person, and he stays in the castle church all day long and humbly asks the priest for theological knowledge.
The tribunal knew that he was a pig and did not bother to pay attention to him at all. Of course, the Salvation Army will not force him to die. After all, wouldn't it be more troublesome to replace him with someone who flatters the Holy See?
It's just a pain to the farmers in Maitian Village.
"...This is our food! Why should we hand it over?!"
Before the cavalryman finished speaking, a suppressed roar of anger broke out from the crowd.
That was Hank's neighbor, a strong man known for his hot temper. His face was flushed with anger and he spoke what all the villagers were feeling.
Soon, voices responded to him one after another.
"That's right!"
h "Not a single priest in Quemu has died! Isn't that enough to prove our piety! When the Green Forest Army came here, we were the ones protecting them!"
h "We are not opposed to helping the citizens of Twilight City, just like We have taken them in as refugees... At least let them buy it with money! "
This rational statement is really not something that the farmers in Maitian Village can think of. Most of them are the outsiders who were resettled here thanks to the blessing of Her Majesty the Holy Lady.
Some of them are from Greystone Town as far away as possible, and some are from Twilight City as close as possible. Now that they have all started a new life here, they naturally have to speak for their new hometown.
Looking at these poor farmers, the cavalryman frowned and was about to scold them not to forget their identity.
However, at this time, a black-gloved hand was gently raised, stopping him from scolding someone who was trying to urge someone to rein in the situation.
An accompanying black-robed judge slowly walked out of the team.
He was tall and thin, with only a pair of cold eyes on his face under the hood, staring at the growling farmer like a snake.
"Because... this is the earl's land." The magistrate's voice was plain and hoarse, without any warmth. "The crops grown on this land, of course, belong to the lord first, and then to you."
The strong man's aura suddenly dropped by half.
Under the legal principles of the Kingdom of Lane, this sentence is an irrefutable ironclad rule. The grain grown by the serfs must first be handed over to the earl, and then the steward appointed by the earl will distribute porridge to them.
In fact, the Salvation Army also fulfilled this obligation and provided meals to them while they were farming. This was also the biggest reason why they were willing to open up wasteland.
Although the saint promised that all the crops would be theirs when they grow, she was driven away by the Inquisition after all, and she did not even last until after the harvest.
Reason told the strong man not to mention this, but he still felt a little unwilling to do so and choked out a submissive excuse from between his teeth.
"But...but the Earl didn't say anything!"
Hearing this, the corner of the magistrate's mouth hidden in the shadows evoked a playful smile.
"Oh? How do you know he didn't say anything? He said he was loyal to the king, and we have the king's letter. What do you mean... you want to rebel against your own lord?"
His words were like a stone smashing the roof of the barn, and a burst of noise and commotion broke out among the surrounding farmers.
They couldn't believe that the lord they welcomed back to the castle was so spineless!
However, facing those bright swords and the dark muzzles of muskets, they were not much braver than the lord, and no one dared to resist.
In fact, not all villagers want to resist.
There are many people who are filled with righteous indignation, but most of them make peace with the situation.
Many people comforted themselves that after the Holy See took away the food, they would definitely give some to themselves. At least they had praised Quemu Ling and said that they were pious.
In fact, that’s right.
Even if they are ranked behind the citizens of Twilight City, they are definitely in front of the villagers of Griffin Cliff Territory. Hungry will not kill them.
The land here is unexpectedly fertile, and the Inquisition is counting on them to continue working hard to sow seeds for next year's harvest.
At this moment, a young voice sounded from behind, and the anger in his heart seemed to be uncontrollable.
"This is our land! The count has no right to do this!"
Everyone's eyes were focused on the past, that was a young man who was not yet twenty years old, and had obviously never experienced a severe beating with a feudal stick.
He is too young.
The magistrate had been waiting for this sentence, and as expected, a smile appeared on the corner of his tight mouth.
He slowly turned to the young man, his eyes under the hood full of teasing, like a cat teasing a mouse that fell under its paws.
"Oh? Where's the evidence."
The young man choked at this rhetorical question. Just as he was about to speak, he was pulled hard by the person next to him, and he realized that this was a trap.
However, being watched by the tribunal, not speaking is more terrifying than speaking.
His face turned red, and he finally answered hesitantly, trying to muddle through.
…"Yes, it was Saint Sis who said, He... He gave these lands to us."
This was no problem before.
However, in a land where Chaos once raged, speaking out in front of a tribunal determined to have zero tolerance would be a taboo.
The magistrate said no more and just waved his hand gently.
"He is a believer of the "Witch", take him away."
Two wolf-like executioners immediately stepped forward and roughly dragged the young man out of the crowd, ignoring his family's pleas and whines.
The cavalry loyal to the king looked at this scene and moved their lips, as if they wanted to say something, but under the cold gaze of the magistrate, they finally chose to remain silent.
The rest of the people were also silent.
Including old Hank with wide eyes.
Fear is the best persuasion.
The young man was thrown onto a cart, together with the livestock that the villagers had just bought from the dwarf brothers.
The villagers could only watch helplessly as the harvest they had worked hard for for half a year was loaded onto the carriages bag by bag and transported to unknown distances.
It was not until the armies of the church and the kingdom had completely gone away and disappeared on the horizon that sporadic sobs and curses could be heard in the oppressive villages.
"They are not servants of Saint Sith at all! Saint Sith would never give such a ridiculous order!"
"Didn't the Saint say... Everyone is fighting in His name, but no one really takes Him in their heart. I didn't understand before, but now I know, she is talking about the people of the Tribunal!"
"These guys... are simply more unreasonable than the undead!" Someone complained softly, and this sentence resonated with everyone.
Everyone misses the figure who has "disappeared" in their hearts.
Including Hank.
It was not like this when Her Highness Kallen was here...
It was not just the villagers of Wheatfield Village who were confused about their faith. A certain man sitting at the door of the Rock Hotel also had a trace of confusion on his resolute face.
Him supports the saint's choice to lay down her arms.
Even, he felt that the reason why the innocent girl gave up her power was at least partly because of his own persuasion.
But now——
He began to doubt whether he had done the right thing.
All the beauty that had appeared and the peace that was about to come, all disappeared the moment the people from the tribunal arrived...
"Master..." Urien walked behind him, looked at the dust rolling in the distance, and whispered his name.
He had a lot to ask, but he didn't know where to start.
When he was in Greystone Town, he had only one thought in his mind when he looked at the thugs, and that was to pray for the Holy See to take action against them.
As a result, the Holy See came, but it was different from what he imagined.
Gaunt shook his head.
"Urien, my child... I can tell you how to swing the sword, but there are some things I can't figure out. Maybe you need to find the answer yourself."
He has won many battles on the battlefield, and he has never felt as powerless as he does today. That kind of mental weakness caused him more pain than the decline in strength.
He had never doubted it as much as he did now when he was injured by Kalmandes' divine choice at Brass Pass...
Not far away, the magistrate glanced at the man sitting in front of the hotel door, with a cold smile on his lips... until the man looked up at him.
The raised corners of his mouth narrowed slightly, and the judge snorted coldly, hid his disdainful eyes under the shadow of his hood, and led the last team away.
The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the layers of red leaves, casting mottled golden light spots.
It is late autumn now.
· Thomas, a businessman, leaned on a truck filled with cloth and rare goods, stroking the heavy money bag around his waist.
This business trip brought him a lot of rewards, and also allowed him to experience an unforgettable adventure. It was a worthwhile trip.
However, besides the joy of the harvest, Thomas also had an unspeakable complexity in his heart.
This feeling was as if a superb epic poem was open in front of him, but he had to close it before he could finish reading the prologue.
Of course——
Maybe it's just dissatisfaction.
After all, just half a month ago, he was the royal merchant of Her Majesty the Holy Lady, and the people who negotiated business with him were all respectable dwarfs from Broken Rock Peak... His status was much higher than that of a merchant.
His investment seems to have succeeded, but it also seems to have failed.
Thomas hesitated for a long time, and finally walked to the simple but clean carriage in the center of the motorcade.
"Your Highness...are we leaving like this?" He stood in front of the car window and asked respectfully.
Since witnessing Mr. Colin's ability to "turn his hands into clouds and turn his hands into rain", he has unconsciously changed his address to Saint Karen to "Your Highness".
In the carriage, Karen was taking advantage of the afterglow of dusk, quietly reading the book in her hand that His Highness Colin left for her.
She looked up at the sound and smiled slightly. Her elegance and piety were somewhat similar to the gentleman who sat in this carriage.
"We never left, Mr. Thomas," her voice was gentle and calm, "Sometimes, retreat is also a kind of advancement."
Everything is going according to Mr. Colin's plan.
Brennan and Leden have already taken the most elite soldiers of the Salvation Army to the depths of the Wanren Mountains secretly.
With the help of their dwarf friends, they will receive the most rigorous training and polish themselves from a ragtag group into a heroic division capable of competing with the kingdom.
The power of demigods cannot be underestimated, but everything is only temporary.
As the influence of Saint Sith continues to weaken, the power of the demigods also continues to decline. As long as they don't give up the long-term struggle, one day they will be able to win their own future.
Kallen, with the "New Testament" given by the "Son of God", returned to the place where she first heard the "Oracle" - the northern border of the Kingdom of Rhodes.
Although this is also the sphere of influence of the Church, it is far away from the sight of the Inquisition because the corruption of Chaos has not descended.
The people here are more pious than the people of Lane, but at this moment they are enduring the same blasphemy that the people of Lane are enduring.
Just as His Highness Colin said, the corrupt aristocracy is turning men into turtles and women into prostitutes, and everything is still done in the name of holiness.
She herself was once a victim.
Now "Saint Karen" will answer the prayers in people's hearts, replace the superior gods, and correct everything!
While Karen was immersed in the world of the book, the sound of rapid horse hooves was heard in the distance.
Five cavalrymen ran over from the other end of the forest path. The appearance of this group instantly broke the tranquility of the camp.
The young men in the caravan stood up one after another and looked nervously at the group of uninvited guests, including the mercenaries escorting the caravan and Hogg, who was still the mercenary captain.
He recognized these guys, they were Sir Richter's soldiers.
But looking at the way they were so fat that they couldn't even buckle on their standard armor, Hogg knew that Sir Richter had probably become a puppet like Count Theron Gard.
They didn't even realize that they had patrolled their neighbor's land.
No matter how well the local lords take care of themselves, they have seriously violated the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Lane and will be hanged if caught!
Although the stupid knight and the stupid earl are no more worthy of sympathy, this group of villains who force girls into prostitution are also really hateful.
Thomas's fists clenched involuntarily, and a trace of sweat broke out in his palms.
Five cavalrymen cruised on the edge of the camp and surrounded the caravan. Two of them were old acquaintances of them and had stopped them once before.
These cavalry on the border of the Kingdom of Rhodes have obviously never heard of the legend of the "Saint Girl".
They only thought that this caravan looked familiar, and the saint sitting in the carriage looked even more familiar. It was exactly the same as the escaped "cargo" they were chasing before, and even looked... more holy and pleasant.
Perhaps he has been trained by a big shot.
That's better.
The cavalrymen looked at each other with greedy smiles on their faces.
The leader, Konis, dismounted and turned into an infantryman. He held a riding crop in his hand and walked over in a swaggering manner.
"Hey, isn't this our nun? What, is this... returning from the Holy City to obtain scriptures?"
Kallen, who was sitting in the carriage, ignored him, with that peaceful smile still on her face. Her white and jade-like index finger gently turned another page of the book, as if praying, but also as if she had crossed the throat of the rude person.
"Dear Holy Spirits, please impose sanctions on these blasphemers."
That was the "spell" taught to her by her gods.
As long as he prays sincerely, His servants will naturally receive "tasks" and carry them out without hesitation.
Conis frowned, and when he saw that this girl was ignoring him, the smile on his face became more sinister.
He vowed to show this lunatic guy how powerful the soldier is!
However, the moment he took a step forward, the surrounding air suddenly became cold, as if he was frozen by the cold wind blowing from nowhere.
Under the shadow of the woods, something seemed to be moving, and pairs of green soul fires lit up out of thin air, like will-o'-the-wisps that only existed in hell.
A hair-raising chill ran up Tianling Gai's spine. Before he could react, he heard the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground from behind.
He turned around suddenly and saw that his four companions all fell down from their horses!
They didn't even have time to scream, and even the expressions on their faces remained as ferocious as before.
Lines of blood emerged from their throats, followed by an increasingly rapid surge of blood, which flowed all over the floor within a few breaths.
The five frightened horses neighed and fled deep into the forest, leaving Cornis alone, standing in the dead silence.
Hogue, who put his hand on the hilt of his sword, swallowed and stared at the four corpses with wide eyes. He didn't even see clearly what kind of undead it was that was attacking.
"Don't kill me!!"
The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else. Konis threw away the weapon in his hand with a "clang", his legs weakened and he knelt on the ground.
He begged for mercy with tears streaming down his face.
He was very aware of how much fat he had on his body, and that arrogant armor could only be used to bully unarmed civilians.
However, the saint in the carriage did not speak, and did not even raise her eyelids, as if what was lying there was just an insignificant fly.
She is no longer the weak girl she was before, and there is no one here who is worthy of her weak expression.
· A monk in a gray cloak stepped off the carriage. His steps were light and silent, like a weightless ghost.
He stretched out a hand like a dead branch to the soldier's back and gently put it on his shoulder.
Conis trembled all over, but found that he could not move at all. He could only hear a hoarse and low voice whispering in his ear.
"Sleep."
The Demon King may not care about the offenses of mortals, but the Demon King's servants will not pretend that they have not heard them.
No one can offend the devil's chess pieces.
That voice seemed to carry some kind of magic power, gently blowing away the ordinary soul.
The light in Konis's pupils quickly dispersed until it was completely extinguished.
His body was still kneeling there. It looked the same as before, but in fact it had turned into a corpse at the mercy of others.
Looking at the strange and terrifying scene in front of him, Thomas swallowed hard, while Hogg pretended not to see it.
Although he felt that this saint was abnormal a long time ago, and that Mr. Colin was even more abnormal, but now...
They seem to be becoming less and less concealed.
Although the villagers in Quemu Territory lost the food they had worked so hard to grow, the citizens of Dusk City received "generous" relief from the Inquisition.
Steaming porridge shacks were erected throughout the city, replacing the spots where Campbell's army had given out porridge not long ago.
For those citizens who have been hungry for too long, having food is a great gift. As for where the food comes from, they don't care.
Has no right to care.
When Grand Inquisitor Jimenez learned from his subordinates that many citizens in the city attributed the "Angel's Coming" to an unknown "Son of God" and directed their gratitude to the disappeared "Saint Karen", he was not as furious as many people expected.
Instead, he took an unprecedented lenient approach and sent theologians following the Inquisition to every soup kitchen.
They spoke in the standard accent of the Holy City, while distributing food to the hungry people, while using the most understandable language, explaining to them the truth of the "Angel's Coming" over and over again -
It was not a miracle performed by an unknown "Son of God", but His Majesty the Pope who was far away in the Holy City, out of compassion, invited "Angels of Power" who worked for Saint Sith for them.
The priests' mouths were dry as they spoke, and the citizens nodded repeatedly, with "that's how it is" written on most of their faces.
They seemed to be convinced, but they seemed not to be.
After all, people have preconceived impressions. Even if these priests preach over and over again, they cannot change the people in this city’s memory——
When the citizens of Twilight City need help the most, the person standing beside them is not the church or the king, but the Salvation Army of Saint Karen.
Cunning citizens certainly dare not contradict these tribunals, but they can keep their gratitude to the Saint and Son of God in their hearts.
The "New Testament" has become an invisible and unkillable ghost.
Twilight City Cathedral, which has been requisitioned by the Inquisition as a temporary headquarters.
Under the towering dome, Jimenez was quietly listening to his subordinate's "optimistic" report about the correction of rumors in the city.
...The people's enthusiasm is very high. They are grateful to His Majesty the Pope for his kindness, and are grateful for the order and food you have brought. As long as it takes a while, those rumors about the witch Kallen will disappear."
"Very good." Jimenez nodded, he was quite satisfied with the transformation of Twilight City.
The only flaw is the Campbell people.
The subordinate swallowed and added cautiously.
"It's just that... the army of the Principality of Campbell doesn't seem to be doing its best to wipe out the remnants of the "Salvation Army". According to the evidence we collected, it was precisely because of the appeasement of the Campbells and the Sword Masters that Kallen and her servants escaped into the Wanren Mountains."
Sword Master is not easy to deal with.
His legend has been spread by the church as a positive example, which in itself is also an affirmation of the people's piety in the Kingdom of Rhodes by the Holy City.
What's more, they still need this guard dog to guard the Brass Pass for them, which few nobles are willing to go to.
As for the Campbell family...
That is the Holy City's affirmation of the Ryan people's piety. In fact, the Inquisition is not easy to handle. Denying the light of praise is tantamount to denying the sanctity of fighting the devil, and it is also tantamount to denying themselves.
The sword of the Tribunal is invincible when facing the "rootless Ping", but it has to be extremely careful when facing people in the same system.
They are all melons on a vine. If they are not careful, they may cut their own arteries and cause unexpected troubles.
They are here to cut through the mess quickly, not to cause trouble.
His subordinates did not dare to say anything and bowed to leave.
It seemed that he had finally waited for his chance to play. Looking at the black-robed warriors leaving, the palace steward Sklair came over from the side corridor.
He first saluted Jimenez respectfully, and then in a worried tone, he casually mentioned the king's worries.
"Your Majesty, the Chief Judge, with all due respect, I always feel that... the Campbell family's piety to the gods seems to have been diluted."
Seeing that the Chief Judge ignored him, Sklair paused, gritted his teeth and strengthened his strength.
"I don't want to speculate on our heroes with the most vicious malice, but some people seem to have forgotten whose servants they are. For example, in this war, I heard the Campbell people showing off their bravery and crediting their victory to their Highnesses Eileen and Edward...but I did not hear the names of the King and the Holy See!"
"I didn't say they must thank us, but they have lost the respect they should have for the king. It's as if their power was not given by the king and the Holy Light, but by their people... This is simply the opposite of the world!"
This sentence made Jimenez frown.
Seeing his expression, Mr. Sklarr felt a hint of joy in his heart.
As long as the Tribunal focuses on the Campbell family, the growing group of upstarts will have no intention of coveting the title of king.
At this moment, a crisp sound of armor clashing came from the door of the hall, and Irene Campbell walked in dusty.
She had left Twilight City earlier and went to the Stillwater Beach territory that was controlled by Campbell's army. She had just returned to this city that was bathed in the holy light again.
Ignoring Sklair's loyal and pedantic old dog, she walked straight to Jimenez, her green pupils burning with anger.
"Your Majesty the Chief Magistrate! I need an explanation!"
"Bold!" The black-robed guard at the side glared at her angrily, his hand already on his sword.
Jimenez raised his hand to signal the guards not to pay attention, but turned to face Irene and said in a cold voice.
"What explanation do you need?"
Irene stared at him without flinching and said through gritted teeth.
"I have no objection to your hunting down the remnants of the Green Forest Army, but why implicate innocent villagers?! Do you know what you are doing!"
"Of course we know, we are cleansing the corruption of Chaos."
Facing Erin’s question, Jimenez’s voice was as cold as ever, without any wavering.
"Furthermore, we have not implicated any innocent people, and your accusations are baseless. Every person we arrest has evidence to prove that he has participated in the Green Forest Army, and every death sentence has been approved by the tribunal. I admit that there must be people who have been wronged, but sometimes correction must be made. Go too far, otherwise chaos will return... This is a necessary evil permitted by the Book of Holy Words. "
"The locals may be afraid now, but soon, they will thank us for the true peace we bring." He crossed himself on his chest, as if thanking himself in advance for the locals.
Or, he is deliberately trying to anger someone.
Irene's eyes widened, and she was speechless for a moment by this cold and unfair argument, and her shoulders shook slightly with anger.
She could not believe it...
This priest from the Holy City would actually say such a thing!
Compared with His Highness Colin, who is also from the Holy City, this sanctimonious guy is like a maggot born in the Demon City of Hell!
Sclair on the side lowered his head, not daring to look at Irene. His conscience was fighting fiercely with his loyalty to the king.
At this time, Jimenez suddenly narrowed his eyes, and his cloudy sight fell on the top of Irene's head.
If he remembered correctly, the Campbell family should have blond hair.
This image not only appears in widely circulated epic poems, but is also recorded in a corner of the frescoes of St. Clement's Cathedral.
His presbyopia could not see clearly before, but now he can see it clearly, it is clearly a silvery head as bright as the moon——
"What's going on with your hair?"
(End of this chapter)