Chapter 129: Consolation

Nyx walked to the man holding the infant’s head.

The other was still muttering softly.

“Little John, Father won’t let anyone bully you, I’ll keep you by my side——”

“Hackin, this is not your child, this is just a dead child. Hand him to me, I will bury him,” Nyx said in a low voice, then reached out to take the child’s head tightly held in the man’s hands.

Suddenly, the sound of wind rushed forth. Nyx instinctively leaned back, feeling a chill and pain on his neck.

“What are you doing!”

“Protect the priest!”

The Temple Warriors shouted, preparing to leave the guarded Lord’s Throne to protect Nyx and kill the one who had harmed him.

Only then did Nyx react, touching his neck and feeling warmth.

It was blood.

The other’s axe had grazed the skin of his throat.

If his reaction had been even slightly slower, his head would have been chopped off.

No, judging by the trajectory, his head wouldn’t have been severed, just his trachea.

Then he would have collapsed like those killed by unskilled hands, emitting horrifying hissing sounds, struggling briefly before dying completely.

He recited Divine Word to stop the bleeding.

He felt that this time casting Divine Word was slightly easier than before.

But he didn’t dwell on it. He merely looked at the man who was crying loudly and waved his hand to stop the Temple Warriors who had drawn their swords.

“Priest, I—I didn’t mean it, I didn’t want to attack you,” the weeping man said.

“It’s just, just now, I saw someone trying to kill my Little John. He’s only recently born, his tiny head just the size of my palm.”

“So I wanted to protect him, but, but—” the man couldn’t continue and broke into dry sobbing cries.

His crying seemed contagious, and wailing and cursing began to echo throughout the camp.

No one cowered on the ground trembling—such people had already been cleared out by Knight Wolf.

“Your Little John is still safe, he’s still in the village, being cared for by your wife,” Nyx said softly, gently stroking the man’s head.

“What you’re doing now is protecting your Little John.”

“They are our enemies. These enemies will invade our homeland and destroy our lives.”

“I remember, you’re one of those who recently moved north, aren’t you?” Nyx asked.

The man lifted his head, looking up at Nyx.

“Then you should know that in the newly established northern villages, you can receive a plot of land and build your own house. You no longer have to hand over all your harvests. With the next harvest, you’ll have enough food to fill your cellar.”

“You can take this surplus food to the market or the town, and exchange it for clay pots, for meat and furs, for new clothes.”

“The clothes made in Adams Village are excellent—even the Bishop praises their craftsmanship. I think you can trade for a new set of clothes for your wife and your Little John.”

“You and your wife, your child, can now walk freely in the territory without fear of bandits on the road.”

“What a blessed life this is.”

“Food, clothing, a house, and freedom.”

“Even if you fall ill, you can come to the Church—not just me, anyone from the Church will treat you free of charge and ease your pain.”

“If you work diligently, you might even save up enough money after Little John grows up to send him to the Monastery to study knowledge.”

“You probably don’t know yet, but there’s still a shortage of officials in the territory. In the future, only those who have studied at the Monastery and mastered knowledge can become officials.”

“By then, your Little John might work for the Lord, managing ten people, or even a hundred.”

As Nyx spoke, the man’s sobs gradually quieted. His gaze seemed to see Little John grown up, dressed in luxurious robes, standing atop a tall carriage, pointing and commanding people to work the fields.

The wails of those nearby also subsided. They were all listening to Nyx’s words.

“What a wonderful life this is,” Nyx said with a sigh, and the man nodded along with the sigh, his eyes glistening—probably with the reflection of tears.

“But these greedy ones want to invade our homeland, to destroy such a beautiful life we have.”

“No! We must not allow them to destroy our lives!” The man grew agitated.

“Yes, we absolutely will not allow them to destroy our homeland. That is why you picked up the axe blade, that is why you followed Knight Wolf into battle,” Nyx’s voice became increasingly gentle.

“You are doing this to protect our homeland, to protect your home, to protect your wife, to protect your Little John.”

“Yes, I am doing this to protect my home.” The man nodded firmly, then his eyes fell upon the unfamiliar infant’s head in his hand.

In that instant, the man let out a shriek and threw the infant’s head aside.

“But—but I am very afraid,” his voice trembled.

“Those people knelt before me, begging me not to kill them.”

“I didn’t want to kill them, but—but———I was forced to.”

He bent over, as if retching.

“Yes, you are a kind person. You did it to protect your homeland.”

“And they too are innocent commoners, people just like you who yearn for a beautiful future life.”

“But they were swept into this by the greedy ones and brought onto the battlefield.”

“On the battlefield, there is no distinction between commoner and warrior—only enemies.”

“So, they are enemies. The ones you killed were enemies.”

Nyx spoke, then subtly shifted his body to conceal the infant’s head beneath the hem of his robe.

“As the Lord said, greed is a sin, and those who, out of their own greed, dragged these commoners with them have committed grave sins.”

“Originally, you and they could have held hands, laughing under the same sky as friends.”

“But they were driven by sinful ones and became your enemies.”

“It wasn’t of their own will—they too are innocent.”

The man curled up and lifted his head.

Nyx gently inhaled and looked at the man’s bewildered eyes, then said,

“Knight Wolf is leading you to kill those who drove them and committed great sins.”

“When the sin is purged, the sin that drove them will also vanish, and they shall be freed.”

“By then, they will become your friends.”

“When they are your enemies, you must kill them, for they are entangled in sin and suffer greatly.”

“When they are no longer enemies, you must hold their hands tightly—for they too are people like you who yearn for a beautiful life.”

“Just imagine, when the places where they live become like the York Territory now, where one can walk alone from the northernmost to the southernmost end of the territory.”

“When at harvest they can fill their cellars with grain without having it stolen by sinful ones.”

“When they can buy new clothes for their wives and children, and build warmer homes for their families.”

“When they can freely leave their villages and visit friends in town.”

“When, in times of illness and pain, the Church’s priests and monks treat them and ease their suffering.”

“When, by their own efforts, they can obtain whatever they desire.”

“Then, at that time, the world will be free of conflict and will usher in the true Heavenly Kingdom on Earth.”

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