Chapter 271: Why It Was the Saint

The rumbling tremor of the earth struck terror into the hearts of those within the city.

Jared had already gone outside to maintain order. As a close aide to Grand Duke Raymond and a lord in his own right, Jared was someone whose words still carried weight in Blackrock City.

Jeven, on the other hand, continued flipping through the historical records preserved by the Corlay Family.

Scholars were knowledgeable, but their records often focused more on the theoretical and practical applications of knowledge. Even in the historical discipline of the Monastery, records tended to be written from a macro perspective.

Yet the records left behind by the Corlay Family detailed every event that had occurred across the entire territory of the Principality—tsunamis, floods, the administrative responses that followed, and the ecological restoration efforts. These were concrete political and operational matters.

In a sense, these materials filled certain gaps in the Monastery’s historical discipline. And now, just like this, Jeven finally understood the reason behind it.

He was quite pleased. Then, as he lifted his head, he saw Grand Duke Raymond.

By now, the earthquake outside had already ceased. Raymond was not wearing armor—just simple clothes—and stood right in front of Jeven.

Jeven’s smile vanished. He opened his mouth and asked, “Did the Church lose?”

Raymond shook his head and replied, “No. The Church won.”

Jeven looked puzzled. If the Church had won, why did Raymond seem so relaxed?

Raymond didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, he continued, “My parents were full siblings. Because of that, as the crystallization of their bloodline, I possess the purest Corlay blood. From a young age, I was extraordinarily gifted. By the age of ten, I could already defeat all my peers. The knight responsible for training me said I needed to slow down, as my body couldn’t keep up with my strength.”

“But how could I slow down? From the moment I was born, everything around me told me I had to become the strongest. Only by becoming the strongest could I unify the three principalities of Greenwood and establish a kingdom of our own.”

“So I didn’t stop. I heard about the coming-of-age trial in the Northern Kingdom—killing a single frost wolf. So I went north and killed an entire pack of frost wolves in the wild. Then I heard about the warriors’ trial beyond the regular rite of passage—reserved for warriors as strong as knights.”

“So I trained in the Northern Kingdom. In the end, I completed the warriors’ trial at the age of fourteen—a feat rarely achieved at such an age in the Northern Kingdom’s history.”

“After completing my trial, I met someone—a member of the Hoover Family. He had also just completed his trial. When we met, we didn’t exchange a single word—we fought immediately. I lost, which was to be expected. He was four years older than me.”

“But I wasn’t discouraged. On the contrary, I was thrilled. I wanted to take him as my benchmark.”

“Yet he said, since I lost, I must become his slave, swear fealty to him, offer my life. He said this was the law of the world—that the strong possess everything.”

“When I was still with my family, the elders had also said that the Corlay Family ruled the largest territory in Greenwood because of our strength. So I believed him. I drew my Sacred Relic and nearly killed him.”

“I said, ‘Now I’m stronger than you, so you should swear fealty to me.'”

“Then he called his people, and I was driven out of the Northern Kingdom by the Hoover Family’s warriors.”

“When I returned, the family celebrated my growth. They believed I could fulfill the Corlay Family’s destiny and unite the three principalities.”

“The three grand duke families of Greenwood have never abandoned their pursuit of power. We’ve always waited for an absolutely strong individual who could unify this fertile land. There’s a legend that Greenwood—rich in food—would one day become the heart of an empire that would unify the world.”

“But in the end, it’s just a legend. Ultimately, the strong control everything. Just like how the Northern Kingdom ceased its expansion because its king wasn’t strong enough. Just like how the Altlinsmann Empire in the south halted its conquests because its emperor wasn’t strong enough. When rulers aren’t strong enough, chaos ensues.”

“So I always believed that strength was the rule of the world. That’s why I relentlessly pursued the strongest power.”

“Until the fishmen arrived at the gates of our principality. Until I, wearing the Sky-Ripper, could kill Deep Divers without using a Sacred Relic. Yet the family still wouldn’t give me a Sacred Relic. That’s when I began to doubt.”

“The principality was clearly powerful, yet the fishmen invaded our heartland. I could have driven them out with a Sacred Relic, but my father still refused to give me one.”

“Then the city fell. In the end, my great-uncle took me and gathered the remaining Sacred Relics from the principality’s capital and fled here. It was here that I inherited the title of Grand Duke. I learned how to channel the Earth Vein’s power. I believed I had become powerful enough to kill the fishmen’s scouts with ease. But my great-uncle said it still wasn’t enough. Far from enough. So I began devouring the power of the Sacred Relics.”

“One. Two. Three. Yet my great-uncle kept saying it wasn’t enough. Far from enough. So I continued consuming Sacred Relics—until I was strong enough. But it wasn’t until I saw the Church’s Holy Scriptures and learned what my great-uncle had done that I realized—it might not be as I imagined. That power alone doesn’t grant you everything.”

“Bishop Jeven, can you answer my question?”

Raymond looked at Jeven seriously.

Jeven gazed at Raymond’s gradually fading figure and understood his current state. After a moment’s hesitation, he finally said, “What you said—that with enough power one can obtain everything—is correct to a certain extent. Indeed, with sufficient power, one can rule the world. But how much power is enough? We live in this world—can we be stronger than the world itself?”

“By your logic, all beings should be ruled by the world itself. And the will this world imposes should be one of progress and advancement.”

“Yet the world has stagnated. It hasn’t progressed. Today’s world is no different from what it was over five thousand years ago.”

A look of realization appeared on Raymond’s face as he asked, “So, is it people like me who’ve blocked the world’s progress?”

Jeven did not answer.

Raymond began to smile and said, “Just as I was supposed to be the strongest, and others should’ve acted according to my will, but my great-uncle and the nobles obstructed me out of selfishness?”

“Just like how the world was supposed to move forward and develop—but was halted by the selfish desires of people like me?”

“So that’s how it is… the source of the Church’s power…”

Raymond’s voice faded as his figure disappeared.

Jeven fell silent. And it was precisely because he received this answer that he finally understood why the bishop had ordered Knight George to journey so far to retrieve the Nation Founding Manifesto of the Theocracy. Why Zezel was referred to as the Saint of the Theocracy.

Hurried footsteps approached. It was Lord Jared, who rushed in and said, “The earthquake has stopped…”

His expression was slightly tense as he looked at Jeven.

Jeven replied, “It’s over.”

Jared opened his mouth but didn’t speak. Jeven, as if sensing his unspoken question, said, “Grand Duke Raymond is dead. It’s over.”

Jared’s legs felt weak, his head dizzy. He suppressed the fear in his heart and asked in a somewhat flattering tone, “Then, Bishop Jeven, what should I do now?”

Jeven gave Jared a deep look and said, “Don’t rush. Rest well tonight. Tomorrow, gather the knights and warriors of Blackstone City. Then summon all remaining nobles of the territory to Blackstone Fortress.”

Jared said helplessly, “But I’m just a lord. I only brought one knight with me.”

Jeven said, “Someone will assist you tomorrow.”

After speaking, Jeven ignored Jared and lay on the ground, closing his eyes to sleep.

Using Revelation still took a toll on Jeven’s spirit.

Jared looked at Jeven, who had quickly fallen asleep, and dared not disturb him. He could only step out.

Rest? How could he sleep at a time like this?

The next day, when he was informed by a knight that a little girl in armor had dragged a massive object into Blackrock City, all he could do was greet her with exhausted eyes.

“Your Grand Duke has received the punishment he deserved,” Olivia said to Jared, who bowed deeply, nearly placing his line of sight beneath her own. “From now on, this place belongs to the Church. So you must obey.”

“Y-yes, Bishop Jeven has already instructed me to gather Blackrock City’s knights and the territory’s nobles,” Jared quickly responded. Then, glancing at the human-shaped object behind her—wrapped in gold and tied with a rope—he asked tentatively, “And that…?”

Olivia replied, “He’s dead. But his body isn’t. It must be sent to the Burial Mechanism.”

Jared asked, “I mean—should I send laborers to move it?”

Olivia said, “His body can’t be seen by ordinary people.”

After a brief pause, she added, “I’m hungry. Make me something to eat.”

Jared nodded repeatedly and ordered his knight to lead Olivia into the fortress.

Only after Olivia’s figure disappeared did he straighten up. Facing the increasingly restless knights once under Grand Duke Raymond’s command, he spoke in a voice both calm and threatening: “So, you’ve seen it too. The Grand Duke is dead. This place is now under Church rule. Or do you intend to defy her? Think of the earthquake.”

The knights exchanged glances. Finally, the one who had spoken to Jared when Aen arrived said, “We ask only that the Grand Duke’s bloodline be preserved.”

Jared exhaled in relief and said, “Of course. You should also read the Church’s Holy Scriptures. Then you’ll understand—the Church never treats children harshly.”

The knight lowered his head slightly and said, “In that case, we are at your service.”

Jared finally relaxed, then felt a rush of excitement. He said, “Bishop Jeven requests that all nobles in the territory come before him and listen to the Lord’s Teachings.”

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