Game Mind of a Medieval Modern Person - Chapter 253



Only Krnovel

253. The Faith Killer

Narva’s decision to embark on an expedition was met with much opposition.

The reason put forward by Cellino, the head of the Dorre Order of Knights, was practical.

“Already. Too many. Capital knights… are fighting in the Holy War.”

There were only about fifteen capital knights available for immediate mobilization.

Cellino’s argument was that the monastery’s defenses were already half-empty, and that the entire monastery could not be emptied.

Bishop Ganista went even further and explained the countless side effects that the expedition to Narva would bring about.

“You know, Your Highness. Right now, the system of the Duchy of Powis is entirely dependent on the abilities and positions of each individual.”

The biggest problem among them is.

“The various administrative and institutional systems of the Duchy of Powis are possible because of the sacrifices of many priests and monks who have no choice but to submit to your authority, and because your Majesty personally takes charge of many parts.”

It was centralization that had begun to become more sophisticated and systematized than the era and society could sustain.

“His Majesty is also concerned about this, so he will continue to establish educational institutions and hopes to become their head.”

Bishop Gannista was very cold-hearted and even harsh in his criticism.

“That would take at least several decades. How would you finance those several decades? No matter how much you sell off indulgences and land distribution lotteries, they won’t provide a long-term source of income. To maintain the administration and system that Your Majesty desires, you’ll need countless papers and bureaucrats. It would take enormous maintenance costs and the determination to push it forward.”

Everything has its pros and cons.

When comparing decentralization and feudalism with centralization and absolute monarchy, the former was more likely to preserve the national system in the short term.

Why did the vanguard of the battle against Ise, the many countries of the Morning Star System, maintain the feudal system?

Why did the Church establish divided principalities instead of forming a unified, single empire?

This decision was not simply based on the historical fact that several communities had come together to form one.

Bishop Ganista brought up a name worthy of damnation to make the fact clear.

“Feudalism is a last resort to save up the last bit of energy. It is to overcome the aftermath of the elves attempting or succeeding in a beheading operation as quickly as possible.”

Elf. A race favored by the nature gods.

This was a world where there were agents who carried out all sorts of vicious and cruel sabotage operations in order to fight against humanity and instigate chaos in human society.

The more highly centralized the bureaucracy, and the greater the influence of its leaders, the more likely it was to become prey to elves.

Unlike feudalism, where hair can easily grow back even after being cut off, a centralized government with a highly sophisticated bureaucracy can easily collapse into chaos.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty knew that fact, yet you pushed for centralization so strongly, and now you are facing the side effects of it. No, you are putting yourself in danger of facing them.”

Narva remained silent at these words.

The silence only made the voices that opposed it louder.

“Your Eminence, Your Majesty, shines brighter now, not on the battlefield, but at your desk in the cathedral. Even we, who know Your Eminence’s true identity and prowess, judge you that way.”

Bishop Gannista rolled his eyes as he spoke and glanced at Bishop Cellino.

Except for the commonality of being church personnel, the two people fought like arch-enemies and had a sharp opposition.

Branch Manager Cellino gave Bishop Gannista strength by blinking his eyes with an unexpectedly clear expression.

“The lonely king of a fallen kingdom. As a knight of the capital city, I respect his martial arts skills.”

“What the Church truly values ​​is the war-fighting ability of the Lonely King. Your Majesty, please reconsider.”

It was at this moment that Narva, who had been listening silently with his mouth shut, opened his lips for the first time.

“Do you know where that great war-fighting ability came from?”

Shudder.

Both Bishop Cellino and Bishop Gannista shrugged their shoulders.

Narva told the truth in a calm voice without a hint of laughter.

“Yeah. It’s just like you said. They take everything they can and drag everything they can get their hands on, so they can fight.”

The nameless warrior king, or the lonely king.

Why did its existence spark such heated debate within the church?

The holy war to stop the pagan invaders continued until the end, but the process forced too many sacrifices.

As a priest of the royal family, it was an action that could not be helped but condemned.

But… if there had been no sacrifice, would the temple have been able to continue until the end?

“…”

Bishop Ganista remained silent, ashamed of his contradictory and duplicity.

Branch Manager Cellino also seemed to feel the same way and slowly turned his head.

Only then did Narva look at Bishop Ganista and open his mouth.

“Chief, please leave for a moment. I would like to speak with Bishop Ileniput.”

“…yes.”

Cellino stood up from his seat without showing any hesitation.

Now the only people left in the office were Bishop Ganista and Narva.

In the awkward atmosphere, the first person to bow his head was Bishop Ganista.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry. What happened just now… was a slip of the tongue.”

“Call me, Jeon-ha. And it’ll be okay. Thanks to you, I’m sure of it.”

“Confidence…? What do you mean?”

Curiosity overcame Bishop Ganista’s shame.

The moment I couldn’t resist my curiosity and raised my head-.

“!”

Bishop Ganista couldn’t help but open his eyes wide.

Because I saw the ring that Narva’s index and middle fingers were picking up very carefully.

Of course, if it had been an ordinary ring, the bishop’s reaction would not have been so dramatic.

But beyond the gray hair, the ancient knowledge that resided in the bishop’s wrinkled head spoke in unison.

The ring in Narva’s hand.

“Uh, when? When did you find that?!”

A human nation that once existed on the morning island.

The one and only seal ring that Ravansta, the fallen kingdom, had.

You could tell at a glance that it was genuine.

A semicircular anchor and a blade emblem hanging over it, boasting a noble platinum luster that remains unchanged even after the passage of time.

That sentence is the evidence.

It was not a form that had been forgotten and distorted during the hundred years that Ise ruled.

It was a genuine seal ring with the emblem of the contemporary Royal House of Lavansta, not a later emblem that had been transformed into a bone, shield, spear, or bow.

The signet ring, which no one among those who claimed to be the successor to the lonely king knew of and which had only been made into a counterfeit, was now in Narva’s hands.

“I took it out just in case, but you recognized me.”

“Your Majesty, have you already excavated the ancient ruins? Without even telling me a word?”

Did Narva, who was suspicious of the church, eventually hire people on his own and steal all the heritage of the old kingdom?

A sad question was beginning to arise in Bishop Ganista’s mind.

“I don’t know why this seal ring disappeared.”

“Now that I think about it…”

It was only later that I became curious as to why the signet ring had disappeared.

This is my curiosity as an archaeologist and historian who wants to uncover the truth of the past.

Narva smiled faintly as he read the curiosity in those eyes.

“I gave this signet ring to the boy I considered my brother. I gave it to him as a warning not to touch him, as he was protected by a king who hated and feared him.”

“So that boy was the next successor?”

“no.”

Kwak.

Narva answered, grabbing the seal ring in one breath.

“I got this ring from the four-wielding Ariava, the leader of the pagans I defeated last time.”

I held my breath for a very brief moment.

At least Bishop Ganista’s breath was definitely held for a moment.

Because I immediately realized what Narva meant by those words.

“Of course, I didn’t expect to survive anyway. I fought until the end, believing that if I fought alive, my younger brother and my mother would survive as well, but my subordinates told me to run away, and I accepted their request. It was an irreversible defeat.”

Bishop Ganista noticed where and when these words were referring.

Battle of the Batlin Plains.

The lonely king, who had been wisely avoiding fighting the pagans, suddenly changed his mind and fought a decisive battle, but in the end, he was unable to overcome his numerical disadvantage and suffered a crushing defeat, losing most of his troops.

There are even scholars who say that the fate of the fallen kingdom of Ravansta was decided around this point.

“I retreated, hearing the screams and cries that were carried by the wind.”

-That’s when I realized.

There was a cool chill in the words that followed.

“I can’t win a fight that I’m defending.”

When Bishop Ganista noticed the fact.

“I have learned that it is foolish to hope to lose nothing against those stronger than me, against enemies who are vastly more numerous.”

Narva’s eyes were sparkling brightly at some point.

“I knew that if the weak fight to protect themselves, they will surely lose.”

“…”

“I learned that the most miserable thing is not defeat, but the helplessness of not even being able to dream of revenge.”

What is in those eyes is not simple hatred and anger.

Bishop Ganista read the subtle gun that lay beyond the irregular sharpness of the glass shards.

A piece of wisdom that could perhaps be called a miracle.

“Your Majesty, have you received a revelation?”

“I received revelations from my enemies.”

For quite some time now, our adversaries have been issuing warnings.

Sometimes through indirect testimony, sometimes by suppressing and harassing those around him, now he is forced to confront direct visions and experiences.

What all these warnings and revelations said was clear.

What the gods of this world cannot take away is human life, not your life and the things that are precious to you.

Obey the gods.

Pledge to serve and obey.

Then you will be able to protect your precious things.

“What could be more foolish than asking for mercy from those who would take it from me?”

But Narva responded to the gods’ call with cynicism.

“Take as much as you want. Kill and abuse my family and everything.”

“Your Majesty, you suddenly gave up on what you said…”

“Instead, I will take from you as much as you took from me.”

At some point, Narva was no longer Bishop Ganista.

“You have already taken three of my family members from me, so I will end all the humans who worship you. If you are not satisfied with that and dare to take them away.”

He was speaking with direct aim at the gods.

“These are the foreign races.”

Bishop Ganista recalled a nickname he had heard before from this mad attitude.

He who killed the undead, Barialdo-.

“Bishop, this is my decision.”

“…”

This time.

“Arsenius and Aethelred, I entrust you with the protection of Duke Athelton, and in your stead I will take an army to take vengeance.”

They are moving to kill a belief that has lasted for thousands of years.