The Shadowed Legacy of the Soulless Messenger [EN]: Chapter 343

In the North, the autumn harvest failed, and most of the winter wheat froze. People rushed to gather what they could, but the unripened ears were full of empty husks. These gleaned, empty wheat stalks could be fed to livestock, but they were not fit for human consumption. For farmers who relied on the autumn harvest to last until the spring barley ripened, disaster had already begun. Some lords, with conscience and insight, reduced taxes, but in other areas, peasant revolts broke out. Most nobles were descendants of the Yegas gods [a pantheon of powerful beings], powerful mages and knights, so the peasant revolts were suppressed with bloodshed. However, those who turned to the witch covens, the messengers of Kurt [a dark deity], and those who relied on the messengers of Nether [a realm of the dead] appeared, and many nobles also died. Religious revolts began to break out in various places. The King’s Church was busy trying to quell these religious revolts. Naturally, the issue of the Northern Empire and the Rescue Knights artificially reincarnating people as Celestials [beings of divine origin] was buried. No, something far more serious was happening.

*********

In Dion, the very heart of the King’s Church in Karasar, bishops and inquisitors attended a meeting summoned by the Patriarch. Those near Dion in Karasar attended in person, while those too far away to attend the meeting directly used magical mirrors to participate. This grand assembly, directly summoned by the Patriarch with a proposed resolution, was a rare event in the history of the King’s Church, and everyone was paying attention. At that meeting, the Patriarch proposed a single agenda item. It was a proposal to enthrone Cohen Lionheart of the Northern Empire as the King of Kings. At that moment, the Holy Knights were shocked. Those who could attend this meeting were Holy Knights of the Inquisitor level. Originally, the position of Holy Knight in the King’s Church was for young people who were good with swords, and the Holy Knight Order was one step removed from the center of decision-making in the Church. Even so, for the meeting to begin with a story that the Inquisitors had never heard of? Surprisingly, the clergy had already coordinated their opinions and unanimously accepted the Patriarch’s proposal. ‘We believe that Cohen Lionheart of the Northern Empire is the one who can resolve this crisis. By declaring him King of Kings, we can overcome this calamity.’ The Patriarch was satisfied to see that all the bishops had cast their votes in favor. Of course, the Holy Knights and Inquisitors had not yet voted, but if all the bishops agreed, it was as good as passed. Then, Inquisitor Zekt, who could not hide his contempt even through the magic mirror, raised his hand. ‘Wait a minute? What is going on all of a sudden? King of Kings… are you talking about an Emperor?’ The existence of Emperor Yaeslat was a huge trauma for the King’s Church. They had always believed that having eight kings on eight thrones, with many people sharing divine power, was the right thing for the world. Therefore, they had considered Emperor Yaeslat an evil villain who threatened the safety of Hybris with his greed, and they had been suppressing his followers as heretics. But now, the Patriarch was trying to make Cohen Lionheart of the Northern Empire into the same kind of being as that Emperor. No, even worse than the Emperor. At least the Emperor tried to leave the King’s Church as the King’s Church. But what about Cohen Lionheart? He would merge the Rescue Knights and the King’s Church. ‘Not an Emperor, but a King of Kings.’ ‘What kind of wordplay is that? Are we supposed to immediately recognize Cohen Lionheart, who grew up in the Rescue Knights, as King of Kings just because we’re having a hard time? Isn’t this the same as the Emperor’s followers we’ve been killing all this time?’ Zekt pointed out exactly that. ‘Above all, the current Northern Empire, Cohen Lionheart, is using the heretical trick of Celestial Reincarnation. Grinding up the statues of angels to draw blood and using it to reincarnate humans…’ Zekt, who was exposing Cohen’s flaws, suddenly saw the Patriarch’s gaze waver as he looked at him. The Patriarch was about the same age as Zekt, but unlike Zekt, who looked like a robust young man, he was withered and old. Of course, an ordinary person could not live to Zekt’s age. He had already lived for more than two centuries as a human, a long life. That Patriarch looked at Zekt with trembling eyes. The envy, jealousy, and resentment in his eyes! The Patriarch looked at Zekt, who had a deeper divine bloodline and maintained his youth despite being his peer, and then said, ‘The Northern Empire has foreseen and prepared for all of this. How much food is stockpiled in each region?’ ‘Usually…’ It is common to survive from the autumn harvest until the next spring. In areas with good productivity, they produce more than that and sell the surplus for profit, or collect it as taxes. Cities stockpile food on their own, but at most, they have enough for about three months to withstand a siege. ‘Cohen Lionheart of the Northern Empire has stockpiled food for a full seven years. He foresaw the Fimbulwinter [a great winter that signals the end of the world] and has been preparing for it until now.’ ‘Oooooh…’ Those words impressed not only the clergy but also the Inquisitors like Zekt. ‘King of Kings or whatever, it seems reckless…’ ‘He prepared for this calamity in advance and stockpiled seven years’ worth of food? Cohen of the North is indeed a remarkable man.’ With the Fimbulwinter approaching, food prices were skyrocketing, which was a serious problem for the Holy Knights of the King’s Church as well. As grain prices soared, the Rescue Knights, the greatest grain merchants on the Hybris continent, cut off trade, locked the doors of the relief centers, and withdrew from various places. The clergy, who had to manage their parishes in fear of starvation, were truly going crazy. But when they heard that Cohen had stockpiled seven years’ worth of grain, everyone’s hearts were relieved. Let’s declare Cohen as King of Kings and become his allies to receive food. Then, they thought, the bizarre title of King of Kings wouldn’t be so bad. Isn’t it better to do something than to starve to death? On the other hand, Zekt was disappointed in them. ‘There’s one thing you’re overlooking. Did Cohen of the North ask for the title of King of Kings? Did he promise to share the food he stockpiled if we give him that title?’ ‘…Isn’t it a well-known fact that he has ambitions beyond being the King of Asander? So if we declare him King of Kings, he won’t ignore us.’ It was an absurdly optimistic view. ‘No, these people who were so tenacious when engaging in political strife, are they really saying this now? Did they already get something from the North?’ Zekt couldn’t hold back his anger at the clergy’s foolish remarks and almost cursed. He usually spoke politely even to his subordinates, but when he met such foolish people, curses just came out of his mouth. ‘King of Kings… Before that, do you know what his title, the North, means? Do you really think that Cohen, who is already called the North, will be so moved by the strange title of King of Kings that he will give us his seven-year stockpile of food?’ It didn’t seem likely that Cohen, who was already called the North, would be moved by the strange title of King of Kings and be grateful to the King’s Church. ‘And even if he has stockpiled seven years’ worth of food, isn’t that for Asander to use? How can the eight kingdoms survive on just that? Above all, if he intends to merge the King’s Church and the Rescue Knights to become a great king on his own, he wouldn’t share food with us now. If the Fimbulwinter is real, we might receive food standing now, but in a year, we’ll be kneeling to receive it, and in another year, we’ll be prostrating ourselves to receive it.’ If the title of the North was not just the ramblings of a delusional patient, they would know this much. If there was a surplus in the food stockpile, they would keep it hidden and use it as a means to subjugate people when needed, rather than announcing it. There was no reason to give it away now. ‘Instead, excommunicate him and recommend me as the King of Asander. If that happens, I will take four years’ worth of food from Asander’s warehouse and entrust it to the King’s Church. How about that?’ ‘………’ ‘Is it a shocking statement? But Cohen Lionheart is committing acts that deserve excommunication. That is, the act of reincarnating humans. If we use that as a reason, it will be enough to excommunicate him.’ Zekt said that and waited for the support of his fellow Inquisitors.

*********

The Inquisitors, the high-ranking Holy Knights of the King’s Church, shared a common perception. They perceived themselves as unfortunate beings who had been pushed down the ranks. Since the world was peaceful and stable, they had never had the opportunity to prove that they were worthy of the throne. Except for those known as prodigies like the Golden King Manza Zadek or Cohen Lionheart of the North, they were just lucky to have good parents, or were the eldest sons who easily eliminated their rivals and took their place. When the era of calamity arrived, they, who had trained in the King’s Church, would prove their worth and seize the throne from the incompetent kings. It was an impious thought for a Holy Knight who was supposed to assist the king’s rule, but the Inquisitors of the King’s Church were pure-blooded royals with high succession rights, so they held this perception even if they didn’t openly express it. So, when Zekt boldly demanded the throne like this, everyone should have responded to him, but… ‘……’ There was no response. ‘Sir Zekt, do you have clear evidence to excommunicate the North?’ ‘The evidence is…’ If Azadin had handed over the scroll with the magic of the North, there would have been evidence. But there was no such material evidence. ‘If the opponent were a commoner, we could just arrest them and investigate. But the opponent is the King of Asander. We cannot investigate someone without evidence.’ ‘Isn’t it a well-known fact that those many Celestials and Seramites [another type of divine being] are made with the blood of angels? If the Church has the will…’ ‘We know that you have touched various sorceries and hidden many forces to gain suspicious power. We haven’t excommunicated you for that, so we can’t excommunicate the North.’ The Patriarch blatantly poked at Zekt’s weaknesses. Zekt saw the silence of the bishops and other Inquisitors around him and realized that they had marked him as a dangerous person from the beginning. ‘It seems that the bishops have already been won over by the North. Did he perhaps promise you reincarnation? That he would make you reborn as Celestials?’ ‘……’ The bishops were silent, and the Inquisitors began to stir. That reaction was the answer. The North had promised the bishops reincarnation as angels. Well, otherwise, they wouldn’t have even known that he had stockpiled seven years’ worth of food. If he had told them that he had stockpiled food without trusting them, they would have bothered him to share it. ‘Sir Zekt, bring evidence and handle the matter. As of now, we cannot excommunicate him or hold a disciplinary hearing without any evidence.’ ‘I don’t know when we ever needed evidence to conduct an inquisition. I understand. Then, I will leave now. I don’t think I can tolerate the farce of giving him that ridiculous title of King of Kings.’ Zekt’s image disappeared from the magic mirror first. ‘Then… let’s decide when and how to declare it.’ The bishops, unconcerned that Zekt had left the meeting first, continued to preside over their meeting. The focus of this meeting was how to declare that the King’s Church was giving unlimited support to Cohen Lionheart of the North without lowering the dignity of the Church. The King’s Church, which had been suppressing the Emperor’s followers, was now preparing to enthrone a new Emperor.