Chapter 114: Trade
Corleon enforced exceptionally strict commandments upon the church personnel.
Outside the church, only Nyx from Garcia Village occasionally bestowed the temporary Commandment · Toward Life upon the sick.
Because of this, the demand for the power of Faith remained very low, allowing Corleon to use more of it on Revelation.
Revelation was mysterious and powerful. Through it, Corleon had basically witnessed the recent joint assault of Dark Creatures and Fishmen on the main city of the Principality of Corlay.
Although the main city was barely defended with the aid of Holy Relics and the knights’ desperate struggle, the main Allied Forces lost more than half of their strength.
Perhaps after one more accumulation of strength and attack from the Fishmen and Dark Creatures, the Principality of Corlay could begin counting down to its extinction.
And during the offensive of the Dark Creatures and Fishmen, twenty thousand Werewolves burst out from Marquis Demitri’s Territory, turning the relatively peaceful rear of the Principality of Corlay into chaos.
However, Corleon could never catch sight of Marquis Demitri’s Territory.
George had entered that area more than a month ago, and Hode, along with two Temple Warriors and those bearing the Purple Cross Painted in Blood Flag, had gone in nearly two months prior.
Corleon was not worried about George. After undergoing training under Borien, his strength was already close to that of a knight. With the reinforcement of the Commandment · Holy Knight, even without facing Dark Creatures, he was already of the Grand Knights level within the Monastery system.
Knight Wolf was now a Grand Knight; with his warriors, he could slaughter those Gentry Families without restraint.
What Corleon was more concerned about was Hode and the two Temple Warriors. All three were of the Upper Warriors level in the Monastery system. Though they would not fear small groups of transformed Werewolves—such Werewolves could barely count as Lower Warriors—
those true lower-tier Werewolves would be of the same level as them.
Moreover, the more terrifying threat from the Werewolves was the Wolf Catastrophe formed by their overwhelming numbers.
As for those people under the Purple Cross Painted in Blood Flag, Corleon was more curious than concerned.
The path of fanatic Faith they followed was precisely what Corleon strove to avoid. Thus, he very much wanted to know what had become of them now.
East of Marquis Demitri’s Territory.
This was already near the border with the Principality of Corlay.
"We’ll be entering the Principality of Corlay very soon,"said the man clad in pale golden armor.
"Yes, Darks, we’re almost there,"Zezel’s voice was weak.
His current state was bizarre, revealing only a deathly pale face. His lower body was tightly wrapped, reduced to no more than the size of two heads, with only his eyes still as bright as before.
The Purple Cross Painted in Blood Flag was hoisted on Darks’s back. He held Zezel as if holding a baby.
"Indeed, your Lord has finally guided us out of this cursed place,"Darks’s voice rang loud, his face concealed by a helmet like an iron bucket.
"Haha, things over there aren’t that great either,"Zezel forced a laugh.
"Twenty thousand Werewolves surged into the last peaceful region of the Principality of Corlay. Though the Local Gentry tried hard to purge them, the land still fell into chaos."
"Of course, that’s good for us. Only amidst sufficient chaos can we find a chance to breathe."
"I don’t understand all that you’re saying. Just tell me what I need to do,"Darks interrupted Zezel.
Zezel turned his face aside, looking toward the front, where the east lay—the location of the Principality of Corlay.
The Morning Star would rise from there each day, announcing the start of a new dawn.
But now, the Morning Star had already moved to the rear, about to set, yielding the sky above to the White Star.
In Zezel’s vision, he could see a dark purple hue slowly creeping over the horizon in the east, with flickers of starlight seeming to glimmer within.
The starlight shimmered in his bright eyes.
"Darks, I’m going to die,"he said calmly.
"..."Darks did not respond, only breathing more heavily.
"My father was the head of the merchant caravan for the Gentry Families in the village. When his son grew up and took over his position, that was considered very natural."
"But I didn’t like being like my father, running commerce for those people."
"Yet my father told me that this was my fate. From the moment I was born, I was destined to become such a person."
"I didn’t understand it then, but since my father said so, I started learning from him."
"By the time I came of age, I believed I had learned everything my father had to teach. I thought he’d be proud of me."
"So I told him."
"Then, the next day, my father died."
"It was suicide."
"Right after I buried my father, they took me away and had me take over my father’s position."
"That was the most confused period of my life."
"I ran commerce for them, earned gold coins—they praised my abilities, said I was more capable than my father, even talked about marrying me into their family."
"But I wasn’t happy. It all felt meaningless to me."
"Then, on one of my trade runs to Greenwood City, I met Teacher."
"He enlightened me, and suddenly, I no longer felt lost."
"I understood why Father committed suicide."
"Because I had grown up and needed to work. Every position in the merchant caravan was fixed, and they wouldn’t allow father and son to serve in the same caravan."
"Father believed my abilities shouldn’t be wasted, so he committed suicide, and I inherited his position."
"Once I figured it out, I laughed—laughed at my father’s foolishness."
"But from that day forward, I knew this was a mistake, a mistake that needed correction. And those who prevented its correction were the Gentry Families, those Nobles, those Lords."
"Teacher told me that I alone couldn’t correct this mistake. I needed to wait for the right opportunity. I needed people who could help me."
"So I befriended you, and Marl, and Yorson. Then, when Teacher arrived, I asked him to enlighten all of you."
"The opportunity came quickly. The Local Gentry in the village were killed by the knights. It seemed like the mistake had been corrected."
"But the continued existence of the Manor told me it was only an illusion."
"And when that fat pig came, it confirmed my judgment even more."
"So I told you and Yorson—the time had come. It was time to correct the mistake."
At this point, Zezel smiled.
"Teacher told me that merely correcting the mistake this way wouldn’t make them stand on the same side with me."
"So, earlier, I went to the Church. I listened to the Holy Scriptures, and then I felt the desire in my heart."
"That’s when I realized—we still lacked a goal that everyone could yearn for."
"Then, I committed a great sin."
"I fueled their conflict with that fat pig, lured the people in the Manor into rebellion, deceived them into consuming the flesh and blood of their own kin."
"They went mad. They became fanatical. They lost themselves. In their eyes, there was only the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth that I preached."
"In the end, they destroyed the Manor, and with it, the world they had lived in."
"But that was wrong. They could only prove that my idea was correct, yet they could never become residents of the Heavenly Kingdom on Earth."
"So, during our time here, they all died."
"And with their lives, they liberated more Commoners."
Zezel’s weak voice uttered extremely cruel words.
Darks continued onward in silence.
"Perhaps the Lord truly exists. But having committed such a great sin, how could I possibly receive the Lord’s grace?" Zezel’s face carried a strained smile, his eyes shimmering with starlight, as if looking at something.
"You noticed it, didn’t you? Once I decided to act, within just half a month—"
"You changed from a scrawny, underfed body into someone strong enough to stand against a lord’s warriors."
"That is not normal."
"And my body has already become like this."
"To correct this world, relying on ordinary people like us is not enough."
"So, I made a deal with a mysterious existence."