Chapter 157: Guardian Knight and Punishing Knight
At noon, George and his group could already see the Church of the Sanctuary.
George was somewhat dazed. In his line of sight, only the Great Church remained familiar; everything else had changed completely.
The once slightly undulating flatland now looked as if it had been meticulously painted by someone with a brush.
Transplanted trees and flowers divided the land into various sections. The tall and solemn church, when contrasted against this vegetation, appeared even more serene than before.
Not far to the left of the Great Church stood a three-story monastery, seemingly hidden within the greenery. People clad in beige apprentice robes hurried about through it.
Behind the monastery was a partially completed building, appearing smaller than the monastery but made from neatly cut stone bricks, unlike the monastery which was primarily made of wood.
It was probably because of the need to collect and cut stone blocks that construction of this building had been so slow.
After all, even from what George could see, the number of workers building it was three times more than those who had built the Great Church.
Further in the background, the view became less picturesque—there were dug-out pits scattered around, with a few people surveying plots of land.
And in the area surrounded by the Great Church, the monastery, and the under-construction building, a group of people was laying a foundation, as if preparing to build yet another structure.
Even just these changes, compared to when he had left, left George in awe.
If George felt this way, Landon and Igor were even more stunned.
They had grown up in hilly terrain, where there was only stony ground and even weeds were yellowish green. They had never seen a place built with such meticulous care.
Borien glanced at the awestruck Landon, unconsciously puffing out his chest as he proudly said, “Those oaks were chosen and transplanted by Monk Cicero himself. Though they're still young oaks, since full-grown ones are simply too heavy.”
“And those flowers were gathered and transplanted from across the entire territory. Although they look beautiful now, many of them are withering slowly. Still, seeds have been sown, and by next spring, this place will bloom even more radiantly.”
“Of course, the rear sections are still under planning. So, as of now, only the Great Church and monastery at the forefront are considered fully developed.”
“When everything is completed, I believe this will become the most beautiful place in the Principality of Patlin.”
Knight Borien said.
The three of them nodded instinctively.
Having traversed the Church Nation, the Werewolf Kingdom, and the Belair Territory, the moment they saw Adams Village, they felt it was the ideal place for human life.
But now, seeing the location of the Church of the Sanctuary, they found themselves at a loss for words.
“If there really is a Heavenly Kingdom on Earth, it must look like this,” Landon murmured.
“Hahaha, the pilgrims from the West said the same thing. At that time, Monk Cicero merely replied that this place was still far from a true Heavenly Kingdom on Earth,” Borien laughed heartily.
George nodded in agreement.
“All right, Knight Brand, Knight Geick, take our guests to the monastery. Monk Agamemnon is already waiting there,” Knight Borien turned and said to the two other knights.
Landon was startled and looked toward George, only to see George nod at him, signaling them not to worry.
After the four of them left, Borien finally spoke.
“The Great Church recently has been... inconvenient for ordinary people to enter,” he said hesitantly, ultimately choosing a vague phrasing.
“Monk Cicero is currently constructing a clock tower. Once it is completed, the Great Church will be fully open.”
“Inconvenient?” George asked.
“Mhm, you'll understand when the time comes,” Borien said. “Let’s head over, we shouldn’t keep the Bishop waiting.”
With that, he urged his horse forward.
George was puzzled but followed along.
On the side of the Great Church, bordered by trees and flowers forming a wall, was a stable where the two of them tied their horses.
“Although Monk Cicero isn't satisfied with this stable, saying a designated area should be set aside for a large stable, Miss Melia rejected that proposal, saying that conditions weren’t suitable yet and that there weren’t many horses in the territory anyway,” Borien said.
“But I feel having a stable here is more convenient.”
George followed silently.
They entered the outer courtyard of the Great Church through the main gate’s side exit and happened to run into a Temple Warrior exiting the church.
“Warrior Hack!” George greeted.
The other paused, looking surprised at George’s greatly changed appearance, and asked somewhat uncertainly, “Warrior George?”
“It’s me,” George nodded. “Warrior Hack, did you just meet with the Bishop?”
“Yes. Captain Hode still hasn’t returned, so I requested permission from the Bishop to go to Marquis Demitri’s Territory to search for him. But it was denied. The Bishop said they are still alive,” Hack said, then paused and looked at George.
“Right, Warrior George, you came from that direction, didn’t you? Did you find any trace of Captain Hode?” he asked.
George shook his head. “I haven’t heard of any news about Temple Warriors from that side. But you should still trust the Bishop.”
He added that final sentence in consolation.
“Of course I trust the Bishop. But more than that, I want to fight alongside my captain and comrades,” Hack said.
Then he glanced at Knight Borien and continued speaking to George.
“You two should go in. The Bishop is still waiting for you.”
With a slight bow, he left.
The two of them pushed open the door to the Great Church. Upon stepping inside, George immediately felt a slight tingling in his body. He turned to glance at Borien, who was already breathing heavily.
Corleon sat in the front row’s left pew, looking forward.
In the last row of the right pews sat Administrator Piero, whom George found somewhat unfamiliar. The man trembled uncontrollably on the bench, his forehead drenched in sweat.
The Great Church had eleven rows of pews. On the sixth row of the left side sat Knight Wolf, now dressed in plain clothing, his body appearing somewhat scrawny.
On the same row but on the right side sat a person unfamiliar to George, with their head lowered, flipping through a book.
“George, you’ve returned,” Corleon spoke from the front, without turning his head.
“Yes, Bishop. I have returned from the Church Nation. I have brought the Core Doctrine of the Theocracy—the Zeda Manuscript,” George took a few steps forward and knelt on one knee between the seventh and eighth pews, holding the manuscript in both hands.
“You have completed the mission given to you by the Lord well,” Corleon said. “You have achieved distinguished merit and deserve a reward.”
“I am a Servant of the Lord. This is what I should do,” George replied.
“But when a deed is done, a reward must follow. This is what you deserve. This is also the Lord’s Teaching,” Corleon said. “You will receive gold coins. You may use that money to ask Cicero to build a residence for you near the Sanctuary. It shall be your home.”
“Of course, these coins alone are not enough to honor your achievements, so you should become a knight.”
“The Lord is the Lord of Hosts. He bestows Blessings upon the steadfast—they shall become Guardians, protect the Lord’s Throne, protect the Lord’s Servants, and all that the Lord cherishes. The Lord bestows Blessings upon the brave—they shall become Punishers, punishing the sinful, purifying the evil that harms what the Lord protects.”
“So, George, do you choose to become a Guardian, or a Punisher?” Corleon asked.