Chapter 158: Reconciliation
George slightly lifted his head, looked at the cross directly in front of him, and said, “I am willing to use everything I have to protect the Lord’s Glory.”
“Guardian, is it?” Corleon repeated, then said, “Then in my capacity as Bishop of the Flower Church, I hereby confer upon you the title of Guardian Knight. From this day forth, you shall be the Church’s steadfast shield, safeguarding the Lord’s Glory.”
“May your Faith remain ever steadfast; this shall be the Lord’s Blessing granted unto you.”
As Corleon’s voice fell, George felt a slight sting on his forehead. When the sting subsided, a trace of warmth spread from that spot, as if soothing his very soul.
“Administrator Piero,” Corleon suddenly called out.
“Y-yes… Bishop, I’m here.” Piero reflexively stood up, his teeth chattering as he spoke.
“A Guardian Knight of the Church requires a set of armor, a sword, and a shield. Can I entrust this matter to you?” Corleon asked.
“Of course, I’ll have the best blacksmiths in the territory craft them for Knight George,” Piero said, bowing deeply.
“Thank you for your help,” Corleon responded, then continued.
“The warriors who went on an expedition to Marquis Demitri’s Territory are about to return. I believe they represent the goodwill of all the Local Gentry in our territory toward Marquis Demitri’s land. They saved many who suffered immensely—they ought to be regarded as heroes. What do you think?”
“Yes, without a doubt, they are all heroes. I will arrange the most beautiful women and the sweetest Honey Wine to welcome them. They will be rewarded with wealth and Honor,” Piero quickly replied.
“That is not enough to reflect the nobility of their deeds. I believe there should be White Doves to guide them, Flower Paths laid out for them, Commoners cheering them on, Local Gentry singing their praises, Knights clearing the way, Nobles extolling their bravery, and pure maidens presenting them with flower garlands,” said Corleon.
“……” Piero swallowed hard. Flowers, Commoners, and White Doves were manageable—but the rest, he truly couldn’t pull off.
Especially the pure maidens. In Piero’s understanding, those two words contradicted each other.
“Knight Borien will help you invite the Local Gentry, Mister Oscar will compose the songs of praise for them, and Knight Wolf will go invite the three Barons visiting our territory,” Corleon continued.
“Understood, Bishop. I’ll make sure they’re all eager to sing those songs,” said Knight Borien, a little too eagerly.
Piero let out a sigh of relief. With the Knights handling the invitations, the rest would be easier to manage.
As for the pure maidens, if push came to shove, he could always spend a fortune buying a few from the Rat Path.
“Very well. You are right—they ought to enjoy such praise and celebration,” Piero said with a bow.
“Thank you for your assistance, and thank you as well for coming all this way today,” Corleon said.
“It’s all part of my duty. Now, if you’ll excuse me, there are still matters in town that require my attention,” Piero said, then left, legs slightly trembling.
Before exiting the Church, he turned back and said, “Knight George, when you’re free, have someone pass me a message. I’ll bring the blacksmiths over soon.”
With that, and without waiting for George’s reply, he fled like a man escaping.
“Knight Borien,” Corleon called again.
“At your service,” Borien replied without hesitation, dropping to one knee, hand over chest, head bowed.
“When they return, I hope the warriors stationed in the town will come to witness their valor.”
“No problem,” Borien responded without hesitation.
“On that day, Knights must clear the path for them. Besides Knight Wolf and Knight George, how many Knights do you think would be willing to join?” Corleon asked.
“I believe twelve Knights,” Borien answered.
Knight Wolf alone had six Honorary Knights conferred by the two Barons.
Of the remaining Knights, the Lord had left behind two—one was now stationed in the western territories of the three Barons, and the other, Knight Dean, was still recovering in town after being severely wounded by the Holy Relic of Viscount Logan.
“I, too, hope to see the valor of twelve Knights on that day,” Corleon said.
Once matters with Borien were concluded and he left, Oscar, who had been seated on the right pew, stood and walked with small steps to stand before George, glancing at the Zeda Manuscript.
“Is this what that child wrote?” Oscar asked.
George looked curiously at the unfamiliar man.
“He’s a teacher from the Monastery, in charge of the magic curriculum—Oscar,” Corleon explained.
“Oscar, take George to the Monastery to rest first. Then make a copy of the Zeda Manuscript and place it in the Lord’s Library beside the Burke Manuscript.”
“As you will,” Oscar said, bowing deeply, with a hint of flattery in his tone.
“Bishop, about what you mentioned earlier…”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten,” Corleon said with a hint of amusement. “Compose songs of praise for George and Marl’s story, and you shall be the first Dean of the Monastery.”
“Understood, Bishop. I’ll make sure their songs become classics sung by generations,” Oscar said joyfully.
Then he left with the still somewhat bewildered George.
“Is it really alright to have him take George?” Only after the two had left did Knight Wolf speak.
“Oscar won’t go too far—he cannot lie,” Corleon replied. “He’ll just take him to a prearranged Magic Array to test George’s constitution.”
“No sane person would agree to requests like dissection.”
Having been stripped of pain, and watching his own body’s flesh, Internal Organs, and bones slowly excavated and reassembled into a humanoid figure, Knight Wolf fell silent.
“Is it really fine to release those three Barons now?” he asked.
“It’s fine. After the Coalition was destroyed, Viscount Youn returned to the Forth Territory to regroup and invaded the Parker Territory. The surviving Barons are dividing up what remains of the Parker Territory after losing Viscount Logan and the Holy Relic,” Corleon explained.
“Further south, though the Lord can no longer be contacted, according to the information from the Rat Path, it appears the Lord has caused quite a bit of trouble for the heirs. He has no time to concern himself with us in the north.”
“The Lord and Viscount Youn have already severed all contact between the York Territory and the capital. Now is the perfect time to release those three and have them adapt to the new rules—make them a part of the York Territory.”
“Counting the western lands, the York Territory is no longer small. And the original administrative systems of York Territory are already on the verge of collapse. Administrator Piero needs help.”
Knight Wolf said, “What about the Monastery apprentices? I heard from Piero they’ve been doing well.”
“In terms of ability, with the Monastery scholars’ unreserved teaching, they’re certainly far more capable than ordinary officials. But their thirst for power is not small,” Corleon said calmly.
“Before even completing a half-year term, they’ve already begun leveraging the Monastery’s influence to seek personal gain.”
“They’re all from various families, not the core members. After the first legislation, the sudden surge in power quickly corrupted them.”
“They’ve even been stripped of the right to continue studying Church Scriptures. Given their obsession with power, once the term ends, they’ll become officials.”
“But they’re all classmates. They’ll instinctively band together. At that point, Administrator Piero won’t be able to control them.”
“So we need to find Piero some allies to balance them out.”
Knight Wolf shook his head. “That’s too much trouble. Just kill a batch of them and let the rest keep working.”
“Haha, yes, that would solve the current issue,” Corleon laughed. “But what about the second group of Monastery apprentices? And the third, and the fourth?”
“Our ultimate goal is to make the territory more prosperous and improve everyone’s lives. That’s not something you can achieve by simply killing people.”
“Let them form two factions. The Church will serve as the middle arbiter. The standard of judgment will be based on who can increase the population, produce more grain and supplies, and implement policies more effectively. Those who perform well will be rewarded, and those who perform poorly will receive visits from Knights at their homes.”
“This may not be the best method, but it is the most suitable for our current stage.”