Chapter 368: The Doubt of Acting Royal Authority
Richard scratched his head and said,「There indeed is such a distinction, but the knights having to be evaluated by the Knights’ Guild has made some of them displeased.」
Marl asked,「Is it the Oath Knights who are dissatisfied, or those regular Tier Four ones?」
Richard smiled awkwardly and said,「The Oath Knights agree with the evaluation, but they are somewhat dissatisfied about having to go to the Knights’ Guild.」
Marl raised his head and looked at Richard. Even though Richard was older, he seemed like a junior in front of Marl.
Marl said,「If not at the Knights’ Guild, then where do they intend to conduct the evaluations? Or do they want the Oath Knights to become the place for evaluation?」
Richard replied,「They believe that the current president of the Knights’ Guild is not capable of holding this position.」
Marl asked,「Who brought this up? Or is it that in their eyes, only those with power are worthy to be called knights? Then what makes them different from ordinary Tier Fours? If only power is considered, does that mean whoever is strongest gets to have everything and judge others?」
Marl raised a series of rhetorical questions, finally asking,「Then what about you? What do you think?」
「You are a marquis and also a knight, and according to policy, you too must go to the Knights’ Guild for evaluation.」
Richard said,「Of course I won’t oppose it. Just as you said, over the years, the number of Oath Knights hasn’t increased much since the end of the Eastern Crusade. Besides the few who have been recognized, some were also expelled by me. If the evaluation is accurate, I naturally think it’s a good thing. But how can I be sure that the evaluation for the Oath Knights is accurate?」
Marl smiled and said,「You’ve already established the sequence of your Oath Knights.」
Richard gave a dry cough and said,「I am loyal to the King of Lundex, and I believe the policy issued by the Senate is not wrong—just a bit too hasty.」
Marl spoke slowly,「If it weren’t hasty, how would those people have come to find you? You should know clearly your reputation among the nobles is poor. Also, you should understand that those regular Tier Fours who oppose this, they have nobles backing them.」
「Richard, your child can already mount a pony with Oliver’s help. It’s time for you to do what a noble should. After all, I am just a bishop of the Church.」
Richard did not respond to that, only smiled and said,「It’s precisely because I know the nobles’ reactions that I’ve come to ask your opinion.」
Marl shook his head and said,「My opinion is to follow the Senate’s policy. At the very least, they are an extension of royal authority, and the policy itself is not wrong. Those undecided Tier Fours indeed need a conclusion.」
「Jeremiah, over there, has the Doyle Knight Order with the largest number of people, but very few are accepted into the Great Cathedral. After the recent bishop council, he went to the Knight Academy, hoping to directly arrange for a batch of graduates to enter his cathedral—those are still just kids.」
「And in the Adrian Territory, quite a few Tier Fours are active without being accepted into the Oath Knights.」
「If we expand the scope to the entire Adrian Diocese, the number would be even greater. After all, the Adrian Diocese is more than three times the size of the Adrian Territory.」
「The presence of these Tier Fours across such a vast land has a major impact on the stability of the diocese.」
「Richard, you must remember, this is no longer the chaotic Old Testament Era, but the orderly New Testament Era. Even the Morning Star and White Star in the sky have been renamed. So why not the knights? Not just knights—everyone in the New Testament Era must be named. Only then will order arise. Only then will the New Testament belong to humanity.」
Marl’s voice was gentle, as if filled with fatigue, almost sighing as he spoke.
Richard lowered his head slightly and listened. Finally, he responded,「I understand. I’ll handle this matter properly.」
Marl said,「You don’t need to rush. As for those people's opinions, you need not respond. You’re a marquis, a person of authority. You are also a Dragon-Eagle Knight, a powerful one. And more than that—you are a hero, a noble figure. So even the senators must respect you.」
「As long as you are sure of your loyalty to the King of Lundex, just act according to your own thoughts.」
「For example, didn’t you already send a group of Oath Knights to study at the Knight Academy? Let them learn there and interact more with the president, who is also the head of the Knights’ Guild. Let that president prove himself—whether he’s qualified to evaluate knights, and whether he truly understands your oath.」
「None of this should be rushed. Don’t be impatient. You are Richard. The attention gathered on you does not represent you alone.」
These words were like guidance for a junior.
Richard nodded silently.
Marl smiled and was about to lower his head to handle affairs.
However, Richard suddenly asked,「Does the King of Lundex really exist?」
Marl’s hand paused. He looked up at Richard.
Richard continued,「It’s already the third year of the New Testament, yet the royal throne remains vacant. Only the Senate acts in place of royal authority, and even those senators admit they’ve never seen the king.」
Marl said,「Is that the reason they gave?」
Richard said,「This is the doubt of all of us, not just them.」
Marl was silent for a moment, then sighed,「It’s only been three years.」
Richard said,「Three years isn’t short. Including the founding of the kingdom, it’s already been five years.」
「But not even a generation has passed, not even half.」 Marl said,「When the kingdom was officially unified after the Eastern Crusade, the population of Greenwood was less than one-fifth of the time of the Three Principalities, and many of them were children.」
Richard said,「But after following the Monastery’s class evaluations, the kingdom’s accumulated power is now quite strong.」
Marl said,「Ultimately, it is only the power that grew after people had enough to eat—not the power Greenwood should truly have.」
「So under the current circumstances, whether or not there’s a king isn’t important. What Greenwood needs now is time—time to develop peacefully. When the time comes, the king will naturally appear.」
Richard asked,「So the king has always been in the shadows?」
Marl didn’t respond. Instead, he said,「I still have things to do. If you want to help, you can look through those documents.」
Marl pointed to the documents nearby—each stack as tall as a forearm.
「Those are Adrian Territory’s internal affairs. It’s fitting for you, the lord, to handle them.」
Richard felt a chill down his spine, forced a smile, and said,「Compared to that, I think I’d better deal with the knights’ issue right now.」
He turned and ran off without even a goodbye.
Marl could only shake his head helplessly and continued working.
As for the matters Richard hinted at regarding the nobles, Marl didn’t care in the slightest.
Doyle Territory’s Doyle City could be considered the central stronghold in the southern part of Greenwood.
Doyle City was built on a slightly raised hill, with Doyle Castle situated at the summit.
Once close enough, without any obstruction from the terrain or forest, one could see the castle clearly by slightly raising their head, especially the family crest of Marquis Gregor Doyle atop the castle.
Standing on the terrace directly in front of the castle, one could view the entire city of Doyle, laid out in three tiered layers descending with the terrain.
At the top, naturally, was the castle—the marquis’s domain.
The next tier housed the direct officials of the marquis and the knights of the Doyle Knight Order.
Below that were the residences of commoners and merchants. Amidst this layer, a particularly conspicuous building stood out.
A plot was designated within the commoners’ area to construct the two-story Doyle Great Cathedral. A cross was placed atop the cathedral. At least in this region, the commoners in their low houses only had to slightly lift their heads to see it. But for those on the second tier, due to elevation differences, they’d need to deliberately seek a vantage point to spot it.
Jeremiah conducted his work in this very cathedral.
With Gregor always riding through the woodlands, all Doyle Territory’s governance was handled by Jeremiah.
But since this area was inhabited by commoners, coming here meant walking through their streets and catching the odors of their living quarters. Some residents on the second tier even suggested Jeremiah relocate the Doyle Cathedral to the upper level.
Jeremiah simply declined with a smile.
The official didn’t press the issue—some commoners praying in the cathedral had heard his voice and now looked at him with strange eyes.
In truth, Jeremiah felt regret. If only these people had been a bit duller before the Eastern Crusade, he wouldn’t be so exhausted now.
Especially now that his jurisdiction—the Doyle Diocese—had expanded nearly twofold. Even with the help of priests, the coordination had become even more exhausting for him.
Still, in recent days, none of the officials had come to report to the cathedral.
Jeremiah naturally understood—it was because of the Senate’s policy on the Knights’ Guild. That policy had infringed on the core interests of the nobles.
Specifically, their control over military power.