Chapter 70: The Bloody Blade
The next day, after completing morning prayers, Nyx headed to York Town.
Only there could he receive news more swiftly.
Around noon, Yara arrived at the church.
Her face looked weary, with a hint of concealed fear in her eyes.
“Priest, I came to see Ando,” she said.
“He’s currently watching the tournament,” Corleon replied.
Yara felt even more troubled.
Thinking about the need to acquire iron weapons, Corleon asked,
“Miss Yara, I recall there’s a blacksmith in Daniels Village. May I ask if there are iron weapons for sale?”
“Apologies, Priest. Given the current situation, as you might know, we lack such weapons ourselves,” Yara said.
“Moreover, along with the lord’s conscription order, there was also a requisition for weapons. We must pledge our loyalty to the lord.”
“However, I can inquire in town to see if any other families are selling weapons.”
“Then I shall trouble you, Miss Yara,” Corleon nodded slightly.
“It’s just a small favor,” Yara said, glancing at the newly constructed church, which had taken shape.
“This new church is truly... beautiful,” she said, her voice tinged with regret.
A large batch of sturdy bricks, Cicero’s design, and the devout believers’ meticulous construction naturally made it beautiful.
However, to Yara, this new church wasn’t practical enough; it couldn’t serve as a fortress during wartime.
It seemed a bit wasteful to use so many sturdy bricks.
Moreover, the cluster of residences being built behind the church, along with those warriors rumored to have been abandoned by the knight families.
If this new church had been constructed to fortress standards, it would be far superior to the bases of ordinary small families.
But since it was so close to York Town, right beside the lord, perhaps they didn’t dare to build a fortress directly.
Yara speculated as such.
Hearing Yara’s words, Corleon smiled and said, “This was designed by Monk Cicero. The small church in Daniels Village was also his design.”
He was quite satisfied with the new church.
“Hahaha, this monk’s design is indeed beautiful,” Yara said.
“The small church in the village was completed yesterday. However, due to limited resources, it was built using only wooden planks and stones.”
“It’s already completed?” Corleon was taken aback, then said, “Miss Yara, after you’ve finished your tasks and return to the village, could you come to the church once?”
“I’d like to trouble you to bring a sacred relic to the small church.”
Though called a sacred relic, it was actually a cross, about half the size of a person, that Corleon had [Enlightened].
After enlightenment, this cross possessed a faint power to dispel evil and soothe the soul.
Placing this sacred relic on the Lord’s Throne and worshipping it devoutly might perhaps invoke other powers.
“Of course,” Yara agreed, as it was merely delivering an item.
Yara didn’t linger much; the threat of the village being razed still loomed, and she didn’t have the mind for small talk.
...
Before nightfall, Yara brought Ando, whose face bore a bright red slap mark, back to the church.
After taking the sacred relic prepared by Corleon, she returned to the village.
Corleon tentatively inquired about the lord’s decision, but Yara only sighed and shook her head.
The lord didn’t meet her; it was Piero who conveyed the message.
‘The lord said, everything proceeds as usual.’
So Yara could only visit some allies, gather some information, and then hurried back.
...
After Yara’s departure, time seemed to accelerate.
The new church was continuously being filled, and the tournament, which lasted six days, selected four warriors.
Weilin Daniels achieved a record of twenty-five consecutive victories and was hailed by the people of York Territory as the number one warrior.
That day, the lord also appeared, personally praising his bravery and awarding him a two-handed greatsword.
This was a great honor.
At least after that day, Ando dared to hold his head high before Melia, looking down at others.
However, this might have spurred the prospective knights.
After that day, the frequency of prospective knights returning to town after hunting bandits increased.
They erected long spears outside the town, each bearing a bandit’s head.
The most exaggerated instance was when they escorted over fifty people into town.
Corleon heard from Nyx that a family in a village had colluded with bandits, intending to kill the prospective knights. However, their conspiracy was uncovered, and eventually, the knights broke through the family’s manor gates.
Nyx recounted this with a mocking expression.
After that day, the knights’ blades grew bloodier.
Subsequently, three more families managing villages were overthrown.
Both gates of the town were filled with spears, with over four hundred heads hanging.
Blood soaked that land, and the stench of blood, carried by the breeze, could be smelled even in the church.
It was said that the marquis, who was supposed to march south soon, had only gathered his army but hadn’t made any moves, which slightly alleviated their fear.
However, the knights’ actions instilled fear of the lord in them.
They trembled in their manors, dreading the moment when the knights would kick open their gates.
They clearly realized that the lord was merciful and generous, but also bloody and brutal.
They dared not make any more small moves.
Accompanying the knights’ slaughter, more civilians dared to walk outdoors within the territory.
Some were those who fled after the leaders of their villages died; some ventured out due to the town’s relaxed control; others were refugees driven out by fear of the knights’ blades.
Although the deterrent of numerous heads loomed behind, it indeed made York Territory seem to come back to life gradually.
The church’s Sacrament also became known to many. Thus, more people transitioned from ‘shallow believers’ to devout believers.
The new church was completed earlier than Cicero initially estimated.
...
The church’s overall structure was elongated, with a cross-shaped symbol on the upper front.
Above extended the bell tower, adorned with a stone-carved cross.
Inside was a small bell brought by Cicero, whose chime could be heard near the town’s main gate.
Upon entering, there were two small side rooms, accommodating the bell ringer, monks, or warriors.
Further inside was a spacious main hall, capable of holding over eighty people for prayers. Both sides had windows fitted with sturdy glass purchased from town.
Though not very transparent and with limited lighting, their thickness prevented them from being shattered by wind and rain.
Moreover, after enduring the dim lighting of the Flower Church, which relied on small holes for light, Corleon was quite satisfied with this level of brightness.
Under the eaves above were small holes ensuring basic air circulation, eliminating the stench from the previously enclosed environment.
At the far end was a master bedroom for Corleon, two temporarily vacant secondary bedrooms, a small study, and a storage room.
Beneath the storage room, a basement storage was dug.
As for the monks, they still resided outside.
After completing the church, Cicero was inspired to build a monastery for monks and warriors who recited the Holy Scriptures daily.
Corleon agreed but didn’t allocate much funding, merely instructing him to lead the monks and warriors to construct it themselves.
After the church’s completion, surplus bricks were used to build a kitchen beside the church for preparing the Sacrament.
During this period, many people partook in the Sacrament at the church.