Chapter 78: The Burning of the Small Church
Night fell, with the white star hanging high, unobscured by clouds.
“This doesn’t seem right, does it?” the man's voice was hesitant.
“This is the master’s order, brother,” another man said consolingly.
“I know that Monk George once helped you. He is a kind man. As long as you seek his help, he will lend a hand.”
“But brother, you must understand, this is the master’s order.”
“We cannot disobey the master’s command.”
“But isn’t Monk George close to the master? And doesn’t the master come to the church for worship every few days?” the man remained uncertain.
“Oh, my brother, don’t try to figure out the master’s thoughts. You just need to know that if we don’t burn the church tonight, then tomorrow it will be us who get burned,” the other man stated bluntly.
“……” The man was still hesitant.
“Think of your son.” Though reluctant, the other man still said it.
“...Alright.” At the mention of his son, the man finally nodded.
The flames began to burn and were quickly discovered.
Someone shouted to fetch water to extinguish the fire.
Someone sobbed uncontrollably and cursed, but soon another hand covered his mouth.
The Daniels Village was startled awake in the deep night.
One by one, the villagers rushed toward the burning church, trying to save it.
Yet in places untouched by the firelight, some people silently lost their lives.
They were all either physically impaired or elderly and frail, and they shared one thing in common—they had helped build the church.
Daniels Family Residence.
Unlike most who built their family estates in remote corners or outside the village—
Yara had, from the planning stage, placed the residence at the very center of the village, from where she could extend control over the entire area.
Naturally, this was also called the Administrative Hall.
However, after the previous collective oath of loyalty to the lord, the Daniels Family could now justifiably reside here.
At this moment, in the second-floor study, Yara lit a candle.
In the flickering light, the chaotic noise outside could be heard.
She sat at the desk, staring at an unfolded letter.
It was a letter from the Knight Family.
The Knight Family was an ally of the Daniels Family outside of York Town.
They sternly warned Yara that if she could not eliminate the unstable elements within the village, they would terminate their cooperation with the Daniels Family.
Along with the letter came a finger, smashed off with a blunt object.
It was mangled and bloody.
Her gaze shifted to the side, where a copied scripture lay.
It was transcribed after Yara had asked George for it.
She still did not want Ando involved in these matters.
She had already read the scripture many times.
From a textual perspective, it differed only slightly from other short tales, yet Yara found its contents rather amusing.
She treated the content as a joke.
The definitions of good and evil, the admiration of truth, goodness, and beauty—
Wasn’t that all just laughable?
How did lords rule their territories?
Naturally, through overwhelming force.
And how did these local gentry manage their villages and families?
Of course, through their family’s abilities and martial power, as well as authority begged from the lords.
Otherwise, through truth, goodness, beauty, and fair rewards and punishments?
Don’t be ridiculous.
Even compared to other families, the Daniels Family was only slightly kinder to the common folk in the village.
But it still fell extremely short of the requirements in the Holy Scriptures.
Yara had treated the Holy Scriptures as a joke book.
Yet as time passed, Yara discovered that the village’s small church actually seemed to treat everyone according to the principles of the scriptures.
Once the workers returned from laboring for the church, she noticed that the influence had begun to spread.
Those people were healed, they held gold coins distributed by the church, they told stories of their work to the villagers, and they made the people curious and fond of the Church of the Sanctuary.
Coincidentally, there was a small church of the Church of the Sanctuary in the village.
Thus, the scattered believers seemed to have found a common faith and gathered in the small church.
George spread the content of the scriptures to them, offered help within his capabilities, and provided basic sacraments to those without jobs or money.
Until even within her own family, people began to speak of George, praising his kindness and virtue.
Yara realized then that the Daniels Family's authority in the village was beginning to waver.
Those directly under the Daniels Family, including slaves, numbered just over eighty.
But now, those gathered in the small church numbered more than forty.
After all, George was willing to confront members of the Daniels Family for the sake of helping them.
He truly practiced what he preached.
She suddenly felt fear.
Precisely because she saw the scriptures as a joke, she understood how deeply the contents could attract the lowest-tier commoners.
They yearned for it.
Even the simplest notions of good and evil gave them hope—not being forcibly drafted into the militia and sent to die just because they happened to glance at a Daniels Family member.
So Yara sent a letter to Corleon, hoping he would recall George.
She even promised to help Corleon build a village where he could preach freely.
She believed that those villages already "polluted" by the Church of the Sanctuary would support her.
But she was rejected.
Yara understood then—it could not continue any further.
She needed to find a way to suppress the Church of the Sanctuary's influence.
She could not allow the Daniels Family’s rule over the village to be undermined.
This was the village she built. A village established by the Daniels Family.
It was just George’s presence that made her hesitate.
Not because George had saved her life.
In the face of family power and legacy, a life-saving grace was nothing—it wasn’t worth mentioning.
She simply wasn’t confident she could kill George.
But today presented an opportunity—George had been temporarily recalled.
So Yara gave the order.
Burn the small church, and amid the chaos, silently eliminate those who were most fanatical and zealous in spreading the faith.
Yara stood up. Her study was on the second floor, and from the window, she could see the fire in the distance.
After tonight, the village should return to its normal path.
She thought this, while also feeling that a certain expectation she had long held in her heart was being consumed by the flames.
She felt a bit relieved.
...
Church of the Sanctuary. Corleon was bent over his desk.
Suddenly, he felt a stirring in his heart.
His brows furrowed slightly. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were filled with fury.
“You couldn’t even wait a little longer.”
Corleon saw a vision of the small church being set ablaze.
George had already taken the church’s armed forces and rushed to the unprotected village.
In the revelations Corleon received, there was no clear indication of which village the werewolves would attack.
So he could only station George at the village nearest to the site of the slaughter.
Corleon had instructed George that, if possible, he should persuade the villagers to either evacuate together or abandon the village and seek refuge in York Town.
The destruction of the small church in Daniels Village was something Corleon had long foreseen.
He just hadn’t expected Yara to be this impatient.
But in the end, Corleon could only sigh.
His political skills were no match for Nyx.
Yet he also knew—this was not the time to challenge the local gentry.
The Church of the Sanctuary had already been excluded.
If not for the lord's presence, the gentry might have erased the church altogether—they were merely waiting and watching.
Nyx had also sent a letter.
He informed Corleon of some refugees in certain villages who had mysteriously died of illness.
He also emphasized that Corleon must remain patient—time was on the church’s side.
Leaving the study, Corleon entered the main hall of the church.
He lit the candles flanking the Lord’s Throne and knelt before it, praying for the souls of those who had died tonight.
To eliminate the church’s influence, destroying the church alone was not enough.
One also had to extinguish the embers.