Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 525 - 524: The Church’s Representative

Due to the cyclical fluctuations of the Magic surrounding the earth, on a clear winter night, one often sees more stars than in a summer night.

Under the windless night sky, the dark blue heavens were filled with stars. The sky, carrying countless splendid fantasies of humans for thousands of years, resembled a layer of glazed glass overturned upon this world, crystal-clear and beautiful yet utterly unreachable. The man-made lights flickered in this newly-born city like a projection of the celestial bodies on earth—Veronica stood quietly in this city, unfamiliar to her, with a gentle Holy Light surrounding her, isolating her from the cold winter air.

A steady and powerful but unmasked sound of footsteps came from behind, followed by the voice of the Grand Duke who had returned from death: "Not fond of the banquet’s environment?"

"Your Grace, Duke," Veronica turned around, displaying a gentle and serene smile while drawing the symbol of the Holy Light God on her chest, "may the God of Holy Light bless you—it’s a wonderful banquet, but I prefer a quieter setting."

"The God of Holy Light..." Gawain murmured softly, then looked into Veronica’s eyes, "Does He also bless those who do not believe in Him?"

To Gawain, the "Saint Princess" in front of him was an enigmatic figure. She was a prodigious royal scion and a devout believer of the Holy Light. She was the youngest living saint of the Holy Light Church and the perfect Saint Princess in the eyes of countless followers. Countless halos surrounded this young woman, not much older than Rebecca, yet beneath that splendid and striking halo... all Gawain could see was a void.

He could not fathom Veronica’s true intentions and actions—despite all her words and deeds perfectly aligning with the persona of a "Saint Princess," they seemed like meticulously crafted jewels, flawless yet soulless. In close conversations, he never heard any genuine emotional fluctuation or personal likes and dislikes from the Princess; what he always sensed was an unchanging "holiness and warmth," and it was precisely this eternally unchanging holiness and warmth that made Gawain feel as if this Princess’s soul was cold as ice.

Could it really be that Veronica’s faith was so devout that she had become as different as a Holy Spirit?

Gawain did not think so. Therefore, he decided to use a more direct method when conversing with Veronica to probe her stance. Nonetheless, to his disappointment, Veronica’s expression remained gentle and serene, with almost no change in tone: "The God of Holy Light views all beings equally, regardless of belief. He is there to measure everything with justice."

"Even those poor who cannot afford the Indulgence Money?" Gawain asked lightly.

"The God of Holy Light does not need earthly money, but the church does—however, a good starting point does not necessarily lead to a good outcome. Those priests whose faith is not strong enough can be corrupted by money, and it is true that indulgence fees have become a means for gathering wealth in some areas. We have indeed noticed this and are already working to address it."

This was a perfect answer—positioned between defense and deflection, promising righteousness yet without a deadline. Apparently, the devoutly faithful Saint Princess of the Holy Light God was also skilled in the aristocratic art of circumlocution.

Gawain did not continue to entangle with this topic but asked directly: "What is your view on what happened in Lu’an City?"

Even with such a straightforward topic, Veronica’s calm demeanor barely changed: "His Holiness the Pope is very concerned about the situation in the southern borders—in the past period, we completely lost contact with the southern dioceses, and the intelligence received afterward is quite unsettling. Your Grace, Duke, we have no intention of interfering with your rule, but we must be responsible for the hundreds of thousands of believers in the southern borders."

"The hundreds of thousands of believers in the southern borders are doing well now, and they still believe in the Holy Light. Most of the Holy Light churches on this land are still operating normally—sermons and rituals are conducted as scheduled," Gawain said, "the only difference is that the people have redefined the rules with their choices."

Veronica quietly looked into Gawain’s eyes: "Does redefining the rules include breaking the churches of Lu’an City and hanging the priests there?"

"The priests in Lu’an City refused to obey the new rules and were unwilling to die, which indeed was difficult, but I still regret what happened in Lu’an City," Gawain spread his hands, speaking with a candidness that would astound Amber and Pittman, "the priests in the Grand Cathedral used many bloody and brutal methods to maintain authority and amass wealth. I believe they are the kind of ’not devout enough believers’ you mentioned earlier. I should have corrected their errors sooner to prevent them from straying further from the gods, but unfortunately, the people’s anger peaked first."

Gawain sighed and continued: "During the chaos in Lu’an City, my army strictly adhered to the order not to attack the church and stationed far outside the city—this was because the priests in Lu’an Grand Cathedral had initially forbidden us from approaching—later, the situation got out of control, and my knights and soldiers did their utmost to rescue people, but alas due to the distance and high walls, they ultimately failed to save anyone."

To be honest, for a very brief moment, Gawain was certain he finally saw a hint of astonishment in Veronica’s eyes.

However, this astonishment quickly dissipated, and the Saint Princess’s tone remained calm and composed: "Your viewpoint... offers a novel perspective."

"It’s a fact, and evidence is everywhere, and more importantly, the people of Cecil prefer this current situation," Gawain did not expect Veronica could still maintain such composure in this situation, but it did not prevent him from continuing, "In my opinion, it does not matter who sets the order in Lu’an City; the survival and interests of the people always outweigh so-called ’orthodoxy.’ I hold no biases or hostility against the church—any church—I am happy to allow any church to exist on my land, but they must abide by the rules here."

Gawain was willing to slowly communicate and negotiate with Victoria because, in his view, the Kingdom’s military was a major client crucial to ensuring Cecil’s rapid development, and major clients needed to be meticulously maintained. However, when communicating with Veronica, he would directly express his stance—because he truly lacked patience for the vast yet profitless body that was the Holy Light Church.

"The people’s survival over ’orthodoxy’..." Veronica repeated Gawain’s words and then raised her eyebrow, "Then where did this ’rule’ come from?"

"Seven hundred years ago, established by Charlie and me."

"So this is your stance," after a moment of silence, Veronica calmly said, "Impressive and quite... bold in this era. I make no comment on it, but I imagine the Cathedral of the Holy Light will likely be displeased upon learning of your attitude."

"That depends on how you perceive the situation in the southern borders and all of Anzu," Gawain said, "but I have a suggestion—if unable to change the status quo, perhaps try to be more optimistic. After all, the southern borders still have the Holy Light Church—I have never expelled any priest or pastor; they are still active and preaching on this land, at least—no one has declared them heretics."

Veronica looked at Gawain: "...Are you suggesting the Cathedral of the Holy Light acknowledge the independence of the Southern Church?"

"You are free to declare verbally that you don’t acknowledge it; I don’t mind."

Veronica was once again slightly surprised, then she smiled: "You are much tougher in your conversation with me this time compared to last time—can’t you be a bit more gentle to your juniors?"

"I am speaking to a representative of the Church of the Holy Light, and a representative has no seniority," Gawain also smiled and slightly softened his tone, "Now, I am speaking to a junior—Veronica, you can stay here for a few more days to better understand this land. Your ancestor, Charlie Moen, was dedicated to creating a homeland where people could live and work in peace. Ironically, I can hardly find such a place in this era, so much so that I have to take action myself. If you stay here a few more days, you might have the opportunity to understand what kind of ideals your ancestors held when they rushed out from that wasteland—besides the God of Holy Light, there should be things worthy of your attention."

Veronica was silent for a few seconds, seemingly touched when Gawain mentioned the word "ancestor." She then slightly bowed to Gawain—in the manner of a junior saluting a senior, and said softly, "I will judge with my own eyes."

Then she left.

After Veronica left, a hazy shadow wriggled by Gawain’s side, quickly gathering into Amber’s form. The half-elf blinked at the direction Veronica left and muttered, "I suspect she can see me..."

"She never looked at you."

"That’s why I said she saw me—she looked in every direction except at me," Amber said professionally with her hands on her hips, then revealed a puzzled look, "But come to think of it... what kind of attitude is this ’Saint Princess’ supposed to have? You have spoken so directly to her, yet she doesn’t seem mad at all, could it be she actually agrees with you?"

"No, she has never shown any attitude," Gawain shook his head, "No matter what I say to her, whether it’s to burn the Cathedral of the Holy Light or announce adherence to the God of Holy Light, she would likely not reveal any attitude whatsoever... Such people are the most difficult to deal with because they are unpredictable."

"Eh, that’s why I don’t like the cult," Amber pouted in dissatisfaction, "Better at deceiving than swindlers."

"Never mind that, any situations tonight?"

"They finally crossed the rocky ridges Fortress, arriving at your lair, of course, they have to ’walk around and take a look’," Amber waved her hand broadly, "I even saw some familiar faces—but they are quite well-behaved, hardly crossing any lines, the Intelligence Agency agents and Steel Cavalry are just watching from afar, and I’ll keep watching too."

"That’s good then."

...

"A homeland where people can live and work in peace..." In the courtyard of the feudal lord’s mansion, Veronica, who had left the terrace but not returned to the banquet hall, walked slowly along the flower beds in the tranquil night, stopping by the edge of a pond. She looked up at the distant city with countless lights and murmured softly, "This city... really resembles it..."

After gazing for a long while, she withdrew her gaze from those magic crystal lamps, taking a step forward, however, another light, different from the magic crystal lamps, shone from another direction and caught her eye, causing her to stop again.

It was a tall figure filled with dazzling arcane energy, his body seeming forged by energy, and numerous rune armor plates serving as some kind of seal maintaining his human form. Next to this tall figure stood a white-haired woman with hair cascading down her shoulders.

Veronica’s gaze was drawn to the unusual arcane energy form; she watched him, then her eyes fell on those rune armor plates—ancient magic symbols from the Gondor Empire era were depicted on the old metal, and some plates bore the mark of the Meteoric Era. Veronica gazed intently at them until the distance between them was close. She finally withdrew her gaze.

Is this the legendary ancient Master Mage? The hidden power of the Cecil Clan?

As Veronica looked at Kamel, Kamel also observed the apparent "Saint Princess" who seemed to be merely strolling. The two observed each other for a long time until Veronica looked away, and Kamel broke the silence, "Good evening, Princess Veronica—is the banquet hall too stuffy?"

Upon hearing the voice, Veronica maintained her ever-graceful smile and greeted politely, "Fresh air is good for health, Master Kamel, are you out for the fresh air as well?"

"...I haven’t breathed much these years," Kamel said humbly, slightly turning to the side before the awkward atmosphere could spread, "The lady beside me is the Cecil Clan’s Rune Master, Miss Jenni Perot."

"Ah...Hello," Jenni nervously and somewhat awkwardly lifted her skirt and greeted. Although she had met Veronica once as part of the "hundred-person aid team," she did not have the opportunity to converse face-to-face with this legendary princess, "It’s nice to meet you."

"Same here, Miss Jenni."

After brief pleasantries and formalities, they passed by each other.

"I was so nervous just now," Jenni whispered after walking a long way, "But Princess Veronica is indeed very kind..."

"Really? I didn’t notice," Kamel’s voice was deep, "I only sensed a familiar yet disquieting aura from her."

"Aura? What kind of aura?"

"Divine—a connection with the gods, or she has been to the Divine Realm."