RLQ - Chapter 35
Chapter 35: Tell Me
Why do we believe? What do we believe in?
The day Old Priest Baldr was sent to the guillotine, the rain had just stopped. The bells of St. Mary's Cathedral echoed for a long time in the sky, as white doves and crows took flight together.
Archbishop Rhodri stood among the crowd, surrounded by his brothers from the Temple Knights.
He listened as the people around him cursed the Old God Sect followers who were about to be executed, accusing them of blasphemy, and listened as some deliberately read aloud the story of God being betrayed by his student. The thin morning mist carried a hint of chill, but he stood there unmoved, incredibly calm.
If one believes in God because God saves the world, then when God can only bring slaughter and sin, He should be thrown into the raging furnace along with all the ignorant wooden idols.
When Old Priest Baldr walked out of Whitehall Prison with the others, his body looked thin and small in the wind.
As his student, Archbishop Rhodri walked up to him under the curious, scornful, or scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, to bid his mentor a final farewell.
"You will go to hell."
Before his death, Old Priest Baldr's withered hand, which seemed to be only bone, gripped his shoulder tightly, uttering a stubborn and malicious curse from his throat.
The Heinrich family's poison had completely ruined his voice. The sound he made with all his might, to others, was just a strange hiss.
"No."
Archbishop Rhodri leaned down and gently embraced the old man who had once guided him onto the spiritual path. Just as before, he whispered the truth he had come to understand to his mentor.
"There is no hell, no kingdom of God, Teacher."
No hell, no kingdom of God.
The human heart is hell, the human heart is the kingdom of God.
Old Priest Baldr didn't understand what he said at first, but soon, he looked at Archbishop Rhodri as if seeing a monster, as if he had never known this student of his. However, Archbishop Rhodri had already stood up and looked at the executioner beside him, the blue of his eyes beneath his brow bone like newly forged weapons.
"Please end his suffering as quickly as possible."
He bowed to the executioner and stepped down from the platform.
The executioner raised his blade.
Old, decaying blood splattered high into the air. The executioner, as was customary, grabbed the head and displayed it to all the onlookers.
Old Priest Baldr's face, which had rapidly become old and wrinkled in Whitehall Prison, was frozen in a strange, horrified expression.
No gods, no doctrines, no creeds.
He thought calmly.
Whatever could save Roland, that is what he would believe in, that is what he would follow.
"You will forge an unprecedented empire," Archbishop Rhodri murmured. "You will free all Rolanders from their nightmare."
He quickly released the Queen's hand and resumed his usual solemn expression.
After he left the room carrying the Queen's will, the Queen turned to look at Kelly.
"Did I just unleash a monster?"
Adele's tone sounded more amused than surprised.
Kelly gave her mistress a reproachful look.
She didn't think the Archbishop's change was a good thing. A bishop who was willing to use any means necessary for the "salvation" in his heart was far more terrifying than the formerly devout and rigid Old God Sect loyalist. Because no one knew what he would do for the justice he believed in.
The Queen smiled. "Don't worry, Kelly."
What if he was a monster?
As long as they could achieve their goals, whether they were gods or devils, she would drive them to serve the Empire.
Whether gods and devils truly existed was unknown to the people, but the members of the Roland Empire's National Assembly clearly recognized the courage and determination of the Empire's mistress.
She integrated the power of the noble leaders, the New God Sect leaders, and the Temple Knights, using a firm hand to drive the National Assembly to operate like a spinning top. Under this kind of impetus, despite the National Assembly representing the most complex and chaotic redefinition of interests, the speed of the assembly's progress far exceeded the past.
When the closing ceremony of the session ended and the Queen appeared in the National Assembly hall again, the members' gazes towards her were mixed with awe.
"I am very pleased," the Queen unexpectedly stood up and curtsied gracefully to the members to show her gratitude. "You have not forgotten the mission entrusted to you by the Empire. Some of you may be worried, but please believe me, in the near future, you will surely be proud of the correct and crucial vote you cast."
"Because—"
The Queen raised her voice. She stood straight and held up the thick document in her hand.
"This is the future of the Empire, a glorious future!"
The light of a thousand candles illuminated the entire hall, illuminating the Queen's eyes, which burned like flames.
"The Rute Empire cannot have a Queen of Roland anymore."
Looking at the message from the spies that the Roland National Assembly had passed the new Roland Empire Port Regulations and Roland Empire Navigation Act, Orsis's first words after a long silence were this.
His friend, Baron James, was surprised. "What are you saying? Didn't Roland show us sincerity?"
Orsis pointed to the secret document on the table. "You call this sincerity? My dear Mr. James?"
The Roland Empire's actions this time were unprecedentedly fast.
Just as Roland had always considered the Rute Empire's Estates-General to be a mere formality, with the Emperor holding too much power and being tyrannical, the Rute Empire had always mocked Roland's National Assembly system for its slow process, considering it utterly foolish to convene an assembly and let dozens or hundreds of representatives argue.
"By the time the King of Roland gets the assembly to pass war taxes, his enemies will have already reached his doorstep!"
This was a phrase often on the lips of Rute Empire nobles. Although it contained exaggeration, the cumbersome and slow nature of Roland's National Assembly resolutions was evident.
However, this time, the efficiency of the Roland Empire's National Assembly was unprecedentedly high.
In just over a month, the National Assembly concluded and successfully passed two greatly amended regulations.
"Can't you see?"
Orsis sighed helplessly.
James had grown up with him and came from a loyal family attached to the royal house. He actually intended to make James his trusted minister. However, James, like most old nobles, had some rigid views and was often blinded by old customs, failing to see things even when they were right in front of him.
What could make a bloated and massive government body operate at an unprecedented speed? What could make a controversial and evasive government body become sharp and fearless of reform?
"Behind these two regulations is extraordinary determination and courage," Orsis said. "Do not mistake a hand holding gunpowder for one holding needle and thread, or you will pay the price, James."
His tone became serious, and James was startled. Although still somewhat reluctant, he had to face the changes in the Roland Empire and the mysterious Queen.
"Should we still ally with the Roland Empire?" James thought for a moment and asked. "If they never intended to truly fulfill this marriage contract from the beginning, then the sincerity of the alliance will also be greatly reduced. The Roland Empire's promulgation of these two new port regulations is aimed at rebuilding their navy. Perhaps one day their navy will become our enemy."
"Even if they become enemies in the future, at least for now, Roland and Rute must be friends," replied Orsis, the young ruler of the Rute Empire. "We cannot let Roland turn back into the Pope's embrace."
The Rute Empire established the New God Sect as its state religion twenty-three years ago, severing the connection between the domestic church and the Papal State. They no longer recognized the Pope as the nominal "Emperor" of Rute and openly established their own imperial lineage. From that time on, the Rute Empire completely broke ties with the Pope.
It was precisely for this reason that when Prince Arthur represented his brother to negotiate the marriage in Roland before, he traveled by sea, not by land.
—One must know that the southern part of the Rute Empire borders the northern part of the Roland Empire.
However, the Roland Empire also borders the Papal State. If Prince Arthur were arrested by people from the Papal State on the Roland border—and there's no doubt that similar incidents were common in this era—it would be a major blow to the Rute Empire.
Unlike the Rute Empire, the Old God Sect and the New God Sect had coexisted in the Roland Empire for a long time, in a stalemate. Therefore, although the Roland Empire also called itself an "Empire," it still nominally honored the Pope as the "Emperor" and had not completely broken ties with the Holy See—this allowed them room for maneuver with the Pope.
"The Queen of Roland is a New God Sect follower, and the Pope and the Holy See just recently declared all New God Sect followers heretics at the great religious council," James offered a different perspective.
At this, Orsis looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"My dear James," he asked with concern, "why would you think that faith has any binding power on a monarch?"
"It seems Orsis also knows that faith, for a monarch, is just a mask that can be changed at any time." After reading the letter from the Rute Empire, Adele chuckled and tossed it onto the table.
The Roland Empire's National Assembly had just concluded, and the two regulations had only just been established and not yet truly implemented, when the Rute Empire's messenger arrived. It was not surprising that Roland's ambition to rebuild its navy had aroused the Rute Empire's vigilance—in fact, no one would feel at ease with a neighboring country growing strong.
The best ally is one that is not too weak, but definitely not too strong either.
The Rute Empire, like the Yage Kingdom, hoped that Roland would remain in a state of exhaustion and weakness forever—although they also knew this was impossible.
Of course, as an ally, the Roland Empire was by no means loyal and trustworthy.
What Roland was doing now was trying to take advantage of the Rute Empire being deeply embroiled in the dispute with the Yage Kingdom over Tuva, and also wary of the Papal State, to make itself strong. As for whether the two countries would be allies or enemies after becoming powerful... that was something everyone understood implicitly.
However, at least for now, just as Orsis addressed Adele as "My dear Fairy Queen Gloriana" in his letter, the Roland Empire and the Rute Empire were still in their honeymoon phase.
In the two important new regulations from the National Assembly, the Roland Empire stipulated that only ships from Roland itself and its allied countries could engage in fishing along the Roland coast, and goods transported from other countries could only be carried by ships from Roland itself and its allies...
In short, they showed plenty of goodwill.
—As for the fact that the Rute Empire's main maritime activity wasn't transit trade anyway, who cared?
Dalton picked up the letter from the table, read it, and his expression turned ugly.
"He hopes to meet with you and hold an engagement ceremony," Dalton said. "Has the Emperor of the Rute Empire forgotten even royal etiquette? The marriage agreement is less than halfway through, and he is already impatient for an engagement?"
It was clear that Dalton was indeed quite angered by this letter, resorting to talking about the etiquette of high society, which he usually detested.
"After all, nothing can restrain Roland from leaning towards the Pope's embrace more than an engagement," Adele said indifferently. She pulled open a drawer, took out paper and pen, and began writing a reply to Orsis.
Dalton stood up and walked to the Queen's side, watching what she wrote.
"My dear..."
"You call him 'my dear'?" Dalton said, his voice more gloomy than when that pale noble youth had stolen his military achievements.
"He will be my 'fiancé'."
Adele said coldly, writing a letter that, while not as enthusiastic as Orsis's—after all, she was a lady—was intimate yet reserved, agreeing to Orsis's request for an engagement.
Every word, every sentence, even though she knew it was insincere, they turned into countless knives and swords, carving into his bones one by one, making him taste the bitter fruit of unwillingness and regret once again. He lowered his eyes, watching the Queen sign her name at the end of the letter.
"He knows you won't marry him but still wants to proceed with this marriage until the alliance breaks. You are the same, aren't you?"
Half self-mockery, half yearning—yearning to grasp a rope of hope.
Answer me yes, Your Majesty.
Tell me definitively that you won't marry him, even if it has nothing to do with me, even if it's just for Roland.
"Yes," Adele handed the letter to Dalton, her tone gentle but incredibly cruel. "This is politics."
Dalton's lips twisted into a strange smile. "Ah, then do you want me to instruct the Rute ambassador to deliver it safely to your 'fiancé'?"
Comments
Post a Comment