[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing":3,"chapter-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-111":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Holy Church Begins with Bestowal of Blessings",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1688784,2156,"Chapter 111 : Game of Power","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-111",111,"\u003Cp>Chapter 111: Game of Power\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, in the northern part of Marquis Demitri’s Territory, a banquet was being held in a brightly lit fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone, let us raise a toast to the mighty Knight George.\"A man dressed in a luxurious noble robe lifted his wine cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his head sat a silver circlet inlaid with gemstones. Six of his ten fingers wore rings, and around his neck hung a necklace glittering with the radiance of wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His entire being radiated splendor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was full of joy, and after raising the cup, he downed it heartily in one gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To the mighty Knight George.\"The local gentry attending the banquet were also dressed properly. They echoed the lord’s words and raised their cups to drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, as they drank, their eyes frequently glanced at George, who was seated beside the lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This \"knight\" dressed in nothing but plain cloth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they didn’t believe that someone dressed so poorly could truly be a knight, but who cared?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, George’s strength was no lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He alone had killed over a hundred werewolves that attacked the town, driving off those about to break through the town’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such overwhelming strength, even if he wore nothing at all, these people would still hail him as a knight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, it would be better if he weren’t a knight—then perhaps the lord could recruit him into knighthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this time of werewolf rampage, having a knight present would offer a much greater sense of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, they all signaled the lord with their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the lord they pinned their hopes on simply kept drinking cup after cup of fine wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"....\"They cursed silently in their hearts, no wonder he was the heir that had been abandoned last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly the most incompetent one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, they gave up on placing their hopes on the lord. They simply walked about with their wine cups, laughing with others while quietly discussing what to do next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Knight George, why don’t you drink? Do you not like it?\"After downing another cup, the lord put down his goblet and spoke warmly to George.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"George opened his mouth, then shook his head.\"I’m just worried about the commoners in the town.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though I did already drive the werewolves off, a few still managed to slip into the town.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m worried they might use the chaos to attack civilians.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he also didn’t trust any local gentry or nobles right now, so he didn’t want to drink the wine they had prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hahaha, Knight George, you truly are a compassionate knight.\"The lord laughed and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But no need to worry. Though my father took away the knights and elite warriors of the territory, the remaining town guards are enough to clear out these werewolves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They’re just some werewolves, and even among them, the lowest of the low.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the lord raised his cup, now refilled by a servant, and took a sip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It better be that way.\"George still felt uneasy. He doubted everything nobles said now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I’m not a knight. I’m merely a Temple Warrior of the Church of the Sanctuary.\"George corrected the lord’s title for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh, I believe you, of course, but\"the lord lowered his voice as he spoke,\"but right now, everyone needs a knight to lift their spirits.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying this, the lord pondered for a moment and waved the servant away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My father took both of my elder brothers, four knights of the territory, and three hundred fully armed elite warriors—he practically emptied the whole territory.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Before he left, he left the territory in my hands for temporary management.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m just my father’s youngest son, and also the one who disappointed him the most.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He thinks I love extravagance, that I’m like one of those J women, always dressing up to attract attention.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t like learning noble etiquette, don’t like practicing martial arts, don’t like acquiring knowledge, so he’s never paid me any mind. If not for the outbreak of the wolf catastrophe, I wouldn’t have been embraced by these local gentry to become the lord, inheriting this baron title while still unsure whether my father is alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know—they’re hoping that after I became lord, I would use the lord’s power to shelter them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a pity, I’m just a son unloved by his father. Even if Father hadn’t taken the treasure away, I wouldn’t know how to use that thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, the lord took another sip of wine. A flicker of frustration passed across his face, but when the cup was lowered, he wore the same warm expression as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will do my best to clear out those werewolves,\"George said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he also knew that the number of werewolves he alone could kill was limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight, when the werewolves gathered to besiege the city, he had only been able to slay a little over a hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were out in the wild, these werewolves would have fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, no, no, I understand what they are thinking.\"The lord shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They believe you too when you say you're not a knight. So, they hope I can recruit you, confer knighthood upon you, and keep you here as one of my knights.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I know that you are a man of mercy, and a knight—put nicely—is the highest honor for a warrior.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In truth, it is merely an extension of the lord’s sword.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord said as he slightly leaned closer to George.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy stench of alcohol made George instinctively shift his body away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Powerful, immensely powerful, despairingly powerful, and then—loyalty to the lord, and finally, the cruelty to point one’s blade at an infant.\"The lord said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is what a knight must possess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can tell—you cannot do these things. The one you are loyal to is yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or perhaps, it is your faith.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord set down his wine cup. His face wore a warm smile, yet his words were chilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George felt that the smile on the other man’s face resembled a mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The ones from the Rat Path are fascinating. It's as if they have channels for information everywhere.\"The lord continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even though they repeatedly claimed they had no way to contact other territories, once I told them I had become the lord and gave them enough gold coins, they still told me about the Church of the Sanctuary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s the place you stayed before coming here. It is also the source of your faith.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I, when preparing for this banquet earlier, had already read through the Holy Scriptures of the Church of the Sanctuary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand that the things recorded in it conflict with the rules by which I, the lord, and those local gentry survive and stand firm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the opportunity arises, the lord and they would not hesitate to let you die.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no change on George’s face. When he had been dispatched here by the bishop, he had vaguely sensed that something would occur to leave him at a loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seems like you understand as well.\"The lord laughed, and this time, it was a genuine laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I am different from them. Though I am a lord, I only became one by force.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Rather than sitting here, I’d rather pursue what my father could never comprehend—that beauty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I yearn for what is depicted in the Holy Scriptures of the Church. I want to pursue my true self.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But while my father was still around, he would never allow me to do so. He believed it was a disgrace to the family.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And now that my father is gone, even after I’ve become the lord, they will not allow me to do so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What they need is a lord who can protect them, a lord who can grant them power, a lord strong enough to kill them at will.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, they are just a pack of wretches. They yearn to cling to a powerful noble, yet can’t help themselves—like rats—challenging the power of that noble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I am not the kind of lord they hope for. Right now, due to external pressure, they need me to exist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you hadn’t arrived in time tonight, they might have stormed into my fortress, searching for that treasure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But I believe that once the wolf catastrophe passes, if I have not built up enough strength to make them tremble, they will ensure I die quietly one day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then they will howl in tears and mourn my death, before they begin probing the neighboring lords, starting internal strife.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the end, either another powerful lord will rule over them, or the strongest among them will become the new lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1451,"2026-06-06T13:52:13.932Z",1,"novelbin.me","3af5b6cf78602f82ff3dcd3055abd8a6c69d9d7bfc2e355eb022d55309dc8777","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-112","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-110",373,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-cover.jpg"]