[{"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-112":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},1688785,2156,"Chapter 112 : Toying","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-112",112,"\u003Cp>Chapter 112: Toying\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lord’s words received no response from George.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was his first time coming into contact with a true noble lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not know whether the other party spoke truth or falsehood, so they chose to remain silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knight George—no, I suppose you’d prefer I address you as Warrior George,” said the lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You may call me Belair, Belair Burke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no wish to be a lord,” Belair said, his face full of sincerity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe that becoming a lord and playing their games of power holds no meaning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wish to go to the Church of the Sanctuary. I’ve heard rumors from the Rat Path—there, they say, is someone suspected to be a noble descendant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, let me be direct. They analyzed that the person is very likely a descendant of the lord of the York Territory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He is doing lowly construction work there, ignoring all power struggles. In the church, he is freely pursuing himself, and he is revered by those commoners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I envy him greatly. I think he is the same as me, believing that the game of power holds no meaning—only what we pursue ourselves, is what truly matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether for ourselves, or for all humanity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I envy him. His father understood him. Even though he is the only legitimate son, his father was willing to let him do what he wished.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Although I think, once his father is gone, he will still return to inherit the lordship. But at the very least, right now, he is free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I truly envy him as he is now. And so, I wish to become as he is now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, those from the Rat Path gave me his architectural designs—so ugly. I believe he does not understand what beauty is, so on this point, I must ridicule him thoroughly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair gripped George’s arm, his voice lowering again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can guess what it is you want to do here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You wish to eliminate these Werewolves and protect the commoners.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this is the Lord's Judgment Ritual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no, no—it may be even more terrifying than a simple Judgment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This place has already become the Wolf’s Den.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You are powerful. Extremely powerful. Even an Upper Werewolf could be slapped to death by you with ease.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But your strength alone cannot protect all the people in this land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And I can help you,” Belair said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am the lord here. I hold dominion over this place. I can command those in my territory to act according to my will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if my father took away a group of people, even if these Werewolves killed another portion, my territory still has over four thousand people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Among them, with training, we can organize an army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Moreover, I can, on a legal level, initiate war to invade other territories. Once victorious, my domain will expand, and I can organize even more troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Marquis is currently not within the territory. They will only issue condemnation for my actions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But in the face of this Wolf Catastrophe, only with more armies, only with humans under the lord’s command, can we drive them out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only then, can this entire Marquis Demitri’s Territory return to normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George quietly freed his arm from Belair’s grip and looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I once trusted someone, but in the end, she burned down the small church where I was stationed,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Although becoming a Temple Warrior can also spread the Lord’s Teachings, for me personally, I had hoped to become a Priest from a Monk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And after that fire, I lost the opportunity to become a Priest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I also understand, this may have been the most suitable arrangement for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George knew in his heart that what Belair said was true, but his gaze toward Belair remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well then, Warrior George, you may consider this a transaction,” Belair said, unfazed by the distrust George revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George’s words proved that his heart had been moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You protect me, and I will help you achieve what you want to do,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you believe I’ve done enough, I’ll need you to take me away from here, to the York Territory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, I know wealth holds little meaning to a lord, but for commoners, it is extremely important.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So when I leave, I will take with me all the remaining wealth of the Burke Family. It is an enormous fortune—at least, not something I can move alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why there will always be trouble along the way, so I need a knight to protect me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Moreover, the Burke Family is a barony under Marquis Demitri, so gaining the Marquis’ recognition is another issue.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, the Marquis took away my father and two older brothers. I think they won’t care about me, or rather, after the Judgment is over, they won’t care where I am, nor will they acknowledge my noble title.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And for a noble to enter another noble’s territory and settle down, unless the other party is that noble’s direct lord, no noble would willingly allow another into their own domain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why I still need the power of the Church to help persuade the lord of the York Territory to allow me to live there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t care about the land, or about the noble title. These are what my father wished to preserve. But now, he has abandoned me and this place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t hate him. I understand he did this for the continuation of the family. However, for me, I only wish to freely pursue my own value—not to play games with these boring fellows.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And in this transaction, I will first help you. Whether the price I pay is enough for power, I leave that to you to decide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the sincerity I offer you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George appeared somewhat confused. He closed his eyes, praying for the Lord’s guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he received no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the Bishop had said—this was his trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now, he should follow the feeling in his own heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the right time, I will present your appeal to the Bishop. Whether the transaction stands will be decided by the Bishop.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he himself was not suited to make decisions, then he would pass that authority to someone who was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, our transaction is established,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And as the first gesture of my sincerity to you, I will confer upon you the title of Knight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t be so quick to refuse.\" Belair cut off George just as he was about to decline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the beginning, a Knight was simply a noble lord’s recognition of a powerful warrior—an honor bestowed due to the warrior’s strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At that time, it was not necessary for a Knight to pledge loyalty in order to be conferred.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was just because nobles had that authority, and over time, loyalty and service to a liege became part of the process.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But in truth, many nobles trade knightly titles among themselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As long as the price is right.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair paused, beckoning a servant to come pour wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, this knightly title is merely my gesture of sincerity to you. It is what you deserve for saving me. It does not require your loyalty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And it will also let these fellows obey my commands, enabling me to quickly seize the power that rightfully belongs to me as a lord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George hesitated, but in the end, he nodded in agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair smiled, picked up the wine cup that the servant had filled, and stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Everyone!\" he called out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed through the fortress, drawing everyone’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. George has agreed to accept the knighthood I confer upon him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Celebrate—for he will protect us in the name of a Knight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just those two short sentences, and the people in the hall erupted in cheer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belair tilted his head back, draining the wine into his throat, masking the mockery in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>George simply sat there, watching their celebration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corner, an advisor scholar clutching a book fell into contemplation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had caught the omission in Belair’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>",1357,"2026-06-06T13:52:13.932Z",1,"novelbin.me","6940357e71ef3e9b00c0ba6d54245813be7529790a5af36a431b78d04069eebe","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-113","the-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-chapter-111",373,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-holy-church-begins-with-bestowal-of-blessing-cover.jpg"]