Chapter 369 : The Rule Upon Which Humanity Survives

Chapter 369: The Rule Upon Which Humanity Survives

Gregor rode his horse through the woodlands, but his subordinate nobles had all stayed behind in their own territories.

Those people were probably gathered together at this moment, discussing matters.

Jeremiah thought so.

It was merely due to Gregor’s Doyle Knight Order and a few small measures by Jeremiah that even when all the nobles combined their strength, it did not amount to half of the force Gregor commanded.

So aside from their discussions, they must also be waiting for Gregor’s response.

And judging by the time, Gregor should have returned by now.

Just as Jeremiah was thinking this, he heard a burst of chaotic noise outside, followed by hurried and disordered hoofbeats and shouts.

Jeremiah furrowed his brow.

This was precisely the reason he disliked the Doyle Knight Order.

These knights of Doyle still bore the arrogance of the Old Testament era.

They had every right to be arrogant—the Doyle Knight Order’s number had already neared a hundred. Such was a tremendous force. Even the number of knights directly under the former Grand Duke only reached around fifty.

Because of this, the Doyle Knight Order could gallop through the woodlands with impunity.

Look at them—each knight with two horses, all armored. Who dared to provoke them?

Faced with so many knights, even holding a Holy Relic in hand would cause one to hesitate.

Soon, the hoofbeats outside ceased. Immediately after, a knight with a frenzied expression barged in, his iron boots clanging sharply against the stone floor.

It was none other than Marquis Gregor, lord of Doyle Territory.

Upon entering, he shouted angrily,「Does the Senate truly intend to strip the right to appoint knights from the hands of the nobility? They are destroying the rules—they are trying to provoke a war.」

Jeremiah asked seriously,「And what rule exactly are they destroying?」His serious expression mirrored that of when Priest Agamemnon enacted Anathema and faced Gregor. But compared to back then, his face now looked even more fatigued, with deeper dark circles.

Gregor struck his breastplate with a clang and declared,「Naturally, it’s the nobility’s right to appoint knights. This is an ancient rule, a rule upon which humanity survives.」

Jeremiah continued,「Is this a rule of the Kingdom of Lundex?」

Gregor replied,「The Kingdom of Lundex is also a kingdom of mankind. Naturally, it must abide by the rules upon which humanity survives.」

Jeremiah then said,「Then would you also say that the strong are the nobles—that this too is a rule upon which humanity survives?」

Gregor answered,「Of course. Without the protection of powerful nobles, how could mankind’s bloodline continue?」

Jeremiah asked further,「Since commoners rely on the protection of nobles, and mankind’s bloodline is able to continue only due to the protection of powerful nobles, then is it also a rule upon which humanity survives that these commoners must obey the nobles’ leadership?」

Gregor responded proudly,「Naturally.」

Jeremiah nodded seriously, then said,「In that case, you should raise your army and attack the Senate. Prove your strength to them. That way, they would no longer dare to issue decrees for the Knight Guild. After all, the strong should rule over the weak—isn’t this also a rule upon which humanity survives?」

「Oh, wait. That’s not quite right. If you can defeat the Senate, then you should be the new king of Greenwood. The Senate acts on behalf of royal authority—if you defeat the Senate, then you have defeated royal authority. You ought to become the new king. At that point, all of Greenwood would obey your commands, for you are the strongest, and you also protect the commoners of Greenwood.」

Gregor’s expression froze, then quickly turned bright red. He finally squeezed out a sentence,「Are you saying you oppose this policy too?」

Jeremiah replied earnestly,「No. I am merely a bishop of the Church, not a noble or an official. I follow the Lord’s teachings and the Pope’s orders. These political matters from the Senate are unrelated to me.」

「My duties lie solely within this Great Cathedral. I am responsible for the Doyle Diocese, not Doyle Territory. I merely spread the Lord’s teachings and ensure that sin does not arise or spread within my diocese. As for the palace you, noble Marquis, have built—I have never even set foot inside.」

「So, the Senate’s policies have nothing to do with me, nor do I have the authority to oppose them. Ultimately, I am just a bishop of the Church. When the Church of the Sanctuary was established, the Pope’s agreement with King Pegira was simply for the Church to be responsible for the kingdom’s faith, not its political affairs.」

Gregor’s imposing aura vanished completely, and even his waist slumped.

Yet even hunched over, Gregor was still half a head taller than Jeremiah.

His voice turned dry as he said,「You are my political advisor and the one handling my affairs.」

Jeremiah solemnly responded,「That was your appointment and the duty I accepted. If you are dissatisfied, you may revoke my position as political advisor at any time, and I can wholly dedicate myself to serving the Lord and spreading His teachings.」

「The Doyle Diocese no longer lies solely within Doyle Territory. If you, the lord of this land, are unwilling to host the Great Cathedral, then I can move it to another noble’s territory.」

「Of course, I am deeply grateful that you have allowed the Great Cathedral to exist within Doyle Territory all these years. When your child is born, I will gladly conduct the baptism.」

As Jeremiah finished speaking, Gregor was rendered speechless, only lowering his head and mumbling, finally asking,「Are you planning to abandon me?」

Jeremiah still wore a serious expression as he said,「You have the Doyle Knight Order, whom you trust; experienced officials; vassal nobles who swear loyalty to you; and aside from the York Territory, the most populous domain. Your marital ties now extend into the woodlands—he too is a marquis, and you may call him father.」

「You already possess all that a marquis should have. Your territory is thriving and developing. It is the central hub connecting the north and south of Greenwood, and also the trade nexus between Greenwood and the woodlands. Your land is incredibly prosperous.」

「Someone like you, who already has everything, no longer needs the help of a bishop like me. I am, after all, merely a commoner born of a minor family. Being appointed as your political advisor was something I never imagined. I sincerely thank you for your trust. But as I said, I am only a commoner from a small family—not an official whose ancestors have served your house for generations.」

「And that does not align with the rules upon which humanity survives. According to those rules, your political advisor should be an official family loyal to your house since ancestral times—or a learned scholar. Not someone like me, a man from another land.」

「So, I sincerely thank you for your trust.」

After speaking solemnly, Jeremiah even bowed to Gregor in gratitude.

That bow shocked Gregor into falling to his knees.

He was wearing full armor. It looked just like his legs had buckled, slamming hard into the ground with a loud clang, breaking two floor tiles under the weight.

Jeremiah straightened, glanced at the shattered tiles, and seriously said,「You don’t need to rush to dismantle the Great Cathedral. I’ve already relocated the cathedral’s knights, priests, and monks. Once I take the Lord’s Throne and the Sacred Cross, you may tear it down. For now, the Lord’s Throne remains here, and under the Lord’s gaze, it is unwise to destroy the cathedral—lest the Lord’s Throne and Sacred Cross be damaged.」

「Just like the Daniels Family back then—after desecrating the Lord’s Throne and Sacred Cross, they were punished. But you, noble Marquis, bear the lives of over 200,000 people.」

These words made cold sweat pour from Gregor’s forehead. He could no longer bear it.

He said,「It was Grayson. Grayson told me to say this. He said the Senate is inciting war, and you would surely oppose it.」

Jeremiah replied seriously,「Baron Grayson is your loyal vassal, a member of your Doyle Knight Order. He is someone you should rely on and trust.」

Gregor stammered,「There’s also Lake, and Julian, and...」

Jeremiah interrupted him sternly,「They are all nobles loyal to you. Their families have always served yours. I believe their advice must be in your best interest.」

Gregor had nothing more to say. His face flushed red, sweat pouring, and finally he muttered,「I was wrong.」

The Great Cathedral fell into silence.

That silence only deepened Gregor’s panic.

At last, Jeremiah, now with a frown instead of seriousness, asked,「And?」

Gregor’s heart skipped a beat. His mind raced, trying to figure out what Jeremiah meant by『And?』

But he really couldn’t come up with anything. In the end, he could only look at Jeremiah with pitiful eyes.

Jeremiah took a deep breath. Knowing Gregor’s mind well, he didn’t think the man was playing dumb.

He was truly dumb.

So Jeremiah had to ask,「What about the officials? Who was involved? Who told you to say these things to me?」

Gregor’s face lit with realization, but he replied,「I only made a brief stop at Grayson’s place. After returning to Doyle City, I came straight to the cathedral. I haven’t interacted with the officials yet.」

Jeremiah nodded and said,「Then it seems all of them were involved.」

Gregor didn’t quite understand what Jeremiah meant by that.

Jeremiah continued,「What about the knights? Were there any who didn’t participate?」

Gregor thought for a moment and said,「Along the way, the knights merely followed. Only Edwin suggested I drop by to see Camilla—our wedding date, after all, was set by you. It’s early next month.」

After saying that, Gregor paused, then added,「There’s also Knight Kelton. Upon receiving the news, he told me to continue hunting in the woodlands and return after some time. But since the Senate took such drastic action, how could I possibly remain in the woodlands? So I punished him.」

Jeremiah nodded.「Just as I thought—it should only be the two of them.」

After this, Jeremiah looked at the utterly confused Gregor and asked again,「You’re certain only the two of them offered advice during the journey?」

Gregor hesitated and said,「Elai suggested I eat a fish starting from the tail. Does that count as advice?」

Jeremiah closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cursed under his breath,「You idiot. Of course not.」

Hearing Jeremiah’s scolding, Gregor’s face actually showed relief.