[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-reborn-king":3,"chapter-the-reborn-king-the-reborn-king-chapter-369":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Reborn King",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1100826,1437,"Chapter 369: Secret Meeting","the-reborn-king-chapter-369",369,"\u003Cp>Underneath the Holy Seat, Michael stood in the shadows of the underground storage rooms. He heard rats scurrying around, trying to claw their way into the barrels and the occasional distant laughter. But what stuck out to him was the echoing footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elijah.\" Seeing a figure walk past, Michael called out. Elijah jumped and pulled his sword, holding it at Michael’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lord above.\" Elijah sheathed the blade and shook his head, \"You can’t be normal.\" Michael smirked, making Elijah do the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We haven’t had a chance to properly speak since you returned. How have you been?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine,\" Elijah looked around and clicked his tongue, \"Can’t say the same for you. What is so important that we have to meet here? Away from everyone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael lowered his head in shame and ground his teeth. \"The Church is a lie, Elijah. I don’t know when, but at some point it had betrayed Sol.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his old friend, Elijah couldn’t believe what he was hearing, \"Michael. Are you....\" He paused, grabbing his mouth, \"What... Where has this come from?\" He knew the old man. Out of everyone in the Holy Seat, it was hard to find someone more faithful than Michael. He had been a loyal servant for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I read too deeply.\" Michael grabbed his head, \"A year ago, His Holiness tasked me with getting something to tarnish Alfred Lindofnall’s reputation. I was happy to carry it out until he told me to target his children if I must.\" Elijah frowned, knowing it was one of the few things Michael hated doing, \"I was loyal...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Was?\" Elijah cut in before Michael could continue. Despite their friendship, his hand subconsciously reached for his sword. He may not have been as faithful as the rest of the Grand Templars, but he was still a servant of the lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael noticed but said nothing, \"The Holy Text has been tampered with. I love Sol, our glorious creator. I have tried to live by his teachings whilst preserving his Church. But it has been a lie. I needed to destroy Alfred’s reputation, and I couldn’t do that to a child when I had read Sol’s examples of mercy. So I thought there might be a connection between all the Blessed Ones. Instead of finding it, I found that our history has been altered and tampered with for generations. I could let that slide if it were for the greater good, but to tamper with the Holy Text is unacceptable. I can’t forgive this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elijah stared at Michael and finally removed his hand from his sword. \"I don’t believe you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Saint Clement. You know the story?\" Michael expected that and quickly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. The story of repentance and self-sacrifice. After committing an unforgivable sin, he vowed to change and gave up all his possessions. Eventually, he starved to death, feeding the needy during a famine.\" Michael nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what was his sin?\" Michael coldly asked, making Elijah frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In a drunken rage, he killed a child.\" Michael shook his head,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Archives have two different versions. One is that he killed a woman in a drunken rage. The other doesn’t even mention that he drinks. Instead, it claims his great crime was theft. I pushed these aside. One was close enough to the truth, and the other could be fake. But I delved deeper and noticed more of these amongst the other Blessed Ones.\" Michael clenched his fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe it’s a mistranslation, Michael. These texts are hundreds of years old.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can understand that.\" Michael said, desperately trying to believe his own words, \"But nearly every Blessed One mentioned in the holy book has had their history altered one way or another. Their crimes were made worse. Their lives were made to seem better before being labelled a Blessed One. Once is a mistake, twice is a coincidence. Four, five. That’s deliberate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elijah gulped. He could see that Michael wasn’t lying. Even in the darkness, he could see the rage at having been lied to engulfing his eyes. The man had given everything for the Church, and instead of being told the lies, he had to find out for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why are you telling me this?\" Elijah softly asked. Michael looked at him and took a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I could be wrong. I hope I am. I hope the Church is what I believed it was. But if I’m wrong, Constance will approach you soon. My influence, even after losing my position, is still strong. He needs all the support he can get. Gabriel doesn’t question what he is ordered to do, and Ramiel is too kind to see His Holiness’ tricks. I can only rely on you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Michael took another deep breath, \"But do what you have to do. I won’t blame you for whatever path you take. After all, what I am saying is insanity if you don’t see it for yourself.\" Elijah clicked his tongue and stared at Michael for a while. He wanted to say something, but stopped and left instead. His mind was a mess trying to understand what Michael had told him. He wanted to deny everything, but the seeds of doubt had been planted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I need to see for myself.’Elijah knew it was the only way he could decide. He wanted to believe Michael had gone crazy with his old age. He hoped that losing his place as first among equals was causing him to lash out. But Elijah knew better. Michael was still the same man he once was. He had changed suddenly, but not because of petty things like a title or age, but because of the betrayal of his core beliefs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the centre of the Holy Seat, Constance stared at the wall before him. A golden orb hung high, looking down at everyone with a gentle glow. Below it, a purple and emerald orb sat next to each other, trying to be as close to the golden one as possible. Below them was a pale, white orb that lacked the same allure as the other three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Constance watched and could see the story of creation playing out before him. Khor’s fall, Sol’s isolation, Gaia’s tears and humanity’s sins. His eyes hardened, and he shook his head. Walking on, he went through the large halls before a set of large double doors. Inside, he looked down the long hall at statues of the previous Popes and Saints of the church looking down at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large room was empty, no one ever having a reason to come here. There was nothing, no texts, no jobs, only the statues of the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Constance stopped walking and looked up at the old man before him. He couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of Samuel. Whoever carved it had added muscle to his body, making him bigger than he was when alive. If his teacher’s appearance was so easily altered, he wondered about the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After admiring it for a few seconds, Constance continued down the hall to the final display, which stood out of place compared to the rest. It was a large silver throne, too big for a single person to sit on. It was another thing he questioned. The Throne was said to be lost during the years of Darkness, but he wondered how such a thing could have been moved and then returned. He was sure it was a story made up to promote the glory of the church and Sol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going behind the throne, he looked at a small iron door, out of place with the grandeur of the room. Taking out the key that only he had access to, he went in, carefully shutting it behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The secret archive. The place was only open to those he allowed permission to enter. Despite being the only one with access, the place was spotless. Constance looked around. Tablets, books, artefacts, and paintings were carefully sorted. It was a mesmerising sight each time he looked at it. Every single item had the ability to change the entire world, open up a part of history that had been forgotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many times has she been tempted to show part of it to the world? He could only imagine what his predecessors were like. It was forbidden knowledge that only he had access to. He wanted to show the world what was inside, let those who could understand its value look at it. But he couldn’t. Not only would the church fall, but ancient wars that had been lost to history would start again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking over to a large box, he opened it and looked at the silver and gold sword. The only known weapon of the ’Divine King’ of Prodora. It was lost after the man’s death, believed to have gone with him to Khors, but the reality was that those who believed in Sol stole it when he died. Its existence could herald the return of the Years of Darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closing the box, he walked over to the painting. It was rough and lacked the technique the modern ones had, but Constance could make out what it was. The Throne room of the Severian Empire, hundreds of years before his father had taken the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smiling, he looked at the most important but devastating part. The history of the Blessed Ones. Constance reached out to grab one of the records, but stopped. He had read everything there was to read in this room. Looking at it, his mind worked fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Destroy it or leave it.’Michael’s rebellion was dangerous and possible. He would definitely have the support for it. He could easily shut it all down and destroy the books. After that, let Michael see for himself that there was nothing wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Constance grabbed one and held it in his hands. Looking down at the blank cover, he felt his heart race. Part of him knew it would be better in the short term, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Putting it back, he sighed and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’He’s old. It wouldn’t be strange for him to pass.’The thought was dangerous, but it was a last resort. If Michael had anyone less on his side than he didn’t know about, then all he did was create a martyr and prove Michael’s words had some truth to them.\u003C\u002Fp>",1725,"2026-06-03T11:17:48.775Z","2026-06-03T11:17:51.400Z",1,"novelbin.me","8fca92eae4b11da3961b188ae2426406a4c0b737d3641f3d044f938d2d371295","the-reborn-king-chapter-370","the-reborn-king-chapter-368",487,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-reborn-king-cover.jpg"]