The First Vampire

Chapter 556: 554 Admonition (Part 2)_1
 

The words of a warning from Queen Midela made Colin shiver, and he hurriedly asked,

“Your Highness, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”

“Speak,” she said.

Colin took a few steps forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Queen Midela, and then lowered his voice to say,

“Your Highness, I understand the Church’s status and reputation in the Empire of Glory, but what I don’t understand is, why has the nobility been unable to do anything about it for over a thousand years, instead letting the Church constantly meddle in secular affairs and expand its power and influence?”

Colin looked around to make sure no one was near, his voice dropped lower before he continued:

“The core members of the Holy Knight families know the secret of the Lord of Glory ceasing to draw on the Power of Faith. This means the Church has lost its connection with the Supreme Lord. So, the threat of gods is not the real reason why the nobles are restrained.

The Church may have a strong military force like the Temple Knight Regiment, but its manpower is too limited. If the noble lords unite, they can overwhelm the Temple Knights with sheer numbers alone.

And, among the nobles, there are superlative warriors like the Holy Knights!

So, I can’t understand why, after all these years, the Church has always been in a superior position in its struggle with the nobles?”

Queen Midela glanced at Colin and said faintly,

“Do you think the nobles are united as one? You know, many nobles are fanatical devotees of my Lord.”

Colin was definitely not convinced by this reason. He argued, “While they may be fanatics for my Lord, they may not similarly be fanatics for the Church. Don’t the nobles know about the corruption and decay of the Church nowadays? Those hypocritical clergymen can fool the ignorant commoners, but they can hardly brainwash the nobles.

Especially Holy Knight families, they are very aware that the Church now is likely abandoned by the Supreme Lord.

How come they don’t think of uniting to cut off the Church’s reach into the secular domain?”

Queen Midela shook her head and said, “You should know, when nobles talk about faith, it’s mostly for benefit purposes. Even though they are aware of the Church’s decay and corruption, they still choose to side with the church, simply because it benefits them.

Just take the Eastern St. Prowse family, for example, why do they adamantly stand on the Church’s side?

Back when the ‘Dark Emperor’ was ‘assassinated’ by the ‘Judge’, the St. Lorenzo family, of course, could not swallow this, so they encouraged the invasion of the Northeast by St. Hilde family from the North area to punish the St. Sean family.

But when the St. Hilde family crushed the main forces of the St Sean family on the battlefield, the St. Prowse family suddenly appeared, usurping the fruits of victory which originally belonged to the St. Hilde family.

And why could the St. Prowse family dare to do that?

Wasn’t it the Church that instigated them?

So after occupying the North East, the St. Prowse family has had to rely on the Church to withstand the wrath of the royal family and the North.

Another example is the South border, which, due to its remote location and being separated by the Pampas swamp, has always been aloof from the political core of the Empire. The St. Rands family even once considered secession and forming a separate nation.

Of course, they didn’t succeed, but such actions have planted a thorn in the heart of the royal family. To avoid reprisals, St. Rands’s political position naturally veers towards the Church.

So you see, although nobility has stronger overall power compared to the Church, they are riddled with internal contradictions and divided. Your idea of them uniting to suppress the Church is simply a beautiful illusion.”

Now Colin finally understood. In a nutshell, it was the nobles who were bringing it on themselves.

Of course, this is also a natural flaw of the feudal system. The prestige and power of the royal family can’t truly penetrate to the grassroots level, and they lack enough control over the nobility, which provides the Church with opportunities to divide and win over others.

After contemplating for a moment, Colin asked again, “What about the Holy Knights? There shouldn’t be any Holy Field powerhouses in the Church’s Temple Knight Regiment, right? In that case, if a Holy Knight arises among the nobles, especially from the royal family or a known anti-Church family like the St. Hildes, they should be able to suppress the Church, right?”

Queen Midela sighed and said, “Have you heard of the Golden Horn?”

Colin nodded and replied, “I have. It is said to be an ancient artifact controlled by successive Popes that can communicate with the heavenly kingdom. But now that the Lord of Glory no longer absorbs the Power of Faith, would he still respond to the Golden Horn?”

“Exactly. Many people speculate that the Golden Horn has lost its greatest function. But no one dares to truly believe this until it is proven,” said Queen Midela. Turning her head, she looked straight into Colin’s eyes with a bright smile. “Perhaps this time, you have the chance to force the Church to reveal their true power. Then, everyone will see whether they are bluffing or have real power.”

Colin smiled lightly, seemingly unruffled by this news. “Personally, I feel that if the Lord of Glory indeed responds to the Golden Horn and turns his gaze back to this world, he might become disappointed after seeing the Church’s current corruption and deal with these fake believers himself!”

“Possibly,” Queen Midela responded noncommittally, her smile never faltering. “However, even if the Golden Horn can’t communicate with heaven, it still has one verified and powerful function.”

“What function?”

“It can artificially create Holy Knights!”

Colin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Queen Midela quickly explained, “Don’t worry, though the Golden Horn can create Holy Knights, there are many limitations.”

Colin sighed in relief and hurriedly asked, “What limitations?”

“Only the Pope knows the specific limitations, but the Golden Horn’s ability to produce Holy Knights has only been used twice in the history of the Glorious Empire. If it didn’t come at a great cost, the Church would not be so stingy in using it.

I suspect that, much like how Mages suffer great damage when they cast Forbidden Spells, using the Golden Horn causes the Pope to experience a significant backlash. So, unless it is absolutely necessary, the Pope would not dare to use it.”

Colin nodded but didn’t let his guard down.

After all, we are talking about Holy Knights! If the Pope were pushed into a corner and they made a Holy Knight carry out an assassination, the North Territory might struggle to cope.

Seeing Colin’s serious expression, Queen Midela decided to take advantage of the situation and gave her advice:

“I know you’ve put forth two conditions to the Church – Gregory’s abdication and the independence of the North Territory diocese. But I’m advising you to strive for the latter condition. Don’t back Gregory into a corner.”

Colin looked deeply at Queen Midela, finally understanding the real reason she’d waited for him here.

So, it was all for that.

Queen Midela, seeming to have read Colin’s thoughts, continued, “I can only tell you this advice, but I’m afraid that Garcia is determined to make Gregory pay the price, which is obviously unrealistic.

Unfortunately, I can’t convince Garcia. With his stubborn temper, if Vera truly falls into an eternal sleep, he will never let it go.

Therefore, I hope that you can keep the situation under control and prevent the future of the North Territory from being destroyed by meaningless hatred.”

After finishing her speech, Queen Midela turned around without any hesitation and left, as if she had just completed some kind of mission.

Leaving Colin alone on the balcony, lost in thought.