RLAAQ - Chapter 22 < Above The Glory >
Refusing Love As A Queen
"How do you prove it?"
The old priest asked sharply,
"If you are not guilty, why not let the flames prove it?"
Divine judgment!
Archbishop Rodri's expression suddenly changed.
He instantly understood what the other members of the Old God Sect were planning to do for the final blow - they were going to force the Queen to accept divine judgment, and it was the most dangerous fire judgment.
"No."
Archbishop Rodri shouted decisively before the Queen could answer.
He felt eyes from all directions falling on him. Those eyes were full of surprise and uncertainty, and some contained anger and contempt that made him painful. The old priest who was confronting him pointed at him tremblingly, with eyes that seemed to break his skull.
"Rhodri..."
He was even angrier than when he saw the Queen and his lips trembled,
"What are you doing?"
Archbishop Rodri's hand was hidden under the blouse, and he clenched it tightly. He faced the Gods who guided him. The old priest in front of him was the former deputy head of the Temple Knights, and also his...mentor.
What is he doing? What has he done? He had to do it.
The Archbishop stood upright in front of the Queen.
"In 1272, at the Council of St. Nord, the Holy Father had declared that the Divine Judgment of Fire, the Divine Judgment of Cold Water, and the Divine Judgment of Hot Iron were all against doctrine."
He was confronting his mentor. He is becoming a complete traitor...
"God's judgment is an invention of fools,"
He said word by word, rejecting the creed that he once firmly believed in. He felt that the altar deep in his soul was cracking and disintegrating. He was just like all those who were once spurned are as depraved.
“If God had ordained divine judgment, then He would not command that every city should have judges and justices of the peace. Those who deny the accusations will be proven guilty by witnesses. God’s judgment is secret and what cannot be seen is that if all future events are not yet certain, then it is astonishingly foolish to try to determine it through abominable duels and stupid actions."
"You have been seduced, Rodri."
The former Knight of the Temple deputy captain stared at him with his old but still sharp eyes, and said slowly,
"I know you as well as a father knows his child. You were never someone who would speak out for a witch before. You have fallen... you are the traitor. !"
The wind blew the Archbishop's dark black monk's robe, along with the instructor's accusation.
Under his eagle-winged brows, his steel-blue eyes fell on the cross on the church tower in the distance, and every line on his face was stretched hard. It was so hard that the wind ruffled his dark monk's robe.
The voice sounded, too unfamiliar to be his own.
"Balder, do you dare to violate the doctrine and override the authority of the Gods?"
"What did you do to him?"
Old Father Balder turned to cast his malicious eyes on Adele,
"How dare you seduce a chosen one who should belong to God? Let him degenerate to this?! You are just as slutty as your mother..."
"Get out of the way, Rodri."
Adele stepped forward expressionlessly.
After seeing Archbishop Rodri hesitate for a moment and take a step to the left, Balder's eyes became more and more malicious. However, before he could spit out more curses, there was a clear sword cry.
There was an exclamation.
At an unexpected speed, the Queen snatched the sword from Count Boruc, who was holding the sword next to her. The national sword was unsheathed loudly, and the cold light was pointed directly at the old Father Balder.
The cursing stopped abruptly.
The heavy national sword was held firmly by the Queen, the sword's blade remained motionless, and its tip pointed directly at the throat of old Father Balder. The sun fell on the long sword, and the tip of the sword glowed with a heart-stopping light.
"Are you planning to use your sword to hide the truth?"
The old priest said in a deep voice.
"No. My sword is only used to protect my people, but if someone betrays Roland and becomes an enemy of Roland, then he is my enemy. Although I am a woman, I will never hesitate to point the sword at him."
The queen looked around at the people around her and raised her voice,
"Everyone, with the Gods as evidence, I accuse this person of usurping Roland's interests and bringing disaster to the country!"
"Slander!! Ridiculous slander!"
Old Father Baldur was furious
"Slander?"
The Queen held the sword, moved her wrist, and pointed the tip of the sword from him to "Brother John" behind him,
"I know that you and your brother consider yourself pious. The Saint Loringian monastery you established has a hundred-thirteen monasteries that have joined. You worship the Holy Spirit and the baptismal spring. Your allied brothers occupy the lake and prohibit civilians from diverting water from the lake when the river dries up. Only by paying a heavy fee can you obtain it from the 'holy spring' .One and a half seconds. Heinrich!"
Heinrich stepped forward.
"How many monasteries of St. Lorraine are there in Horst County?"
"Eleven."
"How many 'Holy Springs'?"
"Thirteen."
"From April to now, how many people have died outside the 'Holy Springs'?"
"Two hundred and seventy-one people."
Between the questions and answers, the previous noise of the crowd gradually subsided, and people's eyes moved between the Queen, Balder, Heinrich, and Rodri.
"This is what you did for Roland."
The Queen pointed at the last person with her sword,
"You accuse me of causing the drought? I also accuse the drought of starting because of you! In the name of God, draw a circle around the 'Holy Spring'. It is you who have attracted the wrath of the Gods!"
"No! This is your lie. Before joining, the brothers of Saint Lorraine all swore an oath to remain faithful and impoverished forever - you are lying!"
Old Father Balder staggered. He stepped back and shook his head.
The Queen smiled contemptuously.
"In this case, if God also protects you, why not grant heavy rain to prove your innocence?" "
"Wind, rain, and thunder are all determined by God, how dare mortals try to speculate on God's will?"
Balder retorted.
"You Don't even think about using such sophistry to cover up your sins!"
"Sophistry?"
The Queen turned her wrist and the national sword plunged downwards into the hard stone surface,
"God chooses His spokesperson on earth to rule the country for Him. The monarch is blessed by His miracles. My people should not be burdened by your sins - I will pray to the Gods on behalf of my people and save the earth with the water of life."
There was a sudden silence. The old priest looked at the Queen in horror.
What is she doing? Is she crazy?
Archbishop Rodri looked at the Queen in disbelief. He could hardly restrain the anger in his heart - he had clearly paved the safest path for her, and for this, he did not hesitate to betray his former mentor and former brother in public. Bearing the charges of "traitor" and "degeneracy".
But what did she choose?! What on earth does she want to do!
Archbishop Rodri almost wanted to question her on the spot, almost unable to restrain his anger and disappointment, but the moment he saw the Queen, all his words disappeared from his throat.
The wind blew across the Royal Road.
She folded her hands and placed them on the sword that symbolized the Empire. Her long skirt rolled like a fiercely unfolding battle flag. Her translucent veil was fluttered by the wind. The diamonds on it reflected the brilliance of stars and illuminated the sky. Those red eyes burned like fire.
"Let God judge - who is the sinner! "
***
"I don't know what you want to do! "
Almost as soon as the Queen returned to the summer palace, Archbishop Rodri could not restrain himself from quarreling with her. He turned pale with anger, and his voice seemed to be forced out of his throat.
"Do you think it's funny? Look at me like a fool, stand up like a fool! "
"I'm not amused,"
The Queen interrupted.
"In fact, I'm very grateful to you for coming forward at that time, Rodri."
There was no smile on her face, and her tone was as low as he had ever heard. Archbishop Rodri's anger subsided slightly, and he noticed that the Queen's mood was completely different from before. He stopped, pursed his lips, and looked at the person standing. The Queen in the cloister found her eyes always falling on the Cathedral of Santa Maria - there was a trace of sadness hidden under her calmness.
"There may not be room for maneuver. "
Archbishop Rodri paused, and his voice softened involuntarily.
"The Pope is being harassed by the rebellion in the free cities. If you assist the Pope in quelling the rebellion, he will be happy to sign a certificate for you..."
''They are trying her there..."
The Queen suddenly said, she closed her eyes, and the group of people in black appeared in front of her eyes - her mother was standing under the dome with her crown removed, and more than ten years later, her daughter stood in the same place, accepting a similar "They sentenced her to death and deprived her of her identity and honor. "
The Archbishop stopped talking and stood quietly. He knew who the Queen was talking about.
Sithonia Gray, she was the Queen of Caileli, a vassal state of Roland. She took Caileli to marry Edmund III.
She was an outstanding woman with extraordinary wisdom and beauty. At first, Edmund III loved her and was willing to share his royal power with her. He listed her name after his own and signed the document. That period was the most glorious period of the Roland Empire, and was once called the "Era of Two Kings."
Until a rebellion broke out in the Caileli area, many nobles in the country who were dissatisfied with the interference of a foreign woman in politics took the opportunity to build momentum. The Queen was accused of committing a crime. "Treason" was regarded as the source of rebellion, and she used witchcraft to confuse the King.
In the end, she died because of it.
The Archbishop suddenly remembered the Queen's words in the confessional of the Day Palace,
"...I am the daughter of two Kings. The King of Roland".
Queen Sithonia has been dead for so many years, and only her daughter is left to stubbornly remember the glorious "Era of Two Kings".
The sky is getting darker. Archbishop Rodri doesn't know what to say.
He could recite all the scriptures, all the dogmas, and all the laws, but he could not recite even a single sentence written by the bard. His throat was dry and he was at a loss for words.
"I don't trust other Bishop's. "
The Queen turned to look at him, her tone becoming calm and strong again.
"You will preside over the prayer ceremony. "
"Okay."
The Archbishop lowered his eyes and said dryly. He felt as if he had swallowed a ball of bitter and annoyed flames.
As they turned a corner, they saw Dalton standing in front of a thin pillar, his back to the light, looking at them. He didn't know how long he stood there. His shadow, together with the stone pillars, was stretched out by the glow, and his whole body was shrouded in a strange and gloomy blood color.
Seeing him, the Archbishop was startled, took the lead, and stood in front of the Queen.
He finally remembered one thing during the day. His protection of the Queen during the day might have exposed something... He also knew Dalton, the leader of the New God Church, and his ability and decisive style. When Dalton saw he was protecting the Queen, it was impossible not to guess who betrayed him in the previous rebellion.
The hand under the Archbishop's cloak rested on the hilt of his sword.
"Your sword is definitely not as fast as my gun."
Dalton slowly raised his head, with no expression on his face.
"You should go arrange the prayer ceremony instead of here, Mr. Bishop. You go ahead."
Dalton ordered.
The Archbishop stood upright, motionless, his gaze resting on the flintlock gun on Dalton's waist.
Dalton sneered, took off the gun that was said to be with him for a moment, raised his hand, and threw it into the garden on the left side of the cloister.
"It's time for you to prepare other things, Bishop. Go ahead."
Adele repeated.
The Archbishop's hand slowly moved away from the hilt of the sword, and he passed Dalton with a cold face and a hint of anger that he didn't even know he had.
The Queen and Dalton were the only two people left in the cloister.
"Your swordsmanship is very good."
After a moment of silence, Dalton said slowly, his voice as soft as a whisper.
"Perhaps you are also very familiar with the battlefield."
"I know that Roland has experienced what he has experienced in the past thirty years. All the battles, when they started and when they ended, how many people participated in the battle, how many people died, and what kind of weapons were put into the battlefield."
The Queen replied, and then asked,
"Otherwise, why would I choose you?"
"You have no armor, but you have a sword in your heart."
"What else do you want to ask?"
The Queen looked at him.
"No, not anymore,"
Dalton said.
He asked for this. He hated the arrogant nobles who stuck to the rules, mocked their tactics that should be eliminated, and resented that no one could understand his reforms.
He was wrong.
Someone knows, someone understands, someone shares his views. But like the people he hated, he ignored it with arrogance and prejudice... just like those two documents. If he had received the letter of appointment signed on the 15th instead of the one signed on the 16th, would things have been completely different?
"Go and examine those who have been arrested,"
Said the Queen.
She walked forward without looking back. Dalton looked at her leaving shadow and did not have the courage to ask that question.
***
The day of prayer has finally arrived on August 28th.
The sky was clear, not to mention dark clouds, not even a wisp of white clouds, and the sun was scorching the ground.
The road from the Summer Palace to the Cathedral of Santa Maria was almost packed with people. When the Queen walked along the stone road under the protection of soldiers headed by Dalton, she could hear the humming whispers of the crowd.
"Heresy..."
"The witch... She lied, God did not protect her."
When crossing the crossroads, several people dressed as monks raised scriptures to her and recited the scriptures that prohibited women from preaching and demanded That a woman be submissive.
Unmoved, the Queen arrived at the cathedral.
Father Bald and Brother John were already there, and when the Queen passed by them, she heard a low taunt. The church was also full of people, nobles, and ladies. Everyone watched closely as the Queen entered through the door of the nave, Archbishop Rodri waiting for her at the altar.
The sun was so bright that even the light shining through the glass windows of the dome was dazzling.
The structure of the church made whispers echo, and the sun was so bright that almost everyone thought the end was certain.
In those echoes, she heard her mother's name associated with "temptress", "witch" and "evil".
The Queen ascended the altar.
Archbishop Rodri's lips moved several times, but he wanted to say something but couldn't. He silently took the cloak that the Queen took off. The Queen wore a linen gown and no jewelry except a crown.
She knelt before the statue amid a murmur of murmurs.
Start praying.
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