Only God

Veldor was busy running around for Eden while gathering more information.

After inquiring widely, Veldor gained a deeper understanding of the young Priest, who was an orphan abandoned at the Monastery. From a young age, he apparently possessed the extraordinary gift of seeing into people's hearts. The deputy abbot reported this to the Church, hoping the Church would verify it to see if it were a miracle.

However, in the world of the True Religion, the Church received numerous reported "miracles" every year. It was impossible for the Church to verify each one. Generally, the Church would only verify miracles witnessed by more than thirty people and prioritize those witnessed by over a hundred. Therefore, even though the deputy abbot sent many letters, they all sank without trace.

"That Priest is said to often be resented by people, and he is cynical about the world. Fortunately, the deputy abbot looks after him, which allowed him to be promoted to Priest. He is one of the youngest Priests, but still just a Priest,"

said a Priest who knew about Eden.

Veldor thought of something and quickly asked,

"Which diocese does he belong to?"

"Let me think, I believe he's in the diocese where Pastor Casas is. Are you looking for him?"

"I need him to come with me to see the Queen,"

Veldor nodded.

Soon, Veldor met Pastor Casas, who remembered Eden.

"He truly is a conscientious servant of God,"

Pastor Casas learned of Veldor's intentions and slowly said,

"But… his heretical ideas… are indeed distasteful."

"What's the problem?"

Veldor asked quickly.

Pastor Casas took a deep breath and narrated slowly,

"By God's arrangement, ten years ago, I came to know about Eden, the gifted Monk, from someone else. Even then, his heretical ideas were beginning to show.

In a theological paper, he claimed that the world is a confrontation between the Holy Spirit and the Evil Spirit, which is a clear fallacy of dualism, already condemned by the Great Angel Solamus."

Veldor was surprised to hear this. He had thought that Eden's heretical thoughts were only about the Savior, not that they had extended to dualism.

But this did not deter him from wanting to rescue Eden. For a Dwarf who spent most of his life preaching, heretical thoughts were of secondary concern.

"Regardless, just because of a slap, he is about to lose his life. I cannot overlook this; surely you cannot either?"

Veldor persuaded, hoping that Pastor Casas would join him in approaching the Queen.

Pastor Casas pondered for a moment, sighed, and slowly said,

"Alright, he is still a Priest in my diocese. As long as he renounces his heretical thoughts, I will support him with all my strength."

Relieved by the Pastor's response, Veldor breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Pastor Casas was known as a kind-hearted old man far and wide, not some stubborn scholar.

"Sometimes he is too arrogant. Teaching him a lesson might be a good thing…"

Pastor Casas said,

"Many people sympathize with him. Optimistically estimating, he need only confess his errors to the Emperor and bow his head."

............…

Inside the Imperial Palace of Danschel.

Emperor Constantine VI sat on his purple chair, listening to his son, co-Emperor Philip, report the situation of the Nobles.

It was late at night, and citizens of all strata in the capital were asleep, only the Imperial Palace remained brightly lit.

"Appease them, organize a few chariot races for them,"

Constantine VI said offhandedly.

Philip felt uneasy, having only been involved in politics for a few years and was still not adept,

"Father, will this really work? Just a few chariot races, is that enough to satisfy them? I've heard that there are already Nobles conspiring against you under the guise of the Great Council."

Facing his worried son, Constantine laughed coldly,

"My dear son, you don't understand the Nobles, especially those of Danschel.

They seem noble and elegant, but in reality, they are all soft fruits, their dignity derives from Danschel's authority.

But we are Emperors; we are the authority. All their dignity comes from us, without us, without the Emperor, they are nothing."

After speaking, Constantine felt he might have spoken too absolutely, so he added,

"Of course, I don't deny that many of them are outstanding individuals, and their families were founded by eminent ancestors."

Hearing his father's words, Philip felt much reassured.

Then, he asked softly,

"Father, how can I wield authority like you in decades to come? Should I rely on a gift from God?"

Emperor Constantine VI laughed,

"A gift from God? Don't joke, Philip. God is indeed great, and because He is so great, He does not care about earthly power.

He would not grant us authority, and Danschel's power is not a gift from God.

In this world, only three forces can conquer mankind: taxation, the threat of the sword, and forced faith. Similarly, only three forces can shape authority…"

Philip's eyes were full of longing as he intently awaited his father's response.

Just then, the Queen came in.

"In the name of the Lord, you have worked late enough; it's time to rest,"

the Queen gently urged.

As a wife and a mother, she wished every day that her husband and son would get enough rest to live a long life.

Constantine VI looked at the Queen, then said to his son,

"Let's leave it for next time; there's no hurry.

Listen to your mother, she's right; we should rest now, and we can toil for our empire tomorrow."

Philip nodded obediently, stood up, embraced his mother, and kissed her cheek. He then slowly left the room and returned to his own Palace.

The Queen lovingly watched her husband, approached slowly, and then lowered her voice, whispering,

"My dear Emperor, your daughter Arsia does not want to marry abroad."