flstandardbreds Chapter 359: Holy War Expedition
Chapter 359: Holy War Expedition
In a small church in the Holy City, Father Theodore stood in front of a simple statue of the god, and in front of him were the residents who gathered near the church. He led everyone in a gentle voice:
"Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray together."
The residents lowered their heads, clasped their hands, and listened quietly.
“Lord, please give us strength and guidance, so that we will not lose faith in difficult times…”
Theodore's voice rose slowly, with a warm glow that seemed to illuminate everyone's heart.
"Amen."
As Theodore finished his recitation, everyone responded in unison, as if at that moment, all their troubles had dissipated.
After the prayer, Theodore smiled and hugged the residents one by one, and everyone's face was filled with gratitude.
“May the grace of God be with you always.”
he said softly.
After finishing all this, Theodore returned to his room, easily took off his priest's clothes, put on simple casual clothes, and felt a sense of relief. He walked out of the church, the air was fresh, and the sun shone on his body, warm and bright.
At the church door he found the carriage waiting.
"To the Bishop's church."
Theodore said to the coachman and got on the carriage. The bishop he was talking about was his direct superior as a priest. On the first Sunday of every month, all priests under the bishop's jurisdiction had to come to the bishop's church to report on their work in the previous month.
The wheels turned slowly, the carriage headed east, and the surrounding scenery passed quickly before his eyes.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and Theodore opened the door and got out of the carriage. In front of him was a large Gothic church with lifelike carvings on the stone walls.
Just as Theodore was about to step into the church, he suddenly heard a noise behind him. He looked back and saw a procession coming from one end of the street. In front of the procession was a solemn judge, and behind him were several prison carts filled with prisoners slowly moving forward.
"Destroy the infidels! Wage holy war against heresy!"
The marchers held up torches and shouted passionately, pointing to the square not far ahead. Theodore's eyes moved to the square and found that the cross had been placed there, surrounded by piles of firewood for burning at the stake.
Theodore took a look at the procession, his heart sank, and he turned and walked into the church. During this period, the public execution of pagans in the Holy City became more frequent. He had heard that it seemed that the King of France intended to launch a holy war against Kusha. However, all this had nothing to do with him.
After entering the church, the prayers had already ended, and only a few priests who had arrived earlier were waiting here quietly. But when they saw Theodore, they all looked a little cold and did not talk to him.
Theodore was used to this. Since he first came to the bishop's diocese, the bishop had hinted that he hoped to get some benefits, but Theodore was powerless to change the situation and did not want to harm the residents of the diocese, so he decisively refused.
Because of this, the bishop and his priests did not treat him well. Later, when he learned that he was from John, the bishop seemed to be afraid of this. He thought that the bishop was afraid of John's revenge. It was not until one day when he was chatting with the priest of the neighboring parish that he learned that the bishop was really afraid of Pros, the bishop of Franche-Comté and John's relative.
This was not directly related to John himself, but closely related to the actions of the Crusaders. Since the establishment of the Crusaders, whenever the shadow of the heretics appeared in every corner of the Kingdom of Midland, the knights would follow them and attack them mercilessly. The most tragic scene was the outbreak of the Battle of Saint Remy during the plague.
Although the people in the Holy City were not aware of the specific situation, the city of Saint Remy, which the Holy City nobles invested a lot of money to build in the Kingdom of Midland, was destroyed by the arson of the Crusaders. In the end, only the scorched city walls were left, telling the story of the prosperity of the past and the destruction of today. However, surprisingly, these nobles did not blame John for all this, but unanimously believed that Pros was a madman.
They knew that in the face of a plague all over the city, any rational lord would choose to stay indoors and seek self-protection. But if Pros, the inquisitor who nominally controlled the Knights, chose extreme measures and set the city on fire, it would be consistent with his seal as an inquisitor. Even though there is still no conclusive evidence to prove that he ordered the Knights to burn Saint Remy, almost everyone in the Holy City who knew about this had already made up their minds that Pros' hands were stained with the blood of a large number of cultists.
Theodore was lost in thought, thinking about the recent turmoil and chaos, but he couldn't sort out his thoughts for a while. At this moment, the back door of the church opened gently, and the bishop walked in slowly and steadily. However, this time he did not let the priests report their work as usual, but walked straight to Theodore.
Theodore looked up, and doubts emerged in his heart. The bishop's face had a sad expression that seemed to always want to ask for something from others, which was now covered by a forced smile, which seemed particularly unnatural. This scene made Theodore a little stunned, and he didn't know what the bishop wanted to do at this time. The bishop nodded slightly, and there was a hint of nervousness in his tone, but he tried to make himself look relaxed:
"Father Theodore, do you know Bishop Pross?"
"Yes."
Theodore answered briefly, his mind full of doubts about the bishop's intentions.
Hearing this, the bishop heaved a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face seemed to have finally found its place. His voice was low and urgent.
"Very well, Theodore, I need you to write a letter to Pross."
Theodore couldn't help but frown, vaguely feeling the seriousness of the matter. The bishop continued:
"The King of France has just convened a meeting with the cardinals and dignitaries of the Holy City and decided to let Bishop Pross serve as the commander of this holy war expedition."
In the square near the church, the prisoner was taken to the stake. After he was tied to the stake, the judge gave an order and several torches were thrown into the firewood under the stake. Soon, a blazing fire started under the prisoner's feet. The flames licked the air, and the prisoner's painful wails came one after another, interweaving with the sound of burning gunpowder into a creepy symphony. The onlookers around were indifferent, and some even looked expectant, as if they were indifferent to this cruel trial.
At the window of a castle-like mansion near the square, a little girl in a pink dress was looking at the tragic scene below with curiosity.