only god

Chapter 577 A martyr spurned by all people

When the new news reached the prison, the jailers immediately started to make a noise.

"Hey, have you heard? Even the prophets have heard about this man."

"Does the prophet know about him slapping the emperor?"

"What the hell, why would the prophet care about such a thing? It's his heretical thoughts and prophecies."

"That savior prophecy, is it true?"

"False, absolutely false, otherwise why didn't the prophet ask the emperor to release him."

...............

The jailers made a fuss, and the small lounge was suddenly crowded and trembling with noise.

That priest offended His Majesty the Emperor in front of everyone, that ruler who all the gods must respect. Even the lightest punishment would be banishment. As for the heaviest punishment, he would suffer all kinds of pain during his lifetime. , the reputation after death will never be restored.

According to the warden, Eden's secret execution is a certainty. The emperor will first issue a document expressing forgiveness, and then imprison him in a monastery. He will be tortured for a year and then executed after a year. The body will not be destroyed. They were not buried or cremated, but were thrown into the deep mountains and wild forests outside the imperial city, where there were mass graves for thieves, murderers, arsonists and other criminals.

But the current situation seems to be ushering in a turn for the better.

"Is there really a turning point?"

one of the jailers asked nervously.

As jailers, they also participated in the torture of Iden. If Iden was acquitted, wouldn't they be like the Logos who persecuted the angels in the scriptures?

The True Religion is Deschanel's state religion, and the jailers are all True Believers. Thinking of this, they can't help but feel scared.

"Why panic? I don't know whether I will live or die."

Another jailer took courage and said:

"Are you scared like this? Do you think he can escape unscathed? He is a heretic, and angels are not heretics."

After the third jailer heard this, he cautiously said:

"But...he really seems like a righteous man. He doesn't make any noise or make a fuss. He recites the scriptures silently every day. It's very similar to what the scriptures say: 'You must lay down your life and yourself for the sake of your faith and love. Praise, walk with God.'"

"What's the use of being a righteous person? A righteous person in our eyes may not necessarily be a righteous person in God's eyes."

the jailer replied.

In the rest room, the jailers immediately started quarreling over whether Eden was considered a righteous person or not. This was not an unimportant issue. For them, whether Eden was considered a righteous person was very important. If he was a righteous person, Then they would become people who persecute the righteous. How terrible that is. But if Eden is not a righteous person, then it doesn't matter how much they persecute.

The quarrel lasted for quite some time, and no one was able to convince anyone. The warden suddenly walked in during the most intense quarrel and reprimanded the noisy people.

"What's the fuss about? What's the fuss about?

What's the use of arguing here? Do you have half the brains of the big shots? "

Under the scolding, the jailers shut their mouths one after another.

Seeing this, the warden softened his tone and explained:

"Don't be like before these days. Stop everything and entertain this priest."

The warden's order came down, and the jailers nodded one after another.

Finally, these jailers no longer woke Eden up every once in a while. Not only that, they used to withhold food according to the warden's instructions. Now, not only did they not withhold food, they also used their private money to buy good wine and meat. Entertain the priest.

Facing the changes in the jailers, Eden was confused.

After asking, the priest learned about the heresy trial of the Ecumenical Council from their mouths.

When he heard the news, Eden's hand that was originally holding the wheat porridge suddenly lost strength, and the pottery bowl fell to the ground, shattering instantly.

He couldn't believe it.

"A heresy trial. The prophet called for a heresy trial?"

Eden said blankly.

The jailers nodded repeatedly and carefully observed Eden's expression.

Eden came to his senses and quickly grabbed a jailer by the collar.

"What's going on? Why did the prophet judge me?! What on earth is going on?!"

The jailer wanted to struggle, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not break free. The thin priest suddenly burst out with amazing strength.

"I don't know. I don't know. How can I, a prison servant, know about such a thing?"

The jailer wailed.

Eden let go of him and took a breath, trying to calm down.

Then, the priest asked several questions one after another, but what could the jailers know? No matter what, they didn't know anything.

After the guards left, Eden stood up and paced restlessly back and forth in the small cell.

The prophet actually found out about himself...

Moreover, he also wanted the Council to conduct a heresy trial for himself.

Eden's emotions were too complicated to describe.On the one hand, he felt a twinge of excitement at the Prophet's attention, but on the other hand, he was horrified by the Prophet's demands.

The prophet actually asked the Council to conduct a heresy trial instead of asking for his release.

What exactly does this mean?
If he asked to be released, it would prove that he was a righteous person, and it would also confirm from the side that the savior prophecy he heard was true.

But the prophet didn't.

Is it...

Eden thought of a terrifying possibility.

Could it be that... the messiah prophecy is false?Is it fake?
Eden suddenly shuddered, and heartfelt fear surged from his feet, as if it was about to crush his soul. When he thought of this, he felt like half of the world was slowly collapsing.

He is not afraid of death, nor is he afraid of humiliation. What he is afraid of is what he believes in, not the truth, but empty words.

"The prophet did not directly say that I was a heretic, but asked the ecumenical council to judge me. Is this because he was merciful and gave me a chance to renounce my heresy?"

The more Eden thought about it, the more terrifying it became, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Suddenly, he sat slumped on the ground, his eyes blank.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar voice came from across the cell.

"Priest, congratulations."

Eden raised his head and looked over.

That was Timian, the half-faun, half-human hybrid.

"what are you saying?"

Eden asked.

"What am I talking about... Priest, this trial is a good opportunity to clear your name."

Timian said in surprise.

The half-breed's words seemed to arouse something, and Eden suddenly thought that he had thought too much.

The prophecies he believed in were not necessarily false. After all, the prophet did not directly identify himself as a heretic in his letters.

Moreover, what I believe is very likely to be true. I have found many supporting evidences in the scriptures. How can I be false?

In any case, at this moment, Eden cannot conclude that this prophecy is absolutely true, nor can he conclude that it must be false.

Slowly, Eden finally calmed down. He looked at Timian and whispered:

"Thanks."

Timian was a little confused. He didn't do anything. He was just trying to get close. How could he help him?

....................................

After realizing that he was not necessarily a heretic, Eden finally calmed down.

But the calm didn't last long.

Another kind of fear came up again.

This kind of fear cannot be explained and the reason is unclear. However, no matter what, it lingers, as if some kind of sin has been planted in my heart. I can only watch it take root deep in my heart, and there is no way to escape.

Eden didn't even know what he was afraid of.

Obviously there was no jailer to disturb his sleep, but Eden tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned and had trouble sleeping and eating. At this time, in the darkness of the night, he looked less like a martyr who looked down on life and death, and more like an indecisive person. of ordinary people.

When dawn came, Eden finally fell asleep, and woke up again not long after sleeping. By this time, it was almost noon. He looked outside the house, and the blazing sunshine was burning the prison, as if God was going to judge the sinners. Just like that, the panic suppressed by sleep arose.

Eden felt uneasy.

I actually have a premonition that I will die soon.

As his mind became clearer, he finally understood what he was afraid of.

Althea's words jumped into her ears like a devil's tune, and she was still afraid of that kind of endless humiliating death.

Under the sun, Eden saw his own shadow on the ground. The latter was weak and timid, but that seemed to be his real self.

Death... Death is not terrible. It is just that after a painful sleep, the soul leaves the body. He is not afraid of the pain of death. He can ignore it with courage, but, but... he is afraid of being treated as such after death. Being the object of ridicule and being treated as a clown in a drama.

It is not difficult to be a martyr, but to be a martyr despised by all people, what kind of martyr is that?

That's a madman, that's a fool, that's one of those insane witches.

"No...no...I can't die in such humiliation..."

In the sunshine, Eden curled up and kept mumbling to himself.

Anyway, those predictions may be true or they may be false. What’s the point of giving up?

The heresy trial of the Ecumenical Council is an opportunity. As long as they no longer insist on those words, no one will think that they are heretics. In that case, it will be difficult for the emperor to persecute himself in front of the public witness.

Everything can be planned after the Council. After the judgment is over, it is not too late to continue to claim messianic prophecies.

In a small cell,
Truth and glory pulled Eden back and forth.

(End of this chapter)