Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 212 I Love My Brother, But I Love the Truth More
Facing the Templar, Alchos thought of what Amedee had said.

【Martyrdom is a gift from God, and I don’t think I can get it.】

Yes, Jesus, the Son of God, gave up his life for faith and never denied his identity as the Son of God until his death.

It laid a solid foundation for Christianity, and from this, an idea was born in Christianity: there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for Christ and for one's brothers.

The act of martyrdom makes Christians like Jesus Christ, shedding their blood and dying like Him.

Therefore, Christianity cherishes this behavior as a special gift and the highest proof of charity.

Archos stood tall and unafraid, his eyes fixed on the Templar.

"You said I'm a heretic?"

“Our spirituality is gained by establishing a connection with Heavenly Father, rather than simply relying on the authority of the church. True faith lies in the inner calling, not external constraints.”

"History will remember that it was not us who split the church! It was the self-righteous 'godfather' you followed."

To Archos, the Templar's scolding was not an insult but a compliment.

After all, he is an Orthodox Christian. Can you still restrict him with Catholic laws?
The Knight Templar, or to be more precise, Master François, was a man who wielded a sword more often than a rosary, so he naturally would not waste time talking to Arcos.

Now his subordinates have surrounded this temporary wooden platform, and they can capture the heretic on the platform at his command.

But at this critical moment, another group of people rushed out from behind the wooden platform. Although these people were not wearing armor, they all had weapons in their hands.

What is even more surprising, frightening, and makes the atmosphere eerie is that these people seem to be wearing cloth masks on their faces, covering their noses and mouths.

The confrontation between the two sides made the air freeze, but François, a man in his forties and a master who had killed countless enemies, did not take it to heart.

"Humph!"

However, just before Francois gave the order, a man in a simple robe walked out from the crowd.

As he walked out, the young man also suppressed the weapons in the hands of the people next to him.

"Put your sword back into its sheath. Everyone who draws the sword will die by the sword."

Gellis came into the crowd, unarmed and helpless.

Next to François, Stephen, the only Knight Hospitaller in black robe among the many Templar Knights, asked:
"you are?"

Stephen was a little uncertain because Garys was too young. This young Frank looked only about eighteen or nineteen years old. If he had children, they would be about the same age.

“You come to me, and don’t know me or my Father?”

“Then I will tell you, I am the LORD’s child, the Holy One of Jerusalem, who brings sickness, suffering, sin and poverty to a halt.”

The point that Gellis always emphasizes is that Jehovah is his Father and the Father of all people.

This is actually also true in Christian theology.

[For God chose us in him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of his will.]

—Ephesians 1:4-5
But obviously, Gérice's words were not so peaceful. To François, such a declaration was undoubtedly heresy.

But before François could speak, Stephen gave him a reprimand.

"You shouldn't say things like that kid."

"Lying will send you to hell."

However, Gillis shook his head.

"Every word I say is true. I am not lying."

Yes, if there is a Jehovah, then He is the father of all men, and Garys is naturally His son.

Without Jehovah, Garys would be even more fearless.

Things reached a stalemate and François wanted to draw his sword and strike someone, but Stephen stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive, Francois. This boy has never held a sword in his hand."

At this juncture, Gailis took the initiative to ask: "What do you want to do here?"

"You will regret it."

"What if I refuse to repent?"

"Then I will take you and your companions away until you shed tears of repentance."

"If I go with you guys directly, can you please let these people behind me go?"

Stephen and François looked at each other. The current situation was something neither of them had expected.

"They will follow, just don't try to restrain them."

Stephen and Francois looked at each other again, and then Stephen responded.

"You will be put in chains and put in a prison van, and we will take you to the cathedral, where Archbishop Olivier will persuade you to the right path."

"can."

……

A horse-drawn carriage passed through the streets of Tripoli, and a man in a simple robe was controlled in the prison car.

His hands and feet were shackled, and the heavy lead balls restricted his movements.

Apparently, the scene where Gérice caught the blade with his bare hands in front of Archbishop Olivier was so shocking that the people in the church wanted to tie up Gérice like a wild beast.

Faced with such treatment, Gailis did not refuse. He allowed the Templars to restrain him one by one and stopped the dissatisfaction of his followers. A strange scene appeared.

The Templars were guarding a prisoner car, with François and Stephen, two famous masters in the County of Tripoli, guarding Gairis on both sides.

Behind the prison car and the Templars, there were nearly a hundred people following in a mighty force.

Those people didn't seem to be there to watch the fun, but rather they were following sincerely.

And because these people all wore masks, they appeared uniform.

In this way, Gellis on the prison car no longer looked like a prisoner, but rather a king.

Stephen felt uncomfortable. Garys was too calm, and this calmness made him think of something bad.

Since he was bored, Stephen took the initiative to chat with Garys in order to break the weird atmosphere.

"I heard you're a doctor?"

"Correct."

"I heard that you took out other people's internal organs. What's going on?"

Naturally, Garys would not refuse other people's requests for knowledge and questions, and would answer them completely.

And to some extent, Gaillis's impression of the Knights Hospitaller was actually better than that of the Knights Templar.

If the Knights Templar were originally born for holy war, then the original identity of the Knights Hospitaller could at least be said to be to care for the sick.

Although the hospitals of the Knights Hospitaller at this time essentially only serve the purpose of providing relief and placing patients.

But at least it's a good start.

At least the Knights Hospitaller’s medical facilities accommodated not only Christian pilgrims but also served Muslims and Jews.

At least the Knights Hospitaller would isolate patients with infectious diseases and provide them with clean beds, food, and warmth to ensure they received adequate care.

Even in the hospitals of the Knights Hospitaller, Arab and Jewish doctors could exchange medical skills with Frank doctors, and some Arabic medical books were translated into Latin by them.

Due to the limitations of the times, what the Knights Hospitaller could do was limited, and the reasons why they did so are debatable, but judging by their deeds rather than their intentions, they were ultimately admired by Gaillis.

After Stephen chatted with Gillis for a while, he asked again, "By the way, is there really smallpox in this city?"

Then Stephen got a positive answer.

For a moment Stephen’s face fell, and he subconsciously took a few deep breaths.

In his opinion, whether it was heresy or not was actually a small matter, but if smallpox broke out in Tripoli, that would be a big deal.

At this juncture, if he escapes...

Stephen couldn't help but let out a long sigh. He wanted to live more than worrying about whether he was a heretic or not.

"Master, try not to touch the skin of a smallpox patient. Second, smallpox is mainly transmitted through droplets. When a patient coughs, sneezes, or talks, it is possible that the people around him will be infected."

"Wearing a multi-layer cotton mask can actually effectively prevent illness."

Listening to Garys' words, Stephen couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the Greek team following the prison car.

Many of those Greeks, as Gellis had said, were wearing cotton masks.

In this situation, Stephen couldn't help but say, "You are a Frank. If you really have extraordinary medical skills, then you can admit your mistake. I will go and persuade Archbishop Olivier."

"There is no need to go against the church. The church just needs unquestionable authority, not to stop you from practicing medicine."

Stephen's whispered words were heard clearly by Garys.

Garys understood what Stephen said. For the church, whether Garys' medical skills were miraculous was not the point.

To be precise, medical skills or science, in the eyes of the church of this era, are essentially just strange and lewd techniques.

The biggest taboo of the church is that Gellis is using his medical skills to connect with the Greeks and to deceive people.

In fact, as long as Garys bows his head to the church and surrenders, he might become the "holy doctor" of the church.

But can Gillis accept it?

He couldn't accept it.

"I love my brother, but I love the truth more."

Garys said something that made no sense to Stephen.

At this time, the prison van had already arrived at the square in front of the Tripoli Cathedral.

Here, Archbishop Olivier has been waiting for a long time, and many unrelated people are joining in the fun.

Another bolt of lightning struck the dark clouds in the sky, and the roar of thunder resounded throughout the city.

The drizzle fell on the city like silk threads.

Hundreds of people gathered here, and they witnessed with their own eyes the city's biggest heretic in nearly a month being escorted off the prison van.

Stephen felt something was wrong. He sniffed the air hard and then felt his heart palpitating for no apparent reason.

It seems that there is already some fishy smell that can't wait to emerge.

　Double update

　　
　
(End of this chapter)