Throne of the North.

Chapter 512: Praise of Light (IV)

"Silent Ascetic?"

On the Rhino Horn Mountain, Ryan was a little surprised when he saw the news coming from the Sera Kingdom. How could such a person exist?

Specially used to deal with magicians? They can silence the magician's chanting, so that the magic power cannot awaken the magic factor in the void?
"Why does it look so much like a gargoyle?"

Ryan was curious. Gargoyles were the life forms born from the forbidden magic stone. They were naturally able to restrain magicians. He had observed them when he borrowed a group of gargoyles from Count Pascal. He even felt the air become heavy when he approached them.

"The silent ascetic of the Holy See was once the leader of the gargoyle army."

Avril said next to him that magicians like to record things like gargoyles. They especially like to turn gargoyles into their guards, so that they can better fight against enemies who are also magicians.

Knights and magicians can often be replaced by gargoyles and magicians, but just like knights desire dragon mounts, gargoyles are in the hands of the Church of Dawn, and it is difficult for magicians to gain the loyalty of gargoyles.

"A long time ago, magicians once fought a war with the Church. In the end, it was the Silent Ascetic who led the gargoyles to defeat the magicians. Since then, it has been difficult for magicians to be active in the sun. The priests of the Church can sense the existence of magic."

Listening to Avril's words, Ryan thought of Count Pascal.

"Count Pascal, what was the relationship between you and the Holy See before?"

Avril shook her head. She knew the history of magic and the supernatural, but she didn't understand Pascal's political past.

Ryan wrote letters to the Earldom of Winter and the Earldom of Solon, and he received a reply the next day.

As a great nobleman who moved north from the south of the empire, Earl Winter had more knowledge than Earl Sauron and knew the history of the empire over the previous hundred years.

"The Empire used the divine origin and magicians to fight against the Church. It once fought a war with the Silent Ascetics within the territory of the Empire, in the Danube Province."

Danube Province is the province where the Gargoyle Count - Count Pascal is located. It is the place that the Borean Province must enter after passing the Wing Canyon.

Agate is produced there, and of course, most importantly, it is the birthplace of gargoyles.

"In an ancient war, the magicians suffered heavy losses in front of the Silent Ascetic. After thousands of years of waiting, the magicians finally found a way to severely damage the Silent Ascetic."

"That's it - conspiracy."

“That was the only way at the time.”

"Count Pascal secretly told Emperor Columbus II that because of the divine origin of the great being, Count Pascal controlled the Gargoyle Legion and made it impossible for the Silent Ascetic to lead them as the Holy See."

"The Silent Ascetics were all ascetics who were ignorant of the world. They never cared about human nature and practiced asceticism blindly. As a result, the ascetics did not notice that the empire was no longer under the rule of the Church and that the nobles had become the enemies of the Church."

"They don't realize that they are surrounded by enemies on all sides, including the gargoyle army that is their companion."

"The Empire launched its first war against the Vatican. In the south, on the west coast, and in the Danube Province, it simultaneously launched attacks on the Vatican's forces from three directions."

"The emperor must block all roads out of the empire and kill all the followers of the Dawn on the land of the empire. Every noble must have his hands stained with the blood of the Dawn before they can be recognized."

"The war in the Danube Province is against the Silent Ascetics."

"They are too few in number, but the Silent Ascetics are terribly powerful. Every thirteen Ascetics are a unit, and they can also lead the Gargoyle Legion. Without a powerful destructive force, there is no way to fight against the Silent Ascetics."

"But the most powerful destructive force at the time was the magicians who secretly entered the empire. The power of magic was devastating and had a decisive effect in the south and on the west coast, but not in the Danube Province."

"The Silent Ascetic and the Gargoyle Legion are their nemesis."

"Fortunately, the Gargoyle Corps and Count Pascal have rebelled."

"Count Pascal and his gargoyle army watched from the sidelines. They did not participate in the war. At that time, Count Pascal was not sure that the empire could succeed. Moreover, their bloodline was too deeply bound to the Church of Dawn. They were called the incarnation of angels, angels walking on earth - the Stone Winged Beast Family."

"The Emperor and the four Grand Dukes do not trust Count Pascal, but the war will not stop because of Count Pascal."

"The three extraordinary legions, namely the Winged Canyon's flying dragon cavalry, the violent elephant legion, and the one-horned war rhino army that has become history, launched an attack on the Silent Ascetic. If the Gargoyle Legion joins the battle, they will also be one of the targets to be killed."

"The Extraordinary Legion at that time was not as powerful as it is today, and the only way to kill the Silent Ascetics was to destroy them physically."

"The three extraordinary legions, whether it's the flying dragons or the violent elephants, or the one-horned rhinoceros that was able to raze a city to the ground when it ran wildly, all possess terrifying power."

Thousands of extraordinary warriors faced one hundred and thirty silent ascetics. The final result was that an extraordinary army became history and was completely buried. The Empire blocked all the retreat routes of the silent ascetics. They were isolated and helpless, and were eventually exhausted to death in the Danube Province.

This was the beginning of a century of struggle between royal power and divine power, following the initial thirty years of chaos in the Flor Empire.

The Pan-Dimensional War of Gods that broke out more than 130 years ago can be roughly divided into two periods in the Flor Empire. The first period was thirty years of chaos, a messy hodgepodge of supernatural beings on the land of the empire.

The second stage is the end of the pan-dimensional war between gods and the beginning of a time when mortals, without gods, rule the world. The initial period is one of wanton war.

The decline of the Silent Ascetics was due to the war in the Danube Province a hundred years ago.

"The Dragon Cavalry and the Violent Elephant Corps blocked the Wing Canyon, preventing the armies of the kingdoms and noble territories in the east and north, which were the Andara Kingdom and the North Wind Province in the past, from entering the empire."

"It's the same in the south..."

The relationship between the Silent Ascetics and the Empire is just that simple and direct.

There is no doubt that they are powerful. If they were given the brains and wisdom of the bishops and archbishops with the same power, they would be able to squeeze out many archbishops.

But they only know how to practice penance and fight.

Putting down the letter, Ryan was curious about one thing.

"As a loyal ally of the Dawn Church, how could Count Pascal betray?"

You know, because of the gargoyles, it was difficult for Count Pascal to gain recognition from the empire. For such a long time, it was not until the Church of Light appeared not long ago that Count Pascal was accepted by the great nobles of the empire, who were particularly wary of him before.

After all, they had been closely connected with the Vatican for too long and were high-ranking nobles at the time.

The title of Count Pascal itself combines both hereditary authority and the bishop of the Vatican.

Count Winter did not say anything because he did not know either. This was a secret, an internal secret of Count Pascal.

Perhaps it was precisely because even the great nobles of the empire did not know this secret that Count Pascal had been suspected by the emperor for hundreds of years?

I don’t understand…

Ryan simply wrote a letter to the Kingdom of Andara, telling the Lord Ivy about the Silent Ascetic.

In the morning light, after nearly a month of preparation, the army of the Serra Kingdom finally launched an attack on the land of the Andara Kingdom.

The new Archduke Carlos, who represented the old nobility of the Kingdom of Serra, and Count Fragoso, who represented the new nobility of the Kingdom of Serra, became the commander-in-chief of this army.

Why are there two? Because the aristocratic circle within the Kingdom of Sera is still unstable. The process of the kingdom's birth and the lack of an event that was sufficient to stabilize people's hearts have led to the need for the nobles to check and balance each other.

To be honest, Count Fragoso was very nervous, even more nervous than the young Archduke Carlos next to him. He didn't understand war at all. When he was Viscount Fragoso, the army under his command consisted of only a few hundred people.

He wanted to invite Ryan to take command, but Ryan refused on the grounds that this was a state affair between the two kingdoms. He was a noble of the empire and could not participate in political wars outside the empire without the emperor's order.

Especially since the reason for this war is still a war of faith in dawn and light.

Count Fragoso was really desperate. On the plain, more than 30,000 troops from both sides collided with each other, followed by shouts of killing. On the densely packed battlefield with no end in sight, blood and screams continued. It was not until the sun was about to set that both sides blew the horn to withdraw their troops.

There was no winner on the first day of the war. The nobles consumed each other in the cannon fodder without even sorting out the damage. Just because of the problem of foundation, the army of the Serra Kingdom suffered obviously more losses.

This was obviously an unfavorable signal, and the nobles began to feel dissatisfied.

"It's all because of your army. Look at your soldiers. Two of them can't beat one!"

The nobles shouted and scolded another group of nobles. The nobles were not honest people who would stand at attention when being scolded. Of course, they became angry and ashamed when they heard the other side's scolding.

"You are capable? How many enemies did your soldiers kill? When the war started, you were the ones hiding the farthest away!"

"You still have the nerve to talk about us here? Why don't you hide? Just go up and chop us. Aren't you knights? Aren't you magicians? Just go up."

Both sides blushed not because they were shy, but because they were angry at not being able to suppress each other.

The third category of nobles, namely those once wandering nobles supported by Ryan, and some unsuccessful nobles stood on the other side, watching the scene quietly.

The atmosphere was set at this point. As the new generation of Archduke Carlos and the representative of the old nobles, Archduke Carlos finally spoke up and suppressed all the voices.

"The first day of the war does not determine the outcome."

"But I don't want the next war to be like this. Your performance is really too poor."

Archduke Carlos looked at Count Fragoso with dissatisfaction. Didn't he know that there should be no internal conflicts in war? Didn't he know that what was most needed at this time was unity rather than infighting? Didn't he know that victory in the war was the most important thing now?

He knows everything, he even knows what to say and how to resolve the dispute here.

But the one thing he couldn't do was the right thing.

Because he represents not only himself, not only a commander of a war, he represents all the people behind him. If he cannot give voice to these representatives of the old nobility behind him, or even win over the new nobility, Archduke Carlos will be abandoned by the nobles who follow him.

After all, you have to understand that among all the old nobles of the Serra Kingdom, there are as many as four great nobles, and they all claim to be the legitimate great nobles of Carlos.

Archduke Carlos knew what was the right thing to do. The successor trained by the previous Archduke Carlos with his great talent and strategy would naturally not be too bad, but he knew even more clearly what would be more beneficial to himself.

The interests of the nobility determine everything.

Archduke Carlos cannot lose the trust and support of the old nobles, and he must also be wary of those in the inner circle who have ulterior motives.

This was true of him, and so was Count Fragoso.

He doesn't understand war, but doesn't he understand politics?
Why did Count Fragoso become an earl from a viscount? Wasn't it because he was the first to kneel down and call Grand Duke McReynolds "Your Majesty"? And because he had a son-in-law who was the future heir to the kingdom?
He knows too much about political struggle.

"Your Excellency, isn't it a bit unreasonable to blame them for the disadvantages of the war?"

"You know, we nobles are more familiar with the army of the Andara Kingdom than you are. We have even fought several wars with them and won."

"They haven't changed. They once defeated the enemies of the Andara Kingdom."

Count Fragoso is a shrewd man. He never says anything directly to give others a handle, but his words are very clear. The army of his nobles has defeated the soldiers of the Andara Kingdom before. The soldiers on the opposite side have not changed, and their soldiers have not changed. But with you as teammates, they have become disadvantaged.

Who is responsible for this?
Such arguments will obviously not lead to any results.

So the nobles parted unhappily.

Caird Valencia, the representative of the wandering nobles, greeted many people that night, all of whom were small groups with common interests in his own circle.

Since he obtained the territory and title with the help of Ryan, Caird has been getting better. As a baron, he has more dignity than a baron.

He looked at the letter in his hand and burned it to ashes after understanding it.

The letter was naturally written by Ryan, and Caird did not intend to say it directly.

Looking at the nobles around him, since not every noble needed to participate in the war, there were only seven or eight present.

There are three noble factions in the Kingdom of Serra, one of which is the former wandering nobles headed by him, Caild Valencia.

To be honest, Ryan felt that these nobles who had lost something and worked hard for it were more capable. They had no shortage of knowledge and heritage, but their ambition was precious.

Wealth and titles are their weak points. It is also for this reason that both the two major factions of Archduke Carlos and Count Fragoso have never paid much attention to these small nobles.

They banded together for warmth. If it weren't for Ryan's background, they would be nothing and the nobles could bankrupt them with just a wave of their hands.

"We want to gain merit, we want to build reputation."

Caird spoke directly to these people, and this was also the advice Ryan gave him.

Under the lordship system, there are more nobles and their status is higher, but the price is that promotion to the title has become more difficult.

So why can the Baron challenge the Earl?
Ryan gave only one choice, and that was merit. After all, others did not have the same advantage as Ryan, who could obtain massive wealth from other dimensions and the fighting power to protect the wealth.

If Ryan had not won every time during the war in the North Wind Province, do you really think that he could have firmly controlled the economic development brought by the 200,000 people and millions of gold coins in his Frozen Territory?
Others can't copy Ryan's path.

Then the only thing they can have is loyalty, more loyalty than other nobles, and more merits than other nobles.

Who has the most power in the Kingdom of Sera? It is undoubtedly His Majesty the King. No matter how the nobles fight among their factions, they are all followers of King Sera and must swear to follow him until death.

If something cannot be obtained through a title, it must be granted by a noble with a higher title.

This war is an opportunity and is very important to the Kingdom of Serra. As a new kingdom, the Kingdom of Serra has nominally been recognized by the southern lands because of the Holy See.

However, in terms of strength, whether the nobles of the southern lands will recognize this kingdom and whether they will consider helping to detonate the hidden dangers of the Serra Kingdom depends on the first war after the founding of the country.

Archduke Carlos and Count Fragoso were fighting for power and not caring about the overall situation of the kingdom, which naturally gave small nobles like Caird an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

This is their chance.

same……

It is also an opportunity for the royal family of the Andara Kingdom.

While Ryan was advising people like Caird to build meritorious services, he also wrote a letter to the Kingdom of Andara, following the letter sent to the legendary magician, but it was sent to the battlefield in the south, to Daryl Andara, the legendary knight who was blessed by Ryan with the [Violent Elephant].

"The decline of your royal family did not begin with the fall of the Extraordinary Legion, but rather with the curse on your bloodline."

"A noble noble cannot be without ordinary blood. This sentence is not to separate them from the common people, but the nobles really have the qualifications to be born extraordinary."

"War is the way to regain dignity, and victory is the answer to Andara's restoration."

"You must win the war against the orcs and the Kingdom of Sera. This is your only chance to gain more support from the Empire. Only then will you be able to resist the war that the Dawn Church will launch against you in the future."

"You are not facing the Kingdom of Sera, but the Church of Dawn."

Ryan is in the Frozen Territory, influencing the war between the two kingdoms.

(End of this chapter)