Throne of the North.

Chapter 576 Knight's Blitz (Part 4)

A century after the interdimensional war of the gods, the world has undergone too many changes.

This change is not only the Flor Empire transitioning from an old era to a new one, but also occurs within the Papacy.

Because the once overly comfortable Papacy has gradually become corrupt, and because the gods are asleep, it can be said that... the Lord of Dawn is now very, very far away from the Papacy.

When faith in gods fails to suppress human nature, desires erupt, and power becomes the most direct way to release those desires.

This is how it is within the Vatican; faith in the divine is gradually becoming less absolute, because even they themselves can no longer feel the response of the Lord of Dawn.

Human civilization's systems have gained the upper hand, and as a result, the clergy of the Papacy are becoming more and more like human nobles.

They hold power.

For over a century, popes and cardinals have come and gone, but the interest groups they represent have never changed.

This is one of the few differences between the Papacy and the nobility: the nobility recognize that the older the lineage and the greater the honor, the higher the status.

It can be said that bloodline and ancestors are respected and revered by all nobles.

The clergy are different; they have no ancestors or a concept of forefathers. This leads to a problem: why can the cardinals and the interest groups they represent remain in their positions?

Archbishop Doyle and the interest group behind him are no less powerful than any other cardinal. They have been looking up at the Holy Mountain for many years, always seeing those cardinals come and go, but never having the opportunity to replace one of them.

Power, interests, and the rights they constitute fuel the desires of these people whose inner selves, which have been gradually awakened by the slumber of the gods, are filled with even more human desires.

Archbishop Doyle destroyed the royal city of Carlos with divine punishment, and the whole world was terrified of his faith, speculating about the awakening of the Lord of Dawn.

Ironically, Archbishop Doyle, who instigated the divine punishment, was the one who knew the most about the extent of divine involvement in this matter.

This matter has nothing to do with the Lord of Dawn, but it is crucial to Doyle and the interest groups behind him.

“We must seize the opportunity to gain more power on the holy mountain.”

Why didn't Archbishop Doyle allow those extraordinary legions to participate in the war to attack the royal city? Why didn't he wait for the arrival of the southern land nobles' alliance before launching the attack?

He needed the full credit, which could not be shared by the Extraordinary Legion and the Cardinal behind them, nor by the nobles in the southern lands who were good at this kind of thing.

He wants to monopolize the profits and then transform those profits into the fruits of the interest groups behind him.

The Papacy's power behind Archbishop Doyle is already at the top level below the forces represented by the Cardinals. If they want to advance further, the only path they can take is through the Cardinals.

To achieve this, even greater merit is needed, and... to free up the position of a cardinal.

The ten cardinals of the Holy Mountain were not always present in every era, because the qualification to become a cardinal was often a once-in-a-century opportunity. But from some point onwards, the ten cardinals have never been absent.

"If they can do it on the first day of the month, why can't we do it on the fifteenth?"

Archbishop Doyle, representing the other bishops, archbishops, and elders, naturally had this idea.

Therefore... in this war, Archbishop Doyle not only has to destroy the treacherous Kingdom of Carlos, but also kill a cardinal.

Ideally, it should be a cardinal with less seniority and not many die-hard followers on the Holy Mountain.

Ta Walter was the perfect person for this moment.

However, how to kill the opponent is a big problem. It's not a matter of strength. In addition, we also have to consider the terrible impact that will be caused by the death of the cardinal.

Archbishop Doyle reported the resounding victory at the front to the Holy Mountain, while also trying to secure, through the war, more bishops and archbishops from his own interest group to gain the power that rightfully belonged to the cardinals.

At the same time, he was also thinking about how to kill the woman in red to make room for himself.

"It's difficult."

……

Ryan was also worried.

He had already dealt with many nobles in the southern lands, and these victories were naturally meant to be delivered to the emperor of the Flor Empire to help him solidify what Ryan had told him.

The emperor seemed to be still hesitant and did not react. The only thing he did was to change his previous order to build a Church of Light in every territory to build one in every imperial city.

This was a drop in the ocean for Ryan, who was thinking about how to get Emperor Flor to decide to kill his newly acquired ally, King Carlos.

"It's a little difficult."

Ryan understood that killing a king of a kingdom from the perspective of the nobility was extremely difficult.

The previous Kaan Diaz, the King of Carlos, was killed because of the well-known issue of incorrect bloodline. The key point is that when he became Carlos's son-in-law, the king did not give birth to a crown prince with Carlos's bloodline.

Otherwise, what's the big deal if a son-in-law temporarily becomes king?

This is the key point; it's as if all the nobles knew that King Carlos had usurped the throne.

Even so, after his death, the Kingdom of Carlos is now falling apart, with constant rebellions and wars on its lands, and there is little hope of restoring the kingdom to its former prosperity.

What if another King Carlos dies, and he is a king of the true Carlos bloodline?
The emperor couldn't make that decision, at least not by directly sentencing King Olsen to death like he did with Caan Diaz.

Otherwise, killing a king would be virtually impossible, because kings are not fools, and it is rare for a Gerald king to swear to defend his kingdom to the death.

When difficulties arise, the king will appear in a safe place before any noble. For example, during the chaos in the Kingdom of Andara, when the capital fell, several princes vying for the throne fled at an alarming speed.

Even divine punishment couldn't catch up with King Olsen.

Therefore, figuring out how to kill King Olsen was giving Ryan a headache.

Speaking of which, King Olsen, who has experienced two divine punishments, may not still harbor absolute hatred for Ryan at this moment. His immediate priority should be to get rid of the various troubles that are plaguing him.

However, Ryan knew that he had indirectly killed all the members of the Carlos bloodline, and there would always be a day when all the details would be exposed. If he didn't strike first, he would face the relentless pursuit of a kingdom's king in the future.

At this moment, Ryan still felt the pressure that came with the title; if he were the Grand Duke of the Empire…

Ryan paused for a moment, then laughed. He suddenly understood why Earl Clayton was so determined to become the fifth Grand Duke of the Empire.

Sometimes, even if someone commits an unimaginable crime, if their rank is high enough, they won't die, nor will their bloodline be severed.

This is the benefit of titles: the stronger the nobleman, the harder it is for them to be completely forgotten in history.

While the cavalry legion rested, Ryan awaited news from Griff. He was unaware that internal strife had also erupted within the Papacy, with a group of impoverished clergy members, harboring the belief that "nobles and high-ranking officials are born with special privileges," launching an assault on the top of the Holy Mountain.

But a few days later he learned that a papal army led by the archbishop was heading towards his location, ordered by the Holy Mountain to kill the imperial cavalry that had invaded the Southern Dawn Papacy's territory.

The Papacy's army of ten thousand men, also a cavalry force, was very fast in order to catch up with Ryan's army.

Four thousand four hundred men faced off against ten thousand cavalrymen from the Holy See. If nothing unexpected happened, the opposing force of ten thousand men were all Holy Knights, imbued with numerous blessings from the Dawn Church.

This is undoubtedly an elite force, an elite force to fight against the extraordinary legion.
"They seem very confident in killing us."

Ryan looked up and saw the Blood Eagle circling high in the sky, appearing as a mere black dot, while the legendary dragon Christman was wreaking havoc in some nearby forest.

The Blood Eagles were able to deliver messages much faster than the cavalry from the Holy Mountain, but Ryan still didn't intend to stay in one place any longer.

With a wave of his hand, a dimensional portal opened, and Brand looked at the generals beside him, instructing them to lead several hundred people inside.

Nidhogg is too big, and no one in the world of Bilge knows if it will be completely destroyed tomorrow, so the wilderness world of Swadifar has become the main place for Ryan to store supplies.

"Bring back three days' worth of rations for all the men and women."

Ryan gave the order, saying that they probably wouldn't have the leisurely time they had now for the next few days.

There are many reasons why the nobles were shocked by Ryan's cavalry legion, the most crucial of which was the issue of logistics. Both the nobles of the empire and the nobles of the southern lands wondered how these thousands of men had obtained their supplies.

Even if they were to sustain the war through war, the imperial cavalry had been coming and going too quickly these days, leaving them no time to linger after the war.

The prince of the Kingdom of Lausanne lost the war because he thought that Ryan's army would be gathering food at the previous battlefield and therefore he wouldn't appear before him overnight.

In fact, Ryan never needed to worry about this problem. As long as the soldiers behind him could keep up with his speed, there would never be a shortage of supplies.

Remounting once more, Ryan led his army toward the Blood Eagle, hoping to launch a surprise attack if possible.

……

Griff has been in a bit of a mess lately.

He had not received Ryan's blessing for long, and his extraordinary power was not as great as that of Brand and others. Therefore, even as the best scout, he was discovered by that extraordinary Papal cavalry army several times.

The missionaries' divine magic, and the Holy Knights' mastery of certain divine secrets, allowed them to sense the hostility of those following them.

Even the Blood Eagles in the sky were hunted down by many sky monsters. That's right, this cavalry was carrying a large number of flying monsters, the most powerful of which were naturally the griffins, with priests riding on their backs.

"The magical beasts kept by the imperial nobles, that imperial baron, he must have used them to orient himself, right?"

Inside a magnificent carriage, Archbishop Elliott watched as the Blood Eagles soared higher and higher into the sky. Even griffins couldn't fly that high, which allowed the Blood Eagles to evade their killing intent many times.

"Their master is also watching us in secret. Damn it, hasn't Ellis Shaw found the rats of the Empire yet?"

Archbishop Elliott was somewhat angry. These Holy Knights did not belong entirely to him; they were merely the authority that Archbishop Doyle had obtained in exchange for a great victory at the front.

There was no other way; the Papacy had plenty of 200,000 ordinary believers, but only the Pope could mobilize a cavalry army of 10,000 knights.

This also meant that when the war was won, the credit that should have belonged solely to Archbishop Elliott would be diluted.

"If Doyle can succeed..."

Archbishop Elliott's gaze was grim. He and Doyle were of the same faction, and if Doyle could kill Cardinal Ta Walter at the front, they might have a chance to completely control this 10,000-strong cavalry force.

At that time, everyone will benefit.

Of course, before that, they had to clean up the imperial rats on this land. That damned cavalry legion had caused the noble coalition that should have assembled in the royal city of Carlos today to perish halfway.

Moreover, according to what the Holy Mountain has learned, these fence-sitting nobles have hesitated once again and want to withdraw their troops.

This is why he was able to lead the army away from the Holy Mountain so quickly. Archbishop Doyle recommended him to the Pope, even though he had several competitors who were under the command of the cardinals.

Doyle's victories on the front lines led the Pope to make a swift decision: he had to deal with the army of that imperial baron.

"A baron, a mere youth who has inherited the territory for only a few years, has actually caused the hundreds of thousands of noble allied troops to be routed and flee. Do these damned noble parasites still have any reverence for my lord?"

Archbishop Elliott was both annoyed and excited; those nobles were too weak, which allowed him to seize such a weak opponent.

I heard that his army was borrowed from his count father.

As Archbishop Oleo was deep in thought, he was completely unaware that a pair of eyes in the distance were constantly watching the carriage he was in.

How could Grief not be surprised to find wagons, which were clearly slowing down the speed of a large cavalry army?

He was spotted several times by the knights and missionaries, all trying to get close to the carriage.

Griff gripped the crimson eagle feather tightly in his hand. It was a terrifying weapon; if one disregarded the fact that it originated from a great god, it might be considered a divine artifact.

Griff believed it could tear through all the extraordinary defenses on the carriage owner.

He was a perfect scout, but Griff was more than just a reconnaissance soldier; at least, he didn't quite agree with the role Lane had given him.

He was the Falconer, the finest warrior of Herresweg, who inherited the entire world's legacy when he obtained the Bloodhawk Feather as the world's sole survivor.

Not long ago, the owner of that carriage killed the falconer's eagle.

The falconers of Herreseweg will reward everyone who helps them, and will also kill any enemy who causes the eagle's death, no matter the cost.

As a lone survivor, Griff had no idea of ​​needing help from others.

There was only one thing he needed to do...

Eagle cries came from all directions, and seven or eight blood eagles swooped down from the sky. They began to weave swiftly through the 10,000-strong cavalry, their speed terrifying. Their sharp talons tore through the flesh of the warhorses, causing them to lose their minds and plunging the army into chaos for a moment.

At the same time, strong winds appeared from all directions, and as the griffins prepared to chase the blood eagles, the giant eagles left large shadows on the ground.

Blood Eagle could not possibly rout a 10,000-strong cavalry legion so easily. What Griff needed was not to kill these soldiers, but to create chaos so that the knights in the army would not be so focused on searching for him hiding around the army.

He approached the carriage silently, wearing an invisibility cloak from the people of Gam. Ryan had been incredibly thoughtful in ensuring the safety of this precious scout.

"How did things get so chaotic?!"

Archbishop Elliott threw back the curtains and roared outside. Several knights beside him bowed their heads and ran out to order the chaotic knights to quiet down.

"Damn rat, find him!"

The archbishop roared angrily, his thoughts completely disrupted by the chaos in the army.

Just as he was about to lower the curtains, a hand suddenly grabbed the archbishop's wrist. The hand, which resembled an eagle's claw, had a sharp edge that startled Archbishop Elliot, who was not good at physical combat and only possessed powerful divine magic.

The moment he turned his head, a blood-red blade appeared in his eyes. For less than a tenth of a second, the archbishop seemed to see the vast sky and hear the high-pitched cry of an eagle.

(End of this chapter)