Throne of the North.

Chapter 630 Dawn and Darkness (Part Two)
Baron O'Connor was furious. Even after the peasant who tried to assassinate him had his head chopped off, he still couldn't calm his rage. Who knows how terrified he was that day?

The nobleman, who feared death, hated the murderer intensely, but the soldiers he sent to hunt down the assassin's accomplices returned empty-handed.

"What are you all doing? You can't even catch those assassins who tried to kill me."

The baron launched into a tirade, followed by the soldier's flustered explanation.

"The Dawn Priest?"

"That missionary?"

Baron O'Connor fell silent. Missionaries represented religious faith, possessed powerful status and background, and most importantly, the Church of Light in the Kingdom of Andara originated from the Empire, and that Dawn Priest was an Imperial.

There are too many things involved here. The first one is Baron Ryan of the Frozen Territory. Although the Baron of the North is not in the Kingdom of Andara, his influence on the kingdom is terrible. There are rumors that the blood curse of the royal family has not completely disappeared, but the Baron of the North still bears the curse of the gods and helps Knight Daryl achieve legend.

With the legend, the Andara royal family settled down, and the Andara kingdom was freed from so many complications.

Moreover, this Sven missionary seems to have come to the kingdom because of Baron Ryan. They both know that the member of the Columbus royal family is actually dead, so the highest person in charge of the Light Faith in the Kingdom of Andara is this Sven.

Since Baron Ryan is involved, and that refined priest is in Dawn City, it means we're also getting involved with another nobleman.

Queen Letta and the Baron of the North seem to be very close. Moreover, she is the sister of the only Grand Duke in the current kingdom and the last queen of the previous king.

Over the years, many nobles have missed the old king.

Queen Letta's status meant that her dignity was no less than that of the king.

O'Connor analyzed it for a long time, and her headache got worse with each attempt.

"Does this mean I, sir, should release those damned assassins?"

Baron O'Connor grew angrier the more he thought about it; he had almost died!

He went to Dawn City.

In Dawn City, Baron O'Connor requested an audience with Queen Letta, which required the presence of other noble members as witnesses. However, he was surprised to find that quite a few people came to see Queen Letta.

He also saw Baron Kent among them. Kent was a prestigious surname, though not as prestigious as Andara, Columbus, or William, but still more prestigious than his surname.

Many nobles in the southern lands were from Kent, which made the Baron of Kent hold his head high even more within the kingdom's circle of barons.

However, Baron O'Connor looked down on this guy because the other man wasn't as rich as he was.

"My esteemed Queen, O'Connor sends her greetings."

Baron O'Connor wanted to kiss Queen Letta's instep, but he couldn't; the baron from the North had made his stance clear.

However, O'Connor had no interest in such matters. An assassination attempt had nearly ruined him, and he had more important business to attend to.

“In my territory, some people have deserted without permission, and they have even attempted to assassinate your esteemed lord.”

"If such a murderer is not brought to justice, wouldn't that bring shame upon my family?"

Baron O'Connor grew increasingly furious as he spoke. His near-death experience made him disregard his status; he had to get results and deal with the damned assassin.

After hearing Baron O'Connor's accusations, Queen Letta did not answer directly, but instead looked at Baron Kent beside her and asked:
"Baron, your territory is far from Dawn City. What brings you here this time?"

Baron Kent, with humble manners, began by saying:
“My esteemed Queen, please allow me to request that I obtain the protection of an army from the Frozen Territory. Those Black Swan assassins are truly infuriating, and I am very worried about my safety.”

"I was in my own castle when I was almost killed by the Black Swan assassins, and my bedroom was even burned to the ground."

Baron O'Connor looked at Baron Kent in surprise, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Was it in his own bedroom? How pathetic. If he had known he was on the street, he would have found that damned assassin and killed him in public.

O'Connor felt a surge of pride, and the anger from almost being killed subsided somewhat.

He was somewhat curious as to why Baron Kent had requested to join the army in the Frozen Territory. Could the army of the Imperial Baron even appear in the Kingdom of Andara?
"Those people were invited to the Kingdom of Andara by His Majesty the King. Their purpose is to eliminate the Black Swan Assassins from this land. Baron Kent need not worry. It won't be long before the Black Swan Assassins disappear from the kingdom."

“I cannot order them to protect you.”

After Queen Letta finished speaking, she looked at Baron O'Connor.

“Baron, your territory is very close to Dawn City. Because of the distance, you are always able to obtain the best batch of goods from those merchant guilds, and the extraordinary crops grown in your territory are always the first to be purchased.”

“Your castle has been renovated once in the last two years.”

Baron O'Connor nodded, unsure of what the Queen meant by those words.

"Has the assassin who tried to kill you been killed?"

"Of course, Your Majesty, those assassins were found and killed by my knights immediately. Their heads were cut off as a warning to those damned peasants."

"You've already killed the murderer, so what are you still looking for?"

“Their families have fled. They are my people. It would be a disgrace for me if I could not kill them.”

“They have become members of the Church of Light, and the Church of Light has the right to accept any believer with devout faith, so they are no longer your subjects.”

"As for killing them, just consider it as if you have already killed them. Go back to your territory, you can say that, after all, the real murderer has been killed by you, hasn't he?"

"That's not how it is, Your Majesty."

O'Connor, somewhat agitated, said:

"The murderer and his family will all be hanged on the gallows."

"This is the price for blaspheming a noble lord."

Queen Letta turned to Baron Kent and said:
"Baron, I will write a letter to the Frozen Territory to ask the merchants who will come to the kingdom next year to give priority to purchasing your crops. I hope you can prepare in advance."

Baron Kent was overjoyed and said respectfully:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, your beauty is as divine as the gods."

Baron O'Connor, who was standing nearby, finally understood what he meant and said anxiously:

"Your Majesty, what about mine?"

"Your territory isn't far from Dawn City, those merchant guilds shouldn't turn a blind eye to it, right?"

Queen Letta said uncertainly, indicating that she was not very familiar with those chambers of commerce.

Whether you know him well or not doesn't matter. That Baron of the North, the Northwind Road and many of the Empire's merchant guilds all rely on him to do business smoothly in the North.

The Queen certainly has this right.

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness just now."

Compared to the Imperial trade, what was that murderer's family? O'Connor immediately changed his attitude. He didn't want his trade share to be affected next year. His territory's proximity to Dawn City had already made him a fortune, and he didn't want to give up any of the wealth brought by this geographical location.

"Then do you need me to speak to Priest Sven for you? He's having a lot of trouble with the construction of the Dawn Church. Although the city has many religious buildings, Priest Sven wants to renovate them."

"The Sven priests are going to move the Church of Light from the royal city to Dawn City?"

"I'm surprised," said Baron Kent.

"Yes, the royal city is too small to accommodate so many Dawn Cult members."

“I am willing to donate fifty gold coins to the Church of Light to help the Sven priests,” said Baron Kent, feeling he should seize some opportunities.

Beside him, Baron O'Connor, also looking distressed, said as if he had suffered a major financial loss:
"I am also willing to donate fifty gold coins to the Church of Light to spread the faith of the God of Light."

The nobles of the Kingdom of Andara were far poorer than the nobles of the Empire, and this was not just a matter of being decades behind.

……

Church of Light, Dawn Cult.

These believers, dressed in clean robes interwoven with white and gold, call themselves that. The Dawn Priests are their guides. These believers, who had fallen into confusion and bewilderment due to various reasons of the Dawn Church, have rediscovered their backbone.

"The dawn is too short, and only a few are qualified to touch the glitter of glory."

"Light is eternal, yet it treats all equally, whether human or other races, all are bathed in its light."

"Only dawn, which is neither short nor long, brings hope to resist the darkness, but then quietly departs after the believers have gained hope."

"It comes softly, caresses our faces, and then leaves softly, without taking away a single cloud."

"This is the Lord's mercy towards believers. He never asks us for anything in return, yet He gives us the most precious things."

"Hope, the light of dawn, is the light of hope in the darkness."

Are you afraid of yesterday?

Are you grateful for the peace of mind you have today?

Are you filled with longing for tomorrow?

"This is the dawn. You are no longer afraid of yesterday. The dawn gives us hope for life and makes us believe that tomorrow will be better."

At the church entrance, on the steps, Father Sven, the Dawn Priest, spoke in a loud voice that reached the core believers praying behind him, as well as the many devout prospective believers outside the church.

Hope is the dawn.

Everyone longs for the arrival of dawn, the first light to pierce the darkness.

True believers are devout and sincere, approaching the church with each step and each bow, completely ignoring the eggs and bread being distributed nearby.

"This is a true missionary."

Baron Kent said this to Sven, while Baron O'Connor sneered beside him. Because his territory was too close to Dawn City, he knew these clergymen better.

They had long since fallen into depravity, enjoying themselves while strictly restricting the pleasures of the nobility with rigid rules.

This is a major reason why the nobles were willing to oppose them.

Although it was a religious place, the arrival of nobles still came with many privileges, and the two barons soon stood before the refined priests.

"The two barons wish to make a donation?"

The priest was surprised, then nodded and said gratefully:
"That's certainly a good thing. The Baron's faith in the Lord is beyond question, but fifty gold coins..."

Baron Kent, somewhat nervous, quickly said:
“My territory doesn’t produce much. If Priest Sven is in a hurry, I can donate one hundred gold coins.”

O'Connor glared at Kent, suspecting that the two were in cahoots.

However, before he could speak, the sergeant shook his head and said:
"Fifty gold coins are enough, but I hope to use them to buy something from the two barons."

“I need stone and wood, and then I need to buy three months’ worth of eggs and bread. The stone and wood are for building houses for believers, and the eggs and bread are for distributing to the children who come to church, as the Lord wants them to be healthy.”

“These fifty gold coins were donated by the two barons, and I would like to exchange them for these.”

"The followers of Dawn should not have too much desire for money, because the Lord has already given us the most precious thing."

The two barons were astonished. Free? Such a good deal?
They agreed immediately.

"We will deliver these supplies to Dawn City."

The priest nodded, then turned and wrote the names of the two barons on two thumb-sized pieces of agate, handing them to the parishioners beside him.

The two barons looked at the cult members with some confusion.

"What is he doing?"

"The two barons have generously donated their precious wealth to spread the faith of our Lord. The Lord does not care about the money of mortals, but believers should convey the piety of the two barons to our Lord."

“You have donated our wealth, and the followers of Dawn should be grateful.”

“Your names will be engraved on it, and these names will be placed at the foot of the statue of my Lord.”

The priest led the two barons into the church, where two or three hundred Dawn believers were praying and chanting slowly and peacefully.

“Every week, there will be a prayer day on which permitted believers will be able to enter here to pray for thirteen hours.”

"They pray to the Lord, pray that believers will be free from illness and disaster, and pray that believers will enter the eternal kingdom after death. They pray for themselves, but those who have made great contributions to the dawn are also entitled to have them do it on their behalf."

“Place your names at the Lord’s feet, for that is the closest place to Him. The Lord will hear the prayers of believers and will grant us visions.”

"Of course, there are still believers praying on a regular basis, but there won't be as many people, and the time is not fixed."

"On the day of the Feast of Grace, all believers will pray 24 hours a day without stopping, asking the Lord to hear his believers."

"The congregation is now praying, for themselves and for you, that our Lord may watch over you both."

After the priest finished speaking, he clasped his hands together at the base of his thumbs and bowed respectfully and sincerely to the two barons.

The two barons exchanged a glance, their eyes suddenly filled with fervor. Their names were placed beside the gods, and they prayed day and night.

This...this...this has been blessed!

Baron Kent pointed to the largest and most translucent piece among the group of agates bearing the names of the inscriptions and said:
Why does that piece take up the largest space?

That spot was not only large, but also had the highest light intensity. Several glowing fireflies floating around it gave the agate a hazy glow, making it look very sacred.

“That place bears the name of Grand Duke Letta. On the day the Church of Light was preparing to move, Grand Duke Letta donated 10,000 gold coins and gave great help to my Lord’s believers. Therefore, it rightfully occupies the position closest to my Lord’s favor.”

Baron O'Connor took a deep breath, then immediately said:

“Clerk Sven, I am prepared to donate another 150 gold coins to the Church of Light.”

"Oh?"

The priest's eyes lit up, and he happily asked the parishioners around him to replace it with a larger agate, which could be illuminated by the surrounding firefly lights and emitted a faint, holy glow.

"May the Lord look upon you, Your Excellency Baron."

"May the curse not befall your soul, and may hope always be with you."

"Add another three hundred gold coins!"

Baron O'Connor spoke again.

(End of this chapter)