Throne of the North.

Chapter 631 Dawn and Darkness (Part 3)
"Uncle Sven, I thought they didn't have any money."

Behind the church, in a bright room, Millie, whose figure had become fuller, carried a wooden box and placed it on a wooden shelf. There were many such boxes in the room, each containing gold coins.

This girl from Nidhogg, a former follower of the Dragon Chosen, has now become powerful, and she is glad that Ryan sent her to protect Sven.

Sven didn't want Ellie to come to his side because she would soon be in great danger, and he didn't want the girl he had protected with all his efforts to be in danger.

However, Ryan's letter made him compromise.

Because of the long reign of the dragon lords, the people of Nidhogg have developed a deep-rooted mindset of enslavement, which is difficult to change even for a dragon-chosen follower like Ellie.

Ryan didn't want his people to be enslaved, and Sven also hoped that Ellie could have more respect for her own life and more love for the world.

If staying in the tundra is unchangeable, then follow Sven and travel the world.

“Bards are full of stories and passion. Since you value this girl, let her love this world to the fullest.”

"What the gods cannot give her, you can give her."

The last sentence in Ryan's letter made Sven agree, so Ellie came to his side along with the group of Frozen Territory officials who came to Dawn City.

Ellie was oblivious to all this, only feeling happy. Her grandfather had died last winter. The elderly in Nidhogg had short lifespans to begin with, and after his death, Ellie only had Sven left as a relative.

"The nobles are certainly rich; they control half of the world's wealth."

"What about the other half?"

"Your other half is right in front of you."

It was only after Sven put himself in the shoes of a missionary that he truly saw the money-making power of faith and religion. They could acquire enormous wealth without doing anything, and the source of this wealth was...

It is taken for granted.

If there are gods in the world, real gods, then it's not surprising that wealth falls into their hands.

"By the way, Uncle Sven."

"Queen Letta told me that she also hoped the Dawn Cult members could help her pray to the gods."

"Is the lady also tempted? Lord Ryan is absolutely right. If this were arranged by rank, the nobles would really fight tooth and nail for a seat."

"They all hope to receive divine favor."

What is her request? Is she being blessed by the gods?

"She said she wanted a child."

"Child? With whom?"

Sven froze, then blinked, somewhat numb.

"Praying to the gods won't help; we have to go to Rhinoceros Horn Mountain."

Sven didn't want to get involved in these matters; his position in the Frozen Territory wasn't that secure yet.

Speaking of which, when will Lord Ryan become a legend?

No one among the followers of the Frozen Territory doubted this future, after all, with all those spiritual blessings, they felt it wouldn't be difficult for them to become legends.

……

It's difficult to get nobles to pluck hairs, but in Dawn City, the nobles are generous, hoping that their names will be prayed for day and night by countless Dawn followers, so that when the gods favor them, they can get a little bit of it.

This is a terrible idea; even Ryan himself hadn't considered how crazy the nobles would be about it.

When he learned the amount of gold coins from Dawn City, he was in a daze for a long time before he came to his senses.

Even in a world without gods, people still chant scriptures and pray for blessings. How much more so in a transcendent world where gods truly exist and who do indeed bestow divine gifts.

Let alone nobles, even slaves, if allowed, would donate everything they have and pray to the gods to grant them a free status and fertile land.

This qualification, ironically, became a difference between the two sides. Without the Dawn Cult members needing to say anything, the nobles would proactively exclude the lower classes from the right to pray to the gods.

Just as the famous scholar who abandoned medicine for literature said, if praying to the gods were truly effective, then ordinary people would lose even the right to queue.

"I think I actually have this ability."

Ryan never hesitates to bestow his spiritual blessings, because once he receives such a blessing, it is already bestowed upon him. The method of consuming spiritual panels to bestow blessings does not need to be used on himself again.

Generous, Lord Ryan is also very generous, and considering the glittering gold coins, he can be even more generous.

"If the Dawn Cult can truly gain divine favor, then they will be fully qualified to stand on equal footing with the dawn and the light."

"Borrowing a hen to lay eggs, the hen is not mine, but the eggs are definitely mine."

With that in mind, Ryan prepared to write a letter to Sven, telling him that he could be bolder.

Besides that, Sven's title of Dawn Priest is much more important.

“We need to arrange some bards for him, and then…”

Ryan planned to have Signi also operate in the shadows of the North to protect Sven.

The most righteous Dawn Priest and the Shadow Vanguard who has no moral compass—isn't this combination a bit too contrasting?

Signy probably won't listen to Sven, and Sven can't control this cold-blooded rebel.

Neither side should interfere with the other too much.

"I need to tell Signy not to kill Sven."

Ryan was having a bit of a headache. Currently in the Frozen Territory, only the proud young girl Bogeld could become friends with Signi.

He couldn't understand how the hot-tempered, armored bear leader could get close to the cold-blooded, silent shadow vanguard.

The Kingdom of Andara has only one Church of Light, but this land is not populated solely by believers.

The same principle applies: the methods used to expel the Dawn Church were too barbaric, leaving behind a large number of devout Dawn believers on this land.

Unlike the Empire, the Kingdom of Andara took a hundred years to reduce the influence of the Dawn Church. It also took a hundred years for the Empire's nobles to accept Count Pascal, who was the most likely to betray the Empire and return to the Church.

The Kingdom of Andara didn't have a century to settle down; it's only been a few years. The former believers of Anxi won't easily change their faith. Moreover, with the Black Swan assassins' madness and loss of reason in the northern lands, it's like a domino effect, causing many clergy members of the Holy See to become restless.

The scandal involving the Pope on the Holy Mountain had the greatest impact on the clergy. They were also angry about the corruption of the Vatican, but they were powerless to change it. They hoped and expected His Holiness the Pope to set things right, but the Pope himself was not clean.

What are we clergy supposed to expect then? "For our own benefit" is the best explanation.

Their blood was boiling, but instead of thinking about how to restore the Dawn Church to its former glory, they accelerated their own downfall.

Believers who had previously held onto certain beliefs suddenly collapsed.

The Knight of Seton was such a holy knight.

He lived at the foot of the Holy Mountain from a young age. Before he was born, he listened to the bells of the Holy Mountain and received the teachings of the dawn day after day, eventually becoming an enviable Holy Knight.

As a knight, his duty is to guard the glory of the Lord, which includes the safety of priests and pastors.

Because he was so close to the priests, he knew that some of them were not qualified to be priests.

He thought about it day and night, hoping that one day His Holiness the Pope would discover the problems of these priests and send them to the prison at the foot of the Holy Mountain to atone for their sins. He even felt that if he were to become a priest, he would be much better than those priests.

But he is a Knight of Light, and he cannot enter another system, so he can only hope that one day His Holiness the Pope will be able to exercise his power.

Then one day, news came that the Pope had a child, and that child was hailed as His Highness the Holy Son.

This is simply unforgivable. How is this any different from that damned empire, whose emperor stole the power of light and proclaimed himself the Great Pope of Light? They all laughed at the emperor's overestimation of his abilities.

But now, is His Holiness the Pope planning to proclaim himself Emperor of the Dawn?

Confusion, disbelief, anger, and disappointment filled Seton's mind. After several days of being in a daze, he gave up on himself.

"It shouldn't be like this!"

Seton intended to return to the Holy Mountain to ask the esteemed Pope why he had done this, but he was not qualified to return to the Holy Mountain; if he wanted to go back, he first needed a reason.

In his view, the Kingdom of Andara's faith in light was one reason.

As a remnant of the clergy of the Kingdom of Sera, the Knights of Seton managed to find a group of clergy who were just as lost and directionless as he was.

"In the Kingdom of Andara, we can reclaim the dignity of the dawn."

“With the heads of those heretics, we will return to the Holy Mountain.”

Sidon led a group of people into the Kingdom of Andara.

They searched the capital city of Andara but found nothing. After wandering around for a long time, they discovered that the followers of the Light had already gone to the City of Dawn.

“We’re going to Dawn City. Damn it, that city should belong to the Dawn, those shameless, despicable imperial plunderers.”

Seton gritted his teeth in anger and then hurried south.

Exhausted from their journey, they couldn't arrive in a day, so they rested in the wilderness as evening approached.

“Those nobles of the Kingdom of Andara are no longer loyal to Dawn, and one day they will pay the price.”

Seton was furious. This had never happened before. The existence of the Kingdom of Andara was a disgrace to the Dawn Church.

"One day..."

Before that day even arrived, shadow vanguards appeared before these clergymen in the darkness. They approached silently from the shadows, their daggers easily tearing open the knights' throats.

"Damn it, there's an assassin!"

Seton shouted in shock and anger, hurriedly scrambling to his feet. The moment his hand touched the knight's longsword, a chilling coldness descended upon his neck. The sudden icy chill was like a blizzard in the North, instantly engulfing the warm earth and plunging the world into a winter of despair.

Seton was filled with despair. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead, but he dared not move his hand, because the purple dagger was flicking its tongue at him like a venomous snake, and he was no match for its speed.

"We are the dawn..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sharp dagger had already ripped open his throat. The cold wind of the night blew into his trachea from his throat, bypassing too many steps and causing his heart to clench, making him feel the loss of life.

Fear spread through his heart, but the Knight of Seton remained calm. He knew that as long as the divine spell fell, he would not die. How could a knight of holy light not master divine spells?
He struggled to lift his head, a movement that made his ripped throat feel even colder. He looked at the sky, and the next moment, a snow-white holy light descended from the heavens, illuminating the night and exposing the Shadow Vanguard in the darkness.

Seton felt the power of the Holy Light. He was excited, thinking he wouldn't die, but why did his head feel dizzy?

Bathed in holy light, the Knight of Seton died slowly, giving him time to look down at his headless corpse.

my own……

Seton was numb. Siguni, who was behind him, stepped out and looked coldly at the head floating in mid-air. Feeling a little scared, he threw it to the ground.

As darkness gradually dissipated and dawn slowly arrived, twenty or thirty corpses lay scattered haphazardly in the middle of the road.

Sven arrived a few hours late and was devastated when he saw the corpses.

"Why did you kill them all? They were devout believers in the Lord; they could have become members of the Dawn Cult."

Sven was extremely frustrated; he rushed over, but he was still too late.

These Holy Knights of Seton are too naive. They think that since they came to the Kingdom of Andara from the edge of the Kingdom of Sera, they can find the believers of light in this kingdom all the way.

Didn't they consider how many eyes weren't on their side along the way?

In short, when he appeared in the Kingdom of Andara, the Dawn Church's forces were completely exposed. What they thought was right, the Shadow Vanguard that suddenly appeared halfway through their journey was their doom.

No one would allow them to appear openly in front of the civilized priests; were they planning some kind of duel?
It's ridiculous. Since the Black Swan assassin has already broken the rules of honor, then naturally no one else needs to abide by them.

The only regret of the priest was that none of these people were left alive. He hoped to recruit some Holy Knights. At present, the Dawn Cult had no powerful combat personnel at all and was just flaunting their status.

He thought about talking to Signy, but the leader of the Shadow Vanguard never appeared before Sven.

"No, I have to hurry. If I'm too slow, she might kill all the clergy of the Dawn Church."

"How can it be so violent? There's no way to extend the story afterward. Do you expect me to finish the story in just one sentence?"

Sven went to the surrounding noble territories, picked up some people, buried the bodies, and of course, sent all their equipment and warhorses back to Dawn City.

The day after returning to Dawn City, Sven bid farewell to Queen Letta and prepared to carry out the plan he had mentioned.

(End of this chapter)