Throne of the North.

Chapter 827 Spreading the Dawn in the Name of Faith (Part 1)

Imperial capital city.

This place will always be the center of power. His Majesty Columbus IV, who has reclaimed some of the emperor's authority, is now plotting to reclaim another dazzling glory from his father.

The emperor already held supreme royal power, but he also desired divine authority.

In the past six months, Columbus IV had become adept at wielding imperial authority, but he still did not know from what angle to assert divine authority.

The political struggle in the capital city, revolving around the empire's army, caused considerable chaos for a period of time. Just then, news of the oracle of Dawn City descending upon the Kingdom of Andara swept across the entire continent of Norris.

The dramatic changes in human civilization began with the interdimensional war between gods. The departure of the gods allowed human beings to no longer suppress their spirituality, and the slumber of the Lord of Dawn and the God of Light played an indispensable role in this.

The Church of Dawn has been corrupt for many years, but because of the existence of the great God, the Church will always be the supreme ruler of this world.

During the more than one hundred years that the Lord of Dawn slept, the nobles of the Norris continent truly experienced the benefits of power.

What if He awakens?

Fear, confusion, tension, or dread?
This will certainly exist, but the proportion becomes the problem, which is not a good thing for the emperor of Flor.

The prestige of the Dawn Church will undoubtedly rise again because of this incident. The oracle of Dawn City is different from the oracle of Mount Adriana, which was directed at Archbishop Adriana alone. With the divine grace of Mount Adriana, everything is taken for granted, but in Dawn City...

That means a great being has awakened.

"Regarding the divine grace of the God of Light? How should the Empire respond?"

"Won't the Dawn Church once again clamor for holy war and start a war with us?"

Columbus IV looked at the nobles in the palace, hoping to get their advice.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should not be afraid."

"The Empire was once blasphemous, but the Empire has always been a devout believer and subject of the God of Light. There has never been a second faith in the Flor Empire."

"Moreover, your father was once the High Pope of Light, and in the Eternal Kingdom, his status was no less than that of the Pope of Dawn."

"So why should we be worried about the outbreak of war because of divine revelation?"

“We are His believers, and we should follow His oracle.”

It was Grand Duke Meyers who spoke, looking at the Emperor; the two had already discussed this beforehand.

The emperor wanted to emulate his father and be crowned the High Pope of Light, simultaneously wielding both royal and divine power. However, the capital city was in turmoil recently, with everyone vying for interests around the impending imperial legion. Competition within the Imperial Knight Academy was particularly fierce. Previously, nobles thought of using the resources there to cultivate their own family members; now, they were using the resources themselves to train their family members and send them to the Imperial Knight Academy.

The ambition of that baron in the North made the nobles realize that the empire had gained a new piece of the pie.

This matter caused chaos and even seriously affected the plans for Columbus IV's coronation as Pope of Light.

The best approach now is to shift the focus away from the problem.

The political turmoil in the capital was shifted outside the empire to balance the interests of the imperial nobles. Moreover, this concerned the future of the Imperial Church of Light. Since the emperor wanted to be crowned Pope, he had to have a devout faith in the God of Light.

What could be more devout than carrying out divine pronouncements?
"The oracle of the God of Light..."

"News from the Kingdom of Andara: an oracle in Dawn City is guiding His followers there to expel the invading forces of the abyss from the land south of the Kingdom of Coran."

“There is a great being who is already trying to squeeze into the continent of Norris and seize the place of faith of the God of Light. I think this is why He sent down the oracle.”

“That vast land… it’s not an easy thing for the imperial army to reach.”

The emperor and nobles discussed the matter, quickly incorporating the affairs of the empire's second and third legions into their discussions.

"The southern land is too wild for ordinary soldiers to pass through, so they can only go north."

“There is a road in the Northwind Province that connects to the Kingdom of Andara and leads directly to the Abyss Invasion Lands to the south.”

Lord Clayton suggested that this was the best option if the Imperial army wanted to go to that battlefield.

"But since this is a war under the oracle of the God of Light, we should participate in the war in the name of faith."

"Perhaps the Church of Light also needs an army to protect the cathedral."

Because of the death of Columbus III, the nobles could not speak out directly, and in fact, all the nobles in the capital knew what the proposal meant.

The emperor looked at the speaker, the young Archduke of Fleming, and then his gaze fell on Earl Clayton, as there was still a deal between them.

"Then let's build an army that fights for the faith of the God of Light."

The final result was the emergence of the Imperial Second Legion under these circumstances. Of course, it now represents the Empire's loyalty to the God of Light. As for what happens afterward...

After it ends, this army will probably not disappear, but will truly become the original form of the Second Legion of the Empire.

This army was not commanded by any grand duke; the emperor entrusted it to the Earl of Clayton and... the Earl of Pascal.

"The gargoyle army is the embodiment of angels on earth."

That's how the emperor explained it, but the specifics of the relationship between Count Pascal and the emperor are unknown.

This army will set out from the south, then travel along the North Wind Road, all the way to the land where numerous noble territories are located. They will go to that dark land to spread the faith of the God of Light.

On the same day, Mount Dawn also reacted.

"How could the oracle have landed in the Kingdom of Andara? That abandoned land!"

Many clergy members on the holy mountain were dissatisfied and angry. It had once been their place of faith, but now it had been plundered and belonged to the empire.

This incident has angered countless clergy members, who want to go there and even start a war of faith.

However, Pope Solarion quelled all the anger with a single sentence.

"The darker the land, the greater the yearning for the glory of dawn will be."

In one sentence, everyone felt the gap between themselves and the Pope. Yes, humanity's earliest faith was to pray for divine help. Believers in darkness need the glory of dawn to save them. The appearance of an oracle in the Kingdom of Andara means that a large number of devout believers have appeared there. Those believers are in darkness, praying for divine salvation.

Then, the oracle descended.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should send an army to rescue the servants of my lord in that land; they need your guidance."

Solarian, perched high in the High Cathedral, shook his head at the sound.

"We are servants of the Lord, not rulers of this world."

"As believers, our most important task is to serve our Lord, to spread His faith and will to more places, and to make more people His people." "Don't put the cart before the horse. All we can do is spread the faith. The Dawn Church went astray in the past, but now I will guide it back to the right path."

"Do you still remember the original power of the Dawn Church?"

Damon Reyner, the legendary Grand Master of the Holy Kingdom Knights, was granted a private audience with Pope Solarion, but the sound of their conversation carried from the High Cathedral throughout the entire Holy Mountain.

"The first Pope had only thirteen knights as his followers. These thirteen knights were His Majesty's soldiers. There were only thirteen of them, but they walked the first path of dawn for the Papacy."

"Thirteen knights made thousands upon thousands of ignorant humans into the people of my lord."

This was Damon's response; he knelt on one knee before the Pope and recounted the story depicted in the ancient frescoes.

"Then, my Lord Knight Commander, please tell me, how many members does the Holy Kingdom Knights currently have?"

"Your Majesty, there are a total of thirteen thousand people."

"So, can they forge a new path to dawn?"

"We will certainly live up to our sacred mission!"

And so, at the foot of the holy mountain, the Holy Kingdom Knights, one of the ten extraordinary legions, set off in the east.

Countless nobles remained silent, tense, and fearful.

why?
Because every Dawn Road represents a great deal of killing, especially in the last few hundred years, the Dawn Road has killed mostly nobles.

The last Dawn Road is still fresh in our minds. In order to maintain its authority and rule, the Dawn Church caused heavy casualties in several surrounding kingdoms, and many nobles secretly defected to the Empire in order to survive.

But soon, the nobles noticed the difference.

This time, the Path of Dawn seems different from before.

The Holy Kingdom Knights were no longer just going through the motions, walking in the center of a flower-filled field. Instead, they were on high alert, fully armed, and set off. Behind them, there was no so-called supernatural force truly responsible for killing, but rather a servant army maintaining the logistics of this supernatural legion.

Along the way, there were no incidents of harassment or massacres in noble territories.

"Has the Vatican become better?"

Many people made this guess, and were extremely shocked. They remembered that just a few months ago, the clergy of the Dawn Church were very arrogant and domineering. How could they have become true believers in such a short time?

The priests have stopped engaging in lewd activities? The Knights of Dawn haven't been arguing with the nobles over money anymore.
"What exactly happened in the past few months?"

All eyes turned to Mount Dawn. The changes in the Dawn Church filled them with both horror and anticipation. How wonderful it would be if the Church could return to its legendary state when the first Pope was alive.

Those fearless believers are the ones that nobles follow.

The Holy Kingdom Knights marched from the Holy Mountain to that noble territory without any bloodshed. The knights were all full of passion and fervor, as if they were going to die for the Lord of Dawn.

"What exactly did Pope Saint Solarian do to make the decaying Dawn Church bloom brightly again?"

News from the north would reach the south, and news from the south would quickly appear before Ryan. He frowned as he looked at the letter describing the behavior of the Holy Knights of the Dawn Church.

This is definitely not a good thing for the new hegemon of the empire.

Because if the Dawn Church truly improves, it will quickly rebuild its power to rule the world, and all the nobles, including those within the empire, will likely yearn for a devoutly faithful Dawn Church.

Many lands will re-accept personnel from the Dawn Church.

In this matter, what Ryan was most concerned about was how Pope Solarion managed to do it.

"Destroy and then stand?"

As Ryan murmured, Baroness Avril appeared in the study, heavily pregnant, and came to Ryan's side with the help of a maid.

"What happened?"

Ryan has been all smiles lately at Rhinoceros Horn Mountain, an expression Avril has rarely seen.

"It's alright, it's a good thing."

"Both the Empire and the Holy Mountain will send troops to support the land in the south that has been invaded by the Abyss. In this way, it will be difficult for the gods of the Abyss to descend here, and their appearance will greatly reduce the pressure on us."

"In addition, your father and mother will also be coming. The army will pass through the North Wind Road. Your mother will definitely come to see you then."

Ryan said with a smile, holding Avril's hand. The frost mage's hand was still cold, but it quickly warmed up in his palm.

After Avril left, Ryan's smile faded, and his eyes became deep and thoughtful.

"Dawn, light, or daybreak?"

"I planted these trees, so why should you reap the fruit?"

Ryan took a deep breath and summoned Signy.

"How can the Dawn Church's journey along the Dawn Road be without casualties? In the past, it was always a bloodbath; there's no reason why nothing should happen this time."

“Let’s pick some wicked guys and kill them. That way, it will also be in line with the mission of the Holy Kingdom Knights.”

Signy licked his lips, and the next moment he disappeared into the shadows.

Ryan picked up his pen and paper again and wrote a letter to his father.

When he leads the army, he should move a little slower.

"We can only appear on that land after the events in Oren City are over."

"The rulers of the entire world have begun to follow His divine pronouncements from heaven. Could it be that He has truly awakened?"

Ryan looked up at the sun in the sky from the windowsill. He always knew one thing: in this extraordinary world where gods truly exist, no person or thing has any influence on the world as great as the existence of gods.

He only needs to let the world know that he exists, then all the conspiracies and schemes are nothing but fleeting clouds.

Most importantly, Ryan still doesn't know if the Lord of Dawn, the God of Light, is among his potential adversaries.

The spiritual panel brought him so much benefit that he had to contemplate the great beings on the other side of the spiritual realm.

He can't exactly wage war against those gods, can he?

(End of this chapter)