Divine Kingship

Chapter 603 Berlan has set off (Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month, thank you meow)

Rand and his men lived in the village.

When Rand came out to purge the cultists and train new members for the church, he didn't actually bring too many people, so a village or town wouldn't be unable to accommodate them.

In the past, Rand would travel with a large number of his personal guards.

In chaotic times, large numbers of rebels, bandits, or cultists could emerge at any moment.

At that time, Rand himself was also very weak, and the combat power of the high-ranking members of the Sanctuary around him was also limited.

But now that Rand has come out, he no longer needs to bring a large number of guards.

The major hostile forces within the territory will inevitably be wiped out. Although the combat strength of the high-ranking members of the Holy Domain is constantly growing, the new church members they brought over are not useless.

And Rand's own combat strength has also been continuously growing.

Nowadays, there's no need to lead so many personal guards, which consumes a lot of resources for both people and horses.

After resting for a day in the village.

Just as Rand gathered everyone together to begin training new recruits and investigate any potential cult members lurking in the shadows.

Morin and Da Zhuang surrendered to Rand.

At this moment, Rand was standing in an open space in the village.

When Rand came out, he wasn't wearing any luxurious clothes befitting a king; he was simply dressed in a practical outfit for getting around.

Rand was about to say something; this was the final training session.

I hope everyone stays focused and doesn't let their guard down at the last minute, so that the ending doesn't turn out badly due to negligence.

In short, just as Rand had prepared his thoughts and was about to speak, these kinds of words came to mind.

Behind the regional bishop, the skinny man and the burly man, Morin and Da Zhuang, knelt down in front of Rand.

"We are cult members."

It was already autumn, and the wind was blowing.

The autumn breeze, still carrying a hint of summer heat, stirred up some dust on the village square.

Rand thought it would be a fairly dramatic ending.

For example, the newcomers eventually discovered two cultists lurking in the village, and then Rand reprimanded the local bishop, ordering him to return to school to retake the course.

For example, the local bishop had already discovered the two cultists; he was simply preparing to use them to learn about the evil that existed in the vicinity.

For example, none of the new recruits discovered the existence of the two cult members, and in the end, Rand personally stepped in to expose the two lurking evil forces.

Rand had even considered the possibility that his Blessing Six ability might fail again.

But what does "surrender" mean?
Don't they know that even if cult members surrender, they will still be sentenced according to their past crimes?
Rand, of course, advocated surrendering oneself.

But for those who surrender themselves, all Rand can offer is a fairer judgment and some humane consideration; their past crimes will not be absolved simply because they surrender themselves.

Murder pays off lives, debts pay off.

Rand did not formulate overly complicated laws.

The laws of the Holy Domain are quite simple nowadays; they are derived from and rationalized from the most basic, simple emotions.

The concepts of "a life for a life" and "debts must be repaid" here refer to situations of fairness. If such events occur during wartime or in lawless areas, they are naturally outside the scope of Rand's jurisdiction.

When Morin and Dazhuang noticed that Rand was in a daze, they immediately explained, "Great and holy Your Majesty Rand, although we have joined an evil organization, our hearts yearn for light and justice. We have never done anything evil."

The two thought for a moment, then said hesitantly, "We may have engaged in poaching and theft, but we have absolutely never committed murder, robbery, or harmed anyone!"

Rand observed Morin and Dazhuang carefully.

Morin possesses a familiar power, suggesting he is a follower of the Goddess of Dark Abundance.

As for Dazhuang... although Rand is not as familiar with the power of those who fight as the power of the Dark Goddess of Abundance.

However, Rand was, after all, someone who had received two blessings from the God of Struggle, so after careful observation, he could still be reluctantly classified as a follower of the God of Struggle.

“Alright, get up.” Rand looked at the two cultists who had surrendered to him; their hostile gray-black had turned into an unbiased colorless one. “But I have no way of knowing what you did in the past, so…”

Both Morin and Da Zhuang were a little nervous as they awaited Rand's verdict.

The vast majority of nobles in the world deal with cultists by simply executing them.

Nobles don't bother to find out if cultists have done anything evil in the past. Once they're caught, they don't even bother to confirm whether they are cultists or just sacrifices.

The solution was always the same: execution.

However, during this time, they learned to work under the local bishop, who introduced them to many of Rand's great deeds.

Although Rand is passionate about destroying evil, His Majesty Rand is actually very just.

The old folks who first followed Rand were followers of the goddess of dark abundance.

When the Rand army was clearing out cult strongholds, they would also distinguish between those who were evil and those who had not done anything wrong.

Those who had committed even the slightest wrongdoing were punished with labor reform, while those who had not committed any wrongdoing were directly sent to prison. As for other cult members who had killed or harmed innocent people, they were simply executed.

The local bishop also introduced many of His Majesty Rand's ideas to Morin and Dazhuang.

It also introduced the local bishop himself and what his church members were supposed to do in the village.

During this time, Morin and Dazhuang have been following the bishop's work and have already felt a lot of His Majesty Rand's will.

And changes in life.

That's why they surrendered to Rand without hesitation today.

This is not just because they know very well that cultists like them cannot hide themselves from Rand's gaze.

Also, they really wanted to play for RAND.

Their past lives were so difficult that they struggled to make ends meet, forcing them to join cults.

But clearly, if His Majesty Rand is truly as just as the local bishop claims, then they might have the opportunity to serve Rand and obtain a different way of life.

Upon hearing the two men's confessions, the local bishop, also standing in the open square, stroked his slightly stubbled chin with satisfaction.

At first, he certainly didn't realize that Morin and Dazhuang were cult members rather than his own people.

But after a few days of contact, he could clearly sense that neither of the two people had received education from a church school or any other form of training.

The answer is obvious: these two people are not one of our own, but rather cultists from the wilderness.

However, during their interactions, he could clearly sense that although these two people had not received a systematic education, they were good people who did not associate with cult members.

As a bishop with formal training in the Holy Land's forces and a practitioner of the Land of Light, this local bishop, after careful observation, probing, and deep consideration, decided to guide these two wild believers who still retained a kind heart and theoretically had not committed any evil deeds. It seems the results are promising.

The regional bishop took two steps forward and stood in front of Rand.

The regional bishop was actually younger than Rand.

When he was a teenager, he studied under Rand for a period of time.

However, the regional bishop is now in his middle age, and Rand is theoretically older, but he still looks like a young boy.

Perhaps His Majesty Rand will never grow old; that is what these believers hope for.

They couldn't imagine what their lives would be like if one day they could no longer receive Rand's guidance.

“Your Majesty, I can vouch for them, or at least I believe they are fully entitled to the opportunity to prove themselves.” The regional bishop bowed slightly, then straightened up, his gaze fixed on Rand in the center of the square.

Rand was also smiling.

This result was quite unexpected for Rand, and he was pleasantly surprised.

It seems the local bishop had already discovered these two lurking cultists, so he doesn't need to go back to church school to retake the relevant courses.

These two cult members who surrendered themselves don't seem to be evil at all.

Since the local bishop has already discovered the problem, Rand trusts the local bishop's judgment.

Of course, Rand would not completely trust these two cultists simply because of the guarantee; fairness and impartiality come from procedure.

If guilt or innocence is determined solely by a guarantee or judgment, then fairness and justice are meaningless.

What Rand needs to do is give these two people a chance to prove themselves.

"Are you willing to prove yourselves?" Rand stared at the two men, one thin and one fat. They reminded Rand of Ranta and Chad, although the two groups had little in common except for their mutual trust and understanding.

Morin and Dazhuang nodded repeatedly, as expected, His Majesty Rand would not make such a judgment on them without distinguishing right from wrong.

“Recently, the number of cultists in the Moon Phase Kingdom has been increasing. What do you know about this?” Rand asked directly.

Morin immediately replied, “We are just the lowest level of believers, but it seems that our superiors, the superiors of different sects, are cooperating, and it seems that the sect of the God of Struggle has produced a divine child.”

“Quite valuable intelligence.” Rand narrowed his eyes. It seemed that the God of Struggle had also made some moves. He just didn’t know the level of this divine child.
"Then as long as you can go back and bring me some more specific information, I will consider you to be genuinely joining the Holy Domain's forces and will trust you. Of course, I will still continue to investigate what you have done in the past." Rand's obsidian-like deep eyes put a lot of pressure on the two of them.

However, they were delighted with the opportunity Rand offered them: "We are willing."

“Very good.” Rand clapped his hands lightly. “If you hadn’t returned, then this bishop would have resigned from his position as local bishop and personally led some combatants to hunt you down.”

Rand glanced at the bishop again: "No objections, right?"

The local bishop nodded: "As Your Majesty wishes."

"Well then, students, your holiday internships are over. Let's set off now." Rand didn't linger in the village any longer.

The final internship for these new interns ended rather abruptly.

However, they have already trained a lot along the way, so it's not a great pity.

Before leaving, Rand made a special trip to the local bishop to give him some instructions: "I will arrange some people for you. If anything happens, just be careful and report it if anything happens."

Rand boarded the carriage for the return journey.

Queen Ellie sat to his left as always, and Inspector Elsa sat to his right.

After returning, we will wait for the White King, Berlan, to arrive so we can try to deal with the Boren pirate gang currently operating in the waters of the Moon Phase Kingdom.

Although some things in the South gave Rand a sense of impending doom and tension.

But at least for now, there isn't anything that requires too much attention.

Since Rand became king, things have become a little easier.

Then Rand can learn some tips on how to slack off as king from that lazy king Marcus, and things will feel much more comfortable afterward.

Suddenly, a magical carrier pigeon cooed outside the carriage.

Elsa took the letter from a distance.

Elsa frowned after taking the document: "The two people you're concerned about, Ranta and Chad, have been imprisoned by the people of the Champs-Élysées Kingdom."

Rand was somewhat amused and exasperated. He had just remembered these two people because of Morin and Dazhuang, but unexpectedly, news of them had surfaced.

However, since he's just been locked up, there's really no need to worry too much.

Rand thought about it and felt that these two had been outside for too long, so it was best to bring them back to prevent any potential trouble in the future.

"What did they do to get locked up?"

"Pfft, they represent our Moon Phase Kingdom in denouncing the envoy of the Bolun Kingdom, engaging in a verbal battle with the ministers of the Champs-Élysées Kingdom, and then giving a speech in the square of the Champs-Élysées Kingdom, urging the nobles and citizens of the Champs-Élysées Kingdom to support the Moon Phase Kingdom instead of the foolish and weak Bolun Kingdom." Elsa looked at the contents of the letter and couldn't help but chuckle.

"In short, they stirred up a lot of trouble. Although they successfully ruined the cooperation between the Kingdom of Bolen and the Kingdom of Champs-Élysées, they also offended many nobles and ministers of the Kingdom of Champs-Élysées, so they were imprisoned." Elsa judged and said, "I guess they won't be imprisoned for long. They will be released after a while."

"Let's get someone to bring those two back." Rand sighed, rubbing his forehead. Ranta and Chad had really grown to a very powerful level, but Rand really couldn't stand them constantly taking risks outside.

Ranta and Chad had shed blood and tears for the Holy Land's forces, and Rand truly felt that it was about time.

“Send more people, preferably people of higher rank, otherwise these two will likely make excuses to refuse again,” Rand added.

"Then I'll go myself?" Elsa rubbed her wrist. "I feel like my strength is breaking through, and I haven't really fought in a long time. I feel like I'm rusting. Maybe there are some people in the south who will let me fight."

"Then be careful, and don't be reckless." Rand frowned.

Rand turned to the side and cupped Elsa's beautiful face in his hands: "I don't really have any reason to restrict what you want to do, but please be careful. I can't bear to lose you..."

Elsa felt a little shy being stared at so intently by Rand.

She was well aware of her importance in Rand's eyes.

Just as she was well aware of Rand's importance to her.

"Don't worry, I have more cards up my sleeve than I can use," Elsa smiled.

In fact, Elsa wouldn't have wanted to undergo such training if she hadn't truly needed to make a breakthrough.

But now is the perfect opportunity.

……

At this point, Berlan Callant made one last arrangement for state affairs.

She was preparing to depart for the Moon Kingdom.

(End of this chapter)