Chapter 111. Broken Faith
There was a sound box in the room where Laurentia was resting.
An instrument similar to a cello was played, and the low and gentle music flowed slowly from it as if it was telling a person's sad life.
It was very fitting.
This Paladin had not eaten or drunk anything for three days ever since he was abandoned by the Holy Lance. If it were not for Char's survival points that were exchanged for items to keep him alive, he would have died long ago.
Even though the Turing tower had been destroyed, something as unscientific as survival points and the exchange list still existed. Char assumed that they would become a new currency in the future, so he did not feel any heartache using them.
Back to the Paladin, the biggest blow to him this time was not how the Holy Spirit of Light had ruined his body, but the blow to his heart from being "abandoned".
How should he put it? There was no light in this person's eyes.
Not to mention that he had become a disabled person in a narrow sense, even if he was still a level 70 or 80 Holy Knight, he would probably not be in a good mood at this moment.
Creak
Char pushed the door open and entered. There was no reaction from Laurentia who was lying on the bed like a dead man, but his eyes were open.
Char pulled out a chair and sat not far from the bed. He listened to the music quietly, his fingers tapping his knees to the rhythm.
He didn't seem to be in a hurry.
After a long time, Laurentia finally spoke.
"Is it interesting to do this?"
His voice was filled with unspeakable ridicule.
"Do you want to humiliate me and watch me commit suicide?" He teased.
"Ha..." Char chuckled.
"Are you trying to say that if you don't commit suicide, I will feel very lost, defeated and so on, and then feel that you've won? Speaking of which, you've been hanging on to your last breath and unwilling to die, just so you can mock me in my face, right?"
Laurentia's face stiffened, and the last bit of pleasure he had disappeared.
The low-pitched instrument continued to play, and the two of them were silent in the room.
Char listened quietly. He knew that the familiar melody would suddenly become passionate after a few seconds, like a person who stood up unwillingly and complained to the mountain that was pressing down on him.
Just like the emotions that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.
No matter what he wanted to vent, he had to vent it out. And his trip here this time was to give the other party a target.
The time was up, and the music suddenly sped up.
For the past three days, this melody had been ringing in his ears when he was awake. It was as if the air had become a part of his life, so much so that his mind was completely guided by the melody. He almost subconsciously sat up from the bed, his chest rising and falling violently.
"You think I'm still in the dark? I understand everything now... All of them!"
He roared, "You said those things in Elfheim on purpose, didn't you? You, Char, created all of this with your own hands, the discord between me and the Holy See, the failure of this operation, and... The abandonment of the Holy Lance, and I've become a cripple! It's all because of you!"
Char did not move.
"And then? Is there no more?" He asked.
"And then you'll sit here like a winner, watching me make a fool of myself, watching me scream hysterically at you like a coward, powerless and furious! This is what you want to see, right?"
The Holy Knight's eyes were bloodshot as if he had lost his mind.
He was eager to see Char's expression change. Even if Char revealed a satisfied smile after being told what was on his mind, he would still feel satisfied.
At least, he was right.
Unfortunately, there was no reaction. Char was like a ball of air, not reacting at all.
"Your Excellency Holy Knight, anger is a very terrifying emotion. It would temporarily take away a person's rationality and let his every word and action be led by his emotions... The so-called "taking it out on others" is a landslide of anger. This person will lose his ability to judge and believe in the most primitive judgment."
He said slowly, then paused.
"You... Why don't you just let it slide and let me, a Paladin who has been self-restrained for so long, say whatever hysterical words... By the way, the isolation of mana in Ravesland is not as good as before. I want to see if you will be demonized because of your "anger" and become a puppet of Zin'rokh..."
He made a "please" gesture, indicating for the other party to continue.
Laurentia's punch hit the cotton and was injured by his own strength. He coughed a few times and almost broke himself.
"You have nothing to say?" Char retorted, "Think about what you said just now. How much sense do you have? What do you mean I'm the one who led all of this? We've met twice, and both times, the "Holy Spirit" gave you the divine decree, and then you came over. Oh, does that mean the divine decree came from me? It can't be?"
The melody slowed down, and Char paused. He put away his aggressive tone and changed his style.
"I admit that I don't have any good intentions. Was this the only mistake? Before we distinguish between right and wrong, we need to have the concept of "Standpoint". You're on the side of the United Holy Kingdom and the church, and I'm on the side of Elfheim."
"As long as you're not a fool, anyone can see that you're preparing your troops to attack Elfheim. Is it wrong for me to make you two leaders of the church not get along?
"I don't think so?"
"And what I said, wasn't it exactly what you wanted to say? Do you think the Holy See is worthy of being the Holy See? Could a person who had been corrupted by Zin'rokh shoulder such a mission? It can't be. If what I said wasn't what you were thinking, would you have been so easily fooled by me?"
Laurentia couldn't refute it. He felt a dull pain in his chest.
Char continued, "But don't think too much, up until now, what I've done has not affected your decision. If this underground trip didn't happen, and the Holy Kingdom declared war on Elfheim, I'm afraid there would be a chance to sow discord. But before that, what can I do? "
Char spread his hands, "Nothing! So, it's very simple. I'm also a victim. I didn't have time to use the foreshadowing I laid down, and one of you died and the other was injured... Do you understand what a loss is? Who knew what the church would become? It's out of control. It's not just you guys who have lost control of it, I can't predict it either."
What he said was the truth. The history of the 178 rounds had now been changed beyond recognition, and he did not know what would happen to the church after the death of two bishops in a row.
However, when he mentioned the church so discreetly, the originally determined Laurentia suddenly felt a little worried.
Furthermore, he could not find any major problems with Char's words.
It seemed like... That was indeed the case.
The problem was with the divine decree...
But why did he feel that something was wrong?
It was wrong!
It was wrong!
Laurentia suddenly realized!
It was this person who had been obstructing the implementation of the divine decree time and time again, so how did he become the victim?
"No, you..."
"You want to say that I stopped the divine decree, right?" Char asked.
He fell silent.
"Please, use your brain and think about it. If your "divine decree" is out to kill me, then my resistance is also called "obstructing the divine decree", so I should be killed? "
"If the divine decree says that they want to kill you, then you must have a reason to die."
"Oh, so there's a reason for the Holy Lance to abandon you?"
With his scar exposed, he was once again speechless.
His chest felt stuffy.
Char knew when to stop and changed the topic, "I've said that everything depends on your "standpoint", so it's understandable for you to think this way. I can understand your actions. After all, you guys grew up in that kind of atmosphere, and there are some things that you wouldn't listen to even if I said them... but now it's different, Lord Laurentia. I have a question for you, a very important question. Please answer me honestly...
"Have you ever suspected the 'Holy Spirit'?"
This question was like a heavy hammer that hit the tip of Laurentia's heart, making his ears buzz.
A crack appeared in the indestructible faith due to the abandonment of the Holy Spear.
Now, the cracks had spread into a dense spider web.
"You insist on the "divine decree" because in the end, the "divine decree" is correct. In other words, what you insist on is the so-called "correct". But on the other hand, if the divine decree itself is wrong, do you still need to persist?"
If the divine decree is wrong...
"What's going on?" Laurentia muttered his expression a little dazed.
The melody in his ears suddenly became mysterious, low, and hurried, as if someone was following behind him, urging him to run faster.
The wild bees flew!
"I don't think the Holy See will destroy Fredrick's body, either. First of all, he wouldn't dare to, and second of all, he didn't need to. But the divine decree asked him to do so, and he did it in front of you.
"Also, have you ever thought about how such a powerful Holy See, and Frederick, died? Before that, did the church also receive some divine decrees, but the contents were kept secret?"
A thoughtful look slowly appeared in Laurentia's eyes, and Char continued to press on.
"And then the divine decree this time... What did the Holy Spirit send you here for? We might as well think about it one by one...
"Where are we? This was Ravesland, an underground mechanical ruin. What's there? As you can see, there are androids, countless androids. They are controlled by a set of "systems". They are absolutely obedient, loyal, and hardworking, and most importantly, they don't have any wild thoughts...
"Then, what happened? The 'Holy See' handpicked by the Holy Spirits had killed the Paladins loyal to them and used their blood to summon a guy who had awakened this place... the mechanical Wyverns that covered the sky, the steel Beasts that came out of their nests, and the dense, surging tide, you've also seen such power. If they went to the surface, how terrifying would the bloodshed be?
"Then, one of the most powerful forces on the surface, The Guardian of human civilization, Gungnir, was controlled by the "Holy Spirit" and stripped from you, losing control...
"Don't you think that what the Holy Spirits are doing is actually not much different from what I am doing ... I will weaken the power of the church and strengthen the power of Elfheim. And they weaken the power of the Guardians and strengthen a special power. What is that?"
Char's voice was like a Devil's Whisper, and it went deeper and deeper into Laurentia's heart along with the mysterious melody. He also muttered to himself,
"what exactly is that" ...
"Pa"
Char snapped his fingers.
"Bring it in!"
Two androids carried in the frozen body of the Holy See.
To be more precise, it was a demonized mechanical alien.
"Your Excellency Paladin, although you are severely injured, you still have your perception of evil power, right? " Char asked.
Laurentia did not reply. He could feel the mana from the strange corpse.
The mana was very strong, similar to the "nest" he had destroyed before. Even though it was already a corpse, the mana was still gathering.
"This is the abyss..." He muttered.
"That's right, this is the abyss!"
Char picked up two frozen claws, the Holy See had been cut into a human stick, and his four limbs and two claws were frozen by his side.
He knocked on the door with his two claws, making "Bang Bang" sounds.
"This is also a metal." He said.
Then he opened the chest of the Holy See. Inside were the complex parts of the Raiders and the extinguished power furnace. The dark purple drive liquid was frozen in the transmission pipeline, stained with dark magic energy, making everything seem absurd and mysterious.
"This is the Mechanical Civilization."
"Take a look. Everything I want to say is in here."
Char stopped there and let Laurentia do as he pleased.
The Holy Knight stared at the mysterious creature made of machinery and magic for half an hour. His forehead was sweating profusely, and his face was a sickly red.
Char seemed to hear the sound of faith being broken, cracking, and continuing.
Half an hour later, the Holy Knight heaved a long sigh of relief and leaned against the head of the bed, exhausted.
"What is this..." He asked.
"You already have the answer, don't you?" Char asked.
Laurentia shook his head.
He didn't dare to believe this answer, and he didn't dare to say it.
"What the Holy Spirits are doing is nothing more than letting mechanical creations descend into this world and then replace us." Char continued to make up his story. "You may have heard that this is the seventh era. Before this, there were six civilizations that were destroyed by the abyss. However, the Holy Spirit here is eternal... Why?"
"Why..."
"I'm guessing that this is a form of selection."
"Selection?"
"Yes, the Holy Spirits are selecting a civilization that can resist the abyss. Obviously, we are going to be eliminated now." Char shrugged. "There's a popular activity called "dog fighting" in Mephisto. If you want to choose the most ferocious dog, you'll trap them in the same cage and let them fight to the death to choose the strongest... But will you consider the feelings of the fighting dog?"
"You mean, we're the seventh fighting dog?"
"No, we're the meat to feed the seventh Hound." char smiled. "The descent of machinery. The destruction of flesh and blood. Then, using the flesh and blood as firewood, a blazing fire will be ignited and burned toward Zin'rokh's nest... If I were a Holy Spirit, I would do that."
"W-why..."
"Because we are too weak." Char's tone became low. It's not just physical weakness. It's fragile with a touch. It's also the soul... Your Excellency Laurentia, I've always thought of you as a role model for mankind, a spear that can't be bent in an intelligent civilization, a flag... But now..." He smiled and shook his head. "What a pity. What a pity."
"Forget it, let's not talk about this."
He stood up. "I'm here to explain the misunderstanding. Now that it's been explained, you can do whatever you want."
He left the room, leaving behind a thoughtful Laurentia.
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