On the morning of the second day after the trial, Todd, in human form, sat in the King's Audience Room, quietly reading a letter from Queen Mary of the Holy Acropolis.

After expressing her lovesickness, Mary wrote in her letter:

There is evidence that there are serious divisions within the Church of the Father.

Some priests in the church, with their congregants, took the initiative to defect to the Protestant kingdom and sought refuge in Protestantism.

The priests say that the radical wing of the Church has escalated the controversy of religious speculation to the point of personal persecution and doctrinal warfare.

In those die-hard nations of the Church of the Father, there are daily murders of Protestants being captured and killed.

The stakes used to burn witches and sorcerers are now reserved for Protestants holding the same Bible.

Not long ago, the massacre of the village in Isaiah has become a fuse, spreading the fire of this religious war to the central region of the entire continent.

The scouts of the Holy Acropolis visited Franlon, Tiris, and Orebor...... In these places, the bodies of thousands of innocent people, found near burned villages and towns, were buried in shallow earth pits, and the executioners were not willing to complete even a properly sized grave.

In the meadows beside the road, you can see wild beasts with human stumps in their mouths, feasting on flesh and blood.

In the capital of Taylor in the Papal States, more and more nobles gathered in front of the church and launched one question after another and shouted angrily, demanding a reasonable explanation from the bishops.

After reading the words, Todd slowly put the letter on the table, and said softly, "It's almost time." ”

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Your Majesty, Lord Ackerman, Commander of the Holy Cult, and Lady Minnie, the Great Shaman, request an audience. ”

Todd put the letter in the drawer, tapped lightly on the tabletop, and said, "Let them in." ”

The dark elf Ackerman stood in the doorway, hesitated, and then walked into the room.

Minnie, by comparison, looked much more at ease.

The old woman moved to a relatively comfortable sofa in the audience room, and sat down slowly, looking as if she had returned to her home in the north.

Todd glanced at the two of them, then gestured to the guard, who closed the door.

"You look like you have something to say. Todd said with a smile as he looked at Ackerman, who was standing in place, a little bewildered.

Ackerman pursed his lips and smiled awkwardly.

"My Holy King...... That bard, Beate, was in prison last night...... Committed suicide ......"

Hearing this, Todd's face did not show the slightest surprise: "Is it suicide?" or did he kill him?"

Ackerman looked even more uneasy: "It should be suicide, but maybe there are other factors ...... it"

"Isn't it that those angry Holy Cult soldiers can't bear to let that scum live even one more night?"

Ackerman lowered his head and sighed: "There was an elf among the jailers who couldn't bear to hear that bard still boasting about his affair in prison, so he burned that fellow to death......"

Todd waved his hand indifferently: "If you die, you will die, let you come today, there are other things to discuss." ”

Minnie placed the white oak cane beside the sofa, took out a homemade cigarette from her bosom, lit it with ease, and put it to her lips to puff: "Are you worried about the racial divide?"

Todd sniffed the smoke in the air and raised an eyebrow at Minnie, "New recipe?"

"Tobacco from the Encata plateau, which was just produced this year, plus nettle, honey fruit and eleven other spices......"

Todd smiled and held out his hand to Minnie.

Seeing this, Ackerman also hurriedly said, "I want to try it too." ”

And just like that, a dragon, a dark elf, an old shaman, sat on the couch, with clouds in his mouth, talking about things.

Ackerman took a hard puff of his cigarette and said with a blurred look in his eyes: "Sometimes, I still think of the old days, that is, the days in the arena...... Under the hands of the Red Champion, enjoy the cheers of the audience......"

"At that time, Casper was still alive, and we danced with swords during the day and ate and drank by the campfire at night, and although life was hard, it was not boring......"

Todd first glanced at the burning tobacco in his hand, then threw Minnie a questioning look.

The old shaman whispered, "Tobacco with some relaxing spices......"

"Son of the Gods, when I was with you, you were always Boyle's appearance, but now you ......" Ackerman scratched his neck: "Your appearance has changed so much that many times I don't know what to do." ”

Todd flicked the cigarette ash at the iron plate on the table: "Whether it's Boyle or the way I look now, I can't be considered my real appearance anymore......"

Ackerman sat down backwards and sank his whole body into the couch: "I'm no longer the head of the Chigi Village, but every time I look at myself in the mirror, I can't believe what happened......"

Todd threw the cigarette butt into the iron plate, nodded and said, "I have something to ask you, there are different races in the Holy Cult, what is the relationship between these races, and between them and humans?"

Ackerman was stunned: "Relationship?"

Minnie's wrinkled face smiled, "You want to ask if there is any ** behavior between the interracial races?"

Todd was a little surprised that the old shaman would say it so directly.

But after thinking about it, Minnie's statement saved herself a lot of effort.

Minnie lit another cigarette and squinted her eyes and said, "As far as I know, there are partners between the Holy Cult Army from time to time. Although the doctrine requires that every soldier must give up his selfish desires and give all to the gods, feelings are not so easy to stifle. ”

Ackerman was a little sobered by this topic, and he said carefully: "Orcs, werewolves, elves, dwarves, minotaurs...... Regardless of the race, they can often see pairs of companions within themselves, which is a hidden acknowledgment among the Holy Army. Everyone knows it, but no one will try to puncture it. ”

Todd touched his chin and continued to ask, "Then what's going on between the Holy Cult Army and the humans?"

Ackerman said with some hesitation: "Humans are a little different. ”

"It's not the same. ”

"There is a common perception among the Holy Cult that humanity is an old species, and that their bodies and souls are incomplete. In the eyes of the Holy Cult Army, having completed the transformation ceremony, they were equivalent to cleansing the filth from their bodies and gaining a new life. And human beings, there is simply no way to compare with us. ”

Hearing Ackerman's explanation, Todd pondered for a moment and spoke, "So, in your eyes, the union between the Holy Cult is sacred and blessed. And the union of the Holy Cult Army and the human race is the defilement of the bloodline. That's why the love between the elf and the human has such a huge impact. ”

Unable to hear the deep meaning in Tod's tone, Ackerman asked with some trepidation: "High Holy King, please send down the holy oracle, have we made a mistake in judging the elf Jacqueline?"

Todd shook his head slightly, "It's not a question of error or not. ”

Ackerman said suspiciously, "I don't understand what you mean. ”

"Intermarriage between different races can have unforeseen consequences. Todd said with a solemn face: "Except for a very small number of variant cases, interracial marriages may lead to newborn deformities, premature death, and even physical defects. In my world, this phenomenon is called reproductive segregation. ”

Todd looked at Ackerman, who was completely unaware, and sighed softly: "So, from this level, prohibiting the Holy Cult Army from intermarrying with humans may be a correct decision. ”

Minnie put down the cigarette in her hand and noticed that there was a hint of sadness in Todd's expression.

When the old woman heard the laughter of Aurora, the daughter of the Holy King, from the garden outside the window, she bowed her head thoughtfully.