After a while, the food from the dining car was delivered, although it was a light meal on the train, but if it was all on it, it would be more hearty.

"Did Miss Elle go to Leol to worship the Sun God?"

The dinner table is always the best place to open up the topic, and the meal is the best time to get closer.

This principle is very valid in both the East and the West.

"It's not about visiting, it's just that I have some interest in the leader of the Sun God Sect to take a casual look."

The meal was almost over, and Elle and Alphonse had a good conversation.

As if she had been prepared, Elle touched on a lot of the topics of falling in love with Alphons, but never touched on the most embarrassing issues.

For example, why Ed always wears white gloves, why Alphonse never eats, and why they are brothers who are so different in size that they don't look like they came out of a mother's womb.

And these questions Elle didn't touch on in the slightest.

"And what about Edward? What do you think of the Helios cult? Interested? ~”

Elle, who had been chatting with Alphonse for a long time, always had a few words with Edward from time to time, and Edward, who was often angry with his face.

"Helios Cult...... I don't feel anything special. ”

Although he is usually very coaxing, Edward, the shortest problem of eating others, is the same, and he naturally can't stink after eating a large meal from others.

Hearing Ellie's question, she thought very seriously.

"I always think it's a lie."

With a spoon in his mouth, Edward said

"Brother."

Feeling that his brother was a little rude, Al shouted his brother's name on the side, in his opinion, a girl like Ellie should be a more naïve and easy to fantasize person, and should not deny the existence of gods like they do.

"Do you think the gods are deceiving?"

It seems that he has found the greatest fit and common ground between himself and Edward.

Ellie's smiling eyes opened and became a little solemn.

The smile of etiquette was still on her face, but there was no smile in her eyes, only recognition.

"I don't care, or I don't care, if the gods exist or not, but at least in my opinion......"

Grab a coffee cup and take a sip. Edward leaned back and looked out the window, where it was pitch black except pitch black.

"The gods, whether they exist or not, will not help us humans for no reason."

Thinking of what happened to them and their younger brothers, the hell and pain they had seen, the pain of their masters, and the heavy steel they carried.

After encountering these things, no matter how naïve as he thought that the gods would help a person without reciprocation, how could Edward still think that after seeing the cold-bloodedness of the truth?

"It's not going to be in vain, that god."

Edward was sure of that.

"Equivalent exchange is the truth of this world, even the gods abide by such a rule, no one can be an exception, there is no exception."

“…………”

Listening to Edward's old-fashioned conversation across the table, looking at his eyes and face as if he had experienced hell and seen real cruelty and despair, feeling the heaviness and vicissitudes of life and tenacity revealed in his words, even Ellie was a little fascinated.

He didn't answer, just leaned his chin on the back of his hand and squinted at him quietly, looking at the teenager who was asked to be 'taken care of' by his own boss.

'No wonder Aisha was so fascinated by him, now it seems ......'

"It's indeed in stock~"

"Huh? What the? ”

Ellie's voice was so small that Edward didn't hear it.

"Whenever you have experienced something, innocence will always leave, and that includes unlimited trust in the gods."

Saying something that didn't seem to have anything to do with the conversation just now, Elle also picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.

"Miss Ellie doesn't believe in gods either?"

Although he had forgotten what he had seen on the other side of the door, Al still remembered most of the events of that day, the painful memories of it, and he had lost faith in the gods early in the morning.

"Yes, we are the same. Surprised? ”

Listening to Alphonse's voice, it seemed that he was surprised by this

"After going through something, a lot of people wake up from their fantasies, and I'm just one of them."

If she hadn't experienced the divorce of her childhood family, if she hadn't gone to Ishbaal to see that hell by joining Esdes in order to revitalize her family, and if she hadn't become the police inspector and learned about the filth behind the so-called churches and religious organizations under surveillance, Elle probably wouldn't have become such a complete non-believer, right?

"Then you go to Riol......"

If so, Alphonse would not be able to understand why they went to Riol, because there was really no reason for outsiders to travel thousands of miles to the city of Riol, except for the Cult.

You can't be like them for the Philosopher's Stone, right?

"Because my boss is more interested in that sect leader~"

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ISA Grand Hotel, a budget luxury hotel that opened three years ago in the bustling area of the capital. It was established by Estes with personal investment and run by the McDowell family. Because of its government background and proper management, business has flourished in the past three years, and it has become the most prestigious hotel in the capital region.

Tonight, the hotel welcomed its host, General Estes, who was going to entertain himself here today a special guest, a priest dressed in a very modest and senile manner.

"Please, Father, you're welcome."

Motioning casually to the old priest who was sitting at the table and looking at the sumptuous meal on the table, Estes began to eat on his own.

The variety of dishes on the table today is very complete, and the amount of dishes is also very large, and people who don't know will think that Estes is extravagant and wasteful.

"Thanks, but these dishes seem to be a little too much."

And the old priest, who was staring at the excessive number of dishes on the table, had some heartache in his eyes, obviously thinking that Estes was extravagant and wasteful.

"If you're worried about waste, put one hundred and twenty hearts~"

Seeing that the old priest didn't do anything, Estes didn't care about this, and directly dismembered half of the roast suckling pig three times and divided it by two, and put it on his plate, and ate elegantly and unusually quickly.

"My order is different from my big deputy, it's always just right."

Although they were hundreds of kilometers apart at this time, Ellie and Aisha were both unexpectedly thinking about each other, and of course they didn't forget to damage each other.

"The amount of food today is just the right amount for me and you, and there will be no leftovers."

Although judging from the size of the two and the amount of food on the table, Estes's sentence is very unconvincing.

"I, having lived in the capital for thirty years, have never been to such a luxurious hotel."

After a moment of silence, the old priest finally picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.

"Weird, isn't it?"

While commenting and thinking about the lack of skill of the chef of the restaurant to which he belongs, while filling his stomach, Estes asked rhetorically

"What? What are you referring to? ”

"You have lived in the capital for thirty years and have never been in a luxury hotel, but you have taken your devotees and students across the desert to the new country, to the Draguma, to the Ayerug, to the ancient radar. The students you brought out, especially the polytheists, are all over the Western world, and many of them have become powerful people in various countries, but you yourself have refused the invitation of the government to wander outside the system, and have been expelled three times from the former parliamentary government for anti-system propaganda, and imprisoned three times by the current military junta. You were forbidden to go abroad and proselytize, refused to accept government subsidies, and lived a poor life to this day. ”

As he spoke, Estes looked up at the admirable ascetic-like old man opposite.

"What is your purpose?"

Estes is a casual person, but he has a strong sense of purpose. When she gets to know people, she first wants to understand each other's purpose, because in this way she can find common ground to work together.

"To save the unfortunate people of this world."

When the old man said this, his eyes were clear and radiated a brilliant light. Apparently this is his ideal.

"Is there any connection between this and your involvement in anti-junta activities?"

It was only a week before that the poor and determined old priest had been released on bail, and the person who bailed him out was, needless to say, Estes himself.

"I'm just preaching God's will, God wants the hearts and minds of human beings to be free, and wants people's lives to be more sunny, free and peaceful, that's all, do you think this is a mistake?"

So far, the old priest has not been able to agree with his expulsion and imprisonment, and he believes that he is right.

"It's not a mistake. It is also your freedom to think, but your excellent works, words and deeds are easy for people to distort and misunderstand and take advantage of, so your words and deeds are innocent and guilty. ”

The absence of error does not necessarily mean that there is no sin, and this is the cruelty of the rules of society, and apparently the priests who delve into the doctrine do not recognize this.

"So who should condemn me? Junta? ”

Even after being released from prison, the priest remained firm in his opinion.

"It is a military junta that represents the interests of the people."

"In prison, they beat me...... Scolding me and not letting me eat or sleep, is this what you say you do on behalf of the people? ”

The junta's prison cells are not nursing homes, and a lot of the treatment that should be there, special treatment for those who oppose the junta.

"Prison."

Picking up a grilled steak, Estes shook the meat in front of his eyes.

"It is a reforming institution for reforming and reinforcing those who have gone astray, a second chance for those who still have hope, but only for the enemy."

After saying that, throw the whole piece of meat into your mouth.

"Representing the people for the benefit ......"

Seeing this murderous general, who could eat and drink and kill people in all directions, and regarded human life as if it were a mustard, talked about 'representing the people' in front of his eyes, the priest felt that this was simply a great irony of 'the people'.

"But the people...... is made up of people, IMHO, in my opinion, you ...... At least you are doing what you are doing in the name of the people, in the destruction of the people. ”

There is no accurate number of the people killed by Estes, but there are still hundreds of thousands, and the priest said that he could not trust her words and actions.

"May I ask if among the gods you believe in, in the history of ancient religious jihads, in order to make the lives of believers better, have there ever been any extermination of infidels?"

"Only cultists have been exterminated."

This is clearly a quibble, and the priest himself knows it.

"That is, even the gods are not opposed to the use of violence to exalt themselves, right?"

"Yes...... Put it this way."

"What do you want us to do with the war against the infidels, which has lasted for more than five centuries in the history of Western civilization, and those of us who advocate violence only gained power twenty years ago?"

Eloquent, Estes is not nothing, she just doesn't like to talk nonsense with people, what she likes is direct action.

"I have learned about the history of the military junta and the real situation in our country before it came to power, when the invading armies of the North and the South were deep in the country and in danger, the parliamentary government was cowardly and inefficient, corrupt and incompetent, the country was in recession, prices were soaring and inflationary. The people are unemployed, and even a minimum of bread is not guaranteed. You've been through that time, and you know I'm telling the truth, aren't you? ”

The military junta came to power, or Estes's father, Kim Bradley, was the commander in chief of the Southern Army at that time, and he rose up at a critical moment for the country to go north to the capital to dissolve the parliamentary government.

Later, because of its proper command, the army of Amestorius repelled the invading army from the south, north and west at the last moment, and militarized it on the basis of strong government intervention, providing employment and bread to a large number of unemployed people in the country. With the coercive measures of the government, he cracked down on the big chaebols, stabilized prices, raised the status of the army to unprecedented heights, and thus sat firmly on the throne of the country's leader.

The people were not stupid, and it can be said that the people at that time did not have a good opinion of the military government, but the people were more inclined to survive and starve first than to be unemployed and hungry. That is why he acknowledged the existence of the junta and did not respond to the call of the parliamentary faction, which was still very strong at the time, and remained silent.

And this is the key to Bradley's ability to sit on the throne of the country for more than 20 years.

"In twenty years, when the junta has solved the problem of unemployment, the problem of food and clothing, and the violent elimination of the rebels and the opposition, and the order and prosperity of the country are far better than those of the parliamentary period, can you, as a pious believer who has always taken it as his duty to preserve the happiness of the people, refute my point of view with a more rational and factual basis than the parliament that knows only empty slogans and the demagogues who confuse the people with utopian fantasies?"

“…………”

No, the priest did not have this basis, and it was impossible for him to refute it, because he knew that what Estes said was true.

"Father, do you know what your problem is?"

Estes, who had withstood the priest's attack, prepared to attack.

"Please."

"You have rational thinking and insight and the determination to endure difficulties before you succeed, but your faith is going in the wrong direction."

As if to sell the off, Estes paused for a sip of coffee and continued

"What I value is people, living people, and what you believe in is the abstract people and people of 'people', in your vision 'people' are innocent, pure abstract perfection and deification of existence, while the people in my eyes are a collection of various natures and desires.

Your view of the definition of the people is too idealistic, which is the root cause of your decades of struggle without success. ”

Estes has been fooling around with those people for more than a decade, knowing what they are thinking, knowing that they have desires and ideas, and she satisfies their desires and ideas while restraining them to chase them according to their own needs. This is the key to her success.

"The 'people' have compassion and compassion, and they have good intentions, but you can't ignore their nature and desires, and if you can't face up to the people's desires, then the people will abandon you, and that's the truth of the people."

Estes's army is strong because she is strict with her soldiers while giving them hope that they will fulfill their desires. It was because of the belief that Estes could satisfy their desires that the soldiers trusted her so much.

It's explicit, but that's the truth.

Therefore, Estes has always been true to his word, because this is the most convincing way to mobilize the greatest potential power of his subordinates.

“…………”

Although he did not admit it, after living for so long, the priest had somewhat understood what his problem was. He knew he had strayed from the start.

"I don't know if you still have an impression of Mark Groney."

Seeing that the initial effect of 'tuning and training' was already good, Estes decided to officially cut into his goal today

"A student who was not very able to endure hardships but had an unexpected talent for incendiary oratory, twenty years ago I had taken him as a student in the Lieor mission, and had traveled with me around the world. What do you mention him for? ”

Now Leole's Sun God Master is this Marc Gronny. That is, a student of the old priest.

"In the few years that you have been in prison, this student of yours has already been in the thick of our country, and now he has founded his own Sun God Cult and proclaimed himself the sect leader, what do you think about this, the master?"

It took a long time to talk with the old priest just now, on the one hand, Estes was a little interested in this old priest who had a firm will but was a little naïve, and on the other hand, he hoped that the conversation just now would allow him to speak well.

Let him tell him everything he knows about the student.

"He's a very ...... In your words, a very lustful person, who knows some alchemy but is not professional, who is a little impatient in doing things, because he is very unreverent, I kicked him out of the sect a long time ago, and he is now the master? ”

Obviously, what the old priest had learned from him was basically the same as what Estes had known before.

This so-called Groni Sect Master is not good, so this Sun God Sect ......

"So, looking at this student and his Helios from your current perspective, what do you think he's going to do as a rebel?"

“…………”

The old priest remained silent, but a cold sweat was already running down his head.

And Father Guò reacted that Estes already knew what he meant.

"Then back to the original topic, Mr. Priest."

Rubbing his mouth and beckoning the waiter to take away the empty plate and serve some dessert and coffee, Estes knew that he already knew everything he needed to know today.

"In order to make their people happy, to protect the gospel and the innocent and godly lambs under the light of the light, the gods are not opposed to violence against jackals, right?"

"I can't answer your questions on behalf of the gods."

The priest felt that he could not say that at this time, because he felt that by saying it he was sinning, committing the sin of his own heart.

"Then answer my question not on behalf of your gods, but on behalf of your own brain, Father."

"Do you think you should wait until the lamb is eaten by the wolf to pray for the lamb and condemn the wolf, or hunt the wolf before it eats the sheep? ~”

The excitement and smile on Estes' face could not be suppressed, the last excitement and madness before the hungry hound was loosened.

"Can't you lock up the wolf first? After all, he hasn't eaten sheep yet. ”

The senile priest said this almost in a supplicative tone.

His intellect and sensibility were torturing him at the same time, making him extremely tormented.

"I've already answered that point, haven't I? ~”

At the end of the meal, the food on the table was eaten little by little. There is not a single bit of waste. Same as she said

"Prisons for those who have gone astray, ...... for the enemy"

An adjutant in military uniform handed a military document to Estes, who without hesitation signed the name of the vigor and power he had cultivated since childhood. It was a special mobilization order to move troops into the city for law and order reinforcement.

"I'm just going to destroy."

Tomorrow night, three divisions of regular troops will appear outside Rio and encircle the whole city.

The Helios Cult in the city is liquidated.

Tomorrow during the day, the fragrant bait Edward and Alphonse will arrive in Riol for a cordial and friendly visit to the Helios there.

Elle McDowell and her new lieutenant, Lixia, will monitor and protect the brothers throughout the process, and prevent the murderous Groney Master from the world in due course.