Chapter 50: In the Name of Order (I)
Estheus stared at the portrait handed over to Dante, a man with short gray-white hair, a resolute, angular face, with thorns in his eyes, and a mouth that was tightly pursed like a thin blade. He recognized this man not because www.biquge.info he was the deputy director of the Inquisition, but because his name and portrait appeared in Brochette's Pandezhi.
Ned Grez, the Whip of Order, is forty-four years old, and his father, Nekad Greze, is the former president of the Saarion Chamber of Commerce. He showed great business talent at a very young age, and by the age of twenty-five he was already a business advisor to the royal family in Sarion. However, he was defeated by Schneider in the internal competition of the Chamber of Commerce, and was forced out of the business world by the Tiger of Gold and Silver and resolutely joined the army. Later, he participated in the recapture of Laria in the Second Battle of the Dragon and Lion, and commanded the reconquest of White Deer Fort. His tactical skills were also appreciated by the Duke of Elfwan. After the war, he was awarded the title of Viscount, married the sister of the Marquis of Eldred, and officially entered politics. In the Fall of the Silver Mist, he suppressed the diehards close to Noldor in the Silver Mist Ranger Regiment by bloody means, and whipped the Grand Master of the Ranger Regiment to death! After Dante's travels, the Inquisition lacked a deputy director who could convince the public, and it was he who first came to Ulrique V's mind. At this point, the Whip of Order, Ned Grace, became famous far and wide.
And now, the name has been marked by Dante with a cold and striking cross. Eshua stared at the portrait, noncommittal. He wondered why Dante would make this condition? He was the head of the Inquisition, the sword of judgment in the hands of the Goddess of Order, and Ulrique V granted him the supreme power to act as king. No one has ever had the authority Dante has had since the founding of the kingdom, and he doesn't even need to use his unbelievable force, just snap his fingers and the Blackwing Monks will tie up whoever they want to him. But Dante didn't do that, he just put a cross in a person's name and handed the portrait to Estheus to kill.
Why? Estheus repeatedly distilled the few words about Ned in "Pendezhi", and his heart gradually opened up: the Grez family was the leading family in Sarion, and each of the leaders of the clan had held important positions as business advisors to the royal family, and Ned himself was the hero of the Second Dragon and Lion Battle, and the brother-in-law of the Marquis of Eldred, who had a very bad reputation and was the biggest beneficiary of the Silver Mist, so he was respectful and obedient to this brother-in-law. Ned's rich life experience determines his intricate background. He is not a good samurai, Dante wants to kill him, it is easy, but it is bound to cause a great upheaval in the three worlds of commerce, military and politics, not to mention the possible backlash of the Grez family and the Eldred family, and even within the Inquisition, there will be great resistance - Dante is nominally the director, but Ned is the actual power!
So, Ned couldn't move, at least not by anyone who had anything to do with Sarion. But Eshy is different, he is a descendant of the broken aristocracy of the old Pande, he has almost no background of power, he can kill Ned without scruples, without hindrance, without pressure, and afterwards Dante only needs to blame the empire on the pretext of Eshy's status as a death row prisoner in the empire - no, he can find a country other than Daxia, as long as he can cause trouble, who cares about the anger of the two big clans of Grez and Eldred?
Eishu raised his head and looked calm: "I see. ”
"You're really different, you're weak enough to make me outrageous, but you're also precocious enough to make me outrageous." Dante looked at him and said with emotion, "At this age, Traver and I are stronger than you and more capable of fighting, but our minds are all a mess, thinking that the sword can solve all problems." The noisy people seem to finally understand what the word 'education' is all about. It seems like there's nothing wrong with you, make an offer. ”
"Okay." Eshu didn't hesitate, "I want Salaman and his mercenary team to equip them with the finest armor and weapons, and escort me and them to Silverlake when the deed is done." In addition to that, I want 100,000 dinars. ”
"Yes!" Dante readily agreed.
"So, deal." Eshu bit his finger and dripped blood into the center of the black cross. "In the name of order."
Dante's face changed, and for a moment his face was cloudy, and then disappeared again. He looked deeply at Esher: "Do you understand the meaning of this ritual?" ”
"Perfectly understood, the Blood Cross Covenant of the Goddess of Order. My blood, the shackles of my oath, the shackles of my life. Essho replied calmly, "The old drunkard told me that this trick has been tried and tested repeatedly by the followers of the Goddess of Order. ”
Dante was silent for a long time and smiled coldly: "I see, I see, I see!" He spoke three times in succession, and finally burst out laughing sadly.
", before I change my mind and kill you on the spot for blasphemy. Viscount Kia is waiting for you in the medical room. Dante put away his smile and gave the order to evict the guest with a blank face, along with the blood-stained cross.
Estheu got up and left, and Dante sat alone in the empty hall, silently staring at the high dome, "They all say that only saints can get divine revelation, and the whole continent saw you as a madman talking nonsense, drunkards want to protect you, Quagfen wants to protect you, heretics want to corrupt you, kings want to take advantage of you. But you don't accept, you don't fall, you don't listen. Wandering around Pander like a lonely ghost, preaching so-called prophecies until I found them in the tavern of Issos. ”
"Madigan, maybe you really are a saint. The saint speaks, but as soon as he speaks, he is revealed. Your last words to me really appeared before my eyes fifty-four years later. 'Beads of blood rolled on the angel's black wings, and the madman's swift knife cut through the dark frenzy'. Dante whispered into the air, as if the wise old man was standing here, looking at him in silence. But even if I go back to 300 years of Pande, I will not hesitate to burn you at the stake. Because that is the will of the Goddess. ”
"In the name of order."
"In the name of order." Someone whispered a response. Teresa, the nun of hell, stood in the doorway, looking worried: "Is this person credible?" He was not a devout believer, and the Blood Cross Covenant was not a shackle to him. ”
"There's no better candidate." Dante's answer was succinct, "It is impossible for this matter to be digested peacefully from within." Since Thomas and I don't have enough evidence at hand, and the arrest process is not yet complete, the Grayz family and the Eldred family will start pressing. ”
"Is the Bishop's source credible? Could it be someone else? Although I think that His Excellency Grez's loyalty to the goddess is questionable, after all, he comes from a noble family in Sarion, and colluding with heresy is treasonous, so why should he risk angering His Majesty? Teresa asked in a low voice as she stood behind Dante.
Dante didn't answer, just turned his head to look at Teresa: "When Duke Elfwan attacked Fort Carlindern, Esher said that he and Geoffrey had encountered a group of death knights disguised as light cavalry. ”
"Killing two people with one enemy and four while taking care of a helpless businessman, if he doesn't exaggerate, does have some ability."
"The remaining two were blocked at the border by a group of Blackwing monks. However, just last night, the spies found the bodies of the monks, all of whom were killed instantly, and the scene seemed to be washed with blood. A faint sinister look in Dante's eyes, "Trevor." Only he who has assimilated with demons has this strength. But the question is, how did Trevor find them so accurately? ”
"The inner ghost, and it's an inner ghost with a very high status." After a long silence, Teresa's eyes grew cold.
"The Blackwing Monk is directly under the orders of the head of the Inquisition, and each hunting team will carry three silver king pigeons, and report on the progress of the operation and the movement of the team three times a day. Trevor made a fuss in Sarion during the day and arrived at Bemont Falai at night? Dante sneered, "I've killed a lot of demons, and even if I tear one of their wings, I won't be slower than the silver king pigeon." I don't know Gretz's motives, but he's too suspicious. ”
"Miss Elfwan, you are no stranger to the style of the Inquisition, for you yourself are the most resolute implementer and enforcer of it." Dante walked straight to the door, and as he walked past Teresa, he asked without looking back, "What did the bishops say when you were here to receive Black Feather's embrace?" ”
"I'd rather kill the wrong one than let it go." Teresa said expressionlessly.
There was a hint of self-deprecation on Dante's face: "Are you shocked when those words that are careless of human life come out of those high-sounding and righteous mouths?" ”
"There's nothing to be shocked about, my father told me early on that this is Pande, and that there will always be only knives and swords, blood and fire under disguise." Teresa was calm, "I've killed unarmed civilians because their family unknowingly rescued a heretic. ”
"From the time I followed the order to the present day, it was not only the murderers who were full of evil that died at my hands, but also the ignorant babies." Dante's hand rested on the doorknob, "Believers in the goddess of creation proclaim that God loves the world, but love is our humble privilege. How can God love? On the scales of the goddess of order, everyone is small, so everyone is equal. ”
"Since Grace is suspicious, it is best for him to die. Because death is the best way to clear suspicion. Dante departed, his footsteps fading away in the hallway, only the last words still echoing in the drawing-room,
"In the name of order."