Roland stopped at the stake and looked up at the poor man who was dying, his eyes closed.

At this time, a young newspaper seller walked past him and said with a smile: "Don't expect to see the excitement, the execution time has not been set yet!" ”

Roland was stunned for a moment, and wanted to ask the newspaper seller what he meant by this, but the other party had already run across the street to sell it.

"Don't stay in such a bad place, there's a good tavern on the street, let's go sit down and get some food and drink to fill our stomachs." Anthony looked at the stake with an unhappy look on his face, and took two steps back, as if he was afraid of getting something dirty.

Roland nodded and followed him into the tavern. Marina City is rich in produce, and fish from both oceans can be tasted here. Anthony was full of praise for the fresh oysters, but Roland didn't have the heart to taste them, and sometimes looked out the window and felt a little relieved to see that the burner was not ignited.

Palatina dropped her knife and fork, her blue eyes fixed on him, and suddenly broke the silence.

"Are you sympathizing with the condemned prisoner?"

"A little." Roland softly admitted.

"You don't even know what he's guilty of, compassion is too cheap!" Palatina doesn't mind using harsh words.

"Since it is burned at the stake, most of the charges are heretics or cultists, don't forget that I am from the Far East, and I am no stranger to this kind of thing." Roland shrugged.

Anthony sensed that they were going to quarrel again, and hurriedly dropped the oyster shell in his hand and jumped.

"Don't make any noise, I'll go and find out what's going on!" Turning and running to the tavern counter, he would rather talk to the bartender than to listen to Roland and Palatina. Along the way, he was tired of eating dog food!

Palatine glanced at Anthony with disdain, turned to Roland and said, "I have inquired, that person is a wandering man who practiced medicine illegally, and committed the felony of abortion, and the church has reason to suspect that he is a believer in the devil, and it is not unjust to be burned at the stake, what else do you have to fight about!" ”

"Of course I have something to say!" Roland retorted disapprovingly, "As far as I know, imperial law does not make abortion a capital offense, and in my personal opinion, it is not even a felony. ”

"I'm sorry, you don't know enough about the laws of the empire," Palatina sneered slightly, "The crime of abortion belongs to the category of the church's judgment, all life is born according to the will of God, mortals have no right to deprive the fetus of life, this is indisputable murder, and death is not a pity!" ”

"However, even according to the scriptures of the Holy Light Holy See, it cannot be simply and crudely asserted." Roland argued, "The fetus has not yet left the mother's womb, and if it is not bathed in the sun, it is not considered to have obtained the grace of Pelo, it is just a flesh and blood organ in the mother's body, and the mother has the right to dispose of it. ”

"Are you sure you want to have a theological debate with me, the priest of Pero?" The corners of Palatina's lips raised slightly were clearly mocking Roland's class for his axe, "You have probably read a few books of our church, but unfortunately you only know a little about it, today I will teach you a lesson, listen carefully, the fetus is different from other human organs, it has a soul, this soul comes from the divine grace received by its mother, it is the blessing of our lord, the biological parents of the fetus have no right to strangle this small, pure and immaculate soul, let alone a wandering party!" In this world, the most hated thing is the butcher who kills babies! ”

Roland sighed and remained silent. Arguing with an emotional lady was not a wise move, and Palatine was right that he, a Sindra, was only half-aware of Pero's teachings, and arguing with Palatina, the quasi-legendary priest Peratina, according to the ethics of the Church of the Light, was like dancing in shackles, which was a disgrace to himself.

At this time, there was a sonorous sound of armor colliding outside the window, which attracted Roland's attention. Turning his head to look out the window, a group of heavily armed guards appeared in the square, holding steel shields painted with the emblem of Perot, seemingly knights of the Inquisition. They marched to the stake, untied the wanderer, handcuffed and shackled, and carried him back to the Inquisition, half-loaded and half-dragged him.

"What is it about tying a man to the stake and leaving him there all day, neither executing nor releasing him, and then returning to his cell when it gets dark?" Roland muttered to himself.

"It's a bit weird...... "Palatina was also puzzled.

While the two were guessing what was going on, Anthony returned to his seat with two large beers and handed one of them to Roland.

Roland clinked glasses with him and asked casually, "What rumors have you heard?" ”

Anthony poured a large sip of beer with a delicate white foam, wiped the corners of his mouth, and his face looked extremely heavy.

"I've got the ins and outs of it, eh, it's hard to say."

"Anyway, we're not busy with the road now, just listen to the story, and use it as a pastime." Palatina pretended to be nonchalant.

"It all started with a poor woman named Jenny, a peasant girl, who was more unfortunate than her humble birth and poor family, and was taken into account by a noble lord who went to the countryside to hunt foxes, and was taken captive and raped in the woods, and soon became pregnant."

"In the country, it is not a glorious thing to be pregnant out of wedlock, and Jenny was kicked out of the house by her father, and was forced to enter the city, intending to find the nobleman who raped her, and ask him to take on the responsibility of father for the little life in her womb, but she did not even see the face of the old man, and was beaten by the slave and thrown out of the door—obviously, at the behest of the self-master, the fellow did not want to admit that she was an illegitimate child."

"The young mother, who is struggling to support herself and simply cannot afford to take care of the baby, goes to the church for help, hoping that the church will adopt her child, but the priest has received a hint from the noble lady that the church is forbidden to adopt this 'little trouble' that could lead to inheritance disputes for her legitimate children."

Considering that the noblewoman was not only one of the most devout believers in the city, but had also generously donated a complete set of sterling silver cutlery to the church, the parish priest could not refuse her request, but hardened his heart and turned away the poor peasant girl...... Jenny was desperate, so she had to turn to a man who ran the rivers and lakes and asked him to help her get a baby. ”

Anthony sighed and lowered his glass, as if the beer in the glass had become extraordinarily bitter and difficult to swallow.

"I have to say that there are still two brushes in that You Fanglang, and this disgraceful visit went very smoothly. The peasant girl finally got rid of the burden in her womb, and after a few days of recuperation, she returned to work in the fields in the countryside, because her body was too different from the image of her big belly and poop before, as long as she was not blind, it was obvious that people were naturally suspicious and asked her where she had sent the child. ”