In Lu'an City, the square in front of the church district is crowded with people.

Two days had passed since that unprecedented battle, but the whole city was still in a strange fiery atmosphere, for the citizens of Lu'an, it was the first time that they had used their own hands to fight for the right to live the next day, and for those who came from all over the South, it was the first time that they had not been gathered together by the whip and sword of their lord, regardless of their origin, regardless of their status, and had acted for a great purpose—and today, the day when all their actions came to fruition.

The people gathered in the square, each with a high-spirited and eager look on their faces, and their eyes fell on the front of the square, for a high platform had been erected, and on the high platform were tied to the priests who had been high up and in the past.

The judge becomes the judged—an event that excites many people by all axioms and morals, aside.

It was a trial, but unlike the countless heretical trials that had been conducted in Lu'an, its process and form might seem novel and incomprehensible to the locals - it was not a high-ranking priest who was responsible for convicting the guilt, but a three-man court consisting of a white knight, a judge Cecil, and an arbitration consultant, and outside of this three-person courtroom, there were many jurors sitting on the high platform:

Some of them wore the robes of the priests, and some recognized them as the priests of the chapel of Luan, who had been punished with the commoners in the square of the Inquisition, and had served as allies in the storming of the cathedral, so that they had received a lot of friendly glances despite being priests; The other part is the ordinary civilians who have changed into clean and decent clothes, they are the selected and respected people in the city of Lu'an, and many people know their faces; The last part is the clerks from Cecil.

These people, known as the "jury," were the witnesses and supervisors of the trial, as well as representatives of those who witnessed the event at all levels.

This strange and complex form of trial has never been seen in the Luans, but it undoubtedly exudes an atmosphere of impartiality and reliability—judges cannot be arbitrary, all decrees are interpreted in court, and there are witnesses from all walks of life to oversee the whole process of the trial, and for the Luans, who have only known about the "heresy trial" all their lives, this new "rule" from Cecil even shocked them a little.

And for those priests who are tied to a high platform and are waiting for trial, I am afraid that the feeling is not so pleasant.

The priests, who had survived to this day, looked almost in horror at the square below, at the untouchables who had been able to crawl in the dirt in the past, and felt that the eyes of the people even had real heat in them, and they wanted to burn themselves alive on this high platform.

Instead of being stoned to death by the raging crowd two days ago, and not being killed on the spot by the White Knights and the Vigilant Mercenaries, they now realize that they didn't survive because they were lucky, but because they had "another purpose".

The Cecil let them live to this day only so that they could die today.

"Silence - the trial begins now."

The fact that the "judge" beside the high platform spoke, a middle-aged political official from Cecil, who was once a well-known scholar in the Kant region, but who was now going to judge the spokesmen of the Church of the Light in the south in the name of Grand Duke Gawain and the people of the South, made his face tense and tried to hide all the tension and mood swings under a solemn countenance.

After introducing the parties to the trial, the members of the court, and the jurors according to Cecil's law, the judge looked at the leader of the White Knights sitting beside him—because this was a trial involving the church, Wright himself came to the court as a representative of Protestantism, and noticed the judge's gesture, and the tall, "Grand Patriarch" in the armor of the White Knight slowly stood up.

There was a slight commotion in the square immediately - many people had seen this white knight in the "Battle of Dawn" two days ago, nearly two meters tall, the majestic white knight's battle armor, and the holy light all over his body, these distinctive characteristics made Wright impress in the minds of the citizens of Luan.

Wright beckoned to the plaza and then looked at the priests in the center of the platform, noticing the fear and nervousness in their eyes, but his expression did not change.

He pressed his hands to his chest and solemnly swore an oath: "I am the Patriarch of the Protestant Church of the Holy Light, and I hereby swear in the name of the Holy Light that I will guarantee the justice and truth of this judgment, that it will conform to the holy laws of Cecil, and that the people will supervise all my words and deeds here." ”

This "public trial" that will surely go down in history began.

At first, many people thought that the trial would be a-for-tat, an eye-for-an "torture show", that the Luan priests would soon be burned at the stake, as they had done with many innocent people, but in fact, the trial strictly followed Cecil's laws.

Cecil's judges and other members of the Inquisition clearly pointed out the charges of the Luan priests—embezzling people's property, mutilating innocent lives, deceiving the people, and blaspheming the ...... of the Holy Light—and then one after another civilians were brought to the stage by Cecil soldiers, who went to testify against the priests and confirm the charges, and the Inquisition presented on the spot the accounts, archives, and correspondence of the clergy found in the cathedral, especially the "heretical order" from the Northern Church to confirm the authenticity of all crimes......

People watched the trial with a strange emotion, they couldn't wait to see the Luan priests burned to death immediately—a simple and straightforward revenge mentality, but as the trial entered the "testimony in court" stage, they felt a more vivid and powerful emotion than simple revenge.

They wanted to see those Luan priests convicted, nailed to the pillar of shame forever after all their crimes were confirmed.

They want to hear the judge declare the innocence of those who have been burned to death, and they want to hear the innocence of those who have been whipped, their hands and feet cut off, and their guilt branded.

They don't just want to vent, they don't just want revenge, they want justice.

This is the hardest thing for civilians in this world.

A woman with a sloping foot was helped to the high platform by the soldiers, and the woman's leg was broken by the Papal Knights, who made people look at her misshapen legs and accuse the murderous Papal Knights of doing this just because she accidentally stepped on the priest's robe.

An old woman brought her son to the stage, and her son could not speak, because the priest had ordered the young man's tongue to be cut off for "making false reproaches about the sacred words of the Light"......

The trial was destined to last an entire day.

At the edge of the square, high within the walls of the church district, Gawain and Amber watched the trial unfold.

"What will those priests be sentenced to in the end?" Amber looked down curiously, "I feel that the charges and the evidence are extraordinarily complicated......"

Gawain replied casually: "All hanged, there will be no pardon." ”

“…… All hanging? Amber looked at Gawain in surprise, "So it was decided in the first place?" ”

"According to Cecil's law, they were to be hanged twice for the least crimes, and for the sake of the spread of Protestantism, and for the sake of the complete removal of the influence of the old church, these die-hard devotees could not remain."

Amber looked thoughtful: "...... You let them live to this day for this trial, right? ”

"That's right, it's for this trial," Gawain nodded slightly, "and not only must there be this trial, but it must also be conducted strictly and justly—even if every charge against those priests is enough for them to die once, they must not die until the trial is over." ”

Amber quickly figured out what Gawain meant: "Is it to establish 'order'?" ”

"That's true," Gawain exhaled slightly, "it may be the easiest and most outrageous way to deal with it by simply letting those priests be killed by the people and the White Knights, or giving them a fire at the time of trial, but if it does, it will be no different from the 'Inquisition', and this great battle will turn into a muddled atrocity." In any case, we must pass on some of Cecil's ideas to everyone in the process of re-establishing order in Luan, and let them know that we are different from the Church of Light—that the heresy must be completely abandoned. ”

A voice came from behind Gawain and Amber: "So those priests and priests are dead, and they must die after a fair trial—that's the rule you made, isn't it?" ”

Amber turned her head to look at the visitor, raised her hand and greeted, "Yo, priest." ”

Gawain looked at the tall and thin middle-aged priest in a white robe, and nodded slightly: "Saiwen??" Priest Terry, yes - thank you so much for your help in this operation. ”

Appearing in front of Gawain and Amber was none other than the leader of the chapel district, Severn?? Terry.

He did not appear at the high platform of the public trial, but came here, as if to meet Gao Wen.

"The Light guides us," the tall, thin priest drew the symbol of the Holy Seal on his chest, looking at Gawain with curiosity, "you and I imagined...... It's not quite the same. ”

Gawain smiled at the cleric who had been praised by Wright: "What's different?" ”

Severn?? Terry replied calmly: "After listening to Miss Amber's description, I thought you should be a gloomer, colder, more authoritarian ruler, and that you would not say the word 'justice' in the slightest for the best good, but now it seems ...... You are strong-armed, but you still have your own moral code. ”

Gawain thought for a moment and turned his head to look at Amber: "...... What the hell did you tell people? ”

Amber in Severn?? Terry looked for an opportunity to slip away halfway through her words, but considering that it was very likely that Gawain would be thrown off the city wall by the collar at the moment of her escape, she still didn't run, and then she immediately shouted: "I'm not talking nonsense—it's all what you usually teach me!" I think it's because this priest has a problem with his comprehension and imagination......"

"You just learn from Rebecca, my intelligence hasn't improved much, but my head is getting stronger day by day," Gawain commented unceremoniously, and then looked at Saiwen?? Terry, "Whatever you understand from Amber's words, I hope you understand one thing: I am working for a better tomorrow for this land and its people, and on that basis, I have no ill will towards the Light. ”

Wright said the same to me, trusting his judgment and my own vision at the moment, "Severn?? Terry bowed his head in front of Gawain, "Thank you for arranging this trial—you have shown me your 'righteousness', which does not contradict the Light. ”

Gawain calmly accepted the clergyman's assessment, then turned around and looked at the spired towers of the church district: "We will leave soon, this city ...... It will remain the city of Light. Wright and I have already discussed using this city as a training and research facility for the Protestant Church of Light, as it is a ready-made holy city with the most Holy Light scriptures and the best magical environments. Since Wright spends most of his time in Cecil, he wants you to run the church here for him. Of course, the way the city is governed will change a lot, the church will no longer be the highest authority in the city, and I will send someone to set up a government office here to be responsible for the operation and construction of the city, and your responsibility will be limited to church affairs and corresponding facilities. ”

Severn?? Terry nodded, "As long as I can continue to spread the Light, I don't have any opinion. ”

"Very well," Gao Wen breathed a sigh of relief, "I will gradually transfer the White Knight's training facilities here, and I hope that you and your colleagues will actively cooperate." And as for that cathedral......"

Gawain paused at this, looked at the sun-lit spire of the cathedral in the distance, and after a moment said slowly, "Come up with a new name...... It is called the Holy Light Academy, and it is used to popularize the new doctrine and knowledge of the Holy Light to the whole people. In the future, all institutions that study and impart knowledge of the Light should be called the School of Light, which should be distinguished from the churches that disseminate the teachings and provide community and neighborhood services. ”

Severn?? Terry's eyes changed slightly, and he subconsciously repeated the words used by Gawain: "...... College ......"

Gawain smiled and looked at the priest in front of him quietly: "That's right, since it is a place to spread knowledge, of course it should be called an academy." ”

Severn?? Terry met Gawain's eyes, and in that look, he seemed to see the deep meaning behind all this—

Desacralization.

The Light is a knowledge, the belief in the Light is a culture, and the church will become a mere service facility, as for the belief in the God of Light......

Will it become a history class in the academy?

A few seconds later, Severn?? Terry's expression became calm, he seemed to have finally let go of some baggage, and as if he had made a major decision in his life, he lowered his head again: "According to your arrangement." ”

The tall and thin priest left, leaving only Gawain and Amber on the city walls, and beneath the walls, the trial of Priest Luan was still going on.

Gawain didn't pursue Amber's "slander" behind her back, but Miss Half-Elf herself was obviously a little preoccupied, and after stopping talking several times, Amber finally couldn't help but speak: "Say...... The priest said you have your own moral code! ”

Listening to Miss Half-Elf's words, which were obviously speechless, Gawain couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, and he glanced at the other party: "This is nonsense - who doesn't have such a thing as a moral code?" ”

Amber scratches her head—it's a pity that she's not Rebecca, and no matter how much she scratches her head, she can't find a spark of wisdom, so she can only confess her thoughts: "You once told me that the so-called 'aristocratic spirit' is hypocritical and outdated, that the rules of chivalry are no longer up to date, and that the 'doctrinal virtues' promoted by every church are also soaked with the stench of money power...... These things have been abandoned by you, so the justice in your mind ...... What does it look like exactly? ”

Gawain looked at Amber, looking at the pair of amber eyes glowing with an inexplicable brilliance in the sun, and he found that this guy who was still annoyed and noisy and cowardly had actually changed a little after this trip to Luan, although he couldn't tell what the change was, but it seemed that this wild and untamable half-elf had finally begun to take her work seriously, and also seriously began to think about his career.

That's a good thing.

"Look over there, those people in the square, do you see them?"

Amber nodded, "See." ”

"Everyone's food and clothing is the greatest justice."

……

It is an infinite and vast city, which stands in a distant and unreachable place, which is, is, and will always be.

The majestic light is the brick and the cornerstone of the city, the sky above it and the earth on which it takes root, and every brick, every wall, every tower and door is condensed with brilliance and filled with endless sacredness.

As Saint Dumont said:

I saw a huge city, endless and wide, and light diffused from between the bricks and stones of the city, and the whole city seemed to be cast of light.

And in the center of this city of light, in a vast square that is difficult to judge with the naked eye, countless streams of light rush from the distant sky, converging on a huge, ever-changing crystal.

This brilliant and sacred crystal has been in motion, ruling the city of light for thousands of years, and spreading out the truths contained in itself—serenity, light, peace, shelter—and the streams of light that come together from everywhere are both the source of His gathering power and the channel through which He unleashes his influence.

Today, however, the eternal order of the city of light has changed slightly, and some of the streams of light that have converged from all directions have quietly changed color and direction, becoming clearer, and flowing freely in the sky as if uncontrollably past the crystal in the center of the square......

The crystal is still running for thousands of years, a pleasant ringing like a wind chime surrounds it, this sound is ethereal and holy, but like the most chaotic noise, there is no tune and no law, in this chaotic and holy ringtone, the crystal only changed its form again, as if it did not care at all about the flow of light in the sky that changed direction, did not care about these small "losses......

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