As usual, Titus came to the Basilica of Hadith to pray, and because of his special status at this moment, Chief Cardinal Francis personally received him.

Although Titus was not as resourceful as Fonnar, he also understood that the fact that the Chief Cardinal had come to receive him in person at this time must have something to do with the fact that his lord Arnold was ordered to guard the imperial capital, and even the Church must want to find out the thoughts of Arnold, the head of the imperial capital.

"Your Excellency, your devotion has spread throughout the imperial capital, and my fellow sect members admire it, even the holy spirits should be pleased with your piety. ”

As soon as they met, Francis did not hesitate to give a big hat to praise Titus, and Titus only smiled bitterly at these praises.

"You've overdone it, Your Excellency. Under the command of the archangels who serve us with all our soul and soul, I am just an insignificant pawn. ”

Francis smiled slightly, Titus's humility is very common among believers, and with devotion to the faith, they often unconsciously put themselves in a subordinate position before the clergy who represent the gods.

"Are you here to confess today?"

"Yes......"

Titus's face suddenly darkened, and a complex glint flashed in his eyes.

After a few moments, he spoke, as if determined, "I want to confess to you that seven years ago, when I fought with Lord Tegman in the Holy Helm Order......

"Your Excellency Titus," Francis interrupted with a kind smile on his chubby face, and made a "please" gesture to the confessional room, "If you want to confess your sins, please go there, my identity may not be kept secret for you now." ”

Titus was slightly stunned, then nodded and walked into the confessional room.

"Seven years ago, when I was fighting with Lord Tegman in the Holy Helm, I beheaded all 800 captives captured after the capture of a small castle before the New Year, and used them to intimidate the defenders of Isfahan. I will not say that it is a last resort because of the command of the Lord, that it is my sin, and that at this time of year I confess to the priest and ask for forgiveness, even though I know that this sin is not worthy of forgiveness. ”

On the other end of the confessional room, Francis listened silently as Tate confessed his sins, and there was no smile on his face, only the compassion that a clergyman should have at this time.

"Do you regret it? Taking away the lives of others, even in a place like the battlefield, where most people acquiesce, is an inescapable act of sin, because war itself is a fault. Do you feel guilty about taking someone's life?"

"......No," Titus bowed his head deeply, as if he was begging the gods, "it's a sin, but I can't feel guilty about it, even if it's against morality, but as a knight of my lord, I must give up moral praise and become hard-hearted." I do not regret killing those who died at my hands, but I should confess my sins and let the archangels punish me. ”

Francis frowned slightly, Titus's way of thinking is different from most people, and ordinary people who come to confession often come to seek liberation from faith because the guilt in their hearts cannot be appeased. But this is not the case with Titus, he does not have remorse for his crimes, he only repeats such confessions out of devotion to his faith, believing that all his sins should be frankly told to the gods.

While Francis could not fully understand this way of thinking, at least he could understand why Titus had repeated such confessions over the course of seven years. Because he has no guilt in his heart, he will not let go of this matter because he has been forgiven by the priest after confession, and this sin will only accompany him for the rest of his life and can never be erased.

"So, what do you expect God to do to you? Do you pray for forgiveness or punishment?"

Titus still kept his head down, and although he confessed his guilt with great sincerity, he didn't have any guilt in his heart.

"Everything should be decided by the Archangels. ”

Francis nodded slightly, and at the same time said in a kind tone: "Believe in your Lord, and the Lord will promise you." ”

The Chief Cardinal exhaled and said, "Here, the archangel looks at you tenderly, and reveals all that makes you miserable, and the gods will prove what is right and what is wrong." ”

Titus's broad shoulders trembled slightly, and his lowered face seemed to struggle. This surprised Francis a little, what could make him so shaken by a tough guy who didn't feel guilty about beheading eight hundred people?

"One more thing, I must confess to the Archangel......"

Titus was almost gritting his teeth as he said this, as if what he was about to say next would completely crush his steely will.

"I ...... Banishing my lord is the greatest evil and the most unforgivable sin I have ever committed in my life. I did not dare to ask for the Lord's forgiveness, but I only hoped that the archangels would have mercy and give me some comfort in my sinful sins. ”

Francis looked at Titus behind the gate in amazement, and he couldn't understand why the exile of the lord had such an impact on him. If he was so reluctant to betray the lord, why should he participate in the exile? Moreover, Titus, who had not been willing to ask the gods for forgiveness when he had confessed his murder, was now so humbly praying for solace for the sins of banishing the lord, it was evident that Titus was not afraid of the punishment he would receive for his sins, but he was extremely afraid of the reproach that the charge of banishing the lord would bring.

Silently noting this, the Cardinal said in a tone of compassion: "Everyone makes mistakes, and some of them we may never forgive ourselves. But forgiveness only means liberation, not that the fault is solved, and facing up to one's own fault is the best solution. ”

Titus slowly raised his head and looked at Francis in confusion.

"You now confess to the gods and confess your sins, and you prove your remorse. The archangel is forgiving, and He punishes sinners, not to punish them, but to make them repent and change. If you are willing to repent and change, then the purpose of punishment has been achieved. ”

After speaking, Francis raised the emblem in his hand, bowed his head and kissed it.

"Amen. ”

Titus calmed down, he stopped choking and his eyes came to his senses.

"Thank you, Your Excellency, I am feeling much better now. ”

Francis smiled and nodded.

"Introspection is necessary, but the real purpose of introspection is to face yourself and see yourself clearly, not to let your eyes be confused again. ”

Titus heard this, sat in the confessional room and pondered, even though Francis walked out of the confessional room, he did not wake up from his thoughts.

——————————————

"That's quite an amazing guy. Upon his return from the Basilica of Hadith, Titus' first comment on Francis was full of admiration, "He calmed my heart completely, my self-reflection did not stop, but I no longer felt the pain of seeing my ugly face." Truly, he was truly an amazing clergyman. ”

Arnold sat on the couch and looked at the burly knight in front of him, no emotion in his silent eyes.

"So, how does our Chief Cardinal compare to Archbishop Benedict?"

The question made Titus frown deeply.

"Well, that's not a good review. If anything, His Excellency the Chief Cardinal came across as more approachable than Archbishop Benedict to appreciate his majesty. Of course, this may also be that when you meet with the archbishop, most of them are in the situation of their respective positions, and they get along with different positions, so it is inevitable that there will be confrontation, and naturally they will not be close. ”

"Well, that's ......" Arnold thought about it, Titus had been able to go to church to pray often lately because Arnold had given him time, because the reason was that it was approaching the New Year, so Titus didn't notice anything wrong, and Arnold was secretly observing the Chief Cardinal through Titus, who was unaware.

However, Tates's statement that Francis is approachable makes Arnold feel a little funny, according to his investigation, Francis is not so much approachable as he is good at selecting his subjects to be "approachable", and his kind face is more aimed at the general public who have a relationship with the imperial capital, and he is at most just doing spectacle work, preaching and listening to confessions when it is important. On the contrary, it was Archbishop Benedict, who was judged by Titus to be "too majestic", who was the real ascetic who preached among the common people.

"Lord Arnold......"

Titus hesitated, he felt that Arnold was paying too much attention to the Church, or to Chief Cardinal Francis, and he naturally had a good impression of the Church, so he naturally felt uneasy at this time.

"Excuse me, do you have any opinion on His Excellency Francis?"

"Why do you think that?" Arnold asked rhetorically.

"For you seem to be paying a lot of attention to the affairs of the Church lately, especially His Excellency Francis...... IMHO, every time I talk to you about him, you seem to be a little ...... Mind. ”

"Mind?" Arnold couldn't help but smile, he was concerned about the task Astalus had given him, not about the person at Askir, "What an interesting word, it seems you've learned a lot in church lately." ”

Titus didn't know how to react to the lord's teasing words, so he had to bow his head and remain silent.

"However, you are right, I am following Francis. This is a natural thing, after all, I have been entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the imperial capital by His Royal Highness Iscario, and if there are still those people in the imperial capital who can make me have some concerns, then the power of the church is the first to bear the brunt. ”

"But the Church will never stand on the opposite side of the Empire!" Titus hurriedly said, since the day the Emperor Henut established the Empire, the Church has been the only recognized religious institution of the Empire, and the Church and the Priest royal family can be said to be a complete symbiosis, and the weakening of the power of either side is a serious problem affecting its own legitimacy for the other.

"Of course I do. Arnold waved his hand, motioning for Titus to relax, "Just be careful." Of course, I know that the church will not be on the opposite side of the empire, but the believers will be used after all, you see, I am more responsible, and I will inevitably have to think more about it. ”

"Is that so......" Although Arnold's words did not completely reassure Titus, he finally accepted the lord's statement, "I'm sorry, I thought too much. ”

"Nothing. The New Year is coming, we are leaving our hometown, the soldiers will inevitably feel homesick at this time, you have to appease them, I will allocate you a sum of money, this New Year will make the soldiers live a little better. ”

"Yes, you will be very grateful. The subject made Titus happy at once, and he happily accepted the order, and then took his leave.

Arnold's gaze followed Titus' back to where he couldn't see behind the door.