"There are only two things in the world that deeply shock our hearts: the brilliant starry sky above our heads, and the lofty moral law in our hearts. So said the philosopher.

The vast majority of the people born in the Holy Empire may not reach the realm of philosophers in their lifetime. But for them, from the time they were born, they were also told to look up to two things for the rest of their lives: the Emperor's crown and the Pope's scepter.

The former represents the supreme authority and law of the world, and the latter is a symbol of the light walking on earth, and the two form the cornerstone of the behemoth of the Holy Empire, and the people who walk the world have become accustomed to looking up to them to live and live, from humble commoners, to revered nobles, to mysterious and powerful magicians.

So, very few people think about what happens when the two come into conflict.

It seems that secular power is more convincing than the ethereal kingdom of heaven, but the vast majority of commoners on the continent find it difficult to become nobles, which means that they simply do not enjoy the benefits of worldly wealth and status. It is destined that for them, it is the only choice to maintain their devout faith in glory, to go through their ordinary lives calmly and quietly, and to seek eternal happiness and bliss in heaven after death.

This simple and simple belief is the root of the great influence of the Church of Light for thousands of years.

Because the scope of power is constrained to varying degrees, the demands of people in different countries for their faith can transcend the borders of countries.

Historically, the monarch of any country could not ignore the power of the Church, and even in most cases, in front of the cross, had to bow his head in the eyes of the world.

It's not that Constantine doesn't know history, but because he has been in the empire for a relatively short time, he still can't understand this, and for him who has been involved in the dark world since childhood, it is still more powerful to sword or magic.

But now, he had a vague idea of the weight of the robe on his body.

"For the big men at the top of the church, whoever they want to use means to fight against dissidents for power and profit, they must act in the name of glory. ”

However, this reason cannot be established for the Divine Favorite, for the Divine Favor is favored by the Divine Providence and represents the will of the Divine and is equal to the Radiance itself, and to those who oppose the Divine Favor are to oppose the Radiance. ”

Therefore, even those scheming church bigwigs can only resort to assassination. ”

After sorting out this relationship in his mind, Constantine was a little relieved about his next move.

Having such the best shield is undoubtedly extremely beneficial for your next actions.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at Diana sitting in the carriage.

The four princesses sat in a delicate chair, leaning quietly by the window, looking at the scenery outside the window.

The convoy traveled through the wilderness somewhere from the province of Eggers, and after a bloody battle in the valley, the knights finally left the province of Huland and approached the heart of the Holy Empire------ the plains of Olympia.

At this moment, it is evening, through the window, you can see the undulating mountains on the side, the distant mountain tops, there is still a faint residual afterglow of the sunset, the girl's face looks particularly beautiful in the twilight.

But Constantine had no intention of admiring the beauty of the other party, and what was more noteworthy for him was the strength of Diana in the battle of the valley, and through Mordred's later description, he roughly restored the original appearance of the bloody battle, and finally he came to a judgment.

The young princess in front of her not only possessed the magic power that allowed her to exercise high magic, but also the calmness and wisdom that did not match her age.

From the deliberate weakness at the beginning, forcing all the heretics' hole cards out, to the final decisive blow, and Mordred's final appearance at just the right time, it was all carefully arranged by Her Excellency the Queen.

It seems that even Victor's death was expected by her, and the unswerving loyalty to Diana that Victor showed before his death made him even more puzzled.

Through this battle, Diana proved herself to be a divine servant before the world, demonstrated her determination to kill heretics, and established her inviolable majesty, paving the way for her entry into the upper echelons of the Church.

After Victor's death, the allegiance of his Night's Watch will be Diana, who is about to become a saint, and it will not be long before the Hall of the Holy Spirit will usher in a new round of reshuffle.

And the fact that the orcs have infiltrated the empire will become an indelible stain on the white robes of many high-ranking members of the church.

Compared with these huge benefits, the death of dozens of guards is not enough to consider.

He even wondered if even the Lucifer Council's assassination plan was deliberately promoted by the princess behind the scenes, and if that was the case, the princess's city would be too terrible.

But judging from the information he had obtained from the Hunters' Guild, it seemed that the Four Princesses were not such figures.

Intelligence shows that when she was governor of Baines Province, Diana's image in the eyes of the outside world was extremely positive, and the young governor was kind-hearted, noble, upright, and had an extremely simple private life.

On her first day as governor, she refused to live in the royal mansion prepared for her by the local nobles, and instead moved into the humble governor's palace in the province of Baines.

During her tenure as Governor, she exempted her predecessors from all kinds of exorbitant taxes and gave surplus food to the common people in need.

She rejected a private "tribute" from the local clergy and rightly rejected the church's request to expand the church on the grounds that it would take up too much arable land and displace local farmers.

As long as it involves people's livelihood, she is extremely generous, and most of the annual expenses given to her by the royal family are used to build local schools and hospitals. With her permission, the merchants of the province of Baines no longer had to look at the faces of the local priests, and with the endorsement of the gods, they did not need to bribe the bishops to engage in various commercial activities that were openly forbidden by the Church, which was a treatment that the merchants of other provinces could not have imagined.

But it also made Diana offend many powerful people in the church.

Constantine became more and more curious, what kind of person was this future saint of the Church?

He cleared his throat: "Your Highness, the chapter we are going to discuss today is the "Divine Codex: Proverbs", and this chapter mainly deals with ......"

Half an hour later, Diana smiled and said, "Thank you, Father, but I have read this chapter since I was very young, and the Lord has told us that it is righteousness and uprightness to give a lesson of wisdom..."

"Well, then let's talk about the next chapter of Isaiah, and God will hear it......"

"Heaven listens to it, and the earth listens to it, and the Lord says: I raise my sons, and they rebel. Is that so? Constantine. Diana said fluently.

After another half an hour, Constantine wiped his cold sweat, and he found that the princess knew more about the canon than he did, and that the other party could not only memorize many chapters backwards, but also correct the mistakes he had accidentally made in the process of narrating.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I think that I have been a derelict shepherd, and I am ashamed of your understanding of the will of the Lord, and it seems that the glorious Divine Favor is indeed worthy of his name. Constantine closed the book and smiled bitterly.

Diana shook her head: "Don't be modest, Constantine, it seems to me that you have achieved such an achievement at this age, and many clergymen have a very good understanding of the doctrine of the Lord, but you can see that His Majesty is not necessarily better than you at your age. ”

Constantine's heart moved, and he asked, "Have you seen His Majesty the Pope?"

"I don't know you, but I grew up under the watchful eye of His Majesty the Pope, and his old man told me some stories about his past. I've also been in and out of the Temple of Radiance a lot, and I've read a lot of theological books, so I know a little more than you do. Diana confessed, with a look of nostalgia on her face.

Constantine then cautiously asked, "Was it after the rebellion of the imperial capital ten years ago?"

"You know a lot of things. Diana nodded, not shying away from anything, "When I was ten years old, the rebels stormed the palace and slaughtered, my mother and brother died at the hands of the rebels, and the guards around me died trying to protect me. ”

Diana recalled that bloody history in a very flat tone, "I was only ten years old at that time, and although I became a god, I did not know how to use the power of radiance. I will never forget the day when the bodies of my mother and brother fell in front of me, and countless guards were soaked in blood, and I knelt alone on the steps of the palace, trembling with horror, in front of thousands of knights who had participated in the rebellion......"

The fire in the imperial city is soaring, the sword is overflowing, and the solemn and solemn palace on weekdays reverberates with terrible screams and wails everywhere, the blood-colored flames jump wildly, and the black smoke hovers fiercely over the gorgeous buildings, like the banner of demons.

The huge magic array guarding the palace of the world's most powerful country had quietly closed at some point, and thousands of knights in bright silver armor stood inside and outside the palace with blood-stained spears and iron swords, their eyes were extremely cold, they were the eyes of butchers.

The blood pooled into a river, staining the pavement of the palace a cloudy color, and fragments of broken limbs and weapons were scattered on the ground like broken puzzle pieces.

The guards guarding the dormitories put up a desperate resistance, but they were outnumbered, and the enemy brought many magical mages and warlocks, turning the battle into a one-sided slaughter, and the power of the spell ruthlessly took the lives of the guards.

Fireballs shot into the dormitory, and the tall floor-to-ceiling windows shattered under the mage's fire, breaking the silence of the sky. Flames swept up the sumptuous satin and flannel that would normally be evocative, burning them to dust.

With an earth-shattering bang, a pillar of light descended on the palace and easily tore through the ceiling, bringing the greeting of death.

When the rebels reached the ruined dormitory, they saw a little girl sitting alone on the high stone steps surrounded by fire, her eyes wide and shaking her mother's cold corpse in fear, her emerald eyes full of horror, her luxurious clothes smeared with blood and dust, but the intact bun of hair showed her identity.

On the palace city, a mage whispered a few words in front of the knight who looked like a leader, and a cold light flashed in the eyes of the leader of the rebels: "This can't be killed? Killing her is also a disaster to keep." ”

He gestured, and the well-trained knights of the city walked murderously towards the girl in the flames and ruins.

Even if it is a legendary god, as long as it is flesh and blood, it is impossible to be immune to the damage of the sword.

The long swords coated with a layer of magical brilliance shone out in unison, and the edge completely covered the daylight. And the little princess still tried to wake up her "sleeping" mother and brother, under the scorching flames and smoke, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she did not notice that the footsteps of death were slowly approaching her.

Finally, the little girl gave up her efforts and sat down on the ground, crying and crying.

Unmoved, the rebellious knights walked into the ruins, and approached the little girl, the flames dancing in the cold of their swords, as if they were impatient to witness the tragedy.

Suddenly, the flames were extinguished, and the smiling wind stopped its pace and refused to move forward.

The leader of the rebel army who looked in the direction of the dormitory felt that something was wrong, he was a true powerhouse who had experienced countless bloody battles, his swordsmanship and intuition were far beyond ordinary people, and just when he realized that something was wrong, the knights who rushed towards the little girl froze in place like sculptures, unable to move.

The smoke and dust dissipated, and an old man in a white robe suddenly appeared beside the little girl, standing among the rubble and rubble. The old man had a kind face, holy eyebrows and eyes, looking at the bloody picture in front of him, there was not the slightest anger in his eyes, only pity and sorrow.

The old man squatted down, gently pulled up the little girl sitting on the ground, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." ”

The girl stopped crying, "Who are you?"

"The guy who took you out of this place. The old man made a cross on his chest.

"My mother and brother, can you take them away, can you wake them up?"

"Children, they have returned to the bosom of the Lord, and there is no need to disturb their rest, and one day you will understand that death is like water disappearing into water. The old man said softly. "It's time for us to go. ”

"Kill that enchantress. The leader of the rebel army ordered in a deep voice, and the loud voice echoed in the palace with the help of amplification magic, although he didn't understand who the old man in front of him was, but killing Diana was an order given by His Royal Highness, and as a soldier, he must resolutely carry it out.

Dozens of rebels drew their weapons and slashed at the old man and girl.

The old man led the girl and walked towards the sky full of sword light and sword shadows, the sword curtain of hundreds of long swords intertwined tore the wind and moaned, and countless lines of smoke and dust splattered out, forming earth dragons, roaring and rushing towards the old man's thin body.

Seeing all this, pity flashed in the old man's eyes again, and gentle but firm words came out of his mouth, at first low, and finally like a thunderbolt pierced the blood-soaked imperial city.

"The Flame of Sin"

The holy flame emerged from the ground, and the golden light enveloped the rebels one by one, and under the beautiful and domineering flame, their bodies turned into wisps of green smoke in less than half a blink of an eye. Then, the flame flowed like water, flowing in all directions.

The magical flame that ignited the palace was consumed by this flame and became a part of it, and every drop of blood on the ground burned and evaporated wherever the flame went. In the end, in the huge palace, the road surface was as clean as if it had been washed by water, and there was no trace of blood. The Cleansing Flame that had completed its mission turned into a huge fireball and rushed towards the sky, becoming an inconspicuous golden point of light in the vision of the people on the ground.