Chapter 262 : Value
Chapter 262: Value
Compared to Melia, who found it strenuous to watch, Olivia was rather excited. But then she recalled something and had to suppress that excitement.
After all, this was merely a duel, not a true fight to the death, so the two were clashing more in martial skill and strength. Judging by the situation alone, Leo was clearly at a disadvantage.
After the last clash ended, the two naturally separated with tacit understanding.
“Hahaha, truly a knight forged from countless battles, you are indeed powerful.” Leo lifted his visor and laughed as he spoke.
The Virtue Knight from the Church Nation also lifted his visor. It was Odysseus.
“You are strong as well,” Odysseus said. There was a trace of displeasure in his tone. “I can feel that you have not used your full strength.”
Leo responded, “I really haven’t. This is my full strength as I am now.”
He then turned toward Melia, waved, and said, “Hey! Have you had enough fun over there?”
Melia rubbed her eyes and replied, “I was over there working for Agamemnon, what do you mean fun.”
Leo glanced at Olivia. The little girl’s gaze made his heart tremble slightly, so he said, “Olivia, this place is dangerous. Remember not to run around.”
Though there weren’t even wild beasts here, nor timber large enough to build proper houses—so they had only been able to pitch tents and conduct simple training—the duels had become their limited form of entertainment.
But Olivia was still an eight-year-old girl, and moreover, the goddaughter of Bishop Corleon. He naturally did not want anything happening to her here. After all, this was the border; who could guarantee that the Original Sin Believers would not invade? Otherwise, why would two Guardian Knights, who usually stayed home looking after children, have been sent here?
Olivia only stared blankly at Leo.
Leo paid no further mind to it. Olivia was always like this. Only when she was with Melia, Agamemnon, and Cicero did she speak more.
After Vito had the squad leaders disperse with their warriors, he also walked over.
He exchanged greetings with them and invited everyone into the large tent.
Once inside, Leo introduced the four Virtue Knights to Melia.
“The Brave Knight, Odysseus Evans, now the leader of the Virtue Knights Order.” This was the knight who had just dueled Leo.
“The Honor Knight, Cayden Spencer; the Just Knight, Gwyn Hawkins; the Humble Knight, Kelvin Harvey.” These were the other three Virtue Knights.
Melia returned the courtesy, “Melia Burke, currently working for the Church of the Sanctuary.”
She then looked at the four knights and asked curiously, “I heard Alice mention long ago that the Virtue Knights are the pride of the Church Nation. But is there only one knight for each virtue?”
Her question was somewhat forward. Odysseus hesitated before finally saying, “It is not that there can only be one knight, but that for now there are only the four of us.”
After a moment of silence, he continued, “In truth, although the Patriarch told us to leave the Church Nation as seeds of survival, we also hope that the Church—considering our shared Faith in the Lord—might aid the Church Nation.”
Melia glanced at Leo and Vito, then at Jeven last. Their expressions were calm, showing that this plea had been made before and rejected.
She felt this knight might not quite understand that she was merely an auxiliary worker.
She said, “I sympathize with the Church Nation’s plight, but I am not part of the Church. I merely work for it. Such matters, you would do better to ask Bishop Jeven and the two knights.”
Odysseus’s lips trembled before he sighed and said, “I was presumptuous.”
Jeven spoke, “Over a hundred thousand Original Sin Believers, and endless Fishmen. That is not something we can help with merely by saying so. Knight Odysseus, you can see that the Diocese of Rod has only us here. Regarding the Church Nation, I am sorry, but I truly cannot offer assistance.”
Odysseus shook his head. “You need not feel burdened. The Patriarch only wished for us to escape. Asking you for help was merely my own idea.”
He sighed again. “The Patriarch said that the destruction of the Church Nation is near. Preserving some embers of survival is enough, so that the world may know such a nation once existed.”
His sorrow silenced the tent.
“I am sorry,” Jeven said at last.
Melia found the atmosphere heavy, so she spoke up: “But since you left the Church Nation, have you heard of Alice? She is my friend.”
The moment she asked, the tent grew even more somber.
This caught Melia off guard. She worried she had spoken wrongly.
Finally, Odysseus said, “The Saintess went to the Corlay Family seeking aid. But it has been a very, very long time, and before we left she had not returned.”
Melia froze.
The Church Nation and the Corlay Family were enemies, without a doubt.
When the Principality of Corlay had defended against the allied Fishmen and Dark Creatures before its capital, it had suffered three ambushes from behind.
The first was tens of thousands of Werewolves. Though quickly crushed by minor nobles from the rear, they still caused panic.
The second was the founding of the Church Nation, which slaughtered a number of nobles and established a County on the Principality’s land, striking heavily at Corlay’s rear.
The third was the Church Nation’s assault. Now it was known that it had been Original Sin Believers masquerading under its banner, but at the time, they bore the Church Nation’s name. They slaughtered half the rear nobles, collapsing the Principality’s backline and shattering it entirely.
After that third assault, the Church Nation had carried forward its Founding Doctrine in expansion—massacring nobles whenever encountered. Not only the Original Sin Believers, but the Church Nation itself had killed many.
And under such enmity, Alice had gone to the Corlay Family. And she had been gone a very long time...
Melia’s eyes dimmed.
“She is not dead,” Olivia suddenly grabbed Melia’s arm and said.
Melia was stunned.
Not only her—everyone in the tent was stunned.
Olivia was Bishop Corleon’s goddaughter, and they knew she was privy to certain things. Thus, they did not doubt her words.
The Virtue Knights, seeing the Church’s people react so, understood this was credible.
They grew excited, but upon recalling their situation, they fell quiet again, only looking at Jeven.
Jeven was the bishop here. Since the Senate paid little heed to this region, the Diocese of Rod was effectively his to decide.
Leo and Vito, though part of the Church’s headquarters, were temporarily stationed in Rod City. Without orders from headquarters, they too had to obey Jeven’s command.
The tent grew quiet.
If Puniel had been here, he would likely have thought: Alice might have been better off dead—at least then they would not face this dilemma.
The Corlay Family and the Church Nation were enemies. But with the Diocese of York—or the Church itself—they were not. At worst, they were unfriendly.
Moreover, unlike the Church Nation, which was besieged by Original Sin Believers and Fishmen, the Corlay Family was surrounded only by Dark Creatures.
Alice might be styled the Saintess of the Church Nation, but to the Church she was only a merchant’s daughter, one life, with no authority or strategic worth. If she remained confined in Corlay’s territory, it was likely only hatred keeping her there, not politics.
If sufficient profit were offered, Jeven believed the Corlay Family might consider releasing Alice.
But who would provide that profit?
And how many men would it take to send envoys? If they had to fight Dark Creatures, would they suffer casualties?
Alice was only a merchant’s daughter. For even a single warrior to die for her would not be worth it.
Jeven felt the weight. By Faith, he believed that if rescue was possible, they ought to try, even though he had never met Alice.
But was it necessary to risk losing many lives for one?
To rescue or not, whether to negotiate with the Corlay Family, whether it was worth negotiating—this was his decision.
But how to attempt, how far to go, how to weigh the value—these questions crowded his mind at once.
He thought, if only that place had accepted the Church’s Faith. Then they could invoke Law to demand Alice’s release, and in such a case the Church would gladly commit resources, for it would be a matter of upholding Law.
But the Corlay Family, though a family, was in truth an independent Principality.
The Lord loved all people. As a priest, Jeven would have acted from that understanding.
But as a bishop, every decision he made represented not himself but the Diocese of Rod, even in part the will of the Church of the Sanctuary.
His head ached. He wondered what Bishop Marl would have done.
Melia regretted that Olivia had spoken so openly. Had it been said in private, she could have feigned ignorance later.
Alice was her friend, but only that. Compared to Alice, the Church was far closer to her. As one who managed the Church’s logistics, she naturally saw things in direct, practical terms.
At the end of the day, Alice was only one life. To Melia, that life was not important enough to demand salvation.
Within the Church’s sphere of power, the Law would dictate: rescue if rescue, release if release, death if death.
But the Corlay Family lay outside that sphere. Any resource spent would be wasted; any warriors lost would be gone forever.