Public trial?You deserve it too!

"I probably won't be able to chat with you today—but can you go for a walk with me?"

"okay."

Letitia and Claude clasped their hands together, but the worry on the girl's face still did not disappear.

She knew that her fiancé was a general who was highly valued by the emperor, not an official, so there was only one possibility for this urgent summons—that is, Claude was about to go to the battlefield again.

"You know that I am a soldier, and it is my pursuit to eliminate enemies for the empire, so don't show such an expression, Leticia."

Claude held the girl's hand tightly, comforting Leticia.

"I know, I'm just... still getting used to this kind of life."

The girl showed a sad expression.

"Father hasn't stayed at home for a long time, my sister has been living in the palace, and my mother has been with me, but sometimes I can see her staring at my father's oil painting in a daze - that's probably what I will look like in the future ?”

"I'm sorry, Letitia, our marriage... didn't come from mutual love."

Claude's voice was apologetic.

"No, don't say that, Claude, I'm very happy that His Majesty chose you as my husband-in-law. I know what happens to girls from big families—even though I'm a princess, I can't be willful Enjoying royal privileges and not contributing to it at all."

Letitia in turn began to comfort Claude.

"Who did the princesses and noble ladies in the past marry? It is recorded in the history books. Although it is just a few words, I think few people can really marry the one they love, like Sister Dania. After all, there are very few——at least I can marry a man I admire, so I am happy enough."

"...Your words really make me feel ashamed, Letitia, I really don't know how to respond to your feelings."

Claude turned his head slightly, staggering the girl's magnificent and bright eyes.

"Then—kiss me."

Leticia held Claude's astonished cheeks with both hands.

"During this period of time, our relationship has always been a little weird. You always face me with the attitude of a teacher looking at a student in the past-this is wrong, I will be your wife, your lover, and spend the rest of my life with you people, rather than the kind of familiar but organic relationship."

The girl looked at Claude seriously.

"I don't ask you to fall in love with me now, just like those dandies, our relationship will be more meaningful than those, but this is not the reason why you always subconsciously resist me, Claude-I have already passed After my 15th birthday, it's almost time to get married!"

Claude looked at Letitia in front of him, the firmness in her eyes was unshakable.

It was only then that he realized that this innocent Her Highness the Princess hadn't changed at all. She was still the kind of person who would go all out for something after she recognized something.

In the past, she was serious about becoming a knight, so she could endure the pain and torture of her body and obey her every command.

But now, she is very serious about becoming her own wife, so she can also endure the days of getting together less and more, desperately trying to narrow the distance between the two of them.

——A youthful and invincible girl is really the most beautiful thing in the world.

So Claude gently and gently kissed the other person's forehead.

"I see—my dear princess, you will be the one who will accompany me through this life."

Holding hands, they walked through this long but ephemeral corridor. The sunshine of late spring shone narrowly on the girl's thoughtful face, making it difficult to tell whether it was shyness or happiness.

The Burning World: Chapter 245 Chapter 220 Chapter [-] Déjà vu

When Claude met the emperor again in the imperial study, he knew that this time it was not only a serious matter, but also a serious one.

Because Christina is not here.

This granddaughter of the emperor is already a crown prince who many people know well about the future, otherwise the emperor would not be able to promote her in such a way now, and almost wherever there is an emperor, there is this princess—not to mention that Claude has increased the importance of this emperor. new doubts.

In this case, if Christina was not allowed to appear, it must be something that the other party should not know.

——Just like when the emperor asked Claude how many people he had killed during the rebellion, Christina was not there.

"His Majesty."

Claude greets the emperor.

"Here you come? Sit for a while, I have sent someone to collect the materials, there is still a little time."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Claude's heart moved, is there any information in the palace?

"Mr. Claude, I heard that you have been paying close attention to the intelligence of the Church State recently?"

Obviously, the emperor didn't call Claude into the palace in advance just to make him wait.

"Return to Your Majesty, yes, I have always felt that the Theocracy is the biggest enemy of the empire."

Claude is still the same rhetoric.

"I have fought with orcs and elves before, and even the Merchant Alliance has also faced each other's navy - but the only time I have confronted the forces of the Church was in the Provence rebellion three years ago. But that was with There is not much reference value in the confrontation of some secret intelligence discs."

The emperor nodded slightly: "So, can Sir Claude gain anything?"

Claude hesitated for a moment. He was considering whether to tell the whole thing, so he pretended to be sorting out his thoughts and struggled for a few seconds.

'Gambling...I haven't found out the relationship between the Holy Cult and the Empire thousands of years ago, but the emperor who moved the ancestral tomb must have known it, at least he also knew the real situation on the side of the Theocracy. '

[But will the other party really tell you the truth of the whole thing? 】

'That's why I said whether I should take a gamble or not. I said it clearly in front of the emperor. If he doesn't give me an answer, then it will block the possibility of me continuing to investigate in private. After all, I can't do things that the emperor doesn't allow. Do. '

Claude was also a little worried.

'But the more troublesome point is that after so many days, I am worried that even if we two can dig out gold from the pile of shit, we may not be able to find the truth of the matter—and the simplest The way is to ask the emperor, and the answer is absolutely true and reliable. '

[Then... do you want to bet? 】

'Try it, it's time to end this charade. '

Claude raised his head firmly.

"...For a while now, I've been looking at the information everywhere, and I always feel that there are some strange things, but there are no real facts that can be proved, so I don't know whether I should tell your majesty It's kind of ridiculous to think of it."

"But it's okay to say, I really want to hear what kind of guesses Ai Qing has based on the information from around."

The emperor smiled. Claude's youthful and frivolous behavior has been reduced a lot in the past few years, but he shouldn't lose his vigor completely when he grows up. Sometimes it is better to give the other party some encouragement so that he can develop the ability to believe in his own judgment. A man who commands an army should have more self-confidence.

He has already made up his mind, even if what Claude said is wrong, he must find some recognition.

"That's what I said - I once had a lunch with Director Humphrey, and during the meeting I also asked about the strength of the Theocracy. Especially for the intelligence department of the Theocracy, I specifically asked about it. Director Humphrey has a high evaluation of the Theocracy's intelligence department, and thinks it is even more terrifying than the Imperial Intelligence Bureau."

Claude's voice was steady, revealing worry.

"This time, I am personally in charge of the anti-revolutionary work of the three divisions of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau. Naturally, I know that he has a deep grasp of the empire - he judges others by himself. If the Theocracy's intelligence department is really above the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, then this independent How could the power belonging to the Pope allow the current political situation in the Church? How could it allow it to infiltrate to such an extent?"

"Of course, I don't want to deny Director Humphrey's ability and achievements. The Theocracy's national power is now in a quagmire, and Director Humphrey's contribution is indispensable-I just feel puzzled. According to reason, there are such powerful people under his command. Intelligence personnel, why did you allow those insects to disrupt the political situation of the Theocracy?"

The expression on the emperor's face was a little moved. He really didn't expect that Claude could think so deeply - only he, the emperor, knew what the information was going around, and Claude actually relied on These things can touch the core of the Theocracy's problems.

Although vague, he did find the biggest dissonance.

"Very well said, Sir Claude—then, do you have your own guesses on this question?"

With an encouraging expression on his face, the emperor signaled Claude to speak freely.

The knight breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. This performance showed that the emperor did not intend to hide it from him, but was ready to solve his doubts.

"I do have some guesses, but they are somewhat contradictory - the only reasonable explanation is that, by analogy with your cleansing of the nobles just now, the Pope should also want to completely cleanse the cardinals, so as to increase the power of the Church. concentrated."

Claude expressed his speculation.

"It's just that after the other party has eliminated these people, how they intend to stabilize people's hearts and how to restore the normal administrative order of each diocese is really incomprehensible."

The emperor nodded.

"Your guess is correct, Mr. Claude. In the final analysis, if you want to fight against the empire, a loose parliamentary government will not be successful. You are always worried about those who are hindering you. How can you concentrate on developing and fighting against the empire?" What about Empire Wars?"

Claude was stunned for a moment: "Your Majesty means that the Pope wants to become the supreme No.1 of the Theocracy? In the name of God?"

"She doesn't need to borrow the name of God—because she really followed that [savior]."

The emperor's voice was not loud, but it made Claude's eyes widen in surprise.

Just now, did the emperor say that she once followed the [Savior]?

Pope?And is there really such a thing as God?

What's the situation?

"I know that when I heard the truth for the first time, I would be surprised. When I knew the truth, I had the same expression as you."

There was a bit of emotion in the emperor's tone.

"This year is already the 13th century of the Continental Calendar—and before this calendar was used, human beings had never been like this, occupying an absolute advantage on the entire continent. The orcs who are now in decline, were in the Vistula River Plain back then. They plundered everywhere, and the elves controlled the entire Volga River Basin."

"The human kingdoms are in turmoil, and they are always conquering each other. There are even some powerful monsters who have mastered some land and controlled many wild beasts and servants-you are a mage, and you should be surprised by the fifth class of mages. Right? Obviously there is no creature like a dragon, so why is it called [Dragon Slayer]?"

Claude does find it a bit strange, he also knows a little bit about monsters - Knights often slaughter herds of beasts, on the one hand, this is to ensure that the local people are not attacked by wild beasts, on the other hand, they also eat these magical beasts Meat really strengthens itself.

But dragons... He really hadn't heard of them. Apart from those fairy tales and novels, there were no related records.

The emotion and longing in the eyes of the old man almost traveled through time.

"That's because all the dragons were killed—not a single dragon survived, and together with the monsters of all kinds that once occupied one side, they all died in the hands of the first Pope."

"The first... Pope?"

Claude chewed on the title.

"Yes, the first Pope. It can be said that the other party is the founder of the empire. Whether it is personal strength or wisdom and military strategy, the other party is undoubtedly standing at the top of human beings. At that time, there was no human being. Dare to imagine, in the end, it is your own race that crushes all other forces and proudly occupies the right to speak in the mainland."

It's hard to imagine that the supreme leader of the empire would speak in such a tone of yearning and admiration.

This was completely beyond Claude's expectations. As the emperor of the empire, he admired the first pope so much—maybe it was the result of decades of edification.

'Couldn't it be that... Dozens of emperors of the empire are all fans of the first pope? '

The knight scratched his head, feeling that the more he knew, the more confusing the situation became.

"Then... His Excellency the Pope, did he part ways with the Empire in the end? That's why there is the Empire and the Holy State today?"

Claude asked the question somewhat presumptuously.

But the emperor didn't care. When the old people recalled the past, they didn't care whether the person who was willing to listen to the story was rude.

"No, he didn't part ways with the empire, and he even planned to completely destroy the holy religion, but because his popularity reached its peak at that time-it's not so much the gods and the teachings that attracted the believers, it's better to say that all the believers are fanatical They believe in him and think that he is God and the savior of mankind."

"So he hesitated, because if he wanted to destroy the holy religion, he could do it with the appeal at the time-but even then people would not leave here, but would take him as their belief and gather more fanatically in by his side."

Claude nodded lightly. Hero worship wrapped in faith is indeed a very difficult thing to deal with. Either everyone will continue to fanatically believe in each other—or they will set off almost crazy persecution and smearing, such as a certain What a corn-on-the-cob lover does to a loving father.

"Finally, he decided to establish a religious country, a country that could be easily destroyed - because as long as he died, that country would have no possibility of continuation, the empire could easily take over those lands and people, and then let time erase All traces of his existence will do.”

The emperor's voice became lower and lower.

"So he died, a very ordinary death, but he died for real. Both the empire and the church state were cleaning up all traces of his existence according to his orders—but at this moment, a woman stood up, and she Take that fallen flag."

"To this day, I don't know exactly what happened back then. I only know that the empire acquiesced in the existence of the Holy State, and even voluntarily gave up a lot of land to the other party. Inculcate religion—and that was something that was strictly forbidden by the first Pope."

The old man raised his head, his gaze was full of majesty, he became the emperor of the empire again, an old lion who refused to give up an inch.

"Although I don't know what happened, but since that first emperor, the empire no longer regards the Church State as the successor of the same concept, because the other party has betrayed the people they once admired—so they are enemies."

"That's why today's war broke out—it's not actually a war between the empire and the church, but our orthodox successors, who launched a liquidation against those who betrayed the first pope!"

Claude felt completely numb, no wonder he felt more and more familiar the more he listened to it—so that he had already started to wonder if he had entered some kind of purgatory-difficult world?

No, do you dare to change the title of "First Pope" to "Emperor"?

The first pope didn't want to be a god...but the fanaticism of humanity persisted...then a man who was very close to the other decided to try to succeed...and now it's found to be the complete opposite.

What Word Bearers.

Good news, I caught Armageddon as soon as I arrived.

Bad news, the world seems to be modeled on Terra...

Now Claude is full of thoughts about what is going on at the Fortress of Constantine-this determines whether he will choose to open or open next.

dong dong dong.

There was a knock on the door of the royal study.

"Your Majesty, the materials from the Royal Library you requested have been brought."

"Send in."

The waiter carried a gold plate with a book in it, put it in front of Claude, and left the study.