Chapter 217: Enemies Are In Abundance, But So Are Friends (1/2)
Somewhere in Ashmelion...
The Cathedral of Lumiere had a council that supervised all of the decisions made by the Church of All-Encompassing Light in the city of Ashmelion. Without the approval of the seven high-ranking officials. A radical change couldn't be made.
And the execution of a Cavalier was considered a radical change...
After all, talents were hard to come by.
No matter how insignificant the rank of a Cavalier was, he was still a member of the three Judiciaries.
This was something that couldn't be scoffed at.
Today, inside a secret room somewhere in the Cathedral of Lumiere. All seven sufficiently high-ranking individuals were present. The Cardinal, Santiago was also in this room and his job was to be the overseer for today's meeting.
However, he was only a figurehead for today's meeting since the Chief Executor of the Church of All-Encompassing Light was here.
The topic of today's meeting was the mutiny that the Cavaliers had conducted against a high-ranking official. Naturally, that high-ranking official was also here.
The Church of the three Orthodox Gods had always managed to maintain their solidarity due to the concept of camaraderie...
With that, they had to take the mutiny of the Cavaliers seriously.
”Dispose of them through the Cavalier's way.” A high-ranking official stated.
Obviously, he was Rosales Ayala. He was usually a timid man, but in this meeting, he looked strangely determined to dispose of the Cavaliers, ”They have gone too far! We cannot let them go scot-free, they must pay the consequences of going against a church official!”
”We must set an example! I propose that the Cavaliers are to be executed!”
Rosales Ayala declared.
”Don't you think that you're being too hasty in that decision, Rosales?” A middle-aged man spoke up. He was the Patriarch of the Fayke Aristocratic family in Ashmelion.
Even though it looked strange that the leader of a merchant family was also a high-ranking official of the church...
It wasn't really that peculiar.
The church often relied on their merchant networks to earn a little money on the side and also acquire information regarding rare resources and materials.
The middle-aged man's name was Ruiz Fayke. In terms of position and authority within the church, one could consider him to be the 2nd among the seven.
”How could you say that? Can you imagine yourself in my shoes?! They've gone too far, and that's it! They must be executed!”
Rosales Ayala fumed in fury. He couldn't help but point a finger at Ruiz.
”I know that you are angry at them, but we can't just turn a blind eye to their accomplishments. They've uncovered the secrets of that village and it turned out that a Queen of Plague holding the Sinister Heart was in the village!”
”If not for the Cavaliers' actions then the church might not even know of that imminent threat until it's too late!” Ruiz Fakye reasoned out with equal determination in his tone of voice.
The other council members stared at Ruiz Fayke in astonishment.
Among the seven council members, the stance of the Fayke Aristocratic family had always been ambiguous. But this was understandable since the council members had always tried their best to maintain equilibrium among its members.
Back then, they often quarreled against each other whenever there was a chance...
But now, they had perfectly divvied up Ashmelion's territory and their own interests.
As a result, they no longer interfered in each other's actions.
However, whenever an external influence threatened their interests, they would always unite to resist it.
The council members considered the Cavaliers' actions as a threat to their own personal interests...
This was why the meeting was convened.
The Cavaliers were still under their jurisdiction. Usually, if a member of the church's judiciaries did such a severe crime like what the Cavaliers had done, they would always be executed on the spot without a trial.
But this time, a summary execution couldn't possibly be done. It was because the individuals involved were the entire Ashmelion Branch of the Cavaliers. Setting aside the expected opposition and outrage that a summary execution would invoke from the Headquarters of the Cavaliers in Laguna...
Ron Samuel and the others were also valuable assets to the church.
The entire issue became a dilemma for the Church of Lumiere that a meeting had to be called.
”Ruiz is right, the actions of the Cavaliers were deplorable indeed, but the result wasn't that bad. Also, no real casualties happened, so I suggest that we should just let them go as a recognition for their efforts.” A council member proposed.
Rosales shook his head, ”If we let them go, will the others even respect us? Where would our dignity go if we are not even willing to punish those that deserved to be punished?”
”That's correct,” A voice floated over.
The voice sounded unfamiliar to the council members. But it wasn't because they didn't know who was speaking; it was because the person who spoke just now seldom stated his thoughts in a meeting.
”Rosales's words are correct. I also approve of the execution of the Cavaliers. On grounds of mutiny, they must be executed!”
”Mr. Park...” The other council members stared in astonishment at the person who just spoke.
Even the Cardinal, Santiago, and the Chief Executor Martin Lothar were staring at the man in shock. This was the first time in years that the man spoke a word in meetings and he was in agreement for the execution of the Cavaliers?
Also, why did it seem like he has a specific hatred against the Cavaliers?
Ruiz turned to look at the council member and sneered, ”Park Hoong-Jun. It's been years since you've spoken in a meeting like this...”
”Now that I think about it, that strange accent of yours is still present, eh? You sound like you're out of this world!” Ruiz Fayke observed the changes on the man's face, but the latter remained indifferent, ”Would you like to explain your stance?”
Park Hoong-Jun shrugged, ”It doesn't matter...”
”My decision will not change.”
”All right...” Ruiz shook his head. He was wary of Park Hoong-Jun.
Ruiz was the only non-Predator member of the church, so he knew that he had to know his fellow council members more or he would be at a disadvantage in future discussions.
As a result, Ruiz had investigated every council member, but there was one person whose information seemed to be covered in an endless void.
Park Hoong-Jun.
Everything about this man was strange.
His accent sounded stiff, and his name was something that Ruiz had never seen before.
But no matter what, the fact that Park Hoong-Jun was able to become a high-ranking official of the church and a member of the council meant that there was nothing wrong with his identity. However, the fact that he was able to keep his identity hidden from the others for so long was a piece of rock-solid evidence in regards to his abilities.
Park Hoong-Jun was a man that must never be underestimated.
Ruiz cleared his throat and continued, ”How about the other council members? What do you think?”
”Can't we be a little optimistic and say that the Cavaliers only did what they have done due to the incompetence of a certain someone?” The council member who spoke was a woman who looked to be in her twenties.
The pure white one-piece dress that she wore expressed her purity without lessening her dignity and presence in front of these battle-hardened and experienced men.
”Sistine Santillan. Shouldn't you go and handle the matters of the Convent instead of trying to influence the decision of us, men?”
Rosales sneered.
”Hahaha,” Sistine coldly chuckled, ”I won't comment about what you had said just now, but remember that—what can you do... I will be able to do it better. Especially when you are that incompetent.”
”What did you say?!”
Rosales stood up from his seat as his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.
Staring at Sistine, indescribable fury welled up in his heart.
To be honest, he hated the fact that there was a woman in the council.
But no matter what, he had to admit that Sistine Santillan was indeed a capable woman.
Her influence was even stronger than the Mercenaries Guild, or maybe even the Fayke Aristocratic family.
But why?
It was because Sistine had always been the symbol of light and compassion in the eyes of the commoners.
In a way, she was the symbol of the commoners.
This was why she became a high-ranking official of the church.
Her charisma and charm was an incredibly powerful weapon that she could use any time she wanted to sway the public's opinion against a particular member of the church.
This was how powerful Sistine was...