Only God

"My dear Emperor, your daughter Arsia is unwilling to marry abroad."

Hearing the Queen's words, Constantine VI immediately glared in a certain direction of the Imperial Palace with a stern and undeniable look, standing straight as he muttered,

"This is not something she can whimsically decide."

The Queen nodded in compliance, her voice lowering as she said,

"I think so too.

I know you have long been preparing for Arsia's wedding next year, and the Royal Family of Ausenco has also been ready to welcome her. They have been engaged for many years and under the witness of God, it is time to honor this sacred covenant."

At this point, the Queen suddenly shifted her tone and slowly continued,

"But... my Emperor, you also know that Arsia is a restless child. She longs for freedom and deeply resents the marriage you arranged for her. She has starved herself many times over it and even threatened to join a Monastery... Emperor, I wonder, could we possibly postpone it for another year..."

Her gentle suggestion did not engender any kindness in the Emperor, who harshly glanced at her and asked,

"Postpone it for a year? Do you know what would happen?

Ausenco has been an ally to our empire for many years, guarding the southern frontier and securing trade routes. Should we fall out with them, the treasury would face a financial crisis.

Moreover, the Royal Family of Ausenco has already sworn allegiance to the throne of God to marry her. If she were not to marry, they might renounce their faith anytime. My devout Queen, could you bear to see that happen?"

By the end, Constantine VI's reproach grew more intense.

The Queen immediately fell silent, knowing that as much as she wanted to protect her daughter, Constantine VI was the true authority, both in the family and the Empire.

When Constantine VI's demeanor softened slightly, the Queen spoke up again,

"I understand; I will have someone advise her. I trust she will come to appreciate your good intentions. Sigh... I hope she can see this marriage as a mission of God. Once she dedicates herself to this purpose, she might forget all her sufferings."

............

Life in prison was miserable.

And Eden's life was even worse.

Although the Great Council had not yet been concluded, and no verdict had been issued or court summoned, by the orders of the chief steward of the palace, the Prison Warden had already begun to "take care" of the Priest.

Following the Warden's orders, the prison guard would wake Eden every two hours during the night, tormenting his spirit and only allowing him to sleep in short bursts amounting to four or five hours a day. Additionally, Eden's meals were cut by nearly half.

With the Great Council yet unfinished, Eden's life was already like this, and once it concluded and all the Priests from other nations left Danschel, imagining what would become of Eden was not difficult.

Yet, no matter how much he was tormented, Eden remained unaffected.

He silently rotated his Prayer Bead, softly chanting Scripture to usher in inner peace.

After the initial excitement of the first few days, the other prisoners no longer found Eden novel. They seldom scrutinized or criticized him as before.

Slowly slipping into a state of Spiritual Cultivation, Eden studied one Ancient Language after another from the Path created by God.

As the Great Angel had scattered forty Nameless Books across the Mortal World, the Church, through diligent collection, had acquired seven of these books, containing four paths created by God.

In this world, about eight known paths were created by God, but according to the Ancient Language, there are twelve in total.

The Path Eden was studying was named Holy Chorus.

Originally, the Holy Chorus referred to the choir that sings hymns and choral music during Mass and other ceremonies. In True Religion, hymns and choral music are believed to cleanse the soul, which is why this path was named Holy Chorus.

This was a Path that greatly suited Eden.

For he was naturally able to see the good and evil within souls.

Currently, Eden was merely a First Rank Miracle Worker. Given his gifts, the leap to Second Rank was not far away.

For ordinary people, a Miracle Worker should easily be able to escape from prison.

But that was not the case.

Even moderately large prisons within the Empire could prevent the use of Ancient Language or grace.

Prophet Noen, in the ancient times, had taught the Ancient Language as well as the rituals to counteract their use.

The ritual was not difficult, and even an ordinary person with no abilities could perform it. It was a matter of drawing a pattern and reciting some ceremonial words.

Therefore, even though Eden was a Miracle Worker, he could not utilize his abilities to escape.

"There's half a month left before I can perform the Ascension Ceremony," Eden mused inwardly.

Would Second Rank power allow him to escape this prison?

Eden shook his head; it would not.

According to the books, the distinctive ability of Second Rank Holy Chorus was Spirit Realm Teleportation.

Spirit Realm Teleportation did not refer to physical teleportation but rather meant that the soul could leave the body and wander the world.

Only at Third Rank Holy Chorus could one teleport their physical body to where their soul was located, achieving physical teleportation.

But… Eden felt that reaching Third Rank might no longer be possible for him.

"My time is short... but I am ready to become a Martyr."

With this thought, a genuine zeal arose in Eden's heart, void of any fear.