Only God

Veldor, who had once stayed in "Afterlife Town," understood that a lie was best left unquestioned, for once doubted, it was not far from being exposed.

Forging the Prophet's letter was no doubt a sin—using the Prophet's name in vain. But at that time, Veldor felt he could not worry about that, he had to save Eden first.

And everything went smoothly, as if it were arranged by God.

"My Lord, please forgive my transgressions..."

Veldor whispered softly, then began to prepare for the upcoming public trial.

Although the Emperor and the Great Shepherd had agreed to a public trial, a public trial did not mean that all was well.

If Eden was deemed a heretic at the Great Council, and with the Emperor's further instigation, the young priest would still inevitably face death.

"Be prepared, you must be prepared."

Pastor Casas looked at Veldor and instructed.

Veldor solemnly said,

"I understand, last time, he was not judged a heretic, but suspected of heresy. It's hard to guarantee that he won't be judged a heretic this time, almost a hair's breadth away."

Pastor Casas nodded,

"Contact him as soon as possible and persuade him to abandon his heretical thoughts. Let him return to the right path and stop proclaiming himself as a Savior."

............…

............…

The Queen was preparing for Arsia's marriage.

Since the Empire's eldest princess tragically drowned at the age of three, the Queen prayed for her while pouring all her love into Second Princess Arsia.

As if to live up to her mother's love, Arsia had been bright and clever from a young age, talking earlier than most children, mastering simple arithmetic by three, and at six, under the tutelage of court tutors, had begun to learn the rhythms of poetry, the symbols, and tunes of music...

The Queen remembered, at that time, Arsia was still a well-behaved little lady.

But later on, things changed. Perhaps it was an age of significant personality change, Arsia began to become naughty, rebellious, and willful, exhibiting many bad habits. Despite the Queen's heartfelt advice repeatedly, it did not seem to help much.

However, no matter what, she was her daughter, the jewel of the Empire, and the Queen loved her and fretted over her marriage.

In the Queen's memory, faced with marriage, Arsia had said:

"That is an uncivilized country! Why must you send me there?!"

"That is not an uncivilized country, Ausenco's Royal Family has preserved the Empire's southern frontier generation after generation. We have signed countless treaties, establishing a brotherly friendship."

The Queen tried to persuade her.

"Signing treaties makes them civilized? Mother, you think I don't deserve better? The place is all forests, marshes, mountains, Ausenco's largest city is not even a quarter the size of Danschel, such a barren place, barely anything at all.

I've also heard that, although the Royal Family of Ausenco has converted, that Kingdom still retains many Barbarian customs, like a man marrying multiple wives; indulging in drunken revelry at funerals; men frequently going shirtless, displaying their so-called vigor; and what else, if a girl marries a criminal, that criminal is exempt from all punishment..."

Arsia mercilessly listed all of Ausenco's Barbarian behaviors, attempting to stay in Danschel, and avoid breathing the air of the Barbarians.

Regardless of what Arsia said, the Queen just shook her head, telling her, her father the Emperor had already decided, and this was not open to her whims.

For this marriage, Arsia protested for a long time, but she had finally quieted down over the past year, probably realizing she could not oppose a force greater than herself, and began to accept her fate.

Thinking this, the Queen slowly made her way into the princess's chambers.

The maids were combing Arsia's long, light gray hair, the scent of spices pervading the princess's private quarters, something seemed to shimmer in the air, oh, it was the gold dust used for hair decoration.

Arsia sat in front of the table, blankly staring at the world outside the window.

The Queen came over, took the comb from the maid's hands, and personally began to groom her daughter.

"Mother…"

Arsia snapped back to reality,

"May God bless you, and bless your marriage."

Queen spoke gently.

Arsia silently clenched her fists and slowly said,

"Oh, I am to marry with all blessings."

The Queen looked at her with pity,

"Don't be upset, Arsia, it's time for you to get married."

Arsia retorted,

"I'm not upset."

The Queen indulged her,

"Alright, alright, you're not upset."

The gentleness of her mother made Arsia feel powerless, as if her fist had hit cotton. She gritted her teeth, pondering what could infuriate her mother.

Suddenly, she thought of something.

"I made a visit to the prison."

The Queen's hands paused, and she looked at her daughter with confusion,

"What did you do there?"

Arsia spoke softly,

"Oh, to see someone—yes, the priest named Eden."

The Queen was shocked; she hadn't expected her daughter to be so bold. This matter, if it reached her father's ears, would surely incite his wrath.

"How dare you..."

Arsia seized the opportunity, pressing on,

"I spent some time with him in the interrogation room, and he is far more upright than Father. Father is always scheming, but he doesn't manipulate anything, like a righteous man or a martyr."

With this, Arsia observed her mother's expression.

Although that priest called Eden was a dull man, superficially calm but actually arrogant, she did not regret meeting him. His existence provided a perfect tool to infuriate her parents.

The Queen gradually calmed down,

"Don't speak recklessly; you shouldn't repeat these words, he once treated your father that way."

Arsia replied directly,

"If I were there, I would have applauded him."

A trace of anger flicked across the Queen's eyebrows, and she somewhat faltered in her words,

"But that is a heretic."

Arsia continued to provoke,

"So what if he is a heretic, I still want to applaud him."

It seemed the Queen could no longer restrain herself and blurted out impulsively,

"Alright, alright, Arsia, since you're determined to infuriate your father, you should go to the Great Council then."

Arsia was puzzled,

"What do you mean..."

The Queen said somewhat sympathetically,

"He is to be publicly tried. Your father won't let him go, and since you use him as a shield and sword against your father, see how your father will shatter him. Your father will surely crush him to dust, utterly and disgracefully."