“May I ask what brings you to see the Duke, Bishop Leonard?”
Count Kent asked with a smile, but his smile sent a chill down the bishop’s spine.
“I’m here to discuss some religious matters concerning the Northwest Bay with the Duke.”
“Oh, that’s easy! The Duke, due to health reasons, has handed over all affairs to me. After all, I am his heir. Whatever you need, you can tell me.”
Leonard hesitated, “I… I still need to see the Duke in person.”
Count Kent’s expression turned cold: “The Duke is unwell and not in a condition to receive visitors.”
Leonard persisted, “Then I would like to visit the Duke…”
“Your Excellency, Archbishop!”
A dangerous glint appeared in Marltz Kent’s eyes.
The so-called “secret letter of the Duke” leaked from Henry had caused a stir in the Northwest Bay, giving him endless headaches.
The letter accused him of manipulating witchcraft to control Duke Ferdinand.
Alright, it was indeed true, and for this very reason, he would never let Duke Ferdinand meet certain people, including Bishop Leonard here.
Leonard said to Marltz Kent, “The innocent are clear of guilt, and the guilty mired in their own filth. What are you afraid of, Count?”
Yes, Leonard came to the Duke’s mansion to investigate the suspicion of witchcraft on Marltz Kent, just as he did during his visit to Alda to see Paul Grayman. With his current status, he didn’t need to personally handle these matters, but since the other party was the future Duke of the Northwest, he had to treat it with caution.
“Hmph, this is a blatant insult to my reputation.”
Marltz Kent stood up abruptly.
“My Kent family has always been loyal to Duke Ferdinand, and everyone in the Northwest Bay knows it. Now you come to slander my reputation just because of some baseless accusations fabricated by traitors of the Ferdinand family.”
“Please forgive me, Count, but whether it’s slander or not, I will know once I see.”
Marltz Kent immediately felt the urge to throw this man into the dungeon, but the bishop’s high status made him reconsider.
With a stiff face, while glaring at Bishop Leonard, he called out: “Guards, show our guest out!”
Two fully armed guards burst in and said to Leonard in a deep voice, “Bishop, this way, please.”
Leonard sighed, stood up slowly, and said, “Count, I will continue to request a visit to the Duke. If I still don’t get your permission, I will have to report this to my superiors.”
The Count thought disdainfully: Hmph, such threats might work on those minor lords, but it’s ridiculous to use them against a Duke’s heir like me.
He had heard that this newly appointed bishop was rigid and lacked understanding of worldly ways, and it seemed to be true.
“No matter what you do next, I will appeal to the Archbishop of the Kingdom and even to the Church, accusing you, a regional leader, of baselessly accusing a future Duke, severely damaging his reputation.”
Marltz Kent righteously uttered the aforementioned words.
“Furthermore, Bishop Leonard, haven’t you heard of the Grayman family’s ‘Fire Crossbow’ and ‘Thunder Hammer’? They are definitely witchcraft. My army has just suffered a major defeat at the hands of these witchcraft weapons, and there are thousands who can testify to this.”
Leonard shook his head and said, “Duke, the so-called ‘Fire Crossbow’ and ‘Thunder Hammer’ are merely two advanced weapons, and their formal names are ‘Firearm’ and ‘Cannon.’ I checked them with a Witch Detection Stone when I was serving as the Abbot of the North Shore Monastery in Lakeheart Town. There were no traces of magic, and Count Grayman, being an upright man, immediately agreed to my inspection request.”
Marltz Kent, his eyes darting, eagerly asked, “You inspected the ‘Fire Crossbow’ and ‘Thunder Hammer’? Then…” Chapters first released on novel⚑fire.net
Leonard immediately said, “I only know that there were no traces of magic on them. I have no knowledge of their internal structure and manufacturing methods. Please don’t overthink this, Count.”
Count Kent scoffed, “I think it’s because Paul Grayman is your fellow townsman, so you’re deliberately covering for him.”
“I swear to the Lord of Light…”
“No more words, please leave!”
Count Kent turned and left.
Leonard shook his head and followed the guards out.
Count Kent went to his study and summoned Jace, Emerson, and a few other confidants.
“We can’t wait any longer. We must act quickly.”
Two days later, a significant event occurred in Center City: Duke Ferdinand passed away.
The Duke had been suffering from illness since last year, and now he had finally been called by the Lord. Perhaps it was a blessing for him — that’s what many people thought.
As the Duke’s heir, Marltz Kent held a grand funeral for him.
In front of those who came to the funeral, the Count, in deep sorrow, said, “A model of a generous and kind noble has joined the Lord. Let us inherit his will, quickly end the chaotic situation in the Northwest Bay, and bring a stable and peaceful home to the people living here.”
When the Duke’s coffin was buried, many noticed that the one delivering the eulogy was not Bishop Leonard of the Northwest, but an unfamiliar clergyman.
With the passing of Duke Ferdinand, Marltz Kent naturally became the new Duke of the Northwest. Upon his succession, he immediately announced to the entire Northwest Bay his determination to eradicate the rebels led by Price Parker.
However, his first targets were others.
On the second day after Marltz Kent’s succession, a battalion of fully armed soldiers surrounded the cathedral in Center City.
The people inside the cathedral were terrified. Ordinary believers hid in corners, trembling, while a few priests bravely stepped forward.
“What are you doing? This is the holy place of the Lord of Light. Do not act recklessly.”
The leading knight pushed aside the priest in front of him and shouted loudly, “It has been reported that some high-ranking clergy in the Northwest Diocese are colluding with rebels and interfering in secular affairs. We are here to search for evidence. Move in!”
The soldiers behind him rushed into the cathedral, quickly occupied various parts of it, and began to search everything.
These soldiers, being illiterate, took away anything they deemed suspicious.
Under the threat of gleaming swords and long spears, no one dared to stop them.
Bishop Leonard, trembling with anger upon hearing the commotion, said, “Marltz Kent, you… you have some nerve!”
Then his room was also searched. Seeing his beloved copy of the Holy Scriptures — a special print given to him by Paul Grayman — being rudely mishandled by the soldiers, the old bishop fainted, causing chaos among the surrounding priests.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Religious Tribunal located in the suburbs outside the city, the church personnel were disarmed, and several church knights who dared to resist were killed on the spot.
The church’s military force in the Northwest Bay was not large and could not resist the power of a duke. The troops surrounding them claimed that there were traitors in the church, and the armed forces controlled by the Tribunal could be used for internal collusion. Therefore, until the investigation was clear, their weapons had to be confiscated.