Pirate Kingship-Chapter 652 - 458 Abyssal Cult, Mystifying (6300)

The visitor scanned the oddly shaped noble corpses on the ground with disgust and, as a Holy Knight, proclaimed:

"All are Fallen Ones who have ignored the teachings of God, and their downfall is their own doing. Heaven has no place for you!"

Even the most self-disciplined and tolerant of Sages, upon seeing these grotesque-seeking nobles who had fallen like Devils, could not turn a blind eye.

Yet, he was reminded of the behavior of some Church Traditionalists, which seemed not much better than theirs. Some people are not worth saving, and some are not worth collaborating with; the Holy Knight’s conviction for his Protestant Doctrine to break away from the Traditional Faction of the Church and become independent grew even stronger.

The problem is that the Protestant Doctrine lacks strength and is in greater need of secular royal power compared to the Traditional Faction. Right now, several Saints within the sect are planning to help some vassals of The Holy Silver Empire, who have suffered most from the Traditional Faction, to gain independence. What a pity that the York Dynasty is a firm lackey of the Traditional Faction; otherwise, as an offshore island nation, the Kingdom of Hightins would have been one of the natural strongholds for the Protestant Doctrine. Even the powerful Traditional Faction lacks the capability for a cross-sea expedition.

Of course, these plans would obviously not be leaked in advance; no matter how turbulent his thoughts were, his face remained as impassive as stone.

Meanwhile, Catherine reverted from her battle-ready state to her original elegant and dignified countenance as a Countess. With both hands, she lifted her skirts and curtseyed impeccably to the Holy Knight.

"Sir Oliver of the ’Holy Hammer,’ good day, and may the Creator be with you."

Since any religion that wishes to proselytize must cooperate with secular royal power, it is very common for Clergy to frequent the Court. The brother and sister had met most of the high-ranking Clergy within the Kingdom of Hightins. Before leaving, the siblings had learned from their father about their collaborators within the Protestant Doctrine, so they naturally recognized the Holy Knight at a glance.

This Holy Knight, known as the ’Holy Hammer,’ was still earnestly pondering what those strange Evil Spirits, never before seen within the Kingdom of Hightins, were and why they had appeared here.

It was not until Catherine curtseyed that he realized he had unexpectedly encountered an old acquaintance. Surprised, he promptly returned the gesture with meticulous respect, his usually stern face, like stone, softened unexpectedly with a hint of warmth:

"Could it be Countess Grendel? Miss Catherine, may the glory of the Creator shine upon you forever! I heard you were reassigned to the Bantaan Archipelago last year; it must be the Creator’s favor that allows us to meet again on our native land today. I’m truly relieved to see that you are alright."

He scrutinized the somewhat unexpected pair before him. One was a foster daughter of the Lancaster Family, and the other was the legendary ’Great Loyalist’ of the York Family, the commanding officer of brigand suppression and the one who sank the Blue Dragon King for the second time, the prospective Earl Saint Byron of Torrentfort. Even if the Holy Knight paid little attention to current affairs, he was still well aware of the fame of ’The Sea Hunter.’ The legend of the Holy Spirit’s reincarnation was questionable, but no one could deny that he truly was this year’s most outstanding young man in the Kingdom of Hightins, without equal.

Probably misunderstanding something, he felt the only explanation for this combination was that the Lancaster foster daughter had no choice but to compromise under the tyranny of the ’Great Loyalist’ of York. Life must be terribly hard for her.

His normally innocent and bright eyes dimmed slightly, and without regard for the ’Great Loyalist’ of York by his side, he addressed Catherine with a hint of shame in his apology:

"I’m very sorry about the matters of the Lancaster Royal Family. If you encounter any trouble in the Royal Capital, you can send someone to find me at Westminster Church; I can’t guarantee other things, but ensuring your safe departure from Kingston will definitely be no problem."

One of the triggers for the Church Traditionalists to support the White Rose York Family in the overthrow of the Red Rose Lancasters was that Lancaster was much closer to these Protestant Clergy, providing them with considerable covert support. It also allowed the Protestant Doctrine to spread widely within the country. However, in the sudden upheaval across the Strait of Dover, the Protestant Doctrine was unable to help Lancaster. The White Rose transformed the world overnight with the help of a transcendent being, and they couldn’t even react in time. Even the subsequent accountability for the York Family’s collusion with the Northern Sea Leviathan Kraken was blocked by the Tribunal controlled by the Traditional Faction.

As a conscientious good man, ’Holy Hammer’ Oliver naturally harbored guilt over this matter.

Byron, due to the unsuitability of his status, remained silent, while Catherine sincerely consoled him:

"The disputes over secular royal power have nothing to do with you and the Protestant Doctrine. Father and the others would definitely not blame you, so please don’t blame yourself."

This wasn’t just politeness; the two of them and the Lancasters genuinely did not hold this Protestant Doctrine collaborator responsible. Because the doctrines of the two factions dictated their different codes of conduct, the Protestant Doctrine was supposed to stay away from the secular world and royal authority.

The Traditional Faction’s doctrine holds that: "The Holy Mother giving birth to the Saint Heir is to be venerated; the Pope is the Creator’s spokesperson in the Mortal World and is to be worshipped."

On the other hand, the Protestant Doctrine is much purer. It holds the Gospel of Creation as the highest authority and believes: "Aside from the Creator, there is no other god, and idol worship is not permissible. Each individual fulfilling their role and working hard is the best way to repay the Creator."

The fundamental difference between the two factions is that the latter wants to make God’s spokespersons in the Mortal World unemployed and completely strip away their privileges!

The current struggle between old and new doctrines on the Old Continent is essentially a struggle for power.