Raising Paladins - Raising Paladins chapter 84

Episode 84. uninvited guest (2)

“Your Highness Cardinal.”

Greenwood, who had left his seat due to Krenna’s banquet.

Carl called him.

“Do you know anything, sir? I’m talking about something Meisa talked about earlier.”

“I do, but I don’t know if I can talk about it casually. Because Derdrang is a problem that is entangled in the whole city.”

“Is that so.”

“But Meisa called you Captain and followed you. He is also the priest of the same temple. There’s nothing I can’t tell you about. Even if it’s Miss Meisa herself, she’ll probably tell you if you ask.”

“Can you tell me?”

“It’s a bit different here.”

Greenwood glanced around.

Corridors with guards everywhere.

In addition, there were attendants and butlers wandering around.

“Go to my room. not a glass of wine Are you drinking?”

“I have never lost.”

“Heh heh heh. Let’s go.”

***

Squeeze.

Dark red wine fills the glass.

Carl, observing the color and aroma, took a sip of the wine.

A knife that tasted various flavors while rolling thick liquid on the tip of its tongue.

he admired a little.

“Excellent. I think I can understand why you are carrying it around.”

“I’m glad it’s worth eating.”

Greenwood replied with a look of pride.

The wine the two of them were drinking now was always carried by Greenwood’s priest, and it was made from a mixture of grape varieties grown around the Lake City, Greenwood’s hometown.

“Do you know where it is from?”

“The acidity is rich and the finish is deep, which means that the grapes were grown under a lot of sunlight. It looks a little cloudy, but when you rub it behind your front teeth, you get both astringency and sweetness at the same time, which means that the vine that is rich in moisture has also been given plenty of fertilizer. There are a few places where vineyards and animal husbandry developed simultaneously, but only one of them enjoys year-round sunshine. It is the lake city of Langfleur to the east of the capital. It is also his hometown.”

“amazing. Why did I only meet someone like you now?”

It is not just good evaluation and appreciation of wine.

Carl possesses both the leadership of leading a group and the transcendent fighting power to defeat seven werewolves by himself.

In addition, a person who has knowledge of food, art, and wine, and is well versed in court etiquette.

Greenwood had never seen anyone like Carl, so he was hooked.

“Honestly, when I volunteered to investigate the source of divine power at the Cardinals’ Meeting, I tried to find the person who was spreading false rumors and punish them. But when I went to Meirium, the reality was quite different. In fact, Miss Tira was healing people with divine power, and you were using that power in your sword. The legendary golden apple tree came to life, and the saplings of the Temple of Dawn burst into blossoms. i got it You are the starting point of it all, I can be sure.”

Greenwood quenched his thirst with wine.

“That’s why I’m talking to you. About this city, Derdrang, the eldest son of Crena, and the Dawning Bridge.”

Carl listened with a serious face.

“I will ask.”

“At that time, Godmother Krena was young. It’s been decades from now.”

Finally Greenwood started talking to Derd.

A moment of joy flashed across his face as he recalled old memories.

What followed was a deep dive.

Crackling, crackling flames from the brazier shimmered in the eyes of the old man.

“Crena’s husband was a native aristocrat from Derdrang’s hometown. At that time, there was no concept of market like now. It was the time when the lord ruled. Krenna’s husband was the head of the household and the lord. Unlike the lords of other cities, he governed his people benignly. Taxes were lowered as much as possible, and when there was a bad harvest, the lord’s castle warehouse was opened to fill people’s stomachs.”

“He must have been a benevolent monarch.”

“It was. He and Krenna had four children together. The eldest son and the current head of the household, the third is Meisa’s mother, and the fourth is married to a nobleman from another region. The children grew up in harmony under a benevolent father and a mother who, though fierce at times, showed them the right path. But as the children got older, conflicts began to arise. It was because of swordsmanship.”

“I heard that Meisa’s mother’s family has been famous for swordsmanship for generations.”

“That’s right. Godmother Crena herself has learned great swordsmanship, and her husband, the lord’s family, is also not skimpy when it comes to swordsmanship. Unfortunately, however, it seems that the eldest son did not inherit his parents’ skills. Conversely, the second son, third, and fourth daughters all excelled in swordsmanship. Even if it were two daughters, wouldn’t it be very embarrassing to be pushed by the second younger brother?”

“Was it a conflict between the two sons?”

“No, no… … The conflict between the eldest son and the father, the lord, deepened. My father wanted his eldest son, who should inherit everything, to be more manly and strong, and the eldest son wanted to do the same, but he resented his body for not following him. However, as my younger brother continued to grow, I became impatient. The eldest son finally made his choice. I decided to prove my worth with something other than swordsmanship.”

“What was it?”

Squeeze.

Carl filled Greenwood’s glass.

Greenwood, who took a sip and moistened his throat, continued his story.

“It was about becoming a priest. The eldest son became the research priest of the Dawning School. As you may know, the tribes of the Sun God Church do not forbid marriage. Thanks to that, it was common for children of noble families to become priests. Even now.”

“There are many cases where he is both the priest and head of the tribe.”

Carl also saw many cases like that in his previous life.

As a head of household, you can protect your family and at the same time become a priest of the Sun God, loved by the people of the empire, and show greater prestige.

“Not now, but a few decades ago, the Dawning Church was still alive. Many people remember the legend of the great paladin from 200 years ago. Perhaps that is why no one thought it strange that the eldest son of the lord became a priest of the Dawning Church. The problem started after my eldest son went to the main temple of the Sun Temple in the capital.”

“… … .”

“After visiting the capital, he shouted out loud in a crowd of people. He said he met a saintess in the main shrine of the Sun Temple in the capital city, and she prophesied that he would become a great priest. In addition, he even promised to build a huge temple of the Dawning Bridge in the small fishing village of Derdrang.”

“Did you mean to gain public opinion and gain an advantage in competing with the second son?”

“That’s it. People believed him It’s because he’s the eldest son of the lord, not someone else. He was a nuisance at home, but he was a worthy aristocrat outside. He treated people with respect and had dignity. He resembled Krenna and was also handsome. He urged the people to join him in building the mighty Temple of Dawn. It was about walking Cron.”

“There was money involved, too.”

“All the big problems in the world always have to do with money. People believed in the eldest son and collected huge amounts of crones for him. The money of the fishermen who got up early in the morning to fix their nets and risked their lives to catch fish in the rough sea. However, even though a larger amount than the original amount was collected, the construction of the temple did not start. And one day, nearly half of the money was gone. Along with the priest of the Dawn Church that the eldest son brought from the Temple of the Sun in the capital.”

“ah… … .”

Carl could now roughly guess the end of the story.

“You must have been a fraud.”

“Yes. Feeling that the Dawning Church’s prosperity was gradually withering away, the priest seduced the eldest son of a foolish nobleman from the countryside. It was a huge amount, so even if you stole half of it and ran away, you’d be living in good living somewhere by now. The empire is vast, so if you decide to hide, there will be no way to find it.”

“What happened to the eldest son?”

“I tried to do well somehow, to gain an upper hand in the competition with the second son, but when that even went wrong, the eldest son despaired. The lord could not stand it any longer and scolded him. It was clear that he robbed the pockets of the poor people and gave them to the swindler. One night, the lord and his eldest son had a big fight in front of the whole family. I was right there It was a ceremony to celebrate the marriage of the lord and Krenna, and I was invited. The eldest son made an irreparable mistake on the spot.”

“What was it?”

“When the lord finally said that he would hand over the position of head of household to his second son, the eldest son cried out in tears of blood. That child isn’t his real son, why are you trying to pass the throne to someone who doesn’t have your mother’s blood mixed with him?”

“ah… … .”

A sigh escaped Carl’s mouth.

“Youngju’s second son and fourth youngest daughter. These two are children brought by the lord from outside. It was the year my eldest son was five years old and Meisa’s biological mother was two years old. I didn’t even hear from the lord who the mother was. I just said I’m not a noble.”

“Did the late lord have an affair?”

“That’s something I don’t know. Was it an affair, or was it the children of prostitutes whom he held in his arms during the war? The lord served for a very long time on the front lines in the northern part of the Empire. It was like that when I was young. After soaking the sword in the blood of the enemy, the excitement that never subsided was released somewhere else, so no one knows who the mother is.”

“What happened after that?”

“The second son and the youngest daughter, shocked by the eldest son’s words, started fighting against their parents. Why did you lie to yourself all this time? In fact, the story of their birth was only known to the lord, Crena, the eldest son, and an old friend of the lord. The lord’s office, where he used to come and go in Goseong, soon turned into hell. If the older brother criticizes the younger brother and the child resents the parents, what is it but hell? The lord passed away shortly after collapsing on the spot, and the eldest son was not seen in Derdrang after that night.”

“I think I can see why the godmother had a bad feeling about the Dawning Church. I also think you can understand. Did something like that happen… … .”

It is a knife that lives a long life through the past life and the present life.

He was proud to say that he had been through all kinds of strange stories.

But today, hearing the story of Derdrang and the Crena family, I was able to realize that new and terrible tragedies happen without end.

“Even in the midst of such a tragedy, if there is one thing that is fortunate, it is that Krenna did not lose her reason despite the death of her husband and the disappearance of her eldest son. No, on the contrary, I mustered up more courage than before. She was robbed by a trickster, and a new temple was built with the remaining half of the funds. It is the Sunflower Hall, which is called the headquarters of the Jeongohgyo. People called Crenna, who did not collapse even after going through pain, ‘Godmother’ from then on. With the godmother at the center, Derdrang rose to his feet again and was able to hold on to his current prestige. It’s like a miracle. No way.”

“Such a crisis has come to Derdrang again. As Derdrang grew steeply, the filth produced indispensably flowed into the sea, threatening the sea lizard clan’s home. In the end, we might end up fighting a war between tribes.”

“Isn’t the world’s work so strange? Hope bloomed in tragedy, but the shadow hiding in the shadow of that hope brought back blood. heh heh heh… … .”

The old cardinal finished his story.

His dejected laughter echoed from every corner of the room.