On the main road at the outskirts of Rapids City, a sturdy carriage reinforced with crossbow-resistant grass mats and netting was moving slowly, flanked by three squads of cavalry and ard monks.
This was naturally the group of Ludvik and Rang Buluo, only that they had left Martin at Joan of Arc Castle as a liaison.
They had just left Rapids City and needed to reach the dock before sunset to take a boat to Xiaochi City.
Ludvik planned to hold a monastery conference there to resolve the dispute with Rang Buluo.
The two quarrelso individuals had been bickering all the way from Joan of Arc Castle to Rapids City and were still arguing even now.
"We’ve already torn off the mask with the papacy; their army could attack at any mont."
"We haven’t torn anything; the Blago Monastery has never gone to war with the papacy. What’s happening in Xiaochi City is a spontaneous act of the people."
"We need the Salvation Army’s troops. Aren’t you afraid Prince Kongdai will attack us?"
"The papacy attacking our monastery, are they crazy?" Rang Buluo stubbornly retorted, "Aren’t they afraid so many monasteries would turn against the papacy?"
There had been precedents for such events in the papacy’s history.
During the second war to reclaim the old lands, when the Kush people migrated to the Thousand River Valley, there was a great schism within the Holy Seat City.
Monasteries and churches across the land acted independently, monks and priests mixed, and bishops and abbots acted almost completely independent of the Pope and the King.
They ford alliances with lower-level warlords and possessed huge standing armies, even declaring war and peace on their own.
This chaos lasted for sixty years, growing worse until the arrival of vampires over the sea, almost leading to a dark period akin to a great civil war.
Currently, although the papacy has split into the North and South, monasteries and monks remain united.
Keeping the conflict constrained at the top and trying to fight without breaking has been the precious political consensus of the priests for centuries.
Rang Buluo was confident Prince Kongdai would not dare to make a move against the monastery. Even if he had such intentions, bishops and monasteries would dissuade him.
As long as there was no flaw in the egg that is the Blago Monastery, Prince Kongdai would not lay a hand on them.
In his eyes, Ludvik’s actions were blatantly creating a crack in the egg.
"Why wouldn’t they dare? They dared to burn Juanuo, did they face any punishnt?"
"How could there not be? Constans has been blocked by the monks and has yet to obtain the position of Cardinal, and likely never will." Rang Buluo raised his head defiantly, "How about that?"
"How about what? Juanuo lost his life, while what was lost was rely the position of a Cardinal," Ludvik retorted, frowning.
"I told him from the start not to get involved with the Secret Faction, but he didn’t listen," said Rang Buluo, also annoyed by the thought of Juanuo’s situation, "Besides, he could leave anyti he wanted, he just insisted on doing it legally."
"That’s different." Ludvik sighed deeply, "Anyway, I will push forward with cooperation with the Salvation Army. What’s the point of stirring this up?"
"There’s a point."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"I will use my truth to persuade you and the other abbots." Rang Buluo looked at the darkening evening sky outside and straightened his back as he spoke.
Ludvik sighed helplessly, "Go ahead and say what you want to say."
Rang Buluo, having his way, couldn’t help but cough lightly, "By the Saint Master’s na... from this doctrine alone... so things are simply as they are, true or not..."
Ludvik leaned his head against the edge of the carriage, yawning and gazing out the window.
As Rang Buluo droned on, Ludvik’s eyelids grew heavier, and just as he was about to fall asleep, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Stop the carriage, stop right now!"
Rang Buluo, still talking endlessly, was startled by Ludvik’s sudden shout.
He turned his head, realizing Ludvik hadn’t been listening to a word but was instead craning his neck to look outside the carriage.
Rang Buluo leaned out, spotting a group of boys in their early tens surrounding a dirty little girl outside the carriage.
The little girl’s apron was empty below, with only one right leg; her crutch was being tossed around by those boys, making her cry in grievance.
"Where are you going?"
Seeing Ludvik stop the carriage and push the door open to get off, Rang Buluo grabbed hold of Ludvik’s coat.
He imdiately recognized it was Ludvik’s old habit flaring up.
Ludvik held onto the door fra, "I’m going to check on that limping child and chase these little rascals away."
"Then why are you going yourself?" Rang Buluo still clung to Ludvik’s clothes, "Why not just send the coachman and the ard monks, don’t waste ti."
"Is upholding justice considered a waste of ti?"
"Fine, you’re righteous, I’m worthless, okay?" Rang Buluo huffed angrily, still fuming, and let go of the hold on Ludvik’s coat.
Ludvik jumped off the carriage, picked up a stick, and charged at the group of boys: "Get away, get away, you little brats!"
The ard monks, holding short-handled maces, followed closely and cautiously.
Seeing adults approaching, the boys shrieked and scattered, dropping their canes.
Only the little girl with hair like a bird’s nest was left, sitting on the ground, back to Ludvik, still covering her face and crying.
A flash of pity and warmth crossed Ludvik’s usually stern face. He showed a kindly smile, knelt down, and stroked the little girl’s hair.
"It’s okay now, it’s okay, the bad guys have been chased away."
The attempt to comfort made things worse; the girl imdiately shifted from sobbing to wailing.
Quickly wrapping his arms around the girl’s thin body, Ludvik lifted her into his embrace, "Alright, alright, don’t cry. Grandpa will take you to eat..."
Ludvik’s comforting words ca to an abrupt stop.
A cold sensation traveled from his chest, and the sunset beyond the distant mountains appeared doubled before his eyes, as the edges of trees, rocks, and the earth all began to blur.
He looked down to see a dagger, glinting with a green reflection, driven into his chest, piercing directly into his heart.
"You, you aren’t even..."
The girl released her hands from her face, allowing Ludvik to see clearly.
It was not a child’s face at all, but that of an adult woman.
This was no little girl, but clearly an adult female dwarf!
A sinister and sly smile appeared on her withered face as she continued to twist the dagger in her hand.
"Get away, despicable papal lackey!" Gripping her slender wrist, Ludvik roared in anger and flung her away with a reverse movent.
The female dwarf was hurled viciously onto the rocks, bouncing off with a spray of blood before landing limply on the ground.
Ludvik wanted to pursue, but his legs began to weaken, his breathing beca rapid and heavy, and he collapsed after just one step.
"Ludvik! Ah!" Rang Buluo clambered down from the carriage with a crash, even ripping the door off in his haste.
In his hurry, he landed face down on the ground as he got off, noticing his fall too late.
However, Rang Buluo seed oblivious to the pain, lifting his robes and running to Ludvik’s side.
He glanced at the little girl and then at the dagger in Ludvik’s chest, tears streaming down his face, "I told you not to get off, not to get off, but you insisted, didn’t I tell you? Huh? Wasn’t I right?"
Ludvik wanted to call out, to struggle, but strength was rapidly draining from his robust body.
The poison blackened his veins, while two monks clumsily applied Holy Oil to his forehead, casting flas of Divine Art and blessing over Ludvik.
But the assassin was prepared; the toxin coagulates blood and veins, it could be purged, but the damage it caused was irreversible.
"Ludvik, Ludvik, keep your eyes open, use the Divine Art. You, you, you can’t die... Ludvik? You, you and Juanuo are gone, what am I going to do?"
Looking at everything dyed crimson by the sunset, Ludvik opened his mouth wide, wanting to answer, but couldn’t make a sound.
With his last ounce of strength, he sat up, pointing fiercely to the north, as if thrusting this sword of anger into soone’s chest.
His whole body was cloaked in the golden light of the sunset, for a mont, Rang Buluo mistook him for a golden statue through his blurred vision.
Maintaining this posture for about two or three seconds, Ludvik suddenly collapsed onto the grass as if drained of all his strength.
"It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Church... they wouldn’t dare... Ludvik? Ludvik!"
Rang Buluo’s body began to tremble, biting his lip, he reached out to check Ludvik’s breath.
After a few seconds, he jerked back as if electrocuted and then weakly fell to a kneeling position on the ground.
Ludvik’s eyes remained wide open, gazing at the sky where blue and gold intermixed.
He had stopped breathing.
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