Imperial Crown.

Chapter 444: Raven's "Confession"

Many thanks to qq reading dad [0.0123] for the 100 reward!

……

Chapter 459: Raven's "Confession"

The influence of the Church of Light spreads across the continent, with billions of believers.

The highest authority is held by the Pope, who is respectfully addressed as "Your Majesty". His dignity even exceeds that of many monarchs.

Below them are 12 cardinals who are responsible for making decisions on all policies of the church.

Below that are 52 cardinals who rule over the dioceses.

Although the position cannot be inherited, the power and resources it holds are in no way inferior to the top nobles in the human countries.

In some places where secular forces are weak, they are even able to overthrow the regime.

One word can make a country prosperous, and one word can destroy a clan.

Thomas is one of them.

At this moment, he was in Raven's bedroom, wearing a round-crowned hat on his smooth head and a bright red gilded cloak on his shoulders, a symbol of authority.

His every move still showed the calmness and majesty that came from being immersed in power for a long time, but his expression was as kind as that of an old man next door, and he looked at the room layout with a little curiosity.

Large flakes of ice formed on the tightly sealed glass windows, and on the windowsill was a field of goose-yellow lilies blooming against the season.

The walls are a soothing orange-yellow color, and the soft carpet on the floor has a pattern that resembles wooden floors.

Even though the temperature was adjusted by a temperature control array, the fireplace was still burning brightly. It was filled with high-quality pine wood, filling the air with a faint scent of pine resin.

Above the bed hangs an oil painting that was painted when Raven and Nancy got married. It is a young man and woman with smiling faces.

This made Thomas's nostrils flare slightly and his eyes fell on the bed.

Raven was leaning against the head of the bed at this time.

Completely different from the high-spirited look in the oil painting, Raven's hair was now completely gray, he was skinny, his lips were wrinkled and pursed, and the skin on his neck was as dry as chicken skin.

He could be the uncle of 68-year-old Thomas.

"Earl Raven." Thomas said dryly, feeling a little pity for a moment:

"Speak, and the Lord will forgive you all your sins."

If he had not helped Eivor VIII at that time, Raven would not have fallen to his current situation. He was so weak that he could not even go to the church to confess, and could only invite Thomas to his bedroom.

Fortunately, the weak and incompetent Grand Duke died a violent death.

Thomas suspected that it might be Raven who did it, but Raven did not show any abnormality afterwards, which made Thomas gradually feel relieved.

Decided to bury this secret forever in darkness.

Raven looked sad: "I... am guilty."

“I’m not a responsible brother.”

"Back then... in order to secure my own position, I allowed my aunt and brother to fall into danger when the bandits attacked Eagle Castle, causing my brother Weston to lose an arm."

"Later, during the conquest of Bloody Heights, I intended to kill someone with a borrowed knife, but he survived."

"Fortunately, he survived and did not make me bear a deeper sin."

At this point, Raven took a long breath like a broken bellows:

"I am not a competent husband either."

"Soon after I married Nancy, I started having an affair with Mrs. Doreen. I was unfaithful to my wife!"

"In order to consolidate my power, to avoid threats, and to curry favor with the king, I killed Gul'dan, my wife's only remaining relative, her blood brother, who came to me for help."

"I was unfair to her!"

"I am not a responsible head of the family either."

"I committed adultery with my aunt, which caused me to turn against my brothers and tear the whole family apart!"

"I am a beast worthy of being burned at the stake, a beast worthy of being drowned, I—

Cough, cough, cough!!!"

Cough, severe cough.

Raven coughed so hard that veins popped out on his palms, which almost tore the bed sheets, and bloody saliva flowed from the corners of his mouth.

Tears welled up in my eyes without me noticing.

Raven opened his mouth wide, as if he wanted to vomit out his internal organs and soul, and beat his legs hard:

"I, I deserve to die—"

"Lord Raven!" Thomas rushed to the bedside and grabbed Raven's hand:
"You don't have to do this. The Lord will forgive your sins. Everything in this world is His will!"

The holy light lit up in Thomas's hand and flowed into Raven's body, slowly calming his body and emotions.

Thomas's eyes were filled with surprise that was difficult to conceal.

He knew that Raven was in poor health, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.

The power of the blood curse has penetrated deep into the skin and entangled with the blood, making it almost impossible to separate.

Not to mention him, even if the Pope himself comes, he can't lift it.

"Thank you, Archbishop Thomas. I lost my temper." Raven's cheeks turned red. "...As I get older, I can no longer control my emotions. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"No way." Thomas took his hand back and said, "Everyone has a breakdown sometimes. It's a good thing to be able to vent the stress."

"I hope so..." Raven sighed and motioned for Thomas to sit down.

After Thomas sat down, Raven said, "Actually, I asked you to come here today, in addition to confessing to my Lord, I also want to ask for your help on something."

Thomas immediately said, "Please speak."

Raven's expression was calm and frank. "You know, I'm about to go on an expedition to the Orc Empire. It's uncertain whether I can come back alive after this trip."

"Although I conferred the title of Viscount on Denise, she is a woman after all. Once I leave, I will inevitably encounter many hardships and obstacles."

"So, I hope that after I leave, you can help me take care of the territory so that there won't be too much turmoil while I'm gone."

"And if I don't come back alive..."

Raven paused and continued:
"I hope you can help me hold on to the situation, at least until Meroviev grows up and can inherit the title of the Griffith family."

"Of course, I wouldn't ask you to help for nothing."

"No matter whether I can come back alive or not, as long as you agree, from now on, the Griffith family will be the most loyal ally of the Church of Light!"

Upon hearing this, Thomas's expression remained as calm as a lake, but his heart was already in turmoil!

Raven's move is no different from entrusting his son to someone else's care.

And the price paid really made Thomas excited.

A family of earls completely turned to the Church of Light - this was Thomas's long-cherished wish that he wanted to realize on the Fox family, but ultimately failed to do so.

And this guarantee is not just empty talk.

If Raven comes back alive, he will fulfill his oath; if Raven dies, Denise alone will not be able to hold on to the situation and will have to rely on him.

Furthermore, Thomas could bring Raven's daughter, Meroviev, to the church for personal instruction, so that when she grows up, she would naturally become a believer of the church.

Thomas felt a little uneasy about such a huge benefit, so he tried to test it:
"Lord Raven, don't say such things. Children cannot lack the company of their parents."

"Since your body is already so weak, why do you have to conquer the Orc Empire?"

"You don't have to worry about me. I can transfer the resources back, so there won't be much loss." "I regret it too." Raven sighed, "It's just that His Majesty the King ordered me to retrieve the Titan cub. Since I am a member of the empire, how can I not obey orders?"

Thomas showed some sympathy and helplessness, as well as some anger at the injustice. He suddenly slapped his chair and shouted:
"Keynes XVI, this is really too much!"

……

Chapter 460 Everyone Gains Something

Thomas gritted his teeth:
"King Cairns XVI, how can you be a monarch!?"

"The reason why he was able to ascend the throne was not because of his noble character or his ability, but because he framed his brother with conspiracy and trickery, leaving His Majesty the Fifteenth with no choice!"

"When I first took over, I was still able to pretend for the sake of my image, but later I just stopped pretending."

"Let's not talk about anything else. Just take the war with Insa. We were not well prepared beforehand and had no countermeasures during the war. As a result, Keynes lost his rights and humiliated his country afterwards, and had to pay more than 10 million gold coins in compensation!"

"This kind of person is not worthy of being the ruler of a country, just..."

"That's enough!" Raven interrupted Thomas and coughed twice.
"Your Excellency the Archbishop, don't forget that I am, after all, a noble of the Empire, an earl personally appointed by His Majesty!"

Thomas refused to stop after hearing this. He stood up and said, "With your achievements and contributions to the empire, no matter who becomes king, you should be given this title!"

"At this point, he is about to let you die, and you still want to defend him?"

"It is Keynes XVI who is sorry for you, not you who are sorry for him!"

Raven's tense face changed color several times, but finally softened. He smiled bitterly and said, "...But as a vassal of His Majesty the King, I have no right to be dissatisfied."

"In the final analysis, I was too young and impulsive, and I took the initiative to hand the handle to others."

"Everyone knows that I killed Anthony, which aroused the anger of His Majesty the King, but no one knows why I killed him."

"That's because Anthony brought a contract that no one can accept. He wants to squeeze the Griffith family dry!"

"If I don't kill him and go against the King's orders, the Griffith family will be destroyed."

"If I kill him, I will be killing a noble without authorization and will put my neck under the butcher knife of His Majesty the King. Whether I can survive depends on whether His Majesty the King can show me mercy."

"Your Majesty clearly arrested me, beat me, and humiliated me when I was knighted, but he is still not satisfied and wants to kill me and Griffith!"

"This is a naked conspiracy. His Majesty the King is forcing me to either go against him or wag my tail and beg for mercy like a dog!"

"I have been devoted to my country and loyal to Your Majesty, but I have to be treated like that."

"How dare I not go now, how dare I complain to His Majesty!?"

These words seemed to have exhausted all of Raven's strength, and he began to breathe heavily after he finished speaking.

I don’t know if it’s because he vented the resentment that was pent up in his heart, but he seems to be in better spirits.

Thomas poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Raven, who took it and took a sip.

When drinking water, his throat rolled, revealing the greed unique to the elderly.

"I understand your difficulties, Earl Raven." Thomas said, "Go and attack the Orc Empire without worry. I will take care of everything here for you!"

"Then I'll trouble you." Raven smiled. "Right now in the Nord Province, only Marquis Tyrone has the ability to interfere with and suppress my Griffith Family. But after all, he and I have common interests. Once I leave, he won't do anything too outrageous."

"The one we really need to guard against is Count Comos."

Komos Shiva Brodes, an imperial earl, whose territory is located in the province of Molinier in the south of the province of Nord.

Along with Count Jonah, he is one of the three great nobles of Molinier.

Twelve years ago, her younger sister married into the Queslan family, one of the eight great dukes of the empire, and since then she has also climbed up the high branches of the new aristocracy.

Ever since Cairns XVI ordered Raven to obtain a Titan cub, Count Comos has assembled an army of 5 and stationed them on the border between Molinil and Nord.

As long as His Majesty the King gives the order, he can lead his troops north to attack Griffith at any time.

Thomas also knew all of this.

After a little thought, Thomas said in a deep voice: "After you set off, you have the righteous cause of attacking the Orc Empire. Komos will never dare to risk being targeted by the entire human race to attack."

"If he dares to make any threats or blackmail, don't worry, he won't be able to do anything with me here!"

"As for Earl Tyrone, I will also do my best to help you. After all, your two families have their roots in Nord, so we will prosper together and suffer together."

Raven smiled with satisfaction: "Thank you very much, Your Excellency the Archbishop."

"The best decision I made in my life was to cooperate with you."

"Thank you." Seeing Raven's eyelids begin to droop, Thomas stood up and said goodbye: "Earl Raven, you should rest more. I won't bother you any more. Here, I wish you victory in the battle!"

Ten minutes later.

Thomas' carriage left Eagle City.

The carriage was very large, and Thomas was bent over the desk in the carriage, writing furiously.

Soon, a letter was written, and Thomas said, "Xu Fa, help me deliver this letter to His Royal Highness Morenzo in the capital, and ask him to pass it on to His Majesty the King."

A figure emerged from the shadows, with eyes like copper bells and a beard as thick as a bush.

But the voice was as sharp as if it was deliberately pinched: "I saw what you wrote just now. Telling His Majesty the King that Raven was dissatisfied with him, what good would it do you?"

"It will be beneficial not only to me, but also to the entire church." Thomas said calmly: "Raven may die or not when he goes to the Orc Empire. There is even a chance to find a way to extend his life."

"But once this letter is delivered to His Majesty the King, he will not tolerate Raven living too long."

"After Raven's death, the Griffith family is left with only orphans and widows. They are also deeply at odds with His Majesty the King, so naturally they can only rely on our Church."

Xiufa put away the letter, his voice still sharp: "But this is just a letter, without any evidence. Why should King Keynes XVI believe you?"

"It doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not. What matters is whether he is willing to believe it." Thomas said, "And our King, huh..."

Shaking his head, Thomas said, "Well, go and deliver the letter. You, the Blood Wing Inquisitor, shouldn't spend too much time with me."

"Tsk, that's right." Xiufa picked up the letter, jumped out of the window and disappeared.

Looking at the vast Eagle Territory outside the window, Thomas's lips curled up into a triumphant smile.

The same smile also appeared on Raven's face.

Looking at Thomas's carriage going away, Raven stretched his body.
"Petie, help me take my makeup off!"

Raven was already used to acting with makeup on, but if he wanted to trick this old fox Thomas, he would have to spend more money.

The reason why the Holy Light was able to deceive Thomas just now was because Raven spread the power of the blood curse throughout his body.

Although the Ring of Blood and Curse helped and no harm was done, the pressure was real.

But now that the goal has been achieved, the hard work and tears are worth it.

In the long run, since he had decided to confront Keynes XVI, he would of course have to find a strong enough backer, and turning to the Church of Light was the least bad choice.

Of course, the extent of one's allegiance is up to Raven.

To put it in the short term, it means that when he leaves, he can find a strong external aid for Griffith to stabilize the situation around the territory, so that he doesn't have to fight outside while a fire breaks out in the backyard.

As for whether Thomas would choose to inform, it was secondary to Raven - the rift between him and Keynes XVI was already big enough, and whether Thomas did it or not would not affect the overall situation.

It's better if you do it.

"Master, you seem very happy today?" Patty carefully cleaned the camouflage on Raven's skin with potion.

"It just makes me feel more relaxed." Raven hummed with his eyes closed.

The worries were finally relieved and the preparations for the war were basically completed.

It's time to attack the Orc Empire!

……

(End of this chapter)