Throne of the North.

Chapter 757 Only Ryan, only Ryan is allowed!

Crimson aura swirled around the body of a terrifying monster several meters long, vaguely forming a blood-red stag that was frantically devouring the abyssal aura emanating from the golden-maned lion.

This is also why it died at Brand's hands. Brand's inability to control the stag's life force left this legendary monster with no way to fight back.

It is called the Golden Mane Lion, but its mane is jet black, and its ten eyes reflect ten images of calamities from the abyss.

"Legend has it that the Golden Mane Lion was a demon in the mortal world, but the gods brought about the death of the world through the transdimensional realm. In the fallen world, the Golden Mane Lion entered the abyss along with the shattered world and was assimilated by the evil beings in the abyss, thus becoming what it is today."

The priest knelt before the monster's enormous corpse, surrounded by hundreds of clergy who prayed to the great being, as holy light descended from the heavens, engulfing the legendary monster and purifying the evil power it contained.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Palace in Corinth, the Grand Duke and the King met to discuss how to resolve the matter.

“I said before that nobles cannot break their word, and your actions are causing us to lose our reputation in the world.”

The king looked at Grand Duke Gelan with displeasure, not only for this matter, but also because Grand Duke Gelan wielded too much power in the Kingdom of Coran.

"His Majesty."

Grand Duke Gelan's eyes darkened, and he retorted in a deep voice:
“Your Majesty, we can no longer be mired in the North. The Kingdom of Coran should establish a border with the North. Ryan is a very dangerous person.”

"He is changing our kingdom; this land is becoming a mess because of him!"

Grand Duke Gaelan was very wary of Ryan, but to the king, the phrase "our kingdom" was particularly irritating, filling his eyes with rage.

“I don’t know if we are deeply mired in the North, but Your Excellency Grand Duke Galan, you are leading my kingdom to extremes. We have lost the trust of the Dawn Church. On the continent of Norris, the Kingdom of Coran cannot be without allies.”

“Your Majesty, Ryan is a terrible man; he will bring destruction to Coran.”

"What? Can he kill you or me? Or turn the land of the Kingdom of Kolan into ashes? Does he dare to declare war on the Kingdom of Kolan?"

The inheritance of nobility is deeply rooted. Even if a war is lost, or even if the noble bloodline is wiped out, the land owned by the noble will not legally become the property of others. As long as the noble bloodline is even a relative in the future, they will naturally have the right to inherit the land owned by the noble.

The nobles' rights to land were perpetual, at least... in the king's view.

For example, the king of the Kingdom of Kolan can only be a member of the royal family.

“We need Ryan’s prestige in the North to bring benefits to the Kingdom of Coran. Could it be that Grand Duke Galan wants the future of the Kingdom of Coran to be oriented towards the South?”

"You should know that the noble territory in the south, the million square kilometers of land between the Kingdom of Kolan and the Kingdom of Wansu, has been corrupted by the demonic faith of the abyss."

The king stated a fact that no one could accept.

"The faith rebellion of the Dawn Church has allowed the evil aura of the abyss to permeate that land and spread in all directions. If it weren't for Brand, I wouldn't have known that a legendary abyss familiar had appeared on the border of the Kingdom of Coran."

"Grand Duke Galan, can your army kill a legendary abyssal monster?"

Grand Duke Gelan remained silent. His family's resources should give him a chance, but the price would be incredibly high, and his army would suffer heavy casualties.

Thinking of this, Grand Duke Gelan felt quite helpless. The reason he and the king were here to discuss things was because of what Brand had done.

The fact that the other party possesses the power to kill a legend is a threat, and it contradicts the explanation of the 'rules' of the Northern Military Council that Brand had previously mentioned in front of all the nobles within the palace.

He killed the legendary monster of the abyss, telling the nobles of the Kingdom of Kolan that he had helped the kingdom avert an impending disaster, and also telling the Kingdom of Kolan that he could do more than the disasters caused by the legendary abyss monster.

This is a shameless threat.

"Your Majesty, have you made up your mind to resume supplying the North?"

Grand Duke Guelan conceded defeat and returned the power of decision to His Majesty the King, but he was still unwilling to accept it.

“Lian only exploits the resources of the Kingdom of Coran; he has no way of bringing us wealth.”

The king, somewhat smug after regaining power, spoke:
"Didn't that knight say he could resolve the orc war in the North in two months? If he can't, we can use that to question the 'Northern Military Council Speaker,' smoothly leave the Military Council, and not damage the reputation of the Kingdom of Coran."

"If he succeeds, that would be even better. We would then have even less need to provide resources. This war has already drained the potential of the Northern Orcs for decades or even centuries. We will not encounter war for many years to come."

"On the contrary, Ryan needs to provide us with more convenience. The Emperor of the Empire has issued a trade permit, and as the land of the Dawn Faith, the Kingdom of Coran can obtain the Empire's recognition for trade before other kingdoms."

“I already have a plan: the kingdom’s resources can be sold for a higher value in the empire.”

"In the future, the Kingdom of Kolan will be even more prosperous."

The king rules the kingdom and naturally has his own ideals, but he needs an opportunity to realize his ambitions.

On this point, he and Grand Duke Gelan held completely opposite attitudes. The king, under immense pressure, longed for change, while Grand Duke Gelan, who was gradually gaining the highest authority in the kingdom, was even less willing to allow the Kingdom of Coran to have too much contact with the outside world, thereby diluting his prestige.

In this struggle, under external pressure, the Grand Duke of Guelan lost to the King. The King did not let go of this opportunity and continued to suppress the Grand Duke's power.

"According to the alliance, Commander Galic Gelan needs to go to the military court of the Northern Military Council to explain what happened. Don't worry, he represents the Kingdom of Coran, and Ryan will not punish him."

"I will write to them."

Galic was the eldest son of Grand Duke Gellán, and in this way, the king continued to pressure Grand Duke Gellán's sphere of influence.

Galic went to Zero Crossing City without doing anything, and he didn't even need to explain anything. Ryan's goal was simply for Brand to become the commander of the Coran Kingdom's army. However, the king's attitude has brought Ryan much more.

The king's order would make all the nobles of the Kingdom of Coran aware that they were now completely bound to the Northern Military Council.

Grand Duke Guelan left the king's palace in great dissatisfaction. As he left the palace, he saw a white light shooting into the sky from the direction of the Coran Cathedral, as if the gods were purifying the evil forces of the abyss.

"Did the gods answer the prayers of the Dawn Cult?"

Grand Duke Galan gaped in shock. How many years had it been since the Lord of Dawn had responded to his followers? Why would he willingly unleash his holy light to purify the abyss's aura?
"Could it be that He also sensed the severe erosion of the Norris continent by the power of the abyss?"

A terrible evil force has appeared in the south of the Kingdom of Coran, causing a catastrophe. This news has not yet spread throughout the entire continent of Norris, but the Kingdom of Coran has sensed it.

For this reason, the nobles were not very opposed to Brand's Bucks army appearing in the Kingdom of Coran.

Unexpectedly, the Dawn Church did not forget the existence of the evil heretics of the Abyss even during its struggle with the Empire.

"Dawn Cultists..."

Grand Duke Gelan felt that he should go and win over the Dawn Priest in order to consolidate his power in the Kingdom of Coran.

Corinth Cathedral.

Sven was bathed in a holy light, and divine power surged through his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. All the clergy around him looked at Sven the Dawn Priest with fervor, for they clearly felt that a great being was bestowing divine grace upon him.

That was a gift from the great gods to their believers after purifying the power of the abyss. However, only Sven, who was favored, clearly felt that this divine grace did not come from the Lord of Dawn, but from the Sunbird.

Ifrit, one of the great beings in the glory of dawn, the first being to be revived in the North.

This purifying power comes from Him, and the blessing naturally comes from Him as well.

As his feelings deepened, the Dawn Priest Sven suddenly lowered his head, pointed a finger at a knight in silver armor opposite him.

"The Lord has given me the divine power to shatter evil, but this power can only shine its due glory in the right person."

“Devout believer, my Lord’s most faithful servant, are you willing to receive this glory of the Lord? To burn away the evil of the abyss with the light of dawn?”

The knight who was being pointed at knelt down excitedly, looking at Sven with fervor.

"I do, Your Majesty."

"August, remember the sacred words of your prayer, keep in mind the oath you swore at dawn, believe in the creed of dawn forever, and never fall."

"August remembered it."

All the divine grace was bestowed upon Knight Augustus through Sven's initiative. The aura of this Dawn Knight, who possessed the strength of a Sky Knight, began to surge, and within just a few minutes, he—achieved legendary status.

This is the terrifying efficiency with which believers gain power.

"From this moment forward, you are the first Dawn Knight of the Dawn Cult."

"Remember your heartbeat, all you fallen ones—"

"They are all my mortal enemies, my irreconcilable foes."

Augustus, the Knight of Dawn, responded to Sven's question, raising his head and facing Sven with unwavering determination in his eyes filled with white light.

All the clergy still look at Sven in disbelief.

As believers of the Lord of Dawn, they could never have imagined that a civilized priest would bestow the Lord's grace and gifts upon others.

"Do you remember what I told you back then?"

"The Dawn Cult is devout to our Lord not for gain, for our Lord does not need worldly wealth. We are here to give humanity hope and a better tomorrow, because our Lord wants to see his believers not consumed by disaster."

“The Lord’s believers pray every day, asking the Lord to grant them peace, and the Dawn Church is the Lord’s response to the believers.”

“We are all noble, but I am merely a missionary. My sole purpose is to spread the faith of my Lord. Missionaries do not need great power. Therefore, I pray that the Lord will bestow this grace upon Knight Augustus.”

"The Knights of Dawn are the sharpest blade against evil forces."

In short, the missionary doesn't need the power of legends, but the knight who fights often does, so I gave it to him.

The clergy looked at Sven with fervor, and no one questioned his explanation; instead, they showed even greater approval for Priest Sven.

Especially the Knight Augustus, who had sworn in his heart that no enemy who was hostile to the priests could harm his godfather unless they stepped over his dead body.

He gave him a new life.

The great being no longer shed divine grace and radiance. Inside the Colan Cathedral, the clergy gradually regained their composure and rallied around the virtuous priest.

“Priest Sven, Grand Duke Guillain wishes to see you.”

A member of the church entered and said respectfully, "The arrival of divine grace has had the most profound impact on these believers. When facing Siwen, no one dares to raise their head."

"Let him in."

……

"Your Excellency Grand Duke Guelan, the Lord is watching over you."

Sven bowed slightly as he stood beneath the statue of the Lord of Dawn, with behind him... a series of gemstones and agates engraved with names, the topmost of which were those of His Majesty the King and Grand Duke Gaelan.

“Every day, I pray to my Lord for you.”

“Thank you, Father Sven, I feel the Lord’s favor towards me at all times.”

Grand Duke Gaelan said with a smile, showing no contempt for the Confucian priest, for beside him stood a Dawn Knight with a resolute gaze, as if he were about to die a heroic death.

"Just now……"

"The Lord has given us the power of purification to cleanse the abyss and free our world from the erosion of evil forces. However, the Lord also warns His servants that in the southern lands, the abyss has formed a storm of disaster that is destroying the world we live in."

"I will inform all the nobles to cooperate with the Confucian priests in fighting against the evil forces of the abyss."

Grand Duke Gaelan stated matter-of-factly that he now wielded considerable power in the kingdom and could act without the king's consent.

"However, has the Abyss invasion in the southern lands been communicated to Dawn Holy Mountain?"

“We sent a message to the Holy Mountain, but… His Holiness the Pope has not responded.”

Sven said this, and then began to speak.

"I don't think His Holiness the Pope will send troops to eradicate evil."

In fact, Sven did not send a message to the Holy Mountain. Firstly, he was not a registered believer of the Holy Mountain, nor was he a high-ranking clergyman, so he had no means to send messages.

Secondly, this is the will that Lane conveys through Brand.

As expected, upon hearing this answer, Grand Duke Gelan fell silent.

He had already lost the argument with the king, but Grand Duke Galan didn't care. He only needed to return to the embrace of the Dawn Church, and with his current prestige among the nobles, he could easily suppress His Majesty the King.

However, if the Papacy does not provide any support and ignores the Kingdom of Coran, he will be in a very passive position.

Outside the Cathedral of Corinth, Brand calmly patted his warhorse's muscles to help it relax and rest, while his gaze occasionally fell on the Grand Duke's guards in the distance, his expression growing cold.

Only Lord Ryan can help and save the Kingdom of Coran.

Only Lord Ryan is permitted.

(End of this chapter)