Divine Kingship

Chapter 592 Opponents, Rebels, and His Majesty Rand

Recently, Rand received an invitation to a duel.

He is a paladin of the Torch Church.

He looked to be about eighty years old; he was clearly the kind of stubborn old man.

According to Bishop Kahn, this old paladin had served the Torch Church for many years, even at great personal risk.

He was at the forefront of the fight against evil and also participated in the war to eradicate Rand, the leader of the cult of the Blood of Nurturing.

Later, they firmly stood by their original aspirations, and they remain so to this day.

This old paladin had been Bishop Kahn's teacher and had also taught Tanl and Karin.

If he hadn't been uninterested in administrative matters and hadn't had mediocre professional talent, he might have already been a cardinal.

Of course, the old paladin's status is still incredibly high.

But this does not diminish its stubbornness.

So after much consideration, Rand decided to accept the challenge.

The reason for the duel was, of course, the newly proposed plan to appoint Rand as the head of the Torch Church.

The popes of the Torch Church have always been, and always have been, people of both virtue and talent, and of high moral standing and prestige.

At least that's how it is in the eyes of the world. The previous pope of the Torch Church, the one killed by Karin, was probably the worst pope in the history of the Torch Church.

The old paladin was well aware of Rand's character and abilities. Apart from his age, Rand perfectly met the old paladin's criteria for the Pope of the Torch Church.

Long ago, when Archbishop Kahn decided to establish a base in this remote and impoverished resort town.

The old paladin noticed Rand's unique wisdom, which was quite different from that of this world.

Rand was an odd man, but the old paladin knew very well that Rand could bring light to these suffering people, to those who needed fire in the darkness.

However, the old paladin knew very well that he was an old man from an old era.

He could not accept that the Church of the Torch had become an object in the hands of a secular king.

This means that his past beliefs have all become things that the king can consider changing.

But the belief must not be changed.

The old paladin knew very well that supporting Rand would make the Church of the Torch and the world a better place.

He did not object to the Torch Church accepting some doctrinal changes, such as using fire to boil water for purification and to prevent disease.

It did not prevent the close contact between the Church of Harvest and Health and the Church of Torch.

but now.

He felt he should do something.

He felt he shouldn't accept such a huge change too easily.

What can be changed too easily cannot be called a belief, nor can it withstand the test of time.

Things that are too easily obtained are the same, even if they are logically sound.

Therefore, the old paladin decided to duel with Rand.

The spring rain is sticky.

The old knight clenched his fists in the backyard of the sanctuary.

He is a senior professional.

Although his age has caused his strength and agility to decline to a level that may even be inferior to that of elite professionals.

However, he is experienced and possesses characteristics typically found only by advanced professionals.

Ordinary elite professionals would be no match for him.

And Rand.

Rand is also a high-level professional.

Everyone knew that the old paladin was no match for Rand, and no one was carrying a weapon in this duel.

The old paladin simply needed a duel.

The old paladin took off his outer garment, revealing a gaunt and scarred body.

Rand simply draped a robe over his shoulders.

"You little beast." The old paladin never swore, but he picked up a phrase to provoke Rand today.

Rand was helpless.

He replied, "You old bastard."

……

The battle ended with Rand winning easily.

In many situations in this world, we need to use reason to resolve things.

However, in some situations, the use of force is not necessarily a bad thing.

After defeating the old paladin, Rand arranged for him to receive recuperation and treatment.

The old paladin also used this reason to formally retire, completely relinquishing all his positions in the Torch Church and no longer participating.

For a paladin, perhaps only a battle would truly bring the fight to a close.

During this period, many respected old men came to challenge Rand to duels.

They may not all be truly against Rand.

But they realized they should let the younger generation continue, and that it was time for them to retire.

They may not be unable to understand these changes, but they have decided to let go.

So now Rand is the dueling champion.

Although they were all old-timers they defeated.

But that doesn't stop Rand from becoming a dueling master.

That's practically kicking the nursing home.

After the passionate brawl between Rand and the old men of the Torch Church, some of the resistance from the Torch Church has lessened somewhat.

Of course, there are still many who are unwilling to accept Rand as the leader. These forces will not disappear so easily or quickly, after all, Rand has only been around for less than ten years.

Many things won't be accepted too quickly, but Rand isn't in a hurry; he'll take it slow.

Rand of the Torch Church was quite pleased with these Torch Church clergy who had come to the resort with Bishop Kahn; they were all upright and faithful people.

Rand intends to implement a theocracy, and these Torch Church members will not be enemies.

Of course, the two factions of the New Holy City and the Old Holy City, which have not yet been subdued, are not included in this category.

After dealing with some issues concerning the Church of the Torch, Rand returned to the palace to resume his busy work.

Rand, sitting on the throne, idly fiddled with his crown, his gaze fixed on the documents on the table.

And at this time.

……

Far away on the border of the Duchy of Lunar Phase.

A group of people are plotting.

“Our king has fled, but as long as we are still here, the Kingdom of Bolun will not perish.”

These nobles of the Kingdom of Bolen could not accept Rand's evil rule.

Previously, the Frostmoon Kingdom's army had been advancing with unstoppable momentum.

Caught off guard, much of their resistance was defeated before it could even be organized.

Then, just as they were about to unite and organize a resistance army to rescue the capital of Bolen, the king fled.

The Frostmoon Kingdom unilaterally declared their victory.

However, these nobles of the Kingdom of Bologna absolutely could not accept it.

The Frostmoon Kingdom treats prisoners and those who surrender quite well.

This led many soldiers and lower-ranking nobles to surrender.

But these landowning nobles would never accept it.

These lands are their property, inherited from their ancestors, and they would accept it if Rand allowed them to rule over them.

They would thus acknowledge Rand's monarchy.

But the evil false king Rand actually intends to strip them of their sacred, ancient land.

This is something they will never accept, and they will fight to the end!

"Rand actually dares to seize our land," a nobleman from the Kingdom of Bolen sneered. "With his small number of men, does he have enough to rule over so much land?"

As is well known, the Nicholas family is a family with no lineage.

Most noble families in this world have a lineage that has been passed down through generations.

The world has not been in turmoil for very long.

Aristocratic families with a long history and accumulated wealth will have many talented people at their disposal, including family members who have branched out into the family, as well as servants and stewards who have served the family for generations.

and many more.

These people will become a source of strength for the family.

But Rand didn't have these things.

Therefore, many nobles of the Kingdom of Bolen are waiting to see what Rand will do now that he wants to redistribute land but doesn't have enough manpower.

Moreover, now that Land and the Frostmoon Kingdom have separated, it means that Land can no longer directly mobilize the Frostmoon Kingdom's military forces.

This is the opportunity.

"Are our people ready?" asked the nobleman from the Kingdom of Bolen, who was attempting to rebel against Rand.

“Ready,” the nobleman’s knight commander replied.

"Have the Rand people made any moves?" the nobleman continued to ask.

"They're normally moving supplies into the city, probably to repair the city walls and rebuild the town," the subordinate replied.

“Now is indeed the right time. If we let them repair the city walls, it will be very difficult to breach them,” the nobleman of the Kingdom of Bolun said with certainty.

……

At this moment, Thalys, Thalys, Vanilla, and Wind Chime were counting the supplies being moved into the city, with some Torch Church paladins, priests, and nuns nearby.

This is the border of the Duchy of Lunar Phases.

After learning that she might actually be involved in the conflict in the Elf Forest, Vanilla began to take some action.

She is about to undergo some learning and training in various aspects.

Previously, she only needed to manage the teaching aspects of her work.

But now, it's necessary to have some understanding of politics, power struggles, military affairs, economics, and culture.

Of course, Rand should be in charge, but if he acts like a useless person, he won't be able to manage the Elf Forest well.

Vanilla fled the fairy forest because she hated the stagnation there.

She certainly didn't want to make the Elf Forest even worse if she ever actually came to power.

She would never forgive herself.

So this time, she brought a group of students, along with members of the Torch Church and the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health, to the outlying city to establish a town.

Rand's solution to the current talent shortage is for teachers to mentor students. As the vice principal, she can set an example for this. She won't be here to deal with the problem forever, but she can make a start.

"Is the vibration communication device working?" Vanilla asked.

“It’s ready.” Archbishop Serth personally conducted the test.

“I did some analysis before I came here. There are quite a few noble families from the Kingdom of Bolun who haven’t been completely eliminated in this area. They might not have submitted, so we need to be careful,” Vanilla said.

Serai nodded: "Yes, our warriors are ready for battle, and we are also recruiting local soldiers, so there's no need to worry."

When Vanilla and her team come out to set an example, they naturally won't choose a safe place to put on a show.

This is a rather dangerous place.

They also brought vibration communication devices in case they were unable to call for help in case of a serious situation.

However, it's not certain that anything will happen, so for now, we should just be on guard.

"Wind Chime, let's go arrange the students," Vanilla called to Wind Chime.

Now dressed as an elven ranger, Wind Chime responded and followed Vanilla to the heart of the ruined city.

Fengling's current work mainly consists of directing and acting, but her martial arts skills haven't gone to waste.

Now that Vanilla might get involved in the troubles of the Elf Forest, she, as a close confidante of Vanilla, naturally cannot stay out of it.

Now I'm accompanying Vanilla to get some exercise.

“You might become Her Majesty Vanilla in the future?” Wind Chime teased.

Wind Chime has always been like an older sister to Vanilla. Wind Chime is very close to Vanilla and doesn't feel any restraint because of Vanilla's possible change in status.

"Great actress, great director, please stop making fun of me. There's no guarantee that this kind of thing will ever be resolved," Vanilla said helplessly.

Vanilla is no longer the little girl who just arrived at the resort.

She doesn't even have much desire for the throne; at least for now, her actions are largely driven by orders from her superiors.

"Have you not redeemed yourself yet?" Wind Chime asked.

Vanilla looked at the wind chimes and smiled: "What, you, a free man, are mocking me, a slave?"

Wind Chime rolled her eyes helplessly: "I feel like I'm getting ripped off, but you really don't need to..."

"Don't use the formal 'you'." Vanilla glared and continued walking forward with Wind Chime. "Many things don't need to be taken too seriously. Sigh, if I really participate in the conflicts of the Elf Forest as a contender for the throne, will my vacation be gone?"

"I think if you apply to Lord Rand, he should approve your leave," Wind Chime said with a smile.

The elves who work at the resort generally have a lot of work pressure, and Vanilla, being highly trusted, naturally has the heaviest workload.

Rand actually values ​​a good balance between work and rest. If there is a real need for a vacation, Rand will certainly not hold back.

Although Vanilla is busy now, she basically doesn't need to work overtime anymore and she does get regular holidays. However, the high-intensity work in the early days made Vanilla subconsciously think about holidays.

"Enemy attack!" A loud shout rang out from the city, signaling the approaching war.

Vanilla and Wind Chime, who were chatting idly, suddenly changed their expressions.

Although they had anticipated the level of danger, the fact that they were attacked so early still made them look serious.

Wind Chime and Vanilla went to the city, gathered the outstanding students from the church school they had brought, and then took them to the military camp to meet with Serai.

At this moment, Thales, Thales, and the people of the Church of the Torch were already waiting.

“I didn’t expect an attack on the very first day.” Serai frowned. The young general’s face and hands were covered in scars.

Serai had been through several of the most crucial bloody battles between the Holy Land forces. Rand healed his injuries, but the scars did not disappear.

“We are ready to assist in the operation at any time,” Vanilla said earnestly.

"Actually, no need. From observation, the enemy is no match for our army. Although we didn't bring many people this time, their skill level and equipment are actually very good."

Vanilla glanced at Serai. She knew Serai well and knew he wasn't the type to make hasty judgments at a time like this.

“Let’s practice the procedure then. Although they are no match for us, let’s still try calling for reinforcements and defending the city,” Vanilla said. “Let my students practice as well.”

(End of this chapter)