Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 352 Cassandra: Roman legitimacy can also exist in the Eastern Sea Kingdom
Pfft!Pfft!
In the Duke's castle, loyal retainers, theological professionals, armed men, and private soldiers fell one after another, their blood flowing freely.

Most people are knocked out in their sleep by the Eastern "rooster crows at dawn to return the soul incense," and before they know it, their throats have been slit.

Even the patrol officers who were conscious were unable to react in time and escaped the disaster.

The infiltrated Eagle's Nest Assassin only needs a feather in his hand to perform a "Leap of Faith" from the high watchtower, jumping behind them unharmed.

Each time, he could swing his hidden sword from the most unbelievable angle, piercing their kidneys.

Many of the maids in the castle also tore off their maid dresses and suddenly transformed into fierce female assassins, taking lives unexpectedly.

Located deep within the Franco-German Empire, most of the Duke's private army, lacking combat experience, collapsed to the ground before they could even scream.

The castle gradually fell silent, with only the pungent smell of blood growing stronger and stronger, making people nauseous.

"嘘嘚嘚"

Duchess Sophia, who was used to a life of luxury, was chattering and felt weak all over.

She had never seen such a horrific massacre, like a killing machine, in her entire life.

Precise! Ruthless! Efficient!

Clearly, no assassin organization in the past few centuries has been able to surpass these long-established Eagle's Nest assassins.

Even at the height of the Yunmeng Empire's power, they only eradicated their strongholds in the mountains, failing to completely sever the lineage of this terrifying assassin.

Cassandra, the Far East head of the Eagle's Nest assassins, uses methods as simple and direct as the assassins' methods of killing.

Not only did they draw upon their own extensive team from the Far East, but they also recruited many key personnel who were roaming the Western Continent.

Dealing with a ducal castle without a high-ranking commander was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut; the scattered resistance forces did not cause any ripples.

As dawn approached, the core forces supporting the former duke, both inside and outside the castle, were wiped out.

There is no need to worry about them causing trouble in the duchy that has now changed its name to Paleolog.

A group of the Eagle's Nest assassins stayed behind to take over the entire castle.

The other group, cloaked, retreated calmly, their footsteps landing silently, disappearing into the last darkness before dawn as if they had never existed.

The door opened, and another "Cassandra" walked in, carrying two golden swords that were still dripping blood.

Her bare feet were as white as snow, her head adorned with gold and jade ornaments, her body draped with tassels and adorned with pearl and jade necklaces, making her incomparably radiant and beautiful.

She didn't resemble a ruthless assassin at all; instead, she seemed like a stunningly beautiful dancer, "whirling and dancing with the tinkling of jade pendants, her beauty unparalleled and the air thick with the scent of spring."

He walked up to Cassandra, who was dressed in a gothic black dress, and instantly disappeared into her shadow.

It is obvious that these are the "Bodhisattva appearance" and "Heavenly Demon appearance" that she naturally developed after cultivating to the fourth grade of "Bodhisattva Barbarian".

"You guys"

By this time, the duchess had realized the identity of the newcomer, and her body was trembling so violently that she was on the verge of collapse.

When a group of cold-faced maids came in and changed her clothes, she needed several people to help her stand up.

As the first rays of sunlight fell in the morning, all the duchy's main vassals, officials, and administrators were "invited" here.

"Gentlemen, I now represent the new Duke and take over all the properties of the duchy. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

Cassandra produced a warrant bearing the Duke's seal and displayed it to everyone.

Under the influence of the [Imperial Heir Set] effect, they, like all those vassals in history who surrendered to the victors, knelt on one knee with heartfelt devotion, offering their loyalty to their new lord.

"We have no objection."

"Good day, Madam!"

Seeing this scene that had finally arrived, former Duchess Sofia trembled all over and suddenly lost all her strength.

Summoning his last bit of courage, he sternly rebuked Cassandra beside him:
"Even if you obtained the title of Duke of Medinaceli through despicable means, it is only temporary. You are not even believers of the Church of the Holy Cross."

In this country, which is most devout to traditionalists of the church, you will find it difficult to move an inch.

His Majesty Philip II will never allow a heretic to hold the title of Duke. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps the day after, the Imperial army will hang you all.

Her words were like a stone, stirring up waves in the hearts of many retainers, territorial officials, and stewards, causing a stir in the room.

Boom!
At that moment, an ancient wooden cross, about the height of an adult's thigh, crashed to the ground.

The commotion abruptly ceased, and everyone silently gazed at the unreal beauty of Cassandra, only to see the aura emanating from her body resonating with the cross, radiating a dazzling holy light.

He uttered something that no one could understand:

"Heh, no one in this world has the right to define me as a heretic."

However, leaning on the cross, he gave the order to the crowd:
"Everyone come forward, touch the cross, and swear allegiance to the new Duke of Medinaceli once again."

Among the vassals, a mid-level theological professional rubbed his eyes, forcing back tears as he activated his spiritual vision, and immediately gasped in astonishment:

"This is the True Cross, a part of the Level 0 Relic True Cross!"

His words immediately caused a great uproar among his retainers.

"Really? What kind of heretic could touch, or even possess, this treasure? And such a large piece at that?"
"The fragments of all the churches in the entire empire combined don't amount to this much, do they?"

There are countless cross relics in the world, but the True Cross is the wooden cross on which the Son of God was crucified, considered the most original and authentic cross. Regardless of whether the Son of God is real or not, or whether the various religious sects acknowledge it, having been celebrated for nearly two thousand years, it is already one of the true sources of mysticism in the Western Continent.

Its circumstances are also quite legendary.

Legend has it that Saint Helena, the patron saint of Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire, found the True Cross, a level-zero relic, in the holy city, which led to her miraculous canonization.

Because of the sacred status of the True Cross in the Church of the Holy Cross, many churches and religious institutions hope to obtain a portion of it.

This led to the True Cross being eventually divided and spread, with fragments taken to various parts of the Western Continent, becoming one of the most important relics in the Holy Cross world.

It is said to greatly enhance various magical arts and possess the power to judge sinners.

The level 0 artifact that rivals it is the legendary [Saint Foreskin], which is also said to have originated from the Holy Child. It is said that just one glance at it can help women of childbearing age conceive.

Because it is widely popular, yet "there are more women than women".

This has led many churches to solemnly declare that their products are the only genuine ones, urging believers to come to them, guaranteeing authenticity and worry-free after-sales service.

However, it is said that if all the fragments of the "Holy Foreskin" from the Western Continent were collected, they could be sewn together to make a "small leather bag" about the size of a money pouch.

It's easy to imagine how much of this is exaggerated.

The leather may be genuine, but whether it's from the Holy Son is highly questionable.

This cross, however, was clearly different. When these retainers touched it, it was as if they were truly being watched by the gods. All their distracting thoughts vanished, and they were unable to utter a single lie.

After making an oath of allegiance, one has a premonition that if one breaks the oath, something very bad will definitely happen.

At this moment, no one noticed that Cassandra's eyes had quietly turned pale gold, and a faint majesty enveloped each of her sworn retainers.

In fact, the Three Officials Alliance has a "Director of the Year" who acts on behalf of Heaven to execute the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms".

The theological profession also has "judges" who represent God in enforcing the Ten Commandments.

Besides being a local priestess, Cassandra is also a knight of judgment who is protected by her family's Byzantine dynasty's patron saint, Saint Helena, and has inherited her mother's position as a judge.

He and Shen Yuting, the head of the Imperial Household Department, were like family.

If anyone from one of the three major denominations derived from the Father violates the law, she only needs to hold the True Cross to defeat a high-ranking person from the mid-rank.

It's not that she's killing people, but that the law is using her to kill people!
In terms of bloodline and faith, Cassandra is the truly pure last princess of the Eastern Roman Empire, while Shen Yueye has essentially been assimilated into a Dazhao person.

Philip II would have been better off seizing his teacher than Shen Yueye. *cough* The real deal.

Only the former Duchess Sofia realized the true identity of this Byzantine double-headed eagle [judge], and she no longer harbored any illusions.

If that Easterner were willing to transfer the title to this "Lady Cassandra," then the last loophole in Philip II's legitimate removal of the new Duke of Medinaceli would be eliminated.

The only remaining option is to send troops to forcibly seize it.

However, in the world of the Holy Cross, the Ten Commandments and Canon law are superior to the domestic laws of any secular country.

If Philip II were to take action, he would surely violate one of the Ten Commandments—"You shall not covet your neighbor's possessions."

And this is perhaps exactly what Lady Cassandra hoped to see.

Of course, if the teachings are strictly enforced, all Western colonists who set foot on other people's homes and committed arson, murder, and plunder would be condemned and killed.

Even if those believers invented the theory that "heretics are beasts, not humans" to exonerate themselves, they would never want to face the judgment of a "judge".

"Why don't you kill me? I will not submit to the new duke and bear him children."

Cassandra's gaze swept over Sofia with a sharp, piercing intensity:
"You wish!"
My disciples can only rot in our own pot.

As for why I didn't kill you?

He looked her up and down, then said with a half-smile:
"Isn't the Lamarck family, one of the major shareholders of the East Bharata Company in the Netherlands, your maternal family?"

At this moment, Cassandra was like a demon who manipulated human nature, plunging the Duchess into even deeper despair with just one sentence.

He quickly followed up with more questions:

"What do you mean? What are you going to do?"

Cassandra ignored the terrified Sophia, turned and left, directing her trusted confidants, whom she had cultivated over the years, to take over all the duchies one by one.

He immediately dispatched an envoy to present Philip II of the capital with a very special and precious gift that had come from afar in the East.

Cassandra's gaze was deep and unfathomable:

"Let's use this treasure to buy some time."

Once my [Bodhisattva Image] returns from the Divine Land, I should be able to complete the dual missions of assassination and trial, and successfully advance to a higher rank.

With the power of the True Cross and the Judge of Judgment, the Paleolog family could then openly and legitimately take over the Western Continent's assets in place of Wang Cheng, no longer needing to worry about being coveted by anyone.

Then he turned his head to look at the distant east:
"It is truly unexpected that Yu Ting's last disciple was also the husband chosen by Ru Yi."

This reverse colonization of the western continent can be considered a pioneering move in the Age of Exploration.

There was also the Imperial Heir Set, the Spirit Communication Nuo Mask, and the Golden Elixir Path that Ruyi mentioned in her letter, which she was going to pass on to me and Yuting.
I'll wait and see how far you go in the future.

"If I can have a child with Ruyi, then since the legitimate Roman legitimacy can reside in the Holy Roman Habsburgs, in the five sea ports of the Northern Empire, it can naturally also reside in your Eastern Sea Kingdom!"

(End of this chapter)