Chapter One Hundred Nineteen: The Difficult Temple

Just as Jaan was happily counting his coins back in the dungeon, far away at the stronghold, Locks wore a deeply troubled expression. In the end, the Valkyrie Duchy reported the matter to the Holy Order, demanding they pressure the War God’s Temple into handing over the murderer who had slain two nobles. Naturally, the Valkyrie Duchy spared no expense this time. Two nobles—among the strongest warriors in the Duchy—had been killed. Such an offense was intolerable in any nation. They not only demanded the murderer be surrendered but also called for punishment against the War God’s Temple.

Of course, the War God’s Temple would never agree. They had finally glimpsed a ray of hope, and to back down now would mean utter ruin. When the Holy Order sent representatives, even Archbishop Bosen took an unprecedentedly hard line, declaring they would never surrender anyone. If Valkyrie wanted to apprehend someone, they would have to come and take them by force.

Both sides’ unyielding stances left the Holy Order’s representatives in a bind. On the continent of Klein, disputes between secular authorities and the temples were a longstanding issue, and the separation of church and state had gradually taken root against this backdrop. The Holy Order, too, coveted ruling the entire nation to better illuminate the world with divine glory. But the ruling elite would never accept such a scheme. Klein was no Earth; here, gods were real. This meant that once one believed in a deity, their actions had to conform to doctrine, or punishment would follow.

Yet how could this be? People needed kindness, fairness, and justice. But politics between nations was a ruthless game of power struggles and factional conflicts, hardly things to be aired openly. Even a wise ruler’s ascent was often paved with assassination, threats, and baseless rumors. Every political accord was a compromise, not a black-and-white decree of good versus evil demanding unconditional obedience under threat of annihilation.

In such circumstances, the Holy Order faced two choices: they could overthrow all ruling classes and establish a theocratic state dominated entirely by the temple system, or they had to maintain separation from secular rulers. Nobles might not need faith, but believers certainly had to abide by divine doctrine.

This was the root of the conflict. The Valkyrie Duchy viewed matters through the lens of political interest. If Jaan went unpunished, the nobles’ trust in Valkyrie would waver, undermining the foundation of the ruling class. Thus, they had to act—and if they could simultaneously suppress the War God’s Temple entirely, so much the better.

But the War God’s Temple viewed the issue through a religious lens. According to the doctrine of the War God, Jaan’s actions were not violations. His deeds had cause, though harsh; had the Viscount not marched in with soldiers intent on killing, matters wouldn’t have escalated. Most importantly, Jaan had received the War God’s divine favor, a sign the deity deemed him blameless. If the gods said so, they must follow divine will. Valkyrie Duchy was insignificant by comparison. Who were they to claim superiority over the gods? To do so would be blasphemy. Brothers, prepare your weapons—we shall launch a holy war!

With tensions mounting, the Holy Order found itself in a difficult position. Both sides’ facts were undeniable: Jaan had slain hundreds of elite soldiers and personally killed two nobles. Everyone saw this; denial was impossible. Furthermore, the War God’s divine favor upon Jaan was witnessed by paladins, mercenaries, Archbishop Bosen, and Grand Paladin Locks himself, making the Holy Order’s stance delicate. As believers, they dared not deny one blessed by the sacred light. Though the War God’s Temple was weakened, it remained part of the Holy Order. Denying one god’s chosen would open the door for others to be denied, binding all the temples together in shared glory or shared shame.

Meanwhile, Valkyrie Duchy’s demands were reasonable. They had lost many soldiers and nobles; to expect no response was impossible.

The problem was neither side would compromise, and the key figure was nowhere to be found. According to Locks, Jaan had ventured deep into the Shadowlands for exploration and would not return soon. Unable to locate him, Valkyrie Duchy grit their teeth and sent an elite force to guard the teleportation gate. Their reasoning: no matter where Jaan fled, to return to the surface he must pass through the gate. Control the gate, and capturing him would be assured.

With the principal absent, the Holy Order chose not to meddle further. After gathering information, they withdrew promptly. The War God’s Temple continued its mission at the Shadowlands’ stronghold, while Valkyrie redeployed troops outside the teleportation gate. Each party, driven by different concerns, opted for a strategy of delay, reaching a temporary stalemate.

For Locks, however, this was no cause for relief. With Valkyrie Duchy and the War God’s Temple now openly at odds, assistance would cease. Worse, Valkyrie had begun openly and covertly obstructing the temple—inspecting supplies sent underground with unprecedented scrutiny, delaying shipments for days at checkpoints, and damaging goods under the guise of thorough inspection.

This infuriated the temple’s people. If not for Archbishop Bosen’s restraint, the paladins would have likely erupted into open conflict with the soldiers.

Yet this stalemate was unsustainable. Jaan’s prolonged absence sowed doubts among others. Paladins remained steadfast in faith; if Jaan bore the War God’s favor, he would return safely. But mercenaries were less certain. They knew of the bitter rivalry between Valkyrie Duchy and the War God’s Temple but felt no fear toward Valkyrie nobles, as their livelihoods were indifferent to noble whims. Still, the unrest bred uncertainty and worry. Many feared Jaan had perished in the perilous Shadowlands. After all, the saying went: the more you climb, the likelier you are to encounter a tiger. Even with Jaan’s familiarity with the Shadowlands, what if a powerful monster or dragon had fallen upon him? Could they wait here indefinitely?

Rumors grew louder with time, and Locks understood that besides mercenaries’ fears, Valkyrie Duchy agents stoked the flames, hoping the temple would buckle under pressure and withdraw, allowing Valkyrie to deal with Jaan as they saw fit.

Sighing, Locks was at a loss. Jaan’s disappearance was both blessing and curse. He sincerely hoped for Jaan’s safe return—and even better if Jaan found what they sought. Yet the thought that Jaan’s return would reignite conflict with Valkyrie Duchy caused him a headache. The War God’s Temple was one of the Nine Saints, bound to follow worldly laws. Any misstep leading to open war with Valkyrie would be troublesome. Though the temple spoke boldly, their strength was limited; much was posturing to assert their position.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Hearing it, Locks furrowed his brow—could it be the paladins again, reporting unrest? Over such trivial matters, he felt he was losing his hair.

Despite the annoyance, Locks lifted his head and said, “Come in.”

The door opened, revealing a familiar figure before the Grand Paladin.

“Looks like you’ve been doing well, Grand Paladin Locks. How goes everything?”

“Mr. Jaan?!” Locks rose in surprise, seeing the young man at the door, elegantly dressed in noble attire, wearing a graceful smile.

“You’ve returned? Is everything alright?”

“By grace, yes. The gray dwarves were watchful, but I managed to uncover some clues.”

Jaan nodded in response and took a seat at the table. He was not speaking nonsense. Through his time in the Dark Elf city, he had gained detailed intelligence about the Statue of the Saint from Mistress Dinafor. Upon returning, he used the Evil Eye to thoroughly scan Brandon Stone City, locating the statue’s position.

Jaan was certain that, barring errors, the Statue of the Saint sought by the War God’s Temple and the Spider Goddess was one and the same.

With this, matters grew far more intriguing. (To be continued.)