Chapter 127: On Rewards and Recognition

The speed of the War God’s Sanctuary was not slow at all. Early the next morning, Grand Paladin Lox personally arrived at Jean’s residence. By now, he had completely shed his previous despondency, radiating a vibrant and spirited aura. Even without a close look, Jean could tell that this fellow had gained considerable benefits from that strange ritual before; the faint yet palpable power emanating from him was proof enough.

“It seems your ritual was a great success. Congratulations to you, Grand Paladin Lox,” Jean remarked calmly, exuding an air of leisure and composure. The decline of the War God’s Sanctuary was their own issue, unrelated to Jean, so there was no need for him to rise at the crow of the rooster and follow their erratic moves. As long as his own interests were secured, that was sufficient.

“This is largely thanks to you, Mr. Jean. Without your assistance, we could never have retrieved the sacred statue intact. The War God’s Sanctuary might never have regained its former glory,” Lox said, his face brimming with genuine gratitude and excitement. It was no wonder—though Jean’s temper was less than amiable, his methods were first-rate. Lox knew well that without him, the sanctuary could not have so smoothly reclaimed the statue from the shadowy realm. For the devotees, Jean was nothing short of a savior, restoring divine favor to a sanctuary on the brink of ruin.

Yet Jean remained unmoved by Lox’s thanks.

“It’s nothing, Grand Paladin Lox. Doing business for money is only natural. I merely did what I was supposed to,” Jean replied nonchalantly.

“But for our sanctuary, what you have done far exceeds all we could have hoped for,” Lox insisted. Not a fool, he understood Jean’s unspoken thoughts. Without hesitation, Lox gestured behind him. Two paladins entered respectfully—one carrying a silver-white round tray, the other holding an elegantly adorned longsword.

“After we retrieved the sacred statue and regained divine recognition, the Holy Order also approved your application, Mr. Jean,” Lox said as he took a long, slender wooden box from the silver tray and placed it respectfully on the table before Jean, opening it. Inside lay a gold-edged parchment scroll sealed with a holy emblem, alongside a medal of honor. The medal bore the Holy Order’s unique insignia—a right hand grasping scales, with an eye watchfully open above them.

Seeing the medal, Jean’s heart finally settled. The Honor Medal issued by the Holy Order was a prized possession. On the Clayne Continent, there were two kinds of nobility: one derived from state power, loyal mostly to the monarchy and recognized by the ruling class; the other was the honorary nobility granted by the Holy Order. These nobles owed allegiance not to any particular ruling faction but enjoyed supreme honor nonetheless. In many ways, the Holy Order’s nobility was far more prestigious than that of any kingdom. The latter might wield power only within their own domains, but the honorary nobles commanded the support of all sanctuaries across the continent—a distinction that spoke volumes.

The Holy Order’s issuance of such medals had historical roots. The Clayne Continent had faced multiple invasions by dark forces, yet entangled national interests often prevented unified resistance. In such times, defeating evil sometimes became a political liability. Dark cultists often infiltrated ruling classes, and while heroes vanquished evil, their actions inevitably inflicted harm on some nations.

Take the example of AD 329, when the hero Raiden led his team through countless obstacles to slay the malevolent witch Garcia. However, Garcia was also the sole princess of the Kures Kingdom. Though her fall into darkness was deserved due to demonic temptation, she had initially pursued forbidden arts to save her country. After her corruption, her indiscriminate killings mostly befell Kures’ enemies. The people of Kures cared little for the innocent victims slain by their princess.

What good was the sanctuary’s justice? When Kures was bullied by enemy states, the Holy Order merely urged negotiations. Who truly aided Kures? Princess Garcia fell for the sake of her nation and people—she sacrificed herself! Meanwhile, so-called heroes only mourned the innocent civilians killed by her. Did the destroyed border villages of Kures deserve their fate?

Thus, many in Kures resented the death of Princess Garcia and, by extension, blamed Raiden and his comrades. Upon entering Kures territory, Raiden’s group was even imprisoned for days on a contrived pretext until the sanctuary intervened.

After repeated incidents like this, the Holy Order created the Honor Medal to protect heroes’ “legitimate rights” and prevent them from suffering “bloodshed and tears.”

Those who held the Honor Medal were entitled not only to append the Holy Order’s emblem to their family crest but also to enjoy divine immunity. This meant that even if they broke the law in a country, that nation had no right to arrest or imprison them. Any punishment required comprehensive evidence to be submitted to the Holy Order’s Sacred Tribunal for adjudication.

This was hardly welcome news for the kingdoms. While the Sacred Tribunal pursued justice and goodness, it showed no mercy to evil. If an Honor Medal holder took up arms against a noble trafficking in slaves or conducting a dark cult ritual, even if that noble were a high-ranking minister or duke, the Tribunal deemed them deserving of death. Consequently, many punishments were left unresolved.

However, the church was cautious not to meddle excessively in politics. Due to the “get out of jail free” nature of the Honor Medal, only a hundred or so had been issued over the centuries. Considering most who qualified rarely lived beyond 150 years, the number of living honorary nobles on Clayne was exceedingly small.

What Jean did not know was that the Holy Order had debated his award. He had slain many soldiers of the Valkyrie Duchy. Though justified, these acts revealed a ruthless streak. His lineage was verified as legitimate, and he had helped the War God’s Sanctuary reclaim the Holy Statue. Yet his brutal methods made many in the Order uneasy, fearing that granting him the medal would lead to more bloody conflicts, overburdening the Sacred Tribunal and damaging the Order’s standing with nations.

Ultimately, however, the Holy Order decided to confer the medal. First, the Bashanonmes family was officially recorded by the Order as having responded to the call during the Second Heaven-and-Earth War to battle in the shadow realm. Given these facts, the Order could not deny their pledge. After all, they had sent many to their deaths and owed some recompense.

Second, Jean’s killings were deemed justifiable, as his opponents had intended to kill him. Claiming self-defense or excessive self-defense was reasonable. He did not kill proactively; the soldiers attacked first and were slain in return. The Order was hardly foolish enough to call on its followers to lay down their swords.

Lastly, the Order believed awarding Jean the Honor Medal would encourage his pursuit of virtue. A man once alone, penniless, and powerless, now bound by honor, land, and legacy, would be more restrained. Over the years, many heroes had fallen to darkness for various reasons; Jean was naturally bloodthirsty and violent, and without something to tether him, the continent might soon see another fallen dark hero.

By rights, the Order should have held a grand ceremony, but to avoid provoking the nearly enraged Valkyrie Duchy, they kept it low-key, presenting the medal in a private, simple manner.

Jean cared little for ceremony; he preferred the Holy Order remain discreet. After confirming everything, he packed away the scroll and medal—henceforth, he was officially a titled noble recognized by the Holy Order.

“Congratulations, Sir Jean,” Lox said warmly, offering his respectful congratulations.

Though honorary nobles were also called “Sir,” their titles differed from secular nobility. Their ranks replaced dukes and marquises with ecclesiastical offices. Honorary nobles ranked alongside bishops and grand paladins, subordinate only to archbishops and elders. The simple “Sir” designation distinguished them from secular nobility and underscored the Holy Order’s independence.

Though these nobles could not enjoy land grants like secular lords, they could establish a holy knight order or build a sanctuary on independent land with the Order’s consent. Given the Order’s exclusive nature, this was far more valuable than mere land ownership. Honorary titles were hereditary unless descendants committed heinous crimes, in which case the Order might revoke their privileges.

In other words, Jean now stood on equal footing with Grand Paladin Lox in ecclesiastical rank, making Lox’s enthusiasm entirely appropriate.

“This is also thanks to the War God’s Sanctuary, Grand Paladin Lox. Without your steadfast support, the Bashanonmes family’s honor might never have seen the light of day again,” Jean said, rising to his feet and bowing respectfully, his voice tinged with a slight tremor of excitement as he continued his performance for the role of Best Actor.

Lox was evidently pleased by Jean’s demeanor and nodded with a smile. He then turned to take the longsword from the other paladin and presented it to Jean.

“Without your efforts, all we have done would have been in vain. Sir Jean, this sword is a treasured relic of the War God’s Sanctuary. It is called ‘Azure Light,’ said to be forged from deep-sea meteorite and bathed in the blood of a blue dragon. May it bring you victory and the radiance of glory, and guide you further on the path of righteousness.”

“Thank you,” Jean responded without hesitation, quickly reaching out to accept the sword. Though he had acquired many treasures from the dark elves after defeating Mosobles, their weapons lost power upon leaving the shadow realm, becoming useless iron. The gray dwarves forged excellent heavy weapons, but Jean despised battle axes and maces. His secret weapon, Ceberus, was no casual tool for bandits or mountain brigands. Now that the War God’s Sanctuary offered him a divine weapon, he gladly accepted it.

Refocusing, Jean gripped the hilt and drew the sword. A sharp “swish” sounded as the blade emerged, shimmering with cold light. An icy chill rapidly spread outward, frosting the ground and table. Gazing closely, Jean saw the blade seemed to ripple like water, flickering like an elusive phantom.

This was indeed a fine magical weapon.

Satisfied, Jean nodded, sheathing the sword and securing it at his waist. Watching him, Lox smiled and then inquired,

“Sir Jean, what are your plans next? If you wish to remain in Cardiff...”

“Though this is a fine place, I have no desire to be harassed repeatedly by the Valkyrie Duchy,” Jean interrupted with a shake of his head. He understood Lox’s intentions but had no wish to be entangled further in this mess. As the son of the Demon King, his true duty was to bring disaster and death to the surface world.

“I see,” Lox said without surprise. “Then when do you intend to depart?”

At this, Jean pushed up his glasses, a strange cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

“Once I’ve handled some loose ends, I will leave immediately,” he declared.

To be continued.