Chapter 80: Chapter 80

“Lord of Radiance?”

Whether it was the atheist education his true form had received from childhood, or the cult stories he had learned about after his transmigration, Ron harbored an indescribable resistance toward the existence of “Gods.”

Let alone the fact that the Sis Territory was currently facing the threat of cultists, for a “Lord of Radiance” to suddenly pop up at a time like this, Ron instinctively felt a wave of wariness.

After all, who got to decide whether a God was good or evil?

Could a mere decree from the Kingdom of Helios designate this so-called “Lord of Radiance” as a True God? Furthermore, Ron had absolutely no way to verify the authenticity of this decree.

For a moment, he felt as if this piece of paper in his hands weighed a thousand catties, and he also somewhat regretted being so proactive.

But now that things had come to this, refusal was no longer an option. Leaving aside Steward Severn, who represented the Lord’s will, even the other Apprentices beside him wouldn’t let him refuse.

Even if he refused, others would simply follow suit without him.

Thinking of this, Ron couldn’t help but confirm with Steward Severn, “Does the Lord mean for us to recite the sacred maxims of the Lord of Radiance to resist the external pressure?”

“Yes, precisely.” Seeing that Ron seemed somewhat hesitant, Steward Severn added, “If you don’t believe it, just recite it once and you’ll know.”

“This…”

Ron immediately felt his scalp tingle. Originally, he had planned to just let the others recite the maxims while he abstained. But now, Steward Severn seemed to have seen right through him, directly instructing him to recite it.

This gave him a bad premonition. Could there truly be a problem with this so-called “Lord of Radiance”?

Just as he was hesitating, Dennis, who was beside him and had seen the contents of the decree, couldn’t help but read aloud, “Resplendent Radiance, protect life and guard the spirit…”

Hearing Dennis take the lead, and seeing that Steward Severn didn’t stop him, Ron breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. It wasn’t until Dennis finished reciting it once and was about to start a second time that Steward Severn spoke up to halt him:

“That’s enough. Tell me, how do you feel right now?”

“It really can alleviate mental pressure!”

A flash of excitement crossed Dennis’s eyes as he hurriedly explained, “When I was halfway through, I felt the outside pressure lessen significantly. By the time I finished, I felt a wave of relief.”

“Don’t celebrate too early. The effects of these maxims have a duration; you need to recite them repeatedly for a sustained effect. Try it out for yourselves and see exactly how it works!”

With that, Steward Severn ignored the crowd’s confusion, turned around, and walked straight into the castle’s main keep.

Only then did Ron have the time to carefully scrutinize this decree. The paper used for the decree was slightly thick and heavy. At the top were griffin and floral motifs, which was the emblem of the Kingdom of Helios. Vines draped down on both sides, curving inward at the bottom.

It resembled a pair of cupped hands cradling the text in the center.

The title of the decree was simply “Kingdom Decree.” The body text was indeed exactly as Steward Severn had stated: an announcement that the Kingdom of Helios would venerate a True God titled the “Lord of Radiance.”

However, it was far more detailed than Steward Severn had let on. The decree mentioned that this “Lord of Radiance” presided over Light and Order, and was the incarnation of the Great Sun, which was why His maxims could purify evil and Chaos.

Finally, there was the issuing authority of the decree. Aside from the King, it also included a capitalized Knight Order, likely a proper noun with a specific designation that Ron had never encountered before.

Looking at this complete Kingdom Decree, which even resembled a printed publication, the thought occurred to him again that “perhaps this really is an authentic Kingdom Decree.”

That was because he had never seen anything resembling a printing press within the territory. He hadn’t even seen a single book; the rare instances of text were the territorial laws carved into the base of the Bell Tower.

A Kingdom Decree that looked so much like a printed publication was highly unlikely to have been produced by the Sis Territory itself. There was a very high probability that, just as Steward Severn had said, it was brought by a foreign merchant guild.

Judging from how easily the butler had handed this Kingdom Decree over to them, mere Apprentices, it was possible that there was far more than just this one copy. The Lord might possess many more.

But this raised a new question:

Why had the Lord delayed in making this decree public for so long?

If the Radiant Maxims were truly as effective as Steward Severn claimed, why not publish them sooner? This way, everyone in the territory would possess at least one method to combat Chaos and evil!

Even if he didn’t do it for the sake of the territorial subjects, he needed to understand that this was an official decree from the Kingdom. Who knew if the merchant guilds arriving next year would thoroughly inspect the implementation of the decree!

How would the Lord explain himself then?

Or had the Lord’s authority already become independent to such an extent?

For a moment, far too many doubts surfaced in Ron’s mind, but one thing was certain:

Whether this decree was real or fake, the Lord was probably not the man he consistently portrayed himself to be!

“Why is this world so difficult! I just want to find a peaceful place to live a good life, but even that’s impossible!”

Ron sighed in his heart, even feeling a sliver of confusion about the future. This wasn’t caused by external mental pressure, but rather a spontaneous sense of bewilderment born from his own heart.

“Ron, what are you thinking about? You’re spacing out!”

His companion’s words interrupted Ron’s thoughts. No matter what the future held, he still had to advance step by step with solid footing right now.

“I’m fine, I was just thinking about how unbelievable these maxims are. Let’s not delay; hurry and teach the maxims to the others!”

The maxims published in the Kingdom Decree didn’t consist of many words. Having just heard Dennis recite them once, Ron had already memorized the general idea. Next, there would be even more people reciting them.

Ron simply decided he didn’t need the decree anymore. He shoved it into Dennis’s hands and strode away from the main keep’s entrance.

Returning to his original spot, Justin and the others immediately gathered around. “How did it go? What did Steward Severn say? What was that piece of paper he gave you?”

Ron answered the questions of these curious companions one by one. By this time, Dennis had already begun leading people in reciting the Radiant Maxims.

In a short while, the voices reciting the Radiant Maxims echoed throughout the entire small square.

Although he was somewhat reluctant to admit it, the moment a large number of territorial subjects in the square began chanting the maxims in unison, Ron truly felt the external pressure lighten considerably.

Perhaps this was exactly how Dennis had truly felt earlier.

It turned out that one didn’t need to personally recite the maxims; simply being in this environment allowed one to enjoy the benefits brought by the maxims!

Ron immediately realized that once maxims like these spread, they would likely be sought after by everyone instantly. If this was truly a Kingdom Decree, it probably wouldn’t be long before the faith of the Lord of Radiance took root in people’s hearts.

But was this God truly a True God?

Hopefully!

Ron muttered a sentence in his mind, then began to seriously sense the external pressure. The sense of relief he was feeling right now felt very familiar to him. He needed to confirm it once more!