Todd was stunned by what he saw. By the time he came to his senses, Huggins was being repeatedly rubbed against the ground by an old man in full armor.

Todd grabbed Edgar and Jerry, who were about to fight, and stepped forward, pointing to Hudgens who had given up struggling. He said to the old man, "Sir, I don't know who you are or what happened, but this man is my bodyguard. Please let him go."

The old man twitched his beard, glanced amusedly at the person at his feet, slammed his leg down, and said in a deep voice, "You little rascal! Why haven't you told Father Todd who I am yet!"

Huggins struggled to lift his head, a smile more like a grimace appearing on his mud-covered face: "This is Baron Cumberland, my master knight (the lord one serves during the knight's squire stage), the commander of my former battleband..."

“Uh…” Todd froze on the spot. He looked back and saw that all of Huggins’ subordinates who had been standing behind him had disappeared without a trace.

After thinking for a moment, Todd, struggling to organize his thoughts, said to Cumberland, "Your Excellency, Harkins has his own compelling reasons..."

“A deserter is a deserter! Besides, I personally witnessed his knighting ceremony back then. That bastard is the first knight I’ve ever seen who abandoned his fief, his title, and even his honor!” Cumberland kicked Huggins twice, roaring with unabated anger, “Do you know that because of you, I’ve been ridiculed by my colleagues and friends for a whole year!”

Huggins was humiliated and felt utterly ashamed.

Todd sensed things were getting increasingly complicated and quickly tried to dissuade the Baron, saying, "Lord Cumberland, please calm down. There are many complicated reasons for this, and no one wanted it to happen. But Harkins is now my follower, and as his master, I am willing to do everything I can to make amends for his mistakes."

"...Oh? That's good then." The old man's anger vanished instantly, and he nodded calmly.

Um?

What happened?

Todd stared at Cumberland, whose expression changed faster than the weather, and his brain went blank for a moment.

The baron dusted off his trousers, as if nothing had happened, and said, "I forgot to mention the important matter, Father Todd. His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Queen have invited you to a gathering at the palace. I don't think you'll refuse, will you?"

Todd's facial muscles twitched, and he forced a smile: "With pleasure..."

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On the way to the palace, Todd struck up a conversation with Baron Cumberland.

The old man's temperament was completely different from the first impression he gave; he was witty, talkative, and quick-witted. Todd vaguely understood who had influenced Huggins' personality so much.

Cumberland, born into poverty, joined the war against the northern barbarians at the age of fourteen as a peasant soldier. His fearless and valiant figure on the battlefield caught the attention of the lord at the time. Thereafter, he fought in nearly a thousand battles, large and small, returning victorious time and again from mountains of corpses, ensuring that the name 'Cumberland' was etched in the hearts of every enemy. Through his military exploits, he rose through the ranks from sergeant, squire, apprentice knight, and knight, eventually being granted the title of non-hereditary life baron.

"Your Excellency, may I ask what His Majesty the King and His Majesty the Queen have summoned me for?" Todd was still somewhat traumatized by yesterday's banquet. If the royal family had summoned him this time merely to stand up for the nobles, then he might as well prepare to run away as soon as possible.

Cumberland looked at the priest and smiled, saying, "I don't know."

Todd was speechless.

The meeting was not arranged in the audience chamber or a side hall, but in the main hall of the palace, which surprised Todd, as it was rather unusual for the royal family to receive a mere priest.

The moment Todd stepped through the temple doors, the bustling crowd inside overwhelmed him.

While he was observing everyone in the hall, others were also observing him.

The mysterious and glorious aura surrounding him made this priest, who was only fifteen years old, appear tall and unfathomable in everyone's eyes.

Todd found only two people he recognized in the crowd: Queen Mary, who was sitting high on the side of the throne, and Viscount Kennard, who had made a fool of himself at yesterday's banquet.

Slowly walking to the center of the hall, Todd held the cross on his chest in one hand and made the sign of the cross in the air with the other, reciting a prayer of blessing to the King and Queen, and nodding slightly in respect.

Seeing the priest's actions, the people in the hall began to whisper among themselves. Some of the louder voices could be faintly heard saying things like, "Even a bishop wouldn't dare to do this..."

In contrast to the dissatisfaction and gossip of others, Guy VI merely frowned slightly, exchanged a glance with Queen Mary beside him, and then said to Todd in a gentle tone, "Father, are you aware that your legendary stories have spread to every corner of Silver Ring City?"

Todd shook his head and said, "People are praising the power of the Father, it has nothing to do with me."

The king paused for a moment, then asked, "I heard that you brought a peculiar flower this time, different varieties of roses growing on one tree?"

"That is the flower of the gospel from the miraculous town of Twilight, a gift from the Father."

King Guy VI shifted his body slightly, and asked with considerable interest, "Could you explain in detail what happened?"

"One day, a farmer in Muxi Town planted some fallen rose petals and tree roots together in the town's soil and watered them with well water. The next day, the farmer was astonished to find that the roses had grown on the tree roots..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!