"Evidence? Do we need evidence to eliminate the evil shadow of Chaos?" The Knight Commander asked sternly.
"Our church's mission, from beginning to end, is to monitor and purge this world of chaotic evil and filthy beings, and to guard the candle of civilization and order."
"Even for something like this, should we allow public opinion to control it?" he asked again.
"If the Chaos Shadow is allowed to run rampant, it will contaminate even more innocent people and cause immense damage. This is something we cannot compromise on."
The knight commander's stern shout temporarily silenced the crowd, and a deep hush fell. But the eyes beneath the firelight did not lower their gazes.
"so what....."
"Can you massacre everyone in the church without any evidence?" a short priest asked slowly.
"Is this the style of the Knights of the Holy Lance? How impressive." His voice was thick with sarcasm.
"You!" The thousand-rider commander was furious and wanted to catch the man hiding in the crowd, but was stopped by Odysseus.
"Everyone is right. However, due to the urgency of the situation, we have not released any details. Later, our group will sort out the details of the incident and make them public. The remaining evidence will also be displayed one by one."
Odysseus was not stupid. He quickly realized that this was a trap set for him, and this time he adopted the same strategy as Sibiscus, which was to delay for a while, wait for the heat to pass, and then respond one by one after being fully prepared, instead of resisting in an unfavorable situation.
But the development of things is not over yet.
Soon, many people came forward and recounted the various misdeeds of Odysseus and the Knights of the Holy Lance over the years, including embezzling part of the church's public property, occupying land, beating and oppressing weak priests, etc.
They all seemed to have very good memories. They remembered many trivial incidents from 3-5 years ago clearly, and could even name the crimes committed by several of the thousand-cavalry captains present.
"We know that Lord Odysseus is strict yet fair, but some within the Holy Lance Knights have done many evil things behind your back. This is not your fault, but they are afraid to speak publicly due to the pressure from the powerful."
"So this time, I implore you to make the decision for everyone and let these people be examined and judged by the Ten Swords Palace."
"Oh, how do you accept it?" Odysseus laughed in anger.
"That is to detain him temporarily in the Ten Swords Palace and accept everyone's accusations. If it is true, he will be punished according to the law. If it is not true and he is being wronged, I believe the judging priests of the Ten Swords Palace will also clear his name." said the short priest.
"What a joke! What qualifications do you, the Ten Swords Palace, have to arrest members of our Knight Order based on these unfounded rumors?"
Odysseus' words caused a commotion among the crowd, and all kinds of whispers were spreading.
"Didn't he tell us to trust the Ten Swords Palace and the Church before? Why is he denying it outright now that it's his own people's turn?"
"nausea."
"He's just a despicable person who's just bluffing."
These faint whispers were naturally heard by Odysseus, making him furious.
On a hillside across from the Ten Swords Palace, two robed figures stood side by side. Compared to the brightly lit and crowded scene across from them, this place was much quieter. There were the chirping of insects and the occasional rustle of wind through leaves.
"Odysseus has lost some of his mind, alas..." a woman's clear voice sounded.
"It's no wonder that this happened. But looking back now, tonight's incident might have been arranged in advance by Sibis." The ethereal voice of a girl came from under another figure.
"That should be it. Some of them look familiar to me. They are old acquaintances of Sibis." The woman responded again.
"What kind of person is Archbishop Sibis?" As a breeze blew, the silver hair of the girl under the hood was revealed.
"When I was studying at the church and hadn't even graduated yet, Sibis was already known as an outstanding genius."
"He was in his early 30s at the time. His hard work and dedication earned him the admiration of many and made him a role model for many. Many teachers and classmates would tell him stories, and within a few years, he became the bishop of a major city in the southern part of the mainland."
"By the time I took up my post after graduation, he was already the archbishop of a diocese. Although he had less experience, his reputation was growing."
"Over the next 20 years, Sibis's image of hard work and dedication gradually faded. He gradually gained weight and became content with pleasure. However, his faction and interest network within the church also grew larger and larger."
"If you say he was like this from the beginning, that's definitely not true. Sibis was indeed a role model and had great ideals. Although I didn't see him with my own eyes, I have heard about him from many people who had experienced it firsthand." The woman spoke slowly, recalling the past years and how those faces in her memory evaluated Sibis.
"That young man, born into poverty, was deeply grateful for everything the church had given him. Although his body was a little tanned, he always had a smile as bright as the sun, making people feel happy and cheerful. If you told him about something sad, he would always do his best to help, rarely asking for anything in return."
"It's a blessing to be able to help everyone. I don't need anything in return. I believe that angels and gods will witness it all."
"He does good things from the bottom of his heart because he is so religious and believes that this is a good world and that all hard work and dedication will be rewarded."
"Although he occasionally makes small mistakes due to impulse and loyalty, it's really hard to get angry with people like him. As long as you warn him, he will remember it and won't repeat it next time."
"Many elders and priests in the church are optimistic about this child. He not only has outstanding talents, but also has a kind heart."
“The archbishop wanted to send him to an important parish for training and growth, but he volunteered to go to a remote area because the residents and children there were in greater need of pastoral guidance and medical care.”
"Unable to resist his strong will, the archbishop arranged for him to live in a remote mountainous area."
"The people there were barbaric and uncivilized. It took Sibis many years and a lot of hardship for him to gradually gain their trust. He then built a permanent church there, which became a branch of the church."
"At that time, he didn't care about anything else in the outside world. He was very happy and motivated."
"And so, seven years later, he was finally transferred back to headquarters. This time, the Archbishop ignored his wishes and sent him to a wealthy diocese. Perhaps hoping to boost his motivation, he specifically sent him to serve under his classmate Ryan."
"By that time, Ryan had already reached Angel Sequence 7 and became the bishop of the local county capital, while Sibis was still an ordinary priest. His extraordinary strength remained at Angel Sequence 5 due to the lack of resources and busy affairs that took up a lot of his time in recent years."
"The huge gap between his status and strength made him feel extremely lost and confused."
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