only god

Chapter 578 Lord, please appear

Constantine VI had always doubted the authenticity of the letters.

The letter has been confirmed by a group of bishops and patriarchs. It is indeed exactly the same as the handwriting of the prophet, and it must be from the hand of the prophet.

But how could Constantine VI, who had been immersed in imperial politics for many years, not think of the possibility that the prophet's handwriting might be forged.

Constantine thought about it and suspected that the letter was a forgery and not really written by the prophet.

This letter seems very reasonable, but if you think about it carefully, there are many lingering doubts in it. Combined with the previous incident of Verdo and the Patriarch Casas coming to the Queen to plead for mercy, it is difficult not to be suspicious. The emperor doubted the authenticity of the letter.

Even if he had doubts, Constantine VI did not have enough evidence to conclude that the letter was a fake.

So he dared not disagree with a public trial.

If these suspicions are just suspicions and the letter is true, then by not agreeing to a public trial, wouldn’t I be disobeying the prophet and God’s will?
Power often bows to another power.

Even though the emperors of the Deschanel Empire once claimed to be the rulers of the entire human world, what does human rule mean in front of gods?

The emperor stroked the armrests of the chair and suddenly fell into deep thought.

He never thought that a priest would make all this so difficult.

Although there are many reasons for this difficulty.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the house. Constantine VI looked up and saw that it was the palace steward.

"Your Majesty, Osenko's envoys have arrived and presented nearly a carload of rare treasures."

The chief steward said respectfully.

Constantine VI said slowly,
"They are determined. God will take care of them. Bring them my blessings first. I will receive them in person tonight."

The chief steward nodded, opened his mouth, and hesitated to speak.

"What's the matter? Just tell me."

Seeing this, the chief manager said.

"Your Majesty, Osenko's envoys asked me whether His Highness Althea is ready?"

The emperor raised his hand,

“Her mother is over there, so there’s nothing to worry about.

I know that they came here not only to meet me and renew their alliance, but also to marry Althea. "

After hearing the emperor's words, the chief steward breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave, but Constantine VI stopped him.

"You can arrange for them to observe our ecumenical meeting. They have come from afar and should be treated with sufficient courtesy."

So said Constantine VI.

The Osenko royal family has gradually converted to the true religion in the past ten years. It is said that the sect that baptized the royal family comes from a relatively remote branch of the church and has some connection with the elves.

This sect, due to its small size, low reputation, remote location and other reasons, did not participate in the Ecumenical Council.

Constantine VI thought of this, and he wanted to use the opportunity of the Ecumenical Council to show the authority of the empire to the Osenko royal family.

In this world, only three forces are enough to create great power.

Authority, history, and the unknown.

......................................................

The strange thing is that the jailers no longer tortured him, stopped embarrassing him, and entertained him with good wine and meat, but Eden became more and more uneasy day by day.

Eden knew his situation and what he was about to encounter. It was an open heresy trial. The emperor's power was reduced to the minimum. Power could not play with right and wrong for the time being. What he faced was not a dead end, but a fork in the road. Mouth, one leads to life, the other leads to death.

There was clearly hope of survival, but Eden was in far more pain than before.

Is it truth or glory?

If he continues to claim the messianic prophecies and declares the truth he believes in, then with the emperor's encouragement, he will definitely be judged as a heretic. Next, he will only die a humiliating death and play the clown in the drama.

If you choose glory, you will honorably give up your so-called heretical thoughts in front of everyone, draw a clear line with the savior's prophecies, and even declare that the savior will never come!Because under the leadership of the church, the world will never end.

As long as this is the case, the door to glory will be opened for him, he will be acquitted, and under the witness of everyone, the emperor will not attack him again. He will continue to have a bright future, becoming a diocesan bishop, a cardinal, and even a patriarch. , and finally passed away amidst the blessings and praises of everyone, and will be remembered in history for generations to come.

Choose truth or glory, no matter which one you choose, it is within reach. The only difference is that the former leads to destruction, while the latter leads to beauty.

Eden hesitated about this, but no matter how painful he was, things had to happen as usual.

So, on the morning of the heresy trial, Eden, escorted by the royal guards, left the prison and went to the venue of the Ecumenical Council.

There were huge crowds of people outside the venue. The devout believers and the good-hearted citizens were all attracted by the "letters of the prophet". The venue was packed with people. Everyone raised their feet and looked at the one who was going to be tried for heresy. young people.

The guards tried their best to squeeze through the crowd. Facing the eyes of everyone, Eden changed from his usual calmness and became panic-stricken. He was either a righteous person or a heretic. The former would be praised by them. The latter was reviled by the whole city.

Many people gathered around, wanting to get a closer look at the priest who had offended the emperor. Eden was blocked for a while before entering the venue, which made him even more tormented.

Finally, they squeezed into the venue, and the noise outside gradually faded away. Before Eden could catch his breath, he was pushed into the dock by the guards.

The clergy attending the council had been waiting for a long time. Thousands of eyes were focused on the dock, and a dull air pressed down on Eden from top to bottom.

Verdo and Patriarch Casas looked at Eden nervously. The latter still didn't know that this public trial was the work of the two of them, who had been running around for him these days. West.

Due to the obstruction of the Emperor and the Patriarch, Verdot and the Patriarch Casas never had the opportunity to meet Iden in the prison, let alone escape in advance. Therefore, they were extremely panicked, fearing that Iden would continue to be stubborn. See.

Soon, with the ringing of a bell, the heresy trial began. Under the organization of the Patriarch, the witnesses stood up and began a series of speeches.

Among these witnesses were those who identified Eden as a heretic in the previous ruling, as well as the priests who voted against it in that ruling.

Eden raised his head slightly and saw the emperor again. Next to him were the pious and elegant queen, the emperor and his wife, the annoying Highness Althea, and a group of foreigners dressed in the south. They seemed to be looking in their own direction and kept whispering.

What are they talking about?

Eden thought.

His eyes fell on Althea, and he remembered Althea's harsh words,
"Good priest, stop reading scriptures and tell some horrifying prophecies! Stop pretending to be a righteous person and just play the role of a buffoon to set off my father!"

That ruthless ridicule lingered in his mind and could not go away, making Eden suddenly feel a hatred for Althea. Without the words of this sinner, he would have chosen martyrdom long ago.

But now, I am hesitant.

"Defendant Eden, it's time for you."

The Patriarch's voice resounded throughout the venue, and the witnesses had finished speaking.

Eden turned around and opened his mouth,
"me…"

He was stuck, stopped, and after a long time, he only said a few words lightly,
"I'm not a heretic."

This sentence is as good as not being said. Heretics will never admit that they are heretics.The priests all looked at him, waiting for his next words, but after waiting for a long time, Eden didn't say a word.

The Patriarch frowned and said doubtfully:

"Is that so?"

Eden said:
"That's all."

what is this?
Eden's lame and vague answer surprised everyone.

Constantine VI felt confused and strange.

Is this still the person who dared to come forward and offend me?

He listened to the warden's report, and even in the face of all kinds of torture, this man's expression remained unchanged.

The queen looked at Eden with pity, then turned her head and said to her daughter:

"Look at your sword and shield. Who is he?"

Althea was extremely impatient. She clenched her fists. She had ridiculed Eden in every possible way before, but God's arrangement and fate's teasing made her stand on Eden's side at this moment.

Deschanel's Highness began to regret that if she had known this, why would she have gone to see Eden.

The morning trial ended in a blur. The Patriarch announced a temporary adjournment and everything would have to wait until the afternoon to continue the ruling. By then, more evidence would be sent, for example, Eden's theological papers.

Eden was temporarily detained. He was confused and impatient, not knowing what decision to make.

Kneeling on the ground, the priest prayed to God, seeking supreme mercy.

Eden clasped her hands together, crying in panic.

“O God, praise you, great Lord, what will my enemies do to me…

I used to think I was strong, but now I understand my cowardice.

Lord, what should I do? I don’t know what I should choose.

Is what I believe true? Is it the truth without a doubt?Is there really a savior?
If it is true, then I can be martyred at any time, but if it is false, then isn't my death meaningless? "

Eden prayed and spoke of pain.

If that was not the truth, wouldn't his death become a farce?
This is a terrible thought.

In the darkness, there was no answer, everything was silent, there was no sound.

Has God listened to my prayer? Or not...

Eden didn't know, he knelt on the ground lonely.

“It’s so similar to what Zealand experienced.

He also had doubts about his mission.

But history has verified that his mission is true and not false. "

Eden murmured,
"History has proven that he is right, but how can I know if I am right...

I believe that's the truth, but what if it's not? "

At this time, suddenly,

Eden thought, how could he feel that the prophecy was not a truth?

Because of…

Fear of posthumous stigma.

I thought to myself at that time, it is not difficult to be a martyr, but if you want to be a martyr despised by all people, what kind of martyr is that?

"Lord, I'm afraid.

Lord, is a martyr despised by all nations still a martyr?

Please show me! "

Darkness filled the air, and the priest sat alone. He pricked his ears and listened, hoping to get an answer from God. However, there was no sound inside or outside the darkness. Time passed by minute by second. He couldn't help but think about that time. , the martyrs in the disciples’ era, how could they be sure that what they believed was the truth?

Chirp, chirp.

It sounded like a bird singing, like a robin.

The priest sat there, unable to think of anything. At that time, the prophet had left and the Kingdom of God had not yet come. This was the time when the church was in its lowest decline, like a candle in the wind, but those people just believed in it, without any hesitation. He fearfully believed it and was willing to sacrifice his life for it.

Now it seems that every move they made was great, but in the eyes of the three-eyed ape man in the land of Aga, it was so stupid.

The power of King Aga is so similar to the power of today's emperor.

The priest seemed to have caught something. He murmured a verse from the days of the disciples,
“Lay down your life and yourself for the sake of your faith, to love and to praise and to walk with God.”

As the words fell, outside the small room, a faint chirping of birds could be heard. That was a robin. Eden couldn't see where the robin was, but he could hear the subtle chirping. He looked outside the door. , and found that there seemed to be a pair of clear eyes staring at him quietly, the priest could not help but pray in a low voice,

"Lord, that's the truth!"

Vaguely, he seemed to hear an answer.

The priest raised his body and looked around, like a mentally disturbed patient or a lunatic who made various prophecies. Slowly, he calmed down and looked outside the door. The robin's chirping at this time gradually faded away. The priest I felt as if I had been baptized.

Eden looked outside the door. The sound of the robin had completely disappeared, but the clear eyes outside the door had not disappeared. Instead, they got closer and closer.

Who would that be?

Who has such clear eyes, the soul of a martyr, an angel, or... a prophet?

Eden held her breath and waited patiently.

But when he saw who it was, his eyes widened at first, and then he looked disappointed.

Althea's good looks were revealed under the torch, and her eyes were so clear that she didn't look like a sinner at all, but she was still a sinner.

"What are you here for?"

Eden said in a bad tone.

This woman never brought anything good to herself.

What is she here to do, continue to sneer, or intimidate?
Thinking of this, Eden felt a little angry and said in an angry voice in his heart:
"I forgive you."

(End of this chapter)