Embers of Embers

Chapter 136 The Place of Seven Hills
The deep night sky was like an iron curtain, completely surrounding this city of faith, and the heavy sound of thunder came from the distance of the iron curtain, getting closer and closer as time went by, until it jumped out of the darkness.
It was a pitch-black horse, spewing white mist in the cold night, covered with exquisite iron armor, and glowing with moonlight, like a shooting star running in the dark, so that it could be distinguished from the darkness.
It advanced all the way, and finally arrived at the center of the city. The twisted jungle in the field of vision continued to expand. When it got closer, it was discovered that it was a lance standing upright. The knight guarded the sacred stairs like an iron wall. No words were needed. The war horse stopped slowly, and the animal's eyes reflected the magnificence and sacredness behind the stairs.
The priest jumped off the horse, his cheeks as hard as sculptured marble, with the vicissitudes and perseverance unique to a middle-aged man. He did not act in a hurry, but took off the musket and sword from the horse bag. Logically speaking, the weapons were It was forbidden to come near this place, but he had the privilege to insert it into his black robe, and little bits of wind and snow were stained on the black, as if he had just come from the snow curtain.
The mottled iron cross on his chest swayed in the wind, ringing like a silver bell.
"Are you okay? It's getting really cold here."
With the arrival of the priest, a knight walked out of the queue. The helmet was engraved with a brass cross sword, and the sword body was engraved with holy words, nailing the twisted weirdness with a sacred chill.
This is a group of Templar knights who took over the protection of the Saint-Naro Cathedral after the Night of Advent incident. Under the knight's sword on his waist is a modern sophisticated fire blunderbuss, which can penetrate iron armor at close range.
They seemed to be old acquaintances. After checking the priest's identity in a formal manner, the knight started talking to him casually.
"It's not bad. After all, I'm working for the Pope, and I get the highest treatment. Even the big shots bowed to me and knelt down... Also, it's started to snow in Feilengcui, and it should spread here soon, I hope. Keep yourself warm under your armor, Charles."
The priest spoke slowly and lit a cigarette. The slight firelight illuminated his cheek. The light extended along the scar at the corner of his mouth and spread to the back of his neck. It was a fatal scar. It was difficult to imagine that this What happened to the priest, and it's hard to imagine what kind of persistence kept him alive.
"Oh, it's not you they fear, Anthony, it's the pope you represent."
Charles joked, wearing a heavy helmet with a shadow covering most of his face.
Although he was teasing the priest, Charles said it with awe in his heart.
This is the place of the Seven Hills. No one will feel awe when mentioning him here, just like involuntarily closing their eyes when seeing the blazing sun.
That was the pope who was as bright as day. He turned the tide in the aftermath of Advent Night and brought the entire evangelical church back on track. Some people wanted to secretly dominate this unstable pope, but they were all killed by his thunderous means. In addition, the entire Knights Templar listened to his orders and purged all enemies overnight. Those who violated the rules were crucified on the cross with unwarranted charges. The theocracy and political power were firmly in his hands.
Some people say that he is the pope who is least like a pope. Divine faith is just a means to achieve his goals. Some people call him the King of Kings. He is the man with the most cruel and swift methods among all the popes. If he serves in the Evangelical Church During its most powerful period, perhaps the entire Western world had already been under the rule of the Evangelical Church, and it was even said that there would be a torrent of fleets sailing to the mysterious Far East.
"I know, do you want one?"
The priest smiled. He knew how sacred the Pope was. He had already felt it as he acted for the Pope. He took out his cigarette case to signal, but Charles refused.
"I'm still on duty, there's no need to cause trouble for myself."
This is the place of the Seven Hills, a sacred place. Life here always requires abiding by some hidden rules. The Holy Spirit carries a breathless oppression. I am afraid that only those fanatical believers will stand under the scorching sun that stings their skin. Be grateful.
"By the way... some people say that Your Majesty wants to rebuild that thing."
Charles' voice suddenly became softer, but even so, his voice was like thunder in the silent night, and it was extremely clear to the priest's ears.
For a moment, his breathing seemed to be stagnant, and the breath under the armor was slightly disordered. When asked about this matter, Charles began to regret it. The man sculptured by the wind in front of him was like cold iron, and his mind-breaking eyes penetrated the armor. .
It was a burning night, and the sacred Seven Hills turned into a crimson hell, as if gods and demons were at war here.
At that time, he was just a trainee knight, and he could only see countless Templar knights pouring into the church. But later, Charles never saw them again, not even their bodies, as if they disappeared out of thin air. Forgotten by everyone.
He has always been curious about the nightmare that night. Some said it was related to a mysterious institution of the church. Some said it had been disbanded since that night. But recently, some said that the new pope decided to rebuild it.
But regardless of whether the information is true or false, this is not what Charles should know. He would not be surprised if Anthony does not miss his old feelings and condemns himself as a heretic now.
Rough hands were placed on his shoulders, and the priest's voice sounded.
"Charles, aren't you asking for trouble by asking this?"
The priest's eyes were cold, but he didn't do anything more, he just warned in his ear.
"Charles, sometimes there's nothing wrong with being a fool who doesn't know anything. At least you can survive."
The priest smiled and tried to smile, but the ferocious scars on his face seemed to have damaged his nerves. Only half of his face was twitching slightly, and instead of smiling, it had a chilling horror.
"Don't think about it, Charles, this is for your own good."
That ferocious smile is still there.
"I...I beg you, please stop laughing and go in quickly. Don't keep our majesty waiting in a hurry."
Charles was stunned for a moment, and then he joked to the priest as if nothing happened.
He could no longer remember Anthony's normal smile. He only vaguely remembered that it felt like warm sunshine, but now he was no different from a ferocious evil ghost.
I remember that in the beginning, the priest and he were in the same batch of trainee knights. But as time went by, the priest became the Pope's right-hand man, but he was still just a guard. Sometimes I felt a little unwilling, but after the priest said After leaving, Charles suddenly felt relieved.
It's good to be a fool who doesn't know anything. At least he won't live as lonely and scary as a priest. He still has a wife and children at home. Charles is different from the priest who no one loves.
He moved out of the way and signaled the priest to move forward. A gap appeared in the wall formed by armored knights. After the gap was a layer of stairs. His sight followed the stairs upwards and extended to the highest point, a huge building half hidden in the darkness. , it is so majestic, the dark silhouette seems to be a huge monster lying on the ground, it is difficult to imagine the day it wakes up.
Some people call the stairs leading to the Cathedral of Saint-Naro the Road to Heaven. At first the priest didn't understand why, but when he actually came here and walked up the stairs, he understood.
As we ascend step by step, the dusty world is left behind, the melodious hymn comes from the silence, and the giant white buildings like towers step out of the darkness one by one.
The outer layer of the building is carved with reliefs of ghosts and gods. The person who created the sculpture must have been an amazing person at that time. Those ghosts and gods seemed to be alive in the moonlight.
At the top is the majestic Kingdom of Heaven and the angels. Along the wall, the style of the sculptures gradually changes, from soft lines to harsh ones. The angels step into the mortal battlefield from the fire. On the edge of the bottom of the wall are countless ferocious figures. His arms, the stone sculptures stained with mud and moss, were nailed to the abyss by the fire spears thrown from heaven.
The white marbles glowed, as if this battlefield had actually happened, but there was a miraculous power that sealed them in the stone bricks, and finally built up this mortal kingdom of heaven.
The priest's mood became solemn involuntarily, and he stepped up the last step with awe.
　I fell asleep and haven’t finished the next chapter yet. I’ll finish it when I wake up in a few hours.
　
(End of this chapter)