"Hmm!"
......
In Gene Town, there's always been a place that's different from the rest, which is the Justice Chapel located at the corner of the town, right next to the Oracle Mountain Range.
When Laine first arrived here six years ago, Alfred, being a Paladin, immediately took a liking to this spot. It's a corner far from the town's hustle and bustle, nestled at the foothills of the Oracle Mountain Range, where an ample water source is available. It was here, starting from scratch, that Alfred began building the Justice Church Chapel.
Initially, the chapel was merely a shabby thatch house, with a simple holy statue of the God of Justice and a few rows of tables and chairs. Alfred first began preaching the teachings of the God of Justice here.
Uncover all truths, severely punish all crimes, correct all wrongs, use justice and law as the standard, uphold justice, and punish those who break the law. Spread civilization and enlightenment, rationality, and order, and pursue unwavering justice and fairness throughout life.
This is the God of Justice. The statue of this deity is always missing a hand, with hollow eyes. It is said that this deity is perpetually battling the Chaos Gods in the Subspace and is always at a disadvantage, bearing countless scars.
Alfred built the chapel from scratch, and the early days were quite challenging because the peasants didn't understand what justice was. They only believed in and accepted the kind of "justice" that benefited them. Alfred was often mocked and had rotten vegetables thrown at him during his sermons. However, this Paladin never gave up. He consistently demanded of himself to set an example through his actions, upholding that "justice doesn't differentiate between the noble and the lowly" and that "justice comes at a cost." Whether it was a peasant coming to pray, Alfred would listen earnestly and offer counsel, but any opportunists or vagabonds who sought to gain something for nothing with excuses like "I'm weak, therefore I'm right" or "I'm poor, so I must speak" were met with stern refusals.
Thanks to the efforts of this young Paladin, the townspeople gradually accepted Alfred's presence. His great emphasis on "the spirit of contract" and "the belief in justice" led peasants and free people alike to begin entrusting him to mediate and notarize matters, thus giving rise to the justice court. This was a remarkable advancement in Brittania, where usually village elders delivered simple verdicts. The peasants hoped knights wouldn't intervene to avoid executions, and the knights were glad not to be troubled by these petty affairs.
The clever Alfred also realized Brittania's unique circumstances. Besides establishing the justice court, he frequently invited the resident Lake God Prophet and Holy Grail Knight in town to listen in and consult on verdicts.
Over six years of development, Alfred's Justice Chapel has grown into a Divine Hall of Justice, housing approximately fifty clergy members and fifteen Paladins, with several thousand followers in Laine's territory. It competes with the Shalya Church for faith among the peasants but also collaborates with them.
Laine dismounted from his pure-blooded Elf Warhorse, Grape, with Amelia in his arms at the temple's entrance. He looked up, pointing at the Holy Emblem of the God of Justice at the temple's entrance: "Six years, Amelia. Do you remember the days we spent with Afu during the Winter Festival in Marinburg?"
"Of course, I remember. Back then, you and Mr. Alfred even bathed together and shouted for beer." Amelia recalled the memories fondly, her face lighting up with happiness. Following Laine these past years had allowed her to temporarily forget past pains, transforming her once introverted and reserved nature to one lively and cheerful. When she first followed Laine, she was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. Now, six years later, recalling the series of events, the young maid felt rather fortunate.
"I heard the Merciful Goddess Church always tries its best to take in all the orphans and abandoned children, but they only raise the girls, and most of the boys are sent to the Divine Hall of Justice to be raised by Alfred and his clergy and Paladins, to be trained as priests, Paladins, or other professions." Lady Surya dismounted as well, her gaze settling on the Holy Emblem at the temple door.
On a blue shield crest was a warhammer, above which a balanced scale was displayed.
"The Merciful Goddess Church raises girls because they are better suited to caregiving and nursing. As everyone knows, most Divine Halls of the Merciful Goddess also serve as hospitals and sanatoriums." Laine waved for the approaching Paladins to step back and continued, "But the church also needs to eat. Taking in unlimited numbers of orphans and abandoned children could easily collapse the church's finances. The Justice Church needs warriors, so they need boys. I remember in Nord, the White Wolf Church loved taking these orphans. However, accustomed to the Merciful Goddess Church's kind treatment, the boys were startled when they were suddenly placed in the competitive and harsh-training environment of the White Wolf Church. Many tried to escape. I remember if a boy managed to escape the church five times..."
"He would be executed?" Surya asked curiously.
"No. If a boy managed to escape from the strict security of the White Wolf Divine Hall five times and endured five harsh punishments, he would become a primary focus for the White Wolf Church's development. Therefore, the White Wolf War God greatly admired such acts filled with courage, determination, and independence." Laine replied with a smile.
"If a Kingdom noble's boy questioned the Lady like this, he would only be sent to be a lifelong Holy Grail Pilgrim or live in the Empire and Southern Realm." Surya said with interest, "... So, Mr. Alfred is now a Temple Knight?"
"Afu was honored as a Temple Knight by the Justice Church for spreading the faith and building the Divine Hall of Justice. He also joined the Sweet and Spicy Brotherhood. This was quite recent." Inside the Divine Hall of Justice, at the location of the Holy Hall, Laine pointed to a knight emblem on the wall and continued, "So, time certainly flies. That snotty brat I used to have snowball fights and sled races with has actually become a knight?"
"Hahaha~" Surya and Amelia couldn't help but chuckle, turning their attention to the knight emblem of the Templar Order.
On a red shield, a golden warhammer was depicted, with a skull wearing a laurel crown on its surface. The current Grand Master of the Templar Order is Hans-Lightdoff, a powerful knight at the Legendary Peak with numerous accolades.
The Templar Order is also one of the Empire's Seven Great Knight Orders, established early in the Empire's history. Known for its strict military discipline and formidable combat prowess, the order strictly uses white spears and sword and shield, famous in the Old World for their signature silver armor and red and white plumed helms. As a Religious Knight Order, their main enemies are the undead and the Chaos Sect within the Empire.
"Who do you think was blowing his nose when making snowmen with you? Laine, that was us two urinating together to melt someone's snowman, and you even said it was dying the snowman's hair yellow." A lively and energetic voice called out as Temple Knight Alfred emerged from the Holy Hall, a sincere smile on his face. The knight, now middle-aged, walked over to Laine and gave him a big hug: "Good friend, what brings you here?"
As usual, Alfred was clad in full armor, rarely seen without his plated armor. Laine, caught in the hug, felt slightly uncomfortable from the pendant and red cross pattern on Alfred's chest plate. He patted Alfred's shoulder: "I have yet to formally congratulate you on your promotion to Temple Knight. I came specifically to see you."
"Hello, Mr. Alfred." "Hello, Alfred." Amelia and Surya greeted Alfred in turn.
"Hello, uh... Lady Surya and Miss Amelia." Alfred gestured for the group to follow him down the corridor.
The weather began to turn gloomy, as if it might rain. The sturdy temple, built of granite and stone slabs, had a complex interior that would be difficult to navigate without Alfred's guidance.
Opening the door to his room, Alfred's private quarters contained a bed, wardrobe, prayer mat, several desks, a long table with chairs for guests, and a stand for his armor along with a candelabrum.
"Have a seat, my friends. You've come to see me for something special, haven't you?" Alfred invited Laine and his companions to sit down without any preamble, getting straight to the point.
"That's right, Afu. I've come to see you because I need your help with something."
"What is it?"
