Chapter 30: The Poor Mother
The hall returned to calm, with Helvin standing, his expression somewhat dazed.
"So, the reason you've been amassing wealth all these years is because of it?" Pegiraov said.
"The Golden Lion requires gold as sustenance. Even as a treasured artifact, it needs to be fed gold to maintain its power."
"Yes, now it's yours." Helvin's expression returned to calm.
"But you must be cautious. This greedy lion, if not fed gold, will bite its master to death."
"My father died under its teeth."
"So, do you have anything else to present?" Pegiraov simply asked.
Helvin shook his head, his gaze directed towards the tightly closed door.
"Zorn, this child, I told him to submit to you, just like his mother did, to preserve his life. But he insisted on upholding his knight's honor."
"I couldn't persuade him any further."
"I thank you for allowing him to uphold his honor as a knight in the end."
"A knight who upholds honor cannot be humiliated," Pegiraov said.
"My child has already left. I told him never to return here in this lifetime. He lacks the talent to become a knight, and he's not smart enough. You've seen him. I beg you, please spare him." Helvin said.
"I will spare him, including your blood relatives who are not involved in insulting the honor of the Lundex family—your wife, children, and illegitimate children."
"Thank you for your leniency."
Helvin closed his eyes.
Raising his hand slightly, golden flames enveloped Helvin.
A smile gradually appeared on his face, and then he was completely consumed by the fire.
"Ah, I didn't expect to find a little lion here." Aivas ran over and picked up the lion-head ring from the ground.
"There's another one that has already escaped. If you like, you can retrieve it. But this one is reserved for Olivia." Pegiraov turned and left.
"Then there's no need. I'm just a bit surprised."
"You can still be surprised?"
"Of course. If there were no such surprises about the unknown, this world would be so dull."
"Heh, tame this little lion."
"No problem."
The two of them exited the hall.
The knights' battle had already ended.
Dean, whose face was obscured by armor, stood aside.
Zorn knelt on the ground, his head bowed, a longsword piercing through his chest.
"He was a true knight." As they passed by, Aivas softly said.
Pegiraov merely glanced at him.
Exiting the fortress, they looked at Knight Wolf, who stood up and saluted.
"Sir Helvin has returned to the earth. From now on, I will be the lord of York Territory," Pegiraov said.
"Yes, my lord." Knight Wolf knelt on one knee, demonstrating his loyalty.
"I need you to handle a few matters."
"Clean up this fortress and expel Sir Helvin's blood relatives from York Town."
"Transport Knight Zorn's body to the Flower Church. Ask Priest Corleon to bury him in the cemetery, and inform the priest that my promise to him begins now."
"Inform everyone in York Territory of this news. Also, ensure that all knights, defense officers, tax officials, and administrative officers responsible for management in the territory come to the fortress to pledge allegiance to me in five days. Those who fail to arrive on time will be deemed rebels."
"That's all. Go handle it." Pegiraov waved his hand.
"Yes, my lord."
...
Flower Church.
Borien had already left.
After Pegiraov and his party of three entered the town, they saw no activity at the church, so after a brief chat, Borien returned home.
He needed to be prepared at home to respond to any changes.
Corleon, on the other hand, comforted George.
Then he discovered an issue he had previously overlooked.
George was illiterate.
This was understandable.
Given George's previous status, he had no opportunity to learn to read.
Moreover, not just him, but probably fewer than three hundred people in the entire York Territory were literate.
Although he had compiled the Holy Scriptures, reading them required literacy.
He thought about whether he could train a few literate priests in the future.
For now, he had to teach George himself.
Returning to his room, he organized the Holy Scriptures, cut and bound them, then took the scriptures and came out.
He planned to use the scriptures directly as teaching tools, which would also allow for more targeted and rapid learning.
However, as he exited the church, he saw a knight approaching with a group of people.
They were dragging a wooden cart, on which lay a knight's corpse clad in armor, with a sword embedded in his chest.
Beside the corpse, a middle-aged woman held the knight's hand, weeping softly.
"Priest." George, who was standing nearby, quickly came over.
Corleon nodded slightly to him and looked at the knight.
"Sir Knight, may I ask what brings you to the church?" Corleon asked.
"You may address me as Knight Wolf." Wolf looked Corleon up and down.
In their circles, Corleon had recently gained significant attention.
Rumors circulated that Lord Lundex held Corleon in high regard.
Considering Corleon's age and Lord Lundex's age, they had reason to suspect that Corleon was the new viscount's illegitimate son.
"York Territory is now under Viscount Lundex's domain. I bring this declaration and convey the lord's message."
"The lord says: 'Inform the priest that my promise to him begins now.'"
"Additionally, the lord instructed me to bring Knight Zorn's body and hopes the priest can arrange his burial."
After speaking, Wolf gestured for the middle-aged woman accompanying him to step forward.
Her face was haggard, her eyes red, still filled with tears.
"She is Knight Zorn's mother. She will cover the burial expenses."
After speaking, Wolf paused, then added, "If possible, please arrange accommodation for this poor mother. She might wish to stay by her child's side tonight."
"Please, priest, show mercy." The woman bowed slightly, pleading.
Her movements instinctively adhered to etiquette, suggesting she was once a well-bred daughter of a family.
"Of course, if you don't mind resting in the church." Corleon nodded and said.
He would not refuse a poor mother's request.
Moreover, judging by Knight Wolf's conveyed message, the 'war' between Lundex and Elbert had ended.
Just as Borien had said, Sir Pegiraov only needed to enter York Town, walk into the Twin Lions Castle, and claim the lord's authority.
York Town was ready to welcome its new master.
"I still need to inform others, so I won't disturb Priest Corleon any further. Please take care of Knight Zorn's matters." Wolf said.
Although he wasn't sure if Corleon was an illegitimate son, he was certain that this priest had connections with the new lord.
However, he didn't care much about that.
He was a knight, not adept at interpersonal interactions.