Chapter 251
"I don't know why you met Duke, Bishop Leonard?"
Earl Kent asked with a smile, but the smile on his face made the bishop feel a chill.
"I'm here for some religious matters on Northwest Bay, and I need to discuss them with Duke."
"Oh, this is easy to handle! Due to health reasons, Duke has handed over all affairs to me. After all, I am his heir. If you have anything, just tell me."
Leonard hesitated, "Well... I still have to see Duke."
Earl Kent's face turned cold. "Duke is not feeling well and it is not convenient to receive guests."
Leonard still insisted. "Then I will visit the Duke..."
"Your Majesty the Archbishop!"
Maltz Kent had a dangerous look in his eyes.
"I'm afraid you have another purpose for coming here? Did you believe some rumors?"
The so-called "Duke's secret letter" leaked from Henry's hands spread a lot among Northwest Bay, causing him a huge headache.
The letter accused him of using witchcraft to control Duke Ferdinand.
Well, this is indeed true. Because of this, he will never let Duke Ferdinand meet some people he shouldn't meet, including the bishop Leonard in front of him.
Leonard looked at Maltz Kent and said, "The pure will become clear, and the turbid will become turbid. Lord Earl, what are you afraid of?"
That's right, Leonard went to the Duke's Mansion just to investigate Maltz Kent's suspicion of witchcraft, just like the time he visited Paul Greiman at Arda. In fact, with his current status, he doesn't have to personally take care of this matter, but the other party is the future Northwest Duke, so he has to treat it with caution.
"Humph, this is simply an insult to my reputation."
Maltz Kent stood up loudly.
"I, Kent Family, have always been loyal to Duke Ferdinand, and everyone in Northwest Bay has seen it. Now you are slandering my reputation because of the groundless slander fabricated by some Ferdinand Family traitors."
"Please forgive me, Lord Earl. Whether it is slander or not, I will know at a glance."
"You!"
Maltz Kent immediately had the urge to put the person in front of him in prison, but the identity of the other party's archbishop made him calm down.
With a stiff face, he stared at Archbishop Leonard while shouting, "Come here, see the guests off!"
Immediately two armed guards rushed in and said angrily to Leonard: "Your Excellency, please come this way."
Leonard sighed, stood up slowly and said, "Your Majesty, I will continue to request to visit the Duke. If I still don't get your permission, I can only report it to the superiors."
The earl was disdainful: Huh, this kind of threat is still effective against the small lords below, but it is too ridiculous to use it to threaten me, the heir to the duke.
He had long heard that the new bishop was old-fashioned and not very understanding of the world, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.
"No matter what happens next, I will appeal to the Archbishop of the Kingdom and even Holy See. As the protagonist of the region, you accused a future Duke without any reason and seriously damaged his reputation."
Maltz Kent said the above words righteously.
"In addition, Leonard protagonist, haven't you heard of the Greiman Family's [Fire Crossbow] and [Thunder Hammer]? They are definitely witchcraft. My army just suffered a big loss in the face of this witchcraft. Thousands of people can testify."
Leonard shook his head and said, "Duke, the so-called [Fire Crossbow] and [Thunder Hammer] are just two advanced weapons, and their official names are [Musket] and [Artillery]. I checked it with Magic Detection Stone when Lakeheart Town was North Shore Monastery Abbot. There is no trace of magic. Moreover, Earl Greiman is aboveboard and agreed immediately after I made the inspection request."
Maltz Kent rolled his eyes and asked eagerly, "Have you checked [Fire Crossbow] and "Thunder Hammer?" Then...""
Leonard immediately said, "I only know that there are no traces of magic on it, and I know nothing about the internal structure and manufacturing methods. Please don't think too much, Earl."
Earl Kent snorted coldly, "I think it's because Paul Greiman and you are from the same hometown, so you deliberately protected him."
"I swear to Lord of Light..."
"No need to say more, please come back!"
Earl Kent turned around and left.
Leonard shook his head and followed the guard out.
Earl Kent came to the study and summoned Jia Ais, Amerson and several other confidants.
"We cannot wait any longer, we must act as soon as possible."
Two days later, a big event happened in Cent City. Duke Ferdinand died of illness.
Duke has been suffering from illness since last year, and now he is finally Called by God. Maybe it is a good thing for him - many people think so.
As the duke's heir, Maltz Kent held a grand funeral for him.
In front of those who came to attend the funeral, the earl said with great sorrow, "A model of generosity and kindness has fallen into the arms of the Lord. Let us inherit his will and end the chaos of Northwest Bay as soon as possible, so that the people who still live here will have a stable and peaceful hometown."
When the Duke's coffin was buried, many people noticed that the person responsible for reading the eulogy was not Northwest Bishop Leonard, but a clergyman with an unfamiliar face.
As soon as Duke Ferdinand left, Maltz Kent naturally became the new Northwest Duke. As soon as he succeeded, he immediately informed the entire Northwest Bay that he would resolutely eliminate the rebel group headed by Price Parker.
But there was someone else he dealt with first.
On the second day after Maltz Kent succeeded to the throne, a large group of heavily armed Soldiers surrounded Grand Cathedral inside Cent City.
The people in the church were terrified, ordinary believers were hiding in the corner and shivering, and a few priests stood up bravely.
"What are you doing? This is Lord of Light's sanctuary. You are not allowed to act recklessly."
The leading knight pushed away the priest who was standing in front of him and shouted loudly, "Someone has reported that some high-ranking clergy in the northwest diocese have committed crimes of fornication, rebellion, and interference in secular government affairs. We are here to search for evidence of the crime. Give it to me!"
Soldiers behind him rushed into the church with a roar, quickly occupied various parts of the church, and started searching through boxes and cabinets.
These Soldiers are illiterate, so as long as they think something is suspicious, they will take it away immediately.
Threatened by shining swords and spears, no one dared stand in their way.
When the protagonist Leonard heard the noise, he was shaking with anger, "Maltz Kent, you... you are so brave!"
Then his room was also searched, and he saw that the hardcover "Holy Book" that he cherished so much - which was specially printed and given to him by Paul Greiman - was ruffled so rudely by Soldiers. The old bishop rolled his eyes and fainted, and the surrounding priests were in chaos.
At the same time, the Church personnel inside the Religious Tribunal station located on the outskirts of the city were also disarmed, and several Church knights who dared to resist were killed on the spot.
Northwest Bay's Church's armed forces are not large enough to resist the power of a duke. The army surrounding them also claimed that there were treasonous people in Church, and the armed forces controlled by the referee might be ordered to do things that were both internal and external, so they had to disarm them before the investigation was clear.