Things Are About to Get Big

Tervain Village was immersed in a mix of sorrowful joy.

Their joy stemmed from the nobles' ongoing celebrations, while their sorrow came from the loss of loved ones.

Some of the fallen soldiers had been the pillars of their households, fulfilling roles as brothers, fathers, and sons. They represented the hopes, reliance, and sustenance of their families.

Regardless of the roles they once played, they now had only one role: the deceased.

Ergons felt that his next upgrade should prioritize skill points in Surgery and First Aid. This way, severely wounded soldiers on the battlefield would have a chance to be saved by him.

However, given that this area was already a war zone, the current state of extremely low productivity meant that people would die for inexplicable reasons.

They should have already grown accustomed to bidding farewell to their loved ones!

But this was the second time someone had died in just this past month, and the grief from the previous loss had barely faded before it was reignited.

Yet, after their sorrow, they felt joy because these individuals would embrace the Holy Light. To them, this was a reality.

It was because the favored of the gods walked among them, and they were fighting for the favored of the gods.

It was precisely because of this sacred glory that their sorrow was for the longing of their loved ones, not the fear of death.

Everyone was preparing for the celebratory feast of victory, and the soldiers' funerals could only be conducted hastily. Ergons felt there was room for improvement in this regard.

After the nobles left, he could create something like a Hall of Heroes or a monument. This was a powerful tool often used by protagonists in transmigration novels to manage their armies, possessing strong cohesive power for morale.

However, it might not be as effective for his "favored of the gods' vassals." Their sense of belonging and honor was already at its peak.

Amidst the melodious eulogy, everyone closed their eyes in devout prayer. Even the Baron and many nobles attending this funeral had to admire the Priest who had previously performed a divine miracle. His actions truly had a "divine" aura.

His earnest recitation of the eulogy, coupled with the atmosphere, was very effective at manipulating the masses. The common people appeared devout, but the nobles were mostly skeptical of the Holy Light.

The half-belief of the Priests and nobles stemmed from the previous transmigration incident.

While performing the memorial rites, the Priest recalled a conversation from a few hours earlier and felt an inexplicable aversion to the "Holy Light."

In his opinion, if he hadn't immediately expressed his absolute lack of intention to usurp the glorious title of the favored of the gods, he would have already died.

He could consider everything he had done as merely providing assistance to young master Ergons, and all of it was done according to his requests. This matter had nothing to do with the Holy Light anymore.

The reason for his extreme caution was that Priest Ramses Bolton was not a true believer in the Holy Light.

In fact, it could be said that within the Holy See, or among the nobility, those with sufficiently high status generally did not believe in the Holy Light.

If an ordinary person were told that their soul would return to the embrace of the Holy Light, and that the Holy Light would use them as a vessel to walk the earth, leaving their legend in this world.

Most people would likely be willing.

But those who were sufficiently intelligent would think, "Isn't this just death?"

As for whether their souls would return to the Holy Light after death, who knew? Since the person was already dead, what was the use of leaving a name in this world?

Therefore, Priest Ramses Bolton was now among the most loyal, because he truly both revered and feared it.

Honestly, he had no desire to become the vessel through which the Holy Light walked the earth.

Thinking of this, the Priest's recitation of the eulogy became even more solemn and dignified. He glanced at young master Ergons, who was praying with the crowd, and dared not speculate on what he truly was, but he felt sure it wasn't the Holy Light!

No matter how tear-jerking the eulogy was, how heroic and glorious it made the soldiers seem, how solemn and dignified, or how moving, it would eventually come to an end.

Returning from the cemetery behind the manor, everyone began to busily prepare for the victory celebration banquet.

In the evening, the Baron and his seven enfeoffed Knights, awaiting the banquet, sat in the study of the manor's main castle.

"How could he have escaped? Increase the search force! ... Never mind, it's pointless."

The Baron was still unable to let go of the Viscount of Tervain from the County of Tervain escaping the battlefield. He said, "This matter cannot be let go just like that, but crossing the desert and sea to attack them, we can't make the accounts balance."

After pondering for a moment, he pointed to the Chancellor and said, "Do this: find some patients with contagious diseases and drive them towards the County of Tervain."

"Will that work? Whether patients with contagious diseases can cross the desert is one thing, and if the people of the County of Tervain find out, they'll be executed on the spot and cremated."

The Chancellor raised his concerns, attempting to dissuade the Baron from his fanciful idea.

As the seventh-generation collateral branch Chancellor of the Tevalin Family, John Libet Tevalin, who grew up with Baron Nordesah Tevalin, often dared to say things other vassals wouldn't.

"That is indeed a problem. Then send more, in batches, by different routes. There's always a chance."

Seeing that he was still not giving up, the Chancellor continued to argue, "Even if they manage to evade inspection, it's not guaranteed they'll spread throughout their territory. They have many islands, making it easy to control epidemics, so the spread will be limited.

Moreover, there's a high probability that the diseased patients will be sold back to a place on the mainland, as slave trading is their main business."

"That's even better! Then pay close attention for the next four months to see where an epidemic breaks out. If it's close to us, it means they've cooperated with the Tervain pirates, and that's our cue to attack!"

The Chancellor fell silent, understanding the Baron's intention: to use a war to vent all the negative repercussions of being invaded.

The upcoming war would be conducted with absolute superiority and overwhelming public opinion in their favor.

The Chancellor cast a deep glance at Sir Ergons, the local lord, who remained silent beside him. As a fellow collateral branch of the Tevalin Family, the Chancellor thought highly of this young man.

He knew that in the upcoming battles, Ergons Tevalin, or rather, "Sir Davis Tevalin," would continue to make a name for himself in the North Province.

When the attendant arrived to invite everyone to be seated, the Chancellor deliberately lagged a step behind and whispered to him, "Young man, I don't know where you obtained those two magical items, but at least everything you've done so far has been quite good."

Caught off guard by his words, the Chancellor continued, "The divine miracle created by that Priest was too high-profile. This information can't be suppressed. If it's truly inconvenient for you to act, I will help you send that Priest back to the Holy Light's summons. Child, the Baron and I think very highly of you."