In the study, the Old Witch said, "I think the information I'm about to share is something even Branton doesn't know."
"Most people in Ambrose don't know where the Thousand Year Fire came from."
Branton laughed. "My dear Lady, that's an interesting thing to say. I'm an Ambrose man myself. Do you think I don't know our customs as well as you do?"
"Isn't the Thousand Year Fire just a local religious custom?"
Branton said to Yveta, "Your Highness, we Ambrose people have a special fondness for fire. We believe it brings us good luck."
"So nearly every castle has some kind of fire ornament hanging up."
"We call these things the Thousand Year Fire."
"The Church turns a blind eye to it. Perhaps they think a little flame can't threaten the faith in the God of All Things."
Yveta noticed a red flame-shaped ornament burning in the middle of the study wall.
The Old Witch ignored Branton's interruption and simply said to Yveta, "In fact, it's exactly the opposite."
"The Church embraced the Thousand Year Fire."
"Your Grace, when the Church came here, it must have adopted the local tradition of worshipping the Thousand Year Fire and made it its own. That's why the Church's doctrine spread successfully in Ambrose."
"This is the Church's tradition."
"Whenever they enter a foreign country or region, they actively take in the local beliefs and customs so the people there will be more willing to accept them."
Branton blushed a little.
He glared angrily at the Old Witch, because what she had said clashed with the knightly education he had received since childhood.
The God of All Things was the only True God. Why would the Church of All Things need to work so hard to spread its faith?
Shouldn't everyone embrace the