Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 904: Section 599: Trial (Part 3)_2

Chapter 904: Section 599: Trial (Part 3)_2

Thus, Malin listened attentively.

In the memories of this old gnome, Malin heard for the first time the complete story of what happened after the last Tide of the Dead. In that era, Deities and Chaos suddenly receded, leading various Churches to eventually split apart. Most sects established their own orders of Temple Knights, but some joined the Brotherhood, because all things need balance. If Deities do not appear for a long time, the Church is bound to fragment. If all Churches belong to the order of Temple Knights, an extremely terrifying situation could arise.

Malin agreed with this—when the True God that restrains human nature is absent, all kinds of hypocrisy and false faith brazenly emerge. Those sects that joined the Brotherhood... had their reasons.

But Malin would never take one side’s word for it, so he turned his gaze to the half-human beside him, still swollen in the face: "Since they are sects that joined the Brotherhood, why are you then at each other’s throats?"

"That’s because three centuries have passed, and a rift appeared between the Brotherhood and the Temple Knights. We watched those hypocritical sects establish their false faiths. It has been six centuries since the Deities showed any sign of divine presence, and the Temple Knights had long since morphed from an organization that saves and benefits the world into an ambitious abomination. They established the new pantheon of false deities while extending their reach into the mortal realm. The Western Human World thus suffered greatly. In the most tragic times, only the Glorious Union formed by Sidney and Farole continued to uphold the ban on slavery and forbade the false religions of deities from entering the two countries’ territories. Over the next four centuries, our Brotherhood and the Temple Knights fought continuously, just as two factions in the mortal realm waged seven world wars over four centuries."

"And then what? Someone must have stood up, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be protecting that member of the Temple Knights they were trying to kill." Malin didn’t mind letting these youngsters know he had just overheard them.

"Yes, Your Excellency, our war with the Temple Knights lasted four centuries. After that, mortals gradually grew weary of it all. Their kings, protectors of the people and defender-generals began to break away from the rule of the Temple Knights. We and the Temple Knights decided to no longer involve mortals in our wars. Hence, there were no more battles in the cities, but our war in the dark continued up until six hundred years ago. At that time, the great Grand Tutor and the most enlightened Primate of the Temple Knights concluded a peace treaty. All false deity religions were abolished. It took the Temple Knights two centuries to complete their internal purge... and we... produced an aberration like the Ancient Order Keepers."

At this point, the half-human was interrupted by a spit from the old gnome, then he looked at Malin: "Your Excellency, those Brotherhood factions born from the sects have reconciled with the Temple Knights. However, we must not forget the pain inflicted on us mortals by the Temple Knights. During their rule, the average lifespan of people in the Eastern Region was only thirty-nine years. Do you know, Your Excellency, what sort of horrendous monsters those innocents curse night and day at their wrongful deaths; their familial bloodlines thereby severed. Apart from us, the so-called rebels who uphold the ancient covenants, who else remembers? We keep our oaths, all to exterminate all the Temple Knights under the heavens."

With that, the gnome heaved a sigh, "Your Excellency, do you understand us?"

"Of course, I understand you. If saying ’sorry’ could absolve oneself of the wrongs committed by one’s ancestors, and by killing some dissenters one could then masquerade as a prodigal child who has seen the error of their ways, what would we need justice and righteousness for?" Malin said, turning his head to look at the combination of big fellow and half-human: "What about you? Do you have anything to say?"

"We indeed don’t have much to say. However, the peace treaty was signed by that Primate and our Grand Tutor. We should not overlook the efforts of our predecessors who yearned for peace. I certainly understand the Ancient Order Keepers’ hatred for the Temple Knights, but what use is embracing hatred alone? The world has been at peace for hundreds of years, humanity is striving to restore the glories before the great destruction, brethren, why can you still not let go of your hatred?"

"I... I cannot." Suddenly, the Leopard Girl spoke up.

Malin raised an eyebrow: "Go on, tell me."

"My grandfather said that our family must not forget this hatred. When our branch was hunted down by the Temple Knights, all our family members were sacrificed, leaving only the young family ancestor and a butler. In the final moment, the butler substituted his grandson for the family ancestor... The family ancestor watched as his friend was impaled on a firearm bayonette... We must seek vengeance, it is the reason for our existence," said the Leopard Girl, lifting her head to look at the Half-human: "Your Church Brotherhood always preaches that hatred can be dissolved, that humanity can join hands, but you are wrong. Human history is filled with conflicts and hatred. The target we are to kill today, his ancestors were the ones who hunted down my family. His forebears killed my kin with their own hands. Why is it that the descendants of the butchers become high-ranking officials in the Mage Tower, while we who were slaughtered and forced to abandon our family name and emblem have to live like rats in the gutter, never to turn over a new leaf?"

As she spoke, the girl glanced around: "Should all of this be just? Members of the Church Brotherhood, have you forgotten that to this day the Eastern Region of the Western Human World still refuses to let any organization or enterprise affiliated with the Temple Brotherhood set foot on their land? The regions around Copenhagen still ban your faiths; the Carterburg area still refuses any statue belonging to your Church; every province in the Western part of Sydney up to Carterburg still holds a bonfire festival burning deity statues each year... Even our greatest Grand Tutor, Deville Gaiate, died at the hands of an extremist Temple Knight assassin. This actions even led to a World War which should never have happened, with hundreds of millions dead or injured. The bloodline of Deville ended because of this, and all of this was because of regrettable actions by your so-called good friend’s ancestors. If you still think all of this is just regrettable, then all I can say is, it’s a pity, so regrettable that we have no choice but to confront each other with blades."

Malin sighed, reached out, and took the girl’s hand: "You’re Ayla, right? What’s your surname?"

"We are Ayla... Ayla Walden. Our family took the surname of the old butler. We will never forget, we will never forgive."

"You should have been named Gaiate, my offspring, but I do not oppose your choice. Kindness is repaid tenfold, and a grudge is avenged a hundredfold. So I understand and affirm what you do." Malin stroked the girl’s face. She was initially surprised, but then, when she looked at her friends, her expression had a hint of delight: "I always thought my grandfather was lying to me, that I was not a child of Deville."

Malin patted her head and then turned to look at Mars: "But before I bring down the hammer of judgment, Mars Gaiate, my other offspring, tell me why you wanted to save that man."

Malin was waiting for an answer, and his offspring immediately stood up. The topmost imposter smiled as he began to tell his story.

"...I also remember him. My father was killed a long time ago, and he appeared on the scene on that day. Later on, he was killed in an assassination and even received the Temple Knights’ Silver Oak Leaf Medal... I always wanted to know who exactly he met at noon today, what they talked about, and why my father and his family were led to destruction." As he spoke, Mars reached out and patted Ayla’s head.

Then he looked at Malin: "Your Highness, I do not know who you are, but my heart tells me that as long as you are here, although I never got the answers in the past, I think after today, I will regain the meaning of my life. Like Ayla, I too live to repay the hatred inflicted on my family."

Having said that, he looked towards Ayla, smiling as he extended his hand: "I am Mars Gaiate, pleased to meet you, my cousin."

"Just like you, I am walking the loneliest path." He said so.