Chapter 427: Rescue

Chapter 427: Chapter 303: Rescue

“Their souls will ascend to Heaven, for they gave their lives for the Lord of Heaven. There is no need for undue pity, Earl of Gloucester,” Eustace, Count of Boulogne, said, looking at Eric.

“They would rejoice in death. They took up the cross for this very sacred moment. Their sins have been washed clean by their selfless devotion, and their path now leads to Heaven, not this mortal world. This is the most ideal fate for God’s Warriors.

Gloucester, you must believe they are Warriors, devout to the Lord of Heaven. To hesitate now is to insult them.” Bishop Admar of Le Puy, the Pope’s Envoy, now came to stand at Eric’s side.

The Count of Pontieu, however, remained silent, merely watching Eric.

Eric turned to the Count of Ghent, who stood a short distance away. “And what is your opinion, Count of Ghent?”

The Count of Ghent was taken aback, clearly not expecting Eric to ask for his opinion. He instinctively glanced at Bishop Admar, then crossed his arms and said, “God is all-knowing and all-powerful. All is God’s will. How could we expect to wash away our sins and reclaim the Holy Sepulchre without any sacrifice…”

“If that were God’s will, then they all should have died on the battlefield, bathed in glory as their souls returned to Heaven. God allowed them to survive and gave us the opportunity to rescue them. Perhaps He has other plans for them, and for us as well.”

Eric shifted his gaze from the Count of Ghent to Bishop Admar.

Admar’s brow furrowed. “Or perhaps it was because they chose cowardice to survive their moment of crisis. They fled the sacred battlefield, turning their backs on God’s call. As a result, their souls have lost His protection.

Gloucester, I know you were once a Cultivator. Have you not read the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament?

If you do not obey the voice of Yahweh your God… Yahweh will bring you and the King you have set over you to a nation which you and your ancestors have not known.

When Yahweh your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out from before you many nations—the Hittites, the Gejasa people, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Bilish people, the Hebrews, and the Jebusites, seven nations in all, stronger than you.

And when Yahweh your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. You shall make no treaty with them and show them no mercy.”

Admar’s tone was filled with unyielding conviction. His gaze swept over Eric, as if reminding him of his sacred mission and the warnings of the Old Testament.

The previously restless Knights were now utterly silent, as if every man was stunned by the gravity of the words from the Bible.

Eric frowned slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke. “My Lord Bishop, I understand your devotion to our sacred mission, and I am well aware of God’s stern commands in the Old Testament. God did warn us not to show easy mercy to the heretical peoples, but that teaching concerns how we treat non-believers, how we are to guard the purity of our faith.

However, the men who have fallen into enemy hands are our comrades-in-arms, our brothers. Perhaps their souls wavered on the battlefield, perhaps their resolve was not as firm as rock, but My Lord Bishop, it is precisely because they are still alive that they have a chance to repent and return to the faith.”

He paused, his gaze firm as he looked at Admar, his voice tinged with earnest appeal. “‘You say they may have been forsaken by God, that they have lost His protection. And yet, is it not our duty to lead lost souls back into God’s embrace? If God has granted us this opportunity to ransom their lives, to allow them to return to the battlefield and fight for Him once more, how can we defy such an act of mercy?'”

Admar’s brow tightened, his displeasure with Eric’s leniency evident. “Count,” he said, “as it is written in Exodus, ‘Thou shalt not pity, nor shalt thou spare.’ God has clearly given us the authority to chastise those whose faith falters. Since they lost their way on the battlefield, why must you insist on their redemption?

Mercy may be a test from God, one that could lead us astray from our mission and into weakness. Your pity might be the very means by which God tests you, a temptation to forsake the resolve of your faith.

Brother, you must be the obedient Abraham, and let the captives be the obedient Isaac! They are the burnt offering of our Devotion!”

Eric listened calmly, a complex smile touching his lips. “As you say, esteemed Bishop Admar, this is indeed a sacrifice of Isaac. Perhaps an Angel is watching us from the clouds even now, waiting for the moment to cry out, ‘Abraham, Abraham! Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him.’

The Book of Proverbs warns us, ‘For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.’ Their fall may be a trial permitted by God, so that they might understand the weight of their faith more deeply. Should we not then seize this chance to help them return to their faith and stand tall once more?”

Eric tried to inject passion into his voice. “My Lord Bishop, our enemies are indeed the peoples of Heresy, but these captive brothers are our own flesh and blood, Warriors who swore the same oath alongside us. I am not asking you to pity our enemies; I am asking you to pity our brothers who fought bravely in this Holy War. Perhaps their souls will be purified through this ordeal. Perhaps with Gold, we can win back not only their bodies but also their repentant hearts.”

Admar was silent for a long time, his eyes scanning the faces of the Knights as if weighing their reactions. Finally, he spoke with a cold finality. “Eric, if you insist on using Gold to ransom those who have gone astray, then you will bear the consequences of that decision alone. May God be the judge of your compassionate heart.”

“I am filled with sincere admiration for your benevolence and mercy, Earl of Gloucester. You are far more rational, and show far more Devotion, than your compatriots.

Most Franks mistake foolishness and cruelty for Devotion.” Turk bowed to Eric with a smile. “Now that we have reached an understanding, please allow me to inspect my uncle’s property.”

Turk spotted the camels in the distance. Just as he was about to approach them, a piercing sound cut through the air. WHOOSH! An arrow shot out from the shadows, speeding directly toward him.

Reacting in an instant, Turk threw himself aside, narrowly avoiding the projectile. The Arrow flew past his shoulder and buried itself in the sand behind him with a dull THUMP.

“What is the meaning of this, Earl of Gloucester? This is a provocation against the Rum Sultanate!”

“I don’t recall saying your uncle would be getting all of the Gold back.

How much Gold is returned depends on whether the bargaining chips your uncle holds are valuable enough.

As everyone knows, even in the West, the ransom for an Attendant could never be the same as the ransom for a King,” Eric said with a smile.

“My lord invites you all to meet him in Antioch.” Turk gritted his teeth, but in the end, he had no choice but to bow to Eric once more.