Chapter 312 - A Historian's Reflection
This is an excerpt from a work that existed long ago... mumble mumble...
I salvaged the parts that were swept away and lost in the depths of oblivion... mumble mumble...
Mika Noisheim.
Research into this mysterious figure, who is a god of Mikaelaism yet left many records as a human, has been conducted from various angles even hundreds of years later.
Mr. Noisheim built a colossal fortune in a single generation and established the Church of Light's research institute personally.
He is also said to have devoted himself to restoring the lost [God's Miracle].
Currently, this research institute was destroyed by fire, and unfortunately, the materials stored there were also lost.
While Mr. Noisheim is said to have saved the Kingdom of Ektrem, he is also said to have paved the way for the kingdom's collapse.
This is because he advocated for the 'Bill of Rights' and 'Slave Emancipation' during his lifetime.
Mr. Noisheim advocated for natural rights, including so-called human rights such as the right to life and property rights, as rights possessed by all people.
He also codified the independence of the church, and these ideas of his gradually spread using the church as a network.
Furthermore, he strongly urged the abolition of the status of slaves, particularly the abolition of the Subjugation Curse.
However, what Mr. Noisheim aimed for was strictly to place limits on the authority of kings and nobles, not to overturn feudal society or its institutions themselves.
As proof, the 'Bill of Rights' also mentions royal power and loyalty to the king, and it recognized these things.
However, the relationship between Mr. Noisheim and the royal family and nobles gradually deteriorated.
This was because there were those who opposed Mr. Noisheim's claims, and conversely, those who sought to utilize Mr. Noisheim's influence.
It is said that Mr. Noisheim's first wife, Leventein Cleiria, was the one who barely held things together and prevented the relationship with the noble society from collapsing.
Cleiria, from the Marquis Leventein family of high nobility, did her best to act as a bridge between Mr. Noisheim and the noble society while receiving cooperation from her own family.
Also, King Cranzard at the time treated Mr. Noisheim relatively moderately, which prevented a fatal rift from forming between Mr. Noisheim and the noble society.
Most of all, even so, there were nobles who went out of control, and it is said that the assassination attempts against Mr. Noisheim that occurred frequently troubled King Cranzard.
It should be noted that the noble families who took such direct actions were inevitably struck by disaster, which also played a part in Mr. Noisheim's mystique.
Thanks to several strokes of luck, the fact that Mr. Noisheim's value was extremely high to the kingdom was also advantageous to him.
The prime example of this was invasion from other countries.
For the kingdom plagued by invasions from the Gronoir Empire and other continents, the existence of Mr. Noisheim was significant.
It is said that his appearance, standing on the battlefield himself and flying around flapping his beautiful wings, alone spurred on many soldiers and generals.
The kingdom relied heavily on his power as the "God of Wrath," who could turn an invading fleet into sea foam with just one person.
Therefore, the kingdom could not afford to lose Mr. Noisheim.
Also called the Guardian of the Kingdom, Mr. Noisheim, who received immense support from the common people, was truly an existence that was both medicine and poison to the kingdom.
Thus, Mr. Noisheim saved the kingdom from foreign invasion, yet the general view is that he was the cause of the kingdom's collapse.
It was due to the poison of the 'Bill of Rights' and 'Slave Emancipation'.
Blaming Mr. Noisheim for events that happened more than three hundred years after his death might be a bit rough.
But without the 'Bill of Rights' and 'Slave Emancipation' advocated by Mr. Noisheim, people would never have had such thoughts in the first place.
A rebellion started by a single slave spread the flames of war to a revolution by the common people, engulfing the entire kingdom.
Both the slave who started it and the common people who rose up in revolution shouted the same thing: "As the Apostle wishes."
That slaves and commoners obtaining their natural rights is the will of the god of Mikaelaism.
It goes without saying that the church was involved in this great tide of the times.
Considering that the cause of the century-long grudge with the neighboring country was also the 'Oracle', it must be said that it was too ironic for this kingdom to be tossed about by the will of God until the very end.
As a result, the Kingdom of Ektrem split into over ten nations.
The Kingdom of Ektrem, which had dominated more than half of the continent, fell to the status of a medium-sized nation, though its name remains to this day.
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1st Month of Wind, 2nd Week, Day of the Sun.
A rural village on the border.
Beside the church, about five children sat on the grass, listening to a story woven by a woman sitting in the center.
"............And thus, the Apostle saved the Saintess from the dark labyrinth."
"“““Waaaaah~~~!”””
"“““Yay!!!”””
When the woman's story ended, the children raised a cheer.
But one of the girls among them clouded her expression.
"...What's going to happen to the Saintess?"
When the girl looked up at the woman with a face about to cry, the woman smiled brightly.
"Are you worried about the Saintess?"
"Yes..."
In today's story, the terrible curse placed on the Saintess had not yet been lifted.
She had only been rescued from the labyrinth where she was imprisoned.
To such a girl, the boy sitting next to her declared firmly.
"It's definitely fine! Because it's the Apostle!"
The boy puffed out his chest with evidence that was a bit dubious as evidence.
However, perhaps unable to be satisfied with that, the girl's expression remained clouded.
The woman gently stroked the girl's head and smiled at her.
"Hehe... it's definitely fine."
Then, she turned her gaze to the boy.
"Because it's the Apostle."
"See, Sister says so too!"
"But..."
Even hearing the exchange between the woman and the boy, the girl's anxiety did not disappear.
Sister nodded to the girl.
"When you are worried, pray a lot to the Apostle. If your prayers reach the Apostle, the Saintess will definitely be fine."
"Really...?"
"Yes, of course."
Hearing Sister's words, the girl's face became serious.
"I will pray to the Apostle a lot."
Hearing the girl's reply, Sister smiled even more.
Then, she stood up.
"Alright, today's school is over. Everyone, help clean up."
"“““Yes.”””
The children replied energetically to Sister's call.
"We will continue the story next week. Everyone, make sure to come."
Saying that, Sister made a gesture of prayer and looked up at the sky.
The energetic voices of the children growing up healthy made her feel warm.
Bathed in the soft sunlight pouring down, she felt the Apostle's blessing.