Chapter 009: The Age of Darkness

Du Fan couldn’t help but show a look of pity and said, “Lord Anthony, are you saying… after Leoiris I passed away, internal strife broke out within the Holy Church over the position of pope?”
Anthony gave Du Fan a deep look before shaking his head. “If that were the case, it would be somewhat better… But what happened back then was far more insane than you can imagine!”
“It’s just a rumor…,” Anthony said, looking at Du Fan. “Du Fan, you must understand that everything I’m telling you today is just a rumor. After all, nearly ten thousand years have passed, and it’s absolutely impossible for us descendants to guess what the true history is… So, everything I say needs to be preceded by the word ‘rumor’…”
“Rumor has it that Leoiris I didn’t die a natural death!”
Du Fan was shocked and blurted out, “Assassination!?”
Anthony slowly shook his head. “No… there was no assassination. But it wasn’t much better than that. Rumor has it that in the last year of Leoiris I’s life, after disappearing for a while, he returned with all his powers somehow completely gone. Only the ‘high-ranking officials’ of the Holy Church at that time knew about this, while ordinary believers were unaware.”
Du Fan frowned and said, “Weren’t you saying earlier that Leoiris I’s powers were already near those of a demi-god? Then what on Roland Continent could have caused him such a huge loss?”
Anthony sighed. “I’m afraid no one other than Leoiris I himself knows the answer. But how exactly he lost his powers isn’t important. What’s important is… the ‘high-ranking officials’ of the Holy Church all knew about it!”
As he said “high-ranking officials,” Anthony let out another cold laugh.
Then, he slowly continued, “Humans are very clever creatures, especially during internal struggles. Those who gain power naturally become even smarter in order to reach even higher positions… In the last year of Leoiris I’s life, almost every ‘high-ranking official’ hoped to become the next ‘pope.’ Of course, they might not have used that term back then, but you and I both understand what it means.”

“But when people are ambitious, they are also creatures with great self-awareness… Although everyone wants to be the pope, not everyone is fit for that role. At that time, there were only two people in the Holy See with such status and position, yet these two did not get along and had different ideas. One believed that the Holy See should be independent from the secular world, and that clergy should hold a transcendent status to ensure its enduring prosperity, while the other believed that since the Holy See represented the will of God, it should conquer the entire continent by force, turning everyone there into followers of the Light God, and eliminating all heretics. These two attitudes represented the two main viewpoints within the Holy See at that time, and eventually, each had its own followers. The members of these factions fought constantly over who would rule the Holy See after Leo I, but since Leo I was still alive, they dared not go too far in their conflicts…”

Du Fan somewhat understood what these two factions represented. He nodded and said, “So, do these two factions represent the current Holy See and Roland Academy?”

Anthony sighed and replied, “Yes. The differences in ideology between these two factions were likely the root cause of the split in the Holy See a thousand years ago. However, that was a very long time ago, and I’m not even sure if there’s any actual connection. After all, all I know are fragments of history, while the true history has long been lost!”

As they spoke, Anthony and Du Fan exchanged glances and almost simultaneously sighed.

After resting for a moment, Anthony continued, “In the last days of Leo I’s life, the conflicts between the members of these two factions became apparent. By Leo I’s bedside, they each asked how the Holy See should proceed. At that time, they still didn’t dare to openly clash, so the only way was to gain Leo I’s support—no matter which faction he favored. Then, the leader of that faction would surely become the next pope. This was something both faction leaders were well aware of.”

“So,” said Du Fan, “what was Leo I’s final choice?”

“He… had no choice…” Anthony said with a sigh. “Leois I left one last words before his death: ‘I have devoted my life to the gods; after death, I may rest in peace, but the path of the Holy Church must still be continued by you… Even if you ask me, I cannot answer.’ After saying these words, the founder of the Holy Church, its first pope, passed away with a smile.”
Du Fan gave a bitter smile and said, “Leois I died in peace, but the factional struggles that followed must have been even more intense, right?”
“No, that’s not the case…” Anthony shook his head. “Popes throughout the ages have analyzed Leois I’s last words, but most believe he was fully aware of the conflict between the two factions. The reason he said nothing was simply because only by doing so could the Holy Church survive!”
Du Fan was stunned, his face showing disbelief. “Such a situation in the Holy Church could be said to undermine its foundation… If Leois I knew about it, why didn’t he try to resolve it? With his wisdom and popularity, it shouldn’t have been impossible to resolve such conflicts!”
“No, Du Fan, it was absolutely impossible,” Anthony sighed. “Because wherever there are humans, there will always be disputes over interests. And where there are disputes, there are inevitably conflicts and contradictions. Leois I must have seen this clearly before his death… That’s why he chose to say nothing. Because no matter what he did, he would have to suppress one of the factions to completely resolve the problem, but for the Holy Church at that time, such a drastic measure was absolutely unacceptable…”
“Why?”

“Because on the very day Leois I died, the Bluebloods launched a purge across the continent, killing every Redblood they encountered… The humans, still shrouded in the shadow of Leois I’s death, were unable to resist at all… It was then that the two factions vying for power realized that without Leois I’s Holy Church, they were like a lone boat in a storm. If they continued to fight among themselves, the Holy Church would surely be destroyed. An unprecedented unity emerged within the Holy Church, and the leaders of the two factions reached an understanding. Together, they supported a person who belonged to neither faction as the second pope. From that moment on, humanity entered a thousand-year war, known as the Dark Ages!”
Du Fan sighed and said, “I see… So at that time, did our supreme God of Light show any miracles?”
Anthony pondered for a moment before answering, “I think so. You see, Du Fan… Although humans are numerous, against the powerful demons, the magic-savvy elves, the brutal orc tribes, and the eerie vampires… no matter how many there are, it’s of no use… And though humans have some strong individuals, they have no advantage when fighting against the demons… So I believe that later on, the God of Light must have given humanity some guidance. Otherwise, you and I wouldn’t be here right now.”
Du Fan sighed and said, “That’s true indeed…”
Anthony said nothing but shook his head, signaling for Du Fan to keep looking.
The third mural also depicted events from the Dark Ages, but the background had changed to a river dyed red with blood. In the scene, the allied forces of demons, orcs, and vampires were retreating steadily, while the human armies were achieving continuous victories. Du Fan noticed that at the forefront were a group of silver-armored cavalry, likely the predecessors of the current Knights Templar. Behind them were holy light mages and divine spellcasters. From this scene, it was clear that humanity’s victories were greatly attributed to the Knights Templar and the holy light mages.
After watching for a while, Du Fan said calmly, “How much time passed after that?”

Anthony sighed and said, “It was probably a few hundred years later. Humans kept retreating amid wars, struggling to hold on. It wasn’t until the Holy Church established the Knights Templar and trained holy light mages that they achieved their first victory. This mural depicts the scene from that time!”