CHAPTER 491: CHAPTER 425: THE MAN WHO STRAYED FROM GOD’S WILL (PART 2 IN 1)

The words of Prince Rowley were enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine.

"Bewitchment..."

The word, coming from the mouth of Rowley, the heir to the throne, struck Po Han with a sense of unreality.

Moreover, he said that his father was bewitched.

The Holy King in the eyes of the Exiles was bewitched.

Such an act was utterly blasphemous.

Po Han suddenly felt dizzy; he stared at Prince Rowley and abruptly realized that beneath the composed exterior were trembling hands.

"Why, why do you say that?"

Po Han’s lips were dry, a rarity for a Merfolk, whose body naturally secreted mucus.

The hands of Prince Rowley were still shaking as he spoke slowly after a long pause:

"Lord Po Han... I hope, no matter what I say, you won’t speak of it to others."

He seemed to have come here with great courage.

Po Han caught this point and slowly regained his composure,

"I, I know what to do, as I always have."

Prince Rowley took this as an assurance and thus he opened up:

"Lord Po Han, as you know, I have always revered my father.

He is so wise. Starting with almost nothing, he embraced God’s sacred mission, guided by Angels, to establish a new kingdom in a new land.

He was hailed as the new King Dertulian, revered as the Holy King, undoubtedly, his land was a gift from God, he is our one and only King..."

As he spoke, Prince Rowley’s fist tightened unconsciously, the torch flickered slightly,

"However... the brilliance that my people had hoped for exists only within the Palace walls, the utopia they have awaited shows not a trace of appearing.

I don’t understand, we don’t understand...

If this is truly the land bestowed by God, if my father is truly the chosen Holy King, why have the riches God promised not appeared, why has the prophecy of the ’Twin Kings Book’ not been fulfilled?!"

Prince Rowley’s voice was low, yet laden with unprecedented intensity of emotion.

It was a question, not just his alone, but a silent question almost all of the Exiles shared.

Why has the utopia we seek never arrived?

The Exiles came over the vast ocean from the Nus Palace, enduring hardships along the way, with death as their most common visitor, suffering like blisters on the soles of their feet. Over a hundred years have passed, they have a new King Dertulian, but the longed-for utopia has yet to come.

Where exactly did things go wrong?

Is it that God is unwilling to grant it to us?

If He wills it, dry wells can become fountains, even a night in Leprosy Valley can turn blissful, today’s barren lands can become rich with God’s might tomorrow.

Why does God not grant it to us?

Is our King mistaken?

Could our King, the absolutely wise Holy King, be in error?

He is someone who was given a mission, he is our Dertulian!

He once led us out of death’s clutches to establish a New Kingdom from nothing!

"He has been bewitched... he must have been bewitched by something!

As a result, God has not gifted us with the riches we are due."

Prince Rowley said gravely and carefully.

This was not just the thought of Prince Rowley, but also the thoughts of countless Logosians who had braved dangers to reach this place, devout people who night and day prayed, kissed the words of the Holy Scripture, praised King Nimirda’s greatness as they would praise the Divine, the more they suffered, the more they worshipped.

It seemed... as if by doing so, their King Dertulian would lead them out of their plight and into God’s grace.

Po Han saw this, and as half an Observer, he was even clearer about the disparity between Nus Kingdom of old and the current Logos Kingdom.

The gradually decaying Nus Kingdom in the eyes of the people, with the embellishment of memory, seemed so harmonious and peaceful, where people did not have to worry about survival, without curfews, without hard labor, without the New Code. Everyone lived freely, enjoying their long lives.

"Father... he must have been bewitched...

My father must have been bewitched!"

Prince Rowley repeated himself, then turned, and grasping the papyrus, he faced Po Han,

"Lord Po Han, I do not know how many of my people have pleaded with me for answers, how much pain has fallen upon my ears,

I sought answers from my father, but he remained silent, and when I pressed further, he cautioned me not to question God’s will."

At this point, Prince Rowley paused, took a deep breath and said:

"I must find an answer...

I need to know what exactly has bewitched my father, that he has strayed from God’s mission.

Because... my people are tired of searching for joy amidst numbness."

Prince Rowley’s youthful, vibrant words deeply moved Po Han and his aging heart, the Merfolk’s breathing became rapid; all this time, he had been stuck in a swamp of confusion.

"We must find an answer... it is only right, isn’t it?"

Po Han murmured.

The words seemed to be addressed to Prince Rowley, but even more so to himself.

The people of Logos yearned for beauty, so they followed the recordings of the ’Twin Kings Book,’ followed King Nimirda, leaving what they perceived as the increasingly crumbling Nus Kingdom.

But their awaited beauty never arrived.

Being half an Observer, Po Han was deeply perplexed, and now the words of Prince Rowley seemed to offer him a glimmer of hope to break through the confusion.