Chapter 508.

Chapter 508 – Gods
“Lord MacDonald, what is your opinion on myths and such?”

Aldrich suddenly threw out this question.

MacDonald froze for a moment, not understanding why Aldrich asked this.

What the hell, is this a discussion about academics with himself? But I’m not a Bachelor in the Bachelor’s Tower.

“Hm? Did you two great scholars specifically call me, a great old man, over to make a fool of myself?”

The old marshal said grumblingly.

He picked up the teacup on the table, blew away the tea leaves floating on the water with a single breath, and took a small sip.

A bitter but ethereal sensation filled his mouth.

“All my life my concern has been how to lead an army into battle. Myths? I listened to my mother talk about it when I refused to go to sleep as a child, I listened to the choir sing about it when I grew up and worshipped in church, and maybe I tell it to my grandchildren when I’m bored, but if you want me to say I have any insight, what insight can I have? All I can do is listen to people and tell them.”

“I know there are scholars or theologians who specialize in this, perhaps you should call out to your peers in these professions.”

The old marshal grumbled on and on, finishing him off in a few large gulps after feeling that the tea in his cup wasn’t very soupy, just like drinking.

“Lord MacDonald.”

Yarvi stroked his beard and smiled broadly, “So do you think the stories in the myths actually happened?”

“Huh?” MacDonald was very puzzled.

Ah these scholars!

“I can only take the liberty of saying that some of it happened and some of it was made up or exaggerated, right? Isn’t it your job as scholars to get to the bottom of this? Why are you asking me?”

Aldrich said, “Well, next we cover a bit of a sensitive subject.”

Is it coming? MacDonald renewed his caution.

“What is your opinion of the Lord of Light and the Church?”

MacDonald frowned as he pondered, partly the question itself, partly Aldrich’s intent in asking it.

The two maesters did not press him for an answer, just quietly waited.

It was a long time before he said slowly, “I can only tell you both this, I believe in the gods and honor them, and I feel that there is indeed a great Being behind this world who reigns over all, who is both all-knowing and all-powerful, but ……”

Here the old marshal paused, apparently hesitating to say the following words.

“Oh, Lord Macdonald, please speak freely; your words will not go out again after they have entered our ears.”

Jarvie assured him.

MacDonald breathed a light sigh of relief and continued, “Well, in my short talent, I may be wrong. Our God ……”

At this point the old marshal paused, his hands gesticulating erratically as if he could not find the right words to continue his point.

“According to the Church, our God is supposed to be an existence beyond [form], or at least beyond matter as we perceive it, then it seems to me that He is a concept, a rule, a spirit that does not depend on entities. I think the gap between a great being like God and us mortals is greater than the gap between us mortals and ants, who are still in the same category of substance-dependent existence. But …… do we care how a nest of ants lives? Would we care if the ants made mistakes? Do we care if the ants are suffering? Would we care if the ants needed our help? And the description of God in the Holy Scriptures …… He punishes humans when they make mistakes, He rewards humans when they do well, and He helps humans when they are in trouble. The God of the Holy Scriptures is simply like an uncaring old mom …… Ahem, Father in heaven, please forgive my inappropriate wording …… He cares for mankind like a dignified and zealous elder.”

Marshal MacDonald’s words made the two Maesters, Aldrich and Yarvi, stare in disbelief; they had not expected such words to come from the mouth of a general who led his troops into battle.

MacDonald saw their emotions as well, and did not interpret their surprise as shock at his own departure from the norm.

“It’s a little shallow thinking on my part.”

In a rare display of shyness, he scrambled to cover himself with a cup of tea. After all, the one in front of him was a great scholar known throughout the empire.

At that moment, Aldrich snapped his hands, and he said with a smile, “Very interesting insight, Lord MacDonald.”

Yarvi also said, “You have absolutely nothing to worry about, in fact, we …… hold similar doubts.”

“Oh ……,” MacDonald dropped his voice.

Yarvi whispered, “The reason we ask you this is because we are worried about your attitude toward the church.”

MacDonald said without hesitation, “Then I will likewise reply to both of you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about, my loyalty to the Empire and to His Highness Antonio comes before my religious position.”

“Besides ……”

He gave a slight pause, but ultimately chose to continue, “Given my thoughts on God, I don’t think an organization made up of enough mortals to fully represent His will.”

“I am impressed by your reason and loyalty, Lord MacDonald.”

Yarvi’s eyes filled with appreciation.

“Now let’s get our conversation back to the content of the myth itself ……”

……

General Collins Semen Fedotov stared daggers at the remnants of the army before him.

“Three thousand men, three thousand whole men, and they come back with just a few hundred of you?”

He yelled in annoyance at his subordinate in charge of commanding the forward troops.

Just as he was hesitantly leading the main army towards Hydra, he unexpectedly encountered the fleeing vanguard troops on the road.

They had actually lost the battle! This shocked Fedotov to no end.

The commander of the forward force was among the routed troops, the poor fellow’s name was Harper, and just like the army he commanded, he himself was in a very bad way.

Harper’s cheeks were swollen and bulging, his head was wrapped in a rag from which red blood oozed, and his left eye looked like it had been punched solidly, with purple bruises all around it, making him look like a pig’s head from a distance.

Fedotov was furious, the Etonians didn’t finish this guy off but chose to beat him up like this and put him back is definitely a naked humiliation for him.

Fedotov grabbed Harper by the collar, “What the hell is going on? What happened to you guys?”

Harper howled, he was so humiliated right now.

“General, you must avenge us. We …… we ……”

“Speak!”

“We encountered hordes of witches?”

“Witches? Harper! You’re not amusing me, are you? Or are you just giving yourself a reason for losing the battle?”

“I am not deceiving you!” Harper flung himself to his knees.

“All my men can testify to that!”

(End of chapter)