The Letter of Absolution

Three months later, on the day of Norn's 13th birthday, he finally received the gift Otto had been longing for the most. Archbishop Bertrand, with a beaming smile, handed over a scroll, which was none other than the Letter of Absolution personally signed by His Holiness the Pope.

"In the name of the Omniscient and Almighty Father, Knight Otto Adler, and his wife Eve Adler, with their devout faith, prostrate themselves before the servant of all servants, to guard the flock of the Lord, to repent and pray, to obtain the blessings and merits of the saints through sword, word, or heart, and to atone for all manner of sins. On the Day of Judgment, they shall be blessed by the Lord and ascend to heaven. ——Pope Alexander III."

Otto, who had always been a tough guy, was overwhelmed with emotion upon receiving the document.

For the past six years, he had been jolted awake countless times in the dead of night by nightmares, seeing his beautiful and kind wife suffering in the flames of hell.

Now, this letter personally signed by the Pope proved that the Church would draw upon the merits of the saints to atone for his and his wife's sins. Otto even wondered if he was dreaming, and it took him a good while to finally accept the document. He then immediately knelt facing the northwest, the direction of his wife's burial site.

Otto's hands trembled as he kissed the cross his wife had left him, reminiscing about the happy moments they had shared, with tears welling up in his eyes. "Eve, I'll be home soon. Our family of three will live happily in heaven."

Watching Otto, who was both crying and laughing, Norn could only sigh. This was probably the magic of religion.

But looking at the scroll in his hand, Norn asked the archbishop, "Your Eminence, but why do I have one too?"

Norn also received a Letter of Absolution, identical to Otto's except for the name.

"Child," the archbishop, with his ruddy nose, looked kindly at Norn. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit of "holy water" before coming. "Your multiple deeds in protecting the Lord's followers and defeating Saladin have been reported to His Holiness. This is a special gift from him."

But this is useless to me! Norn thought to himself. It would be more practical if they just gave me a few thousand gold nomis. Of course, on the surface, Norn still feigned being honored and immediately handed over a purse containing 200 gold nomis.

"Also, this!" The archbishop took a longsword from one of his attendants. The scabbard was adorned with intricate and ornate gold patterns, and the hilt featured three gemstones—two blue and one red—as well as a large counterweight.

"This is the Holy Sword containing the relics of Saint George!" The archbishop solemnly handed the sword to Norn with both hands. "His Holiness the Pope hopes that you will be like Saint George, protecting the Lord's followers and becoming a hero who slays the dragon."

Norn immediately became serious, knelt on one knee, and respectfully accepted the "Holy Sword." After all, this was different from the Letter of Absolution; this sword was worth real money.

The archbishop made the sign of the cross, "May the Lord bless you, Norn." After completing the ceremony, the archbishop sat aside, yielding the space to others.

Knight Alfred, who had come with them, saw that Otto had recovered and walked to the center of the hall, saying with a solemn expression, "Knight Otto! My brother, this may be the last time I call you that. Now I will announce an order on behalf of the Grand Master."

Otto, standing in the center of the hall, seemed to guess what was coming, his eyes filled with surprise.

"This is the discharge paper signed by the Grand Master!" Alfred looked at Otto with admiration. "In recognition of your outstanding performance in the Battle of Yabok River, and considering that your pilgrimage to the Holy Land has been fulfilled."

Pausing for a moment, Alfred glanced enviously at the Letter of Absolution in Otto's hand.

"Your service to the Order is complete. Congratulations, Sir Otto!" Alfred handed over the document with a smile, and then secretly gave Norn a two-fingered gesture.

Wealthy Norn immediately responded with a three-fingered gesture.

"Oh, I forgot to mention earlier," Alfred added after getting a satisfactory response. "You may still keep this attire and sword as a testament to your service to the Order."

"I am honored to have fought alongside you for the Lord these past years," Alfred said with a touch of melancholy, patting Otto on the shoulder.

"I feel the same way," Otto replied, though he was supposed to be happy, he was also saddened by the parting.

"Take care, Otto!"

"You too, Alfred!"

Though they didn't interact much in daily life, they had fought side by side under the same banner, and for a moment, they felt a deep mutual respect.

After saying goodbye to Otto, Alfred walked over to Norn.

"Baron Norn, in recognition of your selfless sponsorship of the Order over the years and your good relationship with us," Alfred took out a wooden box and slowly opened it.

A bronze ring bearing the Order's emblem lay quietly on a bed of blue velvet.

"Whoever holds this ring is a friend of the Order and will be treated with respect at all our branches," Alfred said, watching Norn carefully put it away. With a rather mercantile smile, he added, "You also get a 20% discount on remittance fees."

Norn looked at Alfred, who seemed like a salesman from his past life. He then remembered that these Templars also worked as bankers. The branches of the Templar Order were spread throughout the entire Catholic world. He could deposit money at any branch in exchange for a voucher, which could then be used to withdraw funds at other branches.

Of course, the Templar Order charged a fee for this service.

Norn looked down at the bronze ring in his hand and thought that these religious knights were quite shrewd in business. Wasn't his ring just like a bank VIP card? And since he was bronze, did that mean there were silver and gold VIP levels above it? Norn couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.

Such grand news naturally called for a grand feast. After seeing off the archbishop and Knight Alfred, Norn immediately announced a grand banquet.

Barrels of wine that were usually too precious to drink were now being enjoyed heartily, and dozens of sheep that had the misfortune of knowing how to graze were sent to the roasting spit. Everyone in the manor gathered together in high spirits.

William and Harold, bare-chested, flexed their muscles as they wrestled, drawing cheers and admiration from Togo, Adela, and a bunch of other kids who gathered around them.

Patrick took a goblet of wine from a serving maid, and with a slightly flushed face, he smiled charmingly, making the maid's eyes sparkle with affection.

Two overflowing goblets clinked together as Hamo and DeMol drank deeply.

At that moment, a chef brought out a cake shaped like a giant castle, which immediately captured everyone's attention. Anna was so excited that she ran around it twice.

Otto and Norn sat together at the head of the table, toasting the guests.

During the feast, Norn, half-drunk, slurred to Otto, "Uncle Otto, can we go home now?"

"Yes, we can go home!" Otto replied with a smile filled with nostalgia.

"Uh, home," Norn, feeling a bit dizzy, instinctively grabbed the hand of a servant in front of him.

"Sassan, would you like me to take you home?"