Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 274: Rewards

Chapter 274: Rewards

The grand halls of the throne room came alive that morning, courtiers in their richly adorned robes clustered in groups, whispering among themselves . Nobles, clad in their finest but still bearing the subtle marks of recent campaigns, a sight that was purposefull kept, stood in solemn clusters awaiting for the princess to start the ceremony.They held their head high, with their recent victory over the Herculains being the crown they put atop their head 

At the far end of the hall, the High Priest, stood near the dais, while his servants kept swinging the ball, burning the incense.

High Priest Oren, was a venerable figure with a long, silvered beard and sharp.. Though his expression remained calm, the undercurrent of his thoughts told a different story. His gaze occasionally flicked toward Alpheo, the Prince Consort, with a subtle tinge of frustration.

Oren had long harbored a quiet resentment toward Alpheo. It wasn't just the prince's infrequent attendance at the grand temple's ceremonies that irked him—though that alone was enough to stir whispers among the devout—it was the utter disinterest he showed in matters of faith. Oren had made several attempts over the years to offer counsel, to guide the prince toward deeper devotion to the Five Gods, yet each suggestion had been met with polite indifference or outright disregard. Alpheo's ears seemed perpetually closed to divine wisdom.

If he did not know better—if it weren't for the prince's outward adherence to the necessary rites—he might have believed that Alpheo didn't truly believe in the Five Gods at all and was an heretic .

A thought which was, in fact, the truth, though Oren remained oblivious to it. Instead, he rationalized Alpheo's dismissive attitude as a product of poor education. After all, it was not unheard of for provincial temples especially in the empire, to inadequately teach the subtleties of faith, leaving their congregants half-informed or even skeptical. In Oren's mind, Alpheo was a victim of such negligence, a man who simply needed the right enlightenment to rekindle his devotion.