The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Ganelon, the High Tribunal

Read chapter 114 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 113: Ganelon, the High Tribunal A razing tempest swept through the air. Ganelon stood poised, his body and heart certain in the task he must complete. No longer would he allow his last shreds of morality to bind him; no longer would he be considerate to the Franks he thought gutless. All of his inhibitions were sent away the moment he pulled out the holy sword. Ganelon gripped the Joyeuse’s handle and took in a long, trembling breath as a golden light crept up from the blade and onto his body. It filled him with a spirit unlike Lucius had ever witnesses before in all his time in this otherworldly land. It was no magic, no incantation; the powers of the Franks had always come from the user’s inner potential, their aptitude, drawn from their soul in what was commonly mistaken to be a gift from their God. Yet, seeing Ganelon now, Lucius was certain without a shadow of a doubt. The sword called Joyeuce was truly divine. It had the same cosmic nature as those starry denizens up high. “ So this is the Lord’s power?” Ganelon said, his breath hoarse from exhaustion. The holy sword’s authority came not without its consequences. The High Tribunal was already in his elderly years—wielding such a powerful weapon would only tear apart his body from the inside. Nonetheless, he persevered and clenched his teeth, eyes ablaze with contempt. “It certainly isn’t what I expected. The feeling is different… different from the common prayers. I hear the voice of someone sweet, yet why? Why does it rebuke me so? If you had truly loved your children, you wouldn’t have favored only your firstborn. The holy lineage, the ancestral emperors and empresses! How could a loving mother simply watch on as one child massacres thousands more? Disgusting.” The blade quivered and shook in Ganelon’s grip, pulsing with a warbled light as if desperately trying to break free from its new wielder, but Ganelon held firm. He would not let go of such an important weapon now, even if he despised every second of its use. “Haha! Rebel all you wish, Joyeuse. You, too, are complacent in his late Holiness’s crimes. You too must be punished.” Step by step, Ganelon descended from the throne’s podium and steadily approached Roland’s group. There was no hesitation in his gait; he would not leave until they were slaughtered. To desecrate this holy space with the blood of God’s children was the only way Ganelon could get revenge on that divinity which had never once answered his pleas. He lifted the sword and, ever gently, swung it down. So soft was the movement, yet all it took was that simple action to let loose a razing arc of light. It propelled forth, blinding the surroundings with its radiance. The party would have had their torsos split clean in half were it not for the timely assistance of Lady Angelica, blocking the attack with her great shield. “That cannot be…” she muttered, grunting from the impact. “Only the emperor can bring out the Joyeuse’s sacred light. Just what treachery did Ganelon commit that his foul hands can now lay on it?” The other Peers sprung to action, quickly surrounding the High Tribunal. The players joined them as well; however, their positions were admittedly awkward. This fight was much different than the ones they were accustomed to. Unlike the demons and their incoherent brutality, Ganelon was calm, calculating, and harbored a deep visceral rage unlike the Emir who simply wished to test them. The fearsome man could not be predicted. One misstep, and the players’ lives would be taken in an instant. Roland was the first to charge. He whipped out his own fabled weapon, the Durandal, and transformed it into a halberd, engaging Ganelon carefully from a distance. The Peers’ leader was the most skilled in combat out of his fellows; unfortunately, his foe was just as competent. “Who do you think taught you, Roland?” Ganelon goaded. “Who was it that made your father the warrior he was? Haha, you are a perfect copy of him—nay, even better. But nonethe