## Chapter 596: The Tempest of Chaos
“Blackhen King Jeffrey…”
In the dimly lit room, Ed, sitting in a corner of the house, couldn’t help but furrow his brows after hearing John’s words. After a moment of contemplation, he responded.
“If I remember correctly, in secular history, Jeffrey should be the leader of the usurpers, battling against the forebear of the current royal family, the castle-builder Edward III, ‘the rightful heir’ Baldric in the Wind King’s Rebellion, ultimately facing defeat…”
“Yes… According to mainstream historical accounts, that is indeed the case. However, in the true history, Baldric is not really a rightful heir. If we follow the legal line of succession from that time, his legitimacy is not as strong as Jeffrey’s.” Sitting on the bed, John slowly replied to Ed’s words. Upon hearing this, Ed displayed an expression of surprise, then spoke.
“Baldric’s legitimacy is not as strong as Jeffrey’s?”
“Correct. In the Despenser’s royal genealogy, both Baldric and Jeffrey are not from the main line, but Jeffrey is closer to the main line. Without the Church’s convenient interference, he should indeed be the one crowned as king.”
As John said this, he slowly gazed at the ceiling, reflecting on what he knew of history.
“The Wind King’s Rebellion originated from the Wailing Winds Incident. At that time, in the royal city of Prit, Sorlford, the ‘Mad King’ Wolsior, after being tormented by his madness for many years, committed s*icide without warning, leaving the Prit throne vacant. His five sons rushed back to Sorlford upon hearing of Ralph’s d*ath.
“They should have legally elected the eldest prince Howard as king, but during the coronation ceremony, Howard was poisoned by a cup of toxic wine. The remaining four princes blamed each other for the poisoning, and their conflict escalated. They each led their own men into battle, fighting for three days, which completely destroyed the royal city of Sorlford. In the end, all four princes perished, marking the extinction of the Howling g*n Dynasty, and the Despenser’s legitimate main line became extinct.”
John recalled his studies while gazing at the ceiling, and upon hearing his words, Ed couldn’t help but silently stroke his chin, then thoughtfully replied.
“If I recall correctly, secular history records that Wolsior died from a hunting accident… His several sons inherited the throne sequentially but all died young, ultimately leading to extinction. I didn’t expect the hidden history to be like this… Wolsior actually died from madness…”
“Indeed… It was madness. It is said that Wolsior suffered from madness for seven years. He was dazed every day, lost in thought, and incoherent. His sudden s*icide was the catalyst for the entire Wailing Winds Incident, which later became the start of the Wind King’s Rebellion.” John continued, then shifted his gaze back to Ed before proceeding.
“After the Wailing Winds Incident, the royal city of Prit was destroyed, the throne was vacant, and the primary heirs perished. The lords across the country, especially those from the collateral branches of the Despenser, sprang to life at this moment, with ambitions to seize power. However, at the beginning, they did not immediately resort to violence; instead, they held a stone table meeting, attempting to discuss and elect a new king. But no one among them could decisively unite the others, and thus the key factor in determining the new king converged upon the most significant external force in Prit, the Church.
“Since the stone table meeting did not lead to consensus among the lords of Prit, the Church began to gain a voice in the matter. The Church originally had significant influence within Prit, but it had not reached the level of influencing royal decisions. However, during this incident, the Church saw an opportunity and actively sought to expand its influence to interfere.
“Ultimately, at the second stone table meeting, when the lords of Prit still could not reach a unified decision on a new king, the Archbishop Nestore, who had previously maintained neutrality, publicly declared that the Lord in heaven had made a decision, proclaiming Duke Lissgar, Baldric. Briona as the new king of Prit. This declaration shocked the attending lords and sparked widespread discontent.
“Prior to this, although the Church had considerable influence in Prit, it had never intervened in matters as crucial as the royal succession. The Church-designated Baldric, while a major lord, was not the most powerful in overall strength or legal legitimacy. His only advantage over the others was the Church’s significant influence in his territory, which was highly regarded by the Sacred Summit. Many areas in Prit at the time, where the influence of the Church was not strong, harbored some rejection of the Church.
“At the second stone table meeting, instead of resolving conflicts, tensions escalated further. Almost half of the lords present refused to acknowledge Archbishop Nestore’s so-called ‘divine decree’, declaring that the Three Saints were the Three Saints and that Prit belonged to Prit. In anger, they left, leading to the meeting’s complete failure.
“Upon returning to his territory, Baldric readily accepted Archbishop Nestore’s coronation, declaring himself the guardian of all Prit under the grace of the Three Saints, the one true king. His actions incited those lords who did not acknowledge him; they each declared themselves kings in their territories and took arms against Baldric, known in history as the Usurpers of the Tempest. Thus began the Wind King’s Rebellion.”
John continued speaking in a calm tone as he described the hidden history he had researched. Meanwhile, Ed, after listening, stroked his chin and remarked.
“So… it was the Church’s intervention that led to the outbreak of the war?”
“No… I think the Church’s involvement was merely a catalyst, accelerating the outbreak of war. The fundamental conflicts among the lords were essentially irreconcilable, and war was unavoidable. However, while the Church’s involvement was not the root cause of the war, it did alter the nature of the conflict.”
John replied, taking a short pause before continuing.
“At the beginning of the Wind King’s Rebellion, various lords fought individually, but none were a match for Baldric, who enjoyed the Church’s support. He achieved victory after victory on the battlefield, while the opposing lords suffered defeat. In this situation, the most powerful among them, Jeffrey Elrele, stood up.
“Jeffrey was the one among these collateral lords with the closest bloodline to the original main branch and possessed tremendous prestige and power. When Baldric drove the opposing lords into retreat after retreat, Jeffrey used extraordinary diplomatic skills to unite the once isolated Usurpers together, forming a mutual alliance to coordinate, cooperate, and barely withstand Baldric’s offensive, becoming the leader among the Usurpers. As the war continued, Jeffrey skillfully consolidated the alliance, ultimately reaching a point where the other Usurpers would style him as the only king of Prit in the name of vassalage. Thus, King Jeffrey came to rule half of Prit’s territory.
“To gain more support to defeat Baldric and to counter the religious pressure from the Sacred Summit, Jeffrey declared the abolition of the Radiant Church in his territory and sought to rediscover the indigenous Prit faith that had been gradually forgotten due to the cultural invasion of the Radiant Church. They found ancient scriptures believed to have been lost among the ruins of the past, venerating a deity that once ruled Prit in the distant past, honoring her as the Night Sky Empress. They established a new religion worshiping the Moon and Night symbolized by the Night Sky Empress and her four knights. As a result, Jeffrey was dubbed the Blackhen King.”
John narrated in a plain tone, and after finishing, he reached for a cup of water on the bedside table and took a sip to moisten his throat. Ed, still seated in the corner, asked afterward.
“Jeffrey revived the indigenous religion of Prit to confront Baldric… Will this really enhance his power? This approach completely cuts off the possibility of reconciliation with the Church… Is it worth it?” Ed inquired, and John, after downing the water, responded.
“At least from his perspective, it’s definitely worth it. Prit five hundred years ago was unlike today, where it was heavily infiltrated by Radiant Church culture, with most customs and traditions similar to those of other countries on the Main Continent. Although the influence of the Radiant Church was strong back then, it was not as thorough as it is today. Many customs and traditions based on old faiths still persisted, while the Church’s expansion aimed to eradicate these, naturally provoking much hatred and opposition from conservative Prit people. By declaring the revival of the old gods, Jeffrey could naturally garner support from this segment.
“This… is based on Jeffrey’s practical considerations; however, as for him personally, he may not need to act solely based on practical interests. He himself is a loyal believer of the Night Sky Empress, believing he can gain her assistance to win this war…”
John’s reply made Ed furrow his brow, and he continued.
“Does he really believe an ancient deity who has been absent for hundreds or even thousands of years can help him? On what basis?”
“On the basis of a ‘divine envoy’ by his side.”
“Divine envoy?” Ed’s expression deepened with surprise upon hearing John’s response, and John continued at a leisurely pace.
“Yes… According to our research, during the Wind King’s Rebellion, Jeffrey was accompanied by someone who claimed to be the divine envoy of the Night Sky Empress. She began as a witch active in the Prit countryside and seemed to have been recruited by Jeffrey due to her ability to demonstrate divine signs. She advised him on strategies to combat Baldric’s forces on the battlefield and helped integrate other Usurpers. Her effectiveness was remarkable, and Jeffrey trusted her greatly, genuinely believing she was the divine envoy sent by the Night Sky Empress to assist him.
“The name of this witch divine envoy is no longer traceable, but we can confirm that Jeffrey’s rise was inseparable from her support. Her presence also led Jeffrey and the entire Resurgence faction to believe in the real existence of the Night Sky Empress. This envoy claimed that the Night Sky Empress had forsaken the land of Prit and its people, but as long as they could repent, she would return.
“And the method of so-called repentance involves finding the relics left by the Night Sky Empress across all of Prit and conducting a ‘repentance ceremony’ upon them. As long as there are enough and significant relics where the ceremony has been conducted, the Night Sky Empress would sense the people’s sincerity and return to help her loyal believers.”
“Repentance ceremony… what exactly is that?” Ed continued to frown and asked, and John shook his head in response.
“I don’t know. We haven’t found any documents detailing how such a ceremony is to be conducted. All we know is that Jeffrey believed absolutely in the witch’s words. While he was engaged in battle with Baldric’s forces, he sent people to search for the relics of the Night Sky Empress across all of Prit and held the repentance ceremonies.
“However, it seems that these repentance ceremonies were indeed effective. As they were conducted more frequently, the power of Jeffrey and the envoy seemed to continuously grow, even allowing the Resurgence faction’s army to gain the upper hand momentarily. The Resurgence’s strength even prompted the Sacred Summit to consider whether to increase their intervention in Prit.” John continued to speak indifferently, and Ed, with a serious expression, spoke up.
“So… in the end, the Church prepared to send reinforcements to help their agent win this war further?”
“No… the Church did not send reinforcements; the war ended. Just as the Resurgence faction was gaining momentum, an unexpected incident occurred in the Wind King’s Rebellion—Blackhen King Jeffrey suddenly died, committing s*icide. The entire Resurgence faction was left leaderless and fragmented, allowing Baldric to win the war, founding a new dynasty and assuming the surname Despenser, thus establishing his legitimacy.” John responded to Ed’s words, and this reply left Ed momentarily stunned, taking a moment before he spoke.
“What… committed s*icide? Why? Did he also have madness?” Ed’s tone revealed obvious surprise, clearly indicating that he had not anticipated such an outcome for the great battle. Meanwhile, John, sitting on the bed, slowly continued to answer.
“We do not know exactly the state Jeffrey was in at the end. During our research on this segment, the secret documents we collected only indicated that Jeffrey suddenly died, with no record of the cause of d*ath. Information regarding his cause of d*ath was discovered last year when we found a confidential letter written by Richard in a corner of the royal archives.
“The author and sender of this letter are unknown. The recipient was a valued lord under Jeffrey, Amper Devenhill. During the Wind King’s Rebellion, he followed Jeffrey’s orders, searching for the relics of the Night Sky Empress throughout Prit and becoming the main force in the search for relics. Most of the relics used for conducting repentance ceremonies by the Resurgence faction were found by him.
“At the end of the Wind King’s Rebellion, after Jeffrey suddenly died, Amper was the first among the Resurgence lords to shift allegiance to Baldric, thereby gaining Baldric’s attention and subsequently receiving favorable treatment, eventually becoming the Duke of Devenhill as we know him today.”
As John spoke, upon hearing the surname Devenhill, Dorothy, who was hidden behind Ed, couldn’t help but be startled, realizing that this was the same surname as Misha’s. Misha was indeed from the Devenhill family.
Meanwhile, as Dorothy contemplated this, John continued to speak.
“At first, we thought Amper was a capricious turncoat without principles, but during the process of interpreting that letter, I found some interesting and important points.
“The letter is written very hastily, with many errors and ambiguities. Although the mysterious author appeared to be in poor condition, there was a commanding tone toward Amper in the letter. He urged Amper to immediately destroy the ‘secret’ related to the most important temple among the relics of the Night Sky Empress he found; if he could not destroy it, he must do everything possible to guard that secret forever, ensuring that not a single detail leaked.
“And on the side of that letter, there was a reply from Amper that he had written but seemingly did not manage to send out. In his response, he stated that he promised to keep that secret forever, even taking it to his grave.”
