Chapter 493: Wrong Is Wrong
Chapter 493: Wrong Is Wrong
"Hey, hey, heyyy... calm down, Razeal. Think clearly about what you are doing! This is stupidity!" Sofia’s voice suddenly rang out just as Razeal’s order finished echoing through all plaza. A faint distortion appeared beside him, and in the very next moment, her figure stepped out of thin air. She did not remain at his side for even a second. As soon as she saw the expression on his face and understood that he was completely serious, she moved directly in front of him, placing herself between Razeal and the kneeling assassin as though her body alone might somehow stop the command from being carried out.
"Stop it," she said again, her voice firmer this time, though the worry underneath it was impossible to hide. She stood directly before Razeal with both hands raised slightly, her palms facing him in a calm and careful gesture, as if approaching a dangerous beast that might lash out if pushed too harshly. Her movements were slow, her expression soft, and her tone controlled, but inside, Sofia’s thoughts were far from calm. She by now knows that Razeal was not someone who spoke carelessly. He did not shout empty threats simply because he was angry. it meant that he had already accepted its consequences, and that was exactly what frightened her.
Behind them, nearly every lord standing at sides of the raised platform released a breath they had not realized they were holding, and Grace herself visibly relaxed, even if only a little.
For one brief moment, they all felt as though someone had finally stepped between the kingdom and complete disaster. None of them had dared to openly oppose Razeal after witnessing and hearing everything he had done, but the order he had just given was beyond madness in their eyes. He had ordered the destruction of every church and every temple within the kingdom.
Not the arrest of a few corrupt priests. Not the investigation of certain religious leaders. Not even the seizure of church property. He had ordered all of them destroyed. To the all common people or even to the nobles, that was same if not worse than tearing down the homes of the common people.
A house could be rebuilt. Gold could be repaid. Food could be distributed. But faith was different. Religion had existed in these lands long before many noble families had even gained their titles. It was woven into marriages, funerals, births, harvest festivals, oaths, traditions, and the daily lives of ordinary people. Even those who disliked the Church still respected the gods, the temples, or the symbols their families had worshipped for generations.
Destroying all of that was not merely damaging buildings. It was attacking something deeply personal to nearly every citizen in the kingdom. No population would accept such a thing quietly. There was no possibility of it. The kingdom had already been torn apart by war, fear chaos and all.. while the man now calling himself king had not even been properly crowned.
Most citizens did not understand him, many feared him, and countless others already hated him just because of him becoming king while not even of kingdom itself.. no matter even if he saved the kingdom.. thats how public is.. And now If his first great act as ruler became the destruction of every religious place in the kingdom, revolts would not simply become possible they would become unavoidable. Riots would erupt in cities. Villages would rise against royal soldiers. Priests would call him a Blasphemer Heretic or Apostate or all shorts of things.. Even some ambitious nobles would use public anger as an excuse to rebel, and every surviving enemy of the crown would suddenly gain thousands of willing supporters. Coups would spread across the kingdom before Razeal even had time to sit upon the throne. The prior rulers, nobles, and citizens were all deeply religious, and those beliefs were already completely integrated into the structure of the kingdom. In their minds, Razeal was not simply pushing the people too far. He was declaring war upon the very citizens he intended to rule.
"Calm down," Sofia repeated gently, keeping both hands raised in front of her. Her eyes remained fixed on Razeal’s face, watching every slight change in his expression. She did not want to seen as challenging him or
Standing again him. She did not want him to believe she was standing with side of gods even she knows this could make him doubt too not to say he already might have some doubts against her due to her mother..
But.. At that moment, none of that mattered to her. She only wanted him to stop before his anger or whatever cold reasoning had led him here dragged him into something that could not be undone.
"Just calm down for a moment and think ohkkk." Her voice became softer, almost careful, because she knew commanding Razeal would only make him more stubborn.
"Yes, please reconsider your orders!" Grace hurried forward the moment Sofia spoke, quickly moving to Razeal’s side. Her earlier relief disappeared beneath her fear that Sofia alone might not be enough to change his mind. She stopped a respectful distance away, not daring to block him as Sofia had done, but her urgency was clear in every movement.
"Please.. This situation is already far worse than any of us can properly control. We cannot allow it to become even more disastrous." Grace’s heart was beating violently against her chest. She might have spent little years understanding everything but she still knows how it all works.. the court politics, noble houses, public opinion, and the delicate balance between the crown and the faith. She did not even need hours of thinking to understand what would follow this order.
The kingdom would burn from the inside. Even loyal commoners would hesitate. Soldiers might refuse to strike temples where their own families prayed. Mothers would stand in front of churches with their children. Old men would rather die than watch holy statues dragged into the streets. Every death would create more hatred, and every destroyed temple would become a symbol around which rebellion could gather. Grace wanted to explain all of that, but the look on Razeal’s face made the words catch in her throat. He did not even glance toward her. He did not appear interested in her fear, her reasoning, or the consequences she was desperately trying to place before him. His attention remained on Sofia, who had appeared in front of him and openly told him to stop. A small frown slowly formed upon his face. It was not a furious expression, nor was it filled with rage, but that slight change alone was enough to make the surrounding three lords who had seen him in action tense once again.
"Sofia," Razeal said, his voice low and controlled. "What are you doing?"
"I..." Sofia opened her arms slightly wider, staring at him as if his question itself was absurd. Her expression almost seemed to say, You are seriously asking me what I am doing right now?
"Obviously, I am trying to stop you," she still answered, though she forced herself to keep her voice calm. She inhaled slowly, refusing to let frustration control her. She knew that if she raised her voice too much, Razeal might simply shut her out.
"Razeal, I understand what you are doing. Trust me, I do. I understand why you are angry, and I understand that you do not trust gods and have resentment towards them. But this is not the way." She took a small step closer, still keeping enough distance that he would not feel cornered. "Calm down and rethink what this action of yours will bring." Her tone was gentle now, almost pleading, but not weak.
"You know this just as well as I do. You need people in order to rule. A kingdom is not only land, castles, soldiers, and nobles. It is the people living inside it. And with what you are doing now, none of them will accept you. You are declaring war upon your own people by touching something this personal." Sofia’s brows tightened as she looked directly into his eyes.
"Religion is a very personal thing Razeal. It might not matter to you. You might see temples as nothing more than stone buildings and religious leaders as nothing more than people wearing robes. But many people out there do care. To them, their faith is part of their family, their history, and their entire lives. You cannot destroy all of it and expect them to calmly accept you as their king afterward." She wanted to grab his shoulders and force him to understand, but she knew better than to touch him suddenly. Instead, her fingers curled slightly within her raised hands.
"Even people who would have accepted your rule will turn against you. Even people who owe you their lives will hate you for this. Please, just think clearly before you do something that cannot be reversed."
Viper remained on one knee a short distance away. He had not disappeared because Razeal’s original order had been interrupted before he could move. His body was still, his head slightly lowered, and his usual cold expression revealed almost nothing, yet even he understood the danger.
"I know this is not my place to speak, Master," Viper finally said. His voice carried the same quiet, emotionless sharpness expected from an assassin, as if the entire situation did not personally concern him, but there was still a slight hesitation hidden beneath his words.
"But in all of my training and experience, targeting religious figures rarely produces the result a ruler expects. Most of the time, the consequences are worse." He paused briefly, carefully choosing every word. Speaking against his master’s order was not something he took lightly. He had already sworn himself to Razeal. He had given his word that he would serve him and help him rule the kingdoms and lend his strength . An assassin’s loyalty was not supposed to bend simply because an order was unpleasant. Yet Viper had never imagined that serving Razeal would mean helping push the entire kingdom into a religious war.
"And targeting religious symbols, monuments, churches, and temples will be even worse," he continued. "Killing a corrupt priest may create fear. Destroying a temple creates martyrs. People who would never fight for a priest will fight for the place where their parents were married or where their children were blessed." His tone remained cold and practical rather than emotional. He was not arguing from faith. He was arguing from experience. He had witnessed how quickly religious anger could spread, how impossible it was to silence an idea with blades, and how even untrained civilians could become fearless when they believed their gods were being attacked.
"I would advise reconsidering the order as well." He lowered his head further after speaking, fully aware that he had crossed the limits of his position. Still, he felt he had to say it. He had previously warned Razeal against killing children and innocent civilians. This order might not directly command their deaths, but it would lead to them all the same. People would defend the churches. Soldiers would be forced to strike them down. Families would be caught within riots. Children would starve when cities entered rebellion. In Viper’s eyes, this was merely killing civilians through a longer road.
Razeal listened to every word. He heard Sofia’s concern, Grace’s desperate warning, and Viper’s cold but sincere advice. He felt the eyes of every lord fixed upon him, waiting for some sign that he would reconsider. Yet his expression did not soften, and his decision did not change. He simply shook his head once, as though they had all misunderstood something that he had no interest in explaining.
"Viper," he said, ignoring Sofia for the moment and looking past her toward the kneeling assassin.
"I gave you an order." Viper’s entire body stiffened almost instantly. The meaning behind those words was clear. Razeal had permitted him to speak, but he had not asked for an opinion. Viper’s head bowed lower. His lips parted slightly, perhaps to answer, but no words came. The platform became painfully quiet again.
Sofia turned her head toward Viper for a moment before looking back at Razeal, disbelief beginning to replace the calmness in her eyes. Grace’s face paled. The surrounding lords felt the small relief Sofia’s arrival had given them vanish completely.
Razeal’s gaze remained fixed upon Viper.
"Do not kill any civilian while doing it," he ordered, this time adding the condition clearly so there could be no excuse or misunderstanding. His voice remained cold, steady, and final.
"Go. Destroy them all." The order struck the chamber harder than any shout.
Sofia’s eyes widened slightly, and Grace stared at him as though she could not believe he had heard every warning only to repeat the command more firmly.
Even Viper remained frozen for the smallest fraction of a second. He understood how nearly impossible the task would be. Destroying every church and temple without killing even one civilian would require precision beyond reason, especially once people gathered to defend them. Yet an order was an order. His hesitation disappeared beneath the discipline carved into him through years of training.
"Yes," Viper whispered. Then, before anyone could speak again, his figure blurred and disappeared within a fraction of a second, leaving nothing behind but a faint disturbance in the air and the terrible certainty that Razeal’s command was now being carried out.
Sofia just went silent called when she saw that he was not listening to her at all. Not only had he ignored every warning she, Grace, and even Viper had given him, but he had still sent that Great Saint assassin away to carry out the order. The faint disturbance left behind by Viper’s disappearance had already faded, yet Sofia could still feel the weight of it pressing against her chest. The situation had not merely become worse. It had crossed into something she no longer knew how to stop. Viper was already gone and perhaps all his team and with all there strength, the destruction could begin before anyone outside this platform even understood what had happened. Churches, temples, statues, holy halls, ancient monuments places people had worshipped in for generations could start falling within moments.
Sofia knew she could chase after Viper. She could try to stand in his way. But he had been given a direct order by Razeal she doesn’t wanna stand against her own husband. she did not know but she knows that would be seen as betrayal from his eyes.
She doesn’t want that she just want him to stop it before he regrets from the results.
Not to say.. it wont stop anything.. Razeal could simply send someone else. He could go himself. The real problem was not the assassin. It was the decision behind the assassin. So she looked at Razeal again, trying one last time to reach him, to make him stop or at least wake from whatever cold certainty had taken hold of him. Her lips parted, but for a second, no other words came.
There was frustration in her eyes now, but beneath it was something much heavier. Fear. Not fear of him harming her, but fear that he was knowingly walking toward a path that would make him hate himself.
"Razeal..." she repeated, quieter than before, almost as if saying his name gently might bring back the man she believed was still listening somewhere beneath that hard expression.
Razeal finally looked directly at her. His face remained calm, but there was no uncertainty in it.
"Sofia, I know what I am doing," he said. His voice was steady, not raised and not defensive, which somehow made it even harder for her to argue.
"Maybe there are some things I know more about than you." He held her gaze as he spoke, making it clear that this was not an emotional mistake or a command born from a passing fit of anger. He had thought about it. He had judged it. And even after hearing them all, he had chosen it again. L
Sofia’s brows pulled together. Those words confused her more than they reassured her. Things he knew more about than her? What things? What temples represent? The gods? The faith of the people? No he doesn’t.
For one brief moment, she almost asked him directly, but then she remembered his larger plan as why he is doing it in first place.
"But..." she began, still trying to persuade him, even though her confidence had started to weaken. "This will harm your own plan, remember?" Her words came out hurriedly now, as if she needed to find anything that might make him reconsider.
"If not for the people or anything.. then at least for that. For what you are trying to do." She did not fully understand what Razeal meant by saying he knew more than her, but she knew enough about his goal to understand that he needed strength, time, stability, support and most of all faith. Starting a religious rebellion across the entire kingdom would damage all of that. It would create enemies inside his borders.. all hating him not to say people loving him through out the world.. as what he wants. This is clearly going on total opposite.
"I know it will," Razeal answered, and the simple way he said it made Sofia go silent for a moment. There was no surprise in his voice, no pause of realization. He knew. He had already considered the damage this would do to his own plans, and he had accepted it.
"But that does not mean I will cut paths with what I am fighting against." His voice hardened as he continued. "Wrong is wrong. People need the revolution." The word came from him with a force that made Sofia’s expression change.
A revolution? She had thought he wanted to remove the influence of the gods, and make people love him through out the world. She had never understood it as a revolution against the beliefs of ordinary people themselves.
"What revolution?" Sofia asked, genuine confusion entering her voice. "Your fight is with the gods. I know that." She stepped closer, her hands no longer raised in front of her, but her fingers were tense by her sides.
"But these people are innocent. They do not know anything." Her eyes searched his face, trying to understand why someone as intelligent as him could not see the cruelty hidden inside this action. "Even if you are fighting for them, they will not understand that. They will only think you are harming them. They will think you are taking away their gods, their prayers, their traditions, and everything they trusted their whole lives." Her voice became more emotional as she spoke.
"This is the wrong way to fight it, Razeal." Sofia understood what he was saying. She understood that in his eyes, destroying churches and temples was not merely attacking buildings. It was cutting away the chains connecting people to the gods he hated. But understanding his reason did not make the method feel any less wrong. To the public, there would be no hidden meaning, no great truth, no distant war against divine powers. There would only be soldiers and assassins tearing down the places where they prayed. There would be dust, broken statues, frightened children, screaming priests, and people feeling as though their king had declared their faith a crime.
"They are innocent," she repeated more softly. "They do not know what you know."
"And it is not my fault that people are wrong and stupid," Razeal replied. There was no softness in his answer. His expression grew colder, as if the sympathy Sofia expected from him had already been rejected long ago.
"Truth is harsh. Truth is painful. They need to open their eyes, and I will make them open." He shook his head once, his voice becoming harder with each word. "No matter how I am seen. No matter what they call me. Because if I stop just because people will hate me, then what is the point?" His words left no room for comfort. He did not deny that the people would misunderstand him. He did not deny that they would hate him, curse him, or see him as a monster. He already is the one. He simply did not accept their ignorance as a reason to stop. In his eyes, allowing the lie to remain because the truth would hurt was still choosing the lie. The people had spent their lives kneeling before gods they did not understand, giving devotion to beings who treated them like tools, sacrifices, or pieces upon a board.
Their innocence did not change what they were supporting. Their ignorance did not make the chains less real. Razeal had no intention of ruling by protecting comforting lies. If he had to become the villain in their eyes before they could understand what he had destroyed, then he would accept that place without hesitation.
Sofia stood completely silent after hearing him. Her lips pressed together, and then she bit the lower one lightly, holding back the words rising inside her. She wanted to argue again. She wanted to tell him that people could be taught, that faith could be changed slowly, that truth forced through violence often looked exactly like tyranny. But something in his eyes stopped her. He had already decided the pain was necessary. He had already accepted that they would hate him. And for the first time, Sofia realized that Razeal might be willing to destroy his own image and even his own future if he believed which he was all fighting for.. but now it seems as if he cares about doing this then his own future.. it was as if he sees it as the price of cutting away what he considered wrong even.
Razeal did not say anything more. He had explained enough in his eyes, perhaps more than he had intended.
Slowly, he turned his head toward Grace and began walking toward her. Grace remained standing with the purple pillow held carefully in both hands, the crown resting upon it. She was young, but she was far from foolish. She had watched the entire exchange. She had seen Sofia stand in front of him, heard her plead with him, and watched Razeal reject even his own wife without the slightest sign of changing his mind. More importantly, she had heard the words he used. Revolution. Truth. Wrong is wrong. No matter how I am seen. Those were not the words of a king reconsidering a rash command.
Those were the words of a man who had already decided to walk forward even if the road ended in hatred and blood. Grace understood that speaking again would change nothing. If Sofia could not stop him, Grace certainly could not. So this time, she remained silent. Her hands tightened slightly beneath the pillow as Razeal approached. All she could do was look at him with pitiful, worried eyes, still holding a small and foolish hope that he might see her expression, think about the kingdom, and change his mind by himself.
But Razeal did not. He stopped before her and reached down, lifting the crown from the purple pillow with one hand. The gold and jewels caught the light as he raised it, but he did not place it upon his head. He simply held it. Then he looked directly into Grace’s eyes.
For several long seconds, neither of them spoke.
Grace saw no joy in him, no pride, and none of the excitement expected from someone moments away from claiming a kingdom.
Razeal saw fear in her, concern, and a silent request she did not dare voice. Yet nothing passed between them beyond that.
The crown remained in his hand, heavy not because of its metal, but because of everything it represented.
Then, without saying a single word, Razeal turned away from Grace and began walking toward the edge of the raised platform, where the massive crowd below was still looking upward, trying to understand what was happening among the rulers, lords, and powerful figures standing above them.
"My father is the king of Atlantis," Sofia said from behind him. This time, she did not move to stop him. She did not appear in his path or reach for his arm. She simply stood where she was, facing away from him as he walked past, her voice low and tired.
"Even he would not dare to do something like this." The words were not spoken as an insult. There was no pride in them and no attempt to compare Razeal unfavorably to her father. It was simply the truth as she understood it. Her father ruled Atlantis, a kingdom powerful enough to stand above countless others, yet even he would fear the result of attacking every temple or religious monument under his rule. Even he would understand that a king could command armies but could not easily command belief. Sofia spoke without turning back because she had accepted that she could not physically stop Razeal. Perhaps all she could do now was make him hear the weight of what he was choosing.
Razeal stopped after taking another step. The crown remained held at his side. For a moment, his back stayed toward her, and the air between them became strangely still. Then he answered, his voice heavy, drawn out, and cold. "And I am not your father." He paused slightly. "I am your husband."
Sofia’s body grew still.
"I dare to do many things no one else can." There was no arrogance in the way he said it. It was simply the statement of a man who had built his entire path around stepping where others refused to step. "So start changing your thinking if you want to stand beside me," Razeal continued, still without turning around.
"Step on the same step I stepped on. Stand there with me, even if the entire world is against me or i against the world." His voice remained hard, but beneath it was something Sofia had not expected. He was not only demanding obedience. He was telling her what standing beside him truly meant. Not merely sharing his victories, his strength, or his name, but standing at his side when everyone else called him wrong.
"Because that is the wife I would want," he said. "And if you do that, you will find me beside you as well. No matter where. No matter what. No matter who stands against you."
Sofia’s body trembled when she heard those words behind her. Her eyes opened wider, and for a moment, she forgot even to breathe. She had expected him to dismiss her, perhaps to tell her not to interfere again. She had not expected this. His words were cold, almost harsh, yet there was something deeply serious hidden inside them. Razeal was not asking for a wife who only agreed with him when his choices were easy. He wanted someone who would step into the same fire, bear the same hatred, and remain beside him when the world itself turned against them. And in return, he was promising the same. No matter where she stood. No matter what she chose. No matter who stood against her. He would be there. The thought struck Sofia with enough force to leave her frozen. It did not erase her fear. It did not make his decision feel right. But it reached somewhere inside her that none of his earlier words had touched.
Razeal did not turn to see her reaction. He said nothing more. After that brief pause, he took another step and began walking toward the edge of the platform again, the crown still held in one hand and the countless citizens below watching him. But just then...
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