Warhammer Divine Throne

The name Devenhill was chosen by Laine and Surya in private discussions for their child. Devenhill comes from ancient Brittania language, meaning "tall steed." In the history of Brittania, the third Brittania Knight King, the "White Death God" Guillaume, had a very powerful Holy Sanctuary Holy Grail Knight under his command named Devenhill.

Besides his martial valor, this Holy Grail Knight was also renowned for his strong regency capabilities. He was one of the few, like Francois, who had both formidable martial valor and excellent internal affairs skills. Surya hoped her child would be like this great Holy Grail Knight, possessing both strong personal bravery and sufficient internal governance talent.

Yet the Lake Fairy actually eavesdropped on our private conversations and shamelessly claimed it was her idea?

Laine thought, although it was indeed correct to name my child Devenhill, why did it feel so unpleasant?!

However, since the Goddess had already announced it at the banquet, Laine could only accept it begrudgingly, thinking he must find a way to even things out.

The gifts accumulated into heaps, with various donations and gifts filling Laine’s treasury completely.

Having a child is indeed profitable! Holding the thick list of gifts, Laine, the Count, was deeply moved; this way of making money is truly fast.

But this is the path of evil! As a wise and mature noble, Laine knew that relying on wedding donations and childbirth gifts as a foundation for the financial health of the domain was a very wrong concept; it was the path of evil.

Just a few days later, the annual Winter Festival approached, with festive joy spreading throughout the Count Glamorgan. This year, Laine’s winery was especially lively, for besides the visiting Jialan Witch delegation, Laine’s father-in-law Francois and Surya’s cousin Holy Grail Knight Antelme, and uncle Paladin Sir Jerald also came to Laine’s territory to spend the Winter Festival with them. Loving his daughter, Francois brought many of his men, including two middle-aged maids skilled in childbirth to be at Surya’s disposal.

In fact, upon learning the news, Laine immediately sent someone to find a midwife responsible for childbirth. However, Francois was even more proactive than Laine, immediately claiming that the ones Laine found were not good enough and that his were better.

Alright then, Laine could only let things be. Francois was his father-in-law, and the child in Surya’s belly was his grandchild, and he wanted to manage things. Laine simply could not stop him.

In response to Laine’s request, the Lake Fairy immediately instructed Lake God Witch Mogiana to issue a new oracle, requiring the Lake God Prophet not to request free offerings and meals from free people and nobles. If the Lake God Prophet demanded such of the free people, she must at least provide a divine art blessing or give them something in return, like a potion.

As for a small number of Lake God Prophets and Lake God Saintess baptizing underage boys... The Lake Fairy simply ordered the Lake God Prophets not to force them. Yet according to Laine’s investigation, there seemed to be no cases where underage boys were unwilling...

(Those Lake God Saintess who are stronger would be promoted to Lake God Prophets; here they are generally referred to as Lake God Prophet to avoid confusion.)

Looking at those blonde, blue-eyed Lake God Prophets with their alluring looks and graceful figures, Laine could only say one thing.

Master, I have understood.

Indeed, these Lake God Prophets maintain their youthful beauty all their life until their lifespan reaches its end. In their final days, they would arrive at the Holy Grail Church or the Lake Fairy’s Holy Land to spend their last moments, then voluntarily dissipate into the heaven and earth.

Most of these Lake God Prophets would choose a Holy Grail Knight as their fixed companion, and the children born between them are called "Holy Grail Children," who automatically gain noble status. Aside from choosing a Holy Grail Knight as their partner, a small number of Lake God Prophets, as Laine noted, indulged freely in romantic relations, preferring free people and young boys from knight families.

Laine thought that since this was consensual, he would not interfere. However, to request food, tithing, and then have the young boy overnight... This would be excessive; no matter the case, these Lake God Prophets should at least offer some benefits.

As for tithing, Laine had not intended to touch this tax from the start.

Let me emphasize once again: the presence of gods is real in this world, and the threat of Chaos Evil God to the Mortal World is eternal. Without the aid of the gods, humanity would have been destroyed long ago by the threat of Chaos.

Without faith, would it make sense to believe in Chaos Evil God?

No matter the sect, tithing is an important source of income, and the Church cannot operate without costs. Just like in the most generous teachings of Merciful Goddess Shalya, medical treatment and receiving divine healing still require money. The heavier the illness, the higher the cost; if funds are unavailable, the priests and bishops can do nothing because they themselves need to eat too. Holy water potion scrolls given for free? The Merciful Goddess Church would be bankrupt within three days; that would be the real disaster.

Similarly, Holy Grail Knights and Lake God Prophets can’t survive on just drinking water, can they?

Even for the Emperor, tithing is still collected, isn’t it? So Laine thought, since the Lake Fairy Church is now his most steadfast supporter, he would be foolish to disrupt his fundamental base.