Chapter 88 | Reincarnated as a Duke's Son, I Walk the Sword God's Path

“Ahhh!”

The holy fire ignited, and Bishop Coos's agonizing screams echoed over the execution grounds for a long time.

He tried to throw himself to the ground and roll, but the members of the Inquisition beside him held him firmly in place with Holy Power, making it impossible for him to take even a single step.

“Mmph... mmph...”

By the end, having committed countless atrocities, he could no longer even scream. Only painful groans escaped his lips.

After their initial shock, the surrounding citizens of Caslant looked at Bishop Coos with nothing but sheer satisfaction.

Previously, Bishop Coos had sold them holy water to resist the Abyss demons, leading them to view him as a savior.

But now they had suddenly learned that the Abyss demons had been wreaking havoc in Caslant under Bishop Coos's very protection.

Bishop Coos: I will help you solve the problem. As for where the problem came from, that is none of your business.

After some time, Bishop Coos's body vanished into the holy fire.

Purification by holy fire was the highest tier of execution by burning. Once the execution was over, there was no need to dispose of a corpse, because there was simply nothing left.

After Bishop Coos vanished into the holy fire, the member of the Inquisition waved his hand, extinguishing the sacred flames.

Where Bishop Coos had once stood, a large mass of golden Holy Power remained.

This was the Holy Power refined from Bishop Coos's body by the holy fire. Having undergone the baptism of the sacred flames, this Holy Power had become even purer.

The Inquisition member raised his hand to control the Holy Power and hurled it into the sky, where the dazzling, brilliant energy exploded like fireworks.

It transformed into countless specks of golden light that rained down upon every corner of Caslant. Bathing in this rain of Holy Power, the citizens of Caslant felt their bodies being healed to varying degrees.

Bedridden individuals suddenly found themselves cured, those with physical disabilities noticed their impaired limbs slowly recovering, and even the beggars on the streets were astonished to find their hunger completely gone, as if they had just enjoyed a grand feast.

The sins Bishop Coos committed could not be undone, so let his final remnants at least benefit the citizens of Caslant.

“Thank the gods for their grace.”

Upon feeling the changes in their bodies, the citizens of Caslant clasped their hands together in prayer.

After the Inquisition members departed, Hyde once again stepped onto the high platform of the execution grounds.

“Today, I have one final announcement to make. Thanks to the favor of that esteemed lord, I have been bestowed the title of Baron, and Caslant has been granted to me as my fief.”

“Starting today, I, Baron Beck, will serve as the commander of Caslant's City Defense Knight Order. I swear upon my family name, Beck, that I will protect Caslant with my life.”

On the Elan Continent, swearing upon one's family name was the highest form of oath.

This was because people believed that if someone broke such an oath, the gods would not only punish the oathbreaker but also curse their descendants.

Of course, the attention of the surrounding citizens of Caslant was not on the oath itself, but on the fact that Hyde had actually become a noble lord.

“H-Hyde has become a Baron?”

“Heavens, he actually became a noble.”

“You're still calling him Hyde? Do you have a death wish? He's a noble lord now! How can a commoner like you call him directly by his name? Are you tired of living?”

The commoners did not understand the nobility system very well, but they knew just how difficult it was to become a noble.

At least, for as long as they could remember, they had never heard of any commoner suddenly leaping into the ranks of nobility.

At this moment, on the outskirts of the execution grounds, an elderly couple looked at each other.

“Hayes, did I hear that right? Hyde... he became a noble.”

Mrs. Beck looked at Mr. Beck in utter shock. Because their family was relatively wealthy, her hands lacked the calluses of typical commoner women. Though she showed her age, she did not have that listless, worn-down look.

“I... I don't know either.”

Mr. Beck was equally shocked. Their Beck family had worked hard for generations just to reach their current standing.

They owned a massive garden and had become florists to many influential figures.

But in their eyes, this was the absolute peak they could ever achieve. After all, they were just commoners.

There was no telling if they might one day displease a noble for some inexplicable reason, which could lead to not only bankruptcy but the ruin of their entire family.

It was precisely because of this worry that Mr. Beck had trained Hyde to be a knight since childhood.

At the very least, if crisis ever struck, they would have some ability to protect themselves.

Yet, he had never in his wildest dreams expected that his family would one day join the nobility.

Even though a Baron was the lowest rank in the nobility system, it was still a position they could only look up to in the past, a status they wouldn't have dared to dream of.

In a two-story building not far from the execution grounds, Carlo stood by the window, staring with deep envy at Hyde on the high platform.

Becoming a noble—that had once been his dream as well.

But as he grew older and witnessed too many of the underhanded dealings among nobles, he realized that for a commoner to join their ranks was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Thus, Carlo had abandoned that ambition long ago.

He had diligently performed his duties as the mayor of Caslant, hoping that the lord of this fief, Viscount Adri, would appreciate his hard work and provide his descendants with a stable livelihood.

Yet today, he had witnessed a commoner rise to nobility. Not only had Hyde become a noble, but he had also become the master of Caslant—Carlo's direct superior.

Previously, Carlo's status had actually been slightly higher than Hyde's.

But now, Hyde had leaped ahead to become his master, leaving Carlo with a deeply complicated feeling.

Looking at the beaming Hyde on the high platform, Carlo suddenly remembered—wasn't this the very knight who had gone to the abandoned cathedral that day?

Could it be that because of that single encounter, he had left an impression on Young Master Tyr, thereby earning his nobility?

Carlo naturally knew exactly who the “esteemed lord” Hyde spoke of was.

“Sigh...”

All sorts of chaotic thoughts tangled in his mind, ultimately coalescing into a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, Tyr, who had been watching Hyde's speech at the execution grounds from the mansion using his divine sense, turned and walked out.

Now that matters here were settled, it was time for them to depart.

After asking his aunt, Carenna had expressed her desire to travel with them to the Marquisate of Lanier to visit her younger sister, whom she had not seen in a long time.

Inside the carriage.

“Brother Tyr, do you think Hyde can become a responsible lord?”

Sevira asked, her chin resting in both hands as her eyes blinked inquisitively.

“Who can say what the future holds?”

Tyr did not believe that just because Hyde came from the bottom, he would definitely stand with the commoners. Now that he had become a noble, the change in status could very well alter his temperament, and there was no telling what might happen in the future.