LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 76: Chapter 76: The Divine Statue
Holy City, Bethlehem.
As the commoner believers recruited by the church gradually arrived in Bethlehem under the supervision of noble private soldiers, the long-planned construction of the Divine Statue by the Holy See officially began.
The Statue of the God of Light was set to be erected in the mountain range north of Lateran Palace. From a distance, it appeared grand and majestic, yet its construction posed immense challenges due to the rugged terrain.
The commoner believers, brought in under escort, were divided into several work groups, each assigned different tasks under the watchful eyes of the Holy Army soldiers.
Among them, fifty commoners from Idar, led by Mike, were assigned to the quarry outside Bethlehem, tasked with excavating stone.
Bethlehem, the Holy City, experienced little seasonal variation. Revered as the land where the God of Light descended, it basked in bright sunlight year-round, with almost 365 days of clear skies. Though it was still spring, the air already carried a hint of dry heat.
Under the scorching sun, hundreds of shirtless commoners labored under the supervision of the Holy Army, chiseling away at the rocky mountainside.
The Statue required a massive amount of stone, which meant that the workload for these commoners was extraordinarily high.
Each day, they were forcibly awakened at dawn (around 5 or 6 AM) and labored until late evening (7 or 8 PM) before they were allowed to rest and eat.
However, despite the grueling labor, the food rations provided by the church were extremely limited. Many could barely satiate their hunger, forcing them to toil on empty stomachs.
As a result, within just a few days, several commoners collapsed from exhaustion, fainting while quarrying stones.
This was not surprising.
After all, commoners in this era lived in extreme hardship. Pale faces and malnutrition were common sights.
Such backbreaking labor was enough to break their already frail bodies.
In the Norman Empire, this had already formed a vicious cycle:
The weaker the commoners, the less land they could cultivate.The less land they farmed, the less grain they harvested.The less grain they had, the hungrier they were.The hungrier they were, the less strength they had for farming…
Coupled with arbitrary taxation, forced labor, and the tithes imposed by feudal lords, this only made life even more unbearable for many commoner families in the Norman Empire.
Thus, after only a few days, some commoners fell ill from the extreme labor.
"Crack!"
A Holy Army soldier lashed a commoner's back with his whip.
"Look at their speed! And then look at yours!" The soldier scolded, pointing to another group of workers. "You are building a colossus for the God of Light! No one is allowed to slack off, or the divine punishment will fall upon you!"
Then, the soldier gestured toward another group of people nearby.
"Look at those Idarians! Do you not feel ashamed?"
Indeed!
The fifty commoners from Idar, led by Mike, showed no signs of struggling with their tasks.
They had already gained experience while constructing the Hanging Garden, learning: how to quarry stone more efficiently and to conserve energy strategically.
And since each commoner had a fixed daily quota, the Idarians were usually the first to finish work which also meant that the soldiers supervising them could leave earlier as well.
Just as Mike completed his daily quota and was about to return to camp, he noticed the commotion nearby.
He listened from a distance, then furrowed his brows and walked over…
"Respected soldier, sir…"
Just as the soldier was about to swing his whip again, Mike's voice drifted into his ears.
The soldier turned around, seeing Mike standing nearby with a calm smile, his right hand drawing a cross over his chest.
"What do you want?" The soldier asked impatiently.
"The God of Light teaches us to be kind to others, not to be hostile to them…" Mike began his performance.
The Holy Army soldier froze for a moment, his face turning red, before responding angrily:
"If you've finished your work, then go back to camp and stop meddling!"
Mike quickly drew another cross over his chest and spoke with deep sincerity:
"I am willing to complete his unfinished task in his place!"
What?!
Not only was the soldier stunned, but even the commoner being whipped was dumbfounded.
"You're saying… you're willing to quarry stone in his place?" The soldier asked in disbelief.
"Yes! The God of Light teaches us—"
"Enough! Take his tools and get to work!" The soldier snapped impatiently.
Seeing Mike voluntarily helping another commoner, the Idarians were shocked.
Then, they remembered something:
Their Earl had once said—
"Labor can redeem sin."
If that was true…
Then helping others quarry stone meant they were not only working but also helping someone else.
Wouldn't that mean…
Double the redemption? Double the joy?!
Thus, excited, the Idarian commoners began volunteering—actively searching for unfinished tasks to complete for others!
The Holy Army overseers exchanged looks.
This… was the strangest thing they had ever seen.
"These people… must be mad."
And yet, they couldn't say the Idarians were wrong.
After all, the Idarians spoke of the God of Light in every sentence.
Even though some of their words were unfamiliar, even to the soldiers stationed in the Holy City, they couldn't help but admire the Idarians' devotion.
No.
To these soldiers, these Idarians were not just devout believers.
They were fanatics.
Thus, from that day onward, tales of Idarians in Bethlehem began to spread across the construction site…