Ophuthis: Unfaltering Fidelity

Chapter 7: Hero Titling Event, Part I

  His head started to hurt again as he was walking down the hallway in to the meeting room, where the meeting was scheduled. His name is Duke Heinrich, a nobleman from the faction that abides the archbishops.

In the Holy Realm of Hidiea, power struggles have always been present. Currently, there are three divided factions created and was participated by the noblemen. Each faction debates which rightful person or group shall take the highest position in the Holy Realm.

The Archbishop faction, where Duke Heinrich is in, wants to approve that the Archbishop shall be the one responsible for the Holy Realm. Essentially becoming a Theocratic nation.

The Holy King faction, are composed of noblemen loyal to the Holy king and supports the ideology that the royal family shall be the rightful owners of the great Hidiea.

Lastly the Senate faction. They are a group of noblemen that wants a Senate committee, inspired by the government of the Empire at the east. They believe that a senate is better because one highest does not exist, and a group of mixed opinions will always result to success.

Each faction has their own beliefs, ideology and image of the Holy kingdom in the future. For Heinrich, he doesn't support any of them. Some part of him want to side for the Holy king faction but because he is already very exhausted in his work as a Duke, he cannot be bothered siding to a faction that is likely to win. Joining an internal alliance or party will essentially just increase his workloads, something he cannot afford to do. This left him to the Archbishop faction, a faction very unlikely to win.

His reasons for not joining the Senate faction is, to his own words, are just plain stupid. Heinrich's thinking is that one ruler that makes an example to his people and becomes the head of the state will lead the kingdom more triumph than corrupt senators able to quickly get away just by exploiting their position. A mess of fingers pointing to one another will result to catastrophic consequences. Those reasons drove him to his decision to be with the clergymen.

The history of the Holy Realm is one of the most complicated and long to Farona. In the previous years, the Holy Realm of Hidiea and the Seeh-an Oligarchy at the east were one country. However, the Oligarchy established being a Theocratic Kingdom, which is not the case in Hidiea. This resulted in them parting ways. While Hidiea's decision to lessen the powers given to the clergymen, it did not lessened the relations between Seeh-an. Hidiea's independence are foreseeable when culture and distance between the two states are to be taken to account.

To Heinrich, he doesn't necessarily like the teachings of the Archbishop, the other clergymen, the church and the Tristinity religion altogether, but because he doesn't have any choice, and because a choice is needed, he just went to the Archbishop faction. That being the case, the Holy king faction still has more noblemen supporting them than the Archbishop faction and the Senate faction combined.

"Duke, fancy meeting you here," said a man who appeared from a corner.

"Viscount Tollent," he greeted, "it is only inevitable as we are called by the Holy king."

"I like the outfit," he pointed at the suit Heinrich wore. Black leather shoes, and trousers of similar color, and a gold-work thread, with a brown surcoat to top.

"Likewise," he returned the compliment to the jacket-wearing nobleman.

"Thank you, Duke," he walked beside him, "another meeting. This is becoming more and more common lately."

"Well, it is to be expected. There are many things happening around us, from that every century event, to our concern for the political matters of the neighboring Ælhelmia."

"Right, the people made a revolution. What happened to the lands of Ælhelmia that were previously theirs?" He viewed the stressed man.

"The government failed to take five states. As such, the people made their own state."