Chapter 262: The Battle 3
The day after the big party.
What happened at the banquet hall the day before had already spread all over the capital before noon.
Whether it was a salon, where the nobles gathered, or the pub of the commoners, the story was the sa.
“The pope started a banquet?”
“It was a victory celebration party, where donations were collected from the priests and nobles, so they could help the soldiers and the people who suffered from the civil war.”
“Oh! Such banquets should be opened whenever possible!”
“Yeah! That is what should be done!”
The people gathered, raising their glasses as high as they could, praising the pope.
At that ti, a handso man with a dissatisfied expression opened his mouth.
“Rather than that, the pope danced at the banquet! No, I don’t get it. Can a godly apostle perform such an apostle act?”
With those words, the people beca silent for a while and then chatted away again.
“Obviously, she can dance, so what?”
“Yeah, was it ever written in the scriptures that angels aren’t supposed to dance?”
“I feel like she is trying to be human? Isn’t that okay?”
While the commoners were concentrating on the dancing issue, the nobles focused on analyzing the pope’s intention for her recent actions and the future political situation.
“The acts of Viscount Lev are obviously intentional.”
“It doesn’t seem like he had done it all alone… Was Arch Duke Gregory behind it too?”
After all, unlike Luke’s concern, there was very little criticism on the pope’s dancing.
Only a few conservative narrow-minded priests and enthusiastic followers of Veronica III made a fuss saying ‘An apostle of God isn’t is supposed to act like this!’.
The capital’s streets were all very noisy.
Constantine, who was offended with Reina’s act the day before, went to et Reina.
“Holy Pope, why are you behaving like this these days?”
“What do you an?”
“Are you being motivated by that rcenary?”
She overruled his decision and gave Lev a title and an estate. Along with those, she went dancing with him at the banquet and showed affection toward him.
Her doubtful and suspicious behavior had been happening often, so he couldn’t help but ask. However, Reina didn’t seem to be flustered with his question.
“What will you do if that is the case, and what would you do if it isn’t the case?”
“Holy Pope!”
“Wasn’t it the words of the Regent. He is God’s Warrior. Do you think that it is strange of to see him like that?”
“That…”
Constantine, who wasn’t able to answer Reina’s question and stiff response, took a mont and said, “It was just a story that I made to suppress the rebellion. Doesn’t God’s Apostle know this better than anyone that he isn’t any warrior?”
“…”
“He is a foreign rcenary and has nothing to do with our denomination, and the Holy Pope is obliged to be chaste as the representative of our God El Kassel. It is unfair to fall in love.”
At those words, Victor who was right behind Reina, frowned.
However, he didn’t step out of his role to defend her. Reina, who was reading scriptures before Constantine’s arrival, closed the book. She looked straight into his eyes and said, “And who said that? I have looked thoroughly in the scriptures, but there is nothing which says that I have a duty to keep my chastity.”
“T-that…”
In fact, there was no rule that could be found in any scriptures of El Kassel or the past saints regarding what Constantine said. They only expected n to control their desires but not prohibit them.
An unmarried status beca a custom because it seed to be favorable to perform the missions of God and devote themselves to the Empire that way.
“And the things about the duty to keep chastity, many high-ranking priests were secretly being helped by the n in the palace to given birth to their illegitimate children. Shouldn’t they be ripped and punished?”
Constantine went silent.
It wasn’t him, but he did know that high priests of most of the tribes, except for the Sanctity of Holiness, had secretly married and had children.
Small patriarch supported God and turned it into the Holy Empire. Long after, prosperity and political stability led to the corruption and depravity of the El Kassel sanctuaries.
Priests began to bring out their money and began to move with the priestess.
And won were recruited only with the intention of making illegitimate children.
At first, there were strong voices of criticism, but around 300 years ago, when the three tribes, including the Marius Faction, monopolized it, no one managed to change it after that.
Perhaps, from that mont…
God’s trust had never co to the sanctuary.
“T-that is just speculations in our denomination. The truth is…”
“Is it not the truth? Are you expecting to believe those words? The words of a man who changes the words of God according to his wishes?”
Reina got up from her seat and shot back in a stern manner.
Constantine, not realizing it, stepped back. He could feel his heart freezing.
The pope, who was in front of him, wasn’t the sa idiot girl, who kept referring to him as grandfather. He couldn’t even recognize her at this point.
Like the monarch of an empire, dignity could be felt from her.
“Let make it very clear for you. I am no longer the old Veronica of Archbishop Constantine. I can now make my own decisions with my own heart, so the archbishop will now be stripped of his position and concentrate on working for the tribe.”
“Sorry?”
“You didn’t understand what I just asked of you? I am reclaiming the archbishop’s position as the Regent.”
Thud!
It felt like thunder hit Constantine’s head.
He looked over at Reina with an expression that looked like he couldn’t believe what was happening and raised his voice to ask,
“W-what the hell happened in Alvera? Did you hit your head when the assassin attacked you? Or have you been brainwashed by that rcenary?”
Otherwise, such a situation made no sense for Constantine.
One man was ready to answer the question.
“There is nothing wrong with the Holy Pope.”
‘Gregory, Arch Duke Gregory!’
Constantine was shocked when he suddenly showed up out of nowhere.
However, it seed like Reina knew that he would make an appearance.
“She just recovered the mories that she lost before. Isn’t that the case, Holy Pope?”
At the question of Arch Duke Gregory, Reina nodded.
“W-what the hell does that an?” Constantine asked, still not understanding what was happening.
“It isn’t sothing that you need to know. You haven’t even made any efforts to know about them till now. You just need to know that she isn’t the Holy Pope who used to just follow your orders, not anymore.”
“Is this your work?”
Constantine stared intently at Arch Duke Gregory.
He had the thought that if Gregory had been with Veronica for a long ti, then such drastic changes made sense.
“No, it isn’t. The pope changing you is God’s decision. Accept it for what it is.”
‘To put it simply, the mont she t the God’s Warrior, she changed. Of course, that was the will and decision of God as well,’ thought Gregory.
Constantine, who couldn’t understand Gregory’s words, shouted, “I will never accept that! Who would take the Regent’s position?”
Constantine’s face beca pale, and he couldn’t shout anymore.
Because the mont he was about to express his anger, Gregory’s body began to release a terrifying energy.
“Kuak, Kuk!”
At that ti, Gregory looked at Constantine, who was struggling to keep himself standing, and said, “How dare you disobey the words of the pope? This isn’t very bad for you. During all this ti, you made sure to wipe out all the rats who were bothering you and this place.”
Constantine could barely manage to breathe and spoke with a jealous expression,
“You, isn’t it righteous for a knight to defend the empire rather than wish for power. Were you not interested in the governnt and its workings?”
“I have none, but because of a certain soone, I began to get interested. I thought of trying sothing even if it was a bit wrong.”
At the words of Gregory, Constantine couldn’t feel himself lose.
He was called the Regent of the Holy Empire and was the second most powerful figure in the empire, but his opponent was Arch Duke Gregory, so he could do nothing.
And if he decided to hold onto the army, then it wouldn’t even take a minute for him to wipe out the entire Marius Faction.
Reina looked at Constantine and said,
“Don’t be too upset with your resignation. I have no intention of abandoning the Marius Faction. This empire will willingly accept anyone who has the intention of reflecting onto themselves and are willing to take steps to correct their wrongdoings.”
‘P-pope Benedict!’
At the words of Reina, Constantine’s face rembered the forr pope’s face.
Although he had suffered from an illness and was known to be a successor in later years, Benedict III was a very scary figure as well.
In dire situations, he was famous for taking control of the entirety of the Holy Empire and forcibly pulled down the tribes.
The Pope of Iron.
That was the nickna of Benedict III.
Why did Veronica III suddenly reminded Constantine of Benedict III’s face?
Was it because they looked similar? Or maybe…
Thud.
Reina only sighed after seeing Constantine fell down on the cold, hard ground.
It was fortunate that the dismissal of the Regent had happened much easier than she had imagined. On the other hand, it was ridiculous to think that the person who was broken down over a dismissal was helping her all this ti.
In fact, the dismissal of Constantine had been already decided on the day Arch Duke and Reina had returned from Alvera.
Gregory stated that he strongly supported Reina’s decision to reform the denomination and the Holy Empire.
Within all that power struggle and politics, he decided to break off the long-standing stance and involve himself.
‘This isn’t the end. This is just the beginning. The Holy Empire needs to be more stable to help Luke, and that is for the benefit of its people.’
The pope decided to take the task of exposing the corrupt denominations.
The first thing she did was change the high offices of the Holy Empire.
Regardless of the denomination, it was stated that new nobles and priests, who were enthusiastic and honest, would be recruited.
‘Priest Luther, didn’t he do a lot of relief work for the poor? I need to et with him first.’
With her vigorous step to reform, Arch Duke Gregory and Victor followed her like shadows.
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