Chapter 117
Chapter 117 – Church’s Dark Side
[Fumu… so the one that will be sent to Grants is those working under Cecil Griffith… is that it?]
[Affirmative . Grants is a land of heresy . It basically has no believers at all . Sending our precious subordinates to a place without believers is… and this subordinate of Cecil was someone who doesn’t hesitate to refuse our order . No matter how I see it, there must be something going on here . ]
The hooded man, Romani, reported to the person in front of him .
Romani is the 10th archbishop of the church . He’s currently in his fifties, but he still hadn’t abandoned his ambition to climb higher yet . To become a cardinal, or even the Pope .
He had a flabby fat body, and his fingers were decorated with jeweled rings… at a single glance, nobody would be able to tell that he’s a servant of God .
In front of him were the four Cardinals of Sierra Hazard . All four of them, along with the Pope, were like the kings of the church .
The leader among the four Cardinals was a man named Vandeus . He was originally an aristocrat and held the greatest influence among the four . He’s also currently the closest person to become the next Pope .
Right across to him was the second Cardinal, Lucius . Unlike Vandeus, Lucius was originally a commoner . Thus for the former, the latter is essentially a blemish that can’t be easily gotten rid of .
Other than the two were the third place Johannes and the fourth place Bowden . Both were members of Vandeus’ faction .
And lastly at the center was the pope himself, Zelgius, as the topdog of the church .
He had been serving as the pope for nearly 20 years . He was known as the Emperor Sephiros’ colleague before he became the eponymous Pope . But in recent years, apparently his already advanced age had finally caught up to him as he’s been acting like an entirely different person .
[Fumu… what’s going on here? Lucius-dono . Didn’t this Cecil report directly to you?]
Vandeus didn’t leave the opportunity to push the blame on Lucius to pass so easily . His eyes staring sharply at the person sitting right across him .
[Even if you say that… I also have no idea what is going on . Maybe because there are no believers there, he decided to do something on his own volition?]
Ignoring the piercing gaze, Lucius exclaimed .
[Apparently he has been intending to go there for a while… Grants is known as a barbaric country infested with monsters . An average person would only become prey . In that respect, this Cecil is a person of valor, yet he chose to become an Archbishop at such a young age . Perhaps that’s why he took the initiative to go there . ]
Lucius stared back at Vandeus, then continued on .
[If you find it to be so important, then why didn’t Vandeus-dono send his own subordinate to go there? To be frank, I have no intention to send any more of my subordinates to that plac . e]
Vandeus and his ilk were rendered silent by those words .
In fact, the church had sent people to breathe in the church’s beliefs on Grants before this… but all of them ended up missing or returning as corpses .
That’s why, nobody else in the church was willing to go to that… forsaken place called Grants .
[Moreover… that Cecil you denigrate so much is also one of the biggest donors for the church . Eliminating him will be the same as tightening the noose around your own neck… do you understand?]
[………… . ]
Vandeus could only stay silent . Meanwhile, his fire of hatred only grew hotter .
[Enough!]
The pope Zelgius finally spoke . In response to that, all other people whose rank is lower than cardinal attending the meeting quickly bowed their heads .
[It has been decided that we will be sending our people to Grants . We cannot change that decision so easily . Therefore we will still send a priest as planned… his name is…]
[This priest’s name is Felix . ]
Lucius added .
[Then, so be it . This meeting is now adjourned . ]
[Please wait, Your Holiness! What about her highness 『Saintess』…?]
Zelgius interrupted Romani before he could finish .
[The meeting is adjourned . We will not discuss any more topics today . ]
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Zelgius stood up from his seat and left . Lucius followed after him in a hurry, while the other cardinals stayed put while gently lowering their heads . As for Romani… he also bowed, albeit while biting his lip .
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[Great work . Romani . ]
Within Vandeus’ living quarters, Bowden and Johannes invited Romani in .
[Vandeus-sama! That Cecil is a dangerous man . We must stop him from becoming an archbishop at all cost!]
Romani naturally became restless . Not only was Cecil more popular among the people, he’s also one of the biggest donors for the church, making a lot of the higher ups take note of him . In addition to that, Cecil’s valor and talent in sacred arts can become a major hindrance in the future .
Romani simply couldn’t allow himself to be outmatched by someone so young .
[Fumu…]
Vandeus muttered while sending Romani a cold gaze .
What a scumbag . This man had been making an enemy out of this Cecil Griffith purely out of jealousy . But even scumbags still have its uses .
[It is certainly not a good idea to let this Cecil Griffith become an archbishop . He’s after all, one of Lucius’ ilk . ]
Johannes spoke up .
[If that Ares Schwarzer gains even more power in the future… it will also affect your effort to succeed in His Holiness . After all, he has that much strength, money, and fame . ]
Bowden added .
[And… who would’ve ever thought that he would be betrothed to the 『Saintess』?]
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Vandeus’ face turned bitter upon hearing that last part .
Cornelia was known among the commoners as the 『Saintess』 . At first, her presence was insignificant… but lately her fame could no longer be ignored .
Cornelia, being a Royal clan member and having a reputation among the higher ups as someone with great talent in the sacred arts, also helped cement her being recognized as a 『Saintess』 . But the good thing was that the other aristocrats weren’t aware of it as it’s not announced extensively .
Vandeus once tried to tie down Cornelia before, intending to marry her to his son . The fact that she’s famous among the commoners and well-versed in sacred arts while having the lineage of the Arcadia Empire was too precious to pass up .
However, no matter how he tried, the answer remained the same . NO . But he didn’t give up so easily .
However… the suddenly-appearing Ares Schwarzer swooped her away in the meantime . When he found out about this, he could only grit his teeth in regret .
But there is no use crying over spilled milk .
In a way, he also found it fortunate that the 『Saintess』 was pushed out to the frontier .
[Now… our major concern is the existence of the 『Child of God』 . Have we not found him yet?]
The child of God was mentioned in an oracle . The upper echelon tried to hide this existence, but the smoke still escaped nonetheless .
The rumour spread and now many believed in that oracle .
It says… a 『Child of God』 has been born to guide the people in his reign .
[It’s good if we can make use of that person . Otherwise he’s nothing more than a hindrance . He must be eliminated at once . ]
[We’ve dispatched a lot of people to look for him… but we haven’t even caught a single trace so far . Is the oracle wrong this time?]
[The oracle shouldn’t be wrong . There have been a lot of cases where it’s proven right… Moreover, complaining about its credibility is like questioning our faith, which is a foolish thing to do for people like us . ]
Having said so, Vandeus showed a nasty smile as he continued .
[We should keep searching . Also… send more people to Grants in case he’s hiding there . And if push comes to shove, we might as well consider erasing Ares Schwarzer . ]
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Those present nodded their heads in agreement .
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Cardinal Lucius was alone in his private room, reading a letter . It was sent to him by none other than Cecil Griffith .
[Good grief . Sending someone like Felix to Grants… that kind of man? What is Cecil thinking?]
Lucius thought back on what kind of man Felix was .
That man graduated from the same seminary as Cecil did; a very talented man .
It could be said that… he was right next to Cecil in terms of capabilities .
They were both friends and rivals . He climbed to the bishop position around the same time Cecil was made an archbishop .
He was a good man . But the reason why he was slower in his climb… was due to his attitude to the higher ups .
He’s a man who disliked forced authority .
[Fufufufu, but the young lord should be able to handle him fine . There is also Her Highness Cornelisama as well . ]
That said, Lucius brought the letter to a burning candle, and let the fire burn the paper until there was nothing left of it but ashes .
[Well then, should I send Sirius over as well? Right now, Grants is pretty much the safest place in the continent . ]
Lucius smiled as he imagined the face of his apprentice .
[Well, that fellow . He’ll do just fine . Right now… we just have to wait . The 『time』 will eventually come so better be prepared…]
Lucius muttered to himself while cleaning up the ashes .