Imperial Dragon City, holy mountain.
The melodious sound of the bell spread throughout every corner of the Holy Light Cathedral with its wonderful power to soothe people's hearts.
Cardinal Mensay, dressed in a red robe, walked through the quiet corridor and entered the prayer hall.
In the hall, another Cardinal Nopton was bowing his head in prayer before the statue of the Lord of Radiance.
Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, Nopton finished his prayer, looked back at Mensay who was slowly approaching, and nodded his head as a greeting.
Mensay didn't care about the cold attitude of the other party either. The three cardinals of the Radiance Church are all candidates for the next Pope, so there is inevitably some competition among them, and the relationship is naturally not harmonious.
After the news of Tournance's death reached Yulongcheng, Mensay and Nopton felt a little complicated.
First of all, the sorrow and fear of the rabbit's death and the fox's sorrow are naturally inevitable, but other than that, it is impossible to say that there is no secret joy, after all, there is one less competitor.
Moreover, judging from the current situation, I am afraid that Gregory may not be able to continue to sit safely on the Pope's position. thought.
It's just that such thoughts can only be hidden deep in my heart.
The two cardinals stood with their hands tied in the empty prayer hall, silently waiting for the pope to arrive.
Perhaps because he felt that the current atmosphere was a bit awkward, Mensay said softly:
"It is said that Tournance's body was tied to a cross by the St. Hilde family and stood on the head of Winter City."
Nopton shook his head and sighed, "This is blasphemy!"
"Count Angelet declared that this was to allow Tournance to atone for the evil deeds he had done during his lifetime, and besides Tournance's body, there was another empty cross, which is said to have been made by the Pope. Prepared." Mensay said lightly, but there was no joy or anger in the expression on his face.
Nopton chuckled and didn't comment on it.
The prayer hall fell into silence again, and the eternal holy light shot down from the glazed dome, covering the two cardinals standing silently with a holy halo.
After an unknown amount of time, Pope Gregory finally walked into the prayer hall.
Mensay and Nopton hurriedly bowed and saluted.
Gregory waved his hands casually and did not speak. Instead, he came to the statue of the Lord of Radiance, prayed silently, and then turned to look at the two cardinals, and asked blankly:
"You all know what happened in the northern border, right? Let's talk about it, what do you think should be done?"
Mensay and Nopton looked at each other, both hesitated.
But Gregory obviously made up his mind to listen to the opinions of the two of them, and he didn't speak, allowing the atmosphere on the scene to become more and more stagnant.
Under such pressure, Mensay finally couldn't help coughing lightly, and said:
"Your Majesty, I think the majesty of our lord cannot be challenged. What the northern border has done must not be tolerated. It must be suppressed with thunderous means, so as to deter other nobles who are about to move."
"How to suppress it with thunder?" Before Pope Gregory could speak, another cardinal, Nopton, questioned.
"Of course, immediately declare the St. Hilde family and Ajani as blasphemers, dispatch the Knights Templar to the northern border, and call on devout believers to join this holy war to wipe out the blasphemers."
"What reason do you use to declare St. Hilde's family and Ajani as blasphemers? How sure is the Knights Templar that they can defeat the Northern Allied Forces? As for calling on believers to help in the battle, hehe, most of the lords will just stand by and watch. As for those fanatical farmers you brought in, are you sure they will be a help and not a burden?"
"Reason? Your Majesty is the spokesperson of our Lord in the world. Do you need a reason to declare some people as blasphemers
As for whether the Knights Templar can defeat the Northern Alliance, Nopton, when did you lose confidence in the guardians of the glory of our Lord
When this army, which symbolizes the will of our Lord, arrives in the northern border, I am afraid that the soldiers of the northern coalition army will not have the courage to take up arms in front of them. "
Nopton curled his lips, shook his head and said with a sneer, "Mensai, if my lord's prestige is so invincible, then how could there be nobles with evil intentions, and how could there be such a blasphemy in the north?
As for the Knights Templar, even if they are capable of defeating the Northern Allied Forces, will the resulting civil strife in the empire give the Orc Empire an opportunity to take advantage of? "
Mensay snorted coldly with some dissatisfaction: "Then do you have any better suggestions?"
"I think at such a critical moment, we should try our best to avoid internal strife that would lead to disastrous consequences! Therefore, we should send people to Winter City to appease the St. Hilde family. It’s not impossible to make concessions.”
"Concession?" Mensay immediately yelled angrily, "Your weakness will only make the northern border gain ground! At the same time, it will also make other nobles feel that the church is weak and bully, and take this opportunity to wantonly weaken our control over the secular domain!
Don't forget that the northern lords have also brazenly withheld tithes. Do you want this disastrous move to affect the entire empire? "
"Concession does not equal weakness! Blind toughness will make the empire fall into the abyss from which it cannot be saved..."
"In the face of threats, never shrink back, this is the perseverance of the true believers of our Lord..."
Looking at the two cardinals who were arguing, Pope Gregory sneered inwardly.
Of course he could see that these two people seemed to put on a posture of devoting their energy and giving generous advice to solve the current crisis, but in fact, the measures proposed were all obvious nonsense.
After arguing for a long time, it was all emotional venting, but I didn't hear a little bit of insight.
Gregory knew very well that perhaps the two cardinals were secretly enjoying themselves under the current situation, and they were probably looking forward to abdicating themselves under the pressure from the northern border and leaving the Pope's throne vacant.
How can two old people who want to see their own jokes give really useful advice.
"Enough!" Gregory reprimanded loudly.
The two cardinals who had been arguing red-faced seemed to have been pressed the pause button, and instantly put on the mask of Gu Bo, bent down with their hands tied, and obediently waited for the Pope's words.
Gregory glanced coldly back and forth between the faces of the two cardinals, and then ordered:
"Mensai, go to the northern border immediately, test the attitude of the St. Hilde family, and ask them what their demands are?"
Mensay frowned, but before he could speak, he saw that the Pope's gaze had already turned to Nopton, and ordered:
"Nopton, you go to the western region immediately, meet the Duke of St. Grian, and tell her that the empire is now facing the danger of civil strife, and it is very likely that the orc empire will have an opportunity. Please ask her to come forward to coordinate and prevent the outbreak of civil strife. .”
"Yes!" The two cardinals hurriedly bowed to accept the order.
The pope's arrangement seemed to be to negotiate peace with the northern border, but the strange thing was that the person he sent to the northern border was Cardinal Mensay, who advocated being tough on the northern border.
As for Cardinal Nopton, who was sent to the western region by him, if he knew his past, he would know that he once served as the archbishop of the western region, but he was immediately transferred away in just three months.
It is said that it was because Nopton had an irreconcilable conflict with the St. Grian's family when he was the Archbishop of the Western Territory... But now, he was actually sent to the Western Territory by the Pope.
After the confession, the Pope turned around and left the prayer hall without any explanation.
(end of this chapter)