When Grant walked from the Cathedral to Saint Grace Square under the gaze of countless believers, he felt that he would never forget this day in his life.
—The day he officially became pope.
The tediousness of the coronation ceremony needs no elaboration. The church was filled with white candles, long prayers, and the bishops came up to salute him one after another... He remembered these pious faces. Half a month ago, they stared at him angrily, cursing him as a treacherous monster, but now they only Obedience remains.
However, looking at the obedient appearance of the bishops, Grant could not feel the slightest pleasure in revenge.
He knows how he does it. Killing, threats, inducements... He has long since become a completely different person. The change happened so quickly and quietly that he didn't even realize how he got to this point.
If the bishop were still alive, he might have commented that "everything is God's will," but he is no longer here. Grant still remembered the night he killed the bishop. The bishop's tranquility made him feel terrified, as if the shadow would always hang over his head. Even if he killed the bishop a thousand times or ten thousand times, he could not escape from the bishop's control. walk out.
But... if it wasn't to get rid of that shadow, why did he kill the bishop
With various lingering thoughts in his mind, Grant felt it was difficult to breathe. Perhaps it was because the papal uniform was too heavy and weighed him down.
"His Majesty the Pope, put on your Holy Crown and head towards the Square of Saint Grace. Thousands of believers are waiting to see your majesty!"
When he came to the door of the church, a priest whispered in his ear.
Grant looked down.
Even though the atmosphere of terror has pervaded the capital for several months, at this moment, the Avenue of Holy Light outside the church was still full of people. Thousands of paladins separated the crowd, leaving a wide path for his upcoming tour. Under the gloomy sky, all the people raised their heads, squeezed their eyes, and looked at him desperately.
These people... are all believers who surrender to him.
The procession is arguably the most traditional part of the coronation ceremony. The new pope will be accompanied by two priests who have just joined the church and walk all the way from the church to Saint Grace Square to accept the worship of believers from all over the country. Others say that as long as they take a look at the sun pattern on the Pope's crown during the pilgrimage, they will receive God's blessing.
Perhaps this is the reason why countless believers are so enthusiastic about it.
Grant wanted to fly over their heads.
The malicious thought flashed through his mind, and finally, he walked out of St. Peter's Basilica.
He walked into the path lined by paladins, followed by two bishops, with fresh roses and calla lily petals under his feet, and walked expressionlessly past the enthusiastic eyes on both sides. The believers squeezed and jumped forward as hard as they could, but no one dared to make a sound. The place was filled with silent and noisy footsteps.
Grant didn't feel these people looking at him. He felt like a sculpture.
The long road soon became a kind of torture. He felt like walking in hell, with screaming demons pouring out from both sides, their teeth and claws showing, and their faces were hateful. He resisted the urge to kill all these evil spirits, maintained a dull expression, and continued to move forward.
Not knowing how long it took, the road in front of them suddenly opened up, and they finally arrived at Saint Grace Square. Civilians were not allowed to enter and were firmly blocked out by the Paladins in armor. In the square, the nobles from all over the country will pay homage to him.
Grant's indifferent mood suddenly fluctuated.
"...Duke Claude, you are here."
He stopped in front of a middle-aged man, remained silent for a moment, and said this. The middle-aged man raised his head, his old-fashioned and stubborn face was no different from what he remembered.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Pope." Claude's voice seemed to be trembling. He knelt deeply at Grant's feet and said, "Today is your coronation day, and we pray for you."
Grant was originally filled with joy, but now he froze in shock, not knowing what to say.
He didn't understand why, but... this wasn't the sight he expected.
The most ironic thing is that he didn't even know what he was expecting when he specifically stopped to talk to Claude? They haven't spoken for a long time, not to mention, he is the Pope and Claude is a noble. What Claude just said couldn't be more reasonable.
So Grant could only turn his head and leave in a hurry, maintaining a stiff expression and continuing to walk forward.
He felt that he must have looked very embarrassed when he escaped.
In the Square of the Holy Grace, he used magic to burn the eleven mages tied to the cross to complete the final ritual. At that moment, countless people knelt on the ground and shouted "Long live the Pope", but Grant only noticed the relieved expressions of the two new priests behind him.
He suddenly realized that he might never be qualified to show such an expression.
The coronation ceremony took place at noon, but the subsequent proceedings went straight into the night. It wasn't until Grant finished reading the last page of the Bible and closed the book that the priests hurriedly retreated from the church. He was the only one left under the silent statue.
He put down the book, turned his head, stared at the statue, remained silent for a long time, then turned and left.
That night, he returned to the big house of the Reese family.
He couldn't remember how long it had been since he came back. Probably after Benjamin was pushed to the stake, the whole family was too silent every time they ate, and he felt as if he was suffocating if he stayed for a second longer.
Gradually, he only lived in the church.
"Young... no! His Majesty the Pope, meet with His Majesty the Pope. We... that..."
The guard at the door was still the same person as before. After seeing him, he knelt down at a loss and couldn't even utter a complete sentence in his mouth.
Grant shook his head.
"Get up, I'm just coming back to take a look."
Hearing this, the guard raised his head: "Then, you need me to inform you..."
Grant ignored the guards and walked directly in through the gate. The whole house was familiar, and he quickly came to the door of the study, pushed open a crack in the door, and saw Claude inside.
He didn't know why he came back here. Maybe the encounter in the square during the day was too embarrassing, and he felt like he couldn't swallow it.
Claude sat at the table. The oil lamp is on. He appears to be reading a letter.
After hesitating for a moment, Grant walked in.
"Your Majesty the Pope? How do you..."
Unlike the guard at the door, Claude reacted quickly after being stunned. He saluted Grant with a respectful tone and did not make any inappropriate move.
Grant felt a sense of depression for no reason.
"...Father, I'm back." After being silent for who knows how long, he made countless mental preparations. Finally, his voice trembled and he said these words.
Claude also froze in place.
The atmosphere was awkward and no one answered the question. Grant could only look around hastily.
"...where's mother?"
"She is recuperating in the countryside of the territory..."
"Where's grandma?"
"...Those useless knights still found nothing."
"Um… "
The study fell silent again.
Grant began to regret his decision to return home. He looked around awkwardly, and when he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the letter on the desk.
At that moment, he seemed to feel something, walked over and grabbed the letter in his hand.