CA - Chapter 188
Chapter 188
Like Cambecus, Gabriel was one of the Pope's right-hand men, but he was clearly less trusted than Cambecus. This was evident from the fact that the Pope had given Cambecus a teleportation scroll that could ignore domains, but not him.
Although Gabriel was the most senior of the current Red-robed Archbishops, he was actually several decades younger than Cambecus and in the prime of his life.
In his youth, Gabriel was exceptionally talented, intelligent, and quick to learn. He was also adept at reading people, not only adapting to the "darkness" of the Holy See but quickly becoming a part of it.
It was said that he was especially favored by the Pope back then, and there were even rumors that the Pope wanted to make him the Holy Son.
But for some unknown reason, the Pope suddenly changed his mind, and the position of Holy Son remained vacant. It wasn't until over a decade later that the current Holy Son appeared, winning the Pope's exclusive favor and rising swiftly to his high position.
No one knew whether Gabriel was content with having missed the position of Holy Son. This man was meticulous in his thoughts. Facing a Holy Son who was green in both power and experience, he could still act with utmost respect, having loyally assisted him for over a decade without fail.
He had never done anything out of line.
But Reese, who knew just how deep the waters of the Holy See ran, never thought Gabriel was an honest man from the start. Otherwise, why would the Pope be secretly wary of him?
Now that Cambecus, the Pope's truly controllable confidant, was dead, wasn't Gabriel's ambition beginning to show?
Jointly swallowing up Cambecus's network? One had to know that the forces under Cambecus's command were all the Pope's forces.
This was equivalent to carving out a piece of the Pope's power. Gabriel was clearly banking on the fact that Reese's public backer was the Holy Son, so he was pulling her in to mitigate the risk together.
After all, although the Pope was old, if he decided to kill someone, even Gabriel wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Reese sneered. Although it might arouse the Pope's suspicion, if Gabriel dared to do it, what was there for her to fear?
Tang Qiu didn't understand the inner workings of the Holy See as deeply as Reese, but she could still discern the surface-level situation. Gabriel's proposal had its pros and cons, but in her view, it was a gamble worth taking.
The Pope was a lion whose claws and fangs had grown dull. He might still have his authority, but at the same time, he had to protect the young cub.
With too many concerns, one loses the initiative and their edge. The lion would then be nothing to fear.
"The Holy Son is coming out of seclusion to suppress the Black Witches. At that time, all the bishops will leave the Holy See's nation, and out from under the Pope's nose, there will be much more that can be done." Seeing that Reese seemed uninterested in Gabriel's proposal, Tang Qiu frowned slightly. "This is an opportunity, Reese."
"As long as we leave the Holy See's nation, I will take care of Cambecus's subordinates. You just need to install trustworthy people in the positions they vacate."
Reese raised her eyes and stared at Tang Qiu for a moment before saying with a half-smile, "You can take care of them all? Speaking of which, Mario just told me something very interesting."
Knowing full well that Mario would report to Reese, Tang Qiu wasn't surprised to hear her words. She observed Reese's expression and saw that it was the same as usual. She then curved her lips slightly and said with perfect composure, "What interesting thing? About the werewolves or the vampires?"
This attitude from Tang Qiu was undoubtedly a tacit admission. Reese toyed with the cup in her hand, let out a low laugh, and remarked, "You really are bold."
A member of the Holy See was actually on good terms with people from two enemy factions. And from Mario's description, the werewolves and vampires Tang Qiu knew were not just one or two ordinary individuals.
Reese sized up Tang Qiu with great interest and asked curiously, "What exactly is your identity?"
Tang Qiu lowered her head and took a sip of water, the faint scent of roses spreading in her mouth. She raised her eyes to meet Reese's gaze, thought for a moment, and extended her hand towards her. Under Reese's curious watch, her palm elongated, and sharp claws slowly emerged.
Tang Qiu flipped her hand over and tapped her claws on the table, and a crack immediately appeared on the stone surface.
She retracted her hand, looked at Reese with a smile, and said teasingly, "Does this identity give you a sense of security?"
Reese slowly came back to her senses and looked at Tang Qiu in astonishment. After a while, she slowly said, "It does."
Although Reese was surprised that Tang Qiu's true identity was a werewolf, it happened to explain the suspicious points Mario had mentioned. The fact that Tang Qiu chose to be honest with her instead of avoiding the topic made Reese quite happy.
As for why a werewolf would come to the Holy See to be a bishop, frankly, Reese didn't care, because it had nothing to do with her.
But speaking of werewolves, Reese remembered something. She touched her cup and said with a frown, "For a while, Audrey came to me and, both directly and indirectly, asked a lot about you and the werewolves. She might be suspicious. You should be careful not to let her find any dirt on you."
Tang Qiu felt a bit helpless when it came to this sharp-intuitioned Head Inquisitor. She sighed and said, "I will."
She wouldn't be staying in the Holy See's nation for a while anyway, so Audrey wouldn't be able to find any leverage against her.
The Holy Son had indeed come out of seclusion to suppress the Black Witches. His Power of Light had not yet reached a level he was satisfied with, but the impact of Cambecus's tragic death at the hands of a Black Witch was too great, forcing him to emerge ahead of schedule.
The Pope, who had refused all visitors on the grounds of being unwell, was not resting in his bedroom. In the white castle behind the manor, heavy curtains blocked out the daylight, with only the faint light of candles illuminating the room. The Pope sat on his throne, resting with his eyes closed while muttering an incantation. Perhaps it was due to his age, but not only had his body grown weaker, even his memory was slowly deteriorating.
The incantations for some light magic spells were disappearing from his mind. The Pope muttered for a while, sighed softly, and the ring of authority on his right index finger glowed with a gentle light in the darkness.
The castle door was pushed open from the outside. The light dispelled the darkness, causing the Pope's brow to slowly furrow. But upon seeing who had entered, his brow relaxed again. He beckoned to the Holy Son and said slowly, "Come, sit here."
The Holy Son walked over, naturally ascended the steps, and sat in the chair below the Pope's. He was not as respectful and cautious towards the Pope as others were; instead, he was very familiar. "I saw Cambecus's remains. He was indeed killed by a Black Witch."
The Holy Son sat up straight with his hands on his lap, a faint arrogance in his brow. "It seems Cambecus really has gotten old, to be so careless."
Hearing him mention the word "old" made the Pope frown. He was well aware of Cambecus's condition; he was not yet at a point where he would lose his life due to carelessness. The Pope interrupted the Holy Son, saying earnestly, "Cambecus's death might not be that simple."
The Holy Son was taken aback and frowned. "Then what else could it be?" To be corroded to that state, it was clearly caused by the Power of Darkness.
The Pope was silent for a moment before saying faintly, "Let me handle this matter. You should focus on how to suppress the Black Witches in a way that will further enhance the Holy See's prestige."
He had originally planned to send Cambecus to assist the Holy Son in suppressing the Black Witches, but now... The Pope mentally reviewed the remaining Red-robed Archbishops, wondering who would be more suitable.
Before he could decide, the Holy Son spoke again. "I discussed the matter of suppressing the Black Witches with Gabriel and Reese yesterday. We've already made a preliminary decision."
"Rest assured, Your Holiness, I will definitely let the light shine again in every corner of the Statu Continent."
The Pope: "..."
"You must think things through more. You can't fully trust everything Gabriel says. Remember, you are the Holy Son." The Pope raised his hand and patted the Holy Son's shoulder, saying in a deep voice, "You are the Holy Son chosen by the Light Goddess herself. My position will be yours. It is your duty to lead the Holy See back to its peak."
The Holy Son lifted his chin and said solemnly, "I will not betray the trust of Your Holiness and the Light Goddess."
"Good child." The Pope withdrew his hand and rubbed his brow, saying with some fatigue, "I'm a little tired. You may go back for now."
The Holy Son nodded. As he stood up to leave, the Pope called out to him again. As if remembering something, the Pope suddenly asked, "That Red-robed Archbishop by your side, Reese, can she be trusted?"
Reese had risen to her position after he had already handed over power to the Holy Son and was less involved in church affairs. Because of her connection to the Holy Son, the Pope hadn't paid much attention to Reese, only occasionally hearing Cambecus complain that she was ruthless and vicious.
At the time, he believed that the Holy See couldn't be controlled solely by Cambecus and Gabriel; it occasionally needed different voices, so he had allowed Reese to develop her own faction.
A capable woman, if she could be completely controlled by the Holy Son, would be a great asset in securing his position as Pope.
At the mention of Reese, the Holy Son nodded without hesitation, saying as if it were a matter of course, "Of course she can be trusted."
Seeing his certainty, the Pope said no more and waved his hand, gesturing for him to leave.
After the Holy Son left, the castle returned to darkness. The Pope stared into the void, lost in thought. The hand resting on his throne twitched, and he softly chanted an incantation. However, when the chant was finished, nothing happened.
His expression slowly darkened, and he sank into his throne, seeming to have aged several years.
The Tzimisce clan had begun to ignore his summons. This was truly not good news.
The Pope sat in the darkness for an unknown length of time when the sound of light footsteps approached. The Pope's expression shifted, and he raised his eyes slightly. A tall figure was standing at the bottom of the steps.
Silver hair cascaded down to her waist. The Saintess wore a standard white robe, but it could not conceal her elegance. Her hands hung at her sides as she looked calmly at the Pope on the throne. Her golden eyes, just like the Holy Son's, held a more ethereal and mysterious quality.
The Pope saw her lower her hands and sighed, "What's going on with the Holy Son's Power of Light?"
Phoenix shook her head slightly. "I don't know. It seems he's hit a bottleneck."
Although the rumor outside was that the Holy Son and Saintess were cultivating the Power of Light together in Eden, the reality was that the Saintess was assisting the Holy Son in his cultivation.
The Pope's expression was grave. He glanced at Phoenix and asked, "Can't you help him?"
Phoenix frowned, but before she could speak, she heard the Pope mutter to himself as if sighing, "He is also a God Race descendant. Why doesn't he have the ability of prophecy?"
The God Race was naturally sensitive to the Power of Light, and some individuals even had the gift of prophecy. The Pope had always felt that the abilities of the God Race went beyond that, because the first Pope had been incredibly powerful, almost comparable to a god, and could even create things like teleportation scrolls that ignored domains.
Unfortunately, the number of God Race descendants had dwindled over time. Outsiders knew very little about their race, and even within the Holy See, there were few records about them.
Hearing the Pope's muttering, the Saintess retracted the words she was about to say and lowered her gaze to her robes.
The Pope returned from his thoughts, stroking the ring of authority on his hand. He said faintly, "Cambecus is dead, but the bishop who was with him came back alive."
The Saintess said in a low voice, "I will investigate."
The Pope nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Phoenix."
Comments
Post a Comment