CA - Chapter 243
Chapter 243
The papal vestments were far too ornate, and putting them on and taking them off was incredibly tedious. So, after the coronation ceremony, the robe-which had taken dozens of people nearly a month to create-was placed in a cabinet for safekeeping.
Only...
The attendant priest responsible for inspecting the vestments stared in confusion at the missing pearl button on the collar. She looked up at Tang Qiu, who was busy with church affairs, and hesitated, unsure if she should ask.
As if sensing the priest's gaze, Tang Qiu, who was writing on a sheet of parchment, looked up slightly. She glanced at the robe in the priest's hands and said with a smile, "My apologies, I accidentally lost a few buttons yesterday."
"Ah, it's no problem, no problem at all." The priest was flustered by Tang Qiu's sudden apology. She shook her head frantically, stammering, "I-I'll go find someone to sew new ones on. Your Holiness the Pope needn't worry about such a small matter."
She bowed to Tang Qiu, then hurried away with the robe. Once outside, the priest touched her warm face, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down.
No wonder everyone coveted her position. The new Pope was so gentle and kind. When those sky-blue eyes looked at her, the priest felt her own heart race.
She had to be more composed. The priest took a deep breath, turned, and left with the robe. The pearl buttons on the papal vestments were all hand-polished; if a few were lost, new ones would have to be crafted from scratch.
The papal vestments were exquisitely made, with each button reinforced by the Power of Light. Logically, they shouldn't have come off so easily... but since the Pope said so, it must have been an accident.
The priest wrestled with the thought for a moment before putting it out of her mind.
After the battle in the Shas Principality, the various nations of the continent began to rebuild, trying to restore peace as quickly as possible. But although the darkness had been driven out, there were still lingering problems they couldn't solve on their own. For these matters, they had to seek help from the Holy See.
The nations that had shown up to the coronation without an invitation had another purpose besides observing the ceremony: they were here for this very reason.
They needed the Holy See's help to stabilize their countries as soon as possible.
In the third-floor conference room of the Central Church.
The Saintess sat at the head of the right side of the long table. Her gaze swept over the Cardinals on both sides as she said expressionlessly, "Regarding the joint request for aid initiated by one hundred and ten countries, led by the Shas Principality, what are your thoughts?"
After the battle between the Holy See, the Elves, the Werewolves, and the Blood Demon, the Shas Principality had been nearly annihilated. The royal family was left with only a single bloodline, but because the citizens had been evacuated in time, hundreds of thousands of commoners were saved.
Where there were people, there was a nation. Although the lands of the Shas Principality were now scorched earth, it was clear that the royal family and the nobility were not yet ready to give up.
After all, their status depended on the existence of the Shas Principality. Without it, they might be reduced to commoners.
After asking her question, the Saintess looked at the faces of each Cardinal. Reese was fiddling with a cup on the table, seemingly uninterested in the topic. Abel, who had just been appointed and still bore the label of "Gabriel's confidant," knew it was best for him to keep his mouth shut. He leaned back in his chair, head down, intently reading a document in his hands.
Vogt had once been in charge of the evacuation of the Shas Principality, so after a moment of contemplation, he was the first to speak. "The Holy See represents light, justice, and benevolence to the outside world. Helping them rebuild is what we should do. Although the darkness has been driven out, many commoners are still living in dire straits."
"Moreover, this is an excellent opportunity for our Holy See. We must re-establish our prestige in the hearts of the common people."
"Re-establish prestige?" Reese let out a derisive laugh. She looked down, toying with her cup, her tone laced with faint sarcasm. "For whom? For the Holy See, or for those royals and nobles?"
"Do you really think they're here to ask for help?" Reese glanced at Vogt and sneered, "Is this your first time dealing with them, Cardinal Vogt?"
Vogt's face darkened. "Reese, when are you going to change that tone of yours?"
"Perhaps when you're not so foolish."
"You..."
The once-peaceful atmosphere grew tense due to their argument. Bruce and the others quietly raised their eyes to observe Tang Qiu, who was seated at the head of the table, engrossed in reviewing church affairs. The new Pope was extremely busy, as if she hadn't heard the fiery dispute at all.
The Saintess frowned and said coldly, "Quiet."
She looked at Reese and asked, "What are your thoughts?"
"Wait." Reese casually pushed the cup away and said with a smirk, "Wait until these cunning rulers stop thinking about the fat piece of meat in their mouths. Then let them come talk to the Holy See."
"Getting something for nothing won't teach them a lesson."
Vogt frowned and retorted unhappily, "The common people don't have that much time to wait."
Reese flicked her hair, her eyes fixed on Vogt with a half-smile. "The royalty and nobility can't protect their own citizens. What does that have to do with the Holy See?"
The atmosphere turned silent. The Saintess scanned everyone's expressions. Just as she was about to turn and ask for Tang Qiu's opinion, a somewhat cool voice suddenly spoke up. "I agree with Cardinal Vogt's view."
"The struggle between imperial and divine power should not involve the common people. We should help them stabilize as soon as possible."
Abel, who had been "diligently" staring at his parchment, had a flash of amusement in his eyes. He looked up at the speaker. Her long golden hair cascaded down her back, and her emerald eyes were like cold gems. She had a face identical to Reese's, but her temperament was entirely different.
Monica's sudden interjection dropped the already silent atmosphere to a freezing point. Reese's lips curved slightly as she tapped her fingers on the table, saying nothing.
Seeing Monica on his side, Vogt gave her a grateful smile. But Monica didn't look at him, simply stating her thoughts calmly, "This invasion by the dark forces should have been a wake-up call for many royals and nobles. We can agree to their request, and the teams sent by the Holy See can focus solely on treating and aiding the commoners."
As for other matters, they could simply ignore them.
Reese chuckled softly and shook her head, as if mocking Monica's naivety. But her smile was also somewhat gentle, completely different from the cold sneer she had given Vogt, leaving everyone momentarily unable to discern its meaning.
After signing her name at the bottom of the parchment, Tang Qiu finally put down her quill. She looked up, her sky-blue eyes shifting between Reese and Monica before finally landing on the former. She raised an eyebrow and said with a playful smile, "Cardinal Reese, do you have a different opinion regarding Cardinal Monica's view?"
Reese was silent for a moment, then shrugged and replied casually, "A brilliant insight. What opinion could I have?"
Monica looked at Reese, her lips pressed together, her eyes dimming slightly.
Tang Qiu nodded and glanced at the others. "And you?"
The Saintess pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I think it's worth a try."
Monica had made a good point: innocent commoners should not be the victims of power struggles.
Tang Qiu made the final decision. "Then it's settled." She picked up a nearby parchment, wrote a few lines, then signed her name and affixed her seal. "This matter will be Monica's responsibility."
Monica was taken aback. "My responsibility?"
Tang Qiu handed the letter of appointment to Monica, smiling. "I feel more at ease entrusting it to you."
Monica instinctively looked toward Reese, but Reese kept her head down, fiddling with the documents on the table without looking at her. After a moment of silence, Monica took the letter of appointment and said in a low voice, "I will complete the mission diligently."
Tang Qiu smiled at Monica, then withdrew her gaze. She scanned the room, her expression serious. "Now, let's discuss the matter of the Vampires."
The new Pope's first meeting lasted until evening. When it ended, Monica remained in her seat, rubbing her temples. She used the motion to sneak a glance at Reese out of the corner of her eye, wanting to leave with her.
But Reese didn't move either; she was talking to Tang Qiu about something.
The other Cardinals, including the Saintess, had already left. Monica waited for a while, but seeing that Reese had no intention of leaving, she could only get up and walk out alone, disappointed.
Tang Qiu watched Monica's retreating back and winked at Reese. "You two are going to argue again," she said with amusement.
Reese ignored Tang Qiu's joke. She slanted a look at her and demanded, "Why did you let Monica handle this?"
"What? Don't you trust Monica's abilities?"
Reese paused, then changed her tune. "Of course not. Monica will certainly do an excellent job on such a small matter." She added, "But I think Phoenix is too idle. You should have given this to her instead."
Tang Qiu chuckled. "She won't be idle for long."
"Oh?"
"I'll be leaving for a while, and she'll have to handle church affairs for me." Tang Qiu picked up a quill and began writing on another piece of parchment.
Reese expressed her dissatisfaction with Tang Qiu's plan to skip work so soon after taking office. "Where are you going now?"
"I'm going to the Dark World." Tang Qiu signed the parchment and tossed it to Reese. "It's chaotic outside. Go have some fun yourself."
"Just don't come crying to me when you get kicked out for bothering Monica again."
Reese picked up the parchment that had landed in front of her and glanced at it. A smile touched her lips. "Thank you for providing a very interesting suggestion for my boring days."
She was so obviously waiting for her own appointment letter, that duplicitous woman, Tang Qiu thought with a low, shaking laugh.
Having gotten what she wanted, Reese didn't leave immediately. She leaned back in her chair and started chatting with Tang Qiu. "What on earth did you feed that little dog of yours? How did she suddenly become a second-generation?"
Influenced by Tang Qiu, Reese had finally discovered how convenient it was to keep a vampire. Of course, she would be happier the stronger that vampire was.
"...She is my knight, not a little dog." Tang Qiu looked up and gave Reese a warning glance. "Her promotion to the second generation was pure luck."
Although she said Lucille was a knight and not a little dog, Tang Qiu still raised a hand to touch her own neck through her clothes. Her expression was a bit strange. Lucille's bite mark was still there, truly resembling a territorial mark left by a wild beast. "If you want Lola to be promoted to the second generation, you'll need the Tzimisce Clan to be resurrected."
Prince Bernard's blood and the blood pool were both creations of the Tzimisce Clan.
That sounded like an impossible task. Reese shrugged and gave up immediately. "Then forget it."
It was fine as it was. If the little dog became too fierce, it might turn around and bite its master.
And that would be no fun at all.
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