The Pope’s Concession

#98

“Your Holiness, the majority of the nobles here have already submitted petitions to His Imperial Majesty, requesting punishment of the criminal Casto for the crime of insulting the nobility. Soon, nobles from across the Central Continent will follow suit. His Majesty cannot turn a blind eye to such a united demand.”

“But it would be unseemly for His Majesty to directly request you hand over the criminal. Would it not be better to excommunicate him from the Temple and let him leave the Grand Temple of his own accord?”

A noble spoke in a courteous yet firm tone. In short, he was saying they should willingly hand Casto over before the Emperor forcibly took him.

“…This is most difficult. Could you not give us some time to discuss it within the Temple?” the Pope said in a calm voice.

Jeha sneered inwardly. If they were given time, the Temple would surely dispose of Casto. Then they would make excuses—that he committed suicide out of guilt, or died suddenly. Even a naive observer like Jeha could see it as clear as day. There was no way the other nobles didn’t realize it too.

“That is impossible. My thoughts and those of the nobles here are one. Excommunicate the criminal Casto this instant and hand him over to us,” Marchioness Scarlet said steadfastly.

The Pope placed a hand on his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

A heavy silence fell over the vast, ornate reception hall. The tension between the Temple, refusing to yield, and the nobles, demanding surrender, continued.

How much time passed like that? The reception hall door opened, and a holy knight approached the Pope with somewhat hurried steps. After hearing the whispered words, the Pope’s expression hardened. He sent a questioning glance to the knight, as if to confirm what he had heard. The knight nodded as if to say his words were true.

Seeing this, the nobles exchanged glances. Something had clearly happened at the Temple. The question was what. If, by ill luck, a fire broke out in the Temple at this moment, the almost complete deal could collapse.

When the nobles began to murmur,

“Your Holiness! Please abolish the Inquisition system!”

“Pope Your Holiness! Please abolish the Inquisition system!”

“The Inquisitors burn innocent people and line their pockets with their property!”

“Please abolish the Inquisition system!”

From beyond the ornate reception door, resounding voices began to ring out in succession. The voices continued endlessly. It was not the shouting of just one or two. The faces of the Pope and high priests hardened noticeably.

The nobles were quick-witted. A noble standing at the end of the procession swiftly ran and threw the reception hall door wide open. So fast that the flustered holy knight could not stop him.

As the door opened, everyone turned to look. The large corridor leading to the reception hall was filled with priests of various ranks.

“Your Holiness! The Inquisitors dispatched to each territory use their authority to frame innocent people, burn them alive, and even steal their property! We cannot stand idly by while such evil is done in the name of God!”

“Yes, Your Holiness! Abolish the Inquisition system immediately!”

“Please abolish it!”

The priests all knelt at once and began to plead loudly. Some shed hot tears, while others wailed loudly.

“What is this commotion in the presence of His Holiness the Pope!”

Bishop Peressio, the Pope’s son, shouted with a fierce face. Then, the one who had been prostrate at the front of the priests stood up, holding a thick bundle of papers, and began walking deliberately. What he held was merely a bundle of papers, but his expression was as if he carried something sacred. Without needing to exchange glances, the nobles made way for him.

The priest passed through the nobles and arrived before the altar where the Pope sat. Then he knelt, raised the bundle above his head, and shouted.

“Accusations are pouring in from across the continent that Inquisitors are brutally killing innocent people and stealing their property. These are reports and petitions from local priests who could no longer bear to watch, begging for the people to be saved. Please, consider them deeply!”

Jeha quickly recognized the priest as the man who had once had a secret meeting with Hereis.

With the situation reaching this point, the nobles immediately gained strength.

“Your Holiness, will you let the Inquisitors, who even frame nobles, harm the powerless common people? This matter cannot be overlooked.”

“That’s right. Make an example of the criminal Casto—excommunicate him and hand him over immediately!”

“Abolish the Inquisition system!”

“Abolish the Inquisition system!”

The ever-quiet reception hall turned into a bustling marketplace with the shouts of nobles and priests. Everyone clamored for the abolition of the Inquisition and the surrender of the criminal. Priests and nobles united as one, pressing the Pope. Jeha glanced at the Pope’s face, which clearly showed he wanted to leave immediately, then met Hereis’s eyes.

Hereis was not yet ready to remove his mask. He stood among the high priests with a stern face. But when his eyes met Jeha’s, a faint smile passed through his gaze.

The Pope stood still, watching the chaotic reception hall with a hardened face. The high priests also seemed frozen, unsure how to handle the situation. Then, Hereis, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward.

“Silence! Please be quiet!”

His voice, imbued with a faint holy power, echoed through the wide reception hall and beyond into the corridor. At that, the clamoring people shut their mouths as if by agreement. Silence instantly enveloped the room. Everyone stared at Hereis.

Hereis walked to the front of the Pope with a firm expression. Then he bowed his head and requested.

“Your Holiness, since the matter has come to this, I believe you must make a decision, one way or another.”

At Hereis’s words, the Pope pressed his hand to his forehead. For him, it was a dilemma. But countless priests and nobles were watching his mouth. He had to give something.

“…I will excommunicate Priest Casto and expel him from the Grand Temple.”

At the Pope’s words, which came after a long pause, a look of victory rose on the nobles’ faces.

“As for the Inquisition system… it was originally decided in a meeting of archbishops and bishops, so I will convene another meeting to decide on its abolition.”

The priests’ faces also brightened. It was not an immediate declaration of abolition, but the promise to put it to a vote was enough to satisfy them. Of course, this did not mean the priests intended to back down. They planned to camp outside the meeting room and await the outcome.

“Then I and the nobles will wait at the entrance of the Grand Temple for the criminal to come out.”

Marchioness Scarlet said in a confident tone. She paid her respects to the Pope, then turned stiffly and began walking toward the reception hall door. As she passed, the nobles followed behind her. Jeha also cast a brief glance at Hereis before turning to follow the Marchioness. Now, handling the remaining meeting was up to Hereis’s discretion.

The nobles who came out to the Grand Temple entrance camped out and waited, just as the Marchioness had said. They intended to watch closely until the criminal was secured and sent to the imperial capital.

About an hour later, a group of people appeared at the massive entrance of the Grand Temple. It was Casto and the three false witnesses, surrounded by holy knights. Casto was not wearing the black priestly robes that symbolized an Inquisitor, but shabby everyday clothes commoners wore. His face was full of despair, and his expression was slightly dazed, as if he couldn’t believe this situation.

Instead of getting excited, the nobles exchanged glances and quietly savored their victory. It was the first time on this continent, where the clergy dominated royal and imperial authority, that the nobles had won against the Temple.

A carriage to transport the criminals was already prepared. It was a cart with a wooden cage. Casto and the false witnesses were loaded onto it, surrounded by dozens of knights from various houses, and immediately departed for the imperial capital.

The Marchioness Scarlet’s carriage followed behind, and the nobles gathered in small groups, chatting and heading to their mansions.

The road that the cart of criminals passed.

Onlookers gathered by the roadside, throwing garbage, food, and stones at them. Unbeknownst to them, their actions also carried resentment toward the Temple. Jeha stared at the receding cart of criminals and the Marchioness’s carriage, then turned his horse toward the Belgarga mansion. Now it was time to wait for the outcome of Hereis’s latest battle.