Chapter 152: The Pope’s Restraint
The Popes audience chamber was the epitome of luxury, as seen before.
Jewels, expensive enough to be considered treasures, were used merely for door decorations.
Such an extravagant waste of resources seemed ruthless.
While a certain level of adornment is necessary for someone ruling a nation, this was excessive.
Why was there a need for such expense in the name of faith?
A sigh escaped naturally.
Huuuh
Ideally, Ray wanted to overthrow everything, including the Pope and the religion itself.
He had seriously considered it to some extent.
If the Pope persisted stubbornly without showing any signs of improvement, Ray was ready to overthrow and rebuild the Holy Kingdom.
He possessed the power, the justification, and the public support needed to do so.
But there was a catch.
Such reform would inevitably lead to much bloodshed.
Guilty or innocent, those who resisted would either die or be imprisoned.
However, the nobles, aware of his power, were unlikely to oppose him unless they were insane.
Two hours had elapsed since Ray had requested an audience, and finally, the Pope granted permission.
If the Pope had made him wait two hours for a trivial reason, Ray felt he could kill him right then and there.
Ray opened the door and stepped into the audience chamber.
There sat the Pope, draped in an opulent cloak, on his throne, looking down at him.
Youve come. Whats the matter?
As he spoke, the Pope slightly unleashed his divine power.
From his demeanor, he seemed to guess why Ray had requested the audience.
He had deliberately taken two hours to assert his superiority and displayed audacity by sitting and greeting a saint.
It was laughable.
Ray was almost driven to kill the Pope out of sheer disbelief.
Such pettiness was unbecoming of someone claiming to lead a nation.
Anger towards God and the Holy Kingdom began to well up within him.
How much had Ray devoted to the Holy Kingdom?
He had put forth all his effort into eliminating the third force and had even provided means to earn money.
Was that not enough? He had gone to great lengths to establish an academy to reform medicine first.
But what was this mockery?
It showed evident hostility toward him!
Ray could no longer control his expression.
He had not requested an audience for this nonsense.
He sought a satisfactory solution to the current national crisis and to hold the Pope accountable for causing such a dire situation.
Yet, look at the Pope now.
Sitting there, looking down with such arrogance.
Rays face darkened to match.
Youve really stirred up quite a mess, havent you?
A mess? The Pope has merely punished heretics.
His tone was so arrogantly different from before.
Punishing heretics? Nonsense!
Even for a saint, youre incredibly insolent!
Insolent, my foot! Ive been patient so far, but now youre really crossing the line! This is the real deal!
As Ray began to unleash his mana, the Pope shouted hastily.
Hey, look out!
Chk- Chk-
The Popes personal knights, as if prepared, revealed themselves.
Their number was substantial.
It was more than what two knightly orders under a noble house would have combined.
Ray, unfazed, said,
Is that what you believed in?
Did he really think he could pull off such audacity with just one knight order? Even Proxia, who had the power to destroy the continent, activated a magic circle across the entire area of the academy to face him.
It was unbelievable that the Pope, who should have known his power better than Proxia, would act this way, relying on just a couple of knight orders.
The Popes direct guards formed a line.
Saint, please step back.
They were no fools.
They knew very well from rumors what feats the Saint had accomplished in wars.
Knowing they were facing the Hero of Reversal, who had turned around several unwinnable wars, they did not feel like fighting.
Yet, they could not just retreat easily.
Ray looked at them and said,
Step aside.
We cannot do that.
Their resolute expressions showed they were ready to face death.
They arranged their formation and raised their shields, forming a dense human barrier to protect the Pope.
It was a typical defensive posture.
Ray spread mana around himself.
The knights wavered under the pressure of the densely concentrated mana, almost as if it were an aura that only high-level beings could wield.
This tremendous flow of mana drew other knights from nearby.
This place was the heart of Selonias castle, where the Popes office was located.
Such a commotion naturally triggered the castles defensive system.
Numerous knights and soldiers burst through the doors of the audience chamber.
Upon entering, they could not withstand the pressure of the mana.
But even more shocking to them was the realization that the instigator of the chaos was the Saint.
Saint, please stop!
Ugh! What in the world is happening!
In the brief moment of their bewilderment, the knights guarding the Pope were helplessly pushed back.
Hold your ground! Do not let the Pope fall into their hands!
So, this was the Pope, for whom someone would sacrifice their life.
Yet, ironically, the Pope himself was taking the lives of his people.
From behind them, the Pope pointed and shouted,
The Saint has gone mad! Kneel before me at once!
At his command, the knights struggling to maintain their position frowned.
It was the Pope who was mad.
Had he forgotten the Meteor displayed at the baptism? Or did he think, being a magician, Ray couldnt cast spells from this distance?
Either way, it was foolish.
Ray, infuriated by the Popes words, exclaimed,
This bastard! Hold!
Everyones movement, including that of the Pope and his knights, froze in place.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Only their eyes, unable to voice a sound under the manas binding, moved restlessly.
Ray approached the Pope, who had frozen while pointing at him, and tapped his cheek.
This is the will of the god you so devoutly follow. Choose whether to step down from your position or die here, right now.
While he spoke, Ray released the Pope from his hold.
Now free to move, the Pope hastily retreated.
Do you realize what youre doing right now? This is clearly rebellion!
Ah, rebellion, what a nice ring it has to it. Its a rebellion, so choose one of the two options. Im not very patient, so if you dont decide quickly, I might just make the choice for you.
At that point, Ray didnt care about the consequences.
Whether he sparked a rebellion against the Holy Kingdom or killed the Pope and became a fugitive across the continent was immaterial to him.
He was fed up with everything, teetering on the edge of resignation.
Despite all his efforts for the Holy Kingdom, it seemed the Pope was ruining everything.
The idea of living carefree in the Elf village with Aira seemed much more enjoyable and peaceful.
Just then, the doors of the audience chamber burst open again, and a group of people rushed in.
Eclair, the Minister of State, perfectly dressed in her uniform, led them.
With her knights and healers following, she surveyed the scene.
Fallen soldiers, motionless knights, the Pope against the wall, and the Saint standing before him all told a story.
She could infer what had transpired.
Eclair greeted Ray, whom she hadnt seen in a while.
Greetings, Saint.
Ray slightly lifted his hand in acknowledgment and asked her,
Did you come to stop me?
If that was the case, he would regretfully have to restrain her as well.
However, contrary to his concerns, Eclair slowly shook her head.
Not at all. You may continue.
This response left Ray rather perplexed.
Youre not going to stop me?
Eclair smiled slyly, holding up a document.
Im here to arrest the Pope and bring him to trial for heresy.
Heresy trial?
Ray frowned as he examined the parchment she held up.
It bore the seals of Eclair as the Minister of State, the Inquisition, and Iriel, the Saintess.
It seemed Iriel had lent her support once again.
He could vividly picture her winking playfully at Gehel Castle.
Contrary to Rays original plan, the Pope, unable to adapt to the situation, yelled out,
How dare you arrest me? What are you doing! Seize these traitors at once!
Hearing his outcry, Eclair shook her head again.
Its useless, Pope. It has been revealed that you had a hand in constructing the magic circle at the Academy.
Saying so, she presented another document bearing the Popes seal.
It was unmistakably a contract for the construction of buildings in the Academy area.
The contract specified that all buildings were to be commissioned to Proxia, and in return, the Holy Kingdom received 1,800 platinum coins.
If the constructed buildings did not violate any laws or standards, the Holy Kingdom had no grounds for objections.
The document implied that, in exchange for money, they permitted construction without restrictions.
Thats how such an extensive magic circle was completed right in the Holy Kingdoms front yard.
Did you also tamper with the magic circle? Curse this Holy Kingdom, curse this Pope.
The nation was in disarray.
And where did those 1,800 platinum coins go?
With such a sum, they could have bolstered diplomatic relations or constructed another trading port.
But it was evident without any investigation that the money had lined the Popes pockets.
True to being a follower of the Goddess of Abundance, he had exploited his authority for personal gain.
Eclair gave orders to her knights and healers.
Arrest the Pope immediately and lock him in the dungeon! His crime of killing innocent people is heinous! Dont even give him a drop of water!
Understood!
The knights who were supposed to guard the Pope had already been immobilized by Rays mana, simplifying their task.
Trying to retain his dignity, the Pope was bent over as the knights carried him out.
He screamed,
Is this a trial from the gods? How could you test me like this, Gaia!
Watching him being taken away, Ray spat on the ground.
Talking about trials, huh?
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