Ch.103103. The Cry of the Lambs

The Pope has died.

Before the funeral began, the cardinals gathered in the Pope’s bedroom.

“I will now destroy the ring.”

The Chamberlain, who was the Pope’s secretary and representative, removed the ring from the Pope’s hand.

He placed the ring on a pedestal before the cardinals’ eyes.

“From this moment, the Fisherman’s Ring is invalidated.”

With those words, the Chamberlain hammered the ring.

Tap, tap.

A cross-shaped groove was engraved on the ring.

The ring also served as an official seal.

In other words, this meant that all Vatican operations would cease from this moment.

“Summon the cardinals from around the world.”

Following the Chamberlain’s order, cardinals who had been active worldwide temporarily suspended their duties and gathered at the Vatican.

Cardinals who were gathering intelligence from outside,

Cardinals who were in charge of internal security,

Cardinals who were conducting religious trials.

Not a single one was exempt.

Naturally, Cardinal Trimond’s ongoing trial was also postponed.

Heinrich protested against this.

“The trial is still in progress!”

“Lord Heinrich. The conclave takes precedence over any ceremony. That is the rule.”

“Kugh…”

Heinrich could not argue back.

It was evident that the Chamberlain was also barely suppressing his anger.

“I don’t want to act according to the Secularists’ wishes either. But especially at times like this, we must adhere to the rules.”

Those who judge sinners must not commit the same sins.

Those who confront evil must be strict with themselves to the point of dullness.

The elderly man spoke while holding onto a thread of reason.

“We will commence the conclave.”

Knowing he was someone who sincerely served the Pope, Heinrich could only nod in agreement.

*

Before the official conclave began, Cardinal Heinrich had a meeting with Amon and his group.

“Unfortunately, the trial must be temporarily suspended.”

Conclave.

An indefinite vote to elect a new Pope.

Once this vote begins, 15 days after the Pope’s death, the cardinals with voting rights cannot leave the cathedral until a new Pope is elected.

In other words…

“This is when the Vatican is at its most vulnerable.”

Heinrich told Amon.

Although there is the Chamberlain who acts as the Pope’s representative, he is merely a temporary position with virtually no real authority.

Therefore, during this period, the Vatican was essentially a headless giant.

“And including myself, all cardinals will be temporarily cut off from the outside world.”

Moreover, the cardinals are confined to the meeting room with all electronic devices and communications blocked.

Coincidentally, Heinrich had recently become a cardinal, which meant he too had to temporarily leave the secular world.

For this reason, he sought out the person he trusted most.

“Brother. The Corrupt… the Secularists have gone too far.”

“Are you saying they’re behind this incident?”

“To be frank, that’s what we believe.”

The new representative of the Moderates who came with Heinrich nodded and added:

“As you know, Brother Amon, we were planning to launch a counteroffensive starting with this trial. But His Holiness was murdered right at that time.”

“Was it truly murder? What about the autopsy results?”

“According to doctrine, the Pope’s body cannot be autopsied.”

Tsk.

Amon inwardly clicked his tongue at the Moderate cardinal’s words.

“But we can infer from the circumstances. This incident has delayed the trial. It’s obviously a conspiracy by the Secularists.”

“What evidence do you have?”

“These people have never left evidence thanks to their power of foresight.”

Finally, Amon drew a tentative conclusion and listened to the two men.

“We are facing our greatest crisis now. A significant number of cardinals are Secularists. At this rate, they will elect the next Pope.”

“We’ve come to you, Brother, to make one request while we try our best to restrain them.”

The papal election process is very complicated.

Though it varies slightly depending on the era, currently a unanimous vote is required.

Voting occurs once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and if unanimity cannot be reached, they compromise with a two-thirds majority.

“The compromise usually begins from the fourth day.”

“Until then, please secure evidence from the cardinals on this list.”

Amon carefully received the list Heinrich handed him.

Glancing at its contents, Amon questioned the representative cardinals of the two factions:

“What level of evidence do I need to find?”

“There is only one case where a Pope’s election can be invalidated.”

To his question, Heinrich replied with a grim expression:

“Devil worship.”

*

“So that’s how it is.”

After meeting with the two cardinals, Amon explained the situation to his companions.

“When the conclave begins, the Decadent faction’s cardinals will also be at their most vulnerable.”

Of course, the Decadents aren’t fools and would lock down their mansions.

Security would be much tighter than usual, making infiltration through disguise practically impossible.

But Amon wasn’t concerned.

“Kathy, I need your help.”

Kathy nodded and headed toward the target’s mansion.

She requested an audience with the cardinal and was predictably refused.

She hadn’t expected to gain entry anyway.

Her goal was to make eye contact with the guards.

“I’ve confirmed it. There’s no seer in this mansion. Here’s the layout.”

As she handed over the information, Amon scaled the wall.

A few minutes later, Amon returned over the wall to his companions.

“Nothing here either.”

Murder, kidnapping, extortion, embezzlement, illegitimate children.

He secured evidence of numerous evil deeds, but not the demonic traces he had hoped for.

And even after investigating the last cardinal on the list, they found no evidence of devil worship.

“Maybe we were being too extreme?”

Sonia barely swallowed her frustration.

But Amon wasn’t easily convinced.

“No. Those two aren’t fools. There must be a reason they specifically mentioned devil worship.”

Amon checked the list repeatedly.

At that moment, the Chamberlain found them.

“Here you are.”

“Chamberlain?”

Amon greeted him with surprise.

It wasn’t strange that he, a cardinal, wasn’t participating in the conclave.

After all, someone had to run the Vatican, and as the Pope’s representative, the Chamberlain traditionally didn’t participate.

However, the Chamberlain’s unannounced visit itself indicated an emergency.

“There’s no time. We’ve been deceived.”

“What do you mean?”

The Chamberlain fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a paper.

“One of the Decadent cardinals has been disguising himself as a Moderate.”

They had kept it hidden until the conclave began, only revealing their true colors after the meeting started.

“This person was omitted from the list. It’s definitely him.”

Amon took the paper and tucked it into his pocket.

However, there was something he needed to verify.

“Isn’t communication cut off?”

The Chamberlain silently tapped on the wall.

Tap-tap-tap.

It was Morse code.

“We arranged this in advance just in case.”

Amon nodded in understanding and immediately gathered his companions.

“White smoke will rise soon.”

During the conclave, smoke rises from the cathedral chimney at regular intervals.

Black smoke means no election has been made, while white smoke signifies a successful election.

“I’ll be back quickly.”

Amon concealed his sound, appearance, magical power, and divine power perfectly as he skillfully scaled the wall.

After repeated infiltrations, he had reached a level where neither servants nor guards could detect his presence even when he was right behind them.

Thus, Amon arrived at the traitor’s office.

There, he discovered traces of devil worship.

Amon momentarily rejoiced, but his expression quickly darkened.

“This bastard…!”

The traitor had summoned a devil to the Vatican.

With all cardinals confined in one place and the papal seat vacant, this was the perfect time for devils to invade.

“Sonia, Kathy, Father Gregory. I’ll go ahead. Follow me.”

Amon once again dashed across the cathedral roof.

*

On the outskirts of the Vatican.

In a café straddling Rome and the Vatican.

There, an elderly man with a bushy beard sipped his coffee.

He wore a wine-colored suit with a rose pinned to his chest, and sunglasses unsuitable for nighttime.

Glancing toward the center of the Vatican,

“Hmm. It stings even from this far away. Must be the holy relics.”

He emptied his coffee cup once more.

Beside the old man, a mechanical pet alligator let out a yawn.

The combination of a well-dressed elderly man and a mechanical alligator was quite peculiar and apt to draw attention.

Yet strangely, no one paid any attention to the old man.

And the old man himself showed no interest in passersby, continuously checking his wristwatch.

As if waiting for someone.

‘But… this is strange.’

The old man looked toward the Vatican again.

‘The conclave should have started… why was I called? And by whom?’

The old man couldn’t understand from the beginning.

What was the intention behind summoning him, a devil, to a cathedral?

Even with the Pope dead and the cardinals confined, the holy relics in the catacombs remained intact.

Security might be weakened, but getting even slightly closer would reduce him to an infant-like state.

Even that was only possible because of who he was; a mediocre devil would be annihilated just by looking at the cathedral from nearby.

The old man focused on the Vatican with curious eyes.

And when he could see the cathedral where the conclave was being held beyond the numerous buildings, he curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘Oh. Interesting.’

The old man seemed to have discovered something as he gazed at the cathedral.

After staring in that direction for a while, the old man nodded with satisfaction.

‘Humans are indeed fascinating.’

The old man turned his gaze away from the cathedral.

He began to savor his coffee, recalling how the devil’s beverage had transformed into a drink blessed by the Pope throughout history.

At that moment, a person’s shadow fell across his coffee.

The old man looked up, wondering when they had arrived.

But what greeted the old man was Amon with a murderous expression.

The old man knew Amon, but asked out of courtesy:

“Who might you be?”

“Fish and saw.”

“Haha. A descendant of Simon.”

Clang!

Amon thrust his sword into the pavement right next to the old man.

And addressing the old man, he said:

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I came here to appreciate.”

“A work created by Goetia?”

“One wouldn’t use the term ‘appreciate’ for one’s own work, would they?”

“Do you think I’ll believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me, but killing me won’t change the situation. I’m just a projection anyway, so it’s meaningless.”

“Then it wouldn’t matter if I cut you down right here.”

Amon brought his blade to the old man’s neck.

But the old man’s attitude remained utterly composed.

“Don’t be like that. I too want to see how another devil’s work unfolds. If you spare my projection, I’ll give you a small hint to solve this case.”

“Aren’t you comrades?”

“Not all devils belong to Goetia. Surely there can’t be only 72 devils, right?”

“Tsk.”

“Come now. Amon, was it? I’m quite kind and friendly to humans for a devil. In Vatican terms… you might call me a Moderate.”

“I don’t make deals with devils.”

“I thought you’d say that. I was just testing the waters.”

The old man pointed to an alley with his gold-ringed index finger.

“You’re just stalling until your companions arrive, aren’t you?”

“If you knew, why did you play along?”

“Because I enjoy reckless humans.”

The old man rose from his seat.

“I find it amusing when humans face beings stronger than themselves and steel their resolve despite their fear.”

The old man adjusted his attire with dignity.

Amon also faced the old man, forming a cross with his sword for the first time in a while.

“Your name?”

“I wouldn’t tell you that. You’d learn my abilities then.”

“Fine. But let me correct one thing you said.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know what you saw in me, but this isn’t fear.”

“Then why is your sword tip trembling?”

Instead of answering, Amon swung his sword fiercely.

“AMEN!!”

And the old man countered with a bitter smile.

“That’s not what it originally meant…”