Ch.105End of War (1)

“Have all of your lordships lost your tongues?!”

“…”

The atmosphere in the Holy See could not be described as good even as a courtesy. No, it was the worst.

Normally, wars cannot be decided in just one year. After all, one could easily hold out for over two years by simply staying holed up in a fortress.

But the civil war in the Holy Empire was different. The nobles of the Holy Empire were often closely tied by blood relations with nobles in neighboring regions, which frequently led to surrenders. Above all, the Crusade forces simply couldn’t exert any power within the Holy Empire.

Even the most devout noble would not participate in killing their in-laws and relatives. Besides, except for a few differences, weren’t these so-called heretics of the Reform faction almost identical to the main church? In truth, they weren’t heretics at all but simply reformers dissatisfied with the current Canaan Church. The nobles couldn’t understand why things had escalated to this point.

Of course, if religious conflict had intensified to the extreme, the story would be completely different. But war broke out too hastily before that could happen. While heresy was the pretext for civil war, the trigger was pulled by foreign ignorance and greed. Naturally, nobles placed more weight on blood ties than religious devotion.

There were certainly many nobles with strong faith, but nobles belonged to the secular world, not the clergy. When weighing the afterlife against the present world, nobles would inevitably lean toward the present. As the Crusade forces’ atrocities spread throughout the Empire, the number of nobles cooperating with them dwindled daily.

“Just one year, one year!”

The outcome of the war began to take shape after just one year—with the defeat of the Crusade forces.

Many nobles aligned with the Crusade forces were either sabotaging operations or deliberately underperforming, and common people couldn’t understand why they should sacrifice their lives to kill their countrymen.

No matter how loudly the clergy shouted “heresy,” the people only bowed their heads outwardly while remaining cynical inside. After all, no one felt the church’s tyranny more acutely than the common folk.

The Crusade forces, facing hostile ruling classes and public sentiment in enemy territory, were helplessly vulnerable. Local guides taking them on roundabout routes was commonplace. Requisitioning supplies was impossible due to claimed shortages, and supposedly allied nobles delayed troop movements with their dithering—all manner of calamities befell the Crusade forces.

Of course, there were still nobles friendly to the Crusade and church territories showing unlimited loyalty to the Holy See, but they were a minority. Since the common people under them hadn’t changed their attitudes, these allies couldn’t significantly influence the civil war.

The Crusade was failing like others before it. Though it could hold out for at least two more years, anyone could see that destruction was the only outcome.

“Moreover, isn’t the King of Lotharing too insolent?! That we cannot rebuke such insolence from the very center of pious faith—does this make any sense to you?!”

One could preserve their mental state by self-hypnosis, telling themselves that victory in war can never be guaranteed, so these setbacks were unavoidable.

But Claude’s actions made such rationalization impossible. These weren’t unavoidable circumstances at all.

Rejecting the Holy See’s proposal only to accept a criminal’s offer, forming a mercenary band against the Crusade, violating God’s command against multiple wives, breaking the precept against charging interest.

All these were overlooked because they needed to appease Lotharing.

The Holy See, which should pursue true faith, was kowtowing to a secular ruler over worldly concerns.

Of course, the Pope himself had accepted the first two in exchange for establishing an archdiocese, but such details were far from the enraged Pope’s mind now.

“I-impossible…!”

“Your Holiness!!”

After raging alone in silence for some time, the Pope lost control of his anger and collapsed.

Alarmed priests and attendants rushed to him, but the Pope merely wheezed heavily, not leaning on them but lying limp.

The elderly Pope’s body could no longer endure the numerous trials of the past year.

……….

“Your Eminence, a personal letter from the King of Lotharing.”

“…Thank you.”

A letter from Lotharing just days after His Holiness collapsed… what remarkable timing.

Fortunately, I’m handling His Holiness’s duties. Had he received this, he couldn’t have responded properly.

I just hope this letter doesn’t contain proposals that would completely shatter my future.

“Haah…”

The Cardinal, acting as the Pope’s proxy, sighs as he carefully opens the letter.

Having been appointed as the Pope’s representative due to his practical sensibilities, he understands all too well how precarious the current situation is.

‘I pray it contains a solution to our current predicament.’

The Canaan Church’s current state is like a house of cards.

Even a slightly excessive shock would cause religious authority to plummet to the ground.

‘Reaching an agreement with the deposed Emperor could prevent this catastrophe, but that’s politically impossible within the Holy See. As an alternative, we must work with Lotharing, which is closely connected to the Empire.’

For example, would Lotharing function as a bulwark against heresy, or as a sword to cut it down?

The Cardinal, serving as the Pope’s proxy, contemplates this as he reads through the letter.

“…?”

What is this?

It certainly contains a solution to the current situation. But this…

‘…Is he in his right mind?’

The Kingdom of Lotharing will help expand the Canaan Church within its borders, including pressuring heretics to convert and establishing minor theological schools. They also offer to mediate peace negotiations with the Empire… what?

There was much verbose content, but the essence could be summarized thus.

Well, the proposal isn’t bad. It’s essentially the King of Lotharing’s assurance that true faith won’t disappear from his country, and it’s almost the only way to reach an agreement with the Emperor without damaging religious prestige. Since Lotharing is the only country that didn’t participate in the Crusade, the Emperor wouldn’t accept mediation from any other nation.

‘But he only briefly mentions the sins he committed, without offering a sincere apology.’

Apart from that, everything else is irritating. What should be there is missing, and what shouldn’t be there is present.

According to the letter, the King of Lotharing referred to the orthodox faith as the “Canaan Church.”

This implies that the King of Lotharing considers those heretics equal to the true faith, and beneath this action lies a subtle threat that he might become a heretic if pushed.

Has the King of Lotharing gone mad? A man who knows His Holiness’s devout character so well writes like this?

If His Holiness hadn’t collapsed, seeing this letter would have caused a disaster… wait.

“…Excuse me.”

“Yes, Your Eminence?”

“To whom was this letter addressed?”

“Pardon? To you, Your Eminence.”

“I’m asking whether it was sent to me personally or to the office of the Pope.”

“Ah, it was addressed to Your Eminence personally.”

…I see.

No wonder it seemed too strange for a letter meant for His Holiness.

The King of Lotharing is secretly attempting to negotiate with me, known among my brothers for having a broader secular perspective than most.

If His Holiness were still healthy and in office, I would have had to sweat to convince him. How fortunate that I’m serving as the Pope’s proxy.

If I modify the letter’s content to be more conciliatory before explaining the King of Lotharing’s proposal to my brothers, it will likely be accepted. This pointless war must end quickly.

‘Still, something bothers me.’

Such a letter arriving so soon after I became the Pope’s proxy? Can coincidences align so perfectly?

Given the distance between the Holy See and Lotharing, it should be seen as mere coincidence, but it matches too well, making me somewhat uneasy.

Hmm… well, it’s an open secret that countries plant spies in the Holy See, and it hasn’t been harmful, so I’ll let it pass for now.

Whether coincidence or not, what I must do remains unchanged.

“Listen, convene the Council of State tomorrow. This matter is so important that we must proceed even if some Cardinals are absent.”

“Y-yes!!”

The attendant, puzzled by the Cardinal’s unusual behavior, tilted his head in confusion before snapping to attention at the resolute tone and hurriedly leaving the office.

Generally, a papal proxy should not take proactive measures but focus on maintaining the status quo. However, such considerations are irrelevant to him now.

‘I must finish everything before His Holiness awakens.’