Ch.425Clean Resolution

The group that entered the Cardinal’s office consisted of special crusaders who had remained in the Holy City and extremist believers who had been incited by them.

Facing them, Drexler seemed to understand the entire situation and surrendered without resistance, accepting the “recuperation” that Lacy had proposed.

While his true feelings remained unknown, at least on the surface, it appeared to be a “peaceful” transfer of authority.

Afterward, Lacy and her supporters seized control of the church with arrow-like speed.

They moved unhesitatingly yet methodically, as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.

It was announced that Drexler had entered convalescence due to serious health deterioration, and Lacy appointed herself as Acting Cardinal.

A temporary position, supposedly, to handle the Cardinal’s duties until the vacant seat was filled.

It was essentially an outright usurpation, but contrary to my expectations, there was hardly any opposition.

It was undeniable that Drexler’s health had deteriorated to the point of requiring long-term care, and everyone knew that he and Lacy had once been as close as grandfather and granddaughter.

To those unaware of the circumstances, it would have appeared that Lacy had stepped forward to take on his responsibilities out of concern for her grandfather’s health.

There were some who noticed what had actually transpired, but they chose compliance over resistance.

For those who sympathized with Lacy’s ideology or priests who were dissatisfied with the Church of Elpinel’s current state of being overshadowed by other churches, this incident was actually a welcome development.

Even those purely loyal to Drexler remained silent.

From their perspective, Drexler appeared to be on the verge of death, and they worried that reinstating him might only lead to them having to arrange his funeral.

Or perhaps… they simply thought that speaking up would make it difficult to preserve their own lives.

Lacy’s justification was reasonable, and the force she commanded could be described as overwhelming.

In any case, control of the Church of Elpinel had fallen into Lacy’s hands.

—-

“…You told me you were only going to get permission to negotiate with the Church of Menes, but this seems quite different, doesn’t it?”

I distinctly recall hearing that she planned to “persuade” Drexler to grant her “some” authority, not completely overthrow the Cardinal and seize all power.

“Wasn’t this the plan from the beginning? To negotiate with Cardinals of other churches, I need Cardinal-level authority.”

Lacy tilted her head and smiled as if wondering what I was talking about.

She spoke as if it were so obvious that I was the one left speechless despite wanting to press her further.

“But to take the position in this manner… won’t the other churches have something to say about it?”

“They would have opposed me if I had tried to become the official Cardinal. The Cardinal’s ecclesiastical position also serves as a member of the Grand Council, and traditionally only men have been appointed to it.”

So they could oppose Lacy becoming the actual Cardinal.

That’s why she created this ambiguous position of Acting Cardinal.

“However, since I’m only temporarily acting in this capacity… as long as I don’t claim voting rights in the Grand Council, they have no grounds to intervene. Personnel matters within a church are strictly that church’s sovereign right, so any interference would be clear meddling in internal affairs.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Even in the Church of Vimos, apart from the Cardinal, no other priests have ever shown themselves, so nobody even knows what organizational structure exists within that church.”

What are those people even doing?

They don’t even have a cathedral in the Holy City, and they apparently never leave their southern coastal headquarters.

The fact that they send even one Cardinal seems to be just a formality to maintain their position as one of the Eleven Divine Churches.

They seemed to be the epitome of non-cooperation.

—-

Of course, saying there was “hardly” any opposition doesn’t mean there was none at all.

Anyone who wasn’t concerned with Lacy’s ideology or Drexler’s health, and who had enough power to not fear stepping forward, would have reason to condemn Lacy’s actions.

The prime example was Richard, the leader of the Paladins.

“Lady Elmaine, what on earth have you done?!”

“Ah, Sir Richard. It’s been a while.”

Richard threw open the door to what had become Lacy’s office, his expression a mixture of anger and bewilderment.

His momentum was as unstoppable as a knight charging on horseback.

Though he did flinch when he noticed me leaning by the window smoking.

“You’ve come at just the right time. I have a proposal I wanted to make to you.”

Lacy greeted him with an utterly composed smile.

As if she had anticipated Richard would react this way.

And then nothing happened.

Richard, who had seemed ready to demand she stop this outrageous act and reinstate Drexler, left with a face of understanding after hearing Lacy’s persuasion.

Yes, even I had to admit it was a convincing argument.

The content was…

—-

“His Eminence is no longer in a condition to perform his duties. Though I’ve reluctantly taken on his burden… this is only a temporary measure. Since the Cardinal’s seat cannot remain vacant for long, someone must officially succeed to his ecclesiastical position… and I believe you, Sir Richard, are the most suitable candidate.”

“Me…?”

Richard asked back with a dumbfounded expression at Lacy’s bombshell statement.

Having come to protest the arbitrary confinement of the Cardinal, he couldn’t have imagined being offered the Cardinal position himself.

“Yes. Although traditionally, Paladins have not been granted ecclesiastical ranks above Archbishop because they handle external rather than internal church affairs… I consider that a bad custom. Aren’t those who honorably stand at the forefront protecting the church the most qualified to lead the believers?”

It was around this point that Richard’s momentum significantly diminished.

A soft, gentle voice coiling like a snake.

His hostility began to dissipate at her tone, which seemed to understand and sympathize with all his hardships.

“Think about it. If a Cardinal with a Paladin background were to emerge… the treatment of Paladins, who have been subtly excluded from the church’s major decisions and merely wielded like swords, could also improve. I would like Sir Richard to set that precedent. Is that too much to ask?”

It was too meaningful a proposal to refuse.

—-

After stabilizing the internal discord within the church, Lacy immediately visited the Cathedral of Menes.

This was for the behind-the-scenes negotiations we had discussed beforehand.

While she could take a forceful approach to oust Drexler as it was an internal matter of the Church of Elpinel, she couldn’t do the same when dealing with other churches.

The Cathedral of Menes had a completely different style from the Ellunel Cathedral, which made it interesting to observe.

While the exterior was painted pure white like Ellunel, the interior was entirely different.

Unlike the Ellunel Cathedral, which was filled with elaborate statues and golden decorations, this one had walls and ceilings painted in deep blue dyes to resemble the night sky. Particularly impressive was a mural depicting moonlight pouring from the sky, dissolving werebeasts.

I could also see sacred paintings depicting Menes, who appeared as a mass of ten faces side by side—five different pairs of faces.

Five smiling faces, and five faces contorted like malevolent spirits.

They ranged from child to elderly.

The number five symbolizes the phases of the moon, and the two expressions represent good dreams and nightmares.

The meaning itself was good, but… with all those faces clustered together, it looked more like a monster crawling out of a nightmare than a deity.

It seemed like it had been painted by an artist who suffered from insomnia due to nightmares, filled with hatred.

—-

Anyway, perhaps thanks to Archbishop Gwinel’s arrangements, we were able to meet Paulus, the Cardinal of the Church of Menes, without any hindrance.

“Pleased to meet you, Lord Median.”

Cardinal Paulus was a middle-aged man with a square face and a long mustache. His impression was one of stubbornness and inflexibility, making him seem more suited to be a soldier than a clergyman.

“I’ve heard much about the incident in Holon. I thank you for your great assistance in destroying the Council of Dream Utopia.”

“You flatter me. It was all thanks to Archbishop Gwinel’s comprehensive support.”

I grasped Paulus’s extended right hand and shook it lightly.

Despite being an elderly man around Drexler’s age, his grip was as firm as a young man in his prime.