Ch.63Preparation (3)

[“Accept us all into the embrace of the Empire, so that everyone may praise the grace of His Imperial Majesty. Then naturally, all will submit to Your Majesty’s authority.”]

‘…Haha, was all that effort in vain?’

The Emperor, having accepted the advice written in the letter from the Elector of Meissen, silently drinks alone, lost in thought.

‘Just one thing, just one thing would have been enough.’

All his efforts had been meaningless—the constant pressure to convert heretics, the attempts to forcibly bind unruly vassals within the confines of the Empire. He simply needed to make his subjects and people depend on him.

The heretics who had been struggling to break free from central control now obey him and fight desperately to protect their faith, while the vassals who once mocked imperial authority have become quite cooperative, seemingly pleased that he protects them regardless of their heretical status.

Of course, not all of them are impressed with him. Some heretics still reject his rule, calling it a “false faith,” and many vassals are deeply displeased that he appears to be protecting heretics.

The most serious opposition, naturally, came from the Church.

“Your Majesty, the Prince-Bishops request an audience.”

So it has come to this.

Perhaps his vessel was too small to contain both the secular and the spiritual.

“Prince-Bishops? Surely there must be a representative for such a large group?”

“Well… the three Archbishop-Electors lead them, along with about ten other Prince-Bishops waiting for an audience. Here is the letter they sent.”

“…Hmph.”

Tearing open the letter, the Emperor finds the contents even more outrageous.

The emblems of all bishoprics within the Empire are drawn on this single letter, with the Papal Curia’s emblem prominently displayed above them.

In short, they claim to represent the rights of all Prince-Bishops belonging to the Holy Empire, as well as the will of the Papal Curia. Though they number only thirteen, they should not be treated as merely thirteen individuals.

“Cease hostility toward the Crusader forces immediately and join in the extermination of heretics. Otherwise, by papal decree, the Emperor will be excommunicated, and afterward, the three Electors will elect a new Emperor… Hehehehe…”

Having finished reading the letter, the Emperor summarizes its contents with a hollow laugh.

Though not explicitly stated, sabotage by church territories making proper governance impossible would surely follow.

About 30% of imperial territory belongs to church lands. If they unite in sabotage, the Empire would descend into utter chaos.

Moreover, church territories exist beyond the Empire as well. Including the largest church territory, the Papal States, there are plenty of church lands outside the Empire, and imagining all of them becoming hostile to the Empire—no, to him personally—is truly terrifying.

“They seem to have written everything they wish to say here, so why have they come to me? This letter would have sufficed.”

The Emperor holds the letter in one hand, waving it casually as he speaks to his attendant.

The attendant is momentarily flustered seeing such an important document treated so carelessly but quickly regains composure.

“They say they will not leave until they receive an immediate answer to that letter.”

…Sigh.

An immediate answer, they say, like masters waiting for a slave to complete their work.

“Very well, I shall see them soon. Tell them to prepare.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

It is extremely discourteous to visit the Emperor without any prior appointment, but no one here seems to care about such matters.

The situation has already progressed too far for mere discourtesy to matter.

………

“Currently, all church territories belonging to the Holy Empire have directly rebelled against the Emperor, and some nobles are cooperating with the Emperor to occupy those territories.”

“They intend to claim them as rewards when this is over, I suppose.”

“Yes, and not only the church territories within the Empire but also those outside have joined the anti-imperial forces. Even our church territories in Burgundy. According to intelligence, the Emperor has rejected the Church’s ultimatum.”

What a complete mess.

The Emperor rejected the Church’s ultimatum, stating, “I am merely fulfilling my duty as a lord to protect my vassals, and the responsibility for this entire situation lies with the Church, which not only allowed the people to fall into false beliefs but cruelly killed them.” This ultimately led to the Emperor’s excommunication.

According to information gathered by the expanded intelligence network, the ecclesiastical Electors are trying to elect a new Emperor but are deliberating on whom to choose—not because there are too few candidates, but because there are too many.

‘Tsk, whoever becomes Emperor now will have to clean up all sorts of mess.’

The Electors are divided into three ecclesiastical and four secular Electors, totaling seven. The secular Electors not only have the right to vote but are also eligible to become Emperor themselves. If one of the secular Electors were to gain the exclusive support of the religious faction, they would definitively secure the imperial crown.

Excluding the Elector of Meissen, who has already become a heretic by enacting the Independent Church Law, the remaining secular Electors are all causing a commotion trying to demonstrate their piety to be chosen by the Church.

If one were to become Emperor of the Holy Empire at this time, the only foreseeable ending would be death from overwork due to the sheer volume of tasks… but apparently, the position of Emperor is attractive enough for people of this era to accept that risk.

“Um… it’s too complicated, so let me ask: how many armed factions are there in the Empire right now?”

“There are heretic forces, crusader forces, imperial forces, anti-imperial noble forces, and church forces. Among them, the crusader and church forces are further divided by their origins.”

“…”

What a complete shambles. Those people probably can’t even distinguish who’s an enemy and who’s an ally.

Hmm… should I tell Jeanne to stop now…?

No, what’s done is done and can’t be undone…

Of course, regardless of how the situation unfolds, I’ll definitely gain something, but I still don’t want to stick my head into that mess.

“For now, let’s wait and observe until the situation calms down—”

Knock knock—

At that moment, a knocking sound at the door interrupts my muttering.

“Enter.”

“To see the Duke of Burgundy, Your Highness.”

After raising my voice loud enough to reach beyond the door to grant permission, Bishop Armand appears as the door opens.

If Armand has come all the way here in person, it usually means nothing but trouble… I’m a bit anxious.

“Yes, Armand. What is it?”

“Your Highness. His Holiness the Pope has sent a personal letter.”

“…Can we pretend I never received it?”

Half-joking, half-serious, I speak, but Armand doesn’t respond. He simply walks over to me silently and hands me the Pope’s personal letter.

“It was a joke, but when you don’t answer, it makes me feel awkward.”

“You were being serious, though.”

Armand, you’ve become much more perceptive.

The problem is that you don’t use that perception to read my mood.

‘Sigh, let’s see what the Pope has written… Wait, why is the letter sealed with gold?’

Normally, letters are sealed with wax… but this letter is sealed with gold, and the Pope’s ring seal is impressed upon it.

Breaking open the gold-sealed letter, a parchment with gold-threaded borders pops out.

…Why so ominous?

It’s not the Necronomicon, so why am I so afraid to read the contents?

“…”

As I unfold the parchment, I sense Inès beside me tilting her head sideways and Chloé behind me leaning forward.

In the past, Leclerc or Armand would have been extremely displeased at this scene, but now they seem to have given up entirely, both wearing Buddha-like expressions with their eyes gently closed.

………

“Everyone, we must reject false faith. We must all follow the words of the scripture, not the mouths of priests.”

“That’s right!!”

In a city square spanning both Burgundy and the Holy Empire, Jeanne, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, is giving a speech.

Normally, due to the limitations of the era, cities don’t develop well in border regions, but this city is an exception. It was previously part of the Holy Empire, and more importantly, the city is divided by the Rhine River, which reduces administrative difficulties.

“The Church came after God’s word, not the other way around. And God’s word was transcribed into scripture.”

“Indeed it is!!”

Until recently, heretical influence wasn’t strong in this city, but now all citizens are reacting enthusiastically to Jeanne’s words as if the city had been infiltrated by heretics from the beginning.

Although her speech is understandable, her strong Burgundian accent makes it obvious to anyone that she’s an outsider, not a local resident. Yet no one seems to notice anything strange.

Jeanne’s words, Jeanne’s will, don’t just vibrate the eardrums—they resonate with hearts and souls.

“The scripture tells us not to worship idols, not to be greedy, to give to the weak, to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s, and other righteous words of God. But what have those false clergy done?”

“They haven’t followed the scripture!”

“Yes, that’s right. No matter how false they may be, as clergy, they have a duty to follow the scripture. So what must we do?”

“We must force them to fulfill what is written in the scripture!!”

“Good, now go, all of you.”

“Waaaaaah!!”

With Jeanne’s final words, the citizens gathered in the square begin charging toward the church.

In the citizens’ eyes, there is only faith.