Ch.9999. The Shepherd’s Corruption

“Amon!!!”

When the nun called Amon’s name, he appeared from around the corner with a crazed look in his eyes, dragging two unconscious Holy Knights.

The nun was bewildered.

Why? How?

It wasn’t difficult to guess that these Holy Knights had likely committed heretical acts.

In fact, these two knights were the ones who had called Sonia a demon and subsequently had their necks broken by Amon.

But to the Cardinal, who was seeing Amon for the first time, he just looked like a madman.

And not even a well-behaved madman at that.

“Child of man. Tell the shepherds. The Lord Mother speaks thus: The shepherd who fills only his own belly shall face wrath…”

To reach the position of Cardinal, one must memorize Bible verses to the point of reciting them in their sleep.

Therefore, he knew exactly which passage Amon was muttering.

In summary, it meant that priests should be exemplary compared to ordinary people, and thus bear greater responsibility for the same sins.

To put it more briefly, it was a declaration that he would kill him.

The Cardinal’s face turned pale.

Anyone could see that Amon was not in his right mind.

“O shepherds, hear the words of the Lord Mother. She declares: As I live, my sheep have become plunder and food for wild beasts because you shepherds were absent…”

“W-wait, Amon! Hold on!”

“Therefore She will save the flock…”

“And cast out the negligent shepherds from the pasture…!”

The nun tried to intervene between Amon and the Cardinal to stop him.

But Amon simply brushed past her and continued approaching the Cardinal.

Despite his panic, the Cardinal managed to maintain a minimum of dignity.

“Lord Amon. Your actions could be seen as hostility toward the Vatican…”

But reason only works with rational people.

“Thus says the Lord, wait until the day she punishes. The whole earth shall perish in the flames of her jealousy…!”

The Cardinal threatened war, but Amon welcomed it.

‘This is wrong…!’

The Cardinal was shocked.

‘I heard reports that he was insane, but…’

He never expected it to be this severe.

He thought it was just one of those common madman strategies.

So he responded with his own madman strategy.

But Amon was simply insane.

Not pretending to be crazy as a bluff, but genuinely, wholeheartedly insane.

Such beings appear in this world occasionally.

Madmen who, unfortunately, have the power to enforce their madness.

It’s better for one’s well-being to avoid such individuals from the start.

The Cardinal regretted his actions, but it was already too late.

By then, Amon had approached right in front of the Cardinal.

“There is no greater insult to the master than the corruption of the shepherd…”

“Lord Amon, please calm down…”

“I shall restore justice to this land.”

With that declaration, Amon threw the two knights at the Cardinal.

Watching the two men flying toward him like laundry, the Cardinal regretted.

‘Damn it.’

He should have investigated more thoroughly.

*

Amon had knocked out the Cardinal without warning.

The squinting nun grabbed the back of her neck and sighed, but,

“It doesn’t affect our plan anyway.”

“Good heavens…”

Amon dismissed it casually.

As he said, this incident didn’t cause any problems for their operation.

The original plan was as follows:

First, meet with the Pope in the Holy City and discuss several matters.

Then, once Sonia is canonized as a saint, use that authority to open a religious trial.

Finally, purge those involved in the incident, including this Cardinal.

The details were more complex, but that was the general outline.

And the Cardinal’s unconsciousness didn’t cause any major problems for this plan.

“It just adds one more controversy.”

He had used violence against the Cardinal and the Holy Knights.

That was the extent of the controversy.

And since it was Amon who did it, not Sonia, it wouldn’t affect the canonization ceremony.

That’s why he didn’t draw his sword.

Amon had momentarily lost his mind, but he still retained a minimum of rationality.

“Let’s go see His Holiness the Pope now. Bringing these three as gifts.”

The nun wiped her face and muttered.

“We could have gone more quietly.”

“You’re enjoying this too, Sister.”

“…”

“Remove that hand from your mouth.”

Soon, Amon’s group headed to the Vatican.

They tossed the unconscious Holy Knight Commander, Vice Commander, and Cardinal in the back seat.

This caused some trouble along the way, but nothing major.

Somehow word had spread, and some priests condemned Amon’s group, while some Holy Knights showed resistance.

But most issues were easily resolved through Amon and Sonia’s strength, and Kathy’s authority.

Finally, the group arrived at the Pope’s study.

Their request for an audience was quickly accepted.

“Welcome, everyone.”

Amon, the unofficial Holy Knight known only to the Pope and Cardinal.

Sonia, the semi-official saint.

There was no waiting time for an audience requested by these two.

The group first discussed Sonia’s canonization ceremony.

They coordinated schedules and discussed several preparations.

“We will provide everything you need until the canonization ceremony.”

Next, they also discussed matters with Amon.

“A procedure is required to enter the mausoleum. Would it be possible after the canonization ceremony?”

Amon nodded.

Though the procedure was annoying, it was better than causing complications by breaking it.

After finishing these “surface” discussions, Amon brought up another main point.

“Your Holiness, I have something to tell you.”

“Is this something others shouldn’t hear?”

Amon quietly nodded.

The Pope signaled to his assistant, who also served as the chamberlain.

The chamberlain left the study and locked the door.

Amon recalled what the nun had explained about the Pope and began speaking.

“Your Holiness. There is too much darkness in today’s Vatican.”

According to the nun, the current Pope was a relatively trustworthy figure.

Not completely pure and innocent, but at least he didn’t actively engage in corruption.

He merely turned a blind eye to the sins the Vatican had committed from the past to the present.

“I want to bring out some of the older darkness. The darkness created by the previous Pope.”

The Pope looked at Sonia’s face and firmly closed his mouth. Wrinkles formed on the Pope’s jaw as he pondered something.

The current Pope wasn’t involved in Sonia’s tragedy. That was the sin of the previous Pope.

But the Pope seemed to feel some responsibility and held back his words.

Amon took this as a positive sign.

It meant there was at least a possibility of cooperation.

Eventually, the Pope spoke.

“As a shepherd, I must take responsibility for the shameful past.”

The Pope extended his hand.

Amon and Sonia kissed his ring according to the formality they had learned in advance.

The contract was established.

*

A few minutes later, Amon’s group walked out of the study.

Only after moving away from the study did Kathy’s voice, heard after a long time, come through.

“That went more smoothly than expected. I guess it’s because the Pope is from the Moderates?”

At those words, Amon recalled what the nun had told him in the past.

– “Currently, the Holy City is divided into three main factions.”

One was the Moderates.

Another was the Radicals.

And the last was the Secularists.

Traditionally, the Secularists had the most power, and they were also the faction that Amon’s group was opposing.

The Secularists, true to their name, were a faction that interpreted doctrine loosely to actively participate in secular affairs.

Their justification was to approach people in a friendly manner.

Of course, the nun scoffed at this.

– “They just want to make a lot of money and wield authority.”

That’s why the nun called them the Decadents instead of the Secularists.

Recalling this fact, Amon answered Kathy.

“That’s part of it, but His Holiness also seems like a good person.”

The Pope was a priest from the Moderates, elected after decades.

Although the majority of high-ranking clergy like Cardinals and Archbishops were occupied by the Decadents, not all of them were like that.

The Moderates, the second largest faction, generally believed in strictly adhering to doctrine but spreading it as moderately as possible.

This was why Amon’s group sought the Pope’s cooperation.

They thought that as a Moderate, he would accept their proposal.

But in Amon’s view, regardless of political reasons, the Pope himself seemed like a good person.

It was just a feeling he couldn’t explain, but that’s how he felt.

Kathy seemed to feel the same way and nodded.

“I can’t see the future, but I think we can trust him. At least for this time.”

They shared their evaluations of the Pope as they left the palace.

Just as they were about to leave the Pope’s palace, a priest called out to them.

The priest was a handsome young man with a sharp nose.

However, he also had a face they knew well.

“Cardinal?”

Amon raised his guard.

The nun desperately grabbed Amon’s shoulder.

“It’s someone else. Calm down…!”

“What?”

“That’s his nephew, his nephew.”

“Then I should be more on guard…”

“No need. That friend is from the Radicals.”

Upon hearing the word “Radicals,” Amon’s body relaxed.

The Radicals were the third and final faction.

Like the Moderates, they strictly adhered to doctrine, but they preferred a somewhat more forceful approach to spreading it.

If necessary, they would use the old methods, meaning a bit of violence and power.

As this tendency suggests, a high proportion of the Radicals were spirited young men or somewhat confident Holy Knights.

Recalling this fact, Amon greeted the young man approaching him.

The young man immediately recognized Amon.

“Hello, Lord Amon.”

“I’m sorry, but have we met before?”

“Ah, I’m late with my introduction. I am Heinrich Laplace. Cardinal Trimond’s nephew.”

The man who introduced himself as Heinrich didn’t mention his position.

As if it wasn’t important.

‘For an Archbishop, he’s quite humble.’

Having been tipped off by the nun before the man spoke, Amon gave additional points to his impression of Heinrich.

However, separate from that, it was a bit concerning that he knew Amon at first sight.

Unlike Sonia, Amon was only famous in the underworld, and even there, not by face.

So, maintaining his guard against the Archbishop, he asked a probing question.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Amon Perfumerose. But how did you know about me?”

“Oh, that? I couldn’t help but know. Didn’t you punish Cardinal Trimond? Besides that…”

The Archbishop then listed all the things Amon had done until he came to the Pope’s study.

Priests defending the Cardinal and condemning Amon, only to be defeated in debate with Amon,

Holy Knights picking fights with Amon and ending up with an increased number of bones,

But the most impressive was when a sacred relic appeared at an underground auction, and Amon foamed at the mouth and grabbed a mace.

– “Crusade…! This is a crusade…!!”

Surprisingly, all these incidents had occurred within 24 hours.

The Archbishop expressed genuine admiration for Amon.

“You’re a role model for our Radicals, so I wanted to meet you.”

Seeing the Archbishop showing pure goodwill, Amon scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

“Thank you for the compliment. But I’m more of a Moderate…”

The nun’s lips moved behind him.

– Do you actually have a conscience?

Sonia, who read that sentence from her father’s lips, pinched the squinting nun’s side.

And Kathy, who had been watching this whole scene, let out a sigh.