episode_0110

Turn back time, half a day ago.

The incident started early in the morning.

“A strong and strong morning! Are you ready? Then let’s go.”

“Yes. There are a lot of people, so hold hands so you don’t get lost along the way.”

“Yes, hihi.”

After having a quick meal, I prepared to go out with Lisia.

We were the first to leave the inn today, but the city beyond the gate was already busy. As the emperor had said, a council would soon be held here in Brixen.

“It’s been a while since we had a council meeting. I’m saying this because it reminds me of the past, but it won’t be like the last time, right?”

“Not just anyone else, even the emperor is attending, so is that really possible?”

Council was not such an unfamiliar word to us.

It was also the cause of the incident that gave me the village of Alpen, so it was something I couldn’t forget.

However, in the case of today’s council, the situation was a little different from then.

This is because it was not held under the direction of the Pope, but was convened by the Emperor.

If you think simply, the council presided over by the Pope would have the greatest representativeness, but if you ask whether its authority and the compulsion of its conclusions are recognized by everyone, that is not the case.

For example, when I was young and didn’t know how the world worked, I once asked Priest Pippin:

“Priest, I have a question for you. Is it okay?”

“Okay, what else are you curious about today? Unless it’s a weird question, I’ll answer with all my sincerity.”

“All bishops are like subordinates of the Pope, right? Since they are the same priest, after all.”

“Yes, this guy… !”

Since I had the excuse that I didn’t know anything at the time, I was able to get over it.

But if I say something like that here and now, wouldn’t I be mass lynched?

Even among churches in the same region, it is common for churches to pull each other’s hair and fight against each other over donations from believers.

The conflict between the power of the church, which was created by the power of investiture wielded by the emperor, and the power of the church, which traditionally faithfully followed the orders of the Pope, was more severe, but not weaker.

Naturally, there were many cases where the results of the council were not recognized.

So, it would be nice to think of them as just being called a church, but in fact a separate organization.

“You arrived right on time. It was a car that was about to start. Sir, you can go to a place where you can clearly see the conference hall.”

“Oh, that’s right. I have a companion right now. Is it okay if I take you with me?”

Naturally, I expected a slightly different sight from what I was used to seeing in Villach.

And he also brought along a girl who is always a part of these events. You are probably as curious as I am about what the council will say.

As soon as I took my place among the knights and mercenaries, Bishop Guiberto came out to the center.

When the noisy church quieted down a bit after other priests went around and made exhortations, he took a look around and finally opened his mouth.

“Today we will discuss Pope Gregory and the sins he has committed so far.”

Ah, I figured out what it was about.

So, it seems like this place was prepared for a kind of presentation, so to speak.

To provide motivation to those who have worked hard for years pouring money and soldiers into it.

And to give the nobles, who may have been disappointed with the Pope but were not completely sold on them, a reason to fight.

“The crime of assassinating and poisoning his predecessors in order to hold on to a small amount of power.”

“The mistake of showing up at unhealthy gatherings, becoming preoccupied with heretical activities and witchcraft, and neglecting faithful believers who should be led. As a priest, his actions brought him closer than anyone else to things he should have stayed away from.”

“And finally, he abandoned His Majesty, the only rightful emperor under heaven to rule the empire on behalf of God. And even calling the rebel leader Rudolph the emperor!”

But, why?

I couldn’t get over the feeling that the bishop was building up to something.

As if I wasn’t the only one who thought this, Lisia also glanced at me.

“ How deplorable! So we came to one conclusion.”

“… … .”

“With a person like this no longer in the position of Pope, we humans will not be able to stand upright before God. So, I will declare it here.”

gulp. The sound of someone swallowing dry saliva was heard in my ears.

In that silence, Guiberto raised one hand, clenched into a fist, and shouted.

“Therefore, I, Henry, will remove Pope Gregory from his duties!”

“As of now, that position will be held by Bishop Guiberto. Accordingly, the bishop’s secular name, Guiberto, will no longer be used, and from now on he will be called Pope Clement.”

Thunderous applause broke out, led by the clergy gathered around.

The cheers spread out like waves on a lake and reached the block where I was.

Excluding the testimony, the evidence was weak, and they seemed to know how absurd this claim was, as they glossed over important parts.

But no one thought it was important how extravagant the Pope’s private life and past were.

Some people cheered at the birth of the new pope, while others clapped reflexively while struggling in shock.

And I am.

“Is this correct?”

“I’m going to do that now. It’s easier and better to think that way.”

“… Um.”

“The final Pope’s condemnation… To become Pope myself. I learned something new today too. Thanks to you, my knowledge has increased. No, has it decreased… … ?”

Rather than considering every detail, Lisia decided to just accept and enjoy it.

Although I only became more concerned about human psychology, there was at least something I could gain from this declaration.

“But one thing has become clear.”

“Yes, the Emperor has given up trying to reconcile or compromise with the Pope.”

There cannot be two suns under the sky. So does the Pope.

As the long history of the church proves, the Holy See of the Holy See had to have only one owner.

Therefore, this could be seen as an expression of the firm will not to live under the same sky.

This was a political interpretation up to this point, and my personal impressions were a little different.

The only reason this was possible was because the Pope did something ridiculous in the first place.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, so it makes sense to counter a clang with a clang.

This follows the principle of cause and effect that has been passed down since ancient times, but what should we say?

to be honest… It was ugly. That too quite a bit.

*****

He only said a few words.

But that was enough. Bishop Guiberto succeeded in ultimately evolving into Pope Clement.

“I will sentence you to excommunication right here.”

“The target is Duke Rudolf and Gregory.”

And the first day of the Pope’s inauguration.

Duke Rudolph, the pretender, and former Pope Gregory had the honor of receiving the new Pope’s first excommunication.

It was so unreasonable that it didn’t even make me laugh. But it was a necessary formality.

Heine looked at the play for a moment and then turned his head.

It was a place where the highest figures of the imperial family lined up. So, next to her was her brother and first prince, Conrad.

His expression wasn’t very good. It wasn’t because I was called to an inconvenient event that didn’t have much nutritional value and was filled with boredom.

Rather, it was as if he had been caught trying to do something to his father.

No one had told him that clearly, but it was something he could well guess under the circumstances.

If not, there was no way his father would have entrusted him with part of the army.

Before coming here, Heine, who had a private relationship with the emperor, heard these words.

“It’s a university close to the Vatican, so it’s dangerous to go back. So, instead of studying, I would like to entrust you with something else.”

“What is that?”

“I will give you some of my army, so you can lead it yourself.”

I thought he might just make a face-to-face meeting with the nobles to appeal for their support, but an unexpected answer came back.

That could only mean one thing. His father had essentially given up on succession of power to Conrad in a stable manner.

There was no way the person involved did not know that fact. So it must be like that.

‘It’s foolish.’

I couldn’t bear to say it in front of the prince, but I couldn’t shake that thought.

Why doesn’t Conrad know that as much as I covet power, the Emperor wants to protect it?

Even if he is the heir who is scheduled to inherit everything later, such greed can be seen as a threat while the emperor himself is alive.

Maybe he thought his father would watch over him, or that he wouldn’t be found out.

But now it doesn’t really matter either way. In the end, my father didn’t like it.

“You look in a bad mood?”

“Isn’t today a monumental day? There’s no reason for me to feel that way.”

I guess you can say that too.

Heine, who internally laughed at that honorable pretense, felt the stress he had been under so far subside a little.

But on the other hand, the calculations have become more complicated.

If he didn’t have anything, he planned to give in on his own, but if the emperor was pushing him like this, how could he stand up to him?

However, there was one problem in putting it into practice.

“Little brother, the battlefield is more dangerous than you think.”

“It’s a battlefield, so of course it’s dangerous, so is it safe?”

“Of course, sharp swords and arrows as fast as the wind are threatening. But more than that, it is dangerous on the battlefield because you never know what will happen.”

“… … .”

“In times like that, it’s okay to leave everything to my brother and take a step back.”

If you bow once here, you won’t be touched any further, even if it’s because of what your father thinks.

At first glance, it seemed like an easy route. It was the way I had lived until now, and all I had to do was think of it as going back to the way it was before.

And the moment my mind began to relax, there was a conversation that suddenly occurred to me.

‘I’m not sure what the situation is, but wouldn’t it be better to try as hard as I can?’

‘Why do you think so?’

‘I’m too ambitious to have any regrets.’

This was advice I sought out of a sense of despair. However, to me, the person I sought the advice from was more important than the advice itself.

It was my first time opening my heart to someone. And I thought it shouldn’t be the last.

As expected, it was difficult to forget the ambition I learned in college.

The freedom I once tasted, and the joy of that moment, were too great to just forget.

“I just have to be careful about that part.”

“If that’s the case with my younger brother, then I won’t say anything more.”

It’s just a struggle for power, so I decided to give it a try.