episode_0228

Complete occupation of Johannes Castle (2)

Just hours before Livia was crowned Pope.

The conference room in the main hall was filled with shouting as if an explosion had occurred.

“Oh, does that make sense? No matter how much you say she is a saint, it is difficult to accept her words!!”

“That’s right!! The appointment of the Pope is made through a vote by the cardinals, and since all of the cardinals are currently absent, we believe it is right for our archbishops to make the decision by voting!!”

“If she were a person we could understand, we could just ignore it because the situation is the situation, but she is just a low-level priestess who has run an orphanage all her life!!”

When Angelina announced at a gathering that she was planning to nominate Livia as the new pope, the archbishops were buzzing at the name they had never heard of before, and when Angelina explained what kind of person she was, they were pouring out huge complaints.

“A person who knows nothing about politics should not ascend to the position of Pope!! The lives of ten million brothers and sisters in the Holy Kingdom are at stake!!”

“That’s right!! How can an ignorant low-level priestess call herself a servant of Ikaris and sit in such a high and sacred position? That is not possible!! Saint woman, please quickly withdraw your statement!!”

“When I heard the story, wasn’t she the director of the orphanage where the saint grew up? Then, isn’t the saint using her to plot something? You must explain this!!”

Despite the numerous complaints from the archbishops, Angelina’s expression remained smiling.

“Yes~ I heard what you said carefully. But my decision will not change. Because there is someone else who decided this”

As soon as Angelina finished speaking, Jeanne came into the conference room with her cloak waving.

And then a number of Inquisitors came in fully armed, following Jeanne, and they took their places behind the archbishops who were seated in their respective seats, raising their battle axes.

Slurp~

The sound of the Inquisitors’ ax blades instantly silenced the noisy archbishops.

“What are you doing? You are trying to persecute us, servants of Ikaris, like this… Are you out of your mind?”

“Ma, that’s right!! If the subjects of the Holy Kingdom found out about this…”

Although a few courageous archbishops continued to protest, the presence of heavy footsteps coming from outside was enough to silence even them.

Jump, jump, jump… Boom!

“What if you understand? What kind of problem does it matter if the subjects know about the situation here? In that case, if you don’t let this situation become known, it won’t be a problem”

“Your Majesty, Emperor Yuno…”

The heads of the archbishops were buried in their bodies like frightened turtles due to Juno’s deadly force.

They were not foolish enough not to notice that Yuno’s words contained a murderous will, and they knew well that if they spoke wrongly in front of Yuno, a battle ax could be lodged in their necks in an instant.

“Now! Now let’s summarize the situation again. As everyone has heard, it was the decision of Jim, the agent of Ikaris, to appoint a priestess named Livia as Pope. Anyone who is dissatisfied with it, please feel free to express your opinion”

Yuno smiled softly because there was no way anyone would be brave enough to complain in this atmosphere.

“Now, don’t be like that, let’s talk comfortably. Why can’t a Libyan priestess become pope? Angelina. Are there some requirements for the Pope that I don’t know about?”

“No. We at the Icaris Church do not consider status or position, but only value faith and faith. The church’s laws state that the person who is the most religious and faithfully worships Icaris will be made pope”

At Angelina’s words, the archbishops frowned once again and internally expressed their dissatisfaction.

‘Of course, it says so in the inscription, but…’

‘Doesn’t everyone know that practically that’s not possible!!’

Of course, if they said it out loud, their heads could be blown off, so the archbishops remained silent, and Juno’s smile grew even deeper.

“Now! Seeing as there was no opposition, everyone seems to like Jim’s decision! Then I understand that all the archbishops here agree with my decision to appoint a Libyan priestess as pope”

‘Tsk tsk tsk, it’s just full of complaints… Well… if it wasn’t for my decision, one of these guys would have sat in the Pope’s seat, so there wouldn’t have been no complaints. Is it necessary to throw some carrots at me?

“Of course, this was a decision I made after consulting with Ikaris, but I know very well that she needs help in governing a country. The cardinal, who assists the Pope, is elected by the saint, the chief inquisitor, and the great bishops gathered here!!”

Only then did the archbishops’ faces straighten slightly and their eyes began to shine.

‘Choose a cardinal with our own hands… then it’s not that bad!’

‘As the previous Pope Alexander is being roasted alive in an icon, the power of the Pope to do as he pleases has diminished… If so, securing a large number of cardinal positions will be an opportunity for our faction to gain wings!! ‘

‘Even if we can only get two seats out of ten cardinals…’

Juno, looking at the archbishops who were already exchanging glances and trying to start a faction fight, was confident once again that he could completely bring the Holy Kingdom into the arms of the empire.

“Angelina and Jeanne recommend one person each, and you can decide the remaining eight. I swear I won’t be involved in that at all”

Angelina and Jeanne announced an unprecedented personnel action, recommending Lucette and Rodius, the teachers at the Inquisitor Training Center, but as if that was of no consequence, a heated argument began to break out in the conference room.

While the ministers were fighting over the position of cardinal, Juno took Angelina and Jeanne into the inner room.

And one of the Inquisitors under orders from Jeanne brought Lucette and Rodius to the inner room of the great temple and informed them of Libya’s crowning as Pope and their appointment as cardinals to assist her.

Lucette and Rodius initially refused the position, saying it was too much for them, but Angelina and Jeanne’s persuasion that Livia, who would be at the center of a power struggle, needed someone who could help them made them accept the position of cardinal.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Even so, Jim’s eye for people is quite impressive. Abbot Livia will perform the duties of the Pope well, and her warm heart will be enough to serve as a spiritual support for the believers”

“Your Majesty. Before that, let me ask you one thing”

“Hmm? Let’s talk”

Yuno smiled comfortably at Lucette and Rodius, who were staring directly at her with sharp eyes.

“You know very well that Director Libya is like the saints here, the chief judge, and our mother”

“By appointing him as Pope, aren’t you trying to manipulate the Holy Kingdom of St. Johannes through us and send our brothers and sisters to the battlefield?”

“If you ever think of doing that, we tell you in advance that we will immediately resign as cardinals and turn into enemies of the Balkans!!”

Lucette and Rodius’ eyes contained determination rather than the mischievous look of yesterday, so Yuno could once again feel that her choice was right.

“Puhahahaha!! Don’t worry. Do you think that because of my lack of strength, I made the Holy Kingdom of Johannes a vassal state as peacefully as possible?”

“If not…”

“Don’t be mistaken. As for the luggage! The imperial army is led by Jim at the head!! The Balkan Empire ruled by me!! Never weak. My goal is to reduce the number of soldiers sacrificed on the battlefield! And to stabilize the rear of the imperial army! He came all the way here himself! At the very least, I can swear that I have no intention of dragging the common people of the Holy Kingdom into the battlefield of the Empire!!”

Lucette and Rodius, who were shocked by the sight of Yuno radiating tremendous force, unknowingly took a step back.

“Anyway, it won’t be long before you and the Holy Kingdom of Johannes will consider it fortunate that they will become vassals of our Balkans. And it will be felt in the Zenon Plain. Hahahahaha”

“Huhuhu Lucette. Rodius brother. This person is the agent chosen by Ikaris, and the master chosen by our sisters”

“Just as our sisters chose His Majesty Yuno as their master, we will make sure that the Holy Kingdom does not regret serving Balkan as its superior country, so you do not have to worry. Hohoho”

Angelina and Jeanne were two people who looked at it as absurd when they called Yuno their master, but now they had no other options, so they only presented a few conditions to Yuno, and Yuno accepted the conditions, so they and Livia joined Yuno. He made a pact to rule the castle according to his instructions.

That afternoon, a splendid coronation ceremony was held and Lydia was crowned Pope.

Soon, orders to revise doctrine and reform based on the contents of Angelina’s newly received oracle, as well as a joint declaration between Pope Juno and the Pope of Libya to become a vassal of the Balkan Empire, spread throughout the Holy Kingdom.

The contents of the declaration were as follows.

“After the previous Pope, Alexander VI, ascended the throne, there was no one who did not deplore the fact that he distorted the will of Icaris and committed all kinds of evil acts. All the wealth of the kingdom went into their pockets to fill their stomachs, and our brothers and sisters became impoverished day by day. The kingdom was weakening, and as the devastation reached its peak and there was no hope of taking measures to make up for it on their own, I had no choice but to make a decision, accepting the heavy responsibility of being Ikaris-sama’s first servant. Accordingly, by transferring the sovereignty of the Holy Kingdom to His Majesty, the emperor of the neighboring country, the Great Balkan Empire, to solidify the peace of the continent externally and to benefit the lives of all brothers and sisters internally, your subjects should carefully consider this, do not cause trouble and trouble, and settle down in their respective occupations. , I will follow the will of Lord Ikaris, submit to the new politics of the Balkan Empire, and share in happiness.”

As the declaration was promulgated throughout the Holy Kingdom, there was some unrest in the provinces that did not participate in this religious reform war, but thanks to the force of the Inquisitors who carried the reform decree, the unrest was quickly suppressed, and the Inquisitors took food from local temples. As food storage was released, local believers who had been starving due to the Pope’s exploitation began to enthusiastically support the reform decree and merger.

Of course, there were some criticisms about releasing storage reserves for emergencies, but that quickly died down when agents of the Empire’s Culture and Propaganda Department, dispatched under orders from Yuno, spread the rumor that a huge amount of food was being supplied from the Empire. .

Eventually, Johannes’ subjects began to enthusiastically support annexation with the Balkans.

“He does not suppress religion, does not affect culture, and raises life to a higher level… Isn’t he an ideal conqueror? Hahahaha”

After receiving this report, Juno spent his last night in Johannes drinking in the basement of the main temple and enjoying the beautiful bodies of his sows.