The next morning, at the Cathedral of the Fathers, Tero Sanctuary.

Sitting on the armchair at the head of the long table, near the papal throne, he toyed with the cross-shaped candlestick in his hand, completely oblivious to the chattering clergy around him.

"Cardinal Jacob has arrived!"

A joyful shout seemed to give all the believers a shot of adrenaline, and everyone's eyes turned to the entrance of the main hall, waiting for the person in charge to appear.

Bishop Jacob, dressed in a scarlet robe of holy order and looking haggard, entered the hall with a troop of knights. He was visibly stunned for a moment when he saw the throat bone sitting in the papal seat.

"Arise! You heretic! How dare you blaspheme the Patriarch's throne?!"

Several Papal knights drew their longswords, roaring loudly as they lunged at the throat bone.

Bishop Jacob, with a hooked nose, stopped the knights' actions with a gloomy face and said coldly to the man with the throat bone, "Mr. Cartier, you come from the south and may not know about the Holy Orders of the Father. That position belongs to His Holiness the Pope, and you should not lay your hands on it."

The throat bone laughed.

He stood up, brushed the dust off the chair, and said casually, "Sorry, this is my first time here, and I really don't understand your 'rules'..."

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Kougu Ken had left his seat.

Upon reaching the ranks of the cardinals, Jacob nodded slightly to the throat bone, indicating that the other could sit opposite him.

Throat Bone sat down, looked at Jacob's tired face, and asked with feigned concern, "Your Excellency, you seem to be lacking in rest."

Jacob chuckled dryly twice: "Too busy."

Throat Bone took out a small silver file from his pocket and, while slowly trimming his nails, casually asked, "I heard things aren't going well at the front?"

Jacob gritted his teeth and said, "Our army has three major advantages: faith, morale, and terrain. How could we possibly be at a disadvantage?"

Throat Bone tapped the small file lightly on the table: "Then how come I've heard that there have been fleeing soldiers escaping back to the city these past few days? There are even rumors that Hesmond, known as the Lion Father, has also died on the battlefield?"

“Rumors… they’re all just rumors.” Jacob wiped the fine sweat from his forehead. “It’s true that some soldiers have returned to defend Tyro City recently, but those are just normal military mobilizations.”

The man with the throat bone looked at Jacob and gave a meaningful "oh".

Just as Jacob was feeling uneasy, the man with the throat bone suddenly stood up, smiled, and said, "In that case, it seems there was no need for me to come here. I'll go back and wait for your good news..."

Seeing that the throat bone was about to leave, Jacob quickly stood up and shouted, "Wait...wait a minute!"

The man with the prominent throat bone turned his head and asked in confusion, "What? Is there something else?"

Jacob, panting heavily, said, "Weapons, we need more weapons."

"My lord, are you kidding me? I've provided you with the full armament of an entire Imperial Legion, and you still think it's not enough?"

Jacob's fingernails dug deeply into his palms, and his body trembled slightly from the struggle and shame.

“I admit… the Father’s Holy Army encountered a little… a minor setback when facing those monsters.”

Jacob's words made the throatbone grin.

Throat Bone walked back to his seat, raised his legs and propped them on the table, pointing a file at the other person as he said, "At a point like this, is there any point in hiding or deceiving?"

Jacob lowered his head, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

The man with the throat bone tilted his head and laughed, "We have a common enemy. Only by telling me the truth can I continue to fulfill my obligations as an ally."

Jacob sighed heavily: "The Holy Army has lost more than half its strength, the three major knightly orders have ceased to exist, and the commander-in-chief, Bromo Hesmond, is missing. The enemy forces number over 20,000 and have already crossed the Western Forest. They could reach the city of Tarlo as early as tomorrow morning."

"If I remember correctly, your number of soldiers is far greater than theirs."

“But those are monsters! Genuine monsters!” Jacob cried out in a frenzy. “Super-strong orcs, werewolves that move like the wind, wizards who use evil magic, and those war beasts that only exist in terrifying legends!”

Jacob clutched his hair, burying his face in his chest: "I originally thought that all these strange occurrences and monsters were just vague records in ancient books... I never imagined that it was all real, all real..."

The man with the throat bone stared at everyone present, and almost all the church members showed expressions of fear and unease.

Turning his gaze back to Jacob, the man with the throat bone spoke up: "Besides those muskets and cannons, I also brought a weapon from the south this time."

Jacob looked up, his expression like that of a drowning man who had seen a life-saving raft.

"Because this weapon is too lethal, its use has been banned within the Empire..."

Every word that came out of his throat made Jacob's eyes shine even brighter.

"It can unleash the full power of life, turning an ordinary human into the most terrifying weapon of war. Want to see it for yourself?"

Jacob hesitated for a moment: "You mean, this weapon can take the user's life?"

“Yes, but it also takes the lives of a hundred enemies.” The man with the throat bone leaned closer to Jacob, revealing a kind and harmless expression: “A rather worthwhile exchange, isn’t it?”

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