Chapter 684 How Did I Become the Pope?

Whether it was the White Saint pretending to be attacked, or the cardinals' "rescue," and now their "questions" and "answers," everything was planned.

Because this is also in the interests of the cardinals.

Some of them did want to be Pope, but the one who wanted it most was the now deceased Cardinal Loki.

These cardinals wanted to run for Pope, not because they were greedy for power, but because the "old-fashioned" among them believed that a saint of amber could not properly lead the church.

In other words, I am not qualified.

However, the Saint showed them that Ningpo now has the possibility of healing and recovery... So instead of letting other cardinals who are opposed to her serve as Pope, it would be better to let the Saint continue to be the Pope.

If you can't satisfy everyone, at least make everyone feel that it's "okay".

But there is an inevitable risk in letting the Saint serve as Pope, and that is the Saint's Amber.

In the general understanding of the Theocracy, if an elf amber is broken, it usually means that they have psychological problems. But civilian amber is easy to deal with, because everyone has some mental illness...

However, the Pope, who is the leader, and the Saint, who is the candidate for leader, do not allow Ningpo to exist.

Because it means that their faith is impure, or their moral character is flawed - if even the Pope and the Saint are frozen, how can they lead the Theocracy forward? And it also means that they have the possibility of "going crazy" or "the possibility of dying at any time."

Even the "most modern elves" are ultimately conservative and cannot accept excessive risks.

Therefore, even if the saint successfully ran for Pope, there was still a possibility that her amber would be discovered or leaked intentionally before her amber healed.

——So the Theocracy chose Hawkeye as the scapegoat.

If I was poisoned, it was because of my moral flaws, but if I was poisoned, then I would be the victim.

...No, that's not right.

Aiwass shook his head and gradually sobered up.

In the sudden shock, his thoughts became clearer.

According to the moral standards of the Church, it is unlikely that someone would be deliberately dragged into the role of scapegoat.

And judging by Miss Alice's panic... she probably knew the Saint would become amber. That meant she knew the effects of the Tears of Time and had already determined it would be used on the Saint!

The person who invited them here is also obvious.

It is the now dead Cardinal Loki!

Although the Theocracy has found the remaining Tears of Time from Cardinal Loki's "relics"...it is still unable to figure out where the rest has gone.

Because at that time there had been incidents of some people "suddenly condensing amber", and some people, like the saint today, announced that they were "passively condensing amber" to legitimize the amber phenomenon they had hidden for a long time... This led to the fact that the exact amount Loki used at the time was doomed to be inconsistent and could not be settled.

Apparently, one of them was given to these assassins from Hawkeye!

It's likely that a cardinal discovered this while searching for Cardinal Loki's belongings. After discussing it with Gray, they decided to stage this drama.

Someone has to be the Pope eventually, but except for the most neutral saint, there will be people who are dissatisfied if anyone is chosen.

The path of dedication is a very extreme path.

Because everyone firmly believes that they are walking on the right path... Such madmen are much more terrifying than ordinary people when they go crazy.

Thinking of this, Aiwas suddenly remembered a few days ago...he saw so many cardinals from Cardinal Cyril.

So many cardinals gathered for a solemn meeting, but the Saint was not present. And Matilda, who was closest to the Saint, was also not present.

Although they were discussing the issue of "warriors", it would not be possible to gather so many cardinals two days before the Pope's election day - they should be considering another plan.

For example, they might push the conflict onto the "soldiers" first, or perhaps they have some other plans...

But when Aiwass appeared and announced that he was the Cardinal, they all left.

Aiwass had only slept for a few hours, but how could a meeting that had gathered so many cardinals so seriously be concluded in just a few hours? This was an immortal being who didn't take time for granted.

Apparently, the reason for gathering them together had disappeared - for they voted unanimously to make Aiwass the interim pope.

——Instead of letting a cardinal who usually opposes me become Pope, it would be better to choose a human being!

Thinking of this, they suddenly understood.

And considering this point...

The only person who knew that Aiwass would perform the lunar eclipse ritual the night before to fulfill the Lord of Scales and Feathers' mission was Cardinal Cyril. He was probably the one who convened that meeting... just to allow the other cardinals to witness the birth of this "human cardinal" with their own eyes.

After sorting out his thoughts, Aiwass no longer had any thoughts of continuing to resist.

Being the Pope—it wasn't a bad thing. He was the most powerful person in the world...even if it was just a formal appointment, and only for six months...but who would refuse such a good thing? Was he stupid?

——It was as if Aiwass had just drunk too much. Although he didn’t understand, he subconsciously refused first.

Moreover, this is not an evil conspiracy that will bring chaos, but rather a good thing to maintain order and prevent the division of the Church.

Of course, Aiwass didn't raise any further objections. He was completely sober.

"But why didn't they tell me... Oh, maybe they were worried that my acting skills wouldn't be good enough."

Aiwass, who was fully awake, finally reacted.

In the eyes of these theocracy elves, Aiwass was a fairly honest and kind person. Perhaps only a few Avalonians and Star Antimony people knew that Aiwass was not a good person.

After all, it seemed like Cardinal Siegfried was also completely bewildered. He clearly wasn't very bright... so even among the cardinals, not everyone knew the full extent of the plan.

Just like Cardinal Valrhona only knew that the wine might be poisoned, but was not sure whether the assassin had already poisoned everyone's wine.

That's why she came here specifically to give a warning... not to Aiwass, but because she was worried that Cardinal Siegfried might have been poisoned...

The Saint hadn't drunk any wine, so there was no chance of refills. She only needed to be the first to arrive, and then, when no one else had arrived, pour the wine herself and test it, to ensure her glass was absolutely safe...

Just as Aiwass, who had gradually regained consciousness, was reviewing the situation carefully, the White Saint suddenly spoke up, bringing Aiwass back to reality: "If there are no other objections... then we will proceed to the second round of voting.

"—Raise your hands if you disagree."

There was silence, and no one raised their hand.

"—Raise your hands if you agree."

As soon as she finished speaking, she pulled Aiwass and raised his hand.

All the cardinals raised their hands and agreed that Aiwass could run for Pope as the agent of the Pure White Saint.

At this time, the clock struck nine in the morning.

A melodious and sacred bell sound came from outside the window.

The papal election ceremony officially begins.

The pure white saint opened her eyes without any cover, revealing her amber-colored single eye to everyone.

"As Master of Ceremonies, I submit the three candidates for the papacy, as is customary. These candidates are based on voluntary nominations, selected by the previous Pope, and confirmed by all the Cardinals of the Apostolic See, adhering to the principles of fairness and objectivity.

"—Evans Moriarty. Agent of the Lord of Scales and Feathers, newly appointed Cardinal. The only short-lived cardinal, the only human cardinal... and, at only nineteen years old, a fourth-level devotee.

"—Favna. Candle's agent, the only Dragon Cardinal, the leader of the Homeland Clan. The administrator of the Third Ring.

"—Galatea. Agent of the Twin Mirrors. The only Construct Cardinal, leader of the Ancient Monuments Restoration Society, and administrator of the Seventh Ring."

Hearing this, Aiwass subconsciously looked at Belisarius.

Belisarius turned his eyes away slightly.

Fafner and Galatea, one is a pro-foreign faction and the other is a conservative faction.

As the leader of the radical faction "Trial Center", Belisarius should have been in Aiwass's position.

——The radicals couldn’t even squeeze into the three-choice category!

This probably also represents the attitude of the entire Papal Office towards radicals after the death of Cardinal Loki...

I don’t know whether it’s irony or justice... None of the three candidates for the next Pope are elves, and none of them even have elven blood!

By this point, Aiwass already knew the election results.

After all, the Pope's election is a real-name vote. No cardinal would want the Church to split—because everyone is a good person in a sense, "for the good of others."

In this situation, everyone's actions can basically be inferred. That is, everyone will harmoniously move towards the "best future" - as long as the path to the future is not blocked.

A group of philosopher kings who truly sacrificed their lives for others and who actually had the power to practice what they advocated.

This is also the true foundation of the Church's strength.

——In this world line where the reputation of the Pure White Saint had not been destroyed by Ningpo, Aiwass would definitely be elected with a unanimous vote.

That future is already a certainty.

…I’m going to be Pope?

For a moment, Aiwass felt that the past 19 years of his life were like a dream and an illusion.

It’s such a dream and fantasy!

Didn’t I come to the Christian country as an exchange student?

Why was I asked to rule the Eternal Theocracy for no apparent reason?

Update completed! Please vote by the end of the month~

Thanks to Doxiuzi for feeding the leader cat, thank you for feeding the cat!

(End of this chapter)