Chapter 121
Although the awarding ceremony was highly anticipated, it took place inside the royal palace, which ordinary people could not enter. It was said that most of the attendees were courtiers and nobles, but for Arnold, this was not the most important thing.
Most importantly, of course, he gets to meet His Holiness the Pope!
That was His Holiness the Pope, whom even Murphy, a student, had never seen!
The night before the awarding ceremony, after much deliberation, Murphy approached Arnold and said, "His Holiness the Pope's voice... sounds very similar to Veris's."
Arnold answered without even thinking, "The voices are similar, that's perfectly normal!"
However, this reminded Arnold of something, and he couldn't help but worry: "I remember when we entered the Demon King's Abyss, Veris was there too. He's really amazing. That's the Demon King's Abyss, and he was able to go there and sing. Later, we fought, and I don't know if he escaped."
Murphy thought for a moment and said, "He can definitely escape. After all, he's the kind of person who can cross the entire Demon King Forest to reach the Demon King Abyss."
The topic successfully veered off course, and Arnold excitedly pulled Murphy aside, saying that he could see His Holiness the Pope tomorrow.
What kind of existence is His Holiness the Pope? His achievements are enough for historians to write for three days and three nights, and enough for bards across the continent to sing his praises for three hundred years and still be popular. The most recent news about His Holiness the Pope is that he went to the Demon King's Forest not long ago and completely eradicated the demonic energy of the Demon King's Forest, allowing the kingdom's army to conquer the Demon King's Forest.
Why didn't His Holiness the Pope do it before? Isn't that obvious? His Holiness the Pope wasn't a born genius; he also needed to increase his strength before he could eliminate the demonic energy.
Not only Arnold, but the entire capital city was eagerly anticipating tomorrow. Those with connections who could attend the ceremony were advised to keep their eyes glued to the Pope, admiring his majestic figure.
Like I said, that's His Holiness the Pope!
Even if the church has only one hundred members left, if His Holiness the Pope steps forward and raises his arms, countless believers will immediately follow suit. Even those who are not believers, over the years, the people supported by the church will do their best to contribute.
The awarding ceremony was held inside the royal palace, so Arnold and the others were invited to the palace the day before and stayed temporarily in a magnificent palace, which drew a lot of praise from everyone except Carlo.
The First Knight's magnificent attire was delivered. After Murphy bid farewell, Arnold couldn't help but look at the outfit. It featured jeweled gold chains, crystal ornaments, and a sophisticated blue and red color scheme. One could only imagine how imposing and dignified he would look in it.
The more Arnold looked, the more ashamed he felt. He felt that he was not worthy of such an honor. Who had cleaned up the Demon Forest that day? It was almost a no-brainer to think that it must have been His Holiness the Pope who later removed the demonic energy.
Then, the thought that His Holiness the Pope had seen him in his wretched state when he died made Arnold even more uneasy. However, he had been unable to refuse several times before and had no choice but to accept it. After a few days of excitement, that sense of shame quietly resurfaced.
Arnold took a few deep breaths, comforting himself. Although he hadn't contributed much to the fight against the Demon King, he would definitely go through fire and water for the kingdom in the future to prove that he deserved to wear the medal belonging to the First Knight.
In order to present a good image to His Holiness the Pope the next day, Arnold forced himself to go to sleep early.
However, many people were destined to have a sleepless night.
The first one is Lortheran.
In his palace, he began drafting his abdication edict. Not only did he not sleep, but he also brought Ethan with him.
Ethan had no idea what he was going to do, but he was shocked when he saw the first line he had drafted on the document.
He even cried out "Your Majesty" in a trembling voice.
Lortheran said nonchalantly, "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Do you think I enjoy sitting in this position? I get up at five in the morning and go to bed in the middle of the night. If it weren't for... I would have died here long ago."
Ethan hesitated, then subconsciously whispered, "But I don't want to either..."
Lortheran glared at him sharply: "You good-for-nothing! You have to do better than me, you hear me!"
His Highness the Crown Prince smiled wryly. To say that he had done better than the First Emperor was too much of an honor.
Then he heard Lortheran say smugly, "That way, you get up earlier than me and go to bed later than me. Over time, you'll eventually do better than me."
Ethan's expression became even more constipated: "Your Majesty... this might make me die even faster."
Stop saying discouraging things!
"good."
Ethan watched as he wrote a full page, then joked around for a while, his expression shifting from panic to bewilderment, and finally to deep unease.
Years ago, he longed for that position, but now he only felt that the future was bleak and uncertain. The Pope's prophecy still echoed in his ears all the time. Could he really do better than His Majesty the First?
“Ethan,” Lortheran called out calmly, looking at the still-wet handwriting on the document.
Ethan snapped out of his daze and quickly responded.
Lortheran remained silent for a long time before saying, "If you're unsure, ask Garcia, ask Orlando. Don't think of the Pope as an enemy; he's the only one who would never harm our people."
The young crown prince was slightly taken aback, but agreed. Lortheran turned his head, and his sharp gaze startled Ethan, who almost instantly averted his gaze, not daring to meet Lortheran's eyes.
“If you care about the people, the Pope is on your side.”
"If one day you consider the Pope your enemy, then you should atone with your death."
These words were undeniably harsh. Ethan bowed, but before he could speak, the dried ink of the document was handed to him. His words caught in his throat, leaving him speechless. Meanwhile, Lortheran acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and saying, "Take a look. If there are no problems, let's announce this at a suitable time in a few days."
"The ceremony for the king's coronation has been prepared for many years and will not require much time to prepare."
Ethan's ability to change his expression was so fast that he felt he still had a lot to learn.
Meanwhile, at the other side of the Papacy, many people were still awake.
Because the conferment ceremony on the second day was attended by people from the Papacy, it required multiple rehearsals. The Pope himself presided over the ceremony, and the Son of God conferred the titles. The main task was to be completed by Veris. Sylvain only needed to place the laurel and jewel headband on Arnold's head.
The archbishops finally saw the Holy Son, who hadn't appeared for many days. Hmm... he seemed even more attached to the Pope, but otherwise, there was no difference.
Copperfield, on the other hand, felt that Sylvain's magic level had broken through again.
After watching the group rehearse a few times and correcting some mistakes, Veris sent them back to rest. They were to head to the palace early the next morning.
So these people can only sleep for a few hours.
Veris fell asleep quickly, but Sylvain, holding him, couldn't sleep and remained silent, staring at something.
As dawn broke, Veris woke up on time and found the person next to him with their eyes open. Without saying a word, he slapped him: "Were you not asleep?"
Sylvain pursed his lips, not yet able to think of a reason, when he saw Veris let go of his arm, get up and get out of bed.
He had no choice but to get up and wash up.
Veris wasn't wearing the Pope's extraordinarily heavy robes, but he was dressed in an exceptionally magnificent and exquisite robe and cloak, leaving no doubt about his identity.
The papal robes had been sent to the palace a day in advance, and Veris would have to change into them then.
That outfit has too many accessories and isn't sturdy enough. On the way from the Papacy to the Royal Palace, I might even lose some of my equipment.
In contrast, Sylvain had to wear the robes of a Son of God, which were simpler than the robes of a pope. Veris held him down and personally fastened the gold belt around his waist.
They braided his hair and put on all the ornaments of the Son of God's robes.
By the time the papal procession and the Son of God's procession departed from the Papacy one after the other, the road from the Papacy to the royal palace was already completely blocked.
Although the people in charge of the awarding ceremony were all members of the Papacy, the people who cleared the way were nobles and royalty, and the royal guards stood on both sides. There were curtains hanging down to block the view, but the slender figure standing there still caught the eyes of countless people.
Even just a shadow, you can tell he's a handsome guy!
For a time, every citizen of the capital felt that they had keen insight, able to deduce the Pope's appearance quite accurately based on just a shadow.
The papacy's ceremonial procession has not been used for decades. Even during the major royal upheavals of recent years, His Holiness the Pope's travels have been relatively low-key. The last time he traveled in such a grand manner was decades ago when King Charles was in power.
The ceremonial procession traveled through the capital and into the royal palace, only stopping behind the main hall where the investiture ceremony was to be held.
The area was under martial law with guards on duty. Veris lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, where Lortheran, already dressed in royal robes, was waiting for him.
In addition to the central hall, the Great Hall of Ceremonial also has left and right side halls, forming a fan shape. Therefore, the area behind the Great Hall of Ceremonial is relatively narrow, but one can directly enter the central hall, left hall, and right hall.
According to custom, Lortheran bowed to Veris, but Veris was not required to bow to Lortheran.
After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, Lortheran led the bishops of the Papacy to the nave, while Veris led Sylvain to the right wing where his papal robes were kept.
Apart from the central hall, there were no palace servants on the left, right, or nearby parts of the main hall; only guards in full armor stood guard.
Veris led Sylvain into the right wing and led him into the inner rooms with practiced ease. He then said to Sylvain, "There are several rooms in here, but they are usually locked up. My clothes are in that inner room."
He had just finished speaking when he heard voices coming from the inner room. His smile faded, and he was wondering how Lortheran had been so careless as to let unauthorized people in when he saw a familiar figure run out of the inner room.
"Veris! Look what I brought you!" Longxing said excitedly. He held up a jeweled sash that was almost bursting with light in his hand. Not only on his left hand, but also on his right hand were several equally dazzling crystal waist chains that looked very valuable. He looked very proud.
Veris stammered, "What are you doing here?"
Dragon: "This is a surprise! Let me put it on for you myself, mmm mmm—" A shadow darted out from behind it and covered its mouth.
Hill, who was temporarily possessing the puppet, gave an awkward laugh: "Veris, just ignore it. I'll take it with me now."
The powerful force dragged the dragon slowly forward. The dragon reached out and tried to stuff the ribbons and belts in its hand into Veris's hands. Veris's forehead twitched, but he still took them: "Alright, alright, you guys go now."
Veris had no choice but to accept his friend's kind offer.
Anyway, he wouldn't wear it all the way through; with the papal robes and the heavy chain in his hand, Veris's face was somewhat distorted.
Sylvain's eyes were dark, yet he remained silent as always.
Veris led him to the inner room, which also had a changing room.
The dressing room was quite spacious, and the papal robes were already hanging on the rack. Veris could simply go in and change. The accessories that filled the entire table could only be put on after he was dressed.
Today is truly a good day; the sun is shining brightly.
As if the heavens themselves sensed Arnold's excitement, the sun grew even warmer, and the palace attendants leading him to the Grand Hall stopped far away, instructing the newly appointed First Knight: "Your Excellency may wait in the side hall; only the left hall has a side door leading to the central hall."
Arnold nodded repeatedly.
He was dressed in knightly attire, a far cry from his usual somewhat reckless image. He looked like a young master from a noble family, walking with his head held high towards the grand hall.
After walking for about half an hour, Arnold felt a little dizzy under the scorching sun. It wasn't his first time at the palace, but this was his first time here, and there was no one to guide him. Despite being extremely cautious, it still took him half an hour to walk.
Fortunately, there was enough time, and Arnold breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the Grand Hall so close at hand.
But soon, he became alarmed. Oh no, where did that person say they were going? Why are there three entrances here?
Left... or right...? Arnold cautiously turned the two doorways to the left and right, and peeked inside. He found that all the visible rooms in the left hall were locked, and the hall smelled of dust.
The right hall, however, had its rooms with the doors open, which must have led to the central hall!
Arnold immediately stepped into the right sanctuary and waited quietly for the person from the middle sanctuary to tell him that he could go there.
But he didn't wait long before he heard noises from the inner room, as if there had been a considerable commotion.
Are there still people in the side hall? Arnold hesitated for a moment, but driven by curiosity, he went forward. As he got closer, the voices became clearer.
A clear voice, tinged with annoyance, said, "That's not how you wear them! You've put them on in the wrong order!"
Another voice replied, but it was too low for Arnold to hear.
Arnold was shocked. How could that voice be exactly the same as Veris's?!
What's Veris doing here!
His brain, probably because of the intense sun exposure, quickened its pace without thinking. The room faced the corridor, so he could see the scene inside at a glance.
The two were acquaintances. One was a casual, unassuming bard, and the other was the Holy Son, who always appeared aloof and looked down on everyone. The two were pulling and tugging at each other. The Holy Son was holding a jeweled chain in his hand and blocking Veris's hand with one hand. Veris was not one to be trifled with, and immediately grabbed Sylvain's ear with his left hand.
Arnold's appearance made Veris turn around immediately, and he relaxed. Sylvain then pressed him down on the table.
Arnold was shocked and confused. He saw the inviolable Holy Son's ear being twisted and his head being turned to the side. He was horrified and cried out, "Holy Son, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you!"
Veris assumed the kid had come to rescue him, after all, he had saved Arnold's life, and instinctively waved, "I'm fine... wait, why did you save him!?"
Isn't that him being pinned to the table?
"Clearly, I'm the one who needs saving more!"
Sylvain turned his head at this moment, staring at Arnold, who clearly knew Veris and had met him quite a few times. Suddenly remembering something, his eyes turned sinister and murderous.
The previously relaxed force suddenly tightened, and he leaned down, his voice light and airy, yet seemingly about to drop ice shards: "Father, which of your old friends is this?"
Arnold's hearing has never been as sharp as it is today.
His mind was blank and filled with doubt. He was no longer the clueless boy Mercury he once was. He had come into contact with many people about the church and learned a lot about its internal systems.
The young knight suddenly shuddered.
For example, there is only one person whom the Son can call "Father"—
That mysterious, revered pope, who was like a god to countless people.
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Author's Note: Flirting Escalates into a Battleground (Sylvain's Personal Version)
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