Chapter 56
"How could this be! Didn't you say you saw him destroy the magical artifact with your own eyes?" Jin's facial muscles twitched with anger, his chest heaving as he stared at the subordinate who came to report.
The subordinate knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head upon hearing this. He said that he had definitely seen the Third Prince destroy the magic artifact, but he did not know if the Third Prince had done anything else.
Jin closed his eyes tightly. The royal line was already broken, and broken so suddenly.
The Elven race has also fallen entirely into the hands of the returning Holy Descendants, who have already usurped the current Elven King's power in just a few months.
Their last hope lies in the entrance exam in the capital. If they can obtain the magical artifact, restart time, and save the third prince and kill the holy descendant before the High Papacy takes action, they will never have fallen into their current predicament.
-
There is one day left until the entrance exam.
A convoy of luxurious carriages entered the capital, starting from the north gate, traversing the entire capital, and arriving at the church square north of the Papacy.
What was truly captivating was not just the luxuriousness of the carriage—the people of the capital had seen all sorts of grand displays—but the rare sight of the elves wielding bows and arrows flying overhead.
The elves had exquisite features, pointed ears peeking out from beneath their golden hair, and translucent wings. The bows and arrows in their hands were made of intertwined branches, each end inlaid with a bright green gem. They carried quivers on their backs, and their expressions were the familiar arrogance of the people of the royal capital.
The elves seem to be having an exceptionally grand display this year.
Mercenaries and adventurers returning from the north were excitedly telling their companions about the great changes they had heard about in the Elven race. They said that the Elven King was acting improperly and that the Elven race was now controlled by the Holy Descendant. The person who was going to the Royal Academy was the very Holy Descendant who controlled the real power of the Elven race.
No wonder the Elven race made such a grand show of force this time, eager to announce it to the world.
Bishop Finney waited for the Elven carriage in the North Church Square. He saw his people flying in formation in the sky in the distance, and a proud smile finally appeared on his face.
Even though he wasn't a pure-blooded elf, and even though he had been wandering outside for over a decade, Carlo was born with the charisma of a leader and was intelligent enough. The several upheavals that shook the elven race this winter successfully established Carlo's position as the future Elf King.
The curtain was lifted, revealing the face of the blond elven boy. His eyes first scanned around Finney, and when he didn't find the figure he was expecting, his eyes darkened. However, that expression was fleeting, and he resumed the indifferent expression that Bishop Finney usually wore.
From the perspective of humans, the elves are simply arrogant.
Upon reaching Bishop Finney, Finney bowed his head to greet the Holy One. The two of them exchanged some pleasantries, and then a priest led the Elven carriage to its designated parking spot. Finney then led Carlo into the interior of the Papacy.
The fact that Finney is here makes traveling to the Papacy much easier.
On the other hand, Carlo proposed to be trained to join the church.
Because of his experiences of wandering for more than a decade, Carlo had only gone to church with his adoptive parents, but he had not joined the church. His adoptive parents said that a despicable person like him was not worthy of being illuminated by the Pope's holy light.
He had long suspected that even if he went to the Papacy, he might not be able to meet that person, so he proposed to be trained and join the church.
As the new king of the elves, he... will he appear too?
Following Finney through the bustling church and into the inner area of the Papacy, Carlo's heart pounded. There were also many priests passing by, as well as people in ordinary clothes, whose identities he couldn't tell.
"Are those... elves?" The blond boy peered over the wall and saw two elves walking along the path, followed by a large group of elves and priests. They were all mixed together, and there were quite a few of them.
Next to him, also clinging to the wall, was Astor, but this man had a significant height advantage, and could quietly observe the surroundings simply by placing a stool under his feet.
Upon hearing this, he stared wide-eyed at the group of people and exclaimed, "These are the elves described in the books!"
His voice was so loud that it successfully drew the attention of the mixed group of elves and priests.
Carlo frowned slightly as he looked over and saw a boy who was about the same age as him, with hair color that was even too similar to his own – a dazzling gold.
The boy looked at him curiously, his gaze pure and unadulterated.
Finney also noticed the two heads and explained to the Holy One, "That's Arnold, who's temporarily residing in the Grand Vatican. He's the hero Lord Orlando mentioned to you. The person next to him is his party member, who will likely be a student of the dwarven master craftsman Bishop Fekris in the future."
These matters were no secret among the archbishops. Fekris had already decided to take the big guy as a student and had even made the negotiations. Astor was also very happy.
His Holiness the Pope had also mentioned to him privately that Saint Carlo would be joining the Hero Squad.
Finney was somewhat puzzled, but he immediately responded respectfully.
Veris could easily see the doubt in his eyes, and explained, "Don't worry, there are benefits to following Arnold. There's a high chance that we can get rid of that human body on him."
This was a tremendous opportunity. After reviewing the information about the curse on Carlo, Finney became worried. Although what Clark said was harsh, it made sense. His kin were not very bright, and it was hard to guarantee that they wouldn't be discovered one day, causing the descendants of the saints to suffer criticism.
Finney couldn't stand a speck of dust, but if the elf he had already acknowledged already had this flaw, then he would never allow it to be exposed.
Hearing Finney's words, Carlo looked away, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "I understand."
The group left in a grand procession. Arnold jumped off the wall and stood on the ground. Astor was a little embarrassed; he had been too loud and had immediately attracted attention.
Allen happened to come in from the other side of the door and saw his two companions. He said, "We'd better go early tomorrow. I heard there will be a lot of people this time. If everyone comes in through the main gate, it will definitely cause a traffic jam."
Arnold had no objections, but instead looked behind Allen and asked, "Where's Murphy? Didn't he go out with you?"
“Bishop Copperfield called him away.”
Having stayed at the Papacy for some time, they encountered archbishops quite often on the road. The archbishops knew that this group of teenagers was a team of heroes, and they would stop to say a few words to them.
After Copperfield discovered that Murphy had the talent of a ninth-tier mage, he would pretend to bump into Murphy every now and then.
Then, with a kind smile, he asked Murphy what kind of magic he was learning recently. He said that most magic books could be borrowed from the library of the High Holy See, and he could help bring them if needed, saving him some complicated procedures.
However, Murphy remained neither humble nor arrogant in the face of Copperfield's special treatment, and his attitude was limited to the politeness one would show to an elder.
He wasn't surprised when Copperfield called him away today.
Even after obtaining his student certificate from the magic academy, he still signed up for the entrance trial. Given the dean of the magic academy and Copperfield's attitude during this period, he was probably advising him not to get involved in this mess.
He silently followed the pastor to a grand hall that was both excessively ornate and solemn.
The pastor stopped at the door and asked him to go in by himself.
He also saw several cardinals standing in twos and threes at the entrance, discussing something in hushed tones.
The exterior of the hall was decorated with vibrant flowers and fresh leaves. He glanced at it and found it a bit strange, but he still stepped into the hall.
What caught his eye, or rather, what he immediately locked onto, was the young man standing on a slightly higher platform at the far end of the hall.
Even though his hair color has changed, his handsome face is still etched in people's hearts and can never be forgotten.
He was talking to a dark-haired young man next to him, and while they were talking about something, he smiled and pinched the man's cheek.
There were other archbishops in the hall, as well as priests busy moving things.
The future king of the Elven race was undergoing training and joining the church. In the past, Veris would certainly have attended and presided over the ceremony. However, he had already established a Holy Son, and in his eyes, Sylvain was no different from himself.
So the host became Sylvain, who only needed to sit on top and act as the mascot.
The priests brought in their belongings, which separated the platform from the pope. They also planned to lower the curtains to completely block anyone else's view of the pope.
Veris pinched that handsome face and smiled as he told Sylvain that he would take him out for a stroll later.
Sylvain gently patted his hand down and said helplessly, "I don't have time. After I finish here, I still have to go and check the magic array in the secret realm."
"Alright then, today is a day off, don't work too late." Veris withdrew his hand with a hint of regret, and feeling that it was about time, he turned and walked towards the back of the hall.
He was going to change into his heavy papal robes.
Sylvain looked away and saw Murphy standing not far away. Copperfield waved to the boy, and Murphy walked over to Copperfield's side.
Murphy's talent is such that he is destined to be one of the five great wizards in the future, and Copperfield clearly regards Murphy as his successor.
Another chubby figure walked in through the door.
The archbishop's formal attire was much more ornate, and Garcia, being a lover of luxury, had a ring of jewels wrapped around his belly. The buttons of his bishop's robe were taut, and he had even applied a reconstruction magic circle to those buttons.
The purpose is to prevent the buttons from popping open.
He looked around, found his spot, and stood down. The hall was almost fully furnished, and even the curtain for the Pope's seat had been drawn.
"Hey, where's my Clark?" But he quickly noticed a problem and turned to look at Copperfield, who was talking to Murphy next to him.
“You’re disgusting,” Copperfield first rebuked the prince, then pointed to the opposite side of Garcia. “He asked to switch places with Hilda, and he’ll probably come over with her soon, right?”
Garcia was incredulous, feeling like the pitiful victim whose best friend had been stolen away, both angry and heartbroken: "That old bastard Hilda dared to steal my girlfriend!"
After sitting down one seat, Granva said quietly, "So it's a love triangle."
Garcia pretended not to hear.
He then turned to Uther next door and struck up a conversation: "Good morning, Your Excellency Uther."
The young man, whose thick bangs covered half his face, remained expressionless: "It's afternoon now, Lord Garcia."
Garcia glanced at the open space behind Uther, grinned, and turned around, only to find the white-eyed boy standing behind Copperfield.
"Are you making him stand here just because he's your student?"
Copperfield knew exactly what he meant and sneered, "Then stand behind you?"
"That's fine too. Come on, child. My stature is so magnificent that I can surely shelter you from the wind and rain."
The position behind the archbishop is reserved for the successor. Garcia once stood in that position, but such occasions are too rare. He only stood there once, and when he got into an argument with the person next to him, he was caught by Veris and made to stand at the door as punishment for the entire time.
The child was so angry that he cried. Veris found it hard to imagine that a thirty-year-old man would argue with a teenager.
Garcia was Veris's student. He just randomly picked someone to stand behind as an archbishop. He certainly didn't stand behind the pope, much less the Son of God.
Recalling this incident, Garcia smiled again, and when he glanced at someone out of the corner of his eye, his smile widened.
The one who was made to cry by him has arrived.
Rivelen wore archbishop's robes similar to the others, but the insignia on his chest was slightly different, indicating that he was an apothecary.
Behind him followed a shyly smiling boy, dressed very formally. The teacher and student stood opposite Garcia.
As soon as Riveren stood still, he noticed Garcia grinning at him from across the room: "..."
What's gotten into this guy now?
"Hahahaha, I'm not late, am I?" Another laugh rang out, successfully silencing the archbishops who were still talking.
Sylvain, who was proofreading the scriptures for errors, raised his head when he heard that familiar laughter.
A man dressed in a magnificent robe, covered in glittering gold hair, swaggered in.
The other archbishops wore strange expressions, and for a moment most of their gazes fell on Garcia.
Copperfield stared at Garcia with his mouth agape: "Wow—"
Garcia: "..."
"What are you 'wow' about? I don't know either!"
Lortheran kept his eyes straight ahead, his strides were not small, and his attire, which resembled that of a suddenly rich man, inexplicably exuded a sense of nobility, but even more so, an air of authority.
He stepped onto the carpet, ignoring the strange looks from the other archbishops, and walked straight up to Sylvain, grinning as he asked, "Where should I stand?"
Sylvain hesitated for a moment. Veris hadn't told him that Lortheran would be coming, and everyone else's seats were already arranged. It wouldn't be appropriate to ask anyone to vacate their seat.
"Wait a moment," he said.
As soon as he finished speaking, he remembered that the Papacy originally had twelve bishops, but only eleven were appointed in this generation, which meant that there should have been twelve seats in the hall.
The position of the Holy Son has always existed, but it has been vacant for many years.
Just as he was considering whether to ask Lortheran to take the position of the twelfth archbishop, Veris arrived.
Lortheran stepped to the side, lifted the curtain to cover his head, and said to Veris, "Where should I stand?"
The young man standing behind the curtain wore a crown studded with jewels and an elaborate robe. He held a scepter symbolizing papal power in his hand. His forehead twitched as he watched Lortheran's disgraceful actions.
"How about I hang you on the ceiling?"
Lortheran: "?"
While waiting, Clark and Hilda entered the hall and stared in disbelief at the people hanging from the ceiling.
Sylvain put down the scriptures in his hand and turned to look at Veris inside the curtain: "Let's put him down." If the elves see him, they'll probably overthink things.
Viristo stroked his chin: "Go get it yourself."
In the end, Lortheran still stood in the position of the twelfth archbishop, and his mouth was unsealed.
A strange man, who looked to be around forty years old, was standing next to them. He hadn't witnessed what had happened in the restaurant earlier and curiously whispered to Lortheran, "You're the new archbishop? I've never heard of you."
"I am not the archbishop, I want to be the king," Lortheran said, sounding like a madman.
The archbishop nodded: "Could you cancel the tax on purchases from the Papacy?"
Lortheran looked wary: "Don't even think about it. Do you think the national treasury is very rich?"
He stood at the very back, next to only a stranger, an archbishop. The archbishop didn't recognize him, but he did.
Ophelia was equivalent to the Minister of Finance of the Papacy, responsible for the finances of the Papacy and the dioceses of the Kingdom of Lortheran.
Another archbishop in charge of the finances of the eleventh district of the Kingdom of Lor'theran, as well as dealings with the Lor'theran royal family, was named Hilda.
The two have similar jobs and often help each other with their work. They are also the two busiest archbishops. Their abilities may not be the best, but they are very capable. Veris also pays them the highest salaries.
Lortheran secretly observed that these two men earned more per month than the Queen.
Ophelia always had dark circles under her eyes, looking like she hadn't slept well. She accepted Lortheran's inexplicable words quite well, and even responded to them.
Standing next to Ophelia was a silent woman.
Her eyes also had dark circles, and she even smelled of something burnt.
After Ophelia finished speaking with Lortheran, she turned to another colleague who seemed to have drifted away from her soul and said, "Your Excellency Barbara, you look like you haven't rested for many days."
“Ophelia, if your magical artifact, which you spent forging for forty-six days, explodes at the last step, you will suffer the same fate as me.” Barbara’s calm words were tinged with despair.
"Then please don't die so soon."
Barbara: "Thank you, you too."
Lortheran: "?"
Are these people crazy?
Finally, a commotion arose outside, and soon, Finney walked into the hall.
He saw a figure behind the curtain, leaning on a cane with one hand, and silently breathed a sigh of relief; at least His Highness the Holy Descendant wouldn't be disappointed.
The process of training and conversion to a religion is very long. The king of a tribe must join a religion, and the gods worshipped in this religion are different from the ancestral gods claimed by the tribe. The procedures required are even more complicated.
The Elf King's oath of allegiance to the Orlando Church is equivalent to all elves adhering to it.
They completely abandoned their claim to be descendants of the Earth God and no longer worshipped the Earth God.
Lortheran had never seen anything like this before, which is why he insisted on coming to join in the fun. Veris, who had already seen and even approved of it, found it quite boring.
If Ambrose hadn't been imprisoned in this land, he would have had Sylvain do it for him.
Ambrose could definitely sense the erosion of the Elven faith, and with that in mind, Veris forced himself to stay alert.
The ceremony was presided over by Sylvain. If he had no memory of the past, he might have been nervous, especially since Veris was sitting in the back watching.
But standing here is an evil god with tens of thousands of years of memories.
He held the thick scripture in his hands, reciting word by word the doctrines that had been continuously enriched over the long years. Carlo, the holy descendant of the elves, stood below the platform, with eleven archbishops standing solemnly on either side. Behind the archbishops stood their successors. The hall was decorated with flowers and leaves that the elves loved. Sylvain's calm voice echoed in the hall.
The figure behind the curtain was also listening quietly.
The ceremony lasted nearly two hours. Lortheran was initially enthusiastic, but later became numb, wondering why he had come to join in the fun.
Wasn't it tiring enough for you to host those long and tedious ceremonies when you were still alive?
Finally, Veris said a few polite words, and the ceremony was considered to be mostly over.
Because Finney was going to take Carlo to church to pray later.
After saying those words, Veris announced the ceremony was complete and then eagerly got up and left.
Sylvain closed the book in his hand and finished reading the initial scriptures and doctrines. The archbishops were then able to sit down, and they did not rush to leave after the Pope left.
He looked at Lortheran, who was sitting in the seat furthest away from him, and Lortheran happened to look up and meet his gaze.
Without a doubt, that look must be from his old friend.
The late king, adorned in gold and silver, had no choice but to get up and walk over.
Meanwhile, Finney took Carlo to see Copperfield. Carlo was planning to enroll in the magic academy the next day, and he definitely needed to make an impression on the academy's dean, Copperfield.
Hilda, Barbara, and Ophelia, who were sitting in front of Lortheran, lay down on their chairs and closed their eyes to catch up on sleep after Veris announced the end of the ceremony.
The other archbishops also gathered together for a rare chat, mainly discussing the entrance trials.
As Lortheran walked through the central aisle and was about to reach Sylvain, Uther, who was standing beside him, suddenly spoke up: "Your Holiness, is this the new Archbishop?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it immediately silenced the hall—though Hilda's snoring could still be heard.
The other archbishops were also sizing up the man who had once been unilaterally pulled and tugged by Garcia.
Sylvan turned his head to look at Uther, who also raised his head, his eyes, hidden under his thick bangs, staring straight at Sylvan.
From the way Lortheran entered the hall, to his audacity in lifting the Pope's curtain, and finally being hung from the ceiling by the Pope, everything revealed that this person's relationship with the Pope was extraordinary.
Lortheran winked at Sylvain. After all, they were former companions. Although he was sometimes a bit intimidated by Sylvain, now that the two friends had made up, he naturally felt fearless.
The bishops who had been staying at the Papacy for some time naturally knew that this guy was a specially appointed astrologer of the Papacy, although they had never heard of this title before. For the other bishops who had only recently returned to the Papacy, this person was completely unfamiliar.
There was also a bishop who was oblivious to what was happening around him and didn't understand this person either.
Sylvain paused, then turned to look at Lortheran: "Did he say he wanted you to be a bishop?"
Lortheran looked completely bewildered: "Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you know better?"
Sylvain nodded, then looked at Uther again: "He is not the new archbishop."
He had important business with Lortheran, and after replying to Uther, he told Lortheran, "He wants you to participate in tomorrow's Secret Realm Trial."
The hall remained silent until Copperfield was the first to raise a question: "Doesn't he fit the profile?"
Besides, isn't this person an astrologer? Wouldn't he be killed with a single punch if he encountered a warrior? Although ninth-level astrologers may not necessarily live to old age, they are still very precious.
Sylvain shook his head: "He is not an adventurer."
After saying that, he packed up his things and prepared to leave. The inspection of the magic array in the secret realm was not yet finished, and if he was delayed like this, he would probably be busy until dark.
Lortheran, who remained where he was, frowned, his mind racing.
After receiving Sylvain's reply, Uther glanced at Lortheran and then turned and left.
As Lortheran was still pondering, a figure approached. He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look, only to see the dwarven archbishop, Fekris.
The dwarf looked at him with some suspicion. He had been so busy joining in the fun at the restaurant that day that he hadn't really taken a good look at Lortheran.
But now, the man's face came into view, and it only bore a five-tenths resemblance to the portrait in the clan's collection, but with his expression, it was a perfect ten-tenths.
In addition, I had previously heard from Garcia that this person's name was Lortheran.
Felix suddenly lowered his voice: "Your Majesty?"
When the foreign tribes entered the capital and bowed to the new king, the dwarves were among them, kneeling in the first row, trembling and bowing their heads, not daring to look directly at the face of the great king who unified the continent.
Lortheran raised an eyebrow at the dwarf who had lived for who knows how many years.
His face still held that smirking grin: "You're Nardes' grandson, aren't you?"
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Author's note: See you tomorrow! [hugs]
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