Chapter 133 Crisis
In the theology professor's office, everyone stared at the intricately patterned warrant. It was written with ink stained with gold powder and entwined with circles, which seemed to be in line with the usual flashy style of the Glorious Church.
Although it was an accountability order, the wording was polite, promising that Mr. Nova and his entourage would be allowed to walk or rest freely on the way to the Cathedral of Light in the Constant Diocese, and if necessary, any priest should provide them with a safe guide.
"You're not allowed to go."
Dels Rabelais scowled as he slammed the letter of accountability on his desk. "Cardinal Dante Matthews, who is in charge of the Diocese of Constantia, is my student. I'd like to write a letter and ask him what they're up to. Bypassing the Oakenselle Academy and ordering the professors of White Tower University around like slaves?!"
Nova: "Actually, I—"
The old man immediately blew his beard and glared: "No! Do you dare to take even a single step out of Baita Town?!"
Nova: “…”
He huddled silently in his chair, watching the teacher rush out in a hurry.
"Dante Matthews, one of the five cardinals."
The professor blinked and looked at the savior beside him. The savior picked up the accountability order and smiled at him. "He was also the next Pope after Mariono Sablic, and he was also killed by you."
This is a pope who can be considered unlucky even in the history of the world.
Following the death of His Holiness Mariono Sablic, the new Pope took office in a hurry. However, just five days after his coronation, he was placed under house arrest in the Cathedral of Light in the Diocese of Constantia by the inexplicable tyrant in front of him, and was secretly executed a month later.
The professor, whose past life achievements were suddenly revealed, said: "..."
He slowly frowned. "It seems the destruction of the seminary and the teacher's suicide in my previous life were inextricably linked to this cardinal."
Azuka looked at him gently and said softly, "Are you going to go and accept the appointment?"
"They didn't want me to go," the professor replied coldly. "Because three days is too short. I had to set off immediately after receiving the news, and the journey must be unimpeded in order to make it. A single delay by the customs officials could easily cause me to miss my appointment—and the excuse is readily available: the riots caused by the Inquisition Association forced them to strengthen the identity checks on those passing through."
Nova sneered softly, "This seemingly polite and considerate accountability order is precisely to prove the sincerity of the Holy See. It's my arrogance and disrespect that immediately accuses me of disrespecting the gods."
As for the expensive teleportation scroll? It is well known that the professors at Baita University are very poor.
"Under the current circumstances, this charge sounds a bit far-fetched," Azuka frowned. "It can't be just for the sake of disgusting people."
After all, he had done such heinous things as beheading priests and judging gods. He would not be worried about having too many lice, so why would he be afraid of such a small crime?
"Of course not. This unnecessary embarrassment is just a veiled threat. Whether I go or not, or whether I arrive early or late, the outcome will be the same." The professor gave him an approving look. This guy was quick to grasp the situation. "The key point is that 'Dustless Light' Pavaton Miller's devastating defeat in Black County has given Dante Matthews hope. He craves a feat that will completely eclipse Pavaton Miller's. So, what is the Vatican's greatest crisis right now? The answer is clear: he wants to attack the White Tower University Seminary."
"As a fellow student of the Prophet, he knew his teacher's character. He was highly professional and sentimental, but he disliked and wasn't good at power struggles." Speaking of this "senior brother" in a sense, the black-haired young man's eyes grew cold. "Only if my life were in danger would the teacher be willing to abandon his near-retirement and return to the stage."
The once highly respected "prophet" still has to give him some favors even now by many powerful figures - but if one wants to use up the favor, it will inevitably mean that the other party can no longer remain immune and will be dragged into the vortex of power struggle until they are destroyed along with the seminary.
As expected, Dante Matthews' reply was full of apologies, claiming that this was not what he wanted, and that he believed that no matter what mistakes occurred in the arrangement of the "Divine History", the seminary should not have the intention of disrespecting God.
In addition, the cardinal considerately expressed his willingness to do his utmost to delay the accountability of the seminary editors, but at the same time, he kept hinting that his ability was limited because His Holiness the Pope was also extremely dissatisfied with the content of the "Divine History".
The reason is very simple. In the first chapter, the editor pointed out that the whereabouts of Zephyr, the God of Light and Glory, "before and after he became a god" were basically consistent with the war trajectory of the third son of King Gubalento. Based on the arguments of several reliable historical materials and cultural relics, the editor believes that it can be basically concluded that the God of Light and Glory is actually this third prince who is good at fighting.
But this prince was actually the illegitimate son of the Queen of Ancient Brunto and a male slave of lowly and dirty descent - this was neither bright nor glorious.
The royal court remained on the sidelines for the time being, as these secular nobles were only too happy to see the Vatican suffer a setback. The royal family did, however, issue a few mild protests, demanding the seminary ensure fairness and impartiality—after all, Cassius II held the title of "God's Favored One."
However, it seems that the struggle between various forces is still at a stalemate, and the Holy See seems to be far less powerful and terrifying than imagined. The vast majority of scholars in various fields of academia have begun to support the correctness of "Divine History" and have set off a large-scale reflection movement involving various angles of the entire society. The promotion of a number of advanced newspapers such as "Limin Bao" has also enabled it to successfully penetrate into the civilian population.
Why was the former "human" identity necessarily a humiliation to the "gods"? This only proves that humans are not lowly, and are definitely not foolish creatures who can only rely on the guidance of the "gods".
——Since gods were once human beings, then the God of Light is not omnipotent. This has led to the emergence of the priests of the Glorious Church who call themselves "preachers of God" but are extremely greedy and corrupt.
This also caused a major shock among sorcerers and warriors: a shocking idea was quietly fermenting: if "God" was really once human, then is it possible for them to become God?
But Owl had no time to rejoice. The pressure brought on by the Church's fury must have been immense. He began to disappear from view all day long. Gibson Wyatt also rarely appeared on campus. When students occasionally saw him, his face was pale and his plump face had become visibly thinner.
Soon, the other theologians in the seminary who participated in the compilation of "Divine History" also received accountability orders from the Vatican, in addition to protests from various temples large and small.
These scholars were repeatedly and almost humiliatingly summoned to a nearby church for accountability. Nova's colleague, Professor Oswin, could not withstand the pressure and went there. He was then harshly and condescendingly interrogated by the priests for nearly five hours, including various personal attacks and humiliations. They also used threats and inducements to force the scholars to admit that the historical materials were wrong, or to put the blame on the editor of the first chapter. However, perhaps because he was afraid of the Okensele Society, he finally returned safely.
After receiving the news, Nova immediately went to visit Professor Oswin. He thought that this colleague who was innocently implicated by him would have some resentment towards him as the culprit, but the other party did not seem to have any intention of blaming him.
"Whether it's due to the constraints of the Fate Covenant or your character, these writings are absolutely not the blasphemous academic fraud and nonsense that the Vatican's people are accusing you of." The somewhat unremarkable colleague who had once misreported his "death" patted him on the shoulder. "Every theologian has long been aware of the need to sacrifice everything for justice and truth. You and I are no exception. So there's no need to feel guilty about this."
"You're still young." He shrugged, chuckling casually. "Just ask the old guys in our academy. Every time a 'History of Gods' is released, it's always a bloody affair. The Vatican and the major temples clash, and even extremist believers spit and throw garbage at us on the streets. This time will be no exception."
Nova looked at him in silence—no, this time was definitely different from before. He didn't say much, simply asking him to pay attention to his personal safety and requesting Shadow Chaser to provide him with enhanced personal protection after he left.
Orel wanted to curse at this. There were not many Shadow Chasers who could come to White Tower Town. The consequence of having multiple jobs was that they were too busy to do anything. This guy really made the best use of his resources and would not stop until he had fleeced all the wool - but his brothers seemed to be enjoying it. No one knew what the Tyrant and Daniga had said, but they always left with an ambitious look.
But this foresight was ultimately no match for the enemy's unbridled brutality. Professor Oswin received a letter from his hometown, but fainted as soon as he opened it.
Inside was a small, still-dead head wrapped in blood-stained clothes. It belonged to his son.
At the same time, Nova received an urgent message from his cousin Percy Brody, in which the other party told him with great guilt that his mother was attacked by unidentified people in the Brody mansion in Ironthorn County. Fortunately, Percy, who discovered that the protective spell had been triggered, arrived in time, and Mrs. Brody was just frightened - but the old maid, Mrs. Maggie, left the range of the protective spell without authorization to protect the mistress and unfortunately died.
"The attacker committed suicide upon realizing he was about to be apprehended," the other party wrote worriedly in the letter. "Brother, I've heard about what happened at the Baita University Theological Seminary. You're in great danger now. Would you like to come to my side? I'll definitely protect you."
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