Chapter 293 Shameless
Inside the royal city, the remaining cardinals of the Radiant Church gathered in the meeting hall of the Amacadio Cathedral. Besides the gilded papal throne, upholstered in white velvet and adorned with a seven-fold crown, five massive, heavy chairs stood on a floor adorned with delicate golden lilies. Five massive shadows stretched behind the cardinals, merging with the shadows in the corners beyond the crystal chandelier's reach.
As the sun sank into the west, the vibrant colors cast through the stained glass onto the stone gradually faded, leaving only a mottled dark red, like a stain of dried blood. One of the chairs lay empty; it had belonged to the deceased Cardinal Dante Matthews. The other four cardinals' eyes would occasionally meet the silent, coffin-like chair, then drift away with a tacit understanding.
As the bells rang, His Holiness Mariono Sablic, the current Pope of the Glorious Church of the Silver Iris Empire, appeared on the throne. All the cardinals rose in unison and bowed to His Holiness.
"May the light be with you and me," the old Pope responded.
The old man's cough was particularly piercing in the silent hall. He seemed even thinner than their last meeting. Even wrapped in layers of luxurious and intricate papal robes, he still resembled a dying white candle. Only the golden crown atop his head and his somewhat cloudy eyes still gleamed with unquestionable authority.
The Pope grasped the scepter with his bony fingers, and the base of the scepter struck the floor tiles, creating a hollow, distant echo. His voice echoed through the hall, as if coming from afar: "Your Excellency, Cardinals, we gather here because the Church of the Radiant Light is in dire straits, besieged by heretics."
"Rather than calling them heretics, they're more like a group of demons and a large number of fools bewitched by them," Cardinal Viterbo said with disgust. He was in charge of the finances of the Glorious Church. "The Okensele Society has betrayed the promise it made before Saint Bartolomeo. We must launch a Holy Inquisition to remind these traitors of the price they will pay for tarnishing the name of our God!"
"Deploying an Inquisition alone won't reverse the situation," retorted Cardinal Valerian, another cardinal in charge of the Vatican's missionary affairs. "Those bewitched by the Society are obsessed with sacrificing themselves for 'truth.' Throwing those scholars directly into the Inquisition will only bolster the Society's reputation and make the Vatican appear weak and insecure. Are we destined for a repeat of the White Tower University's failure?"
A low murmur echoed in the hall. When the topic of White Tower University came up, the cardinals' gazes inevitably slid towards Pavardon Miller. Suppressing a riot organized by a frail university professor and a group of unarmed students had indirectly resulted in the death of two cardinals, one and the injury of another.
A few insiders knew that this was due to the "divine power." However, those who were not aware of the situation inevitably began to question the Pope's excessive favor and trust in this "Dustless Light."
Pavaton Miller remained silent. He was only in his thirties and stood out among the elderly people with white hair and wrinkles.
The Pope coughed violently again. He waved his hand, and a white-robed priest quietly stepped forward and handed him a cup of tea. The old man took a slow sip, his Adam's apple rolling beneath his loose skin, and the whispers below gradually subsided.
"Viterbo, your loyalty to our God is admirable," the old man said slowly. "And you, Valerian, your caution is also not without reason."
"Pavaton, my child." The Pope suddenly looked in the direction of Pavaton Miller.
"You've dealt with the chief ghost of the People's Party." The old man's voice was steady, but if you looked closely, you could tell he was almost emotionless. "According to reliable information, Owl intends to train him as the next president of the Oakensale Society. What do you think he will do next? And what should we do?"
The cardinals exchanged glances of astonishment. How old was that young man? He hadn't even joined the Okansele Society. Even if his abilities were exceptional, why would Owl hand over the academy to such an outsider, a young boy, instead of one of their own?
Ignoring the strange looks from his colleagues, Pavardon Miller stepped forward respectfully and said in a deep voice, "Ghost is very good at taking advantage of situations and deceiving people. I'm afraid he will choose to make a big deal out of this defeat."
"As for us..." Pawanton Miller's words suddenly stopped, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his handsome face. He was silent for a moment, then shook his head and smiled wryly, "I'm a man of limited talent, so I'd appreciate your guidance, colleagues."
The old Pope nodded slightly and slowly looked away. The other cardinals exchanged calm glances – this young colleague had surprisingly not taken the opportunity to show off in front of the Pope. They had hoped to use this opportunity to rip him off, but they were left with nothing to say and had to look for another opportunity.
After all the cardinals had left the meeting room, the Pope suddenly called out to Pavaton Miller and asked him to stay alone.
"Pavaton, hesitating isn't like you." The old Pope looked at the "Dustless Light" with a loving gaze. "I know you've already made up your mind. What made you give up on being honest before my God?"
A look of emotion gradually emerged on Pavaton Miller's face: "Your Majesty..."
"You've been in a difficult situation lately, and you've had to be cautious. I know that, and I understand." The old man sighed. "But since there are no outsiders here, you can speak frankly."
The young cardinal seemed completely moved by him. He was silent for a moment, then bowed respectfully to the Pope. "Your Majesty, what I am about to say comes from the heart, but if it is disrespectful or offensive..."
The Pope nodded: "I will never blame you."
"Your Majesty, according to the heretical theories proposed by the Okunsele Society and Ghost, whether it's 'God is human' or 'Humanity can become God,' they ultimately question the power of our God," Pavaton Miller said solemnly. "But if we ask our God to appear before the public and perform miracles, I'm sure all these rumors will be instantly shattered."
Although it's unknown why the new god refuses to reveal his name publicly, the mere appearance of the God of Light will signal to everyone that Zephyr, the God of Light and Glory, is still alive and well, and that the Church of Radiance still has the divine backing. Those with ulterior motives throughout the empire must reconsider their courage to attack a living god and oppose the Church, which is protected by a living god.
The chamber fell into a breathless silence.
Pavaton Miller remained bowed respectfully, and did not move until the Pope asked him to stand up.
Normally speaking, God cannot be invited whenever one wants. Generally, a grand descent ceremony is only held when the Pope changes and the new Pope holds a succession ceremony. The God of Light personally appears to appoint the next Pope.
As everyone knows, the Pope of the Glorious Church serves for life. Only when the old Pope dies will a new Pope be chosen. The last succession ceremony was over fifty years ago - this is no different from cursing the current Pope Marionno Sablic to a swift death.
After a long pause, the Pope waved his hand, signaling the Cardinal to stand. He also slowly stood up, supporting himself with his scepter, and walked over to Pavaton Miller. He patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "...My son, you've given me a difficult problem."
"That's why I don't want to mention it in front of everyone, Your Majesty. I'd rather find another way." Pavaton Miller said with a wry smile, a hint of restrained sadness in his eyes. "I think I should first try to listen to the will of my god, and then make a plan."
Ever since the God of Light had last severely punished him for "disrespecting the gods," he hadn't spoken to him for a long time. Pavardon Miller didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, nor did he know if it had anything to do with the mysterious new god.
But he still didn't show anything on the surface, showing the reserve and confidence of a favorite of the gods who possessed the divine seal.
The old pope didn't show much emotion, waving his hand as he signaled him to leave. Pavaton Miller respectfully left the chamber until it was completely empty. Only then did the genuine emotion tinged with sadness and anxiety on his face vanish without a trace, leaving only a cold indifference.
He returned to his residence, lost in thought. After locking the door again, he occasionally caught a glimpse of the shadow on the sofa from the corner of his eye, and the cardinal suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Pavaton Miller's pupils shrank violently, and he almost took action on the spot - until he saw the extremely familiar smoky gray eyes, he barely suppressed the instinct to fight back, stood there quietly and quickly searched around, and then he saw the figure of the blond god behind the uninvited guest.
The Cardinal thought expressionlessly, a familiar frustration. He'd finally managed to coax away the God of Light, who could easily crush him, and dealt with the old Pope, who was more cunning than a fox, but now he had to deal with two upgraded versions of him.
Troublesome One lazily occupied his sofa, legs crossed arrogantly, flipping through the internal Vatican documents he had left on the table, showing none of the proper manners a guest should have. Thinking of this person's shameless face asking him for money, Pavard Miller began to feel a slight stomachache.
Troublesome Thing No. 2 stood elegantly behind the black-haired young man, like a loyal knight, or a terrifying monster that could devour anyone at any time.
"The Vatican's defenses are even more lax than I thought." The black-haired young man said without raising his head, and shook the document in his hand nonchalantly.
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