“Cardinal, this situation is truly unfortunate.”
“…I have no excuse. Everything is my fault.”
The second-in-command of the Luminous Kingdom, Cardinal Benelian Lior, knelt on the ground, his voice heavy with sorrow.
One word from a Cardinal holds the power to intimidate even the mighty, yet here was a top-ranking figure humbling himself before the Pope of the Luminous Church, Argo Servinus. If other clergy members were to witness this, they would surely be left in shock.
However, extraordinary events do occur when conditions are met. For instance, if the location is a place unseen by other clergy, and the person standing before the Cardinal is none other than Pope Argo Servinus.
It wasn’t impossible for the second-in-command of the Church to be kneeling in such a situation.
“Is it a mistake to trust my subordinate’s report? You did not overlook verification, and I understand the circumstances that led to this.”
“…I am merely sorry.”
Benelian’s eyes burned with fury, betraying his sorrowful words. Though he begged for forgiveness, his gaze directed at the floor displayed nothing but rage.
‘That damned vampire bitch.’
He ground his teeth quietly, making sure the Pope couldn’t see.
The incident had originated from a piece of news included in a victory report from Albresia. More urgent than the successful capture of the long-sought, nearly impossible-to-conquer stronghold of Albresia was the shocking revelation that the Progenitor of Vampires might still be alive.
Naturally, the Luminous Kingdom’s Palace was thrown into chaos the moment they received this news.
Until three years ago, the Progenitor of Vampires had been the mastermind wreaking havoc not just in the Kingdom but across the entire continent.
From the prison break to the formation of the allied forces and the war against the Sahelrn Duchy, everything had been executed to capture that one vampire.
The fear that had spread throughout the continent was barely quelled thanks to Cardinal Benelian Lior’s claim that he had successfully assassinated the Progenitor, despite the absence of a body as evidence. This was largely due to the credibility of the operation he led personally.
A Cardinal of the Church held that level of authority.
However, for Benelian Lior, a reversal of such a significant declaration meant a loss of standing and a drop in trust that was unavoidable.
‘Those parasitic bastards of the Sahelrn Duchy. How long will they keep dragging us down?’
Benelian felt a sense of injustice. The Inquisition he had assigned to Knight Plona Moonlight had sent reports of the Progenitor’s execution, and although it was across the crystal ball, they even verified the body.
Of course, Benelian hadn’t confirmed the Progenitor’s death with just that. Transporting the Progenitor’s body from the Elf’s forest to the Kingdom had been practically impossible, and the state of decay was severe, so he ordered the retrieval of the Progenitor’s heart instead.
However, the Inquisitor who reported back lost his life during a suspected assault by vampires from the Sahelrn Duchy on his way back.
At that point, all Benelian could do was check the belongings of the deceased Inquisitor and the scene of death. The investigation revealed a strong reaction from what appeared to be fragments of the Progenitor’s heart, leading Benelian to conclude that the heart was likely stolen by the Sahelrn Duchy.
After that, he declared the case closed.
He could say he arrived at the best conclusion after several cautious considerations given the situation. Who could have imagined that the footage seen through the crystal ball was an illusion, given the precautions he took against measuring spirit levels?
Before stepping onto the battlefield three years ago, the Duke of Sahelrn, Stella Banteker, had had zero official overseas activities for centuries, making it nearly impossible to predict and judge the situation considering the Kingdom’s intelligence capabilities.
No one, not even the Cardinal, could have known that such extreme dark magic could pull off something like that.
Benelian Lior had undoubtedly made the best choice possible given the information at hand. No one else would have achieved a better result in his situation.
“I know it wasn’t within your control, but regretfully, anxious believers are unlikely to see it that way. What a pity. Truly a regrettable matter.”
But the important fact wasn’t whether he had done his best.
As he nodded gently at the Pope with that gentle tone, Benelian ground his teeth inwardly.
“Regret, my ass, you sly serpent.”
Pope Argo Servinus appeared kind and benevolent, but those who knew better—his fellow Cardinals—were well aware that there was more beneath the surface.
He was a man who had survived the labyrinthine intrigues of the church hierarchy to rise to the top. In light of such a significant incident occurring, a simple statement of regret wouldn’t be enough to brush it aside.
As the operation’s leader, Benelian had to somehow make amends for this failure, and if he failed to do so, it would be a fatal blow to his ambitions for the next Papal seat.
“So I wish to give the Cardinal, who contributes to humanity’s peace, a chance to quell the confusion personally. What do you think?”
“I would be more than happy to do so.”
There it is. As expected.
The Pope himself stood Benelian up from his kneeling position. He even brushed off the dust clinging to Benelian’s clothing before continuing.
“It is likely the Progenitor is still alive. It would be foolish to think that after our relentless pursuit, the Progenitor has simply gone off to die somewhere alone. Given the circumstances, the involvement of the Sahelrn Duchy is also highly likely.”
“Indeed.”
At least on the surface, the answer was impeccable and the Pope smiled. He finally put aside the formalities and got to the crux of the matter.
“Thus, I believe it’s time to completely eliminate the Sahelrn Duchy. Therefore, I wish to have you negotiate with the Empire to once again form an allied force and grant you the opportunity to achieve the Progenitor’s defeat, which we were unable to accomplish three years ago. How does that sound?”
‘So that’s it.’
Benelian cursed silently.
It was one thing to say it was an opportunity to achieve the Progenitor’s defeat; it really meant he would be going there just to be humiliated by the damned Empire.
The Greysia Empire wasn’t a bunch of fools either, and they certainly wouldn’t refuse to form an allied force over such a significant issue, but it was crystal clear how difficult that process would be.
They’d be quite keen to take advantage of this situation, shaking their fists while he played the scapegoat, negotiating and bowing down to them.
“I can only express my gratitude for the opportunity to make amends.”
“Isn’t it all thanks to Lord Luminous?”
“Thanks be to Lord Luminous.”
The two clergymen solemnly brought their hands together and bowed their heads lightly.
Have they been like that for about thirty seconds? When the Pope relaxed first, Benelian also lifted his head.
Even as his insides bubbled with anger, his outward demeanor was utterly restrained, truly befitting a Cardinal.
“What shall be the schedule?”
“From the looks of it, the Progenitor likely realized we’re aware of their existence. If the Progenitor has completely allied with the Sahelrn Duchy, things will become extremely troublesome. We must hurry and not spare any troops or supplies. We gained sufficient funds from the capture of Albresia, so let’s toss around cash without thinking. This time, we must obliterate the Duchy no matter what.”
“I’ll carry out your orders.”
Finally, the long reprimand disguised as conversation came to an end, and Benelian Lior hastily left the room.
The moment the Cardinal exited and the door shut, no one witnessed the kind smile completely vanish from the Pope’s face within that room.
*
“Stella Banteker has returned.”
“It’s been over three years. You’ve had a hard time.”
In the Sahelrn Duchy, the reunion between Martini and Stella was quite simple.
Three years wasn’t a long time for a vampire.
In fact, it had been some time since the end of the bloodline war where Stella had been away from the Duchy, but if it was necessary for her to be away like this, it wouldn’t be considered a long duration.
However, there was another reason behind their simple reunion this time.
“Given your return, you must be aware of the situation. As you’ve probably heard, things are not looking good.”
“What’s the movement of the humans?”
“They are gathering forces near the borders day by day. It wouldn’t be surprising if a war broke out in just four days.”
“…Is it that serious.”
Stella furrowed her brow slightly.
This was unexpected.
Though it was within the realm of expectation that humans, fearing for the return of the Progenitor to the vampire ranks, would wage war against the Duchy again, she had assumed they would at least have a month’s grace period before making a move.
In that sense, this quickened pace was evidently suspicious.
“It seems they’ve made their decision. The Luminous Kingdom is proceeding with an operation without any regard for face-saving. Moreover, both the Luminous Kingdom and the Bertica Kingdom are pouring resources into the conflict, having just devoured the Elves. They seem fully intent on an ending blow.”
Martini’s expression couldn’t be described as bright, even in jest.
Seeing Martini’s serious demeanor—a rare sight for someone who usually never loses confidence—Stella realized that the situation was worse than she had anticipated.
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