Chapter 258. The Vatican (1)

The name Eden, it was said, came from the paradise described in the scriptures. As the heart of all faith and the city every follower of the Light longed to visit at least once in their life, it didn't strike Caron as odd that such a name had been given to this place.

"Welcome to the Vatican," Elijah said, the sanctimonious saint smiling with feigned warmth.

"Quite extravagant for a place that claims to serve the will of the Light. Not what I expected," Caron commented.

"In what way, may I ask?" Elijah inquired politely.

"Well," said Caron dryly, "Your motto is something like

'

Serve the faithful in accordance with the will of the Light,' right? Maybe instead of building this marble palace, you could've handed out a few more loaves of bread to the starving."

He paused, then added with a smirk, "Ah, but saying things like that might get me dragged off by the Inquisition, huh? Should I watch my mouth?"

A nearby paladin bristled with outrage. "How dare you speak to the Saint that way!"

"Sir Dominic. It's all right," Elijah said, raising a hand to calm the paladin while still wearing that gentle mask. He turned back to Caron and continued, "I hope you'll forgive him, Warrior. Sir Dominic is the elder brother of Sir Hapiel."

"Who's Hapiel? Oh! You mean that guy I turned into a cripple?" Caron asked.

Of course he remembered. That bright young knight had once been hailed as the south's greatest talent. Caron had crushed the man's divine power conduit with a single blow. All in self-defense, of course.

At the time, the Holy Kingdom's troops had tried to forcibly arrest Caron and his group—and had drawn their swords while doing so. Caron had no intention of apologizing for what followed.

"You wanna draw your sword too, like your little brother?" Caron sneered.

But Elijah stepped between them with a placating gesture, then said, "This is your first visit to the Vatican, Warrior. Let's not allow any unpleasantness to tarnish the occasion. I'll apologize on Sir Dominic's behalf."

"What are you really thinking?" Caron asked, narrowing his eyes.

Letting them into the Vatican so easily—that alone was suspicious. He had half expected resistance. If they had refused entry, he could have used it to stir up unrest among the people. That was disappointing for him.

Caron couldn't figure out what was going through Elijah's mind. Part of him wanted to torture Elijah into confessing, but there were too many eyes watching.

"I'm simply considering the future of the Holy Kingdom," Elijah said with serenity.

At that moment, Seria stepped forward and said, "Saint Elijah."

"Ah, welcome, Grand Saintess Seria," Elijah replied, bowing slightly.

"Please let us meet His Holiness," Seria said.

"Of course. His Holiness is currently in his office. Sir Dominic, please guide them," Elijah replied.

"Yes, Saint," Dominic replied stiffly.

As Dominic stepped forward, Elijah turned to Caron and said, "Preparations for your investiture as the Warrior are underway. In the meantime, perhaps you would enjoy a brief audience with His Holiness."

Caron's eyes gleamed as he replied, "You know I'm planning to cut off your head first thing once I become Warrior, right? Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Elijah simply smiled—a mysterious, unreadable curve of the lips. He said, "If that is the will of the Light, I will accept it with humility."

"So you've got something up your sleeve," Caron said.

He wondered what secret cards that fanatic was hiding. Although he didn't know the answer yet, the meeting with the Pope came first.

He spat casually at Elijah's feet, then turned to his companions and said, "Let's go see His Holiness."

Securing the Pope came before anything else. If things turned south, they would escape the Vatican with him in tow. And Caron had every confidence he could pull it off.

"To formally become the Warrior, you must first pass a trial of verification," Elijah said quietly. "It will not be easy, so I suggest you prepare yourself."

"Verification?" Caron echoed, frowning as he glanced at Seria. "That was never mentioned."

"Saint Elijah, I do not understand either," Seria said with visible offense. "I was the one who named him Warrior. What need is there for a verification process?"

"Grand Saintess, please understand—this is an unprecedented case. A non-believer being named the Warrior has never happened before. It is only natural that a unique verification process be required," Elijah explained.

"You're defying the will of the Light—" Seria began, but was cut off.

"Let me ask you one thing," Elijah interrupted. "Does the scripture forbid verifying a Warrior?"

"Saint Elijah!" Seria cried.

"This matter has already been passed through the Council of Cardinals," Elijah said calmly. "As per sacred law, when a majority of the cardinals agree, a decision may be carried out without His Holiness' approval."

This was a complication no one had anticipated. Clearly, the so-called "verification" was just a cover for whatever scheme the Order of Truth had prepared. In truth, it was nothing more than theatre. Most of the cardinals had already been either bought or blackmailed by the Order.

Seria's face flushed red with anger, but before she could speak, Caron raised a hand to stop her.

"Let it go, Saintess," Caron said quietly.

"But Caron, this is unjust—" Seria began.

"They'll soon find out that desperation won't save them. So trust me, and let it play out," Caron interrupted.

Caron wanted them to fight to the bitter end—because only then would their despair be complete. With that in mind, he looked Elijah straight in the eye and lightly patted him on the shoulder, then said, "Let's see what you've got."

Honestly, Caron was starting to look forward to it. He hoped these fanatics had something truly entertaining in store. No matter what they tried, he would be the one to crush it—just as they most wanted to cry.

With a satisfied nod, Caron turned to Sir Dominic, grinning. "Well then, dear guide of the Vatican, shall we?"

He had the gall to treat a respected paladin like a common tour guide, but Dominic didn't so much as twitch.

"...I will escort you to His Holiness's office," Dominic said, voice low and controlled.

Leaving Elijah behind, the group started walking toward the Pope. And with that, a precarious tension began to seep into the peaceful halls of the Vatican.

***

Dominic led Caron and his group to the Pope's office without a word of complaint.

The building was enormous, adorned with pristine white statues. According to Seria, this was the central palace—the place where the Pope spent most of his time.

As they walked down the long corridor and stepped into the office, they came face to face with an elderly man dressed in snow-white robes, his hair equally pale. This was Pope Eurino II, the man who had ruled the Holy Kingdom for nearly thirty years.

Most people imagined a pope to be a gentle, smiling figure that radiated warmth, but Pope Eurino II shattered that notion completely.

"Hey, Caron," Leo whispered.

"Yeah?" Caron replied.

"Does this kingdom elect its pope through fistfights or something? He just looks so... How do I say this..." Leo trailed off.

"Like he punches hard?" Caron suggested with a grin.

"Yes, exactly," Leo said.

They had heard Eurino was close friends with Archbishop Mitas. The moment Caron laid eyes on the Pope, he understood why. It all made sense now.

"I'm relieved to see you safe, Seria," Pope Eurino said with quiet strength.

"Your Holiness," Seria replied, bowing respectfully.

"I had faith you would return," Eurino added.

A sense of pure, sacred energy radiated from him—rivaling, perhaps even exceeding, Seria's own. But physically, Pope Eurino dwarfed her. He was at least two heads taller than Caron and had fists the size of iron pot lids. Perhaps even a giant such as Utula would think twice before crossing him.

"I knew the Light would choose you. That was always your fate," Eurino said.

"Have you been well, Your Holiness?" Seria asked gently.

"I'm fine. Those cowards wouldn't dare lay a hand on me," Eurino answered.

There was a dominating aura about him, born of decades at the helm of the Holy Kingdom. He carried not just holy power, but the undeniable weight of a ruler.

"He won't be easy to deal with,"

Guillotine said in Caron's mind.

No kidding,

Caron thought.

Guillotine's expression was correct. Despite Pope Eurino's fierce, warlike appearance, his eyes held a fathomless calm. Caron had learned through experience—people like this were the most dangerous.

"I heard you stirred up quite the storm," Pope Eurino said with a chuckle. "It's not like you, Seria, to cause such commotion. It seems you've matured quite a bit after seeing the world outside the kingdom. I like it."

After offering Seria a warm smile, he slowly turned his gaze to Caron and said,"Of course, she didn't orchestrate all this alone. That must've been you."

"You're quite perceptive, Your Holiness. It's an honor to meet you. I am Caron of the Ducal Family of Leston," Caron said.

"I've heard much about you. You crippled Sir Hapiel, didn't you?" Eurino asked.

"I'm a little hurt you've only heard the bad stories," Caron replied with a smirk.

Even in the presence of overwhelming authority, Caron remained unfazed. Pope Eurino seemed to enjoy that.

"You crippled one of the Holy Kingdom's paladins. Not much room for praise there," Eurino said.

"Well, the citizens cheered when they heard I was the Warrior," Caron replied.

"These are troubled times. The people are desperate for hope. You were clever enough to offer it to them," Eurino explained.

"Just lucky, I guess," Caron said.

"No, it's a sign. The Light has guided you here. And those behind you—are they your comrades?" Eurino asked.

At his question, Leon and Leo stepped forward and bowed.

"I am Leon of the Ducal Family of Leston," Leon said.

"I am Leo of the Ducal Family of Leston," Leo added..

"So the golden generation of the Leston family has come to visit," Pope Eurino said warmly. "If the kingdom weren't in such chaos, we'd have thrown a grand welcoming ceremony. I hope you understand."

"Golden generation?" Caron echoed as he raised a brow.

"You didn't know?" Pope Eurino chuckled. "Outside the empire, many refer to you that way."

It was an embarrassing title. Still, Caron figured it made sense—they had made quite the name for themselves beyond the empire. And it wasn't unpleasant to hear his cousins being acknowledged too.

"We still have a long way to go," Caron said.

"You're more modest than I thought—" Eurino began, but was cut off.

"If you knew how much trouble my cousins are, you'd be shocked. I've been raising the two of them by myself," Caron interrupted.

"What an amusing young man. Come, let's sit and talk," Eurino said.

At Pope Eurino's invitation, Caron and his group sat down.

Seria immediately turned to Pope Eurino and said, "Your Holiness. Saint Elijah intends to subject Caron to a verification trial. Did he have your permission?"

A bitter expression crossed Pope Eurino's face as he shook his head, then answered, "Of course not. That was the cardinals acting on their own."

"Archbishop Mitas is doing his best to sway the others. Is it not enough? If Your Holiness were to intervene directly..." Seria trailed off.

Pope Eurino sighed softly and answered in a low voice, "If it were up to me, I'd rip out their throats right now. They're twisting the scriptures to suit their own ends. They've taken over the Inquisition and are eliminating anyone who opposes them."

Eurino's voice trembled with a deep, seething anger.

Caron glanced down at the tea Pope Eurino had served him. Steam rose gently from the cup, the warmth coiling upward like a sigh. Perhaps it was because he had just dealt with Elijah, but for some reason, he found himself craving something cold instead.

"Leo," he said casually, "Can you chill this for me?"

"Sure," Leo replied with a nod.

Leo had learned to wield Rigor's cold aura, and now, with a soft sound, a wave of frost spread from his fingertips and embraced Caron's cup. The tea quickly cooled. Without hesitation, Caron brought it to his lips and drained it in one go.

"Phew," Caron exhaled, letting the chill seep deeply into his body. The thirst that had been gnawing at him subsided slightly. He set the cup down on the table with a light clink and turned toward Pope Eurino.

"So why are you just sitting back and doing nothing?" Caron asked bluntly.

In the Holy Kingdom, the Pope's authority was absolute. He was the First Apostle, the supreme head of all cardinals, and the one entrusted by the Light to govern the faithful.

There was no shortage of titles to describe Pope Eurino—titles that endowed him with power far beyond that of any earthly monarch. Caron wondered how these bastards had managed to neutralize such a person.

But he didn't have to wonder for long. Pope Eurino answered plainly, "They've planted explosives throughout the entire Holy Capital. They're holding the lives of countless faithful as hostages."

"...Wow," Caron muttered.

"It's the same situation in most of the major cities outside the capital," Pope Eurino added gravely.

Now that was madness.

Only now did Caron truly understand why Pope Eurino had yielded his power so helplessly.

"At that level, even the demons would back off for a moment," Caron said. "So what were you doing while they were preparing something this insane?"

The question came out sharp and scathing. Disrespectful, even. But Pope Eurino accepted it without complaint.

"I trusted Elijah," he said bitterly. "I believed he would strengthen the Holy Kingdom and purify it. That's why I handed him control of the Inquisition. That was my mistake. He used that position to blind me—to block off my eyes and ears. And this... This is the result."

The Inquisition was an extrajudicial body capable of judging even the clergy. In the end, this coup had succeeded thanks to that very institution.

"Blinding the opponent's eyes and ears first—that's a coup strategy. We're professionals, so we know these things," Caron remarked.

"I have a request," Pope Eurino said. "And I hope you'll at least hear me out."

He offered Caron a small, bitter smile, then said in a quieter tone, "There's a monster in the Vatican you don't know about. Even you would struggle to handle her. I want you to take Seria and leave the Holy Kingdom. There are still paladins who remain loyal to me. They'll help you escape."

At that, Seria's voice trembled as she asked, "Is Dame Uriel... on their side?"

"Yes," Pope Eurino confirmed. "Your guess is correct."

"...But why? I can't understand..." Seria said.

Caron didn't recognize the name Uriel, but judging from Seria's reaction, this person was no ordinary threat.

Still, he wasn't the type to back down. He said, "If the opponent's that strong, the bill might get a little bigger. Are you alright with that?"

The stage had already been set beautifully. Walking away from a setup like this would be nothing short of foolish.

"When it comes to coups," Caron said, "You can trust us completely. We just pulled off a pretty big one in the empire not long ago."

He leaned back in his chair, relaxing into its embrace, and added with a calm, confident voice, "Have you ever heard the saying, 'He who's staged a coup before does one best,' Your Holiness?"

"...Can't say I have," Eurino answered.

"Of course not. I just made it up right now," Caron said.

There were variables in play, sure. But he could live with this kind of unpredictability. He had never expected things to go smoothly from the start.

Which was why Caron now smiled and bared his teeth like a wolf about to strike.

"Dame Uriel, was it? I'd like to hear more about her," he said.