The new Pope? Isaac was shocked by the term, but even more so by the name that followed.

“Juan?”

Known for his sharp business acumen, or in harsher terms, his greed for money. The priest who constantly funneled money into the order, yet simultaneously wielded the authority of the church to extort funds, was the name Isaac heard. At that moment, Isaac decided he must intervene, no matter what.

“A new Pope? Is His Holiness the current Pope unwell? I heard he was quite healthy.”

Isaac feigned ignorance of Waltzemer’s intentions and asked.

In truth, Pope Horma was healthy enough to personally lead the Dawn Army. Even if he were sickly, openly discussing a ‘new Pope’ was considered blasphemous. Moreover, the person Waltzemer was speaking to was ostensibly a Paladin of the Codex of Light.

“Of course not. His Holiness the Pope is in good health. He’s been boasting about leading the Dawn Army himself.”

Waltzemer spoke with a mocking smile. To the emperor, who had faced countless battlefields and hellscapes, the Pope’s words seemed like the naive utterances of someone who viewed war as a playground for gaining honor.

“But if His Holiness were to go to the battlefield, an ‘unfortunate event’ might occur. In that case, there should be a prepared candidate to quickly manage the chaos.”

Waltzemer spoke as if that ‘unfortunate event’ was certain to happen.

Upon hearing this grand conspiracy right after returning, Isaac felt certain he was back in the kingdom of Elil.

This was the kind of story unimaginable in Elil.

Unlike the emperor, the papal system had no successor. If the Pope’s seat became vacant, one of the bishops would be elected by the cardinals’ vote. Of course, a cardinal could also run, but it was a rare occurrence.

If the emperor supported a papal candidate, they might receive significant support within the order.

Isaac finally realized the emperor’s scheme.

It was not only the order that fueled the Dawn Army’s frenzy. The emperor likely either ignored it or turned a blind eye. The order would be swept up in religious fanaticism, causing the Pope to act.

Then, when the ‘unfortunate event’ left the Holy See vacant, a new Pope would be enthroned. Once the new Pope took office through legitimate procedures, the order would obey his commands. Thus, the emperor could seize control of the order without betraying it.

Isaac saw this as a high-stakes gamble by the emperor.

The problem was that the odds did not seem low at all.

Enough to gamble the fate of the empire.

***

“…But Juan?”

“Is there no other priest? Surely the order has more suitable candidates.”

“I thought you were close with Bishop Juan Liard. Apparently not?”

Waltzemer asked in surprise, but Isaac had nothing to say.

In fact, it was Juan who had actively recommended Isaac as a candidate for sainthood, defended him against heresy charges, and enthusiastically promoted him as the saint of resurrection (with gold).

Isaac had also pretended to diligently follow Juan’s teachings, so it would seem he supported Juan.

“Come to think of it, Juan becoming Pope isn’t entirely bad. But Juan…”

The priest who seemed more familiar with ledgers than scriptures, and gold coins than rosaries, becoming Pope?

Isaac still felt uneasy.

“One reason I considered Juan is that he listens to the ‘people’ and holds authority comparable to that of a cardinal. Moreover, he has a considerable faction within the order, supported by many priests. Not many priests with such influence have received the ‘Wings of Radiance’.”

With his enormous wealth, Juan could easily buy off many priests. Ultimately, it was the cardinals who elected the Pope, so if Juan could buy his own vote and two others, it wasn’t impossible.

Realizing that the chances weren’t entirely hopeless, Isaac quickly thought.

“A corrupt, money-hungry priest vs. a fanatic priest who drives believers to war. Both are despairing.”

However, Isaac began to lean towards Juan. It was significant that Juan supported him, but more importantly, Juan was a pragmatist.

Compared to a fanatic willing to sacrifice their life for vague concepts of the afterlife, a greedy person who wouldn’t hesitate to run for an extra gold coin seemed more suitable for Isaac.

And Juan would be easier to subtly manipulate.

“There never was a choice.”

There might be upright and devout priests like Abbot Evhar, but the papal position could not be separated from secular politics and diplomacy. Just as the emperor was trying to replace the Pope now.

Juan, with his faction, wealth, and firm convictions… or whatever, seemed a better choice.

Once Isaac decided Juan was the better option, it was time to consider the feasibility.

“Do you think His Holiness, blessed with numerous miracles, would fall so easily to heretics?”

This was a warning that a hasty attempt could lead to the empire fracturing just before the war.

The best option was the Immortal Order, but it had to at least appear as another order’s doing. However, the miracles of the Codex of Light were powerful. The Pope could even perform resurrection miracles.

“That’s not necessarily the case.”

Waltzemer smiled.

“It’s better to discuss this in detail later. For now, it’s enough to know that in case of an unfortunate event, you support Juan.”

Isaac closed his mouth.

Waltzemer had brought up the question to see Isaac’s reaction to his ‘blasphemous suggestion.’

He wanted to know whether Isaac would side with him or the order.

But it was a risky gamble. Isaac had shown the emperor that he wasn’t a blindly devout Paladin, and the emperor had revealed his own irreverence.

“Aren’t you worried that I might run to the church and report Your Majesty’s lack of faith?”

“Why? Didn’t you tell me that the affairs of the earth should be decided by the people of the earth? Those words inspired me deeply.”

Isaac was at a loss for words. He wanted to tell this middle-aged man not to be swayed by the words of a Holy Grail Knight who was not even twenty yet.

However, Waltzemer’s words aligned with Isaac’s own thoughts. He, too, believed that a corrupt priest was better than a fanatical one, which is why he had decided to support Juan.

Even looking at the higher-ups of the order, they didn’t appear particularly virtuous. It was obvious what the Pope would be like if the lower ranks were any indication.

And yet, the angels did nothing to punish the higher-ups of such a corrupt order.

As evidenced by the events during the Treaty of Licht, they only intervened when the entire order was on the brink of collapse.

The teachings and morals left in the Codex of Light were only remnants from angels and saints.

The Codex of Light merely protected a rigid order.

***

Isaac realized that the conflict between the emperor and the pope was serious, but nothing changed immediately.

In fact, all he confirmed was that what had been a vague emotional conflict had moved into the practical planning stage.

Waltzemer and Isaac had merely tested each other’s intentions. This could all end up fizzling out, and there was no concrete basis for it to develop into something more immediate.

Thus, even if one of them betrayed the other, the chances of it affecting them were slim.

Despite the chaotic situation, Isaac couldn’t help but admire the strength and stability of the empire, which could still muster the Dawn Army.

“But if the emperor is sharpening his knife against the pope, the pope must be planning something against the emperor too…”

The empire’s strength ultimately stemmed from the solid order built over a long time by the Codex of Light. The pope wouldn’t be taken down easily.

The Inquisition was just as formidable as the Imperial Knights.

“Yes, let them fight it out. I’ll support the side that seems likely to listen to me.”

Isaac was confident he could sway the outcome, as long as the angels didn’t intervene.

Besides his own martial prowess, he had the support of the Salt Council and the symbol of being the great warrior of Elil.

With connections to the Sword of May, Isaac held a significant influence in this conflict.

As soon as the meeting ended, Dietrich came to see Isaac. He, too, was curious about Isaac’s thoughts and judgments.

Isaac sighed and said, “I heard about it beforehand, but I didn’t think they were this serious…”

They spoke carefully, omitting subjects, in case anyone was listening.

“His Majesty has always been ambitious since he was young. Ambition is a virtue for an emperor. No matter how capable someone is, without ambition, they are incompetent and will be overtaken by someone more ambitious.”

Dietrich’s words made Isaac think of those who had opposed Emperor Waltzemer, especially his brothers. They were used as a cautionary tale against pride, symbolized by the emperor’s divine manifestation.

No sane person would fight someone with antlers that emitted light.

“I’m curious about the circumstances when His Majesty ascended to the throne. Was he as proactive in his ambitions back then?”

If there was a similar situation, it would be the civil war within the empire. Back then, too, a civil war over the throne occurred just as the 12th Dawn Army was about to mobilize, much like the current situation.

Dietrich, with a bitter smile, began to recount, “In fact, before ascending to the throne, His Majesty was the weakest of the seven princes. He was the youngest, and even his build was small. Until he manifested his divine form, no one saw him as a competitor.”

This was news to Isaac. He couldn’t imagine Waltzemer as a young child.

“But unlike me, who was from a collateral branch, the royal family was ruthless. From a young age, Waltz was caught in numerous assassination attempts. Despite three of his brothers dying, he survived. His succession rank rose gradually, but few thought he would become emperor, myself included.”

Dietrich paused, as if recalling the past, staring distantly at Wulfenheim.

“Then one day, a massive fire broke out at his residence. It was a fire so large that it consumed his few possessions, his maternal family, and even his servants. I witnessed that fire. It was like the mansion itself was burning like kindling. And I can still vividly remember Waltz walking out of the fire, his antlers glowing above his head.”

“Did he manifest his divine form during that fire?”

“Yes. It was later revealed that the servants of the second prince caused the fire. The battle for succession became public from that moment. Until then, the first and second princes had been fiercely competing, but suddenly a supernova fell from the sky.”

“But the brothers chose to fight rather than submit to the divine authority.”

“A divine form is merely a tool bestowed by the gods upon humans. Overcoming trials with that tool is up to the individual. If the Codex of Light intended to enforce its will directly, it would have simply struck down other successors with lightning.”

That would be the simpler and easier way.

But the Codex of Light preferred subtle demonstrations of power.

There could be many reasons, but Isaac believed it was to avoid showing the limits of their divine power. If they failed after showing clear intent, it would reveal their limits. But if they failed despite receiving a divine form, it could be blamed on individual lack of effort.

This meant that even if Waltzemer was killed by his brothers, the gods would not intervene. Thus, Waltzemer faced the trial of his brothers head-on, while his brothers faced the trial of his divine form.

…This was the public knowledge.

However, Isaac had learned the secrets of the sword’s energy through Elil.

The gods did not want humans to come close to their exclusive powers. Thus, Waltzemer’s desires, yearnings, and efforts might have been so suppressed that they manifested as a divine form.

Considering Waltzemer’s constant defiance against the order, this seemed plausible.

“As soon as I heard that Waltz had manifested a divine form, I sought permission from my father and visited him with Delia Lyon. We talked all night and by dawn, I swore allegiance. The Brant family committed to making Waltzemer the emperor with all our might.”

–TL Notes–