Soudouki Chapter 181

Chapter 181   The Pope’s True Intent

Europa Religion’s pope territory was a small country with a small  territory that was sized less than 8000 square kilometers. Its size was  only the size of a small prefecture.

Its population was also small. If believers from the countries all  over the continent didn’t come to there for pilgrimage, most likely it  would only be populated by tens of thousands of people.

The holy city Soldividian was occupying nearly half of that small  area. Located at the innermost location of that city was the cathedral  that was also a fortress, Ocsitania.

The pope left behind his main force in that fortress and waited here with only dozens of knights accompanying him.

Although this was inside the territory of Soldividian, the number of soldiers he brought with him was just too few.

――That was exactly why, Baldr and Shue assumed that the pope knew  that he wouldn’t be killed here――in other words he was aware of the past  legend.

「I’m relieved, the pope is more rational than I expected.」

Shue smiled and nodded, but Baldr didn’t trust the pope as much as her.

「I hope that’s the case.」

In the end how much the pope knew about the truth? And what kind of  choice would he make based on what he knew? The answer for those  questions was right before them.

「I believe you are his majesty the king of Trystovy?」

「Indeed. I ask you to ask his grace a question for me. Just as  mentioned the other day, the princess of Kadiros kingdom, her highness  Shue will also attend the meeting, is that fine?」

「Yes. I have been notified about that by his grace.」

An old knight who was most likely very high ranked even among the  religion’s holy knights replied dispassionately without even faltering  or showing hatred at the slightest on the surface despite being in the  presence of Baldr.

But it seemed the other knights at the surrounding couldn’t maintain a mind as open and calm as the old knight.

They couldn’t completely hide their hostility toward Baldr who was an  enemy of their faith. They were looking for an opening that they would  definitely take if it could allow them to kill him with certainty in  this place.

「Then you can show us the way.」

Even though he was being surrounded by the holy knights of Europa  Religion in the enemy territory, Baldr was acting majestically as though  he was paying no mind to all of them.

Baldr’s overly majestic attitude caused one of the holy knights to mumble as though to spit out.

「…..This damn usurper-!」

The mumbling was small, but that voice unexpectedly reached until far away. Of course it also entered Baldr’s ears.

「It seems there is also a misguided fellow here who is lacking in faith.」

「…………What does your majesty mean by that?」

「Even the pope is bending knee to negotiate with me in order to  protect the faith and the believers, and yet there is someone here who  think that it’s fine even if he makes that effort of the pope to end up  in vain.」

The man who seemed to be the knight commander hurriedly kneeled and bowed his head hearing Baldr’s words.

「I shall take responsibility about the misguided fellow and punish him later. That’s why I beg your majesty to be merciful.」

「Don’t forget. There is no reason for me to stop the war, it’s none other than the church that has the need for it.」

「As your majesty say.」

The dissatisfied knight kneeled with all his might before three other knights led him to a waiting room further inside.

The experienced veteran knight understood that they had no martial  might to stop Baldr, and that it was impossible for them to win against  the allied army if a battle really broke out.

Of course he had the resolve to die as a martyr, but he didn’t wish  for the church to be destroyed by any means. If the church could be  saved with peace then there would be nothing better than that.

But it seemed the knights who could understand that were in the minority.

The man were given gazes of scorn in no small amount from his colleagues.

「――What are you all doing?」

「This is……your grace archbishop.」

「None of you have done anything impolite to his majesty haven’t you?」

A top executive of the church, Archbishop Marben was frowning in irritation toward the knights.

As expected even the holy knights lowered their heads in shame when faced with that.

The archbishop was like an existence who lived above the cloud for  them. When such person was showing respect toward Baldr, someone with  lower status like them had to follow along. That was only natural in  their organization’s hierarchy.

Even so that didn’t mean they could go as far as erasing their  animosity. The knights could just barely hide their dissatisfaction  inside their chest and suppressed their hostility toward Baldr.

「My apologize for all the troubles your majesty experienced. I hope  your majesty can understand that they don’t represent our actual  feeling.」

「No, it’s not a big deal. ――I simply consider it as proof of their admirable faith.」

The knights bit their lip knowing that Baldr was ridiculing them, but they didn’t try to do anything hostile to him openly.

Because doing that in the presence of an archbishop would go against their way of life as the church’s knight.

「His grace the pope is waiting. Please come this way.」

「I’m greatly obliged that the archbishop is personally showing us the way.」

Baldr calmly followed behind the archbishop. It went without saying that the knights were seeing him off with all their hatred.

Shue shrugged awkwardly.

The hatred of the knights and the callous aura that Baldr was clad  in, they were in no small part an extension of the history that she took  part in. That fact was painful for her. Baldr’s atmosphere that was  like a sharp blade without any gentleness was especially resounding in  her heart unexpectedly.

(It was me who made him be like this.)

Most likely Baldr had resolved himself to live alone in a world where Sanai and Masaharu would be gone.

Of course, Baldr had subordinates who he could trust. He also had wives who he loved.

But Sanai and Masaharu were the only people who he could literally  called as his other halves. They were people who he had spent the  majority of his life with.

Shue was unable to understand the depth of his loneliness, but that  was exactly why Shue could only feel pained in her chest because she  couldn’t understand the pain in Baldr’s heart.

「His grace is waiting here.」

The archbishop personally led them to the room where the pope and the  king would meet. It was a plain looking room with size around ten-odd  square meters. The place seemed unbefitting for the momentous meeting  that would be held here.

Other than a tapestry of Europa religion’s symbol, there was no other conspicuous decoration inside the room.

But this facility was originally a defense facility of Soldividian.  Considering that it was a military facility, perhaps this state was only  natural.

「It’s an honor to meet you, your grace.」

「――Welcome to our Soldividian, your majesty.」

First as the younger one Baldr lowered his head, then the pope  generously accepted the greeting. Seeing that the church didn’t invite  the allied army to here, it couldn’t be helped that the greeting sounded  sarcastic.

The pope’s expression was composed and full with dignity that didn’t show any weakness.

As the supreme leader of the church, Baldr was aware that the pope  wasn’t incompetent by any means. Still, to be honest the pope’s reaction  didn’t make him happy.

Taking down Soldividian would need a lot of sacrifice, but it wouldn’t be that hard of an undertaking.

The problem was the holy relic and the information of the legend that only the pope knew about.

If the pope was someone who was obsessed with clinging on his  position, the negotiation would be easy, but the pope before him was  clearly wasn’t a type of person who was drowning in earthly desire.

――There was no way for Baldr to know this, but in the past the pope  was a man who was possessed with greater greed for influence than  anybody.

He made use of his friends, kicked down his rivals, and won his current position as pope by playing schemes over schemes.

Even so, the man’s faith wasn’t just a counterfeit that he could stay  unchanging even after being put in front of the dark truth that the  church held. That was all there was to it.

「Let’s not talk while standing. Is there anything that your majesty wish to drink?」

「No need to trouble yourself with that.」

「Fumu, I have prepared a good wine for this occasion though.」

Seeing the pope himself sitting on a luxuriously created arm chair,  Bald also sat down on a sofa calmly. Shue sat down beside Baldr while  looking awkward.

「Now then, let’s hear what is your majesty’s business with us today. I  don’t think that your majesty has awakened to the faith of Europa at  this late hour.」

「In a sense it’s just like what your grace said.」

Baldr didn’t have the slightest interest toward a creed that was  under the guidance of Europa religion, but the objective behind the  creation of that creed was important.

「If your majesty wish to be baptized than we too shall happily accept it though?」

「Allow me to refrain from that. Clinging on a god who I don’t even believe in goes against my creed.」

「Your majesty is free to choose in what to believe, but it will be better to not think of it as the norm.」

Baldr sensed the sincerity in the pope’s words and nodded.

Human needed something to support their heart. Baldr didn’t deny that religion was playing an important part in that.

Although that was only as long as it was within the tolerable limit of Baldr’s own belief and his country’s interest.

It seemed Shue couldn’t endure the roundabout probing of the two any longer. She interrupted between the two.

「――I am the princess of Kadiros Kingdom, Shue. I ask your grace to please allow me to utter my opinion in this place.」

「Fumu, it should be the national policy of Kadiros Kingdom to stay in  isolation, so I wonder what kind of reason there is that caused your  highness’s country to be in opposition of the church?」

「I, my country isn’t in opposition of the church!」

「Then with what your highness shall proof your country’s neutrality?」

「If it’s necessary than I shall sign a contract――」

「Let’s not go any further than that.」

Baldr interrupted the conversation between Shue and the pope.

「I don’t know about Kadiros Kingdom itself, but Princess Shue here is  without a doubt my ally. It will be troubling if your grace expects  neutrality from her.」

「Your majesty! That’s-!」

「It will be troubling if you get held back in a neutral position when  we are in the opposition against the church’s interest even though we  have the same objective.」

After being told that Shue finally realized that apparently she was dancing on the palm of the pope’s hand.

She looked noticeably meeker after that. Setting her aside, Baldr started talking to the pope.

「Our demand is only one, the handing down of all the holy relics in  the church’s possession. As long as you accept this one demand, I shall  guarantee the continuing existence and freedom of missionary work in all  the territories of our alliance. Of course, this freedom will only  apply as long as no law is violated.」

「And if we refuse?」

「We will take down this Soldividian, obliterate the church, and search for the relics from under the rubbles.」

「Is that alright? You might lose the sealed orb in that case you know?」

「Tsk, so you know just as I thought.」

Baldr frowned as though he had bitten something sour. In contrast to  him Shue’s expression brightened, but this problem wasn’t something that  simple.

「T-then! Your grace is aware of the ancient legend just as I thought!」

Shue was honestly happy that her inference was right.

If the tear in the dimension boundary wasn’t repaired, this world  itself might possibly be destroyed. If the pope could understand that  danger, then there was no way he wouldn’t help them.

It was a completely correct expectation that Shue’s logic formed, but  Baldr calculated that it was fifty-fifty whether the pope would really  respond like that or not.

In the first place, if the pope really had the correct understanding,  then the church should have asked for negotiation in earlier stage than  this.

But this pope(man)in front of him was far away from that correct understnading. Baldr’s instinct was telling him that.

「So the legend is also remaining in Kadiros Kingdom.」

「Yes-! Our country was founded by the descendant of the ancient great  magician Zoras-sama’s disciple Meira. Most likely the founder of the  church was――」

「The descendant of Ratash, is that what you wish to day? Good grief, what a needless thing that you did.」

The pope let out a long sigh. Shue was bewildered by that reaction  that went against her expectation, while Baldr was knitting his eyebrows  that his prediction came true.

「I learned of the dark history of the church that if only passed down  from pope to pope――I wished I didn’t learn it. It’s not something that  should be known. You two won’t understand just how much I cursed fate.」

「That’s a complain that is unbefitting for the pope.」

「Well, allow me to do that much. This is my first time grumbling  about this since I ascended to the position of pope. After all this is a  grumbling that I wasn’t permitted to say to anyone.」

After spitting out that grumble, the pope gulped down vintage red win in his glass in one gulp with bad manner.

「You two, feel free to drink too. This isn’t really something to talk about while sober.」

「So that’s your true face huh.」

「I was born as the third son of a poor scholar and sent to be  apprentice in the church when I was four years old like an abandoned  child. I didn’t hesitate to do anything if it was for the sake of  climbing up. That’s the kind of man I am at heart.」

Shue’s eyes opened wide in bewilderment at the confession of the man  who held a position that should be revered as sacred. She never even  dreamed that the other side would address them this candidly.

「――I sold my superior, kicked down my colleague, used money and woman  in order to occupy this deeply revered seat. I had zero intention of  going back to that poor and wretched livelihood. For that reason I  didn’t even hesitate to turn my back on god’s teaching but……」

Yes, he wasn’t an exemplary believer. Far from that, he was a man who  was closer to be an apostate. If he was to be judged in front of the  god of Europa, he would be definitely given the punishment of falling  into hell.

「But even then, I believed in god. I only thought that I wouldn’t be  able to be successfully by simply following god’s teaching. I didn’t  doubt that I would be judged as a sinner by god if I die.」

The world was unreasonable and the common people were poor. Bloodline  and connection meant everything to be successful. A honest person  living with all their might would only be found starving to death  tomorrow. That was reality.

It was impossible to rise to the top by relying on salvation from  faith. From the beginning he had no leeway to be picky with his method.

But even in such situation, that didn’t mean that he could accept that god didn’t exist.

It was exactly because there was god that he could walk the path of  immorality while making excuse to himself. If god didn’t exist, then  even immoralities would stop being evil, unreasonableness would stop  being unreasonabless. He absolutely refused to live in such world.

「――You said that Europa religion was created for the sake of sealing and maintaining the dimensional boundary?」

The pope’s eyes were wet with tears when he muttered that.

「Such thing can’t possibly be true. It must not be true!」

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