"The Popeʼs successor will die if he goes to the Principality of Vadoka?"
At Zekeʼs words, Bacchus nodded.
"Thatʼs right. The current situation in the Principality of Vadoka is quite complicated."
Zeke was also aware that among the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom, some had turned to the Empireʼs side.
Cardinal Verdi, who had led the children of Rubern into Death Valley in search of the Holy Grail, was one of those who had defected to the Empire.
Bacchus looked at Zeke and said, "You must know that the Pope currently has almost no voice in the Holy Kingdom."
"Yes. Although she ascended to the throne because the Token of the Sun appeared in a nun rather than a priest, Iʼve heard she canʼt properly exercise her papal authority."
Currently, what drove the Holy Kingdom was not the Pope but the chairman of the bishopsʼ council of the Principality of Vadoka.
Originally, the chairman of the bishopsʼ council was supposed to be appointed by the Pope, but because the current Pope was a former nun, the council had changed the rules so that the chairman wielded the legislative, executive, and judicial powers of the Holy Kingdom.
As a result, the Pope was little more than a figurehead.
In this situation, the authority of the bishops and cardinals inevitably grew stronger.
But if someone like Roban, a priest-born candidate with the Token of the Sun, were to ascend, all that authority would return to the Pope.
If the still-young Roban became Pope like this, there was a possibility that the current Pope would manipulate things from behind as regent. And in that case, the chairman who had ignored her and his faction would likely face severe retaliation.
The reason Roban, the Popeʼs successor, was kept outside the Holy Kingdom rather than within it stemmed from these tangled interests.
Thus, within the Holy Kingdom, there were more factions that did not welcome Robanʼs return.
Power was like a drug; once someone tasted it, they could never let it go.
Since those intoxicated by power might assassinate the young Roban to maintain their current privileges, Bacchus couldnʼt take him straight to the Principality of Vadoka.
Zeke nodded after hearing Bacchusʼs explanation.
"So, you wanted to deliver the successor safely to the Pope, but the situation made it impossible."
"Thatʼs correct. The Pope has almost no forces in the Holy Kingdom except for a few royal guards protecting her."
"Now I understand why they couldnʼt properly respond even when the Ork legion invaded the Holy Kingdom."
To deploy troops, approval from the chairman and the council was needed.
But they were too busy worrying about their own safety upon hearing that the Iron Legion was marching on the Principality of Vadoka to care about other parts of the kingdom.
Bacchus frowned and said, "Among the bishops and cardinals, some are loudly demanding that we immediately request the Emperorʼs help to drive out the monsters."
The cardinals who had defected to the Empire saw this as an opportunity to bring the Emperor into the kingdom entirely.
Having understood how complicated the situation in the Principality of Vadoka was,
Zeke soon nodded and said, "Iʼll take Roban and enter the Holy Kingdom myself."
At Zekeʼs words, Bacchus looked surprised and said, "Are you sure? If you bring Roban, the Holy Kingdomʼs ruling class might refuse Drakerʼs help."
"Those vermin can just be swept away. In fact, that works out well. I needed an excuse to weed them out, and if they step forward first, itʼll be even easier."
Bacchus looked at Zeke anew, who had casually suggested overthrowing the Holy Kingdom.
'When he was young, he seemed so small and weak that I wondered if he could survive in Draker... but now, he seems to have inherited the Draker blood more strongly than anyone.ʼ
Unaware of Bacchusʼs thoughts, Zeke judged that the necessary discussion was over and stood up.
"Take the vampires and leave. Once I handle things in the Holy Kingdom, Iʼll meet Carmilla in person." Bacchus nodded.
"Understood. My mother and I are currently in the neutral city. It would be best to meet there."
"Good. One more thing. Do you use your left or right hand more?" At Zekeʼs sudden question, Bacchus tilted his head.
"I use my right hand more, but why...?"
Swish—
Zeke severed his left hand before Bacchus could finish speaking.
"Guh!"
Caught off guard by Zekeʼs sudden attack, Bacchus recoiled in surprise.
He picked up Bacchusʼs fallen arm from the ground and said, "I need some evidence to send to the Black Stage. With a vampireʼs regenerative ability, regrowing one arm should be no problem."
Bacchus stared at Zeke in bewilderment for cutting off his arm out of nowhere, then understood and nodded.
"...Iʼll fake my death and go into hiding."
"Good, Iʼm glad you catch on quickly. Itʼs best not to cause any trouble that might draw the Black Stageʼs attention until I come for you. It seems Arthur Draker is desperately searching for you and Carmilla."
Zeke sensed there was something more between Bacchus and Carmilla that he didnʼt know about.
And what they were hiding might be related to some unknown secret of Arthur Draker. Zeke decided he would meet Carmilla directly and pry out what they were concealing.
After Bacchus and the Red Eye vampires left the old monastery, Zeke also prepared to head to the Principality of Vadoka with Roban, the Popeʼs successor.
He needed to arrive in Vadoka before the Emperor, who was driven by greed and madness, so he hurried his departure.
*
Boom!
The largest and most magnificent building in the Principality of Vadoka was the Central Assembly Hall, where the bishopsʼ council convened.
Here, all matters concerning the Holy Kingdom and the Sun Order were decided.
In the Central Assembly Hall, the cardinals and bishops—the central forces of the order —gathered, raising their voices in debate.
"We must accept Romʼs Emperor immediately to stop that monster horde!"
A bishop who had openly aligned with the Empire argued strongly.
The surrounding cardinals and bishops nodded in agreement with his words.
All of them had amassed illicit wealth through bribes from the Empire or by currying favor with it.
They formed a corrupt faction that had arbitrarily handed over the Holy Kingdomʼs abundant resources to the Empire to satisfy their selfish desires.
The few bishops on the opposite side fiercely opposed their claims.
"We have excellent paladins! We are fully prepared for a crusade—how can you suggest inviting that greedy Emperor into the Holy Kingdom?"
At those words, the Empire-faction councilors waved their hands dismissively and clicked their tongues.
The reason for their reaction was that many paladins had already become privatized.
They had chosen to become private soldiers, colluding with powerful priests for their own gain rather than serving as holy knights protecting the Holy Kingdom.
Sending such paladins into battle against the monsters would cause them immense losses, so they refused to approve troop mobilization and only spoke of seeking the Empireʼs aid.
The upright priests, having less power and voice than these corrupt ones, could not conscript the paladins.
In the end, despite possessing a powerful paladin force, the Holy Kingdom could only watch helplessly as Orks invaded major cities and ravaged the Holy Kingdomʼs citizens.
The bishops and cardinals, with their assets concentrated in the Principality of Vadoka, complacently thought that as long as they fortified this place, it would be enough.
As the councilors continued to argue without reaching a conclusion, Pierre, the bishop and chairman of the bishopsʼ council who held the greatest power in the Holy Kingdom, rested his chin on his hand and tapped the desk with his fingertips.
Pierre was pondering how to resolve this situation.
He needed to find the best way to preserve their factionʼs strength as much as possible while using external forces only temporarily to solve the problem.
'Bringing in the Emperor isnʼt a good option. That greedy old fox could be more dangerous than the monsters.ʼ
As Pierre racked his brain considering various political variables, a priest approached and whispered something to him.
Upon hearing the priestʼs words, Pierreʼs eyes widened, and he straightened his posture.
After pondering for a moment, he soon struck the dais.
Bang! Bang!
At the sound that echoed through the entire chamber, the councilors turned to look at Chairman Pierre.
Pierre looked at them and said, "Two new pieces of information have come in." He slowly opened his mouth.
"One is that the filthy Orks will arrive at the Holy Kingdom in a few days." At Pierreʼs words, the councilors murmured.
An Empire-faction bishop stood up and shouted, "Chairman! We must bring in the Emperorʼs army immediately...!"
Pierre raised his hand to silence him.
The shouting bishop reluctantly closed his mouth and sat back down.
Pierre looked around at the councilors and spoke.
"Bringing in the Emperor is something we can do anytime. But just as we let him in, sending him out again may not be so easy. Do you have the confidence to stop that vulture-like Emperor if he bares his teeth from behind after chasing away the monsters?"
At Pierreʼs blunt words, the Empire-faction councilors looked troubled and averted their gazes.
Seeing this, Pierre clicked his tongue and said, "As holy servants of the divine, we shouldnʼt just see whatʼs right in front of us—we must look farther, just as our Sun God does from on high."
At those words, an Empire-faction bishop said to Pierre, "Then, Chairman, are you suggesting we conscript the paladins to deal with those monsters?"
In fact, the faction with the most paladins was none other than Chairman Pierreʼs.
Under his command were dozens of paladins who could wield aura blades.
Arch paladins were symbolic figures of the Holy Kingdom, so even the chairman couldnʼt move them freely, but if the council approved, they couldnʼt refuse to go to the battlefield.
However, since they were privatized, deploying them to war would mean bearing significant losses, making it a burdensome task even for the chairman to mobilize the arch paladins.
As Pierre, known as the greediest among the priests, spoke differently, the other bishops and cardinals looked at him with puzzled expressions.
Pierre slowly opened his mouth.
"Didnʼt I say there were two pieces of news? The other is that troops sent from the
Knights of White Silver will soon arrive in Vadoka."
At the mention of the Knights of White Silver, the cardinals and bishops began murmuring again.
Kali Draker had cleared out the southern pirates, a headache for the Holy Kingdom that had amassed great wealth through trade brokerage. In gratitude, the Holy Kingdom had gifted them Hercion armor made of mithril, and they had maintained a good relationship.
One of the cardinals asked Pierre, "Chairman, does that mean the Knight of White Silver is personally leading her knight order to the Holy Kingdom?"
After Abel Drakerʼs disappearance in the ghetto district, Kali Draker had nearly solidified her position as the Draker family heir.
If Kali Draker entered the Holy Kingdom, it would be tantamount to accepting the Draker family, which dominated the entire continent.
At those words, Pierre shook his head.
"Itʼs said that itʼs not the Knight of White Silver, but the Knight of Salvation who is coming."
At Pierreʼs words, the councilors murmured again.
"The Knight of Salvation?"
"Isnʼt it him? Zeke Draker. The one who subjugated the monsters in the ghetto this time."
"The youngest of the Draker family? The youngest red knight..."
The councilors pondered how to interpret the news that it was Zeke Draker, not Kali Draker, leading the knight order.
While Kali Drakerʼs direct entry would be burdensome, Zeke Draker, far from the succession line, seemed unlikely to wield much influence even after the monster subjugation.
Seeing the councilorsʼ reactions, Pierre struck the desk again.
The councilors turned to look at him, and Pierre spoke.
"The Knight of Salvation, Zeke Draker. We accept him into the Holy Kingdom and entrust him with subjugating that filthy monster horde. What do you think? In my opinion, that seems better than bringing in the Emperor."
The councilors immediately understood Pierreʼs words.
Someone to entrust the dirty work to and easily discard afterward.
Though a direct descendant of Draker and famed as the "Knight of Salvation," to them he was still just a young upstart.
No matter how formidable his martial prowess, they believed he couldnʼt handle the slippery politics they had mastered over years.
The councilors nodded in agreement with Pierreʼs words.
"Agreed! I concur with the chairman!"
"I agree as well!"
Rarely, the council reached unanimous approval.
The next day, the Black Sword Knight Order led by Zeke arrived in the Principality of Vadoka.