Episode 85

“Ma'am. This is also a gift from High Priest Gunner.”

Ian came in with a box full of them. Elisha thanked Ian, but didn't even open the box.

“Shall I open it?”

“Please. I need to know what it is and send it back.”

Ian nodded and inspected the box.

“Ah, this is the dish that Saint Yulia used 30 years ago. It is also expensive.”

“Are you still confused about the saintess?”

Lucerne clicked her tongue in amazement. He looked at Elisha, who was seated across from her. They were playing chess at a black marble table in the tearoom.

Elisha calmly nodded her head.

“Gunner is very quick to respond to things like this. Yes? Should this also be considered moral?”

Lucerne and Elisha said when they called Gunner to this tea room. If Merha loses her position, she tells her not to forget that grace.

In one day, the world turned upside down. Currently, there are only two High Priests, Merha and Gunner, but Merha was imprisoned.

All the power in the temple was now in front of Gunner's eyes. Gunner had only to run for the High Pope tomorrow.

The conditions for his candidacy for the pope were simple. On a designated date, a person with the status of a high priest or higher went directly to the temple and put his name on the magic instrument.

“It's not morality, it's hasty. You never know how the world will turn upside down again.”

“You are right.”

Elisha indifferently grabbed Lucerne's horse and pushed it away.

“The man who died yesterday has returned, and I know what will happen to the living.”

*​ *​ *​

And the thing exploded in the evening newspaper that day. Strange events surrounding the temple were still ongoing.

[The spirits of the girls who died due to the High Priest Gunner are crying.]

[The scale of the relief money for the poor that the High Priest Gunner embezzled…….]

[An anonymous informant who had the courage to report the case at the time when it was known that more than 50 people died of starvation…….]

It was a very long time ago. A case in which Gunner embezzled the relief money that should have been provided to the temple orphanage.

The case was published as an evening article with detailed evidence attached. The empire has turned upside down once again. As if the two candidates for the pope were struck by lightning, they both collapsed right before the election.

“How the hell is this game going?”

Recently, the atmosphere at the temple had deteriorated so much in the past few days that it was almost terrifying.

The eyes of the entire empire were focused on the temple.

Under other circumstances, normally, even a collateral would not have been able to immediately arrest someone from the Cartier family. But now, even Merha, who was the deficit of the Temple Heretic Questioner, was being accommodated.

“Let go of this, I'm innocent! Don't let go!”

Gunner screamed like that, and was immediately arrested in the temple's private quarters. Coincidentally, the words Gunner shouted were the same as the words Merha shouted the moment she was arrested.

*​ *​ *​

At that time, Marco was running around the room nervously.

'Ah, father. How much trouble you must be going through by now.'

Even though Merha raised Marco by hand, Merha was always a good guide, directing Marco on what to do. Marco still couldn't believe the reality that he was imprisoned.

'How on earth did my father end up in prison? We're the Cartier family, so even if my father committed a bigger sin, shouldn't that happen?'

He was on the verge of dying in a fit of rage.

'Shit. Are you going to lose the position of the great pope to someone like Gunner, who is from a collateral branch? Ah, I can't believe this reality!'

Then there was a knock on the door. The person who opened the door was Arien.

“Are you okay?”

“Can it be okay? We are doomed now. What can we do without our father? If Gunner becomes the pope, we will be terminated from the contract for the related business, and our money will be cut off. Besides, since my father has been taken away by the head of the family, my path to become the head of the family will be blocked. The head of the family does not tolerate failure.”

“Don't worry.”

Arien smiled in repentance.

“I wrote my hand. A gunner will never become a great pope.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you forget? The Gunner embezzled the Temple Poor Relief Fund a few years ago. It was my father, the head of the Heretic Questioner, who investigated the case.”

“Okay. But are you retired?”

“You. Doesn't your head spin like that? Evidence of the case was still well-kept in my father's office. I broke the case. Look at the newspaper here.”

“…….”

Marco looked through the newspaper with trembling hands.

“If Gunner doesn't become the Great Pope, then there is no particular person to be nominated for the Great Pope. Then the election of the pope is postponed. Now the great pope will serve for several years in a row. In the years leading up to the next papal election, we just need to get our momentum back and restore my father. The head of the household will help us too.”

Arien chuckled. She believed she had saved her family.

By the way, Marco's expression was strange. He turned pale like a corpse and looked at Arien.

“What have you done?”

“…… Yes?”

“At that time, the father-in-law took care of Gunner and made him innocent, at the request of the head of the household.”

“…….”

“Did you forget? If this case is re-examined now, who will be involved? Really don't know you now…….”

Arienne opened her eyes wide and listened to Marco.

“I implicated the head of household in this case.”

Isn't this Arien's eyes darkened.

“I just…….”

“You broke our way. Don't you know the family head's disposition?”

“…….”

“You have made everything your father-in-law did for nothing. Bring back the work that the head of the family ordered and that was well done? I think what will happen to us if we reverse the family head's order.”

Marco's voice grew louder.

“What have you done, Arien! Damn bitch!”

Bang! Marco knocked on the desk. Arien, who had turned pale, took a step back.

'This……. Not really?'

*​ *​ *​

Thus, on the day of his candidacy for the election of the great pope. The temple had the atmosphere of a mourning house.

On the day of the election, a small event hall was set up in the innermost chapel of Daeshinjeon. A golden bowl was placed on the altar, and the names of successive popes were elegantly engraved in order at the bottom of the altar.

Those wishing to stand for the election of the Grand Pope simply write their name and position in the bowl.

“If no one runs like this, the Archpastor will hold office for five years.”

The senior priest in charge of the event solemnly said. Few people came to see the candidacy ceremony, and even the great pope came only out of courtesy.

The present pope was also a collateral of the Cartier family. He received an urgent call from the head of the Cartier family this morning. Now that the situation had come to pass, he had been informed that he would re-appoint the pope for several years.

The current great pope was over seventy years old. He was in poor health and wanted to step down as great pope.

However, everyone was bound to be swayed by power. When the householder reached out his hand once more, he was blinded by power again.

'It's good that it happened like this. Since both high priests have been disqualified from their candidacy, there will be another high priestly war under my reign for several years. I never thought the head of the family would contact me directly.'

The great pope was satisfied. If he obeys the Cartier family like this, he can make more money for 5 years. He and he could sit at the pinnacle of power.

“It went better. Nothing will change like this.”

The senior priest in charge of today's event muttered. When the great pope heard that, he affirmed it in his heart. That was the moment.

Awesome profit.

The door to the chapel opened. Someone walked in. It was a dignified stride and gait like a soldier's.

“It's late.”

The High Pope's eyes widened at the man's face revealed through the door. He jumped up from his seat.

It had been a while since he had met her in person, and it took the Archpope a moment to remember who she was.

“Archbishop Rosaria?”

Someone said Rosalia was a tall woman with wrinkles around her mouth, but with a very upright frame. She was dressed as a priest wearing a cloak with red feathers, indicating that she was from the temple army.

She came slowly and looked at each of the people's faces.

“I am running for the Grand Pope.”

Rosaria smiled slowly.

*​ *​ *​

None of the people who saw Rosaria said a word. In everyone's silence, Rosalia proudly placed her name on her golden vessel.

There were people watching it from afar.

Balcony on the second floor of the chapel. It was Lucerne and Elisha standing side by side in the auditorium. Elisha looked at him and said quietly.

“After all, the world has been turned upside down twice.”

“The temple is so dead-end that it needs to be overturned twice to become normal. It has already been turned upside down many times.”

“That makes sense.”

Elisha meekly agreed with Lucerne's words.

“So, how are you feeling?”

Elisha asked in a whisper.

“It feels really good to fill the position of the Grand Pope with someone from your family, not someone from the Cartier family.”

“Tell me what do you do? I like it so much that I want to take her clothes off and lick her lips with her wife.”

“…….”

Elisha pursed her lips. Even at times like these, he was a man who never forgot his jokes. But today's victory was so sweet that she didn't want Elisha to speak harshly at him either.

Elisha and Lucerne looked at each other, winked at each other, then turned their heads. Not disguised, but Ian, dressed in the uniform of the Templars, followed them. Nora was with him. They had been watching from before.

When they came to a quiet corner of the garden where there were no people, Nora could not bear it any longer and opened her mouth.

“Since when did you start doing this? And how did you convince Archbishop Rosaria?”

Like a rapid-fire cannon, Lucerne clicked his tongue at the question.

“Ask slowly. Slowly.”

Elisha smiled softly and looked at her Nora.

“That…….”