Chapter 564: Chapter 564: 562 Prevent_1

The melodious bells rang three times, marking the end of the morning prayer.

Pope Gregory hastily left the prayer hall through the side door, following his guard and briskly walking down the serene corridor.

His brows were tightly knitted, his eyes occasionally looked towards the west wing of the Holy Light Cathedral, betrayed his anxiety and anger.

Meanwhile, Gregory was constantly thinking about countermeasures.

The sudden appearance of Cardinal Noputon caught him off guard, and he had already guessed what the other party wanted to do.

The feeling of being betrayed by his own people filled Gregory with raging anger.

However, along with his anger, a wave of fear surged in him.

The fact that Noputon dared to step forward at this moment signified that the other party was fully prepared.

This also indicated that most members of the Cardinal group were probably extremely dissatisfied with him.

Why?

Didn’t these people understand his painstaking efforts in the North Territory?

Could they not see what the dramatic changes in the Eastland meant for the Church?

Didn’t they know that at this time, the Church should unify externally to maintain the authority of the Church from continuing to slide?

A bunch of selfish fools!

…

Gregory, immersed in his thoughts, did not notice the anomaly around him until a voice came suddenly from behind:

“Your Holiness.”

Gregory was startled and only then returned to his senses.

The belatedly perceptive Gregory finally noticed that the guard walking in front had disappeared and this corridor was oddly too quiet, even the usual guards on duty were nowhere to be seen.

He slowly turned around to see a graceful female knight standing behind him.

Her beauty was dazzling like the sun, making it difficult to look directly at her.

Just standing there, the whole corridor was enveloped in a solemn and sharp atmosphere, as if any struggle would incite a storm.

Gregory suppressed his inner shock and confusion, nodded slightly, and smiled:

“Duke St. Gregorian, I didn’t expect you to arrive in Dragon City so quickly.”

“Oh?” Duke St. Gregorian raised her eyebrow, “So, you knew I was coming?”

Hearing this, Gregory let out a sigh of relief.

Originally, he thought this was also arranged by Noputon, but on second thought, considering the conflict between Noputon and Duke St. Gregorian, it was impossible for the two to cooperate.

So, Gregory chuckled and said, “Yes, in fact, I have sent Cardinal Noputon to Westland to invite you to the Crimson Flame Territory to mediate the conflict between the Church and the North Territory.

However, it seems that you have come uninvited before Noputon could reach Westland.”

“You sent Noputon to Westland?” Duke St. Gregorian sneered, her eyes flashed with a hint of terrifying chill, but it quickly receded, “Enough, time is of the essence, I do not want to engage in idle chatter with you. I came here because the Orc Empire has officially declared war, so this farce between the Church and the North Territory must stop immediately!”

“Has the Orc Empire already declared war so soon?” Gregory was slightly taken aback, then he nodded and agreed, “In that case, it is indeed time to end this farce.”

Duke St. Gregorian nodded and said, “I have already met with Count Angler, the guardian of the North Territory in Silver Fox City. He promised that as long as the Church agrees to two conditions, he will not pursue the matter of Duke St. Hilde’s murder.”

Gregory shook his head and firmly said, “The two conditions proposed by the North Territory are too harsh, the Church cannot agree.”

“Not the original two conditions.” Duke St. Gregorian immediately said, “After my efforts to mediate, Count Angler has agreed not to demand your abdication, but only the independence of the North Territory Diocese.”

Gregory’s expression relaxed slightly, but he still shook his head, “The North Territory Diocese cannot be independent either.”

“Listen, Gregory!” Duke St. Gregorian’s face grew solemn, his tone abruptly stern, “I’ve already done you a great favor by helping you maintain your position as the Pope, do you really think you can smooth things over with the North Territory without having to pay any price?”

Gregory’s gaze flickered before he hesitated and finally responded, “Duke St. Gregorian, are you truly willing to keep me in my position as Pope?”

“Indeed. As long as you agree to let the North Territory’s diocese become autonomous, I can swear on the honor of the Holy Knight that no one will dare force you to abdicate!”

Gregory stared into Duke St. Gregorian’s eyes, his voice lowered, “Alright, Duke St. Gregorian, I trust your reputation, but I have one last condition.”

Duke St. Gregorian’s brow furrowed, just as he was about to rebuke him, Gregory quickly added, “I believe you will be very willing to accept this condition.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Help me kill Noputon!”

Duke St. Gregorian raised an eyebrow, “Noputon? Hasn’t he gone to the Westland?”

“No, he didn’t go. Instead, he is hiding in Dragon City, secretly joining forces with members of the cardinal group, instigating them to impeach me! So, this doesn’t really count as a separate condition. If you want to secure my position as Pope, you must stop Noputon!”

Seeing Duke St. Gregorian still somewhat hesitant, Gregory tried to persuade him again:

“Duke St. Gregorian, I know you’ve wanted to kill Noputon for quite some time. Now I’m offering you the perfect opportunity! You don’t have to worry about any subsequent consequences because I will reveal Noputon’s past scandal of insulting your brother and declare that you are merely helping our Lord cleanse his church of blasphemous deceivers.”

At this, Duke St. Gregorian burst into a bright smile and cheerfully declared, “Done! It’s a deal!”

“It’s a deal!”

…

Within the Conference Hall, the ballot vote for Gregory’s impeachment had just ended.

Cardinal Noputon cleared his throat in satisfaction, preparing to announce the results, but as he opened his mouth, he was shocked to find that he couldn’t speak and could only emit strange noises.

The next second, intense pain registered in his brain as he desperately tried to press his wound on his throat to stop the bleeding.

However, a pair of delicate hands had already grabbed Noputon’s hair and lifted his severed head.

The cardinals in the hall looked horrified, as if they couldn’t believe what was happening in front of them.

Thud!

Duke St. Gregorian slammed Noputon’s severed head onto the table, he lightly smiled and said,

“Sorry for interrupting your meeting.

What were you voting on just now?”

The entire hall fell silent.

After a while, Mensai beside him stammered and growled,

“Duke St. Gregorian, you dared to execute a cardinal in the Holy Light Cathedral! This is a provocation towards our Lord and a provocation towards the Church, you’re going to become a public enemy throughout the whole Empire…”

“Enough.” Duke St. Gregorian waved his hand nonchalantly, “I killed blasphemer Noputon to help you clean up the scum in the Church, the detailed reasons will be publicly announced by the Holy See soon.

Continue with your meeting.”

With that, Duke St. Gregorian gracefully exited, as if he’d only briefly stopped by to say hello.

Mensai’s face turned bright red, but staring at the bloody head in front of him, he didn’t know what to do.

A cardinal timidly asked from the audience,

“Lord Mensai, the result of the ballot just now…”

Mensai let out a sigh with a complicated look, finally accepting his fate and said,

“The voting process was disturbed by… unforeseen circumstances, so the result is nullified.

Please vote again.”