Bab 264: [Chapter 264] To my dear Ren
I received your letter full of worry. It's my husband who's on the battlefield, not me, and I was particularly touched by your concern about whether I'm so scared of the enemy that I can't even eat properly.
Thank you for your concern. I'm really doing very well. There's a tendency for people around me to be a little overbearing, but I've heard from women who have had several children that it's normal for the first child. You have to filter things out to some extent, and it seems you only start to be able to tell whether someone's advice is helpful or not from your second child onwards. Until then, everyone who thinks they're helping you will say different things and try to change your habits.
Do you know who I'm talking to? Stop sending me all those folk remedies and herbs that are supposed to be good for the baby. I thought the package that came was a mistake at first, because it was bigger than the one my friend Diane usually sends. But when three more carriages arrived after that, I didn't know how to react. I'm sorry, but I've assigned the two high priests who sent me two to the rearguard and sent them to the battlefield. It's not a fighting position, but I wanted their help treating the wounded soldiers who were left behind.
Oh, just in case you misunderstand, I really appreciate your concern. I know you're busy, but I appreciate you taking the time to think of me. And the blessed herbal tea you sent was a huge help. I started having morning sickness, but it subsided when I drank it.
That's all for the reply to your last letter. Now I'm going to tell you the most important part of this letter.
Princess Caymil is going to attack the temple.
She's been holding back for a long time, with that temper of hers. It's obvious whose side the Pope is on, letting the play "Betrayal" spread openly.
Caymil has been letting the Prince's foolishness be displayed for all to see, weeding out the chaff among the nobles and choosing those who will be on her side. But according to the intelligence I've received, that process is completely and cleanly finished. The Maindeland army is right at their doorstep, and the frightened nobles are supporting Caymil and have all joined forces to drag Abelus out and lock him in the tower. Nellusion has apparently exposed Abelus's weaknesses, so they have a good reason.
The Empress is furious, but what power does she have? She abandoned her daughter to kill and bury others, claiming it was none of her business, so she has no power to intervene now that her son has become the target of that purge.
To be honest, I didn't know Caymil could abandon everything she once held dear like this. I expected her to overturn the Imperial Family, but I didn't know she would be so thorough, so ruthless, so completely uncaring.
So I have to warn you to be careful.
"The Imperial messenger has arrived, Your Holiness."
Adams' voice pulled Ren's eyes away from Nerys' letter.
The atmosphere in the Papal States had been tense lately. The war that had been raging in the Vista Empire for months had also affected this land, which was administratively independent.
Even though they had vowed to dedicate their lives to God, priests were still human beings, with hometowns and parents. In particular, high priesthood was usually passed down like an inheritance among a few families with long histories, and those families were often tightly intertwined with secular power.
The continent's political landscape was changing by the day, thanks to the Grand Duke's inhuman prowess and the Vista Imperial Family's surprisingly weak performance. So the priests in the Papal States were subtly watching each other, trying to gain as much advantage as possible for their families of origin.
If there was one premise that all the priests, busy scheming, generally agreed on, it was that Pope Renus had been rash.
Just because his first holy service was the Grand Duke and Duchess's wedding, did that mean he had to take their side in a situation like this? Even if the Imperial Family was "temporarily" losing ground, why was he letting a play mocking the Imperial Family be performed, and why was he sending a high priest to the Grand Duchess?
It wasn't about the Pope raising his voice in support of the Imperial Family. The best way for the Pope to gain the most advantage when secular powers were fighting among themselves was to remain silent. To make those who wanted the Pope's support compete with each other and get the highest price, wasn't that the ability the Pope needed in an age like this?
The priests subtly revealed their desire for him to restrain himself, as the Pope was so popular with his flock that they couldn't say it outright. But Ren didn't play auctioneer between the Imperial Family and the Grand Duchy as they wished. He simply continued as he had been.
So it was only a matter of time before a messenger arrived from the Imperial Family, as it had now. With a face that showed no surprise, Ren spoke softly.
"Let him in."
Adams, who knew Ren's true nature, showed no change in expression. But the knight who stood guard at the door of the Lily Palace's reception room was moved again today. How humble our Holiness is. No one, no matter who they are, would be worthy of being told to "come in" by the Pope.
Knights were generally of lower birth than priests. Unlike priests, who needed a way to make a living during their long years of education, knights had to endure grueling training, but they were paid during their training period by doing odd jobs for senior knights.
The complex situation in the Empire wasn't a major concern for the knights. They were prepared to believe and follow whatever the Pope did, at any time. Especially if it was someone as pure and upright as the current Pope, why would they have any reason to doubt him?
By this evening, the knights who had finished their shift would be spreading another anecdote about the Pope's virtues. The knight, moved by the Pope's kindness, opened the way for the man in luxurious clothes to stride in.
"Your Holiness."
The man greeted him casually. Ren maintained his angelically gentle expression despite the man's rude attitude.
"You have come from the Imperial Family. You must have had a long and arduous journey. What brings you here?"
"I believe Your Holiness knows why I have come."
The man said coldly.
The conversation could be heard all the way down the hallway. The knight outside the door's eyes blazed with anger. At that moment, a high priest who was passing by approached him.
"Is the Holiness inside?"
"The Holiness is currently receiving a visitor."
Adams, the priest, answered instead of the guard. The high priest frowned.
"Is it someone from 'that side' again?"
The high priest's "that side" referred to Maindeland. Before Adams could shake his head, a voice from inside the room reached the hallway again.
"The Imperial Family is taking your attitude very seriously. What are you thinking?"
Ah, the Imperial messenger. The high priest sighed quietly. Yes, he knew there would be trouble.
The messenger inside the room raised his voice.
"You say that the hero Bisto is a leader sent by God and the one who blessed him is the first Pope, aren't you? How can you be close to rebels?"
The high priest's expression turned strange. He was the uncle of a small ducal prince, and when his father was the duke, he had been drilled about how important it was to maintain balance in international politics.
Also, because his country was small, he had been taught a national identity that focused on the nobility of the title bestowed by the Vista Imperial Family rather than the sovereignty they had established themselves. So he was naturally one of the people most dissatisfied with the Pope's current actions.
However, that didn't mean he was the kind of person who would be amused by a messenger acting so rudely to the Pope.
"Why are you so agitated? I find your words difficult to understand."
Ren answered calmly, almost frustratingly so, even in the face of the messenger's rough voice. The high priest stood openly in front of the door and peered inside. Seeing this, other priests began to peek around.
"I'm saying you need to make your position clear, whether you support the Imperial Family or not!"
"How can the temple get involved in political matters? Such words are inappropriate."
"You are acting politically even at this moment! The rebels are denying the Imperial Family's rightful authority, and letting a play with that very content be performed freely, what else could that be but a political act?"
"How could our faithful truly believe such a fabricated story?"
The messenger was becoming increasingly agitated, both in his voice and in his actual expression when he looked at Ren, who remained docile throughout.
The high priests knew that Ren's docility didn't mean he was a man who was truly being bullied by his opponent. In fact, the messenger's face was turning red with frustration at his inability to get a word in edgewise, while Ren was simply saying what he wanted to say. It seemed that, like many others, the messenger was also falling for Ren's polite honorifics and youthful appearance, gradually revealing his weaknesses.
But the structure of the conversation was the problem. The attitude the messenger, a mere servant of secular power, was displaying towards the representative of God was the problem.
Every priest felt a sense of resentment towards the Imperial messenger. It didn't matter whether they supported Ren or not. They had heard that the Imperial Family was in a terrible state, so what was the reason they believed they could get away with such a strong-arm approach to the temple?
Was it because Princess Caymil, who had driven out her father and brother to seize power, was so confident in herself? Was she confident that she would win the war decisively and turn all public opinion to her side?
Ren, of course, knew that the high priests outside the door were watching him with menacing looks. He smiled angelically at the arrogant Imperial messenger standing before him. He thought it was time to lead him to "that word."
"I also found the play you mentioned entertaining, so I understand your concerns. But it is simply a folk play that our faithful enjoy for entertainment. Please do not think that the temple is denying the achievements of the three ancient heroes."
The messenger turned towards the door and his expression darkened. His eyes glanced at the portraits of past Popes hanging on the wall, especially the one of the first Pope.
"...What if it's not just for entertainment?"
"If you are suggesting that a mere play, popular only in the Papal States, holds such great power..."
"No. I am speaking of the power of truth."
Ren looked puzzled. The messenger was completely taken in by that innocent expression.
The current Pope did not know the truth about the three heroes. After all, who knew before the Grand Duke spread that blasphemous propaganda? The messenger himself had been quite taken aback when he heard the truth from Caymil just before being sent here.
The messenger had not been sufficiently indoctrinated in loyalty to Caymil, not like Silver Moon. But he believed that it was best to pretend that the Imperial Family had no inconvenient past.
Lowering his voice so that the priests outside wouldn't hear, the messenger whispered quietly.
"Just because Your Holiness doesn't know, it doesn't mean the past sins disappear. Yes, if the play was truly made for entertainment only, why would I be so concerned?"
In the play "Betrayal," and the completed novel "Betrayal" spread by the Maindeland army, the figure corresponding to the first Pope was on the side of the protagonist, the girl Jaan, unlike in actual history. It was an understandable adaptation. The Pope was friendly with Maindeland, so there was no need to unnecessarily antagonize them, and the story was much easier for ordinary people, who were followers of the Timoios religion, to accept.
But the real first Pope had praised the hero Bisto as a leader chosen by God. If there was truth in the play and sin in the past, what truth would the temple have to explain to the people?
The current Pope should be able to make that calculation. The messenger stood up without saying anything. He had decided that it would be more threatening.
The high priests outside the door, gathered there, watched uncomfortably as the messenger strode out without waiting for the Pope's permission to leave. A moment later, the first high priest who had arrived approached Ren and asked.
"What did you discuss, Your Holiness?"
"That's the thing."
Ren sighed, as if exhausted, with a pale face he had created immediately after hearing the messenger's whisper.
"I'm not sure where to begin explaining... I think we need to have a meeting first. It might be a matter of our fate."
Throughout his encounter with the messenger, the letter Ren held in his hand fluttered slightly in the autumn breeze that blew in through the window. The last part of the letter, which Ren had read several times, was briefly exposed before being quietly folded again.
[And at the same time, congratulations to us. The key that will finally push the stiff high priests and unite them has arrived.
Good luck.
Nerys.]
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone