Chapter 678 – 678. Confronting the Pope (3)
“Hey, follow me.”
The boy priest, who was in charge of guiding the sudden appearance of Eunhyeon and his party, could not hide his embarrassed expression.
Erin was the first to feel the eyes constantly glancing at Eunhyeon, Eleanor, and Erin, who were sensitive to the gazes of others.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Oh no!? That kind of thing… ! That just…”
“Just?”
When Erin spoke to her, the boy priest, very embarrassed, lowered her head and muttered in a low voice.
“Oh, you are so beautiful…”
The face of the boy priest, who unknowingly says that his gaze has gone, is ripe with red.
The young boy’s direct praise makes me feel better because it contains pure selfishness without asking when there is really no ulterior motive.
“Hi-Hi. Thank you!”
Before long, he pulled the arms of Eun-hyeon, who was walking side by side with him, and hugged him to his chest, showing off his pride.
“I heard you. Hyuna? I am pretty!”
“I heard you.”
Eun-hyeon smiled and stroked the head of her young wife who was acting cute.
While walking along under her guidance, Erin made a belated realization on her face and said to the boy.
“Ah, come to think of it, we didn’t even introduce ourselves, right? My name is Erin And the person next to me is Hyun, my husband and Miss Eleanor!”
Eleanor was a candidate for the next saintess to succeed Agnes. She was already known among the temples, so she did not introduce herself.
After Erin’s self-introduction, the boy priest opened her mouth slightly nervously.
“Ah, my name is Albert. That… I am an apprentice priest at the main school of the temple.”
“Not just an apprentice priest.”
“Yes?”
“Hey, I’m pushing for the next pope. He’s our grandfather’s grandson.”
“Yes, yes!?”
Erin was taken aback by the sudden bombshell remark, and she looked at the boy priest who introduced himself as Albern.
“Oh, it was this child.”
Eleanor, on the other hand, observed Alvern’s face closely as if she remembered something about her.
The relationship between her senior and her successor, Eleanor, was not as stunned as Erin was, perhaps because Agies had told her about it beforehand.
Albern, whose identity was unintentionally revealed, was very embarrassed and reprimanded Agnes.
“Ah, Anies-sama! What if you said that!?”
Unlike Alvern, who was panicking about the fact that he did not hesitate to reveal a major secret that should never be revealed, Agnes did not care at all.
He shrugged her shoulders and replied, not taking it seriously.
“How are you? They’re not the ones who will go out and reveal your true identity.”
“No. What is that…”
“Rather, would it be better to reveal the facts in advance and look good from now on?”
“…”
Hearing Agnes’ story, Alvern put on a complicated expression.
“What do you mean? Rather… Aren’t we supposed to look good?”
Being a candidate for the next pope following the current pope means that the 15-year-old boy in front of him will rise to the most prestigious position in the Holy Nation.
Erin is troubled when she realizes that the moment she has been talking to her, she has been speaking her way.
‘… Should I say I’m sorry and bow my head right now?’
Even though he is a younger boy than himself, he was worried that he was treating the boy who was the future next in power too lightly, so he cautiously looked at Albern and asked.
“Even though he is the next pope, he is not the current pope. And this place doesn’t give you the pope’s seat just because you’re waiting.”
“… What do you mean?”
It was Eleanor who answered Erin’s question, who was puzzled by her explanation.
“In the Holy Land of Erenia, the position of the pope is not determined by hereditary power like our kingdom of Pernias.”
Like Yuria, who became the first queen of Fernias Kingdom, her throne was not inherited by a prince or princess born of her royal lineage.
“Uh… ? And what?”
“Usually, the archbishop or the highest-ranking priests with the position gather in one place and select the next pope from among the candidates.”
It’s not a hereditary system, it’s more like a voting system.
“To become the next pope, he must receive a majority of the votes of the top priests and archbishops present in the vote.”
“Hmm… How amazing.”
Erin looked pretty surprised at how she didn’t become king just because she was born as a son of royalty.
Because for her it was her new concept of governance.
It is common sense among children of powerful people in Erinn that once a child born into a noble or royal family inherits that position and honor.
Perhaps that’s why the Holy Nation of Erenium’s method of electing a pope was miraculous.
“So now that this opportunity has come, I hope you guys will be my strength when he becomes the Pope.”
“… Are we?”
“Uh.”
“But we… You’re not a priest, aren’t you from the Holy Land of Erenia?”
“He is a priest. Not just a priest, but a saint who succeeded me.”
“Ah…”
Erin looked at Eleanor, whom Agnes was pointing at, and she sighed lightly as if she had realized it.
If Eleanor, the next saint, supports Albern, it is certain that she will be able to give considerable strength in the election of the papal candidate.
Also, there was no way to help only within the Holy Land.
“Besides, that guy Eunhyun has a lot of money too. Even if Eleanor is in charge of the political part, she may receive various support from overseas.”
The manifestation of divine power is a grace that can happen to anyone on the entire continent.
All of them gather in the Holy Land of Erenia under the guidance of the priests of the Temple of Vesta across the continent and receive training as priests.
Of course, among them there are those who have lived a poor life, such as slaves and orphans who have nothing, and on the contrary, there are children of noble families who were born with everything.
Eleanor is a prime example of that.
As Eleanor was also able to use her divine power for the first time, she was able to receive considerable support from her family when she went to the distant sacred country of Ereria and received her priestly training, so she was comfortable with her training. Was able to finish
“Unfortunately, this country does not always run on its own power.”
The huge amount of donations and aid flowing in from other countries accounted for more than 20% of the Holy Nation’s main operating budget.
Since it accounts for such a large proportion, it was impossible to ignore the opinions of key figures in other countries who donated and aided.
Because of this, the fact that she is Eleanor, her next saintess, but the support of the Duchy of Armitas, led by Eleanor or Eunhyeon as the main core, would be a great strength to Alvern.
“Ah, I see.”
Erin nodded her head in understanding.
In fact, I couldn’t understand even half of Anies or Eleanor’s explanation, but I could only understand that the reason Anies revealed the identity of Albern was that it was a realistic judgment that there would be more to gain than to lose by revealing the identity.
“All right. If it’s someone recommended by Agnes, I’m in favor.”
Eleanor laughed and nodded her head.
At least in the eyes of Agnes, he would not have recommended the wrong person as pope.
“That… No! Need help…”
Alvern waved his hand to say no, but Agnes blocked it.
“Don’t hold back. It is for this that I introduced them to you in the first place.”
“Eww…”
“Yeah… I have a question.”
“What?”
“If he is the Pope’s grandson, isn’t he still highly likely to be elected just for that?”
If Agnes directly recommended it, others would also support Albert’s election as pope and would spare no support, but just hearing the story, it seemed that Albert’s current situation was not like that.
“That is…”
Agies shrugged his shoulders and replied on behalf of Al Verne, who hesitated as if he was ashamed to speak with his own mouth.
“Hey, I’m keeping it a secret about being my grandpa’s grandson. Even in the temple, less than five people, including me, know this fact. And I’m acting as if I have nothing to do with the outside world.”
In other words, the current Albert was just an ordinary apprentice priest with no support base in the temple.
Agnes is just saying that he is the candidate for the next pope, in fact, he is currently aiming for the pope, not even the current one.
“Uh… Why… ?”
Erin didn’t understand why.
“Okay? Well, without borrowing the power of others… Poop, do you want to become Pope on your own?”
It was clearly a way of speaking that was ridiculing Albert.
“Don’t make fun of me!”
Even though his face was red and angry, Agies giggled and did not erase his light attitude.
“Well, putting aside the romance of this guy’s chastity, I didn’t see it as too bad that he didn’t reveal his lineage.”
If you’re wrong, you might attract a strange bug just because you’re the grandson of the current pope.
“But that only works if you have a solid support base. You know that much too.”
“Yes… It’s long…”
But I really didn’t like it.
It’s too clumsy to ask someone to invest a lot of time and money for yourself, to rely on.
“You have to learn to rely on someone. And there are so many worries in my head. Clear your mind and live.”
“Anies-sama… You buy without thinking too much…”
“What dude?”
At the unexpected counterattack, Anies narrowed his eyes and grabbed Alvern by the shoulder.
As I grabbed his hand with a terrifying grip, Albern’s expression was distorted and he let out a scream.
“Huh!? Oh, Anies! Sorry! I was really wrong! Please forgive me!”
The age difference between the two was close to that of a son and a daughter, but in the eyes of others, it was only seen as a friendly brother and sister bickering.
Even after such a funny scuffle continued, they continued to move.
“Here it is…”
Despite being in the room where the Pope, the highest authority in the temple, was able to come without encountering anyone, it was because he came through a secret passage only Albern and Agnes knew about.
Alvern opened the door, touching the shoulder that had almost been crushed by Agies’ grip.
“Grandfather. I am here.”
It’s the Pope’s room, but maybe it’s because it’s a private relationship, not a public one, so Albern called him by the name of his grandfather, not the Pope.
“You’re here.”
An old man lying on the bed greeted Albert with a benevolent smile.
The owner of the voice, weak from lack of strength, eventually found Anies and Eunhyeon and his party following Albert.
A wide smile bloomed on his decrepit face.
“… Huh?”
Erin sensed her puzzlement and tilted her head.
It was because he couldn’t understand the old man’s feelings he had read habitually.
Brightness, joy, longing.
A look as if looking at a long-awaited friend.
I sneakily looked up at Eun-hyeon’s face, but Eun-hyeon didn’t seem to know the Pope at all.
After exchanging only brief glances without any conversation, the pope spoke first.
“Welcome. I was waiting.”
Even Agnes, who brought Eunhyeon, didn’t explain anything, but the pope seemed to have counted everything.
“He said he wanted to see me, so I’m here at Agies’ request.”
“Yes. I asked Agnes directly.”
Eunhyeon couldn’t help but feel doubtful about the Pope’s attitude that seemed to know her.
This is the first time he and I have met.
But how does he know himself?
“… Do you know me?”
“Yes. But you don’t know me.”
“That’s right.”
“First I should introduce myself. My name is Arban Yersaleka, who currently holds the position of Pope of the Holy Nation of Erenia. I am… I’ve been waiting for you for a long time You are the leadern.”
