The arrival of the Pope is a great event for any country at any time. Even bigger than the new king's accession to the throne. On the one hand, there is only one pope on the continent, but there are twenty-three countries. On the other hand, it is because the Pope is generally in his seventies or even in his eighties, and it is difficult for the Pope to accept the long journey like an expedition. Therefore, the Pope will not leave the Holy See until he is forced to do so. Traveling with seventeen cardinals and a thousand Templars was unheard of for thousands of years.

Although Gray had tried to do as much as he could think of, it was clear that Isaac, who was poor and weak, could not sustain such a great celebration. Gray also did not allow the people to waste money at this time. The whole welcome ceremony seems to be on a grand scale, but in fact it is just that there are enough people in attendance and enough names are big. It cost far less money than Benedict II had done for Gray in the first place.

Of course, compared with the upcoming important negotiations that will affect the entire continent, no one will naturally care about this trivial matter.

After circumnavigating the Lion King's capital for a week, the carriage arrived at Pierce Cathedral.

Out of politeness, Gray gave up the entire Cathedral of Pierce for the pope, his entourage of seventeen cardinals, and other clergy. The Templars kept the entire Pierce Cathedral under tight control, and not a single fly could fly into it.

"The food, as well as all the necessities necessary for life, have been prepared and are available to the Pope and the bishops. ”

"No need. One of the cardinals whispered: "The Pope will not use anything foreign, we have brought it all." ”

"Well, please. Gray bowed respectfully, "Excuse me, when is the formal interview going on?

The Pope stood silently, with his back to Gray, looking up at the magnificent statue of the god in Pierce's Cathedral.

The cardinal, who stood between the Pope and Gray, continued: "Of course it's tomorrow, and tonight, the Pope must rest. Not everyone is as sleepless as your Knights of the Silver Moon. ”

"I see. Gray saluted respectfully again: "If there is anything else, please feel free to command." ”

The cardinal nodded.

Standing on the side was a whole row of cardinals, including the inaugural Bishop of Isaac, Anthony III. After a year's absence, seeing Gray again at this moment, he can be described as having mixed tastes.

Saluting again, Gray withdrew from Pierce Cathedral.

After Gray left, the Pope, who looked at the idol, whispered, "Do you think he is different from what you thought at the beginning?"

"It's a little different, it's much more amiable than I thought. At least politely. Although he was reluctant to take off his mask when he kissed his hand. "There is a cardinal who said.

Another cardinal said: "I thought he would be a very strong man. After all, he never wanted to take off his mask, which reminded me of the legend about the Elven King from more than a dozen centuries ago. Thought he was a man who was so arrogant that he looked down on anyone. ”

"Gray was never like that. In fact, he is a very kind person. Antony III sighed and said: "He is kind to everyone, even to the enemy. Unless, the other party's philosophy is very different from his. But I don't think it's irreparable. The person I have ever seen who angered him the most was Benedict II, who has now returned power to Benedict II. Although the crown was taken away by him. ”

"Are you speaking for him?" asked the cardinal.

"No, I'm just talking about things. Anthony III replied softly.

A Templar hurriedly walked in through the door, carrying a clergyman in somewhat ragged costumes. As he entered, the two Templars guarding the door searched him all over his body.

The man was bald, and although his eyes were sunken, there was no fat on his body.

"Your Excellency, your Excellency. There are clergy from the former Lion King Capital asking to see you!"

"After all such failures, you dare to show your face?" After glancing, one of the cardinals whispered, "Let him come over." ”

"Yes!"

The fat priest, who had just been searched, bowed down, walked over with a grin, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed.

"See the Pope! See the Bishops, I have a very important matter to report!" said the fat priest, pulling out a copy of the Lich Paladin from his coat pocket and presenting it to both hands.

The cardinal, who was originally going to pick it up, glanced at it, and then retracted his outstretched hand again: "What are you doing with this?"

"It's not that simple, what is written on it is very likely to be the truth of the paladin! Paladin Gray is actually a lich!"

"Are you kidding me?"

The other cardinals next to him all laughed: "Take a copy and say this is the truth?"

"Could it be that you will stay in the Lion King Capital and be hungry and dizzy for a few months?"

"It's weird that he's wearing a mask all the time, but if he's a lich, how can anyone know he's a lich?

"We understand your desire to make a difference, and the failure of the church at Isaac may have broken your spirits a little. However, the Holy See is a serious place, not a place where you can bear witness with a book. ”

"No, my lords, please listen to me!" said the bald fat priest quickly, "The author of this book said that Paladin Gray personally ordered him to write it! We are very sure that Paladin Gray summoned him, and he was with Benedict II! So he is not talking nonsense!"

"Then it's even more bizarre, if he is really a lich, why would he have someone write such a book? There are only three possibilities for this, one is that you are talking nonsense, the second is that the author is talking nonsense, and the third is that it is a trap at all, Paladin Gray is talking nonsense!"

However, the Pope, who had his back to the bald fat priest, stretched out a hand at this time: "Bring it, I'll take a look." ”

"Your Excellency, what's so good about this kind of book?" said the cardinal, who stood beside the Pope, smiled awkwardly.

"Bring it. The Pope repeated.

All of a sudden, all the laughter was gone, and the cardinals looked at the Pope with wide eyes one by one.

The bald fat priest excitedly handed the Lich Paladin in his hand to the cardinal standing in front of him.

Picking it up, the Pope whispered, "So far, we have made too many mistakes, all because we have inferred from common sense. However, it turns out that Gray is not a person who can be inferred by common sense. Archmage Andrew's last message before taking refuge with him tells us that Paladin Gray is most likely a necromancer. None of us believed it at the time. ”

After a pause, the Pope looked back at the cardinals and continued: "Later, Levi proved it. Through the observation of the angels, we have confirmed that all of Paladin Gray's men are dark creatures who have taken refuge. Even succubi. He also once said that there is at least one Lich in the Knights of the Silvermoon, as the entire Knights of the Silvermoon are undead knights. That's not something that human power can do. And all the while, he never saw the lich. What if this faceless lich is the same person as the paladin Gray who never took off his mask, and the armor is actually a skeleton? It's not just about never taking off your mask. ”

All of a sudden, all the cardinals present froze.

......

"I don't know if he's upright and kind, but I think he's at least a sane person. Gray commented.

"And what are you going to ask him for? I think the main thing about his trip is to get back the four paladins. Under what circumstances would you agree to release the four paladins?" asked the black cat.

"If he agrees to strictly bind the four paladins, then I can agree to release them. Of course, he must also commit to moving the Holy See in a better direction. A lot of things, such as the selection of paladins, are inherently problematic. There has to be reform, and I have to be a part of it. I don't want to do a massive reform right away, but at least it should be gradual, not stagnant. ”

"I think it's going to be hard for you to negotiate a quid pro quo. The black cat yawned and said, "If you want to reform, and you want to participate, to what extent? If you do so, you become the Pope, and even more powerful than the Pope. It's already the equivalent of the House of Cardinals. Even if the Pope agrees, the Cardinal Council is a problem. But if you don't give the decision to you, it is likely that the reform will be equivalent to no change. You're really just getting a right to know, and there's nothing you can do about it, even if they delay indefinitely. Catherine, what do you think?"

"I think...... Maybe we don't need to think too much. Catherine said softly, "Since it is a peace talk, it is important to trust each other. If you can't trust each other, even if you get a deal, it can quickly break down. Although the Pope did not satisfy us, it may not be his problem. After all, the Council of Cardinals has more power than him, and he can't change anything. Just because he doesn't do well doesn't mean he wants to do it. And if he can become the Pope, he must be a powerful figure. If we can get his support and make him understand what Gray wants, maybe everything will be a lot easier than we think. ”

Vivien tilted her head to the side, thinking.

Gray nodded silently, and the black cat was also thoughtful.

"In that case, my negotiation strategy tomorrow should be to first enlist the Pope's support and let the Pope understand what I want. Instead of negotiating terms with him, right?"

"Clever, that's it!" replied the black cat.

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