Copernicus was recommending that bitter drink to a bishop and a young man.

The young man asked the bishop in all seriousness whether drinking such a pagan drink would be detrimental to piety, but the bishop did not answer, but took Copernicus's cup and drank it himself. The young man was a little embarrassed and took a cup as well.

Innocent sat respectfully to the side, introducing the bishop to his monastery and the revelation of the sword in the stone. Captain Tyvi and the two knights of the Oak Knights sat on the side, silent, one born noble, the other born potter, but at this time they were just as nervous.

As I walked in, one of the knights' attendants pointed to a high-backed stool by the wall and told me to sit there. As soon as I sat down, the squire and the two oak knights left the room, leaving only the rest of us.

"This drink tastes good, and only the kind of small fruit produced by Creel can make this drink?" The bishop ignored the others and asked Copernicus instead.

"Nor is it, Bishop Oleg. Such fruits can be grown in hot climates. However, Creel's fruit tastes better. Copernicus held the pot, "More?" ”

Bishop Oleg held out his glass, "Thank you. ”

Copernicus tilted the spout of the pot and poured a little more for the bishop, and the only thing in the room was the fragrance of the drink and the sound of crumbling water as it was poured.

"When you drink it, your spirits are uplifted, but it doesn't confuse your mind like wine. When I'm tired from reading, this drink is very useful. ”

The bishop smiled, "I would recommend it to my brothers in the church." ”

Copernicus put the pot back in place. Nod your head in gratitude.

All the people here are watching the bishop, who is the faithful here.

"So. Dean Innocent? "The bishop is getting down to business.

"Your Excellency, Bishop."

"Tell me more about the revelation of the sword in the stone."

Innocent stood up and began to tell about the angel coming to the monastery. He was given many revelations, and then the next day, under the gaze of thousands of people, none of them could fulfill the angel's request, only the knight of Taivi inadvertently pulled out the sword in the stone from the stone. Later, after learning of Philip's order in the name of the Church to end the civil war, the Oak Knights decided to follow the instructions of the Church and resolutely fought with a weak army. Resist the mighty parliamentary army. In the end, with the help of angels, he won a great victory and defeated the parliamentary army, thus ending the civil war and banishing Giovanni. Innocent kept an eye on the bishop as she spoke. The bishop's expression didn't change, but I always felt that there was an occasional slight smile on the bishop's face.

Innocent, after telling the story of the revelation and what had happened after, said to the bishop, "Praise be to God, I am but a little abbot, if not the will of God." I can't get this far. ”

"Or too far." The bishop said, "Let's not talk about that. Lord Innocent, I don't know a little bit about why the angels sent down their swords. Will it be a Burke longsword? I know a swordsmith who can tell at a glance that this sword was made by Burke nine years ago, because the Berkes have a unique alchemy technique. The pattern left on the blade is distinctive. ”

"This''," Innocent did not expect the bishop to ask such a pointed question, "the angel took this sword from the earth. and brought it into the world. It doesn't matter where this sword is. ”

"It doesn't matter. Is that right? If the sword comes from the earth, it has no divinity, and the divinity of the angel who holds it will be doubted. The bishop pursed his lips, "If the divinity of the angel is in doubt, then is she really an angel?" What would you do if someone says it's a gift from the devil, who disguised himself as an angel and put an evil weapon from the world in your monastery for you to explain. Do you want to be caught up in such a cross-examination when confronted with bishops? ”

"I don't want to."

"And where did this sword come from?"

"From Heaven."

"What about the Burke pattern?"

"It'll grind off tomorrow morning."

The Tavi Knight frowned, "What? But no one paid any attention to him.

"Yes." The bishop put down his glass, "You said you got the order of the church from Brother Philip. However, only a day's journey away is a bishop of Little East Lake City, who has long known the orders of the church. Maybe he forgot to give you an official letter? ”

He ordered. But the letter told me to urge my brothers in the monastery not to mingle with worldly strife, and not to show support for anyone. ”

"So to the bishop of your diocese, you refused his order. Across the East Lake from you, the bishop who has never met you has made a big move with a letter. Am I right, Dean Innocent? ”

Innocent's face turned a little pale, "I don't think I received that letter. ”

"You just said you received it."

"It was supposed to be a letter forged by spies in the Western Church in order to create a split within the Eastern Church."

"What about the letter?"

"It has been destroyed, but the conspiracy of the Western Church has been detected by us."

"That's right, the Western Church and the clergyman who proclaimed himself Pope should be condemned."

"I think the same thing as you."

"The date of your departure is quite close to the date of the Prince's attack on Little East Lake City, and if you count the time when the news spread on the road, you all set off almost at the same time. Does it matter? ”

"No, Your Excellency."

"Since the order of the Church is to end the civil war. Why did you end the civil war between the parliament and Giovanni, but you were indifferent to the civil war between Kalinin and Denia? ”

"My monastery is in the diocese of Little East Lake," said Innocent, "and the affairs of the diocese are supposed to be decided by the bishop." ”

"You're suggesting that the bishop of Little East Lake City is not doing anything."

"I didn't say that, Your Excellency."

"If the bishop of Little East Lake City is in conflict with the will of the Church and its understanding of certain things. How will you choose your location? ”

"I don't need to choose a location, Your Excellency." Abbot of Innocent Monastery said, "All the clergy of the Eastern Church. Will be the only one who will obey the Church. ”

The Bishop finally stopped asking Innocent and turned to ask Tyvi Knight. "Knight Tevi, I heard a rumor. Until you were forty-nine years old, you were a member of the Western Church. It's ridiculous that a knight under the Western Church should receive a miracle in the Eastern Church. Is this true? ”

Knight Tevi pondered for a long time before he spoke, "I'm afraid it's true, Lord Bishop. But after receiving the miracle of the sword in stone, I have converted to the Eastern Church. ”

Several people in the room frowned.

The bishop continued. "Are you sure that's the case?"

"Yes. There are no lies. "I have lived a life of exile during my time in the Western Church, but that is not a reason for me to hide my old faith. It is true that before the age of forty-nine, I belonged to the Western churches, and when I went into their churches, I recited different prayers. But from this miracle, I was converted to the Eastern Church from the bottom of my heart. I can name all the signs I have come across to prove the doctrine of the Eastern Church. It brings me closer to God. When I was in the West, I had never witnessed miracles or understood what it meant to protect civilians. And I myself was chosen and received a miracle. And the feeling that God is with us all the time from fighting and defending the civilian population is a thing in the Eastern Church. ”

The bishop raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you want to say that?" ”

"Yes."

The bishop pondered for a moment. Say to the knight, "Your Excellency." If that's what you really think. I'm afraid the nobles will forever use this excuse to attack you, your captain. None of them may be able to keep it. ”

"I have the protection of the sword in the stone."

The bishop shook his head, "You have the protection of the Knights. ”

The Tavi Knight was lost in thought, wondering what the difference was between the two.

Finally, the bishop turned his face to me, "It's hard to believe that the man mentioned by the Maharaja, the Pioneers, the Bishop Philip, and the Valans is a nobody from the west. ”

"It's mostly the work of my father's generation. It has nothing to do with me. ”

"The part of the pioneer may be the blessing of your family. The rest of the stuff is all your own involvement, aren't you? Your bachelor has already talked to me about your family's affairs. A brave family, an honorable family, I admire. Maybe one day, someone will cheer for your family. ”

My family doesn't need to be cheered, that's a circus dream.

"Thank you for the appreciation."

"You've done a lot to end the siege of Valan. Bishop Philip appreciates this very much, and he even remembers you. There aren't many people who can impress Bishop Philip. Tell me, why do you do this? ”

Many high-sounding reasons appeared in my head, such as the desire to re-spread the doctrine of the Eastern Church to Creel with the help of the Duchy of Valan; For example, I listened to Bishop Philip's teachings that I should do my part to end the war among the Wikibians when the Burks were enemies; For example, I respect Dean Innocent and the church, and I want to dedicate my strength to strengthen the dignity of the church.

But the bishop seems to be very clever, and if what I say is false, he will probably see through it at a glance, and then, as he did with Innocent, peel off my lies layer by layer, and force out my more real thoughts. I don't have the improvisation of Innocent, nor the cheekiness of him that is not embarrassed to be exposed. Even, if I were to deceive, then the good name of my family would make me doubly despise.

I can only get straight to the point.

"I contribute because I want to be a boyar."

My words made the air in the room freeze at once. Copernicus's face became a little ugly, and he shouted 'Timmy' a little reproachfully!

The bishop smiled, "It's direct. ”

"If you are hypocritical in front of you, I will be debunked in three sentences."

Innocent glared at me disapprovingly.

The bishop didn't mind much, he pointed to the young man next to him, "This is Yegor, Bishop Philip's envoy. Bishop Philip is ready to recommend both of you at the same time in the Assembling of the Nobles. ”

He contacted several bishops, who said they would be completely at the mercy of Bishop Philip. So this young man, it will be decided how to distribute the support of the five bishops among the two of you. ”

"Bishops, unlike nobles, can only support one abbot for the promotion of vicar bishop at the same time. Or support a commoner to be promoted to boyar, while a big boyar can support several boyars. So. Mr. Timmy, if you give up the support of these five bishops. It is very helpful for Dean Innocent. In that case, he would only need to find one more supporter, and Abbot Innocent would be given the position of vicara, which would make his order more secure. But if you ask, then at the behest of Bishop Philip, the young man will appropriately assign the support of the five bishops to you and Innocent. ”

"Let the church give to the church, and the nobles to the nobility." Innocent voiced his opinion, "This is the fairest. ”

"The separation of the church from the world. It's the separation of the bishop from the nobility, which is not quite appropriate. "Copernicus-for-tat." This would give the impression that the council is at odds with the church. ”

The bishop laughed, "Timmy, tomorrow this young man will leave here and return to the Riverlands. So you need to make a decision by tomorrow. I'm afraid that I and the other bishops will have to wait until the last moment to express support for someone, otherwise the bishops' statements will be too frequent and will provoke criticism. In the city of Ivangelode. There are too many deans and civilians who are digging up and down and spreading rumors, and you have to make sure that nothing gets out of the way. And," said the bishop, with a little smirk, "in anticipation of a quarrel among you. Philippe took Giovanni's advice. Let it be up to you to decide how to distribute the support of these bishops. ”

"What do you mean?" Innocent asked.

The bishop looked at the young man, who stood up, "Giovanni said it was a method of dividing the flesh from the barracks. It felt blasphemous, but since Bishop Philip agreed. I can only convey this method as ordered. ”

"Mr. Timmy came out of the Valan barracks," Innocent pointed out dissatisfied. "Involving me in this distribution, I have a hard time believing it's fair."

The young man said, "I thought about it, and it's quite fair. ”

"What exactly is the method of dividing meat, I have not heard of this method of distribution. When I was in the Waran barracks, I either couldn't eat meat, and when I could, I was usually able to eat it, and I didn't encounter a time when I needed to divide meat. ”

"Really?" Innocent clearly didn't believe it.

The young man opened an envelope and said to us, "This requires both of you: you have to tell me privately who you think has contributed more to ending the civil war." If you feel that you are contributing more at the same time, then you each have the support of two bishops. The nomination of the remaining bishop will be used elsewhere to elect a priest from the Riverlands as vice-president of the region; If you feel that the other person's contribution is greater, then you will have the support of three bishops at the same time--- because Bishop Oleg has chosen to speak directly because of your humility with each other, so that you will have the support of three bishops each. ”

Hearing this, Bishop Oleg smiled slyly.

Young bit his lip, "Of course, if Mr. Timmy feels that Dean Innocent has a greater role, and it happens that Dean Innocent feels the same way, then Mr. Timmy will only have the support of one bishop, and Abbot Innocent will have the support of four bishops." Again, if Innocent thinks Timmy is more useful, and Timmy thinks so, then Innocent will have the support of a bishop and Timmy will get four. In such a situation, the Episcopal Church of Oleg chooses not to support any of you, because if he supports the one with the most votes, then it will give the impression that the bishops are complicit. If he supports those with fewer votes, it will probably not help, and he might as well leave his support where it can be used. That's the rule, when you're decided, you can come to me, and I won't sleep until tomorrow morning, waiting for your arrival. ”

When he had finished explaining these things, the bishop took his leave, and the young man sent him out. The rest of us looked at each other, thinking about what to do.

The Tavi Knight wanted Innocent to be the vicar and Copernicus wanted me to be the boyar, and all four of us studied the expressions on each other's faces.

Innocent walked around with his chin pinched, finally stopped, pointed his finger to the sky and said, "I have to say, Giovanni is a bastard." ”

I said to him, "I always knew that. ”

"Victor, or Timmy?" "The best thing for us right now is what is best for us," Innocent said. It's about supporting each other. In this case, there will be one more bishop who will support us. It's good for all of us. If we tear each other down. Instead, it would cause one bishop who could have supported us to support someone else. It's worth the cost. ”

"We?" I asked him, "It seems like the two of us were nominated separately." I need the support of six people. You need it too. The total number of our supporters doesn't mean much. ”

"You see, the gap has appeared." Innocent said, "That's where Giovanni is the most jerky. Innocent said righteously, "He thinks that a small profit can make you and me suspicious of each other, and he has no idea that we have known each other in the west, longer than you have known him." I'm half a Westerner, too, to everyone there. I was filled with deep feelings. Timmy, I don't know the details, but I do know that your family seems to be in some trouble, and I fully support your cause. So, how could I not support you in becoming a boyar? In the same way, we have seen the displacement of refugees, the lack of clothing and food for civilians even with their hard work, the plague and the chaos of war. I was just a small abbess, and I simply couldn't save more suffering. I thought, how could you not support me as a bishop? ”

Innocent's eyes were red as if he was almost in tears, "This Giovanni is indeed vicious. The support of these bishops, who should have been a fair decision between you and me, has now been disrupted by him. At this time, we should trust each other. In exchange for that additional support from Bishop Oleg. You look for three more big boyars, and I'll try to find my own supporters. This is the support we can get through trust. Why waste such support because of suspicion? ”

Neither Copernicus nor Tevi spoke. I looked at Innocent carefully, and the tone and expression of his voice were very moving.

Really, if we supported each other, it would have ended a lot better for both of us. In that case, I only need to find the support of the three big boyars, it will be enough, if one of the three big boyars Kalinin, Yuri, and Alexei can support me, "Prince Denia", "he will support Innocent", "Anastasia's family, I can't count on it"

In any case, if Innocent and I had trusted each other, our results would not be the best, but they would be the worst. The only better situation than this is that I get Innocent to support me, and at the same time I support myself'''

Innocent took me by the hand and talked to me about trust and friendship for a long time, told me to trust him, and then walked away with Tevi and a few knights.

Before leaving, he turned around and gave me a hug, "Timmy, I know I can trust you." ”

After they left, Copernicus sat with me for a while, and finally spoke, "You believe Innocent?" ”

"What about you?"

He chuckled.

I laughed too.

Copernicus said, "You decide for yourself." Trust is a good thing. He shook his head and sighed, "This Giovanni is very interesting, and I would like to talk to him if I have the chance." ”

The monastery is not far from the horse market, but I don't plan to go back again.

In fact, as soon as I walked out of the door, I knocked on the young man's door.

"Has Innocent been here?"

"No comment." The young man was expressionless.

"My contribution is even greater."

The young man nodded, closed the door, and I heard the sound of the deadbolt.

On the way back, I seemed relaxed.

Copernicus asked curiously, "It's as if you knew Innocent's decision." ”

"It should be about the same."

"How?"

"When I went to open the door, Philip's envoy opened it without pulling the deadbolt. He bolted the door as I left, and he obviously knew that no one was going to visit him tonight. ”

"What does that mean?"

"Innocent also didn't feel the need to think about it, he had already been."

Copernicus laughed, "You are as smart as your mother." ”

"My mother is smart?" I asked curiously, "Yes, it is impossible for a peasant girl to make a nobleman fall in love with her, and it is impossible not to be smart." ”

Copernicus's smile slowly faded, and he let out a vague "En".

The next day, the General Assembly of the Nobles.

In the morning, the pre-convened synod of bishops was apothetic. It is said that five bishops commissioned an emissary early in the morning to convey their attitudes. Two of them supported a respected abbot as vicar, two of them supported a commoner as boyar, and one bishop supported a priest from Riverland as vice-president.

I sat at the very edge of the council, listening to the black leather-clad aristocrats buzzing about the discussants, like a swarm of flies touching their heads, their wings flapping.

At noon, I walked out and had dinner with the Romanovs, eating roast beef and onions, and adding a glass of wine if I paid for it, and the boss assured me that I would definitely be able to drink the taste of wine without adding much water.

After eating, I wandered around the square, waiting for the afternoon meeting, where I met a sullen Innocent.

When he saw me, he was furious, "Victor! How can you not talk words! ”

"Aren't you the same?"

"I trust you so much!"

"Uh," I decided to run away because I was afraid he would get a group of oak knights to beat me, "at least we have two supporters, don't we?" ”

I ran away.

Innocent shook his fist behind my back.

Next, where do I go to find four more big boyars to support me? (To be continued.) )