Chapter 354 - I am not satisfied

“Sister... Seriously, there’s no one else but you !”

Clemente was so touched that he avoided her huge brother's embrace.

“...Don’t cause any trouble... Be quiet... Okay?”

“Of course I do, I live off my brother-in-law’s money!”

“Stay out of trouble,” Clemente said, glancing at his ambitious brother.

Isabella avoided eye contact with Clemente, her expression full of discontent as she continued to babble.

Clemente was confused and smacked her lips. Was this really the right thing to do?

***

Cardinal de Mare could not complain to Pope Louis about the conduct of the inquisitors sent from Trevero.

Although the cardinals had the character of regional representatives responsible for the region, they were essentially subordinates of the Holy See.

On the other hand, Leo III, a worldly monarch, could do so.

The church and the state are supposed to be separate and not interfere with each other, but in this case, the church has stepped outside its boundaries and encroached on the authority of the state.

Faced with the shocking fact that Count Contarini's family had gone bankrupt, the nobles banded together and demanded that the King come up with a solution.

And the King accepted it gladly.

Leo III was also uncomfortable with the situation in which merchants were climbing up the ladder.

It's not that they were particularly disliked merchants, but they were originally commoners who had no say, but now they were united.

The number of people he had to watch out for was increasing. Leo III was already living with too many restrictions for his liking.

The King sent an envoy to the Holy See and asked, 'What on earth are you thinking?'

Although it was sent because the Holy See side had sufficiently abused its authority, he felt uneasy after sending it.

The church and the monarch should not interfere with each other, but whenever there has been conflict, the church has always won.

This was because there was no worldly power that could overcome the threat of excommunication based on the Meditation Record.

But what Leo III received in return was neither a reprimand, an excuse, nor a promise not to repeat the incident, but a polite invitation.

"I think there was a misunderstanding, so I would like you to visit Trevero to apologize.

I have been on good terms with the Etruscan kingdom for some time, but I would like to meet them in person and have a spiritual conversation and a higher level of friendship between leaders.”

To summarize, the content was something like this. They even subtly elevated Leo III to the same level as the Pope, saying that he was a 'leader'.

The proposal itself was a ridiculous suggestion.

Asking a monarch to leave his country? It was an invitation that even a King of a neighboring country could not make. Who would guarantee his safety?

But on the other hand, this was an invitation that only the Pope could make.

The reason why a monarch does not leave his country's borders is that he cannot trust anyone. If a host pretends to welcome a guest and then takes him hostage.

Because there is no way to do anything.

But the Pope was the representative of the Heavenly Father who had descended to earth. By the nature of his position, the Pope could not do such a thing.

He did not believe in the conscience of an individual named Ludovico. It is a well-known fact that Ludovico de Giustini had no conscience, even if he tried to eat or die.

However, what Leo III believed in was the sacredness of the position of Pope.

If the Pope were to do something like that, the entire Central Continent would be shocked. His authority comes from his holiness.

Leo III, holding the Pope's invitation in his hand, asked his adjutant, Lord Delpiano.

“This... Has there ever been a precedent?”

Delpiano also shook his head.

“...No. I don’t know about the ancient Ratan Empire, but since it transitioned to a kingdom system, not even once...”

Leo III continued to study the letter from Pope Louis, though in his usual state, he would have simply thrown the parchment into the fireplace.

Even if a peerless beauty sent him an invitation calling him to the land of death, he would have ignored it, so it was not worth laughing at when an old man like Ludovico sent it.

But one line at the end of the letter really stuck with him 

[...The new sacred capital, Trevero, is a holy place comparable to the thousand-year-old city of Yesak... The King's visit will be considered a pilgrimage and an indulgence will be issued...]

It's a free pass.

Leo III committed a wide variety of sins. It would be easy to find out what he had kept: do not commit adultery, do not covet your neighbor's wife, do not murder, etc.

He was a master of self-rationalization, but there were areas of fact where he could not win a mental victory. He licked his lips as he thought about some of the things that really pricked him.

“A pilgrimage... It was a dream of mine when I was young.”

Leo III's pilgrimage to the Holy Land was ridiculous. Even in front of Count Delpiano, who could say whatever he wanted, Leo III muttered a few excuses, feeling embarrassed.

Sir Delpiano answered stupidly. From his perspective, it was nothing more than an utterance of words that came to mind while on a ‘pilgrimage to the Holy Land.’

“Prince Alfonso has been to Yesak, so if he goes here, the indulgence will be doubled.”

Leo III's expression became mysterious when he heard those words. Couldn't I send someone else in my place and receive the indulgence?

However, Leo III was not yet completely mad.

“Find out to whom the Pope sent this invitation.”

The cunning rabbit had no intention of putting his head or anything of his own into the tiger's mouth.

***

“This is a jackpot.”

The Baron of Castiglione stroked his moustache with an expression of emotion, as was his habit when he was in a very good mood.

“I showed those arrogant nobles an example! Hehehehe.”

Baron Castiglione had a small personal debt to the Marquis of Cefinelli, one of the court's most powerful men.

It was a small amount of money for the Marquis, who had no slush funds to use, to borrow money for gambling and for the government's living expenses. It may not seem like much when compared to the size of the upper house, but it was a lot of money for an individual.

“Those who don’t pay their debts should be punished! Yeah!”

They were friendly, and the Marquis of Cepinelli even installed the Baron of Castiglione in the Greater Curia Regis.

But that was it. When he lent him money, he was like a big brother, but after he lent him money, he couldn't even see his face.

When he pressed him about when he would pay him back, he initially tried to explain his situation, but later only gave him a cold, unresponsive response.

'No matter how much you brag about being a noble, money is no match for your business.'

Does sincerity get through?

The moment the Baron of Castiglione was determined to shame the Marquis of Cepinelli, who would not even meet him, and was about to sell the bonds to the monastery, the Marquis contacted him first.

It was as if his heart had flown over the capital and reached the Marquis of Cepinelli.

“Look here, Baron Castiglione. We may have been classy, ​​but we are still descendants of the same roots.”

The Marquis Cepinelli's estate was not far from the old stronghold of the Castiglione family, that is, the Marquis Guatieri's estate. So, to a large extent, they were from the same hometown.

“The nobles of the East never forget each other. Those of our noble blood can only understand each other.”

The Marquis Cepinelli looked at the Baron of Castiglione with a mysterious, unresponsive gaze.

“I hear His Majesty the King is planning to convene a committee soon to consider new taxes to be imposed on merchants.”

Recently, the King announced that he would reduce some of the land tax, that is, the tax paid by the lords, and then introduce new taxes on merchants.

It was not an entirely unreasonable measure, given that agricultural productivity was declining and trade revenues were growing, but merchants were naturally dissatisfied and wanted to have a say in the new tax, preferably in reducing it.

“Would you like to join the committee as well? I will wholeheartedly recommend you.”

And the Marquis, after looking at the Baron of Castiglione, added hurriedly.

“Of course, and pay you back. You bastard, my wife is so scared...”

The Marquis paid a small amount of interest, signed the debt acknowledgment presented by the Baron, and promised to take the Baron of Castiglione's young son as a playmate for his third son.

But what pleased the Baron of Castiglione most of all were these words:

“Noble bloodlines like ours.”

It was a refreshing feeling as the sorrow of the past, having come to the capital as a semi-noble family and settled down for a while, was washed away all at once.

Since he was a vassal of the Marquis of Guatieri in the past, he still had to greet the Marquis of Guatieri's household in the capital following the example of a vassal.

Although he could tolerate what he did, it was humiliating to have to bow down to the young son of the Marquis of Guatieri for his children.

But now the Marquis Cepinelli, who is on the same level as the Marquis Guatieri, has bound him with the word 'we'.

'We.'

Camellia, the eldest daughter, failed, but if she could arrange for her younger son to marry into a noble family, he would be able to call his life's journey a success when he died.

It would be even more satisfying if the great nobleman were from the East, like the Marquis of Cepinelli.

“It’s all thanks to your hard work. You did a great job!”

The Baron of Castiglione praised his eldest son-in-law, who was not much older than him.

“The next president of the merchants’ association is yours! You’re the one who’s been given the nod!”

He looked back at his eldest daughter, who was as plump as a moon, and asked, “You didn’t have any luck.”

“Camellia, are you satisfied with this?”

Camellia had recently started to move around a bit after about a month of recovery. She smiled faintly with her glowing skin.

Ottavio has not been attending the palace since his mansion was seized and he was driven out of his home.

No one told him not to come, but it seemed like he was embarrassed to look at other people's faces.

Camellia knew Ottavio better than anyone. He was a man with such a fragile mind that once he broke down, it was hard to get back up.

Although the execution had not yet taken place and no one had moved into the Contarini mansion, Camellia was satisfied with this much.

She was sure that Isabella and Ottavio would not be happy.

That was it; she was done.

“Father, I...”

Camellia was about to say that she was satisfied.

“No. I am not satisfied.”

The owner of the deep, low voice was CEO Caruso. Baron Castiglione and Camellia looked back at him in surprise.

“Master, I am not satisfied.”

CEO Caruso spoke again as if he were making a pledge. It was a kind of rumination.

“It’s been about 20 years since I started working in the financial world.”

He looked out the window.

His childhood days fighting over food on the docks, his boyhood days when he was lucky enough to be the youngest in the upper class and learn the ropes, and his young adult years when he was growing stronger through success and getting hit in the back of the head all flashed before his eyes.

“What time has taught me.”

He gritted his teeth.

“If you can’t stop breathing, you shouldn’t even pick a fight.”

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