Pope Louis rose from his seat and welcomed the new arrivals.
“Welcome!”
Of these, the one who particularly monopolized his attention was Prince Alfonso de Carlo.
“Hero of the Temple of Yesak!”
Pope Ludovico approached Prince Alfonso and rubbed his chin and shoulders like old friends.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I really wanted to meet you!”
He was more like a friend of his father than the successor to the Pope and secular monarch at the pinnacle of divine power.
And this was also a remark that could have offended the rest of the attendees, as it said that they did not want to see you very much.
It was too early to call this a simple slip of the tongue; Louis was the Pope. He was not the kind of person to speak without calculating.
Indeed, the invited guest of the Kingdom of Salamanta seemed a little displeased. To be precise, it was the old Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta who had a little trouble controlling his facial expression.
However, the Marquis of Variati, who had come as a representative of the country, only smiled faintly.
This was partly because he had no right to be offended.
He was not the King of Salamanta, nor was he a Salamanta, strictly speaking.
He was originally from the Etruscan kingdom and was a mercenary captain better known by his nickname, 'Ironclad Variati'.
He was a tall man with gray hair, in his early to mid-fifties, but his well-built body gave him the appearance of someone in his forties.
Alfonso responded to the Pope's warm welcome.
“Your Holiness, the Pope. Glory be to the representative of the Heavenly God who restored the thousand-year-old city of Yesak.”
This was the speech the Pope most wanted to hear.
He kept smiling broadly, but the corners of his mouth, which had seemed like a fake smile made of wax, were really hanging defenselessly.
“What does everyone in Yesak think?”
The Pope could not stand it any longer and asked.
“Would you be grateful that the Knights of the Heavenly God have conquered the pagan lands and eradicated the evil hordes?”
The natives of that land were, strictly speaking, pagans. The Yesak people, who believed in the Yesak religion, were driven out of the highlands long ago and fled to the central continent.
Now, even if the Central Continent people came with an army, they would only be occupied by strangers, so there was no need to be thankful.
But even the dullest Alfonso had his time on the battlefield.
To be precise, there were times when they fought tooth and nail in tactical meetings to avoid being pushed to the dangerous front lines.
He felt instinctively that Pope Louis was sincere about the Holy See.
“Through the decision of Your Holiness, the Pope, the people of the Millennium Capital were embraced by true faith.”
When Alfonso, who always seemed to know how to tell the truth, said something ticklish like that, Ariadne opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
The Marquis of Variati, who saw Pope Ludovico and Prince Alfonso exchanging blows, got involved himself.
However, it seemed that the person he was interested in was Alfonso, not Pope Ludovico.
“The news of the Prince’s victory made my men’s hearts race.”
“It’s the ‘Ironclad Variati’.”
Alfonso nodded.
“I have also heard of that reputation.”
“I am honored to meet the hero of the Yesak Crusade, Alfonso Casco Nero.”
The Marquis of Variati narrowed his eyes at Alfonso. To be precise, he did not look at Alfonso, but at the two-handed sword at Alfonso's waist.
“Is it 'Khaledbukh'?”
Alfonso nodded with a faint smile.
It was a valuable item that he had no use for carrying around, but he couldn't trust Leo III, so he brought it here.
“Yes.”
“Can I touch it?”
Ariadne thought that was a very rude remark, but Alfonso simply unsheathed his double-handed sword and handed it to Variati.
And Ariadne soon understood why Alfonso had done so.
Kang!
The moment the giant two-handed sword entered Variati's hand, it seemed to gain a thousand times its weight and fell to the floor, embedding itself in his hand.
Even Pope Louis looked at the Holy Sword with great curiosity.
“Hoo...”
Variati immediately laughed and apologized.
“Oh. I apologize. It is truly a precious thing.”
Alfonso took back the sword without saying anything. Variati smiled cowardly and spoke.
“Please feel free to contact me anytime you need me.”
As he was a mercenary captain, it was important for him to be on good terms with secular monarchs. Alfonso smiled back, but did not respond in any specific way.
Of course, the Ironclad Variati was an important figure. He was the mercenary captain who operated the only heavy knights on the continent that could be hired for money.
But he was never a trustworthy man. He was a former worker of Gallico.
He had refused Leo III's offer of employment when his Montpellier cavalry threatened the borders of the Etruscan kingdom.
What use would you make of a sword that doesn't appear when you need it most?
As the atmosphere in the banquet hall centered around Prince Alfonso, the Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta added a word with a dissatisfied expression.
“Are you trying to negotiate a contract right now? You can’t do that if you have something to do.”
The language he spoke, a gaunt, white-haired old man, was ancient Latin, the common language of the continent. He was not from the Etruscan kingdom.
Thanks to his experience at the Holy See for nearly half a century, he was able to guess with just a few words that hr roughly knew.
The ironclad Variati is currently employed by the King of the Kingdom of Salamanta, and through that connection, he came to Trevero on behalf of the Kingdom of Salamanta.
King Salamanta was interested in the bait, but he was not cruel enough to use his own flesh and blood as a shield, so he sent someone who was paid instead.
“Prince Alfonso will guard it himself, so why hire a mercenary captain? Marquis Variati, please keep your contract with the Kingdom of Salamanta.”
On the contrary, it was this Cardinal who was definitely close to King Salamanta.
It was in line with the current point. However, the Pope interrupted and burst into laughter.
“Prince Alfonso might go on the Fourth Crusade!”
He also pointed to the god and Khaledbukh.
“I should try using that holy sword on my waist too!”
Ariadne had a hard time controlling her expression. Sending him to war again? Even though he is the Pope, he is crossing the line!
“Oh, this way.”
As the story grew longer, the Pope introduced Cardinal de Mare and Ariadne.
“Dear Cardinal de Mare and Countess Ariadne de Mare. Cardinal de Mare is acquainted with Cardinal Velasco.”
At the words 'Cardinal de Mare', Marquis de Variati turned to look at the Cardinal.
He was a head and a half taller than the diminutive Cardinal de Mare. He smiled meaningfully.
The Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta was a bit more focused on the message.
“Your Holiness! The Third Crusade has just returned to the Central Continent, and now we have the Fourth Crusade. The monarchs of each country must also focus on domestic affairs. The Black Death has also broken out... The people’s minds are very unstable in many ways.”
Pope Ludovico looked at the Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta with a very offended expression.
The Cardinal, however, was undaunted and preached to the Pope. His attitude was strict.
“The Emperor is not only the spiritual leader of the Yesak Sect, but he also has to take good care of the physical body of the Central Continent! This is the advice of an old man who has not much time left to live, so please do not take it too seriously.”
Pope Ludovico looked at Cardinal Velasco with a mysterious face and said just one word.
“Cardinal. There is an order to where you come from, but there is no order to where you leave.”
And the day after the dinner, Cardinal Velasco was taken before an ecclesiastical court on charges of bribery and executed that very evening.
While Ariadne was meeting new people in Trevero, Isabella was meeting new people in San Carlo. While Ariadne was simply broadening her horizons, Isabella was learning the bitter truths of life, so in a way, it was a greater study. The problem was that Isabella had no desire to know these bitter truths of life.
“Son of a bitch!”
“Welcome!”
Of these, the one who particularly monopolized his attention was Prince Alfonso de Carlo.
“Hero of the Temple of Yesak!”
Pope Ludovico approached Prince Alfonso and rubbed his chin and shoulders like old friends.
“I don’t know about anyone else, but I really wanted to meet you!”
He was more like a friend of his father than the successor to the Pope and secular monarch at the pinnacle of divine power.
And this was also a remark that could have offended the rest of the attendees, as it said that they did not want to see you very much.
It was too early to call this a simple slip of the tongue; Louis was the Pope. He was not the kind of person to speak without calculating.
Indeed, the invited guest of the Kingdom of Salamanta seemed a little displeased. To be precise, it was the old Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta who had a little trouble controlling his facial expression.
However, the Marquis of Variati, who had come as a representative of the country, only smiled faintly.
This was partly because he had no right to be offended.
He was not the King of Salamanta, nor was he a Salamanta, strictly speaking.
He was originally from the Etruscan kingdom and was a mercenary captain better known by his nickname, 'Ironclad Variati'.
He was a tall man with gray hair, in his early to mid-fifties, but his well-built body gave him the appearance of someone in his forties.
Alfonso responded to the Pope's warm welcome.
“Your Holiness, the Pope. Glory be to the representative of the Heavenly God who restored the thousand-year-old city of Yesak.”
This was the speech the Pope most wanted to hear.
He kept smiling broadly, but the corners of his mouth, which had seemed like a fake smile made of wax, were really hanging defenselessly.
“What does everyone in Yesak think?”
The Pope could not stand it any longer and asked.
“Would you be grateful that the Knights of the Heavenly God have conquered the pagan lands and eradicated the evil hordes?”
The natives of that land were, strictly speaking, pagans. The Yesak people, who believed in the Yesak religion, were driven out of the highlands long ago and fled to the central continent.
Now, even if the Central Continent people came with an army, they would only be occupied by strangers, so there was no need to be thankful.
But even the dullest Alfonso had his time on the battlefield.
To be precise, there were times when they fought tooth and nail in tactical meetings to avoid being pushed to the dangerous front lines.
He felt instinctively that Pope Louis was sincere about the Holy See.
“Through the decision of Your Holiness, the Pope, the people of the Millennium Capital were embraced by true faith.”
When Alfonso, who always seemed to know how to tell the truth, said something ticklish like that, Ariadne opened her eyes wide and looked at him.
The Marquis of Variati, who saw Pope Ludovico and Prince Alfonso exchanging blows, got involved himself.
However, it seemed that the person he was interested in was Alfonso, not Pope Ludovico.
“The news of the Prince’s victory made my men’s hearts race.”
“It’s the ‘Ironclad Variati’.”
Alfonso nodded.
“I have also heard of that reputation.”
“I am honored to meet the hero of the Yesak Crusade, Alfonso Casco Nero.”
The Marquis of Variati narrowed his eyes at Alfonso. To be precise, he did not look at Alfonso, but at the two-handed sword at Alfonso's waist.
“Is it 'Khaledbukh'?”
Alfonso nodded with a faint smile.
It was a valuable item that he had no use for carrying around, but he couldn't trust Leo III, so he brought it here.
“Yes.”
“Can I touch it?”
Ariadne thought that was a very rude remark, but Alfonso simply unsheathed his double-handed sword and handed it to Variati.
And Ariadne soon understood why Alfonso had done so.
Kang!
The moment the giant two-handed sword entered Variati's hand, it seemed to gain a thousand times its weight and fell to the floor, embedding itself in his hand.
Even Pope Louis looked at the Holy Sword with great curiosity.
“Hoo...”
Variati immediately laughed and apologized.
“Oh. I apologize. It is truly a precious thing.”
Alfonso took back the sword without saying anything. Variati smiled cowardly and spoke.
“Please feel free to contact me anytime you need me.”
As he was a mercenary captain, it was important for him to be on good terms with secular monarchs. Alfonso smiled back, but did not respond in any specific way.
Of course, the Ironclad Variati was an important figure. He was the mercenary captain who operated the only heavy knights on the continent that could be hired for money.
But he was never a trustworthy man. He was a former worker of Gallico.
He had refused Leo III's offer of employment when his Montpellier cavalry threatened the borders of the Etruscan kingdom.
What use would you make of a sword that doesn't appear when you need it most?
As the atmosphere in the banquet hall centered around Prince Alfonso, the Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta added a word with a dissatisfied expression.
“Are you trying to negotiate a contract right now? You can’t do that if you have something to do.”
The language he spoke, a gaunt, white-haired old man, was ancient Latin, the common language of the continent. He was not from the Etruscan kingdom.
Thanks to his experience at the Holy See for nearly half a century, he was able to guess with just a few words that hr roughly knew.
The ironclad Variati is currently employed by the King of the Kingdom of Salamanta, and through that connection, he came to Trevero on behalf of the Kingdom of Salamanta.
King Salamanta was interested in the bait, but he was not cruel enough to use his own flesh and blood as a shield, so he sent someone who was paid instead.
“Prince Alfonso will guard it himself, so why hire a mercenary captain? Marquis Variati, please keep your contract with the Kingdom of Salamanta.”
On the contrary, it was this Cardinal who was definitely close to King Salamanta.
It was in line with the current point. However, the Pope interrupted and burst into laughter.
“Prince Alfonso might go on the Fourth Crusade!”
He also pointed to the god and Khaledbukh.
“I should try using that holy sword on my waist too!”
Ariadne had a hard time controlling her expression. Sending him to war again? Even though he is the Pope, he is crossing the line!
“Oh, this way.”
As the story grew longer, the Pope introduced Cardinal de Mare and Ariadne.
“Dear Cardinal de Mare and Countess Ariadne de Mare. Cardinal de Mare is acquainted with Cardinal Velasco.”
At the words 'Cardinal de Mare', Marquis de Variati turned to look at the Cardinal.
He was a head and a half taller than the diminutive Cardinal de Mare. He smiled meaningfully.
The Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta was a bit more focused on the message.
“Your Holiness! The Third Crusade has just returned to the Central Continent, and now we have the Fourth Crusade. The monarchs of each country must also focus on domestic affairs. The Black Death has also broken out... The people’s minds are very unstable in many ways.”
Pope Ludovico looked at the Cardinal of the Kingdom of Salamanta with a very offended expression.
The Cardinal, however, was undaunted and preached to the Pope. His attitude was strict.
“The Emperor is not only the spiritual leader of the Yesak Sect, but he also has to take good care of the physical body of the Central Continent! This is the advice of an old man who has not much time left to live, so please do not take it too seriously.”
Pope Ludovico looked at Cardinal Velasco with a mysterious face and said just one word.
“Cardinal. There is an order to where you come from, but there is no order to where you leave.”
And the day after the dinner, Cardinal Velasco was taken before an ecclesiastical court on charges of bribery and executed that very evening.
***
While Ariadne was meeting new people in Trevero, Isabella was meeting new people in San Carlo. While Ariadne was simply broadening her horizons, Isabella was learning the bitter truths of life, so in a way, it was a greater study. The problem was that Isabella had no desire to know these bitter truths of life.
“Son of a bitch!”
Isabella was so angry that she took off her outer garment and threw it on the floor. When that didn't satisfy her anger, she kicked the clothes that had fallen to the floor.
“You dirty little bastard!”
Isabella has been out and about lately, looking for investors for her 'business' venture.
Seeing merchants making a lot of money through peddling goods made her think that she could do it too.
The problem was the items. She wanted to distribute luxury goods from the Moorish Empire to the provinces, but she needed seed money to buy the first stock.
Because she prided herself on having the best eye, the amount of money she had to invest was also large.
It was standard to start small and work your way up, but Isabella had no intention of selling anything frivolous.
“If you have nothing to give! Don’t even touch me!”
Ironically, the most valuable thing she owned was herself.
Isabella requested meetings with the noble families of the capital and solicited investments.
Isabella took it as an investment solicitation, but the men who readily agreed to the meeting took her invitation quite differently.
The Marquis of Cepinelli, who had dinner alone with Isabella that day, touched Isabella's breasts in the open carriage that took her to Count Bartolini's house.
When Isabella was startled and pulled away, he, who was heavily intoxicated, let out a slurred voice.
“Oh, that’s really expensive! Isn’t that why you called me to have that kind of relationship?”
“What did you say?”
“Your husband is now in a completely ruined state! The moment the forced execution is successful, the mansion will be gone. Where will he go to act as if he is nothing but a Count?”
Isabella tried to protest that she was making money, but the middle-aged Marquis turned a deaf ear.
“Stop kidding around. Everyone is pushing forward with their financial power by forming a group, so what do you think will happen with the childish games that the aunties pick out one by one?”
“Ma’am?!”
“Ma’am, then you are a virgin?”
He spoke with a flushed face.
“Just lift up your skirt when I say something nice. I can let you stay at home for a while...”
Ouch!
Isabella could not stand it anymore and ended up slapping the Marquis of Cepinelli in the face.
“This b*tch...!”
The Marquis of Cepinelli, who was about to rush forward with his hands raised, was stopped by the Moorish knight, Agosto.
Agosto did nothing. He simply took a half-step forward from the guard rail he had been leaning on, crossed his arms, and glared at the middle-aged Marquis.
However, with a size significantly larger than the average Etruscan and skin that glistened like obsidian, he was extremely imposing.
The Marquis immediately turned into a docile lamb, or rather, a docile lamb who only talked.
“You’ll regret it, you arrogant bastard!”
But the most arrogant person in San Carlo was none other than Isabella de Contarini.
“If I’m going to take off my skirt, why wouldn’t I do it to a pyramid like you?”
She took a step forward and swore.
“What? Putting this Isabella de Mare in government? For something like that? This piece of trash, a piece of meat that is not even worth much!”
Isabella leaped from the Marquis Cepinelli's carriage, almost cursing.
The Marquis Cepinelli was about to say something more, but then he compared the size of his coachman and Agosto and laughed loudly.
“Tch! Let’s go home! Oh, I’m so unlucky!”
Isabella got out of the carriage and took out her anger on her clothes, but her anger did not subside, and she stood there grumbling.
"ruler."
Agosto picked up Isabella's fallen outer garment, tossed it around, draped it over his shoulders, and held out his own cloak.
Isabella, who was tipsy from the alcohol, took the cloak and looked at the Moorish knight with hazy eyes.
“You’re not going to abandon me? I don’t have any money to give you anymore.”
He answered in a blunt tone.
“You called me a slave. Slaves don’t get paid.”
Isabella laughed out loud with disheveled hair.
“Yeah. That’s right. I bought you with money.”
Although he was brought in as an employee and at some point stopped paying his salary, Agosto did not insist on it.
In any case, the gold Isabella paid was nowhere near his ransom. So, he was saying that he would stay by her side without any compensation.
Some may have found comfort in Agosto's words, but for Isabella, who had manipulated her memories at will, it seemed to have only touched a deeper void.
"I should have bought a lump sum like a servant, no friends, no love. Hahaha!"
Agosto either didn't feel anything about it or didn't understand the word 'lump sum', so he just stood there without saying anything.
Then a thick male voice called Isabella.
"Hey!"
Isabella turned around sharply. She was furious that the idiot was talking nonsense again.
“What are you... huh?”
Isabella was surprised to see the man's face in several ways.
“Brother?”
Because the man who called her was her older brother, Ippolito.
“Brother, why is your face like that?”
The high nose, the only thing that looked good on Ippolito's face, was broken and badly attached.
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