Chapter 397 - The Tragedy

Pope Louis summoned the ambassador of the Republic of Porto.

He was held responsible for failing to properly transmit the documents of the royal family and nobles of the Etruscan kingdom, even though he was in charge of distributing the materials for the Fourth Crusade.

The Republic's ambassador kept bowing and sending a messenger to his home country immediately, saying that he would thoroughly investigate how this had happened and report back.

“I guess they’ll just catch some middle manager and accuse him of personal embezzlement and breach of trust.”

Despite the ambassador's earnest and devoted bow, the Pope did not seem particularly impressed.

“If you want to show a little more sincerity, I’ll move you up a level from middle management.”

To be exact, it was a matter of whether or not there was someone of the right level to get rid of in the internal power struggle of the Republic, rather than sincerity.

It didn't really matter either way. He wasn't expecting any results from the beginning.

This act now was nothing more than announcing to the outside that the Holy See was going to raid the Republic of Porto for such and such a cause.

Whatever they bring will not be accepted by the Pope's castle, for he intends to disqualify the Republic from dealing with heretics.

“If you want to get through this without any problems, you’ll need to come up with something pretty decent. Something close to a trading permit.”

With a regular fleet of galleys, the Republic escorted its merchants on international trade across the White Sea and into the Middle Sea.

Thanks to this, merchants of the Republic of Porto enjoyed the advantage of supplying products more stably and cheaply than merchants of other countries, as they did not waste money on insurance.

This was also largely related to the fact that merchants from the Etruscan kingdom, including Caruso, initially handled tobacco and other items that the state found difficult to handle with pride.

But if the Holy See forbids trade with heretics in the Republic, the Republic of Porto can no longer protect its merchants with its regular fleet without risking the excommunication of its head of state.

Pirates will break their tradition of not attacking the Republic of Porto ships and run wild, and the Republic will no longer be able to maintain its trading supremacy.

“A trading permit?”

Cardinal de Mare was amazed at the sinister intentions of Pope Louis.

“Are you determined to ruin another country?”

When the Pope heard those words, he became angry.

“Who would dare touch the temple? Are you on my side or theirs? Am I harassing an innocent person? How corrupt must the common military be if they can touch the personal letters of an Etruscan Prince?”

Pope Louis was furious.

“If these guys had been supplying food with sincerity, Gallipol, Aeson, Diyarsha! Maybe the entire Hejaz region would have been under the influence of the Yesak cult! If only they had fed the knights well!”

The Pope was furious as if he had been deprived of what was rightfully his by the deliberate deception of the Republic of Porto.

However, Cardinal de Mare, who was closer to a third-party position, clicked his tongue at the Pope, who was trying to destroy the national infrastructure of the Republic of Porto with only imagination and prediction.

“Really... the Pope’s seat is a flower-playing group?”

The Pope could not have missed the pitiful look hidden in those words. Ludovico glanced at de Mare and answered indifferently.

“Well then. How great it is. That’s why everyone’s eyes are wide open and they want to do it.”

Of course, there were more than a few assassination attempts during his reign, and he suffered many hardships, including poisoning, but Ludovico just brushed them aside.

In order not to destroy de Mare's dreams and hopes that were full of anticipation... No, actually, he didn't want to bother explaining it in detail. He also wanted him to experience it himself.

'You see what a shitty place it is.'

He literally shit blood. With his mouth. Taking poison and spitting up blood was just as bad as shitting with his mouth.

“Do it. Do it twice.”

The Pope gnashed his teeth and cursed Cardinal de Mare.

“Oh my, twice is a bit much. Should I become a Pope in my next life, too?”

In the meantime, the Pope also did something more productive: he published the appointment letters. This was the backroom work for the succession.

"Cardinal de Mare is appointed 'Camerlengo' of the Holy See."

The Camerlengo was the chief secretary to the Pope. When the Pope died, the Camerlengo had the power to declare a will.

This meant that Cardinal de Mare was now authorized to declare the opening of the conclave.

With this, Cardinal de Mare gained the means to block the opposition Cardinals from attending the conclave at all.

But all this was creaky enough to fit in Ludovico's castle.

“I never dreamed that the day would come when I would be working so hard like this.”

Usually, the second-in-command is appointed as the camerleng,o and the successor is kept separately in hiding to protect the successor from political attacks.

Camerlengo had to do practical work, but as he did his work, he ended up getting criticized.

Even if an action was objectively not terribly wrong, it was not difficult to criticize it.

It is always easier to criticize someone for doing something and not succeeding than to criticize someone for doing nothing.

But right now, no one could be appointed as a replacement for Camerlengo, and he only had a few months left until his death anyway.

So Ludovico was optimistic. What could possibly go wrong politically in that short period?

Besides, the Pope judged that, since no one knew the state of his health, de Mare was more of a stepping stone than a successor, and therefore would not be greatly attacked.

“You remember it well, right? After the declaration of resignation in San Carlo, the conclave was held immediately...”

“Yes, yes. Speed ​​is of the essence. I will rush in like lightning and prevent anyone from attending the Conclave except for the Reccoratio Veritas school that follows me and the Papal faction that I have already notified and summoned to the Council. I have it all memorized. What kind of student am I?”

“Not a student. Just a stupid guy.”

“Oh, really!”

Cardinal de Mare, who had never heard anyone say that he was stupid in his entire life, was furious for a moment, but decided to give it a chance this time.

If you call an ugly person ugly, they will get very angry, but if you call a handsome person ugly, they will laugh it off and just let it go.

'I'm handsome, so I'll put up with it.'

And more than that, in fact...

'Poor gentleman.'

Ludovico was a lonelier man than one might think. After the death of Archbishop Arthur of Buschduren, Ludovico had no real private contacts outside of his official relationships.

Everyone awaited the instructions of His Holiness the Pope and asked for his official decision, and had no contact with Ludovico personally.

Those who showed interest in Ludovico's personal history were not truly interested in Ludovico, but rather in Ludovico as a person to gauge the Pope's decisions.

This was inevitably revealed, like the wind escaping through a crack in a door.

Perhaps Cardinal de Mare was no exception in this regard, for they were, after all, united by common interests.

But the Cardinal had a few fond memories of his youth, when he had wrestled and clashed with the non-pope Ludovico de Giustini.

“Now, go back and gather as many electors as you can.”

Pope Louis gave Cardinal de Mare a strong order.

“Act in the utmost secrecy to prevent confidential information from being leaked in advance.”

Cardinal de Mare responded grumpily.

“Oh, really? If I tell them that the Pope is about to die, would anyone believe me? A Pope who is alive and well and even travels to the Etruscan kingdom?”

“...”

The Pope was troubled. He was clearly a thorough and flawless man. Is this bastard only reaching out to him?

But now there was no way to do anything. There was no time to replace people, and there was no way to fix that bastard's humanity.

If that were the case, it would have been overhauled twenty years ago. The helpless Pope Ludovico glared at Cardinal de Mare and continued.

“See you in two months.”

“Two months later.”

The Cardinal nodded. This is the date when the Council of San Carlo will be convened.

“Until then, stay healthy.”

The Pope scoffed at the Cardinal's polite greeting.

“Don’t say things that aren’t on your mind. I know you’re just trying to get the throne for me.”

The Cardinal did not utter a word.

“When did I say I would live a long and healthy life? I said, ‘Until then,’ stay healthy.”

The Pope burst into laughter.

“Ah!”

The Cardinal chuckled as he watched the jumping Pope.

He felt bad saying such things to a man who would soon die, but talking to Ludovico made him feel young again. Like a boy again.

Seeing the Pope jumping around and giving everyone a big hug, it was clear that he felt the same way.

As life goes by, sparkling moments become rarer, but they don't disappear completely. He was glad he knew they were hard to come by, and he was glad he knew he didn't have much left.

After the Cardinal had finished paying his respects to his superior, he tapped the Pope on the shoulder.

Ludovico widened his eyes when he saw the little de Mare touch his arm, but he didn't stop her. Instead, he just smiled. The two old men parted ways like this.

***

Before leaving Trevero, Alfonso and Ariadne informed only Cardinal de Mare of their secret marriage.

The Cardinal was surprised and congratulated her, but he looked a little uneasy. He grumbled to himself and finally said something.

“Why are you having someone else officiate the wedding?”

Ariadne reflexively and smoothly stepped over her father's blow.

“If the presiding priest were my father, there could be controversy over the authenticity of the marriage.”

It was a logical answer.

“It’s better to be a third party.”

It was a reasonable story and a reasonable course of action. The marriage contract between the two was perfectly formatted, signed, and handed over to Raphael.

Raphael decided to place this document in the archives of the Basilica of the Holy See in the diocese of Calienda, where he had been ordained, outside the direct influence of Cardinal de Mare.

But Ariadne was a little surprised, because she had never even thought that her father would want to officiate her wedding.

She paused for a moment and then asked cautiously.

“Excuse me... Would you like to participate?”

“Of Course. It’s my daughter’s wedding.”

The Cardinal had three children who grew up to adulthood and had two of them married, but he had never attended the wedding of his own children.

“I have no doubt that you will live well.”

The second daughter, who was very smart, was a child who needed less attention than the first daughter, who was a troublemaker, or the eldest son, who had completely lost contact with him. There was a chance that he had neglected her, using that as an excuse.

So the Cardinal mumbled and muttered, "I wanted to bless you with my own hands."

He didn't think this was a good match for him and Ariadne.

“Congratulations.”

The Cardinal, who had congratulated his daughter on her good deed, rose from his seat, wiping his hands on his white travel clothes, and hurriedly left the room.

Ariadne stared blankly at her father's back without saying a word.

***

Alfonso's promise to pass through the gate of San Carlo as a married couple was kept.

The Prince did not ride his horse as usual, but rode in Ariadne's chariot with her and kissed her passionately as they passed the city gates. She burst into laughter inside the carriage.

The ride back from Trevero to San Carlo was like a honeymoon.

Now that they had obtained the understanding of Cardinal de Mare, who had been working late in the day to write the letters they were to send out in all directions when the Cardinal arrived, Prince Alfonso and his party took a leisurely stroll home, stopping at all the scenic spots.

But upon arriving at San Carlo, the newlyweds had to separate, as they could not officially stay in the same palace.

“Can I just go through that side door?”

“Oh, right!”

Ariadne slapped Alfonso on the shoulder as he mentioned the side door of the mansion that he had been entering like a thief.

“Speak sense!”

“Yeah, yeah. Lock it up well. This is where my wife stays. I don’t want any weird mold getting in.”

The former bastard kissed his wife's forehead.

“You must be doing well. Eat well.”

Ariadne scolded her new groom.

“If someone saw me, they would think I was flying to a city ten days away.”

The Palagio Carlo and the Palazzo de Mare can be reached in less than 40 minutes at top speed.

Alfonso continued to whine, oblivious to his wife's nagging.

“I already miss you so much, what should I do?”

“I will enter the palace every time I have the chance.”

Alfonso intended to announce the marriage as soon as circumstances allowed, so he had no intention of trying too hard to hide it.

“I’ll call you every day.”

Ariadne laughed, but Alfonso was sincere.

After barely sending her husband away, who was clinging to her and refusing to leave, Ariadne stepped into the front door of her own house for the first time in a long time.

“Miss, no, Countess!”

The red-haired maid, or rather the head maid, ran towards Ariadne.

Seeing her fidgeting like a puppy, unable to bear to be hugged, Ariadne smiled and hugged her first.

“Sancha! I missed you.”

"Miss!"

After a touching embrace, Sancha, clinging tightly to Ariadne, whispered softly to her.

“Miss, I have something very important to discuss with you.”

Ariadne also had something to talk about with Sancha. Ariadne whispered in Sancha's ear.

“Sancha, I’m married!”

Sancha's eyes widened.

***

Ariadne's sudden declaration led to Sancha's interrogation time.

Sancha, who had been asking questions of who, when, where, how, and why in succession without even being able to breathe, talked with Ariadne for an entire hour before finally remembering what she had to say.

What she had to say was that an important letter had arrived for Ariadne.

“I heard you were thinking of sending it to Trevero because it was urgent...”

The knights who returned from the Battle of Yesak all said that letters from home had not arrived at all.

As a result, there was a great lack of trust in letters crossing the border in San Carlo, and this distrust seemed to have spread beyond San Carlo to Taranto.

“I think it was a good idea to send it this way! If it had gone to Trevero, we would have missed each other. It’s a letter that arrived just three days ago.”

The sender of the letter was Princess Bianca. Ariadne opened the thick envelope and took out the contents.

The first sentence was short and concise.

"Sister. I found it."

The letter contained crucial evidence regarding the secret of Ippolito de Mare's birth.

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