Jouvancel Sain, Pope Emeritus of the Order of the Crimiana, was wide-eyed and in raptures. It was probably the first time he had ever shown such a look to his congregation or to his subordinates. For him, the scene that unfolded before him was not something he had even imagined.
Certainly, before his eyes were the faces of his men, all of whom had been so loyal to him. And there was even the king of Thana, Tana Qasi Viru, whom he considered a god of war. On the other hand, behind Ville, there was an unexpected figure. Vieille, the grandson of the Pope Emeritus, was in the background.
Jouvancel Sein had received word that Vieille was in the Kingdom of Tana and had dispatched a large force to capture her. He had sent his grandson, Cassel, the current Pope, as the commander-in-chief. He had received a report that the landing in the Kingdom of Thana had been met with stiff resistance and that the march to the capital had been delayed. Only a month ago, there was a report that they finally fell the capital, captured Vieille, and at the same time rescued the imprisoned king, Ville.
He immediately sent several cardinals as emissaries to the Kingdom of Tana to check the situation. The cardinals reported that Cassel's report was correct. The army of Thana reported that Vieille would be escorted to the capital, Aphrodite, as soon as possible.
Jouvancel Sein wanted to congratulate the returning soldiers under Cassel for their work and also the army of Tana, and then he was going to see Vieille and pronounce his disposition. But they showed up unexpectedly. In the office of the Pope Emeritus appeared Ville, his several retainers, the cardinal who had ordered the messenger, and Vieille.
The Pope Emeritus was surprised and confused. The people in front of him cast cold glances at him.
"You are getting old.
A young woman's voice is heard. Needless to say, this is Vieille's voice.
"You still don't seem to understand what's going on, do you? At least, the Pope I know, your grandfather, didn't have such a dumb look on his face.
"Na ...... is ...... u ......."
The pope emeritus tried desperately to squeeze out his voice, but could only manage a few unspoken words. Vieille looks at him with pity.
You have no allies. You are alone, grandfather.
As if Vieille's voice were a signal, the cardinals who were waiting in front of the Pope Emeritus restrain him.
"Wait, wait! Clehosil, Rainduck, you guys are ......ggh."
In no time at all, he was tied up behind his back and deprived of his freedom. He was slumped on the desk, but he still struggled to lean his head back and glared at Vieille and the others in front of him.
"You still don't seem to understand what happened, do you, grandfather?"
"Vu ...... vieille ...... you are ......"
"Grandfather, all of you in front of me now are my servants."
"To what ......?"
"Cardinal Krehosil, Cardinal Reindach, who now holds you captive, has sworn his absolute loyalty to me. And you, Mr. Ville, and all the others here are loyal to my orders. And my troops are in full possession of Aphrodite.
"Nonsense! I thought you were captured by Cassel! Cassel, where's Cassel?
"Uh-huh. You're finally showing your true colors, Grandfather. Good. I'll tell you all about it. Cassel is dead. I sent him to the Lady Climiana.
"Hey ....... Now, the report from Cassel can be found at ......."
I wrote all that.
"Nonsense! That handwriting should have been Kassel's handwriting! Vieille, you have no business imitating Cassel's handwriting. ......"
"Have you forgotten? It was I who taught Cassel how to write. I know his writing habits better than anyone. It would be a simple matter to imitate his handwriting.
"No such thing has been said by those who have returned from the Kingdom of Thana: ......"
All of them are absolutely loyal to me.
"Ba ...... stupid ......"
"It took a lot of work to win the hearts and minds of all 20,000 prisoners of the Crimean Church, but I managed to do it. I am very proud of myself."
Vieille has a big smile on her face when she says this. His innocent smile, like a child's, made Jouvencel Sein tremble involuntarily.
"Grandfather!"
With an angelic smile, she stared at the Pope Emeritus.
"I am very happy to be your grandson," she said. You took the lives of my father and mother, and I myself have been in danger of dying many times, but because I was able to learn how to win people's hearts by your side, I am able to control the hearts of many people. And I have surpassed you. ....... What could be a greater joy? I owe it all to you, Grandfather. I thank you."
The pope emeritus's face is trembling slightly. Vieille looked at him with satisfaction, and then, with a jerk of his chin, the two cardinals who had been seizing the Pope Emeritus dragged him to the window of his office.
"Na ...... bah ...... stupid ......."
An incredible sight met Jouvencel's eyes. Aphrodite, the beautiful white city, was engulfed in flames. He froze with his eyes wide open and was dragged out of the room.
"Mr. Clefosil, Mr. Reindach, I will reward you later.
The two cardinals turned around at the sound of Vieille's voice, looking as if they were in a state of euphoria. Vieille takes out a small red pill from his pocket and looks at it.
"As expected, the medicine made by your grandfather works very well, doesn't it? It's wonderful. ......"
"...... are bullish."
Vieille, who had been watching the pope emeritus being pulled away with a sly smile, heard such a voice in her ear. She slowly turns her gaze to Ville, the owner of the voice.
"We are not so crazy about you, you know. Well, I don't know why you would want to be so arrogant in front of the Pope Emeritus, so I won't say anything more about it.
Vieille smiled, turned on his heel, and strode out of the room.
Despite his best efforts to put on a smile, Vieille's heart was not at peace. Perhaps because of the influence of Linos, the king of Agartha, Ville and the others from the kingdom of Thana did not always follow Vieille's wishes, always changing their opinions at the last moment or not acting at all.
......Well, this time we managed to catch the old man. Well, this time we caught the old man.
she said to herself as she walked through the familiar corridors of the Pontifical Temple.
The next morning, a huge cross was erected in the Papal Temple. The sight of what appeared to be a cross erected on top of a wall, on top of a small hill, in a place where it is usually impossible to see inside due to its high walls, astonished the people living in Aphrodite. There hung Jouvencel Sain, Pope Emeritus, stripped naked, his hands and feet bound to the cross, exposing his image to the people.
"What difference does it make if you kill me?"
Jouvancel Sein, breathing hard, spoke frantically to Vieille and the others who were looking up at him at his feet.
"I have led the ...... Crimiana cult so far ....... If you wish to rule the Church in my place, you may do so ....... If you kill me,...... this country,...... the world will be in chaos,....... You don't understand that, do you?"
Vieille simply gave him a kind smile, as if she did not hear him. A soldier with a spear stands by her side, waiting for her orders.
"Vieille, killing me will not change the world. Even if you kill me, there will always be someone to take my place. Killing me now will not gain you anything. Vieille ...... Vieille!"
The Pope Emeritus struggles to squeeze out a few words, but Vieille is still smiling. She glances at the soldier who is waiting for her. The soldier bows quickly, walks over to the cross, and stabs the pope in the stomach with his spear.
With a desperate cry, a part of the cross is stained with his blood.
Pope Emeritus opens his mouth, panting and struggling to breathe. Vieille watches him with a smile on his face. The soldier thrusts his spear at him again, and the man's scream echoes again.
The soldier slowly pulls out the spear that has been deeply pierced into the pope's belly, and returns to Vieille's side. The man on the cross watches with a distorted expression on his face.
"What ...... are you ...... doing ....... and ...... finish ...... him off ...... or don't you ...... finish him off ......?"
No one responds to his voice. Only the man's labored breathing can be heard.
"Vieille ...... quickly ...... finish ......."
"Not yet."
"Vieille ...... Vieille ......"
"All those people you killed, they didn't all die soft and gentle deaths, did they?"
"Gah ...... gaaaaah ......"
"Those who were starved to death: ....... Those who were killed by fire while still alive: ....... Those who were tied up and thrown into the sea....... Those who were killed on your orders: ...... My father and my mother all suffered and died. God will not allow you to die a peaceful death without them."
"Kak ...... God ......"
The pope emeritus' face is distorted and disfigured. Vieille looks on with a satisfied expression.
When we are naked, when we are alone, we are weak and unable to do anything. You and me too. ......"
Muttering these words, Vieille took the soldier's spear in his hand and walked slowly toward the cross. Then, as if with a big smile on his face, he thrust the spear in his hand deeply into the man's body.
"Ugly, ugly face ......"
She turned on her heel and left the scene.
At this moment, the history of the Church of Crimiana came to an end.