Chapter 161
Ding-! Ding! Ding!
The bells from the cathedral began to ring loud.
In the boulevard of the Capital of Arthenia, Bless.
The bells were ringing non-stop when a wagon loaded with colorful coffins appeared on the street.
Around a hundred priests dressed in white were standing in front and behind the wagon. Hundreds of paladins with black belts were escorting the wagon.
In addition, if there was an emergency on the way, they prepared Gigants.
“Haak!”
“To be gone like this…?!”
As the funeral procession appeared, people on both sides of the streets were shedding tears.
The people were weeping as if their close relatives had passed away.
At their words, a merchant from the neighboring nation asked.
“Look here. Who died that you’re all making such a fuss? Has the cardinal died?”
When the merchant asked, the person next to him couldn’t hide his disgust for the merchant.
“You didn’t get the news yet? Last night, the Holy Pope has been taken.”
“What? Are you saying that the Pope died?” Asked the merchant in shock.
“Huah, yes. He, who was suffering from sickness and fighting for years finally went into the arms of El Kassel.”
Pope Benedict III had been in a life and death situation for over a year.
Though he was likely to die, many people prayed for him not to meet his death.
However, no miracle had happened.
He was old and was suffering; he was constantly asked to select a successor even before his illness took a turn for the worst and in the end, he was holding onto his breath every day.
“Then who do you think will be the next Pope?”
When the Pope dies, the Holy Arthenia Empire opens a Conclave with the cardinals.
The Bishop named in the Conclave was to become the next Pope.
The merchant was very curious as to who the next Pope would be. As a new Pope entered, the course of the Holy Empire could surely change.
“Well, there was this thing that Archbishop Michael and Archbishop Constantine have power on their side, but nothing is definite.”
When the person talking to him turned over to see the funeral procession, the merchant left to do his work.
He took steps to the outside of the castle.
The merchant clicking his tongue looked at the people who were suffering from hunger and diseases.
“Tch, in the place called the Holy Empire, there are numerous people who are naked and suffering from pain!”
The merchant was actually a spy from another nation.
Before entering the place, he never even thought that he would see a slum in the Holy Arthenia Empire which was always referred to as ‘Heaven on Earth’.
He expected temples and religious places to be overflowing in the empire.
However, the reality was very different.
As in most nations, only the nobles and some rich people were living a well-defined life, in the very Holy Empire, most of its population were poor.
Some people had to work hard in order to earn and stay alive at the end of the day.
“Tch, if they have such money to spend on the funerals, then give some of it to the people.”
The merchant, or the spy, went deep into a street. To meet a colleague who he promised to.
But for some reason, the poor people were all gathered in one place.
The merchant or spy was curious enough and took a closer look.
Among the huge crowd of poor people, there was a clean looking priest.
He was eager to talk with the crowd and give them food.
“Oh-oh, who?” Asked the merchant.
“Priest Luther.”
Suddenly, he heard the answer which emerged from his back. His heart pounding hard as he didn’t want his identity to be revealed, but fortunately, nothing happened.
The man who answered him was the colleague he was supposed to meet.
“Priest Luther?”
“The Sanctity of Holiness, one of the seven tribes of El Kassel.”
There were several tribes within the denominations of the history of the Holy Arthenia Empire.
The smallest of them, but they were trying to keep pure faith and teachings of the early days.
The salvation of the poor was highly valued, and on the contrary, they would criticize El Kassel’s denomination and the seniority rules.
“He is the most trustworthy person that I met here.”
“Is that so? Anyway, I’m not interested in the details. The President is very curious about the next of the Holy Empire.”
Looking at Priest Luther with curiosity, the informer priest stepped back with his colleagues.