I Became The Pope, Now What?
chapter-270-30041322

Sylvester knew what he did was manipulation at the highest level. And with the death of the one who did the deed for him, the secret would never come out.

"Chonky, do you think I'm a bad man?" Sylvester asked his Miraj, who had just finished devouring the Knight.

He never wanted Miraj to dislike or see him in a bad light because Miraj mattered the most to him. Miraj's help and wholesomeness had kept him sane and active whenever he was in a pickle.

"Bad? Why? You're the best, Maxy. You never hurt the good kiddies, fed me, and even helped that man. You take his family with us to protect them, and in return, he has to work for you. Isn't that fair already?" Miraj countered with an argument.

Sylvester took a calming breath.

"Thank you, Chonky. I'm doing all this for a dream of a calm future so you, me and mum can relax at last. Let's move now. It's better if we remain in the royal palace and keep an eye on the Duke. The man is not as simple as he seems."

…

River City.

Days passed, and the condition of the King went from bad to worse. Without Solarium entering his body, he started going thinner. Even if fed food, the nutrients were rejected.

Confusion and panic were widespread in the castle, especially among the harem and the healers. As for the people, the seven days of celebrations were still going on, and none even cared about the King.

Meanwhile, inside the King's chambers, the old King Riveria remained resting. He remained unconscious most of the time, only waking up for an hour at most. But, in that time, he tried to speak all that he wanted.

"I… I nominate… James for the t-throne."

The Grand Wizard Atlas remained beside the King as his shield and was in a pinch. "Your majesty, that will create a grand civil war. Most are supporting your eldest son, Conrad. And Conrad, with his younger brother, runs the Northern and Southern duchies. They can keep the Kingdom at peace with their impeccable administration experience."

Sadly, the King was a man who obsessed over physical strength more than anything else. "N-No… Ja-ames is Arch Wizard… Conrad is only a Master. M-Make James the King."

"But… How will I get the two Dukes to step down and allow their younger brother, with no achievements, to take the throne? The people won't accept it either." Atlas argued.

Cough!

But the King only closed his eyes slowly, not listening and only speaking. "C-Call… T-The Bard!"

With that, the man fell asleep again. A grave duty had fallen over the shoulders of the first Grand Wizard of the Kingdom.

…

Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometres away, back in the Ironstone Duchy, the Church had set up its huge outpost to manage the region at the now-dead Duke Daemon's castle and town. And the administration was temporarily handed over to Inquisitor High Lord, as he had spent a significant amount of time there.

But, there was one person who was the happiest. It was Felix, the newly appointed head overseer whose job was to release prisoner nobles in return for ransom. He was to oversee the money, and living with Sylvester had taught him one thing by now—Be greedy and a scum when it comes to money.

So, in his well-protected office room in the castle, he called the families of the noble prisoners one by one. "Next!"

Soon, a beautiful middle-aged, redheaded woman entered, shaking her hips as if she was walking to seduce the famed Sword of Solis. But Felix was not interested in older women. So, he just asked for the money.

"Ah! Lady Damascus, wife of Baron Damascus. Since he's a Baron, his bounty is set at twenty thousand Gold Graces." Felix put forward an official document.

The woman walked closer to Felix's table and tilted down, giving a nice view of her meaty hills. "Twenty thousand? Oh, Sword of the Lord, that's too much. Perhaps, if I help the sword—It can be reduced?"

Felix scoffed. "I've seen better, my lady. You're not the first one to offer me such favours. But if I take them, then how will I face my seniors in the Holy Land? How will I look my brothers in the eyes? But I can reduce it a little as long as you're willing to donate to the land restoration fund. Pay thirteen thousand—Ten thousand as the ransom, and three thousand as the donation."

The woman appeared sad for some reason. "Are you sure you don't want me to sharpen the sword, my lord?"

"..."

Felix felt confused. 'Good god, she's hornier than me. What's with all these noble women trying to woo me these days? Did I become extra handsome suddenly?'

"No. Please, tell me if you're willing to pay this ransom, or I'll be forced to send the Baron to the gallows. After all, he chose to side with a heathen in this war." He threatened.

"Accept! I accept, my lord." She snapped her fingers loudly, and immediately two men with a money chest and a big bag. "Here, ten thousand and three thousand more."

Felix quickly stamped the ransom paper and handed it to the Baroness. "Here you go, my lady."

She frowned, however. "It's only… It only says ten thousand on the paper."

Felix shrugged. "Of course it does. The rest of the three thousand will go directly to the pockets of the craftsmen who shall restore the destroyed land. The rest will go directly to the Holy Land."

Eventually, the woman accepted what he said and left with the parchment to get her husband freed from the dungeons.

Meanwhile, Felix tapped his table loudly and called Gabriel in. "Ten thousand ransom in one chest and… Three thousand 'donations' in that bag."

Gabriel grunted and wrote it down on parchment. But he didn't write down the extra donation. "Felix, you're one bad scummy bastard."

Felix grinned ear to ear. "What can I say? I learned from the best."

…

Back in Riveria.

"Achoo! Ugh… Too many flowers around here." Sylvester sneezed while he kept the reins of the carriage tightly in hand.

"What a wonderful carriage, I must say." Duke Conrad praised as he sat beside Sylvester on the reinsman seat just to be close to Sylvester. The man was already licking Sylvester's feet, knowing very well that a man like Sylvester was bound for greatness and heights in the Holy Land.

"Lady Aurora built it herself. But, I have developed a new technology that can make any carriage much more comfortable. However, nobody uses it as it requires some modifications to the current carriage models, metal modification, and that costs money." Sylvester replied, trying to sell his stuff as always.

The Duke jumped on the bandwagon. "If I may, please send them to me. I'm sure many makers in the Trade Corridor of Southern Duchy would like it. After all, our Trade Corridor attracts the richest and the most powerful buyers from around the world."

Sylvester just nodded and changed the topic. "How much control do you have over the King's administration?"

"None, for the most part. I don't have any influence in the Council of ten. But, since I have the support of all the Grand Wizards, the council members are nothing but little inconveniences. They are likely scheming something right now." Duke Conrad said, having predicted most of the matter.

Sylvester sighed and hoped for the best. "May the lord bless us with the devil's luck."

…

It took two days and a night for the long procession of the Duke to arrive at the border of the River City. Since rivers surrounded the city, and only two bridges gave access, it was very easy for the Duke to take control.

No resistance was noticed from the city's guards, and they just accepted that the Duke had arrived. As it had already been six days since Sylvester's last visit, the King had gone so frail that death was imminent. Hence, the City was already prepared for such a case.

But, while Sylvester, Duke Conrad and Lady Aurora waited for the other Duke to arrive, a messenger came from the Royal Castle and called Sylvester inside. "The king wishes to see you alone, Lord Bard."

Sylvester already expected this much. 'He must want to tell me his last wish to find Romel.'

"Lady Aurora, please come with me. Your Highness, please wait here and don't lay siege. I'm sure we can settle this without any blood if you have the Grand Wizards' support." he advised while preparing to leave.

Duke Conrad agreed wholeheartedly. "Rest easy, Lord Bard. I have no wish to rule over a city of ashes. I shall await your reply."

Sylvester nodded and eyed Lady Aurora. And soon, they moved into the City, then to the castle. Everyone was in a hurry, so the servants rushed Sylvester to the King's chamber inside the beautiful River castle.

Sylvester didn't even get the time to appreciate the beauty of the place. But he sure felt disgusted when he noticed dozens of beautiful women, young and middle-aged, standing in the corridor leading to the King's chamber. There were even some with little babies in their arms.

'Ah… I already pity them.'

"Please, don't let him exert himself. He's weak and can't stay up for more than a minute." The head healer warned Sylvester before he entered.

Though, Sylvester had a different worry. He went close to Lady Aurora and whispered into her ears. "Ensure nobody dares eavesdrop on me."

"Understood." She gave a thumbs up.

With that, Sylvester entered the vast chambers of the King. It was a giant hall with a double-king-size bed in the middle. On its one side remained the King, nearly dead.

Sylvester stood beside the man, who appeared more like a skeleton now. "Your majesty, I'm here."

The King's eyes slightly opened, clearly strained. He couldn't even move his body but spoke in weak whispers. "B-Bard… R…. Romel… Find… King…"

Sylvester knelt and brought his face closer to the King's ears. "Romel? Forgive me, your majesty, but I can not bring the dead back to life."

"Uhhh… Haa?" The King's brows shivered weakly as he tried to stare at Sylvester in panic.

"You dared attack my mother—stabbed her neck. And now you expect me to help you? Listen to me clearly—Romel is dead." Sylvester showed his hands. "I crushed his neck with these myself. 'Please… Let me go… Please…' His last words I remember vividly. What a fool he was, honestly."

"Ah... Ha… Y-You… I wi…"

Sylvester sang a hymn suddenly, creating a warm halo behind his head. That halo created enough heat that the King's body had to spend the last ounce of energy and Solarium to keep himself cool—effectively killing him.

♫The Lord thanks you for the gift.

Your Kingdom, riches—big is the list

It's the price of revenge that you insist.

Except for two—all shall cease to exist.♫

♫O' King of Rivers, you are so naive.

My intentions, how couldn't you perceive?

My words, you foolishly believed.

So easily fell into the web of lies I weaved.

Die now, with no tears—You won't be grieved.♫

The King's eyes got closed, and his breathing slowed. The man was dying, there was no doubt. But in Sylvester's heart, there was nothing but calm throughout.

Finally—One enemy was down, albeit many left to go. But for now, how was Xavia? That's all he wanted to know.

He wanted to head home, train to grow stronger, and maybe take a break to catch a breath. After all, no matter how many schemes he could produce. In front of absolute power, he was always one palm swing away from death.

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