I Became The Pope, Now What?
chapter-348

"Be prepared for a large number of soldiers. Start setting up locations and level the ground outside your town walls. Stock up on grains, advise the townspeople to behave and take advantage of this opportunity. The soldiers who shall be coming will be from the south. They will have money to spend, so it's a good time for the townspeople." Sylvester advised the Duchess of Iceling as he stood by the small river port.

"I will, Lord Bard. But, you be careful, please. This entire plan is standing on your shoulder. If something happens to you, we all will fall."

Sylvester agreed and moved into the small boat with a strange design. The boat had a roof since it would pass through a location called Thunder Pass. It was the part of the river valley where clouds always remained. Furthermore, the clouds strike thunder every second as if rain.

The boat's roof was made of glass, and above the glass was a thin sheet of metal. The sheets were also connected with thin rods that fell into the water on the side. It was supposed to protect the boat's rider from lightning.

"Keep thisss… Call Ashra when in need of escape~" Winter Ghost handed Sylvester a wooden whistle.

Sylvester took it and bid his farewell. "I will return soon. Pray for me."

Aurora gave his boat a push. "I will give Felix a good beating when you're back."

Woosh!

Sylvester moved the boat with the oars and headed upstream. Alone, in the cold, he wore an attire he usually never did. Donning fine clothes made of silk, multiple layers of fur, and a feather hat, he looked like a refined nobleman.

With some other tricks and makeup, he had also changed his hair to brown and his eyes black. He also put on a fake stubble beard to make himself look older, and for now, his name was Wilson Woods, the assistant of Duchess Melina Iceling.

"Maxy, what's the plan?" Miraj asked while being tucked into Sylvester's coat near the chest.

"To make them fight each other and also get Felix back. I don't know how this will go, so we'll have to develop this on the go. The Borzol brothers are said to be very eccentric, and such people are very hard to deal with." Sylvester continued to row the boat to the River Pass. From there, tall mountains and cliffs appeared on both sides, telling them they were entering the barbarian territory.

"What if they are too dumb and still fight?" Miraj inquired. "I don't want you to die, Maxy."

"Hah, I won't die so easily. Though, someone is following us who might kill me before we even reach the destination."

Sylvester looked at the mountain on his right and noticed a tall black figure in cloaks. It seemed like a shadow, and that was precisely what it was. The Shadow Knight had not left Sylvester's side the whole time since the encounter near Fort Storst days ago.

Miraj noticed the figure and shouted angrily. "Leave my son alone, you filthy black cloth! I will devour you!"

'Ah, I had forgotten Chonky thinks he adopted me.'

He chuckled and patted Miraj's head. "Calm down, my little lion. I'm sure there is a reason why it's only following us. Because if it wanted, I'd be dead by now."

Boom!

Just then, thunder fell as they entered the region where the sky was covered with clouds, and the river was covered with dense mist. It was tough to see where they were going, and Sylvester relied on the river's flow to steer.

"Maxy, I thought of something." Miraj voiced again while turning around to hug Sylvester's neck.

"What?"

"Umm… I'm very, very old. I don't grow old, either. So, will I be alone again after you're old and die like Grandpa Monk?"

Sylvester was a strong man, but his heart did feel the pain of Miraj. The cat had lived for centuries in isolation while waiting for his caretaker to return. He sat in the same place, ignored, alone, and sad. The fear was understandable and genuine.

"I don't know when I will die, Chonky. Considering I'm half elf, and I'm going to be a Supreme Wizard, living for at least half a millennia should not be too hard. Even then, I will ensure you have many good friends whenever I die. I don't plan on keeping you a secret forever, Chonky. One day, I will ensure the world prays to you for being my little guardian angel. Furthermore, both of us should worry about Mum. If we can't find some sort of elixir, she will die in a few decades."

Sylvester's words made Miraj even sadder as he loved Xavia a lot. Over time, he had seen her kind nature in silence and came to respect her.

"We must save our big mum!" Miraj resolutely claimed.

"Of course, but let's focus on saving our dear horny friend for now."

The mist started to fade away slowly, and the landscape became clear. Right at the front, Sylvester could see some huge shadows. The river was turning to the right, towards the lake of origin. But, before the turn, there was the Grand Fort Borzol, the fortress overlooking the river.

"Alright, now come and arrest me." He muttered and slowed down, knowing he was most likely under the enemy's gaze.

In no time, he started to get the scents of anger and hate. It was clear that someone was coming closer to him, so he stopped moving entirely once the mist cleared off completely.

Bam!

An arrow came flying and dug a hole into his boat's roof.

Bam!

Multiple arrows fell and made holes. It angered Sylvester as this was his ticket home as well, but he stayed calm and kept his arms held up while standing in the clear for all to see.

He waved a white cloth towards the oncoming distant boats. There were at least four of them, each with five barbarians. These barbarians actually looked barbarians as they were hairy, wearing animal hides and other such animal-related ornaments. Their heads were also covered with skull headdresses of animals.

"P-Peace! I-I am here on behalf of Duchess Melina Iceling! I'm here to speak with your Chiefs!" Sylvester kept the persona of a scared statesman.

Bam!

The arrows continued to fall on his boat and soon ruined the entire rooftop of it. They were trying to ensure Sylvester did not turn around and run away.

A few minutes later, the boats surrounded him and spears were pointed at his head. Then one man at the head of a boat addressed him angrily. "Name?"

"W-Wilson Woods, the assistant of Duchess Melina Iceling. Here to give the letter of surrender to your chief. I am here to complete the handover." Sylvester threw the bait. At least for a low-level Barbarian, hearing that the Duchy surrendered was bound to bring excitement.

As expected, the man appeared cheerful and roared as his fellow. "Bukaka Ugori llami sans exyhk!"

"Wraaaa!"

The men started cheering and dancing on their boats. Though they didn't move away, they instead tied Sylvester's boat with theirs and pulled it towards the port of the Fort.

As they docked, many Barbarian soldiers came with their spears and surrounded Sylvester from all sides. Then, he was paraded through the city-like Fort.

Sylvester looked all around at the condition of the people. The common difference from Fort Storst was that the people here didn't dress in anything other than animal hide. They also looked dirty, with frozen hair. There were no shops, and women were nowhere to be seen. The children even appeared malnourished, while only the Soldiers looked strong.

'The state of this Fort appears worse than Fort Storst. But they have the entire river to fish, so how are they worse off?'

Sylvester tried to micro-analyze everything he could. The houses were also smaller, as none went above a single storey. There were no brick houses, and all were made of wood and thatched roofs. Even the snow was not shovelled, and mud was all around.

Only the large Fort in the middle was worth looking at, as it mimicked the style and structure of the Grand Fort Storst. However, when Sylvester was pushed inside the Fort, he realised something.

The interior of the fortresses was much different from Fort Storst. Here, it looked luxurious. There were torches, portraits on the wall, and gold showpieces. The ground had carpet as well, not to mention many chandeliers.

'It appears the Borzol brothers are the mightiest leeches in the area. So people suffer from hunger, and the two rulers fill their pockets.'

"Envoy, enter the hall and kneel before the two Kings of Borzol!" A soldier ordered Sylvester.

Woosh!

Big, twin doors were opened, and a hall appeared in view. Sylvester silently walked in and saw it was like a throne room. Large, decorated with wall engravings, curtains, heads of animals and much more.

At the hall's end were five stairs leading to the platform on which the two Kings took their thrones. There were also many people in the hall, all wearing the fine clothing of barbarians. From what he saw, this was like any other noble lord or the King's court.

Sylvester, as per the protocol, walked to the bottom and kneeled. "T-This envoy of the Duchess gives the best regard."

The two Borzol brothers wore matching outfits. On their heads were lion headdresses, and on their torsos were white-furred clothes with a red furry cape on the shoulders. The man on the left throne looked younger with his shorter beard and better face, while the right one seemed older with his long beard and a more explosive aura. Both of them were white and had blue eyes. They were at least six foot eight inches tall and appeared muscular.

Sylvester took out the folded, sealed parchment and extended it towards the two men on the throne, who stared at him with complete hatred and rage.

"Hmm." The man on the right throne ordered.

Soon, the two kings read the whole document and showed a small smile. However, they were never going to trust Sylvester blindly.

"I am King Fralan. Why did the Duchy decide to surrender so suddenly?" The Diamond Knight barbarian asked.

"Indeed. Why now? Why risk your life to come here?" The Platinum Knight barbarian added to the question.

Sylvester faked his flustered and sweating expression to appear like a truly weak statesman. "Y-Your highnesses, the Duchess is aware of your army and her army's disparity. She has no wish to see her people die and wishes to surrender her Duchy and go live in peace elsewhere."

Zelfim, the Platinum wizard, scoffed. "You think your tricks will work? What scheme are you planning? Your Solis preaching king will never accept us without bloodshed."

Sylvester bowed his head and took out another folded letter, complete with king Gracia's seal. "But he already has given the permission."

As the Borzol brothers read the new letter, Sylvester continued in a fearful voice. "I-I came to get the letter of secession signed t-to make your claim legal. S-so, which one of you will be taking the Duchy of Iceling, your highnesses?"

The two brothers looked at each other's faces. Then Zelfim angrily barked. "What do you mean? I shall take this Duchy, and my brother shall take the Duchy of Normani."

Sylvester started sweating profusely and wiped his forehead. "I… I… Y-Your Highnesses… I don't…"

"Speak quickly, or my blade shall kiss your neck!" Fralan Borzol roared, jumping from his throne.

Sylvester completely kowtowed while hiding his wicked smile underneath. "B-But, your highnesses! Storst faction has already invaded the Duchy of Normani and laid their claim to it!"

Boom!

Both brothers clenched their weapons in rage and jumped to their feet.

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