I Became The Pope, Now What?

Sylvester didn't want to ruin the wedding, nor was it his problem this time to discuss the matter. The threat of Leyon was for the kingdoms of East Sol to deal with. 

'But considering what Leyon has planned, it'll be hard for these kingdoms to even react before it's too late. How ignorant they have become just because I won the war of Popes.' Sylvester couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed. Of all the monarchs, only Kaecilius seemed worried about the matter. 

He looked from his room at the bustling city as the morning came and the preparation for the grand marriage ceremony finished. All the major guests had arrived, and a few minor nobles were pouring in and reaching the massive throne room. 

For him, there was no need to dress up since his normal clothes were his regal clothes, simple Clergyman robes, with the miter on his head. He just grabbed sleepy Chonky, who returned late after playing with Xavia and Ella last night. 

"Stop lazing around, Chonky. We only have a few months before we head to the Demon World. Once we do that, Saint Scepter's protection won't help—The Gods will see us, and it'll be a constant uphill battle."

"Mmm… Don't worry…" Miraj mumbled in sleep. "Chonky will protect Maxy."

'But who will protect you?' Sylvester wondered since there was no safety even if Miraj was somehow a dormant hidden god. The two Primordial Gods were even above Nehilius. 

…

Not long after, Sylvester stood at the high platform on which Gracia's Throne rested. In front of it, Isabella and Felix stood in their ceremonial garbs, clothes so fine that they were worthy of being considered the Kingdom's treasure. Hand in hand, they faced each other while Sylvester tied a cloth around their hands and began reading from the Holy Book of Light. 

However, beyond his actions, there were a few rituals local to the Kingdom that needed to be performed by the monarch's family's personal priests. 

The Gracia family was called the Green family a long time ago, and the reason for their initial prosperity was the fertile soil and great harvests. Hence, the ritual consisted of both. 

It was called the Ritual of Green. It required the couple to make six mud dolls, each signifying a duchy of the Kingdom. Once upon a time, when the Gracia Empire existed, there used to be many more mud dolls. After that, the couple was required to plant a similar number of trees and give free seeds to the people of the city to plant somewhere and increase the greenery throughout the city.

All that alone took half a day, and only after that could Sylvester finish the deal and announce the officiation of their marriage with a first of its kind—Certificate of Marriage, made by the local monastery. This was a step forward to a more sane world with records of who marries whom; if a man has cheated and left his wife, or a woman has done the same, they could be tracked.

"I have seen Felix grow from a little mumbling boy to a mighty warrior. We have worked together on almost everything as far as I can remember, and I am glad he is able to find happiness with another great friend of mine. Isabella, I remember meeting her for the first time. A distressed Princess who ran from her home to avoid being married to some rich merchant by the late Queen." Sylvester didn't care about pulling back his words since it was public knowledge. 

"She found a home in the Holy Land, and as we all say, everything happens for a reason. Love bloomed, and we are here. As the people of Maximilia witness, with the blessings of Solis, and all the authority vested in me, I announce Isabella Gracia and Felix Sandwall as husband and wife. May you two reign over all the strife, stand by each other if one has to walk on the knife—may your love never fade for all of your life."

Boom!

With that, empty cannon shots rang from the city walls as well as the castle's walls, and the magnificent giant bell at the main monastery rang at the same time. The people who gathered outside the castle understood the message and rejoiced with the resuming festivities. 

Felix was a famous man, after all. Considered to be the closest to the Pope, and powerful in his own rights. The people were happy to have him as their new King Consort, another layer of protection for the Kingdom. 

But people didn't go away and silently waited until one of the towers of the castle that overlooked the moat and crowd, showed some activity. One of the balconies opened, and the married couple came out to wave. 

Sylvester stood behind, not wanting the people to start chanting his name or some holy hymn. But he did notice something interesting from there. 

Gracia's Grand Wizard, Gideon Gracia, came rushing and whispered something in Isabella's ears. The Queen flinched a little but recomposed herself, and continued to wave at the crowd. 

'The fire has spread.' Sylvester realized and looked behind himself at Gabriel. With a single gesture from him and a mental message, the Saint Wazir spoke with all the Guardians present and took them aside to hold a meeting. 

…

The Highland Kingdom wasn't weak, nor was it too strong. In terms of change, however, it was the kingdom that had gone from the brink of starvation into an economic powerhouse. Highland received the most aid from Sylvester, and his ideas helped the land change its destiny. But, as people say, greed is the root of all evil. 

Riots erupted in Gravel City, which sat adjacent to Sand City, the royal home of the Highland Family. It was organized by blacksmiths, goldsmiths, and a few other trade groups. They called for the closure of all shops and forced others who didn't agree. As expected, an opposing group appeared who didn't agree with the demands, and then soldiers appeared. It didn't matter who threw the first punch anymore; As soon as the first drop of blood was spilled, chaos erupted. 

Bam!

"Your Majesty!" The Royal Castle was in uproar. Gladius, the Prima of the King, and his younger brother rushed to inform the King about the sudden riot. "W-Wha…"

But as soon as he entered the throne room, he saw something that left him horrified. Dead bodies littered the floor, belonging to the Royal Guards. All around, there were a few figures draped in loose black robes that covered their entire figures, even their faces were covered, including their heads. They had no weapons in their palms, yet they had somehow…

"Let them go!" Gladius boomed and picked up a sword from one of the dead bodies. He made a run for the throne, where King Highland, Queen Trinity, and Princess Athena were tied, while two black-robed men kept their palms raised towards them. 

Thud!

One of them raised their palm towards him as well, and he fell down with a resounding slam. It was painful, and he found himself unable to raise himself. It was some sort of magic, something that had to do with gravity, or the human body. 

"Who are you?!" 

"Destiny," a voice finally came, but it appeared from behind—a man entered from the main gates of the throne room, wearing simple metal armor. There was nothing remarkable about him. 

King Highland scoffed from his throne. "Don't struggle, Gladius."

"Indeed, you should not struggle and surrender to me. I cannot guarantee wealth and luxury, but you will have your life." 

King Highland spat on the ground. "I don't kneel to pathetic lowlives who take the help of filthy Assassin Guilds. Do you think you can win against all of us with Weeping Ghosts? Leyon of the West, you are no conqueror. You've just been lucky!"

"Careful, is the word." Leyon amusedly replied and continued to walk closer to King Highland. "I won because I was careful. Because I didn't underestimate my opponents. Because I didn't grow incompetent in the peace that His Holiness has brought us."

"Why did you incite the riot? Those innocents don't deserve any more pain. They have nothing to do with your ambitions." Queen Trinity asked from her throne, coldly staring. 

"Greed won," Leyon replied with a hateful sneer. "Those lowlives. I only had to meet the wealthiest merchants and make them believe they were being mistreated. That they could earn more if the King wasn't so greedy for high taxes. Gold is something that is never enough, King Highland. But in a way, it was you who left that greed unchecked. I incited the riot, but your incompetence aided it."

King Highland sighed and calmly asked him back, "What do you want?"

"Accept me as your Emperor, and I shall let you remain as King." 

"Keep dreaming." 

"Then I shall begin with your brother, then with your wife, and finally your daughter. If it is your desire to see them die before you, I shall fulfill it," Leyone proclaimed and walked closer to Gladius, still subdued on the ground. 

"You may do that, but then I cannot guarantee your survival. His Holiness sees us as family, and Princess Athena is his goddaughter," King Highland revealed while staring at the invader. And, as he had expected, he noticed a hint of doubt and fright. "You came here to become an Emperor, but I don't think you will exit as a living man—same for the Weeping Ghosts." 

"And what makes you believe that?" 

"Haha!" King Atrox laughed, surprisingly. "Because we knew you were coming!"

Boom!

…

Back in Maximilia City, Sylvester sat down with Gabriel, Lord Inquisitor, Aurora, and Emperor Raz, the Lich. 

"Your Holiness, we have to act now before the damage spreads too far. Similar riots have been reported across East Sol." Gabriel read the report he got from Lazark. "Stop this Leyon. You can easily do it." 

Sylvester didn't react and simply wrote something on paper. "Gabriel, you still have a long way to go."

"We are men of faith, preachers, not rulers of this land." He stood up and looked at the faces around the table. "No Clergymen, without my order, is allowed to participate in this conflict. Let this be their test—Let the song write itself."

"Song?" Gabriel confusedly muttered. 

"You'll understand later. Let's go to the feast."

_________________

A/N: So we hit 700 Chapters. What a long journey, but we are now entering the final part of this book. I don't know if we will hit 1000 Chapters. It's not my target to reach that. As long as I feel the end is nearing, I will end it without dragging the story.

Again, thank you for all the support.