Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 907



907 – God Will Be With You – 1

Unlike the secular world where a successor naturally ascends to the throne when the current monarch steps down, in the religious order, when the position of the Pope becomes vacant, cardinals from all over the continent gather and vote to elect the next Pope. This is the procedure for enthroning the monarch of the religious world, and it is a sacred ceremony where a great figure who will lead the continent along with the emperor of the empire is elected – the conclave.

In fact, since most of the cardinals were in the diocese because of my canonization during my lifetime, it didn’t take long for all the cardinals to be summoned.

In this world, there is a great means of transportation called teleportation. It would be stranger if it took a long time.

“May the Holy One and His holy waters be blessed in their future endeavours!”

And the fact that all the cardinals gathered for the conclave means that all the cardinals saw me off on my way back home.

All of them, from the heads of the church administration to the archbishops who oversee each continent.

‘What a minister.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at this amazing sight.

Baltsak, 37, who has officially resigned from all his positions and returned to being an ordinary priest. Cardinal Lisiuko, whom you, I, and we already recognize as the next pope. The prelate of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, who will be the actual leader of this conclave. Tanian, who is the de facto highest authority in the church at the moment when the position of the pope is vacant.

For other believers, it would be an honor to see just one person in their lifetime, but I am seeing off these four people at the same time. I am so embarrassed that I feel like crying.

– Woof!

However, unlike her complicated master, Titi was happy to be seen off by the church. Our Titi is just happy when there are a lot of people.

In addition, while his master was worried about the next pope, Titi went around here and there and was treated with all sorts of cuteness. Thanks to this, he became quite friendly with the cardinals. When it was even known that Titi had received the blessing of Tanian, he began to be treated as a holy man.

‘Seongsu-ra.’

I patted Titi’s head as she panted.

The situation was favorable, and he received the blessing of the next saint, and he was raised by an adult. A great leader who led eleven former evil spirits.

If you don’t call this kind of Titi a holy beast, then who else can you call a holy beast? No, considering that former evil spirits are classified as holy beasts, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them divine beasts instead of holy beasts.

‘Saint Titi…’

Let’s put our titi’s last name in front of her name. It may be difficult to say it out loud, but in my heart, I will call her titi.

“Oh, holy one.”

“Oh, yes.”

Just as I was about to climb up the teleportation magic circle with Titi, the growth of the Doctrine of the Faith approached me with brisk steps.

Surprisingly, the person I met most often during my stay in the Holy Land was not Tanian, but Seongjang. Before I entered the country, I wasn’t even close with him, let alone greeted him properly, but somehow I ended up forming a bond with him.

As expected, when you work together on the same problem, you quickly become close friends. That’s why I became friends with Villar beyond borders. Maybe if I had stayed in the Holy Land for a few more months, I would have made friends beyond age.

“As I have said before, the ascension of the Holy One to the throne will be announced just before the conclave. By the time he arrives in the Isles and unpacks his belongings, the entire continent will venerate and praise the living saint.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Fortunately, we have time to hold out in the mansion.”

“Who would dare to attempt a siege on the mansion that houses the continent’s greatest swordsman and Demon King, but I am glad if I could be of even the slightest help to the Holy One.”

My joke was met with a small laugh.

In fact, it’s not a 100% pure joke. At this point, the only people who know that I’ve been canonized are the church, my family, and the emperor. If the church declares that I’ve been canonized, the communication channels will go crazy, and the front gate of the mansion will be met with crowds that rival pilgrimage sites.

It’s horrible to even imagine. I guess I’ll have to stay in the mansion for at least a month.

“I also cannot express how grateful I am that Your Eminence is so concerned about me. After all, His Holiness has stepped down and His Eminence Cardinal Lisiuko, who has led the Archdiocese of Ausen so well for many years, is gone. With the absence of these two great men, much attention will be focused on me. I wonder what would have happened if it had not been for Your Eminence’s consideration.”

Seong-gung’s expression hardened somewhat at my half-ceremonial, half-sincere thanks.

It was only for a moment, but I saw it clearly because it was right in front of my nose. His expression definitely hardened when he heard the word Archdiocese of Ausen.

‘Is it because of the successor problem?’

It was a strange reaction, but I quickly came up with a plausible hypothesis.

The vacant papal seat is expected to be filled by an excellent candidate, Cardinal Lisiuko, but because of him, the well-run Archdiocese of Ausen suddenly loses its leader. And a capable leader who quickly brought the archdiocese back into chaos after the assassination of the previous archbishop.

Although it is not as good as the Pope, the Archbishop of Ausen is not an easy position. The Archbishop of Ausen is the most important diocese in the Empire, and managing it is the same as managing all the priests and believers in the Empire. It is also a bonus to be in charge of diplomacy and social relations with the Empire, the most powerful country on the continent.

‘I guess I’ll just have to suffer until the end.’

I looked forward to the growth of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with a very weak sense of sympathy.

The vacant position of Archbishop of Ausen should be filled by Growth from a moral standpoint. It was Growth who summoned Cardinal Lisiuko, who was performing his duties as Archbishop properly. So it is right for Growth to fill the position.

However, how many people would be aiming for the most prestigious position among local government officials, even if they are pushed aside by the central government growth? It is a headache to choose a suitable successor by judging their abilities and character.

“Your Majesty. I hope that Your Majesty will beautifully decorate the occasion and conclusion.”

“…beautifully conclude with a beautiful ending. Thank you for the heart-wrenching advice.”

After a bitter smile of growth, he climbed onto the teleportation magic circle.

‘Hot.’

And just before flying to the island, I saw Tanian making the sign of the cross and Pietro waving while being held in the arms of Cardinal Alexandrina.

I was worried that Titi would cry and complain when he left, but he was surprisingly gentle, perhaps because he was born to a priest. Thanks to that, I was able to return home without any trouble.

…

‘What do I do now?’

Soon, while worrying about the next pope, the issue that had been put on the back burner for a while resurfaced.

That b*stard Emperor… Is he still angry because of the Crown Princess? But I think he’ll calm down a bit now that time has passed. When we talked through the communication channel, he used reason more than emotion.

No, you can’t let your guard down. That b*stard is a guy who can endure anything to get you fucked up at a crucial moment. As soon as you return home, you may face the emperor who is burning with emotion rather than reason.

‘Should I have just held out until the conclave was over?’

I had that thought for a moment, but I couldn’t do anything because the teleportation magic circle had already been activated.

And our children also want to see their father and Titi. Although they have seen each other through the communication device while they were in the country, seeing them through the communication device is different from seeing them in person.

‘In the end, it all comes down to the children.’

It is truly ironic that we have to go before the Emperor, who is also angry about his own children, to see our children.

I wonder if this is the burden that Abi should bear.

As soon as I set foot in the mansion, I almost fainted while standing.

Are you happy to be back home after such a long time? No, that’s not true. If you’re happy, you should play with the kids more. There’s no time to faint.

Or is it because the crowds came earlier than the growth of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith? That’s not it. The area in front of the mansion was still like a field. Just enough for me to have time to unpack, as the growth said.

The reason I almost lost my mind, even though everything was a perfect comeback, was so intense and simple.

‘This crazy kid.’

A portrait hanging proudly in the center of the mansion.

A portrait with a pious expression and a brilliant halo behind the head that makes you wonder if you have ever made such an expression in your life.

A portrait that you can’t help but see upon entering the mansion, unless you’re blind.

‘Why is this here?’

My adult version of the portrait greeted me before any of my family members.

Isn’t that the one that the Emperor hung in his office for a while? Why is a portrait that is clearly the Emperor’s property in our mansion? Why is that ugly thing in my house…

“Ah, you came!”

As I was staring blankly at the portrait, I heard a familiar voice along with the sound of someone running down the stairs.

“Minister, sir!”

Eri, one of my lovely family members.

“No, I’m an adult!”

However, when it comes to teabagging, he is a master who shows off his skills regardless of whether he is a family member or a stranger.

“Ugh, I can’t even look straight because I’m an adult! It’s so bright!”

“stop.”

“Ahh! Even your voice is holy! It feels like my ears are melting!”

From noble mtl dot com

“Stop it…”

I barely managed to suppress my hands that were shaking like crazy.

Should I pull those damn lips right now? No, hold on, the reason inside me. Eri is my wife, but she’s also a mother of a child. No matter how ugly and immature she may appear, I have to make her maintain her dignity.

“Hey, Saint. Who are you the patron saint of? Usually, saints protect a certain group.”

This is my mentality.

I want to protect my mental health above all else.

“Are you the patron saint of bureaucrats? Or maybe a pregnant woman!”

“I told you to stop.”

Finally, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and my hand flew out.

Honestly, I couldn’t stand this even if it was the Pope, let alone an adult.

***

While I was working, the communication device on one side of my desk started shining brightly.

‘I saw it.’

I couldn’t help but smile, knowing that there was only one contact coming at this time.

The Count, who wanted to avoid me, contacted me first. This must mean that he was truly touched by the gift I sent him.

The monarch forgave the rebellious subject and sent him a gift instead. The subject was so touched by the gift that he sent him such an enthusiastic message.

This truly is a beautiful relationship between a ruler and his subjects.

‘If you ignore it, it will come on its own.’

I looked at the glowing communication port and then turned my gaze towards the road documents.

If he has something to say, he will come to my office on his own. You should say what you want to say then.