Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 921



921 – Your Future – 2

The Cathedral of St. Faronas. The cathedral of the greatest size and authority in the Empire, and the center of the Archdiocese of Ausen, which encompasses the entire Empire. And a significant space where the abdication of the situation, the enthronement of the current Emperor, and my and Mar’s wedding took place.

Therefore, it is not strange that a service is held at the Cathedral of St. Paronas to commemorate my ascension to the throne. If it is a celebration for the people of the Empire, and for those who were married at the Cathedral of St. Paronas, shouldn’t a commemorative service be held there?

So I heard that the new Archbishop of Ausen is going to lead a service to commemorate my canonization.

“yes?”

As soon as I heard the news of the new archbishop’s arrival, a question naturally came to mind.

“Growth of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, are you talking about that?”

– That’s right. Jim was quite surprised too.

The identity of the new archbishop that the emperor had told me was so surprising that I couldn’t help but question him.

Cardinal Pedro Otbaja, the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In terms of authority, the saint is second in command to the Pope, and in terms of title, the cardinal primus is second in command to the Pope─but everyone knows that the actual number two in the church is Cardinal Pedro. It would be strange if the leader of the conservative faction and the Pope’s political enemy were the number three, four, and five.

So, after the retirement of the former Pope, it was expected that Cardinal Pedro would also take the retirement process soon. Considering the position of Cardinal Lisioucco, who has evolved into a 38-year-old Baltsak, it is right for Cardinal Pedro to step down.

Of course, I thought that Cardinal Pedro would take responsibility and retire for taking away the head of the Archdiocese of Ausen, which was doing well, but I thought that the responsibility would only be to the extent of causing headaches in selecting a successor. I never thought that Cardinal Pedro would become the Archdiocese himself.

‘Does this make sense?’

This is such an unusual situation that even the emperor was quite surprised. There will probably be fierce debate within the religious community as to whether this appointment is right.

It is impossible for the number two person in the church, the head of the conservative faction, to be appointed Archbishop of Ausen. Frankly, even excluding Cardinal Pedro’s overwhelming position, it makes no sense for Seongjang to become Archbishop.

‘It’s almost like a demotion.’

Even though the Archdiocese of Ausen encompasses the entire empire, it is still a local office from the perspective of the Holy Church. Even though the Libnorman Imperial Family is friendly with the Church of the Dawn and is considered the best among local offices, it is still a local office.

Power has always been concentrated in the center. Even if you dress it up with fancy words like it is the best city in the region, a transportation hub, or a treasure trove of resources, the powers that rule the regions and the real powers in the center are different. The same goes for the difference between the Archbishop of Ausen and the governors of the Holy Church.

Even Cardinal Lisiuko, before being dragged into the conclave, had to bow down somewhat in front of the elders. In terms of protocol, the elders were superior to the archbishops.

– Count. Have you received any word from the church?

“There was none at all. Growth… no, the Archbishop’s complexion was somewhat gloomy, but I naturally thought it was the aftereffect of the conclave.”

– I see. Well, if the Count had known, he would have told me a long time ago.

The emperor sighed and touched his forehead at my answer.

It will probably be complicated. If it is simply a big shot coming in as the new archbishop, you can think of it as ‘proof that the church values ​​the empire’ and just pass it over. If the new archbishop has considerable political power, you can try to think positively about him, saying, ‘He is outstandingly capable, so he is a good deal.’

But this is not it. In a situation where a progressive pope has ascended to the throne after the previous pope, Cardinal Pedro, who was famous as the previous pope’s political enemy, has been demoted? Anyone can see that this is a factional conflict. From the Empire’s perspective, it is like being caught up in a factional conflict in the religious order out of nowhere.

– First, come to my office. The Archbishop is coming soon. I think I’ll feel a little better if the Count is here.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will go right away.”

Although it was a one-sided notice from the Emperor, he nodded obediently.

If this is really part of a factional conflict, it would be better to deal with it early. As the conflict within the church intensifies, each faction will naturally try to reach out to me, an adult.

If it’s going to be a hassle, it would be better to go out with the emperor to suppress it early.

The dream of early suppression was quickly dashed.

“This old man did not come to the Empire for the reasons you two are concerned about.”

I looked down in embarrassment at Cardinal Pedro’s words.

What kind of early suppression is this when there was nothing to suppress in the first place? We were just scared and burning our fighting spirit against an invisible enemy.

“It is certainly an unusual choice for others. If this old man does not continue to hold the position of growth officer of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, there are only three ways.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded reflexively at the following words.

Cardinal Pedro, who had risen to the position of prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, had only three options: become pope himself, become the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pope’s closest assistant, or retire with honor.

In fact, the Secretarial Route is somewhat lacking considering the authority of Cardinal Pedro, but compared to Archbishop Ausen, it is an overwhelmingly beautiful woman. No one could have even imagined this fourth route.

“Well, Cardinal Pedro. How did you come to this empire? Of course, I would be more than happy if Cardinal Pedro devoted himself to the faith of the empire, but this is quite unexpected and puzzling.”

“That’s it.”

Cardinal Pedro smiled awkwardly at the Emperor’s direct question.

It is rare for people in high positions to speak so directly. But didn’t Cardinal Pedro speak out first, saying, “This isn’t the kind of factional conflict you think it is.” Since it has come to this, it wouldn’t be bad to speak comfortably until the end.

“First of all, my appointment as archbishop is not the first appointment made by the current Pope. It is the last appointment made by the previous Pope.”

“His Majesty the Great? No, he declared his retirement right after the canonization, and then he even went ahead with the personnel selection?”

The Emperor’s voice was filled with deep bewilderment and wonder.

‘Is he human?’

Of course, if it is something that would shock the emperor, it is also shocking to me. The nobleman, who was busy with his canonization and sudden retirement while he was alive, proceeded with personnel selection without anyone knowing. Is that really the ability of a human being?

It wasn’t even a decision to bestow a low-ranking or honorary position. It was a powerful personnel decision that sent the number two person in the religious order to the provinces.

“I was surprised too. In fact, I had planned to retire once the current Pope took office, but the previous Pope sent me here as if to scold me for that.”

There was bitterness in Cardinal Pedro’s eyes as he said those words.

“Pope Baltsak 37 must step down for the sake of the cause and the true faith of the church, but Pedro Otbaja, the pillar of the church, still has much work to do. The presence of Pedro Baltsak 37 cannot benefit the church, but Cardinal Pedro is beneficial to everyone, right? In fact, this old man still does not understand.”

Suddenly, a faint emptiness began to appear instead of bitterness.

I get it. Anyone would be depressed if they were attacked like this right before retirement. Especially if the attacker said something like, “I can retire, but you can’t.”

‘and.’

For a moment, I imagined the Emperor abdicating to the Crown Princess and saying something like, “The Count will continue to work.”

If such a disaster were to occur, either I would die or the Emperor would be killed. Just thinking about it makes my teeth chatter.

“But what can I do? His Majesty the Great trusted this foolish old man and left him with such an important task, so I can’t just run away because it’s a burden. If one person suffers so that all can be at peace, then I should gladly endure it.”

“Your Majesty’s intentions are truly noble. It is a blessing for the Empire that His Majesty the Great sent someone like you to the Empire. As a citizen of the Empire, how can I not admire this?”

First of all, Cardinal Pedro was praised as much as possible.

The coming of Cardinal Pedro is an imperial celebration, an imperial blessing, an imperial joy. Your procession is by no means in vain─

“That’s great.”

The emperor slowly clapped his hands and opened his mouth.

“If one person suffers so that all can be at peace, then it is acceptable. These are truly beautiful words. The Great Emperor, who chose to fight against Apels for the sake of a greater cause, and Eimanca II, who went forward with his soul burning, must have felt the same way. The Cardinal’s words can be seen as being in line with the Empire’s banner.”

“Your Majesty, you are too generous. This old man is merely imitating the beautiful example set by the great ancestors of Livnoman.”

“Knowing something and imitating it are two completely different things. I think the Cardinal needs to be more lenient with himself.”

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It was strange. It was clearly a compliment directed at the Cardinal, but my fingertips started to tremble even though it was directed at the Cardinal.

“count.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What do you think, Count? Isn’t this truly a beautiful and noble path that all the nobles and officials of the empire should follow?”

“Yes, I will, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm. I thought you’d say that, Count.”

Now a cold sweat began to run down my spine.

“The happiness of all through the sacrifice of one person. Even if that one person is an old person about to retire…”

‘This kid.’

You fucking punk. Why the hell are you saying that to me?

Why are you looking at me and not the cardinal?

“Haha. The future of the empire is truly bright.”

Meanwhile, Cardinal Pedro smiled as if he knew everything.

There is no one in this office who is my ally.

Cardinal Pedro’s inauguration as archbishop shook the empire and the entire continent, but fortunately the uproar quickly died down.

“I have come here as an extension of the unprecedented event of a canonization while alive. Since there is a living saint in the Archdiocese of Ausen, wouldn’t it be better to establish a clearer precedent for future generations? It seems that His Holiness the Great has thought this old man the right person for the job.”

He said that his coming to the empire was a decision made by the previous pope, not the current pope, and that the reason for this was largely due to his influence as a living saint.

Surprisingly, this justification was quite reasonable, and the atmosphere that had been turbulent even when only three members of the Dawn Church gathered together quickly became quiet.

‘As expected, the number two.’

It’s not just anyone who becomes the number two leader of a large religious group.

That’s the kind of person the previous Pope… used until the end…

‘It’s a shame.’

Even more so because it feels like my future.