Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 126

126. Childhood Friends - Two Cardinals

"Yes, I have brought the knight order sent by the Conrad royal family. Where can I find Cardinal Mihael? I need to report to him."

"This way. Let me guide you."

Priestess Ophelia walked alongside Cardinal Verke, exchanging a few words.

To Priestess Ophelia, Cardinal Verke was more than just a superior. When she was a novice, Verke had been a teacher at the educational institution.

At the time, Priest Verke had a unique background, having been a crusader before becoming a priest.

His tall stature and rare silver hair made him stand out, like a crane among chickens, and Ophelia admired him.

His clear and excellent lectures left an impression on her, and his intense dedication to his research was inspiring.

Sure enough, before Ophelia even became a priestess, that crane published the [Theory of Universal Priesthood], declaring that anyone could become a priest, which made him a superstar. He was recognized as an equal to Cardinal Mihael, who was regarded as the greatest theologian.

Cardinal Verke, after a heated debate with Cardinal Mihael, acknowledged this by publishing additional papers supporting the class system and was eventually appointed as a cardinal in the Kingdom of Conrad, leaving the central church.

Ophelia remembered clearly the words Cardinal Verke left at his final lecture.

- "Regardless of their status, no one can be proud of their past. Humans are bound to sin. But God does not distinguish between humans based on whether they have sinned or not. I dare to speculate that God seeks to draw something out of us through these trials... I hope you all experience meaningful trials and overcome them. This concludes the 'Responsibility of Creatures' lecture."

"You seem well, which is a relief. However... it looks like the journey here was not easy. Thank you for your efforts."

Lost in thought, Ophelia mentioned Cardinal Verke's haggard appearance.

Though it was their first meeting in nearly twenty years, his condition left little room for other conversations.

The Cardinal Verke she remembered was always a neat teacher in pristine white priestly robes.

But now, he was different.

His clothes, covered in dust, looked like they hadn't been changed in days. His face and silver hair were so grimy that they seemed to peel away with a rub.

No wonder, as Cardinal Verke had rushed non-stop from the Kingdom of Conrad upon hearing the news of the Apostle.

"In such a dire situation, there's no need to mention hardships. I would like to wash up first, but that will have to wait. The Apostle of the Evil God... it seems he will arrive soon."

Cardinal Verke glanced south. Ophelia, worriedly watching the increasingly reddened mountains, felt reassured by Cardinal Verke's presence.

Eventually, Cardinal Verke and Priestess Ophelia arrived at Cardinal Mihael's tent.

But they couldn't enter.

Despite being the highest-ranking member of the Church of the Cross, Cardinal Mihael insisted on using the smallest tent.

He always drank plain water, did not wear the purple shawl, and conserved his tattered priestly robes, setting an example for all clergy.

Yet, due to his position, a large table was set up in front of his tent, and a visitor was already there.

Prince Cleo de Frederick, his reddish-brown hair blowing in the wind.

Recognizing the purple shawl on Cardinal Verke's shoulders, the prince greeted him.

"A pleasure to meet you, Cardinal."

Typically, royals did not introduce themselves, but the prince didn't mind and gave his name first. Cardinal Verke also praised the gracious royal with a noble greeting and sat down.

Having completed her task, Ophelia left. Cardinal Verke greeted Cardinal Mihael, but their exchange was somewhat awkward due to their past debates.

Cardinal Verke got straight to the point.

"I have brought the 2nd and 3rd knight orders of the Kingdom of Conrad and all the crusaders from the Lutetia ChurChapter The numbers are two hundred knights and fifty crusaders."

"Oh! The Kingdom of Conrad has made an effort. The Kingdoms of Bellita and Astin are at war and couldn't send knights... Thank you for your hard work, Cardinal Verke."

After the prince's praise, Cardinal Verke modestly accepted it, and Cardinal Mihael smiled warmly.

"Thank you for your efforts. This will be a great help. Two hundred and fifty... we can accommodate them without setting up additional tents. We were just discussing the deployment of knights to face the Apostle."

As the topic quickly shifted, Cardinal Verke raised his hand.

"There are additional personnel I need to report. About six hundred more..."

"Did you bring soldiers? Soldiers will be of little help in fighting the Apostle. They will require blessings, which would be more trouble than benefit. It would be best to send them back."

Cardinal Verke hesitated for a moment.

He hadn't wanted to reveal it this way, but given the circumstances, he had no choice.

"They are not soldiers. They are all imbued with divine power."

"Did you just say six hundred? Ah, you must have gathered all the priests from the Kingdom of Conrad."

As Cardinal Mihael thought, 'He worked hard in such a short time,' Cardinal Verke shattered his expectation.

"No. They are children I raised. They have not been educated by the central church."

"W-what?"

Cardinal Mihael was stunned and let out a sigh of disbelief. He had always known this man would cause trouble. But six hundred? Such an outrageous action.

He couldn't get angry in front of the prince, so he questioned him softly.

"You raised unlicensed priests. Acting independently without reporting to the church, what do you think of the church's authority?"

Cardinal Verke remained silent for a moment. The revulsion was stuck in his throat.

He had long been displeased with Cardinal Mihael's elitism.

Cardinal Mihael considered himself and the priests as chosen by God, discriminating against monks who were not chosen. This was something that Verke found intolerably repulsive.

Historically, there had been a tendency to regard priests who passed the church's ordination as chosen by God.

As a result, monks who failed the ordination were assigned miscellaneous tasks, while priests were entrusted with important duties such as offering sacrifices and undertaking pilgrimages for inspections.

However, it was considered highly inappropriate to openly mention such discrimination.

In serving God, the presence or absence of divine power was secondary, and both priests and monks respected each other as fellow clergy.

But Cardinal Mihael was not like that.

He subtly looked down on monks, and since becoming a cardinal, the appointment of monks as church leaders or high clergy in villages had significantly decreased.

Therefore, it was inevitable that Verke, who advocated for the [Theory of Universal Priesthood], would clash with Cardinal Mihael.

Additionally, Verke knew a little-known secret, a not-so-important one among the high priests and cardinals, that Cardinal Mihael was of royal blood.

Not just any royal blood but a legitimate heir.

Cardinal Mihael's real name was "Kumaean de Tatalia." In fact, he was the great-granduncle of the current King of Bellita, "Karoman de Tatalia."

In his youth, Mihael had not been chosen as the successor. The throne was taken by his much younger brother, and deeply disappointed, he devoted himself to the church.

Renaming himself Mihael, he erased his past of not ascending to the throne by becoming a mere novice in the Church of the Cross.

For Mihael, the relief he felt when he received God's attention by answering the question posed to the saintess during the ordination was unimaginable to ordinary people.

But Verke couldn't sympathize with him at all.

Perhaps due to a sense of inferiority, he just found it repulsive.

Cardinal Verke was an illegitimate child.

Neither noble nor commoner, he was born with a mixed status, discriminated against and expelled from his family. His real name was...

"Now, even unlicensed priests will be a great help, won't they?"

At that moment, Prince Cleo de Frederick intervened, clapping his hands to defuse the tension. He smiled slightly, looking at the two cardinals.

"There is space next to our royal knight order's camp. With a total of eight hundred, there should be enough room. If you lack military supplies like tents or water bottles, I will support you. I brought squires and plenty of military supplies."

"...Thank you. We are lacking in many things due to the hurried journey. Could you introduce us to the quartermaster?"

"Of course. I will instruct them to spare no support. As we prepare to face the Apostle of the Evil God, we must not hoard resources among ourselves."

The prince winked and gestured slightly towards Cardinal Mihael, pressing two fingers on the table in a gesture asking for understanding as he had inadvertently taken the lead.

A prince from the Frederick family, which was subordinate to the Church of the Cross, had interrupted the cardinal's question, so such behavior was necessary.

However, Cleo de Frederick's actions were somewhat insincere.

He was not afraid of Cardinal Mihael at all. Instead, he noticed that the relationship between the two cardinals did not seem amicable.

Cardinal Mihael folded his arms.

He watched the prince and Cardinal Verke converse, gradually calming his anger.

'Yes, dealing with the Apostle of the Evil God is more urgent for now. But six hundred... Can those who have received divine power so haphazardly be of help? TChapter Still, they are better than nothing.'

He planned to address the immediate problem first. Overthrowing Cardinal Verke would be a matter to consider later, just like dealing with the prince who was gathering nobles from other kingdoms...

"Don't you think it would be better to reorganize the knight orders? Instead of separating knights and crusaders, mixing them slightly would yield better results."

"It's better to bestow blessings before the battle rather than right before. That way..."

"And the squires..."

Despite having different thoughts, the three of them discussed throughout the night in front of Cardinal Mihael's small tent how to defeat the Apostle of the Evil God. A few days later, the punitive force faced the Apostle.

Riding a pitch-black horse, the Apostle approached, staining the mountains and vast plains red. Contrary to expectations, it was not the Marquis of Guidan but a young man with an expressionless face.

Barely old enough to be considered an adult...

- Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The black horse let out a long snort.

The horse, as if wanting to trample humans, scraped the ground with its hoof. Its eyes were gone, replaced by white pupils filled with thick veins, making it impossible to recall its previously cunning yet innocent eyes.

Rev arrogantly looked down at the army before him. Though it was a formidable force of five thousand composed solely of knights, squires, priests, and crusaders, he did not even sneer.

"Let's go."

The horse, obedient to its master's command, began to gallop at a speed like lightning. The knights and crusaders of the punitive force mounted their horses and formed a charge formation.

At that moment, a group at the very rear of the punitive force began to sing in unison.

"Here are the sons and daughters of the Holy Lord!"

Dressed in plain clothes rather than priestly robes, they were the young people from Cardinal Verke's 'Grania Orphanage.'

They ranged from young men and women in their early thirties to boys and girls, their sweet voices reverberating solemnly across the wide plains.

They had not learned divine spells.

While divine spells were undoubtedly an efficient way to use the divine power of the Holy Lord, the grammar of the ancient language required was incredibly difficult, so Verke had no choice but to teach them a somewhat primitive method of embedding divine power in their voices.

"Give us trials."

Lev was deeply displeased. The divine power in the song pierced his mind without any filter, and he remembered Lena, who was leaving in a carriage.

Thinking of Lena made his head strangely dizzy.

Why am I doing this? ─ The question itself was puzzling, but like when he had killed his father, unbearable guilt suddenly overwhelmed him.

"Endure steadfastly and become Your pride,"

In the end, Rev shouted, "Shut up!" and drew his sword. To silence those noisy people, he harshly kicked the horse's belly to spur it on.

"We will prove our lives."

The knights and crusaders in formation also rode forward.

Over a thousand horsemen divided into three groups, shaking the ground with their hooves, and the squires charged, shouting.

Behind them, over fifteen hundred priests were generously bestowing blessings.

"So, Lord, watch over us. Watch Your sons and daughters fight!"

Thus began the absurdly one-sided battle of one versus five thousand.