Chapter 547

Chapter 169 The Darkened Places Beyond the Light of Holiness Part 1

In the southern regions of Silgayan, in the city of Aretien.

The cool wind blew, rustling through the trees and scattering their leaves. The river channel gurgled with flowing water, and the shadow of autumn’s desolation was just beginning to show. The muddy ground was still wet, and under the light of the flames, the streets were filled with ragged people walking about.

Near the northern gate, the broad street was nearly under martial law. Soldiers on beast mounts, with stern expressions, trod heavily, escorting several nobles dressed in fine attire. Behind them, a cart piled high with bloody heads followed.

Pedestrians stumbled along the roadside, stopping to watch the convoy disappear from sight. Some whispered among themselves: “Those are the heads of demons.”

“Probably some traitors from the Warhammer Army as well…”

“Noblemen, where are they taking all those heads…”

“Outside the city walls, north and east. There are already many piles of heads there. I saw them yesterday when I went up to the wall to bring water to the knight lord guarding the city. You could smell the stench from far away…”

“Even so, it doesn’t scare away those who run only to return. I heard that a few groups of demons have come back and fought with the knight lords in the eastern part of the city…”

“Really or not… Is the city safe now?”

“Of course it is safe. With His Holiness here, what are you afraid of… Those demons will be purified by the great divine miracle. No matter how many come, they won’t make a difference…”

“His Holiness has really come?”

“Yes, I saw him myself…”

“Praise the Church, praise the gods… His Holiness is the great savior…”

On the high walls of the northern and eastern parts of the city, the cross banners rose again, gold and white intermingling, fluttering in the wind. The starlight in the night sky was sparse, and the sound of a Kithara could be faintly heard from beyond the wall. Monks and nuns sang together, holding a third memorial for the deceased.

Below the city walls, Isaac, covered in blood, rode a unicorn, leading dozens of knights in golden armor. They passed through the charred and dilapidated gate of the northern city, nodding to the patrolling guards halfway. He showed them his token and entered the city street, galloping for a long time until he reached the main camp of the First Order of Knights. After dismounting, he walked through the tents and came to the door of a barracks, exchanged a few words with the monk at the entrance, then pushed open the door.

“Holiness.”

In the brightly lit barracks, a handsome blond man was伏案执笔，听到声音抬头，揉了揉发乌的眼眶，神色疲惫地说：”哦，艾萨克，你来了。”

他打了个哈欠，指了指书桌前的椅子，重新埋头写字：”坐下吧，你看上去很累。”

艾萨克单膝跪地，没有坐到旁边的椅子上：”陛下，我们在运河北岸的山上发现了一部分逃窜的异端，大约有八百人。看样子他们打算趁着今晚月色昏暗，再次杀回来。他们叫嚣着要再填进两千条人命，爬墙的钩索都已经准备好了，现在已经全部被歼灭。”

“呵，这些疯子……”

教宗大人摇头感叹，露出轻蔑又无奈的笑容：”东西两面呢？”

“西侧由萨菲罗斯骑士长带队追击，暂时还没有消息。东侧的重骑兵在三个小时前与回返的异端发生遭遇战，歼敌三百，击溃一千多人，目前正在追击，向洛克镇方向而去。”

教宗安吉尔一边快速书写，一边点了点头：”知道了。”

“陛下，逃散的异端太多了。再过几天，他们再分散一些，铁了心要逃，以我们现在的人手和精力，恐怕连影子都追不到……”

艾萨克低头踌躇片刻，见安吉尔没有回应，又说：”我们是不是要尽快与共和党交涉，命令他们动员周边贵族私军，协助骑士团进行全境封锁？否则南方恐怕要陷入更大的混乱之中。那些异端到了村镇……”

“你不必担心这个。” 安吉尔终于抬起头。

他放下羽毛笔，拿起羊皮纸，借着桌上蜡烛的火光，重新审视了一遍：”处理这些逃窜的疯子，我心里自有打算。你也明白，他们人数众多，想要一个个找出来杀尽，不是一朝一夕能完成的事情，为此要花费的金币，也是一笔不小的数目。”

“而现在，币行方面退避龟缩，不干实事。威廉姆斯团长牺牲，他们在这西尔加亚的总负责人，也就要走到头了……也许现在正拖家带口开始逃难了吧？哈……”

安吉尔轻笑一声：”币行也好，翡翠之城也罢，指望共和党的这些废物力量，想促成全境封锁，简直比端掉整个真理之门都难。要彻底结束这场突如其来的灾难，还生民一个安宁，我们大抵还是要先在圣城那边寻求突破……恩。”

片刻后，他审视完羊皮纸上的内容，重新将纸张放回桌面，伸了个懒腰，对单膝跪地的壮汉说道：”艾萨克，这些天辛苦你了。接下来的事你不需要过多操心，也不要什么都自己盯着，事情安排好了，就好好休息一下吧。”

“陛下……”

“去休息。”

安吉尔对他挥挥手，随后又想起了什么：

“By the way, has Ambassador Wetherly returned?”

“…Yes, he has.” Isaac replied in a low voice. “He should be back by nightfall. Things seem to have gone relatively smoothly. At least two cities have agreed to open their granaries and distribute grain. Our knights have already entered the city. Tomorrow… no later than the day after tomorrow, they will first bring back some rye and livestock. The nobles of Alertheon City have also promised that for at least a month, their mills will be open free of charge to all refugees.”

“Mm-hm.”

Angel thought for a moment upon hearing this, then instructed, “If there are any vegetables, that would be even better. Send someone with the ambassador to negotiate further. I know it’s a very difficult time now, and there’s no harvest anywhere, but we must do our best to secure more for the people of Alertheon… anything, just give them more.”

“For the two cities willing to distribute grain, negotiate well with them. The Church will remember this favor, and when things settle down, the return will not disappoint them. But for those who are reluctant, those who are dragging their feet and don’t want to open their granaries, we don’t need to be polite to them. Just have your men break down the gates, lead the Faithful Brigade and heavy cavalry in, seize the granaries first, then find the city lord.”

“I understand…”

“Go.”

Angel waved his hand again, and the bald, burly man stood up and took his leave.

The small tent flickered with light, suddenly becoming quiet.

Tap, tap, tap…

The young Pope tapped his fingers on the table, pausing at the smooth parchment spread out before him. His eyelids drooped slightly, as if he were a little drowsy. The dark red light cast a shadow over the paper, revealing dense text, seemingly a letter. He could faintly make out the dried ink of the large characters at the top: [Wanted Circular].

After a moment, he folded the parchment and placed it in an envelope nearby. He melted wax from a silver spoon, fished out a seal from his loose robe, and pressed it onto the wax. As the wax cooled and hardened, sealing the letter, the seal was lifted, featuring an owl pattern.

“Troublesome…”

The Pope looked at the letter, thinking of something, and clicked his tongue slightly.

Soon, the tent door creaked open, and someone entered silently, walking to stand before the Pope.

Angel raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

The newcomer wore a white and gold ecclesiastical robe, with hair meticulously combed behind his head. His youthful face exuded firmness, yet there was a hint of softness amidst it, and his brown eyes were sharp like an eagle’s.

If that lone girl who had ventured to the northern territories were still here, she would instantly recognize him. This was the somewhat slick-tongued young bishop, whose name she never remembered but whose face was familiar, from the Holy City, an elite member of the Faithful Brigade.

Angel glanced at the young bishop, picked up the letter on the table, and handed it over. “Give this to them.”

“Yes.”

The young bishop bowed his head in response, took the envelope, and smiled slightly. “Your Holiness, the city’s nobles have come looking for you again.”

“Hmm.”

The young Pope sat lazily, hands clasped behind his head, waiting for him to continue.

“The leader is the lady of the city lord, inviting Your Holiness to the castle. She says that having Your Holiness personally come to save the lives of the entire city’s people, yet sleeping in such a tent, makes it hard for her as a city lady. She requests that Your Holiness show a bit of mercy, deign to step into the inner castle, where she has arranged a banquet to entertain you.”

“Tell her not to bother.”

Angel rejected it outright, then added after a moment’s thought, “If I go to the castle, I’ll only be close to those few nobles who managed to survive. Here, I am close to the warriors who have shed blood for this land, to all the citizens of the city. Alaresta, tell her that if she truly cares, she can send me two bottles of wine from whatever remains in the castle.”

“Alright, it’s your decision.”

The young bishop named Alaresta shrugged, tucked the letter into his chest, turned to leave, then seemed to remember something and turned back. “By the way, Your Holiness. There’s something…”

“What?” Angel raised an eyebrow. “Has that old man Saint George finally made a move?”

“Not exactly.”

Alaresta shook his head gently. “It’s just a small doubt in my heart… I’m wondering, if you were to issue this secret order, the other side might not notice, but once they do, they will surely act. If that boy escapes, wouldn’t things become more complicated?”

Upon finishing, he felt it inappropriate to question the Pope and quickly added, “This is just my personal opinion, please take it as you will.”

Angel chuckled lightly. “What if they do notice?”

“The Williams family will certainly counterattack fiercely…”

“Counterattack?” Angel smiled wider upon hearing this. “By then, they might struggle to protect themselves. In necessary situations, that boy named Beaumont might even be abandoned…”

Alaresta frowned.

“I’ve already arranged for it.”

Angel stood up, saying enigmatically, “The new issue of the Church Gazette.”

Alaresta still frowned.

After a moment, he understood. “Your Holiness, you mean…”

“The reports about this war will focus on the Republic’s inaction, the currency departments passing the buck and unwilling to take responsibility, the negative attitude towards donations, merchants unwilling to risk going to war, directly leading to the defeat of the Third Knight Order of the Holy Church and the death of Commander Williams on the battlefield. Saint George Currency Department and all staff involved in organizing and planning logistics and transportation for this war bear significant responsibility and cannot shirk it.”