Chapter 562

Chapter 562: Coronation of the Pope

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Chapter 562: Coronation of the Pope

Mount Carnriel finally welcomed the papal election.

If everyone was still hesitating before about who should be elected as the next pope, then with the events that unfolded over this past month, Biynès emerged as the sole candidate.

Firstly, the downfall of Cibith led to the arrest and suspension of many of his faction members, causing them to lose all their prestige and reputation.

Although Odys got away unscathed, his prestige also faced numerous challenges. Many hidden issues were brought to light by Cibith’s remnants during their counterattack, leaving him struggling to explain and clarify. Additionally, the astonishing assassination attempt that occurred under the Holy Lance Knights’ watch within the mountain added to his embarrassment, making it hard for him to face the crowd’s inquiries with confidence.

As a result, after two of the most qualified candidates withdrew, only Xarande remained with the necessary strength and reputation to ascend to the papacy.

In the Celestial Angel Cathedral at the peak of the mountain, 163 archbishops, 625 bishops, 234 priests, and 129 grandmasters of holy knights gathered together.

They would vote to elect the next pope.

“Now, the voting begins!”

The bishop clad in a large, golden-red robe stepped forward, tapping the small hammer in front of him, causing the sound of chimes, like jade, to resonate throughout the hall of the cathedral and then echo up to the high dome.

Elaborate and intricate carvings adorned the entire church, on the pillars, window sills, walls, domes, even on the handrails and balustrades. Patterns of angels, wings, shells, waves, branches, leaves, and flowers together constructed this magnificent and grand cathedral.

And when the afternoon sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows into the interior, one could see the subtle refraction of the light forming a gradient halo in the air, making people feel as if they were in heaven.

Loran Hill, dressed in a nun’s attire with silver-edged black robes, stood at the edge of the hall, watching the serene and sacred voting scene, feeling the unique solemn atmosphere of the venue.

One by one, clerical personnel wearing neatly tailored long robes stepped forward according to the queue, casting their votes into the transparent glass boxes.

When the sun began to set, under the watchful eyes of many extraordinary beings present, the envelopes were opened, revealed, and counted.

Finally, Biynès won the election with 70% of the votes.

—

End of Translation.

In the inner palace of Aquarius, in a small hall on the second floor,

Binees and Lolan Hill sat facing each other.

“How is your health recovering? I heard from the nun taking care of you that you still feel drowsy recently and sometimes fall asleep even when sitting in the courtyard.”

“It might take some more time before I fully recover, but it’s not too serious. If I concentrate, I won’t fall asleep,” Lolan Hill said, somewhat embarrassed, as she tidied her hair behind her ear.

“Then rest well. There’s no need to worry about the academy’s assessment. Hehe, I’ll give you an excellent evaluation.”

After becoming familiar with Lolan Hill, Binees teased this silver-haired girl who was around seventeen years old.

“This… uh, thank you, Binees.” Lolan Hill couldn’t think of any rebuttals and had to accept her kindness obediently.

After chatting idly with Lolan Hill for a while and understanding each other’s recent conditions, Binees began to talk about serious matters.

“According to our branch reports from the Frost Rose area, the entire Frost Union has mobilized now. A large number of soldiers are gathering at the border, and within the port, golems are being loaded onto iron warships, ready to set sail at any moment. Zezwa’s sky sees airships rising every day.”

“They have mobilized almost all their forces and are preparing for battle,” Binees said, conveying the worrying news of late.

“I understand. I will immediately inform Clancia internally and have them act swiftly,” Lolan Hill said seriously, knowing the gravity of the situation.

“Mm, if necessary, we will also send a ‘team’ to support you.”

When Binees emphasized the word “team,” it seemed to indicate that this team was extraordinary.

“Thank you.” Lolan Hill stood up to express her gratitude and then looked out the window at the distant horizon.

It seems this war is inevitable.

Silver-winged birds flew out of the pages, carrying these urgent messages through layers of flowing clouds and skies, heading to various places in Clancia and Vergha, announcing the arrival of this crisis.

—

Three days later, in the Papal Hall,

Binees sat in front of a silver mirror, with several nuns behind her helping her dress. They fastened a large red cloak with gold edges, embroidered with lifelike wings, while she wore a pure white long robe that revealed her figure, with intricate and delicate golden leaf patterns on the cuffs and collar.

The pure white robe was adorned with feather patterns embroidered with refractive dark threads. When viewed under the sun, these feathers would refract a faint golden light.

After all her preparations were complete, accompanied by six high-ranking priests, the newly appointed female pope slowly entered the hall of the church.

Today was the coronation ceremony for the pope.

On both sides of the hall stood high-ranking extraordinary beings from the church, with thousands of people gathered in total. The scene was eerily silent as everyone watched the female pope slowly make her way through the crowd.

When Bynnes stepped onto the brightly lit stage, the two elder priests主持仪式 on either side announced together that the ceremony was beginning.

Firstly, Bynnes addressed all the high-ranking members of the church present, outlining her vision and the future reform policies of the church.

She had already spoken about this many times recently, but the audience still applauded enthusiastically, because this meant that Bynnes was making her oath of office.

Then, Bynnes turned around to face the back of the high platform. A huge curtain was slowly drawn back, revealing a majestic angel statue towering over 100 meters high.

This statue was similar to a bas-relief, with most of the angel’s body submerged in the stone wall. Her eyes were slightly closed, her hands spread wide. Behind her, three pairs of long and broad wings protruded from the stone wall, lifelike in their detail.

The angel’s appearance was elegant and beautiful, with even the fine eyelashes visible in the intricate carving. Her upper body leaned forward, revealing a graceful and beautiful figure. She wore a soft robe, and even as a stone sculpture, one could feel a sense of lightness and softness.

It was said that this statue was completed by over a hundred renowned sculptors not long after the Chaos War. They spent years meticulously carving it before inviting successive popes and archbishops to reinforce it. Over time, it became a symbol of the church itself.

The benevolent and beautiful angel, sacred and perfect, left countless people awestruck and captivated at first sight.

At this moment, Bynnes knelt on one knee, placing her hand on the stone wall in front of her, reciting the oaths passed down by successive popes.

“I shall become the burning pure white flame,

Dispelling the haze of confusion,

Guarding the last order of this world.

No matter how many times,

From the darkness,

From the depths of evil,

From all despair and chaos.”

(The End of This Chapter)