Chapter : 104

“Ooh, faithful Margrave, it is an honor to meet you like this.”

“Hmm, nice to meet you too.”

I replied in a reluctant voice. In fact, the first thought that came to mind as soon as I saw them was just one thing.

Why are you looking for me?

Weren’t we done with each other already? As the Holy See intended, I had run rampant in the southern part of the Elang Kingdom, and I had successfully concluded the heretic hunt.

In return, I even received the city of Tulung, so we had no more business with each other.

But to think they would come running after me like this.

For some reason, I felt uneasy.

‘Are they asking for my help again? As a counterweight to the king?’

Surely they wouldn’t be so shameless as to do that. The thought of when they handed over the city of Tulung made my teeth chatter.

It was the Holy See’s actions that had tied me down in multiple ways.

Therefore, I unconsciously asked in a blunt tone.

“For what reason have you come to find me?”

“Ah! Your Excellency. We represent the Holy See. With the strong recommendation of Cardinal Adriano, we have decided to bestow upon Your Excellency an honorable title.”

“Hmm?”

The priest held out a scroll decorated with gold to me with both hands in a very reverent manner.

Just looking at it, I felt that I shouldn’t ignore it.

I also changed my attitude and carefully received it, then quickly skimmed its contents.

“Guardian…? You are bestowing the title of Holy Guardian of Bellua?”

Reading the contents, my eyes widened in surprise. It was a common occurrence for the Holy See to bestow blessings and sacred titles.

In [Pangea Universalise], it was one of the better events as it greatly increased honor and prestige.

But surprisingly, this title was not just about honor.

“Yes, the Holy See wishes to grant special privileges according to the title, in line with Your Excellency’s faithful conduct. It is the right to use the human and material resources of the Southern Order of the Elang Kingdom at any time for matters related to the Holy See, Your Excellency.”

‘Oh?’

It was truly an enormous and immense privilege. Wasn’t this on par with the level of an archbishop?

Of course, the order that received the request could refuse, but it was safe to say that there was no order bold enough to refuse my request, which was supported by the Holy See.

“Has the Holy See lost its mind? What were they thinking, granting such authority and title?”

As expected, I wasn’t the only one who thought this. Magician Agpiel, after hearing the contents, was also flustered and whispered cautiously.

“Magician Agpiel, people around us can hear you.”

“But isn’t it true? It could be dangerous.”

“Ahem.”

Magician Agpiel’s words were not wrong.

If I accepted this, it seemed I would have to fight a proxy war with the king on behalf of the Holy See.

But the right was too tempting. So much so that it made me forget all those burdens.

‘Besides, when the Great Famine comes, they won’t have the luxury of paying attention to me anyway.’

The king would be too busy suppressing the rebellions that would spring up like mushrooms within his kingdom to pay attention to me.

No, with the current momentum, he would rather grab my hand and ask for help.

‘It’s a good time to just suck up the sweet nectar and take it.’

My influence had grown to a level that even the king could no longer ignore.

I was confident in my ability to walk the tightrope between the king and the Holy See. But hiding my dark intentions, I uttered words of humility.

“This is too great a privilege. How dare I use the resources of the Church? I would rather make a voluntary donation than accept this.”

“Oh, as expected of the faithful Your Excellency…”

“Your Excellency’s heart, worrying about the Church, is so beautiful.”

At my words, the priests from the Holy See said tearfully, their faces filled with emotion.

It seemed they were quite moved.

Seeing the priest’s face, I felt a twinge of guilt. To make matters worse, Magician Agpiel was teasing me with a mischievous expression from the side.

‘A-ahem.’

But regardless, the Holy See priests were still filled with emotion.

“How could it be difficult to accept, Your Excellency, considering all that you have done for the Holy See? Please accept it willingly.”

“If you insist, then I will accept. Thank you very much for coming all this way to tell me.”

“Not at all, Your Excellency. We have only done what we must do as servants of God.”

Although it was like getting a bow while lying down, such formalities were necessary.

If I just accepted it without hesitation when they offered it, how embarrassing would that be?

A person has to have some dignity.

‘Somehow, I feel like I’m becoming like a medieval noble too…?’

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, but I quickly erased it.

Becoming like a medieval noble.

That was a truly terrible thought.

“Ah, and Your Excellency.”

At that moment, the Holy See priest who had not yet left his seat called out to me.

“What is it? Do you need soldiers for an escort?”

“Hehe, no. I just remembered that I have something else to tell you.”

“Again?”

“Yes. The Holy See has decided to entrust the diocese of the city of Tulung to Bishop Marco, who is traveling with Your Excellency.”

“Baa?”

At that, the goat beastman Bishop Marco was startled and blinked his square eyes. It was a story so surprising that he couldn’t believe it even when he heard it himself.

“Is that really true?”

“Yes, Your Excellency. We have decided to place the Bellua diocese and the Mangtong diocese under the management of Bishop Marco. It is a gift from Cardinal Adriano to Your Excellency.”

“Hehe… well, well.”

I let out a hollow laugh, finding it absurd.

To think that troublemaking goat beastman Bishop Marco would be in charge of two dioceses.

Although he was only a bishop in name, it was as if he held a position comparable to an archbishop.

And Bishop Marco also seemed very pleased with this fact.

“Baaheheheheheheh! A bishop, no, an archbishop. Baa. My lord, no, Lord! Treat me with respect. Baa!”

He even said something that deserved a good smack.

***

“Baaaaaaaaah-!”

“Baaaaaah!”

On the main road in the southern part of the kingdom, heading back to my domain.

The envoys from the Holy See had long since departed, and all that remained was me and the army that followed me.

Ah, and that goat beastman Bishop Marco, who was crying as if in sorrow.

“Tsk tsk, is he still at it?”

“Well, he must be that sad.”

“When will he ever grow up?”

Magician Agpiel clicked his tongue.

In fact, there was a reason why the goat beastman Bishop Marco was crying like that.

He had been putting on airs, saying he had become an archbishop, and had crossed the line with Magician Agpiel, earning himself a smack.

Magician Agpiel was someone he could not match in either strength or fame.

So, even if he had become a bishop who ruled over two dioceses, all Bishop Marco could do was cry so pitifully.

Of course, no one looked at the goat beastman Bishop Marco with pity.

“Don’t you go easy on him either. He’s going to cause some big trouble one day.”

“But hasn’t he changed a lot while being with me, Magician Agpiel? He’s now abandoned his greed and even helps the poor.”

It was true. The greedy demeanor of the early days of [Pangea Universalise] had long since disappeared.

He had somehow realized that it was better to receive repentant alms in the open than to dangerously pocket money from the back.

Now, the goat beastman Bishop Marco was no longer a greedy, corrupt bishop, but a bishop who loved money but was also somewhat warm-hearted and money-grubbing.

“A leopard can’t change its spots.”

“Don’t be so harsh, Magician Agpiel. Isn’t he kind of cute?”

At that, Magician Agpiel waved his hand as if to say what a terrible thing to say. It was true that the goat beastman with the square eyes did not have a cute appearance.

“Seeing you talk nonsense like that, it’s clear you need to get back to your domain quickly. You’ll only come to your senses after a good rest at your home.”

“Haha, we’ll be arriving soon anyway.”

I said with a laugh to the grumbling Agpiel.

We were almost at the Bellua Margraviate.

“By the way, I wonder how much your domain has changed. Isn’t that right, Sir Biden? Last time I saw, your father, Chamberlain Hamil, was doing a very good job with the internal affairs.”

No one dislikes it when their family is praised. Biden was pleased with Magician Agpiel’s words.

“My father does work hard. Of course, that’s also because my lord gave him very detailed instructions.”

“Hehe, to think you’d give the credit to your lord. What do you think?”

“What can I do if it’s the truth? I actually gave all the instructions before I left.”

I said with a nonchalant shrug.

“I really liked your humility when we first met.”

“Don’t you still like it now, Magician Agpiel?”

“Hmph. You won’t let me get a single word in.”

Magician Agpiel grumbled.

It was a danger signal for some reason.

I slowly backed away. It would be a bit embarrassing for my dignity to get a smack on the head like the goat beastman Bishop Marco.

‘Hmm, hmm. Right, right.’

I nodded and scanned my surroundings. I was wondering what else I needed to pay attention to.

Then, my eyes suddenly caught a group following behind us.

“Huh?”

It was the elf knights.

Their number had dwindled from the previous 300 to just about 100, but it was still a considerable number.

‘Aren’t those friends going back? How far are they planning to follow me?’

The elf knights’ home was far away, at the eastern end of the Holy Empire. And the path was different.

In a word, there was no need for them to follow me. But they were still stubbornly following me on horseback.

“When are you all planning to go back? It’s a bit of a detour to get to your hometown from here.”

At that, the elf knights came forward and began to speak with sparkling eyes.

“Your Excellency! How can the friendship forged in battle disappear so fleetingly?”

“That’s right.”

“We wish to enter the honorable battlefield with Your Excellency. Please accept us.”

Suddenly, the elf knights were saying something absurd, as if they had eaten spoiled food.

It was the first time I had heard elf knights speak like this to a human lord.

“Think about the achievements you’ve made. And the battlefield you shared with them. If your heart doesn’t burn, then you’re not a knight, are you? And they’re elves, no less.”

Magician Agpiel, who was passing by, whispered slyly.

Hmm, it was true that we had done some amazing things together. So much so that they could boast of a great biography if they returned to their hometowns.

Of course, apart from that.

“Hmm. I understand your feelings, but I have no fief to give you. My domain is not structured that way.”

Knights numbering over 100.

And elf knights at that. It was a very tempting force, but I couldn’t make a false promise.

If I did, I might not be able to handle the aftermath with the honor-bound elf knights.

Therefore, I spoke honestly and tried to send them back.

“Hmm… that’s fine.”

“That’s right. How can a true knight seek only such material things?”

“Sometimes, we also wander in search of honor, Your Excellency.”

“???”

But, to my utter disbelief, all the elf knights readily said it was fine.

At that, Magician Agpiel, who was watching from the side, gaped in astonishment.

“Did you cast some kind of spell on them?”

In fact, that was the question I wanted to ask.

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