The Papal Envoy 2
Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Respected envoy, I disagree with your words!"
Seeing that the papal envoy wanted to negotiate, King Segovia II of Collins was extremely agitated. He puffed out his chest, his eyes wide with anger, and stood up.
Then, in a loud voice, he said, "We have waited patiently for the coastal countries to reconsider, but each act of patience and concession has only brought us humiliation. Now is the final moment, and we stand at the edge of a cliff. If we take another step back, we will surely fall into the abyss, and the glory of the Lord will plummet from the heights of the heavens into the dark abyss below."
After hearing King Segovia II's words, the papal envoy, Libate, almost lost control of his emotions and wanted to retort—"To hell with your patience and concessions!"
He wanted to ask Segovia II, "What you and your Archbishop Elvis have done can be called patience and concessions?"
The purpose of the witch-hunting campaign should be to keep people vigilant against witchcraft, focusing on education and warning—not endless executions.
This is a matter of moderation; it's sufficient to stop at an appropriate point. Why must you keep escalating?
A once-thriving trade hub in the Bay, known to all, is now shrouded in smoke and chaos because of you. Both foreign and local merchants live in fear and silence.
Which coastal country doesn't rely on trade? Now that you've smashed their rice bowls, how can they not fight back?
It would be one thing to expand the scope, but why did you have to target the nobles in power? You dare to arrest even the Duke of Eaton's sister-in-law? Don't you know that even the papacy has been cautious in handling relations with powerful nobles?
What you call patience and concession is merely a series of ultimatums, which to them is a severe provocation.
You constantly use a condescending tone and adopt a superior attitude; anyone listening would feel offended.
In fact, the current pope has no desire to engage in a witch-hunting campaign. After a thousand years of oppression, magic and witchcraft have become mere folk tales. Most reports are often dubious in their authenticity.
Of course, those in the papacy who hold the most secrets know well that witchcraft exists and that many practitioners hide in the corners of the world.
However, as long as those practitioners remain quietly hidden in their corners and wear their masks diligently, the pope doesn't want to expend energy uprooting them. If you think about it, the damage caused by rats and locusts is far greater than that of witchcraft, and humanity cannot completely eradicate either.
If any reckless witch dares to stir up trouble, let the nearby Inquisition handle it quietly, controlling the impact of the situation.
The fewer people who know, the easier it is for the Church to handle the situation; the more people know, the more complicated it becomes.
Isn't it better to maintain such a tacit understanding? But someone like Elvis, making a fuss, what are they afraid others won't notice?
Initially, those witch practitioners operated solo, making them easy to deal with. But under such high pressure, they will inevitably band together to counter the Church's threats, turning them into a pack of wolves, which is much harder to handle.
But the pope cannot openly oppose the actions of the Bay Church because denying witchcraft is one of the principles upon which the papacy stands. If he rashly orders the Bay Church to cease its witch hunts, it would cause ideological chaos among the Churches across the continent and could even undermine the papacy's authority.
After Elvis initiated the movement in the Bay, the pope had to send several delegations to "guide" the Bay Church on how to distinguish between witches and ordinary people, striving to avoid harming innocent individuals.
Yet, as if there were some hidden hand pushing things along, the situation continued to rise rapidly after seeming to stabilize—of course, the nearly irrational religious fervor led by the local Church, headed by Elvis, provided fertile ground for this fluctuation.
Now the situation that the papacy feared the most has happened: the expansion of witch hunts has caused resentment among secular authorities and the populace. People began to doubt the motives behind the Church's actions, potentially shaking the Church's dominion in the realm of human thought.
Sigh!
Libate sighed inwardly.
Although he wanted to express his dissatisfaction, as a papal envoy, he had to maintain the necessary composure and could not create a scene in such a setting.
He spoke, "Your Majesty, King Segovia II!"
However, before he could continue, he was interrupted by Archbishop Elvis, who was seated at the head of the table.
"Enough! No more arguments."
His beard trembled slightly, as if he were exerting great effort to restrain his emotions.
"I agree with Envoy Libate's opinion; let him make one last effort for the peace of the Bay. However..."
His gaze turned sinister, quite unbefitting for an archbishop.
"This truly is the last time. If the coastal countries do not immediately return to the glory of the Lord, then they must prepare to face the wrath of the Lord!"
After finishing his speech, the archbishop stormed out, throwing his sleeves aside.
King Segovia II shot Libate a dissatisfied glance and also stood to leave.
Libate bid farewell to everyone and left his seat to return to his quarters.
With the important figures of the meeting gone, the remaining people left in small groups.
Anthony, the cardinal who was also a papal envoy alongside Libate, hurriedly stood up and followed Libate.
He caught up to Libate and walked beside him.
In a low voice, he said, "Envoy Libate, is it really necessary to go on this trip? I feel it will be of no use."
Libate responded in a similarly hushed tone, "To be honest, I don't have high hopes for this trip either. But we still must go."
Anthony asked in confusion, "Why?"
"The main purpose is to clarify our stance, to draw a line between the papacy and the Bay Church, letting others know that we are us, and they are them. Even if the papacy ends up dragged into war by the Bay Church, we must leave a pathway for future negotiations."
"Negotiations? If the papacy... if we personally intervene, can't we ensure victory over those merchants?"
Libate shook his head. "If I were a general, with the strength of the papacy, I would certainly have confidence in winning. But now I am also a diplomat and must be prepared for all possibilities, even those that are infinitesimally small."
(End of the Chapter)
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