How to Live as a Tyrant’s Spoiled Brat Chapter 58

How to live as a tyrant’s spoiled brat Episode 57

(57)

The morning service that day was led by Black Saint Matteos and Hong-ui Bishop Paul Ahn, who led the first and second parts, respectively.

Mateos, chosen by God as the hammer and flame, was slowly changing into the form I knew before my regression.

His jet-black hair was pulled back, revealing the stigmata on his forehead, and his jet-black eyes were blazing with righteous anger.

When you obtain the stigmata, your body will change through the power of the Holy Spirit, and you will have a perfect body, just like when a swordsman becomes a Sword Master.

Every time he, a handsome man with dark lines and a deep sense of humor, looked around and made eye contact with the believers, the noble ladies exclaimed in admiration.

“When the shadows gather, don’t rub shoulders with them or hold hands. You will end up compromising and compromising, and you will end up begging.”

He preached a sermon saying that he could never be with an eroder.

“So you have taken my hand, so what have we to fear? I will bless your sword, so go forward bravely… … .”

He cited the story of a saint who was a military chaplain and praised the cooperation between knights and the church, the imperial family and the church.

On the other hand, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Bishop Paul Hong’s worship contained the exact opposite content.

“Pray alone with a pure heart and devotion. Do not join hands with worldly powers. They will ask you to bless their swords. To exchange your faith for their wealth… … .”

He was an old man with a kind impression in many ways.

Although he was not very tall, he had a gentle smile and a clear, innocent look in his eyes, making him look like a dignified old sheep.

He didn’t even mention anything about the eroders, and only spoke neatly about why the royal family and the church should not join hands.

The court nobles sitting in the back seats looked at the saint and Bishop Hong with strange eyes.

But anyway, Jaylilith’s first worship service ended without any major problems.

“It was an honor to be able to share good words with you today. The Lord is merciful, so I hope that His Majesty and all others will pray often. I also hope that His Majesty will have bishops as well as magicians in his court.”

홍의주교의 인삿말을 해석해 보자면, ‘황제 이 패륜아 새끼야. 기도하고 참회해라.’ 정도가 될 거다.

“I was also happy to be able to stand on the podium with Bishop Hong. If it had been a peaceful time, I would have also lived and prayed like that. Because only the will of light, not strange magic, can bring about true miracles.”

If we were to interpret the saint’s greeting, it would be something like, ‘Now is not a peaceful time, so you must follow me and go fight.’

Mateos and Pauloan came down from the podium, and the court nobles applauded.

Sereraji, who had been forced to follow Hong and become the target of both Bishop Hong and the saint, trembled and repeated to himself that he would kill them someday.

And then Mateos passed me by and said:

“Archduke Valen. Will you come with me and His Majesty the Emperor?”

We got up from our seats and followed the saint into the hallway.

Sir Tentia quickly blocked the court nobles who were trying to follow us.

“You can’t go any further than this.”

But I realized I was a step too late and smiled bitterly.

Several paladins who looked very dissatisfied with me were blocking the middle of the hallway.

Mateos asked the paladin.

“Why do you stand in the way of Duke Valencian?”

“Because he is a sinner.”

“He enjoys feeding people to demons, has made fun of many girls, enjoys drinking and gambling every day, and has even killed people in the slums at will. He is a serious criminal.”

“You can never be with the saint!”

“You can’t be together!”

“If you really want to open the way, step on us all and go in!”

“Tread on us all and come in!”

I let out a sigh of relief.

For Mateos, a hardliner who needed force, the cooperation of the Paladins was essential.

I was about to say I would go back, but Jaylilith moved first.

“Do you discuss sins with your relatives in front of me?”

Her face was not visible through the thick veil, but her voice had an undeniable power.

“Get out of the way.”

It wasn’t an atmosphere, it was a kind of eloquence, literally a kind of magic.

“Ugh!”

“Ugh.”

The knights staggered back as if they had been dragged away.

I glanced back and followed Jaylilith and the saint.

At the end of the corridor was Tentia, blocking the court nobles, and further behind him was Bishop Hong, Paul An.

He was looking at us with those kind eyes.

* * *

The room guarded by the two knights was luxurious.

The ceiling was a dome with colored glass mosaics that served as skylights, and there were ornate ceiling paintings here and there.

The walls were hung with ornate tapestries bearing religious designs, and the candlesticks were all made of gold.

Even to me, who lived in the palace, it seemed so sophisticated, so it must have been quite a shock to Mateos, who was a poor theology student.

But now that he had adapted, he politely guided me and Jayrillis to the round table in the middle of the room while maintaining the authority of a saint.

“Are you here? I apologize for inviting you but I cannot leave. Your Majesty.”

The owner of the room was already waiting there.

A skinny middle-aged man with a look that was, to put it nicely, thorough, or, to put it badly, strict, was wearing thin-framed glasses and was leafing through documents.

Another Hong-ui Bishop, Argos, was a strong supporter of the Black Saint Mateos.

“There seems to be a reason for that. On the way here, there were knights everywhere, growling and snarling. Is there some kind of internal strife?”

Jaylilith asked, taking off her veil.

Her platinum blonde hair flowed down, and rays of light filtered through the mosaic and poured down brilliantly over her head.

For a moment, a suffocating silence flowed.

I’m not saying this because she’s my twin, but Jaylilith’s beauty, who rose to the rank of Sword Master and acquired a perfect body, was incomparable to anyone else’s.

Even the two priests could not help but be perplexed, as they were human beings.

Within moments, Argos opened his mouth and put away his papers.

“Oh, I apologize for that. This is my first time seeing His Majesty the Emperor up close.”

“Okay, then. Now, tell me why you’re putting down your busy load.”

Saint Matthew opened his mouth.

“As a servant of God, I say that we need the help of the Imperial Family to unite the Imperial Family and the Church and fight against the invaders.”

“The knights who do not follow the saint. It’s funny, but it seems so. Can you elaborate?”

Mateos continued speaking seriously.

“The entire church is now divided into three major parts.”

I don’t know the details of the situation within the church, but even in my past life, we didn’t get along well.

“The first faction is the one that believes that the Church should join forces with the monarchs to fight against erosion. Its main members are bishops active in the lands of the great nobles of the Empire, and in the capital, I and Cardinal Argos are the most representative.”

“The second piece is those who say we shouldn’t fight against erosion?”

Jaylilith sneered sharply.

Argos answered with a bitter smile.

“It means that we do not trust secular monarchs. It means that the church should take action, not monarchs who engage in territorial wars, support suspicious magicians, and touch the power of the old in hopes of resurrecting the dead. Its main members are bishops who operate in the territories of nobles with the rank of Imperial Count or lower.”

I unconsciously intervened, then hesitated and stepped back.

“Bishop Hong of Baoloan must be part of that faction. Since they can’t talk about it openly, they want to distance themselves from the royal family for the time being… … Excuse me, Your Majesty.”

Jaylilith stared at me.

The Grand Duke, who had no territory, had to keep his mouth shut and follow the tea in the room where Bishop Hong, the saints, and the emperor were gathered.

“What is the third faction?”

The emperor asked and Bishop Hong answered.

“These are bishops who are active mainly in provincial kingdoms outside the empire. They claim autonomy that suits local conditions, and they are the most hardline, but at the same time, they also have the highest rate of heresy.”

“I see. Opposites attract.”

The saint continued speaking.

“Originally, it was something I should have managed. As you know, the Gwangmyeong Church does not have a separate archdiocese. The saint appoints Hongi bishops and runs the church in a centralized manner.”

“There have been no problems so far. Who could stand against a saint chosen by God? Thirty years have been such a long time.”

The church also had a feudal structure.

If the saint is the emperor, the pope is the regent, the bishops of Hongi are direct administrators or knights, and the bishops of other places are local lords.

The problem is that without an emperor, the empire is left to be ruled by magistrates and knights.

Thanks to their unique organizational skills, they have managed to survive until now, but now that the young emperor has ascended to the throne and is trying to return power to their old vassals, things are looking up for a while.

Bishop Hong of Argos said, clasping his hands together.

“The Hongik Bishop Conference will be held in November.”

“There isn’t much time left.”

“It has already been 30 years since the saint passed away and no new bishop was appointed. Both Paul and I have become old men with white hair.”

He muttered faintly.

“At the conference, we can designate the same Hong-bishop as a pilgrim to shake off the authority of the church and help the local churches. It will be a journey of at least an empire and at most a continent and back. It may take several years, and we may or may not be able to return alive.”

“!”

“Which faction is the largest in that conference?”

This time, Jaylilith didn’t even look at me.

Saint Matthew answered with a deep sigh.

“The second faction rejects alliances with secular monarchs.”

Jaylilith said, placing her ringed hand on the round table.

“I heard you. Jim’s allies are in danger of being exiled to Taji.”

She said with a cool, golden glow in her eyes.

“Now tell me what you want. You don’t want to ask Jim to cut Paul’s neck, do you? It wouldn’t be a good idea if Jim tried to pressure you directly.”

The saint nodded.

“I am trying to finish it internally as much as possible. I am ashamed to face the congregation because of the war of nerves that goes on every day. The Lord knows that this fight will not end in waste, so He must have given light to Pauline as well.”

I interrupted, startled.

“Wasn’t that a lie just now to keep His Majesty the Emperor waiting?”

“It was not a message, but a kind of blessing. Both Paul and Bishop Hong of Argos received it.”

Jaylilith clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“No matter how much I listen to it, I think it would be best if Jim sent a royal edict. I will dispatch personnel to investigate the eroders. If you refuse, I will drop a meteorite on you, so know that. Isn’t that the solution?”

“Your Majesty, hold on tight!”

I begged and pleaded.

“Then the Archduke… … .”

“Yes. I have a good idea. I have a way to solve it internally and quietly.”

“Is this a good idea?”

Argos, Mateos, and Jaylilith’s gaze was focused on me.

“On the day of the meeting, the Hong bishops will gather. When the Hong bishops of the second faction enter the conference room that day, you will place a bag over their heads and take them to safety. While they are sleeping in a safe place, the saint can handle urgent matters with the Hong bishops of the first faction.”

Saint Matthew asked with his eyes wide open, looking quite embarrassed.

“If it’s an urgent matter… … .”

“Things like the appointment of a new Bishop Hong, the replacement of the head of the Holy Knights, and the designation of Bishop Hong as a pilgrim.”

Mateos said in a tone of disbelief.

“Is Your Highness telling me to rebel now? I tried to put aside my preconceptions because of our shared memories, but it seems that not all the rumors about Your Highness were just rumors.”

“Why is it a rebellion to return the rightful authority to the saint? Just as His Majesty the Emperor cannot rebel, the saint cannot rebel either.”

“!”

Bishop Hong of Argos looked through his wrinkled eyes behind his glasses.

“That’s not wrong.”

“Bishop Hong!”

“All the legitimacy of the Church comes from the Son!”

He was a man who had received the stigmata on his forehead.

“If things continue this way, you will spend your whole life in a poorhouse. Then one day, the old thing will climb over the wall… … Oh, Light, I have spoken wrongly.”

For a priest who had been a monk his entire life to say something like that, it seemed like the situation was worse than I thought.

“But I don’t know anything about that.”

Mateos muttered.

I winked at Jaylilith.

She immediately nodded with a faint smile.

It seemed like he was telling the church and the saints to pay their debts.

“Let me help you. Even though I am like this, I am confident that I can give someone an absurd experience.”

“What should I do first?”

The saint asked.

I answered with a confident smile.

“The enemy must be vague, and the allies must be clear. Please gather together those among the knights whom you can trust, and tell me who among the unaffiliated ones are popular.”

Argos said urgently.

“Angelos. He is nothing less than a representative of the moderates.”