In the end, Lind finally spoke, and Cliff was terrified, wiping the throne and trembling as he sat down.
Meanwhile, Lena unusually remembered some etiquette; she wanted to bow, but the moment Lena moved, Cliff hurriedly interjected.
“No, no, no! There’s no need for formalities! The situation is urgent, yes, very urgent! Simplify all etiquette!”
Before Lena could even bend down, Cliff was so anxious that he didn’t dare sit at all, waving his hands to indicate that Lena need not bow, as if completing the gesture would mean his head rolling off.
Lena looked at the new king with a puzzled expression but stopped her actions. Cliff glanced at the Northern Border Governor’s face, which seemed to relax a bit, before touching his heart and letting out a slow breath.
“Your Majesty, for your safety, let me protect you from now on.”
Lind glanced at the royal family members who had already shrunk back, and then the soldiers behind Lind began to disperse, taking over the palace.
“Uh… this…”
To be honest, even Cliff had some difficulty facing this demand; it was akin to handing over the entire palace.
“Northern Border Governor, don’t go too far! The palace belongs to the Augustus family after all; what qualification do you, an outsider, have to take over the palace?”
An Augustus stepped forward, even the Demon King had left a palace for the Augustuses; could this Northern Border Governor really not leave a palace for them? Although Cliff was the nominal king, losing the palace would mean he had nothing but an empty shell.
Lind glanced at the Augustus and stretched out his hand to a deserted spot, at which point Lucanus emerged from the shadows and handed a stack of documents to Lind.
“You have a part in Claire’s coup, right?”
In an instant, Cliff wondered if the heating array within the hall was broken? Oh, it’s not even cold enough yet for the heating array; Cliff shrunk his neck, no longer looking at the cousin who just spoke out.
“No… no… I’m not, I didn’t…”
The Augustus retreated in panic; he indeed had nothing to do with it. He merely handed over the Shadow Guards in his possession to Claire and just pretended not to see during the coup.
Perhaps he also helped block the palace’s gates, but that no longer mattered.
No one expected that the first thing Lind did upon arriving in the royal capital was to assist Lilith with the purification, or rather, that this reckoning would come so swiftly.
A qualified politician should take this leverage to weigh, negotiate, and exchange for more benefits. But for Lind, this had already lost its meaning; he held absolute violence in his hands and was disdainful of dealing with these fellows.
“Arrest this person along with those involved in the coup; write down the charges for trial.”
With Lind’s order, two soldiers immediately dragged the Capes’ royalty out of the main hall without dignity.
“Your Majesty?! Your Majesty! Save me! If the Northerners take control of the palace, it’s all over for you!”
Faced with a cousin who was completely oblivious to the situation, Cliff, who had already reacted, scolded, “It’s precisely because of vermin like you that I need the Northern Border Governor to protect me!”
The Augustuses had been coddled for too long, and with their talents dwindling, many didn’t even understand the current situation.
Thanks to Cliff’s cooperation and Judith’s accusations, those who fled with Claire were quickly rounded up, with the royal family, Shadow Guards, and adventurers involved in the coup all captured by Lind, who preferred to err on the side of caution. The nobles of the royal capital saw for the first time what the Northern Border’s claws looked like.
Seeing that Cliff was somewhat sensible, Lind didn’t push further but simply chatted for a moment with him before leaving.
In any case, Lind had already acknowledged Cliff’s identity as king, which was enough for Cliff.
Cliff closed the door to summarize everything. It was perhaps because he didn’t give up until the end, managing to keep the royal capital safe, that he still had some prestige. Thus, the Northern Border Governor was willing to give him a nod; otherwise, he might have surpassed his younger brother to become the king with the shortest reign in Cape history.
But this didn’t mean Cliff could sit securely in the position of king.
After a moment of silence, Cliff summoned a servant and said, “Come, help me draft an edict.”
….
Meanwhile, in the Central Church, the Old Pope was sitting in his usual position, extremely old and seemingly on the brink of death. The earlier scenes outside the city seemed to have drained the last of the Old Pope’s strength, making it seem as though he could depart for the Goddess’s Divine Kingdom at any moment.
The Old Pope seemed to have received some kind of calling; upon raising his eyelids, he indeed saw a familiar figure.
“Your Majesty… I knew you would return…”
“Your Holiness, I am no longer king…”
Lilith stood before the Old Pope, reaching out to touch the Old Pope’s hand, which resembled a withered pine.
“Oh right, look at my memory; Your Majesty need no longer bear this country; that’s truly wonderful.”
The Old Pope was genuinely happy for Lilith, but then he said, “However, I am sorry, Your Majesty… Saintess Lilith, the Church still needs you.”
At this moment, a Sister next to them said, “Lady Saintess, after His Holiness used the last Aurora technique, he should go to the Divine Kingdom to meet the Goddess, but His Holiness still has unfulfilled wishes…”
Before Lilith could speak, the Old Pope interjected, “Saintess Lilith, the Church has already decided to appoint you as the new Cardinal. After I pass, you will run for Pope alongside the other Cardinals.”
With Lilith’s prestige, as long as the Church was willing to give her a candidacy, that so-called election was merely a formality. Just after shedding the burden of a king, Lilith was about to lift up a new one.
However, the Old Pope seemed to have some insight, saying, “The world has changed, and the Church must change too. Do not cling to the old rules of the Church; join the Northern Border Church instead; don’t tire yourself.”
The Old Pope, exhausted, gently grasped Lilith’s hand, and at that moment, Lilith didn’t dare look up, merely sobbing, “Yes, Your Holiness.”
“And also… I’ve read so many works and novels, and in the end, the Pope is always the villain, but I hope, starting from me, the Pope can be less wicked…”
The Old Pope smiled bitterly, his voice growing fainter: “In the future, if there are works like that… remember to bring them to me to see…”
The Old Pope’s gaze began to wander, and his words seemed driven solely by the last flicker of life in his body, until he finally lost his breath.
“Understood, Your Holiness…”
On the very first day after securing the royal capital, the Central Church echoed with the solemn toll of nine bells.
