He's in Love with the Devil.

Chapter 23: Children of God

The Cardinal arrived at Archduke Grice's mansion in the long awaited clean white carriage.

The Archduke, dressed in his finery as a sign of respect, had been waiting like the head of the port. The Archduke of Grès had made elaborate preparations for this decisive meeting. He respectfully prostrated himself at the feet of the Cardinal, who was much younger than himself, and with tears in his eyes, he stated his admiration for the Holy Empire.

The Cardinal did not avoid his salute.

For at this moment he represented the Pope himself.

When the Archduke had finished his statement, the Cardinal lifted him up, "Blessed be Our Lord Rogation."

"Holy God bless Roglione."

Archduke Grice gave a heartfelt smile.

The smile was certainly heartfelt; his show of showmanship had not been in vain. The Cardinal opened the small case he carried with him and showed him what he had longed for:

The Pope's bull, and the holy oil contained in a golden eagle-shaped bottle.

The Cardinal stayed in the castle of the Archduke of Glace.

"You despise him."

A black-clad friar suddenly spoke up after Archduke Grice had excused himself; he followed the Cardinal like a shadow, but remained silent.

"A greedy but incompetent man of ambition." The Cardinal gathered the gentle smile on his face and became cold, "Not to mention comparing to William III, even the Duke of Buckingham could easily suppress him. Such a person will either become someone's puppet or fall to pieces."

"Then why did the Pontiff choose such a person? I'm afraid he can't hold the position of the Rogaland Monarch."

The black-clothed cultivator was puzzled.

"Because he is greedy enough and stupid enough." The Cardinal surveyed one of the paintings hanging in his room, "My dear Aino, what does the business of Rogaland have to do with us? All we need is a pious king - at least superficially pious. The appearance of one William III is bad enough."

It was a picture of the Holy Cross in the classical style.

The Son wore the Emperor's crown on his head and a magnificent purple robe. Bishops, monks, and earthly kings prostrate themselves like meek lambs under the Son. The meaning of the picture is very simple: the Holy One is at the same time the Lord of spirit and matter, and kings bow down to God.

Like the gesture of greeting, this is another expression of loyalty from Archduke Grice to the Holy Court.

The Cardinal smiled slightly.

"Both kings and commoners should submit meekly to the presence of the Apostolic Lord." The Cardinal said, "With the coming of the Millennium Kingdom, it is not only our right but our duty that we should build up an empire that belongs to God."

The black-clad friar nodded four times on his chest.

The Cardinal was still looking at the picture of the Holy Cross.

God did not come to this world to call people to love each other, but to make fathers and sons hate each other, husbands and wives turn against each other, and hands and feet fight each other. The Holy One cleanses this world with the Holy Spirit and with holy fire, the fire that is the fire of war on earth, in which the Kingdom of God will be re-established.

The appearance of a William III unifying thirty-six states had touched their most sensitive nerves. For this reason the Pope spared no effort to send his emissary to intervene in this civil strife in Rogaland.

............

Since the beginning of the war, the royalists, under the command of the Duke of Buckingham, have been aggressive and fiery as the summer.

Archduke Grice may be amazingly powerful and wealthy, but in terms of military command, he is clearly no match for the mighty Duke of Buckingham, and over time the royalist party has gradually fallen into a low ebb.

However, the situation was soon reversed.

The news from the Sacred Court was known to all under the propaganda of Archduke Grice:

The Pope lamented the death of the young Pourcelin I, saying that "the Holy Father has brought back the child of God on earth". More importantly than sympathy, the Pope conveyed the message of "God" that the Archduke of Grès would fulfill the unfinished business of his long-dead nephew.

The first blizzard of October blew across the land, and the power from across the Abyss brought the boiling civil war in Rogaland to a standstill.

At the heart of the Mutiny of the Roses lies the belief that the king is dead on one side and not dead on the other.

The sudden intervention of the Pope took away the cornerstone of the royalist struggle.

Perhaps the boundaries between states will still be disputed, and there will be wars between empires that will last for centuries, but the world ruled by the Apostolic Throne cannot be questioned. This is why, when the Duke of Buckingham was at the guillotine, he signaled to the King that he would step back from the Archbishop.

Low and behold, he became a royalist.

The Duke of Buckingham sat silent in the silent palace of the Rose - he guarded the heart of this Rogation for his nephew.

With the sudden intervention of the Holy Office, the civil war was at a stalemate.

The Pope's envoy pleaded earnestly with the people of Rogaland not to kill each other; the merciful Lord did not want Rogaland to be mired in war. The Holy Father would bless those who loved their brothers and sisters, and would revile those who violated his benevolence, who would be excommunicated.

This is a double threat.

The people took the Pope at his word, and if the war continued the royalists would not only be in danger of excommunication, but also of being left alone.

"What do we do next?"

The Duke of Buckingham's longtime subordinate asked him softly.

The Duke of Buckingham had been sitting in this dimly lit hall for a long time.

"To meet someone."

..................

The Duke of Buckingham made his way to the northwest tower of the castle, which had not been visited in a long time. William III himself had ordered the tower to be cordoned off, and it had been forgotten ever since.

The Duke of Buckingham held a torch.

He gestured, and out of the shadows of the tower stepped the hidden guards of the House of Rosebud, who stepped forward to open the heavy black tower's iron doors.

As soon as the iron door was opened, a chilly wind rushed out of it, accompanied by an odd, uproarious song.

"She's still like before?"

"Singing for a long time."

The Duke went in alone.

"...... They poured out that blood from the eagle's mouth, and they called themselves that divine grace glorious ...... Behold the child anointed with the holy oil how lovely and how angelic he is, behold, he has become a child of God ......"

The unkempt woman sat in the center of the black tower on the cold basalt floor, heavy chains snaking like thin black snakes into the shadows all around. Candles were lit on the stone walls on all sides, and the light shone dimly on the woman's craggy body.

"Elinor."

The Duke spoke in a low voice, the address enough to startle everyone.

William III's queen was called Elinor, and she was not even less prestigious than her husband. She brought one of the thirty-six states, Koya, to marry William III, and she was a renowned warrior queen, and when William III and the Duke of Buckingham conquered the thirty-six states, she was the one who guarded the Rose Palace and quelled the rebellions around the area.

However, after her husband fell ill and died, Queen Eleanor, who loved William III dearly, soon became sick with longing and likewise died.

However, the Duke called the madwoman locked in the Black Tower "Eleanor".

The mad queen stopped singing, she turned her head and looked at the Duke of Buckingham with empty turquoise eyes. The Duke of Buckingham could not tell whether she was sane or mad.

"They say that Pullan-your child-is dead. Did you feel it?"

The Duke of Buckingham stared at the Mad Queen dead in the face, trying to find the last bit of strong support.

"My child?"

The Mad Queen fluffed her head and laughed maniacally. She leapt up from the ground and lunged towards the Duke of Buckingham with the speed of power of a man who had crisscrossed the battlefield in his armor, as if she wanted to tear him to pieces.

"NO! That is not my child!"

"That's God's child! God's child!!!"

The iron cables strained and the Mad Queen fell to the ground, clutching her hair as she fell into the nightmare that had tormented her for over a decade.

"My child! My little Pullan!"

She wailed in agony, rolling on the ground, clawing at her hair, and slamming against the pylons with deadly force.

The silence of the dark tower was abruptly broken as the chains tumbled and crashed. The frenzied woman seized her mind as if by the evil spirits of hell, and the Duke of Buckingham understood that his countenance was in vain.

The door of the tower closed.

The cold wind pierced the bones, and the great disappointment made the Duke of Buckingham look much older. Just then, the Duke of Buckingham's general came running wildly with a man.

"My lord!"

He was panting, and his face was colored with ecstasy.

The Duke of Buckingham had a premonition of what was to come, and he looked up sharply.

A dusty knight fell on his knees in front of the duke, "A letter from your majesty, your majesty!"

The duke recognized him, he was the sworn knight by the king's side. Great joy surged up as he grabbed the knight, his hands trembling slightly, "How is he ...... how is he?"

"His Majesty is intact!"

The knight replied.

"That's good, that's good."

The old Duke swept away his dismay as he stood up straight, his eyes moist and his white hair blowing in the wind.

..................

Carnarvon.

The King meets his Knight Commander.

"Fortunately."

The Knight Commander dropped to one knee toward him.

Not only did a good number of elite Angell soldiers come, but there was also another important person, the cousin of the King of Angell, Edmund Llewellyn. General Edmund had typical Angerer features, tall and stout. However, he acted more like a Rogaland noble, decent and cautious.

General Edmund was very humble in front of the king, and he got down on one knee and kissed the back of the king's hand to show his loyalty.

"...... This is on behalf of my royal brother, Your Majesty."

General Edmund explained.

"He is pleased to have your indulgence and gifts."

"The Angle Nation is likewise the people of Rogaland."

The king replied without moving.

I'm afraid it's hard for anyone but themselves to understand what kind of dumb riddle they're playing.

What was certain, however, was that the king had reached some agreement with the Anglosphere that was very favorable to both parties.

"Change their flag and let's set off."

The king stood up and swept his gaze over this army led by Edmund. With his words, the sworn knights took out a white rose battle flag.

The corners of General Edmund's mouth twitched as he understood the king's meaning.

Obviously, this King of the Rose Family who was able to reach cooperation with the Angell royal family was not some lord who abided by the spirit of chivalry ......

He actually planned to have his army disguised as the army of the new king's party! With the Holy Lord above, I'm afraid that this kind of behavior would definitely not be praised.

The king didn't pay any more attention to General Edmund as he looked out in the direction of the county of Sford, where St. Wessex Cathedral was located, his face as heavy as water.

Dark creatures like the devil feared nothing to join the war on earth directly, but there was another force that could skillfully influence the politics of the earthly kingdoms in other ways.

The king rubbed the hilt of his sword.

Trying to get your hands on Rogaland?

Well, we'll have to see if he agrees!

"Let's go!"