Mud That Wouldn't Stick to the Wall

"This is the current supreme commander of the Moblado United Government. Well, he is also the commander-in-chief of Quibrado's government forces. After the United Government was established, the military and government were unified, with the same person serving as leader of both."

Zagu lazily pointed at the middle-aged man sitting across from him. There was not the slightest hint of due respect in his tone; one could even hear obvious impatience.

I froze for a moment and looked at the middle-aged man again. Unfortunately, no matter how long I searched, I couldn't find any of the leadership qualities he ought to have possessed. Aside from that expensive-looking, finely tailored uniform, the slightly balding man before me had none of the bearing of someone in power, much less a soldier's poise. His expression was cautious, his eyes uneasy. Whenever he looked at us, he unconsciously seemed a little nervous, while his gaze toward the Holy Pope was somewhat lost. I felt that the only difference between him and the manager of a chicken farm entering the county government building for the first time was that he lacked a wrinkled briefcase. Of course, he also had a gleaming, shiny forehead.

"I am deeply honored. Meeting the leaders of the sages is an honor for a mortal."

At the Holy Pope's signal, the middle-aged man known as the military and political leader stood up, stiffly and awkwardly greeted Sandora and me, then sat back down as though waiting for the Pope to give him further instructions.

By this point, I understood. This was the puppet regime leader the Holy Pope had been using all along.

Moblado was a theocratic society, but it also had a government and military nominally independent from religion. The latter seemed to exist merely to highlight the Church's transcendence: