Declaring War

Most people believed the Pope attended the funeral.

But a few knew that it wasn't the Pope himself who was present, but the "Papal Envoy."

As the leader of all Mosa Followers, the Pope is both the most respected person on the continent and the busiest. Naturally, he can't attend everything in person.

Thus, the "Papal Envoy" system came into being. Whenever there was a major ceremonial event and the Pope couldn't be present, he would authorize an envoy—usually a Cardinal—to attend the ceremony in his image.

An envoy authorized by the Pope is ceremonially equivalent to the Pope himself and would refer to himself as the Pope.

Of course, it was only ceremonially equivalent.

The Pope, as Mosa's representative in the world and successor to the first Pope, Saint Roden, could never truly be replaced by another.

Therefore, an envoy transformed into the Pope's likeness by magic would have a gray triangle on the back of their right hand to distinguish them from the real Pope.

Those in the know would recognize the gray triangle and know that it was the envoy, not the real Pope.

At this moment, "Pope Fangfro VII," who appeared at the Earl's funeral, had such a gray triangle on the back of his right hand, and it was very obvious.

In fact, under normal circumstances, an Earl's funeral wouldn't warrant the attention of the Holy See. Let alone the Pope or a Papal Envoy, even a Cardinal would be considered a good showing.

It was only because Earl Presto had a good private relationship with the Pope during his lifetime that the funeral received such an honor.

Funerals are always tedious, and noble funerals are especially so. Today's ceremony was only the "condolence" portion.

After this, there would be a funeral procession, where a convoy of family members, servants, and priests would carry the Earl's coffin, distributing gifts to churches and the poor along the way. Then there would be a requiem mass, and finally, the burial.

Everything proceeded according to the established procedure.

Until a discordant voice rang out.

"The old Earl has returned to heaven. I would like to know, who will be the next Earl Presto?" The speaker was a burly, bald man. He sat at the edge of the noble seats, clearly just a minor noble, but his tone was impolite.

Although funerals are inherently solemn ceremonies, these words caused the atmosphere to freeze.

Lena's expression stiffened for about a second before she said, "The next Earl Presto will be decided by Papal Bull."

"Decided?" The man sneered. "The inheritance of titles is clearly determined by The Datuk Act. The Pope's Bull is only a confirmation!"

He continued, "Lady Lena, I think you should know that The Datuk Act is divinely inspired by Mosa, established by Datuk VIII, and has been in effect for a thousand years!"

Lena's face paled slightly.

Clearly, from a legal and even doctrinal standpoint, what the man said was entirely correct.

The Datuk Act detailed the rules of noble inheritance and was recognized by the Holy See and almost all Mosaism countries. Neither the King nor the Pope could bypass this act to select a noble's successor.

According to this act, the only candidate for the next Earl Presto was Viscount Yuris, a man who should have attended the funeral but was neither invited nor did he attend on his own initiative.

This was something that Lena and the late Earl didn't want to see.

Fortunately, they weren't the only ones who didn't want to see Yuris become Earl. Some others felt the same way, including the Pope.

And of course, today's Papal Envoy.

"The Holy See will determine the next Earl Presto in accordance with the law and doctrine," the Papal Envoy said. His face and voice belonged to the real Pope Fangfro VII, a kind-looking white-haired old man.

Faced with the Papal Envoy, the bald man didn't dare to be too arrogant.

He bowed first and then said, "Holy See, I would like to ask, will Viscount Yuris become the new Earl Presto? According to The Datuk Act, he is the only qualified heir."

The Papal Envoy didn't answer but said, "After the funeral, you will see the result in my Bull."

The funeral wouldn't be completely over for at least a few days, and if it was delayed, it could take months.

Hearing this reply, the bald man's politeness toward the Papal Envoy vanished by half: "Your Excellency, as far as I know, the determination of the heir is completed on the day of the noble's death!"

Papal Envoy: "But the coronation ceremony is held after the funeral. Without the coronation, the inheritance is not complete. This is also part of The Datuk Act. I think you are aware of that, Baron Terosos."

Baron Terosos paused, then became even more impolite: "Are you planning to issue new laws during this time?"

The Papal Envoy frowned, and Fangfro VII's kind face revealed a hint of majesty: "This is the duty of me and the College of Cardinals, not something you need to consider."

Baron Terosos: "I believe the College of Cardinals will not desecrate Mosa's laws. Viscount Yuris is undoubtedly the Earl's successor. Three days from now, he will come to receive his country!"

"Of course, I also trust the Holy See," he added, showing what little respect he had left.

Then he left the condolence ceremony directly.

The scene was silent.

After a moment, the condolences continued as if nothing had happened.

But in stark contrast to the superficial calm of the condolence ceremony was the surging tide of people throughout Presto Fortress.

With Baron Terosos's declaration—or rather, "declaration of war"—everyone abandoned any illusions. Those who should avoid war avoided it, those who should prepare for war prepared for it, and those who should speculate speculated.

The Gray Hawk Mercenary Group was no exception.

According to the arrangements of the higher-ups, all the Gray Eagle Mercenaries went to their defensive positions to familiarize themselves with them and practice their drills, and to guard against the approaching Yuris army.

Gagnor also climbed onto the city wall, standing high and looking into the distance, surrounded by several rookie teammates.

Most of the guards on the city wall were rookies or archers. The real elites were below the city wall. This was determined by the war mode of Falaro's world.

Gagnor had heard about Falaro's unique war mode for a long time, but he had always lacked a direct understanding.

Fortunately, it wouldn't be long before he could understand how the war in this extraordinary world was fought. He was full of curiosity and even a little anticipation about it.

"Hey, why is the castle glowing?" a young rookie mercenary said in surprise, pointing to Presto Fortress not far away.

The guards all turned to look.

They saw a burst of colorful light suddenly light up at the top of the castle, then spread rapidly along the city walls, quickly forming a huge light curtain, and then expanding in a circle, protecting the entire Presto Fortress within it.

"It's a defensive magic array!"