Coronation Ceremony

As Grant walked from the Grand Cathedral toward Grace Square beneath the upturned gazes of countless believers, he felt that he would never forget this day for the rest of his life.

—the day he officially became Pope.

There was no need to dwell on the tedious details of the coronation ceremony. White candles filled the cathedral, prayers droned on at length, bishops came forward one after another to salute him and offer their words... He remembered those devout faces. Half a month ago, they had still been glaring at him in fury, cursing him as a faithless monster. Now, all that remained was obedience.

Yet as he watched the bishops' submissive manner, Grant felt not the slightest thrill of revenge.

He knew how he had achieved this. Slaughter, threats, temptation with profit... He had long since become a completely different person. The change had come swiftly and silently; he had not even realized how he had reached this point.

If the bishop were still alive, perhaps he would have remarked, "All is God's will." But he was already gone. Grant still remembered the night he had killed the bishop. The bishop's serenity had filled him with dread, as though that shadow would forever hang over his head. Even if he killed the bishop a thousand times, ten thousand times, he still would not be able to break free from the bishop's control.

But... if it had not been to escape that shadow, then why had he killed the bishop?

With all kinds of lingering thoughts tangled in his mind, Grant found it hard to breathe. Perhaps the Pope's robes were simply too heavy, pressing down on him until he could scarcely catch his breath.

"Your Holiness, put on your holy crown and proceed toward Grace Square. Countless believers are