Chapter 46

More than three months had now passed since the selection of mayors and other officials.

After the new Urban Management Regulations began to be implemented in every city of Desinia Territory, conditions in all areas had improved and developed noticeably.

The results were especially outstanding when it came to urban sanitation.

After all, no one wanted to be fined two copper coins for relieving themselves wherever they pleased.

In addition, Watermarked Paper was being widely sold across various regions through the Thorn Merchant Guild.

After this new type of paper had been researched and manufactured by Cyrus and the others, it was initially given to priests for compiling laws, then used to print textbooks and question banks.

It was then sold through the merchant guilds in every city.

At the time, sales of the new paper had not been particularly good. It had only spread within a very limited range, after all, parchment and papyrus already existed.

More importantly, due to the lack of cultural development, paper saw extremely low usage across the Western Continent. Hardly anyone deliberately bought it.

When Watermarked Paper was first sold, people nearly mistook it for papyrus.

At most, they initially found it a little strange and surprising, thinking that papyrus seemed to have changed somehow.

Soon afterward, they discovered that this paper was clearly different from both parchment and papyrus.

Whether it was the texture beneath their fingertips, the grain of the surface, or its thickness, it could be easily distinguished from the other two types of paper.

Books made from the new paper at the Thorn Merchant Guild would not easily be damaged while turning pages, nor did they require the careful handling that papyrus did.

People quickly noticed that this paper was clearly tougher than papyrus.

Not long afterward, Watermarked Paper began to be effectively promoted in cities through the Thorn Merchant Guild.

From the moment Papermaking had been developed, Cyrus had begun arranging the construction of paper workshops, including hiring workers and preparing large quantities of raw materials.

By the time the examinations for mayors and officials had ended, the plans for building the paper workshops had been completed.

Before the workshops could produce enough to meet the needs of the entire territory, the quantity of paper sold through the merchant guilds remained very limited.

After all, most commoners and slaves would never spend money on paper that was of no use to them whatsoever.

Commoners and slaves could not read.

They had not needed papyrus before, so naturally they did not need Watermarked Paper now, even if it was only slightly more expensive than papyrus.

Even though Watermarked Paper was of better quality, it was already very cheap compared with parchment.

After the examinations to select mayors and other officials had fully concluded,

the paper promotion plan Cyrus had prepared earlier was put into action. After an effective publicity campaign, sales of Watermarked Paper gradually began to increase...

At the same time, Cyrus was slowly carrying out several plans.

Aside from residential areas, he intended to build public facilities first.

For example, administrative buildings that served the people living in the territory, schools, and the conversion of the former relief stations into nursing homes and orphanages, each with distinct functions.

Desinia Territory was undergoing different changes and developments every day.

Inside the church of Gaina Royal City.

This was a spacious hall with a statue of the Creator God standing within it. It should have been a solemn and sacred place, yet it was now steeped in a heavy atmosphere of bloodshed and killing intent.

Knights had heavily sealed off the church, while two distinctly opposed groups stood facing each other inside the hall.

One side was led by Bruno Green.

The other faction was led by the eldest son of the crown prince, Light Green.

This eldest son, Light Green, was the most likely candidate to inherit the throne.

However, rumors that he liked men had previously spread through Gaina Royal City, delaying the succession until now.

Today, the two sides confronted each other within the church.

A male corpse dressed in servant's clothes lay stretched out across the center of the hall. Blood still slowly flowed from his chest, gradually staining the floor and the man's now-cold yet still handsome face red.

Light's jaw was tense, his lips pressed tightly together as he forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in his heart.

He forced his gaze away from the corpse, then concealed the turmoil in his eyes and looked toward the person seated before the statue of the Creator God.

He appeared young and strikingly handsome, with an exceptionally beautiful and unusual pair of golden eyes. They were half-lidded at the moment, while his right hand rested casually on the chair's back. His posture was relaxed and at ease, yet the bearing surrounding him was impossible to ignore.

From the moment he entered the church to the time Light and Bruno Green began arguing, he had remained like this. His expression had not changed; he was calm and composed, yet he had not spoken a single word.

The bishop and priests of Gaina Church stood behind him with utmost respect, while on either side stood tall, powerfully built men wrapped entirely in black robes, carrying an icy, murderous aura.

Light could not help clenching his hand, unable to guess whether the current situation was favorable to him...

Because both he and Bruno Green had already guessed the young man's identity—the Pope, Segalot Wordsworth Augsger.

He had been exceptionally permitted by the previous Pope to succeed the position while still a youth.

During Segalot's tenure, his intelligence and methods had made everyone, including the powerful cardinals, bow their heads. Even if voices of opposition arose, they would be ruthlessly suppressed the moment they began to stir.

He was the favored child blessed by the Creator God.

Seeing that the Pope still showed no reaction, the bishop of Gaina spoke to Light from behind him. "Prince Light, you deny having a relationship with your servant, correct?"

Light's expression darkened. "My servant has proven it with his death. Is that not obvious enough?"

"This is all Bruno's scheme. He framed me because he wants to ascend the throne."

Bruno was not as handsome as Light, and his face was more gaunt.

His expression was indifferent as his gaze swept imperceptibly over the Pope before he looked directly at the bishop. "The servant's death does not necessarily prove that he had no connection with Light."

"It is also possible that he killed himself out of guilt, to conceal the fact that the two of them violated the conventions of the world."

After speaking, Bruno looked toward Light again, the corner of his mouth slowly curving upward. "I remember this lowly servant used to remain by my elder brother's side at all times. Their manner was intimate."

[Honestly, I've recently been using a reading app to follow updates. It lets you switch sources and offers many narration voices, and both Android and Apple are supported.]

"He seemed less like a servant and more like... But after rumors spread that you liked men, he disappeared without a trace. Could it be that you hid him away, Brother?"

Bruno coldly glanced at the corpse on the floor. He had gone to great lengths to find the man, only for him to be dead now.

Light answered with a sneer. "I could not possibly allow a servant to remain by his master's side forever."

"If he made a mistake, he would naturally be punished and sent elsewhere. What, has your generosity become so boundless that you permit lowly servants to behave rudely toward you?"

Bruno's expression darkened.

He was certain that the man who had just become a corpse had been Light's intimate lover.

Even if they had not been lovers, Light spent his days mingling with commoners and behaved improperly.

That alone should have made it impossible for Light to compete against him.

Bruno had plotted against Light. Once the news spread, Light would have no further chance to ascend the throne.

Yet for some reason, events had not unfolded according to his plans.

He did not know where something had gone wrong, causing the rumors to remain merely rumors rather than become reality.

Bruno's assassination plan against Light had also been disrupted.

Light had only lost several knights and had emerged unharmed himself.

After that,

Bruno could clearly sense that Light had begun quietly moving against him. And now, as they confronted each other in the church, the most crucial "evidence" had died...

The bishop could not help looking toward Bruno, his gaze flickering.

He said, "We previously investigated Prince Light. Evidence from several sources proves that although Prince Light was close to his servant, he is indeed a man with normal desires... rather than someone who violates convention."

"Prince Bruno, the servant you brought is dead. The evidence you claim to possess is insufficient on its own, therefore..."

The bishop of Gaina could not help feeling bitter inside.

Bruno Green had bought him off long ago, and he was supposed to stand on Bruno's side at the critical moment.

But he had never expected the Pope to travel to Gaina, nor that he would clearly take considerable interest in the matter of the two princes competing for the throne.

What he had not expected even more was that Prince Light had somehow received the news and rushed to the church in time. During the confrontation between the two sides, the servant used a weapon he had snatched to kill himself before anyone could react.

Now that neither side possessed conclusive evidence, the bishop could not openly favor either one in the Pope's presence.

Upon hearing this, Bruno's chest rose and fell continuously, and uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

He was unwilling to let it end like this...

At that moment, Segalot happened to shift slightly.

He opened his eyes. His golden gaze swept carelessly over Bruno without lingering long, yet Bruno's heart lurched, beginning to pound faster as he instinctively wanted to lower his head.

It was as though the Pope had seen through everything about him.

Clearly... he was only a young man far younger than Bruno himself...

When Segalot changed his posture, the bishop tensed his body and said, "Since Prince Light is innocent, it is only natural for him to inherit the throne."

"Therefore, the church will hold Prince Light's coronation ceremony three days from now..."

The bishop bent forward and whispered by Segalot's ear, "Your Holiness, would you be willing to..."

Segalot said, "I will leave Gaina tomorrow."

The bishop respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Holiness."

Below, Bruno could not help clenching his fists.

The Pope had arrived at an inconvenient time, and his departure made Bruno even angrier... The Pope's arrival had, in a sense, helped Light.

Although Segalot had not openly intervened in any affairs of the Gaina royal family,

as long as he remained here as Pope, the bishop could not possibly show Bruno any favoritism. Otherwise...

In the end, Bruno returned to his territory with his people in extreme unwillingness.

Inside Gaina Church.

Segalot stood alone before the window in his room, turning a small, delicate bird whistle between his fingers. His expression was calm, as though he were pondering something.

Before long, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

A man in black robes pushed open the door and entered. He respectfully said, "Your Holiness, everything has been prepared. We may depart tomorrow morning. Where would you like to go..."

Segalot said, "To Gada—no, it should now be called Desinia Territory."

As he spoke, a trace of amusement could not help appearing in his golden eyes, as though he had recalled someone or something interesting.

The black-robed man was clearly confused. "But, Your Holiness, did you not just leave from..." there?

Why did he want to go again now...

Segalot turned around, his expression indifferent. "Have I ever been to Desinia Territory?"

The black-robed man's heart tightened, and he immediately lowered his head. "No, of course not, Your Holiness. Your decision requires no question."

Segalot said, "Leave."

"Yes, Your Holiness."

The man in black robes silently withdrew once more.

Segalot raised the bird whistle before his eyes and murmured almost inaudibly, "...I will go see you again, Little Rose. As expected, you have not disappointed me."

Three days later, Prince Light inherited the throne of Gaina, and the news was sent back to Desinia Territory as well.

Cyrus heard about it soon afterward.

At the same time,

a document from the Saint Church of the Saint Airo Empire was delivered into Cyrus's hands.

The document stated that the Holy See wished to rebuild churches and temples of the Creator God within Visas.

It said it was a request, but it was actually a demand that could not be refused.

After all, the Holy See was powerful. Once it made a request, no country or territory could directly reject it.

Cyrus could not help thinking of the date when the church and temple in Kaies had been destroyed... Then he considered the time when the Saint Church's document had arrived...

Cyrus murmured, "Judas... did he guess from the beginning that I would win?"

This document should have begun being prepared as soon as Judas left Kaies. The time it took to deliver the document was almost exactly the same as the travel time from the Saint Airo Empire to the territory...

Certain versions of Safari on iPhone may freeze. This site has been optimized for the issue, but if it still occurs, try another browser, such as Google's Chrome, or restore the default font—yes, the font can cause it. Contact us as well, and we will try to improve it.