Karen, the Holy Son of the Holy See, walked out of the church, with twelve figures following close behind him.
The Twelve Holy Knights were all under the Holy Son's direct command, and each had sworn an oath before the God of Light long ago.
With Karen's departure, only two figures remained inside the church.
The Old Pope, Felix, and the High Priest, Immelis Dis.
"Are you really comfortable letting Karen stir up trouble on his own, Dis? Times have changed, yes, but a direct clash with the World Government would hardly serve the Holy See's interests or its plans for development, would it?"
Felix turned his aged, stern face toward Immelis Dis, who still looked like a man in his prime.
Immelis Dis.
The previous head of the Immelis Family. As both the High Priest and a member of the Immelis Family, he held a position within the Holy See that rivaled the Old Pope Felix's.
Of course, the Pope's authority was supreme. That could not be changed.
But the Immelis Family's power could not be ignored either.
Even Felix could not escape its influence.
More directly, he himself had become the previous Holy Son and ascended to the papal throne with the Immelis Family's support.
The Pope before him had come from the Immelis Family.
His own abilities had certainly played a part, but there had been many contenders for the position of Holy Son within the Holy See. All had formidable backgrounds, while he alone had come from an ordinary family.
Without the Immelis Family's support, he would have been like duckweed without roots.
The others had never really considered competing with him.
The Rheinmus Family's support alone had been enough.
Bound by the rule that the papacy could not be passed down through bloodlines, the Immelis