Ascension Of The Northern Emperor (5)

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In Dion of Karasar, the very heart of the King’s Church, bishops and inquisitors attended a council in response to the Patriarch’s summons.

Those who were near Dion attended in person, and those who were too far away to attend the council directly attended using magical mirrors.

This great council, personally convened by the Patriarch with a motion submitted by him, was a rare event in the history of the King’s Church, so everyone was watching closely.

At that council, the Patriarch proposed one agenda item. It was to elevate Cohen Rioneir as the King of Kings.

At that moment, the high-ranking Holy Knights were shocked.

By its original nature, the office of Holy Knight in the King’s Church was a position for young people whose swordsmanship would not be hindered, and the structure of the church was such that the Holy Knight Orders remained one step removed from the center of decision-making.

Even so, for the meeting to begin with a topic that neither the high-ranking Holy Knights nor the inquisitors had ever heard of?

Surprisingly, as if the priests had already finished coordinating among themselves, they unanimously accepted the Patriarch’s proposal.

“We believe that the Northern Emperor Cohen Rioneir is the one who can resolve this tribulation. By declaring him King of Kings, we will be able to overcome this tribulation.”

The Patriarch looked satisfied as he saw every bishop cast a vote in favor. Of course, the Holy Knights and inquisitors had not yet cast their votes, but if all the bishops agreed, this was as good as passed already.

At that moment, Ject, unable to hide his contempt even beyond the magical mirror, raised his hand.

“What is this all of a sudden? King of Kings… Are you perhaps talking about an emperor?”

The existence of Emperor Yaeslat was a massive trauma for the King’s Church.

They had believed that eight kings upon eight thrones, with many people sharing divine power among themselves, was what served the world.

That was why they had made Emperor Yaeslat into a villain who threatened Hubris’s safety through his own greed, and had branded the Emperor’s followers as heretics and subjugated them.

And yet the Patriarch was now trying to make the Northern Emperor Cohen Rioneir into the same kind of existence as that very Emperor.

No, it was worse than the Emperor. At the very least, the Emperor had intended to leave the King’s Church as the King’s Church.

But Cohen Rioneir? He would merge the Rescue Knights Order and the King’s Church.

“He is not an emperor, but the King of Kings.”

“What kind of wordplay is that? You mean we should acknowledge Cohen Rioneir, who grew up in the Rescue Knights Order, as King of Kings just because we are facing hardship? How is that any different from the Emperor’s followers we have been killing all this time? Do you intend to turn the King’s Church into a group of soulless blasphemers?”

Ject pointed out precisely that.

“Most of all, the current Northern Emperor, Cohen Rioneir, is using the heretical art of Celestial reincarnation. He is grinding down angel statues to draw blood, and using that to reincarnate humans….”

As Ject exposed the Northern Emperor Cohen’s shame, he suddenly saw the Patriarch’s gaze waver as it looked at him.

The Patriarch was around the same age as Ject, but unlike Ject, who looked like a robust young man, he had aged completely.

Of course, an ordinary person could not live to the same age as Ject. Even as a human, he had already lived more than two centuries, making him long-lived.

That Patriarch looked at Ject with wavering eyes. What envy, jealousy, and resentment were contained in that gaze!

The Patriarch looked at Ject, who had been born with god’s blood thicker than his own and maintained his youth despite being his contemporary, then said,

“The Northern Emperor foresaw all this and has been preparing for it. How much food is stockpiled in each region?”

“Usually….”

It was common to survive until the following spring through the autumn harvest. In regions with good productivity, surplus produce was sold for profit or collected as taxes.

Cities did stockpile food on their own, but even then, all they had were reserves of around three months, enough to withstand a siege.

“The Northern Emperor Cohen Rioneir has stockpiled as much as seven years’ worth of food. He foresaw Fimbulbert and has prepared for it until now.”

“Ooooooh….”

At those words, not only the priests but even the inquisitors like Ject were impressed.

‘This talk of King of Kings and the like seems rash, but….’

‘He gathered seven years’ worth of food in preparation for this tribulation? The Northern Emperor Cohen truly is an exceptional man.’

Now that Fimbulbert was approaching, food prices were soaring, and this was becoming a serious problem for the Holy Knights of the King’s Church as well.

In the midst of this, the Rescue Knights Order, the greatest grain merchant on the Hubris Continent, had cut off trade, locked the doors of its relief houses, and withdrawn from various regions.

The priests who had to manage dioceses under the fear that people might starve to death were truly on the verge of going mad.

But when they heard that Cohen had stockpiled seven years’ worth of grain, everyone’s hearts softened.

Let us proclaim Cohen as King of Kings, side with him, and receive food contributions. If so, they thought, even the bizarre title of King of Kings would not be so bad. Was it not better to do something rather than starve to death?

Ject, on the other hand, was disappointed in them.

“There is one fact you are overlooking right now. Did the Northern Emperor Cohen ask for the title of King of Kings? I am asking whether he publicly declared that if we grant him such a title, he will share the food he has personally stockpiled.”

“Is it not a fact everyone knows that he harbors ambitions beyond being the king of Ausander? Therefore, if we proclaim him King of Kings, he will not ignore us.”

It was an absurd optimism.

‘No, these humans were so tenacious when fighting political battles, and now they call this an argument? Have they already received something from the Northern Emperor?’

Ject almost could not restrain himself from cursing at the priests’ foolish remarks.

He had originally used respectful speech even toward those below him, but when faced with people this stupid, curses naturally sprang to his lips.

“King of Kings… Before that, do you know what his current title, Northern Emperor, means? Do you think a man already called the Northern Emperor will be so moved by our granting him some strange title like King of Kings now that he will hand over seven years’ worth of stockpiled food?”

Cohen, who was already called the Northern Emperor, did not seem likely to be moved by the King’s Church just because it granted him some strange title like King of Kings now.

“And even if he has stockpiled seven years’ worth of food, is that not seven years’ worth of food for Ausander to use? How can eight kingdoms live on that alone? Most of all, if he intends to unite the King’s Church and the Rescue Knights Order to become the sole great king, I do not think he will share food with us now. If Fimbulbert is real, we may now receive food while standing, but a year later, we will receive it on our knees, and another year after that, we will receive it by prostrating ourselves with all five limbs to the ground.”

If the title of Northern Emperor was not merely the ravings of one megalomaniac, then he would know at least that much.

If he had surplus food reserves, there was no need to announce that fact. He would hide it tightly away and use it as a means to make people submit when necessary. There was no reason to give it out first now.

“Instead, why not excommunicate him and recommend me as the king of Ausander? If that happens, I will take four years’ worth of food from Ausander’s warehouses and entrust it to the King’s Church. How does that sound?”

“…….”

“Is that too radical a statement? But Cohen Rioneir is committing an act that makes him deserving of excommunication. Namely, reincarnating humans. If we cite that as the reason, excommunication should be entirely possible.”

Ject said that and waited for a response from the high-ranking Holy Knights and inquisitors like himself.

The Holy Knights of the King’s Church shared one perception. It was the perception that they themselves were unfortunate beings pushed out of the hierarchy.

Because the world was peaceful and stable, until now they had had no opportunity to prove that they were royal talents worthy of thrones.

Aside from known great figures like the Golden King Manza-Jadek or the Northern Emperor Cohen Rioneir, the rest had merely met good parents by luck, been eldest sons, removed their competitors easily, and taken those positions.

When an age of tribulation approached, they who had trained in the King’s Church would be able to prove their value and seize thrones from incompetent kings.

It was a blasphemous thought for Holy Knights who ought to assist royal rule, but the inquisitors of the King’s Church were pure-blooded royals with high rights of succession. Even if they did not openly show it, they shared this perception.

Therefore, if Ject demanded the throne openly like this, everyone should have responded to him, and yet….

“…….”

There was no response.

“Sir Ject. Do you have clear evidence to excommunicate the Northern Emperor?”

“Evidence….”

If Azadine had handed over the scroll bearing the Northern Emperor’s magic, there would have been evidence. But there was no such physical proof.

“If the other party were a common thug, we could seize him first and investigate. But the other party is the king of Ausander. He is not someone we can investigate without evidence.”

“Is it not a fact everyone knows that there are so many Celestials, and that ceramite is being made with angel’s blood? If the church has the will to do so….”

“We know that you have dabbled in many occult arts to obtain suspicious powers and have hidden many forces away. We did not excommunicate you even for that, so we cannot excommunicate the Northern Emperor.”

The Patriarch openly struck at Ject’s weakness.

As Ject looked at the silence of the bishops and the other inquisitors, he realized that they had already marked him as a dangerous figure from long ago.

“Judging from this, it seems the bishops have already been won over by the Northern Emperor. Did he perhaps promise you reincarnation? Did he say he would let you be reborn as Celestials?”

“…….”

The bishops said nothing, and the inquisitors began to stir. That reaction itself became the answer.

The Northern Emperor had promised the bishops reincarnation as angels. Well, otherwise he would not have told them that he had stockpiled seven years’ worth of food.

If he had told them he was stockpiling food without fully trusting them, they would surely have pestered him to share that food.

“Sir Ject. Bring evidence and handle the matter. As it stands, we cannot excommunicate him or open an inquisition without any evidence.”

“I do not recall when evidence was ever needed for an inquisition. Very well. Then I shall take my leave. I do not think I can endure this farce of attaching that ridiculous title, King of Kings or whatever it is, to him.”

Ject’s figure disappeared from the magical mirror first.

“Then let us decide when and how to proclaim it.”

Even though Ject had left the meeting first, the bishops paid it no mind and continued presiding over their own council.

How could they declare that the King’s Church was sending unlimited support to the Northern Emperor Cohen Rioneir without diminishing the dignity of the church? That was the focus of this meeting.

The King’s Church, which had once executed the Emperor’s followers, was now preparing to enthrone a new Emperor.