I Became The Pope, Now What?-Chapter 697 696. Cardinal Morgan

He didn't wish to show any flashy moves or make any light shine upon them. He didn't want them to see any hope or feel any positivity before their painful death greeted them. Nor did he want to spill too much blood as there were children around, albeit deeply hurt and their innocence destroyed. Snap!

With the flick of his fingers, all the children in the big hall fell unconscious. It caused a commotion as the various Lords, Ladies, and rich merchant customers started complaining right away. The music came to a halt soon after as Sylvester walked over and climbed the stage, pushing aside the band of naked women. "How dare you be a dictator! How dare you insult nobility! Without us, this realm will rot," Sylvester voiced, mimicking the words of many powerful people he had heard over the past few months. "But I say—the world is already rotten, and you're the cause." "Errr… Get down from there, whoever you-ugh… arrre!" Roared a man too drunk to even speak normally. Standing naked with his willy hanging out, he swung his arm and threw his glass at Sylvester. "Do you… you who I… am? I am the Duke!"

Splash!

Sylvester caught the glass and threw it back. It zoomed past so fast that no one even saw it, but the result they all saw. Duke Longwin's head exploded as if something struck it with unimaginable force, ripping apart a huge chunk of his face above his jaw, leaving only his tongue falling out, but the rest missing. Surprisingly, no blood sprayed around as if the body was instantly frozen. "I try to avoid violence as the Pope. But even I have limits, and what I truly hate is…" Sylvester walked down from the stage towards the still-standing dead body of the Duke, tapping it so it would fall. "Powerful people who misuse their authority to commit the unspeakable." "P-P-Po…" The man nearest to the Duke forgot how to speak. "Marquis Ignis, I presume?" Sylvester looked at the partially naked, bare-chested man; his bloated, hairy belly was a sign of how hard-working he was. "Don't you agree with me, Marquis? Nobles are the scum of this world."

"Ah, y-yes…"

"Then please die for me." Sylvester raised his palm towards the man, and a silent implosion occurred in the man's heart, leaving the man dead with blood oozing out of his nose and freezing right away. "All of you—please die for me, and for the sake of this world."

"Run!" Someone among the nobles shouted, and they tried to jump from their seats towards the exit. "But where to?" Sylvester calmly questioned, flicking his hand and shutting the doors close. "Do you think you can run away from the Pope? I know all your faces. And as the Supreme Judge, as mentioned in the constitution that you all accepted, I condemn you all to death—immediately." Thud!

"Nooo…"

Thud!

Clash!

Some fell on the floor, some on the tables, and some hit the walls as they were running. One after another, all the nobles indiscriminately died, be it men or women among them. Counts, Viscounts, Barons, merchants; none were spared.

It took just a few moments for silence to take over the hall. 'Ah, I killed almost half of the high and powerful nobles of Riveria.' Sylvester realized and proudly nodded. 'What a great day.'

"Were you forced into this profession, or did you enter it on your own?" Sylvester asked one of the naked waitresses beside him. "F-Forced… Your Majesty. I was just like these children once." 'This must have been going on for decades then. I should have caught onto this the last time I was here.' Sylvester felt displeased in himself and looked at the many young, unconscious faces. 'The Grand Monastery should be able to take them in and rehabilitate them.' "I'll be sending the King's Prima and the Cardinal of the Church here. Go, wear some clothes, and wait here for them to arrive. If any of you have a guilty conscience and try to run away—I will find you." Sylvester swept his gaze at all those standing there. "May the Holy Light enlighten you." Sylvester returned upstairs after the little carnage and saw all the remaining men there were dead, their heads split apart and now resting on the floor with blood everywhere. "Chonky, let's go." "Okie!" Miraj flew back to him and sat down on the shoulder. "They tried to run away, so I chop-chop their necks, Maxy."

"Good job." Sylvester patted him in praise and left the building, heading straight to the royal castle, also known as the River Castle of Riveria; A beautiful walled complex of high structures with fountains, gardens, and even artificial waterfalls. Boom!

Sylvester landed in the training courtyard of the main castle, announcing his arrival with a loud sonic boom. There were a few elite knights trained there, who were alerted and quickly raised their swords. "Stand down!" The Commander of the Elite Knights roared. "That is the Pope! Learn to recognize the almighty, you fools!"

'This man… I think I've seen him before.' Sylvester tried hard to remember. "Your Holiness," the commander approached him by then and knelt down. "I am Ronald, the Commander of Elite Knights. You may not remember, but we met once in the Fort Sunflower years ago. I used to be a Gate Scribe then, but after His Majesty gave me a chance, I rose."

'Ah! The one who recognizes me despite the disguise.' Sylvester instantly remembered the awkward incident. "It appears the Lord blessed you, my brother, in faith." Sylvester patted his shoulder and walked towards the entrance. "I shall go and meet with the King. You continue with the training." Having infiltrated River Castle, and killed the previous King Riveria, he knew every door and turn in the building. After asking the servants, he soon found his way to the top floor of one of the mighty towers of the castle, where the King's Solar was, a place for him to work in peace and also look at the city from the height. "Your Holiness." Sylvester paused at the closed door as a man stood before him, a man who should have been dead. "Jeremiah Freeman. You were King Conrad's Prima. How are you still alive?"

"I am King Kaecilius' Prima now, Your Holiness." "How did that happen?" "I was looking for an opportunity to kill Duke Conrad, then King Conrad, until His Majesty Kaecilius fulfilled my dream," Jeremiah revealed, being a double agent. "I was once a slave too, one whom Conrad freed and forced into servitude. He caused the death of my family, and yet expected me to serve him honestly."

'I smell no lies.' Sylvester evaluated and moved forward, patting his shoulder and opening the door. "Then, I wish you a prosperous life ahead, Jeremiah. Now, please wait here. I must have a word with Kaecilius privately." Sylvester entered the solar and looked around, right away noticing Kaecilius sitting behind a table. 'He looks the same as ever, just a little older.' Sylvester remembered the days and years he had spent nurturing his own Spartacus. 'At least he's a good King.'

"Your Holiness." Kaecilius stood up, his attire being simple robes with leather armor, and a sword resting on his table's side. Sylvester scoffed and threw back the little piece of paper at him. "You could have dealt with the nobles yourself, instead of sneaking around in the streets and passing me little parchments."

Kaecilius solemnly smiled, gesturing for Sylvester to a seat. "So you knew it was me."

"You thought I wouldn't be aware of a mysterious figure secretly watching and following me? You're good, but you forgot who I am." Sylvester took a seat. "Forgive me, Your Holiness. The moment I realized you were in the city, I thought of taking your help in dealing with those animals as quickly as possible. They have been on my watch for years, but they hold so much influence, money, and power, that if I had gone against them, it would have started another civil war in the kingdom. "But if you were to announce them as excommunicated, then I would be able to deal with them justly, without any chance of a rebellion. I hope you saw their vile deeds, and announce their heresy." "They're dead," Sylvester blurted. "..."

Kaecilius found himself at a loss of words, "I… That's even better."

"Their families will still be declared excommunicated. Hold detailed trials and kill every member of their families who knew of these activities. Strip them of their noble status, take away all their wealth, and only leave them with three years' worth of a blacksmith's wage. Use some of the money gained to rehabilitate the victims," Sylvester ordered him, a standard procedure in cases such as this. Kaecilius nodded his head firmly and clenched his fist. "This will help me consolidate the kingdom more and focus on development. Please join me for lunch, Your Holiness. I have called for a few jesters to entertain us." "Lead the way." Sylvester decided to mingle with the King as he had arrived a day early. He also wanted to evaluate the man and see if he had made the right choice in picking him as the King. After all, Kaecilius was the only monarch he wasn't as deeply involved with as the others—King Highland, Queen Isabella, and Queen Xylena. He followed the man to one of the major dining halls. A few men and women were already there, sitting around at the table. "This is my council, Your Holiness," Kaecilius introduced the people. "I took the example of the Holy Land and formed something akin to the Sanctum Council. Now, I have a person responsible for each aspect of the kingdom

—Councilman Medico, Councilwoman Wazir, Councilman Keymaster, Councilman Seer, and I added a few more to focus on trade and agriculture."

'Commendable that he's thought this much. If I remember correctly, he was a merchant before falling into slavery.' Sylvester agreed with the changes. This was better than depending on just one Prima. "Youc Holiness! Youc esteemed Holiness! Why didn't you meet me ficst?!"

Sylvester sighed as soon as he heard the strange fanatic words nearing from behind. "Don't tell me… The Cardinal of this city is Morgan!"

"Who?" Kaecilius narrowed his gaze in confusion. "Is he corrupt?"

"No." Sylvester tiredly looked back. "He was infamous in the Holy Land… For his habit of replacing 'R' with 'C' and a few others."

"Your Holiness!" The old Cardinal with a healthy, tall body came running frantically, "I have cemained loyal to you like an unmoving cock on a mountain that is the faith!"

"..."

"Oh…" Keacilius understood Sylvester's dilemma right away. _______________