In the Name of Empress-Chapter 593 - 350: Deadly Temptation

When Roland announced the selection of the commander, Christine instinctively stood up.

She was long accustomed to serving as Roland's military commander.

It had always been this way over the past few years.

Regardless of whether Roland was a Governor, Vice Emperor, or Prime Minister, regardless of whether the army size was only tens of thousands or as many as a million, Roland had always entrusted her with absolute trust.

A mere force of five thousand, if it weren't a specialized mobile unit full of skilled experts, she would even be somewhat reluctant to take it on.

She is now the Pope of the Divine Court of Light, equivalent to the level of the Emperor of the Empire.

Would any troop let her command? That would depend on her mood.

Words of humility reached her lips, but stopped abruptly as Roland uttered an unexpected name.

Christine stood there in a daze, her face turning crimson, as the holy marks hidden beneath her skin suddenly emitted a milky white glow.

Her hands clenched into fists, nails digging fiercely into her palms, blood seeping from the web of her hand.

It was only when the command was handed over to someone else that she realized how much she cared.

The indescribable embarrassment rendered Christine unable to stand or sit properly.

Luckily, everyone else was also in extreme shock, not noticing her lapse, allowing her to seize the opportunity to carefully sit back down.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Christine let out a long breath, then was overtaken by anger and disappointment.

She acknowledged that Reinhardt had considerable strength, but what gave him the right to compare with her?

He could at most wield command over tens of thousands, far inferior to her in this regard.

What did Roland see in Reinhardt?

Not to mention her lack of comprehension, even Sif and others were bewildered.

Though Sif didn't like Christine, she never denied her abilities.

Sif had long since ceased to be the emotional little girl; she was willing to set aside personal likes and dislikes in the face of greater interests.

She looked at Roland in astonishment, continuously winking at him.

Her meaning was clear.

There was no need to do this to avoid suspicion; she didn't mind.

Roland smiled and shook his head, giving Sif a "I have my reasons" look to reassure her.

Though Sif could be at ease, Alina frowned.

She also didn't understand.

Unlike Sif, she and Christine had no personal grievances, and even had a decent personal relationship due to long-term cooperation.

If Christine hadn't arranged her coronation ceremony, she might have felt quite awkward as the Emperor in the Republic.

Sif might say nothing, but she couldn't play dead.

With a light cough, Alina gently said, "Roland, according to your standards, Marshal Christine is more qualified to serve as the commander."

She did not use Pope to refer to Christine, but called her Marshal.

Due to her remarkable achievements, Christine held the title of Marshal of the Jin Yuan Republic.

Alina was openly supporting Christine.

Blood drained from Christine's face, which gradually regained composure as she cast a grateful glance at Alina.

Helping Alina was just a part of helping Roland, but she remembered the favor, and thought well of this person.

Seeing Alina jump up in opposition, Reinhardt, who had been named, also awakened from shock, nodding with a smile towards Roland before shaking his head and saying:

"Mr. Roland, your trust flatters me. But as Her Majesty Alina stated, my talents and abilities indeed do not compare to Pope Christine."

"The formation of a mobile force is a major event for all humankind. You need not achieve balance here; I earnestly recommend Pope Christine to lead the mobile force."

These words pleased Christine; she suddenly felt that old man Reinhardt wasn't so disagreeable after all, and even possessed some of the unique straightforwardness of the Odin People.

Observing Reinhardt's stance and connecting it to Roland's decisive refusal of Queen Sisi, the attending representatives came to a sudden realization.

That little fox Roland clearly wanted to make his Pope lover the commander in chief and was using this as a ploy to deflect criticism.

Pfft, hypocritical.

Despite their inward grumbles, these representatives were astute enough not to oppose Roland over this matter.

Reinhardt did not believe Roland would hand over this small yet extraordinarily powerful mobile unit to the Prudon Kingdom.

Their stances were different, and the Prudon Kingdom had just recently caused trouble; it seemed unlikely in any case.

Although the mobile unit did not include certain Tier Six and above Transcendents, it did encompass almost all Tier Seven and below Transcendents and the majority of Tier Six Transcendents.

This unit was initially intended to combat formidable foes, and serving as their commander made it easy to establish one's own faction among them.

Even winning over a portion of the Transcendents would suffice to shift the world order in the future.

Could Roland really bear to?

Yes, he really could bear to.

To gain, one must sacrifice. To have the Prudon Kingdom willingly join the newly established Rodinia Alliance, he had to help them resolve practical issues.

The gradually reviving war machines from the Alamanni Ruins not only threatened their survival but also endangered all of humanity.

The Prudon Kingdom, Tirol Kingdom, and other core regions of the former Alamanni Empire naturally bore the brunt.

Due to Christine's reminder, Roland had implicitly acknowledged Queen Sisi as an enemy, making it even more necessary to draw in the Prudon Kingdom.

He couldn't let them come together, or at least prevent their merger.

When Roland resolutely re-nominated Reinhardt for the commander role, the elderly duke, with gray at his temples, finally realized Roland wasn't joking.

He hesitated for a moment, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Why? You must have better options."

"Trust me, Duke Reinhardt, you are the optimal choice."

Roland turned his gaze to Christine, smiling as he explained, "Her Holiness the Pope has a more important mission; she needs to form a new army capable of defending the entire continent."