Arcane Sniper

Chapter 979

“So, here’s the thing. It’s tough to even get a position as a vice-abbot—if one of the users comes out, it would be a bit better.”

“Ah… Fibiel or Minis at least have some famous figures. Shazrashian is really a hopeless case.”

Even though there were a few who sincerely supported Kijung from the heart, after all, this was Middle Earth. Personal gain was prioritized above all else, and it was natural that no one criticized or found it strange.

As preparations were underway, the first group finally made their appearance. Unlike the last public discussion, where seats were divided left/right, many seats were set up in front of the Pope’s podium. Nevertheless, the group that appeared excluded all the seats on the left and only sat on the right side.

Of course, there were so many people that even sitting only on the right side inevitably occupied a significant portion of the left seats.

At that moment, everyone knew which group within the Papacy had the most members. In the very first row, directly in front of the Pope’s podium, a person sat prominently, raising their nose high in pride.

“It’s the Parnese faction!”

“Wow… indeed. To win, you had to align with this side.”

“They say Sergio is an amazing NPC. The smartest move is to push Sergio for Pope and secure a spot as a cardinal right away.”

To the right of Parnese sat Sergio. Despite being the youngest cardinal, he was a legendary NPC significant enough to occupy the second seat in the Parnese faction.

Not all users cheered for Kijung and Raphaela; it wasn’t surprising that some users wanted to latch onto Sergio.

“Just looking at their expressions says it all.”

“Exactly. The Pope’s faction cardinals haven’t even shown up yet.”

They glanced across with triumphant faces. Except for the Parnese faction members, major NPCs hadn’t made their appearance yet.

“It looks like most of the diocesan bishops are gathered now.”

“Hehe, maybe it’s their first time in such a position. Some of those diocesan bishops seem so nervous, don’t they?”

“Look at that! The Kraven Southern Bishop! That guy was all arrogant yesterday, not even giving quests, but now he’s trembling like an aspen leaf!”

The bishops in the Parnese faction naturally showed up with Parnese, and many neutral bishops made their appearance as well.

They had the right to speak on the composition of the Nine Cardinals Committee and had submitted opinions related to the appointments, so they were seated behind the Pope.

Since the Pope himself was the bishop of the Ezwen Diocese, there were precisely 49 seats arranged behind the Pope.

Though some bishops representing the 50 dioceses in the Lope Continent also held cardinal positions, many did not.

Now, the seat for the 45th bishop had been found. This meant that the inauguration ceremony was about to begin.

“Ah, it can’t end like this…”

“Won’t Raphaela do something? What if she marries Master Kay, wouldn’t that change something?”

“You fool, what does that have to do with anything?”

As the users cheering for Kijung began to tap their feet anxiously, a commotion started to stir in the plaza.

“They’ve arrived!”

“Master Kay is here! Even the Cardinals of the Pope’s Faction have arrived!”

Though they did not openly move alongside the Pope, the arrival of the Papal Cardinals instantly changed the atmosphere within the venue.

Kijung, distinct in armor and arms as opposed to the others, led the procession of Cardinals, appearing as though he was leading them.

Kijung confidently advanced and took a seat directly in front of the Pope’s podium, to the immediate left of Parnese.

“Ahem, Exorcism Cardinal. I thought you might not attend. I heard the injuries from the battle against Tiamat haven’t fully healed.”

“Indeed, as Parnese says, the Exorcism Cardinal does not look well.”

As soon as Parnese and Sergio noticed Kijung, they spoke up.

Kijung merely offered them a faint smile. He knew all too well that verbal combat with them was not something he could win.

“I thought that perhaps… but it seems this is not an occasion I could miss.”

“Haha, indeed. I am grateful, even just for the sentiment.”

At Kijung’s soft reply, a sly smile crept onto Parnese’s lips.

Such a subtle glimpse into the NPC’s true intentions was a privilege denied to general users or NPCs.

“Grateful for what, exactly?”

“I interpreted your presence here as a congratulatory gesture for the selection of Cardinal Sergio into the C9. As someone who guided Sergio, I accept it with gratitude.”

“Nothing has been decided yet. Once everything is set… then I will gladly accept your congratulations, Exorcism Cardinal.”

In response to Kijung’s simple question, Parnese and Sergio simultaneously answered. Kijung met their gaze for a while.

“Or… does it not mean that, Exorcism Cardinal?”

The proud expressions of the NPCs began to subtly harden.

Upon Parnese’s words, Kijung folded his arms and pondered for a moment. As Kijung gave a thoughtful hum, Sergio swallowed dryly.

At that moment, the doors of the Papal House swung open and fanfare erupted.

Bam ba ba bam―!

His Holiness the Pope is entering―!

Kijung, glancing at Parnese and Sergio, said,

“What? Wait a moment. I couldn’t quite catch that―.”

As the NPCs displayed signs of bewilderment, Kijung’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.

As the Pope appeared, blessing and delivering opening remarks, a few users at a distant cafeteria from the Aezwen Papal plaza slouched wearily over tables.

“It will go well, right?”

The woman at the table, with hair disheveled and head buried in her arms, prompted Leeha to chuckle softly at her appearance.

“Yes, perhaps. But Raphaela-nim, even though you are a Saintess… Isn’t it improper to sit with your legs so wide open in the Ezwen Square?”

“Aah, I don’t know, I’m tired. Dealing with people—or rather, working with NPCs—is the hardest. Anyway, nobody cares about me. If the Pope has appeared, who would pay attention to me?”

Even in her disheveled state, she acted only after calculating the boundaries and timing that wouldn’t ruin her image. Leeha shook his head as he observed her.

“Handling NPCs is exhausting enough, yet we must involve only the necessary people. But you wanted to meet them all… It seems your stubbornness matches your siblings’. Also, ‘perhaps’? That’s hardly an optimistic outlook.”

Raphaela responded curtly, her head still buried on the table.

Leeha could understand her feelings. Her actions were akin to forcing conversations to avoid falling asleep from exhaustion.

From almost yesterday afternoon until just a few hours ago, Leeha, Raphaela, and Kijung had been working to persuade all the bishops of the Lope Continent.

Some of them were irreversibly affiliated with the Parnese faction.

Raphaela had insisted that they should exclude those who might leak their operation to Parnese’s ears, but Leeha and Kijung disagreed.

“But… didn’t you see why you needed to meet everyone, Raphaela-nim?”

“Well… it’s obviously good to be unanimous. Besides, if, as Master Kay-ssi mentioned, bishops are replaced frequently, it will only undermine the trust in the Ezwen Papacy. From this perspective, I agree.”

Although she grumbled, Raphaela couldn’t argue against Kijung’s reasoning.

If bishops were constantly replaced, it might be politically disadvantageous for the Pope, who was already lacking in political aspects.

Moreover, removing all bishops from Parnese could look bad externally. Thus, Kijung proposed leaving them.

Of course, there was a larger purpose behind Raphaela’s stance as well.

“—In any case, it’s not a bad choice in terms of demonstrating the Pope’s political inclusiveness. Considering the possibility of the new appointees possibly diverging into opposing factions, it’s better for the Pope to absorb the bishops from Parnese to strengthen his power. Once we ensure control over Parnese, there won’t be any unexpected enemies popping up. But this will also depend on Master Kay-ssi eventually getting selected in the C9… Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to tell if he’s just kind-hearted, thoughtless, or drawing an enormously big picture.”

Without even glancing at the central plaza where the Pope stood, Raphaela, her head still on the table, demonstrated an in-depth grasp of the religious shifts in Middle Earth and Ezwen.

Leeha listened to Raphaela’s words and simply nodded, but the man sitting next to him felt differently.

He glanced at the back of Raphaela’s head with a somewhat surprised expression.

“Well… if she’s this capable, we need not worry about the diplomatic relations between our country and the Ezwen Papacy.”

“Is that a compliment or…? Anyway, I’m more surprised.”

Raphaela suddenly lifted her upper body to face the man sitting opposite her. He flinched momentarily but did not evade Raphaela’s gaze.

“To think a user could have infiltrated this deeply into the Kingdom of Minis. Had we known earlier, the position of Grand Abbess of Minis would’ve been secured already.”

“The current Grand Abbess is a significant figure bringing immense benefits to our country, not only materially but also by arranging for distinguished followers of Kraven to naturalize. Simply dismissing him would—”

“Do you doubt my ability to do that? Minis and Kraven are allies, and I can extract what I need from the allied force without arousing hostility.”

“That’s not the case. A person who has discerned such matters wouldn’t make a mistake.”

The man immediately shook his head in response to Raphaela’s incisive question. Leeha couldn’t help but laugh at the scene.

What he had asked for from Shin Nara the previous day wasn’t merely to convey a message to Lark.

For they couldn’t expect direct help from a user who couldn’t log in. But wasn’t there someone Leeha had personally experienced?

‘I knew he would move if Lark made a request.’

With a faint smile, Leeha thanked the man sitting next to him.

“Anyway, thank you, Cheka-nim. Thanks to you, we managed to conclude things without incident.”

The time it took for Cheka, the secret police of Minis, to locate the positions of 49 bishops across the Lope Continent was a mere thirty minutes.