Book 17: Chapter 23
A bishop in red stood up. His red robe fluttered along with his rage. He pressed his hands down on the table and looked at the group before him, especially the pope, with a furious look. He thundered, “Is that how this is going to end? That’s it?! Do we have to just brush it off with that? That’s all?! He was our believer. He was our friend. Are you just going to let him die an unjust death?! Furthermore, he did not die from old age or illness but was assassinated! Those shameless frauds assassinated him!! Are we just going to end it with this?!”
The pope exclaimed, “It wasn’t my idea. I can’t accept this outcome, either. I, too, want revenge on the new church. I, too, am angry; however, this is Her Majesty’s idea, which is why this is all we can do despite our anger. We can’t oppose Empress Elizabeth!”
“That is because this incident has nothing to do with Her Majesty!”
The bishop in red had to clench his teeth. He didn’t dare to say another word. After all, they couldn’t disrespect her. Nevertheless, not even Empress Elizabeth could suppress their rage. The old church didn’t just simply lose a member. Accompanying the loss was insult. As the religion that existed for the longest time, they couldn’t accept having a scapegoat take the blame for killing one of their own.
The old church wasn’t convinced that the new church wasn’t connected to the assassination notwithstanding the new church’s denial. The two churches co-existed together for so long, but it an assassination took place then of all times. Why was there never any assassination or assaults previously? One glance and one would want to dig deeper. This assassination was premeditated. If the old church didn’t retaliate, they’d be at great risk in the future. Henceforth, there might be countless more assassinations.
Though Her Majesty considered it an assassination, it was a dignity and survival issue for the old church. They really wanted to open fire and wage a true war against the new church. To that end, they considered revenge. At the very least, they wanted to kill all of the new church’s followers in the city!
Another member got to his feet. He looked at his brethren and, in a justified manner, declared, “We must retaliate. If the new church finds out we’re this weak, then their attacks on us will continue to escalate in the future. Empress Elizabeth still hasn’t explicated her stance; she won’t protect us. If we make a compromise this time, it’ll be us who spills even more blood in the future. We’ve already put up with this for long enough. We didn’t pick fights or start trouble. The furthest we went was verbal arguments. But, this time, the new church has gone too far! We should retaliate. We should take up arms and protect ourselves. We should attack our enemies. This retaliation is one that God supports. For our faith, our friends and our lives, we must take up arms and retaliate!”
His speech garnered the support of many there. After everyone was rallied, they looked to the pope with fervent gazes. The pope firmly shook his head. He resolutely responded, “Her Majesty gave me an order, and that was to not start any trouble. Think about it carefully. This is Hilles City. We’re right under Her Majesty’s thumb. Have you forgotten what the consequence of angering the royal family last time was? I will not destroy our entire church just to appease your anger!”