Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 218

“Let’s have a serious discussion. The Cardinal just mentioned that he has devised a way to save everyone from starvation. It would be nice if merely mentioning it could make it happen, but I know such fairy tales are impossible. We cannot produce bread like the Redeemer… If only we could. Because we cannot, we fight, hate, and steal from one another.”

The Pope’s robes fluttered.

She asked, without letting her trembling voice be noticed.

She had no interest in discussing fairy tales.

But—the Cologne Sect was serious.

“I am indeed serious, and the Pope herself must have speculated that we possess a unique technology.”

The Cardinal of Cologne responded in a nonchalant tone.

I opened my mouth again.

As the Pope, I maintained a demeanor that did not betray the fear within me.

Yes, I was afraid.

While I had speculated, I also harbored a very real fear.

If the Cologne Sect had discovered a technology as miraculous as the Redeemer’s ability to multiply bread…

If that were true, the betrayal I was committing against the Holy Empire might be tantamount to betraying God.

If that were the case…

The Cologne Sect could exponentially increase the production of bread and tools, aiming to solve all of our problems. Would my inquisition-like actions against them be incredibly foolish?

No.

It’s not yet certain.

“I have speculated that the founder of the Cologne Sect left behind a book with technologies beyond our imagination. Yes…”

I declared loudly, my voice echoing throughout the cathedral.

So that everyone could hear.

“I had speculated it was written like a heretical book. As if it were penned by a person whose history slightly diverged from orthodoxy, almost like it came from another world. But is that the truth? I certainly expected that the Cologne Sect had the technology to increase fertilizer production, but not to the extent the Cardinal mentioned. Just efficient methods, like composting. Is there truly a technique that can create fertilizer capable of feeding everyone? Honestly, I am skeptical. How realistic is this?”

I questioned again.

“Indeed, your doubts are valid. In reality, we are not yet at the stage to fully realize it. We are still two or three steps behind. If it were complete, we wouldn’t be worrying about these details and would have already announced it to the public.”

The Cardinal of Cologne answered once more.

“To the people of that time, when the founder was alive, her scribblings in a notebook were nothing more than a different technological system. It was just meaningless doodles back then, wild fantasies with no foundation. But now, it can be seen differently. With the current technology of the Cologne Sect, these ideas fall well within the scope of future developments that should be achievable.”

My statement seemed to provoke a slip of the tongue.

“At least, we are nearing the ability to produce ‘bread beyond matter.’ We are close to obtaining fertilizer that will satisfy everyone’s hunger—by increasing the number of wheat stalks and significantly enriching the grains.”

“I would like to hear more details, not just about bread. Anything broader will do.”

“Very well. Let me start with what the founder wrote.”

The Cardinal cleared his throat deliberately, though his words were unhesitant.

Truly deliberate.

“I have mentioned before, it was originally just doodles. How should I mock it—’It would be nice if this could happen.’ Just notes, a massive amount of scribbles in one notebook with no academic system, bizarre fantasy notes. We, the successors of the Cologne Sect, compiled her numerous strange statements into a book.”

As for me, I was pondering.

Indeed, I am.

“It was a notebook about dreams and fantasies. But the founder said this: ‘I cannot do this, and perhaps no genius with today’s technology can achieve it either. But it is true. Nobody might believe it, but this is the truth. If it can guide future generations, that would be good.’ So she left it—”

Was I being led by the Cardinal?

Did I doubt whether my actions were being influenced?

Regarding “Sodom and Gomorrah,” cities not mentioned in the canonical Bible.

I thought I had cleverly exploited a strange gap in the Cologne Sect, but was it different?

Had the Cardinal mentioned it knowing I would say so?

Was I the one being led?

I felt like a child whose hand was twisted, forcibly brought into this situation.

No—

“We, the successors of the Cologne Sect, believed her. The founder was a superhuman, and even if her tales seemed like tall tales, they had an element of truth. We believed and began from what seemed possible—gathering soil to build mountains and sometimes tearing them down. Through academic pursuit and research, we gradually developed the technology and realized it.”

“Among them was gunpowder.”

“That would be the case.”

What is the Cardinal of Cologne drawing attention to?

Gathering the attention of the electors is pointless.

These people are just beasts.

Right now, they probably aren’t even interested in what the Cardinal and I are discussing.

They blatantly understand that they want me dead.

Their own honor and the benefits they can maintain for their subjects—that’s all they care about.

As long as their own territories and subjects are fine, they don’t care if the rest suffer.

They are proud that if saving themselves means stepping on others, so be it.

They don’t even consider it shameful.

If they could obtain technology from the Cologne Sect, they would appreciate it as rulers, but they would monopolize it to prevent others from gaining it.

They have no concept of agape, no sense of passing it on to others.

“Various formulas filled the notebook, and doubts lingered over whether they truly were conceived by a single founder. We tackled each of these questions one by one, unearthing methods such as producing non-halite salts and purification techniques, and converting crushed seashells into fertilizer. There were many bizarre entries that seemed to hail from a distant past. Starting with simpler applications, we explored what they meant and the effects they could produce, a task that spanned centuries.”

Lords and knights could hardly be expected to understand more. Clergymen, even less so; they are duller still. Even now, they believe I am using the technology of gunpowder from the Cologne Sect for profit, thrusting heretical inquisitions upon it. Such are their completely off-base, ridiculous misunderstandings. Even now, they fail to grasp the content of my discussions with the Cardinal of Cologne. Fools. Electors and clergymen alike are nothing more than a bunch of incompetent buffoons. But, oh—but even so, who could claim that the fool here is not I, the Pope? I must have been too arrogant, thinking that by aligning with Seora, I could make the world a slightly better place. Dreaming of creating a nation better than the Holy Empire. I was probably deluded by such fantasies.

The Cologne Sect, the Cardinal of Cologne—they do not wish to hear such personal admissions. They likely realize that I have already betrayed the Holy Empire and are discussing further with an envoy from Mongolia. They might even be aware that this envoy, Seora, is here right now. They know even my true intentions. There’s no need to openly share or inform the Cardinal about it. The purpose of the Cologne Sect is not to convince anyone else but me, the Pope.

“Would you disclose that notebook to me? No, you don’t have to reveal everything. Could you elucidate the secret technique of the ethereal bread?”

“Even if I were slowly chopped up with polished seashells, I would refuse. However, it’s not because I wish to monopolize the technology.”

The Cardinal of Cologne raised his voice as if to persuade.

“Because I cannot show it to someone who betrays the Holy Empire.”

It was an attractive proposition. Essentially, the Cardinal of Cologne had seen through my plans. He knew everything I intended to do, which is why he was saying this: come back from betraying Mongolia and Seora, and I will teach you the secrets of the Cologne Sect. How foolish.

“…too late now.”

I murmured softly. Too late indeed. And still, doubts remained. Yes, I had speculated. How are the women of the Cologne Sect finding ways to save the wretched masses from violence and insecurity? They must have discovered something, must still be searching for some mysterious technological system. But to believe in a “power that could save all people from starvation” was more than I could accept. I could believe in God, but not in such a thing—it was too much like a fairy tale. And—

I hesitated, stopping myself from uttering a decisive, damaging statement.

“It’s not possible for the Holy Empire to defeat Mongolia unless the heavens and earth turned upside down. Even if we were to lose, there’s a dignified way to surrender—it would be better to do so quietly!”

I couldn’t bring myself to voice this reality. In an instant, Elector Anastasia would fly into a rage and roar. The door might be kicked open, and Lord Faust von Polydoro might appear. Or perhaps someone else. Seora is not alone here; she’s accompanied by a multitude of superhumans, hidden inside the cathedral. Outside, a silent slaughter might already be starting. Lord Polydoro might already be dead.

I continued to hesitate, unable to voice the critical, irreversible decision. I knew what needed to be done. Kill them. The three electors present here should be killed. With the superhumans Seora brought, Lord Faust von Polydoro would not be a concern. I do not underestimate him, but the reality of being outnumbered is just that—a reality. What to do about the Cologne Sect? If they could be persuaded not to try to convert me but to defect to our side… No. That won’t do. Given the Cologne Sect’s historical involvement in these territories and their commitment to agape, they would never betray their followers. My belief that it might be better to completely destroy such a corrupt faith was fundamentally flawed. Those who had toiled and taught the faith while bleeding from their palms could not possibly betray their devout followers. It was hopeless from the start. I had wanted to talk more with the Cardinal of Cologne, but no amount of discussion could avert this fatal rift. Just as it was impossible for the Holy Empire to defeat Mongolia.

“Cardinal of Cologne. I wanted to hear more from you, but my resolve remains unchanged. I hope you will not be lost here; I sincerely wish you would give up and follow us.”

I decided to abandon the Holy Empire, selling out the settlements that the Cologne Sect had fought desperately to protect. I tried to clear my doubts and finally expressed my lingering regrets. I had wanted to hear more, should have listened more, but it’s too late now. Let me declare the irreversible break. Why we betray the Holy Empire and build a new state with Seora. Let the current electors be killed.

Just as I was about to mutter this—

“Pope. My story is not yet finished.”

The Cardinal of Cologne moved slightly within her robe, stepping closer and extending a hand.

“I have something to give you.”

It was the gnarled hand of an old woman, a hand that had labored over the land.

“What is it?” I thought for a moment as I took what was held in it.

It was a malformed bullet, shaped like a chestnut, with grooves cut into the base and uneven surfaces.

Looking at it, I paused for a moment, considering what the Cardinal of Cologne intended with this thing.

Hesitating before I could declare my betrayal to the Holy Empire, I caught a slight flutter of Seora’s robe out of the corner of my eye, sensing my hesitation.