novelraw Chapter 96: In All My Years as Pope, I’ve Never Felt This Happy! (Second Update)
Chapter 96: In All My Years as Pope, I’ve Never Felt This Happy! (Second Update)
Chapter 96: In All My Years as Pope, I’ve Never Felt This Happy! (Second Update)
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Pope Selena had completely lost her composure.
What on earth was she trying to do? Was this supposed to be a threat?
A palpable sense of menace, sharp and unyielding, began to coalesce within the spinning halos behind her.
For the first time, Duke Ous—who had always manipulated her with ease—found himself utterly at a loss in the face of her thunderous voice.
A surge of anger welled up from deep within him, flooding his entire being in an instant.
But that wrath was powerless before the overwhelming aura of intimidation swelling from her. The holy radiance swirling around her glimmered like countless blades of divine judgment, each one leveled at his heart.
He could almost feel the shadow of death looming over him—indistinct, yet chillingly real.
He didn’t dare to gamble—not on whether she would truly strike.Selena’s actions today had shattered every expectation.
It was like watching a dam burst after years of silent pressure; he had no idea what she was thinking anymore.
And worst of all, he hadn’t prepared a single countermeasure.
After all, judging by their last confrontation over the Logistics Authority, Selena had always lacked the authority and forcefulness to truly command the Holy See. So long as he held the moral high ground, no matter how harsh he was, he’d never had to fear any meaningful retaliation.
But now, everything was playing out entirely differently from what he had anticipated.
Yes, at first, his intimidation had worked—she’d been cornered, helpless. Yet now, in just a few short minutes, she had launched an all-out counterattack.
What on earth had happened to her in that brief span?
He’d thought he’d finally seized the perfect opportunity: with no Grand Commander present in the Holy See, he could finally threaten and coerce her at will...
And yet, at the critical moment, that damned Pope Selena had ruined everything.
“D-Duke Ous, sir, what should we do?”
The nobles behind him were already showing signs of panic at the scene unfolding before them.
They had come here simply to claim their rewards—none of them had truly planned to go head-to-head with the Holy See.
It was one thing for a high-ranking noble like Duke Ous to stand his ground, but for the rest of them? If the Holy See decided to retaliate, it wouldn’t just be a matter of being framed or slandered.
No, if the Church really started digging, there was no doubt they’d uncover something—enough to have any one of them thrown in a cell on the spot!
“I... I would never collude with the Cult of the Evil God.”
At this point, even though he was seething inside, Duke Ous had no choice but to swallow his anger.
With the blades of holy light, still sharp and unyielding, aimed directly at him from the halos, he could only grit his teeth and look upward, clinging to the last vestiges of dignity before these trembling nobles.
“As a noble of the Empire, I would never stoop so low as to collaborate with the Cult of the Evil God,” he declared. “If Pope Selena doubts me, she can report it to the Imperial Court. But to condemn me on suspicion alone? That, I absolutely cannot accept.”
He’d intended to keep using the people and the press as leverage to threaten her further.
But with Pope Selena acting like an utter madwoman, Duke Ous simply didn’t dare. In that moment, all his defiance dissolved into cowardice.
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Whether or not you’ve colluded with the Holy See will be determined in due time.”
“But right now... that’s not what I’m here to discuss.”
Her voice, layered and resonant, echoed with boundless sanctity, rippling across the hall as if it carried the will of the divine itself.
Duke Ous stared up in disbelief. He’d already backed down—yet she still wasn’t letting him off the hook.
Was she really planning to keep them all here by force, or even drag them before the Tribunal? Had she truly lost her mind?
Even after his capitulation, the dazzling blades of light behind her showed no sign of easing.
“W-What exactly do you intend to do?”
Even his form of address slipped, his tone betraying his fear.
He’d wanted to invoke the Empire’s authority as a threat, but in this moment, he didn’t dare utter a single word of warning.
After all, who could expect a madwoman to act rationally?
What if... what if she really did attack?
With no Grand Commanders present to keep the clergy in check, if a conflict broke out, the priests and holy guards remaining in the Holy See would descend upon them without hesitation.
And then—even he, Duke Ous, might not make it out alive.
“Two things.”
“First, what do you think you should do to atone for your offense against the Pope?”
The letter in front of Veya had reached its final lines. She frowned in confusion, but looking up at the nobles—now thoroughly cowed and broken—she could only sigh.
Still maintaining her composure, Selena continued her interrogation in the calm, measured tone of a Pope.
So that’s what she wants—to make me bow my head?
Fury burned in Duke Ous’s eyes, nearly blazing with open hostility. Yet the fear radiating from the nobles behind him seemed to seep into his own resolve, sapping any courage he might have had to resist.
Against a madwoman who might strike them down at any moment, logic, power, and status were all meaningless.
If she was truly enraged, she’d attack without hesitation—and there was nothing he, or anyone else, could do against someone with power like hers.
“Forgive us, Pope Selena!”
“Please pardon our rude behavior today!”
Led by Duke Ous, the nobles bowed in unison, their voices trembling as they begged for mercy.
But no reply came. The silence was heavy, as if she refused to accept apologies of this caliber.
Not enough for her?
At this point, all that mattered was getting out alive—nothing else was worth considering.
Drawing a deep breath, Duke Ous didn’t hesitate to raise the stakes.
“As compensation for our offense against the Holy See,” he declared, “we will donate three million gold coins, free of charge, as a gesture of our atonement and the sincerity of all faithful believers.”
The nobles behind him gasped in shock, eyes widening at the staggering sum.
But with their lives hanging by a thread, the nobles had no choice but to grit their teeth and accept the terms—how to split the cost could be argued over later.
Yet, to everyone’s astonishment, there was still no response from the front.
Damn it!
Was she still not satisfied?
“In addition, I will personally donate two million gold coins as compensation for my offense against you, Your Holiness.”
Duke Ous forced the words out, barely containing his frustration as he offered even more.
Now was not the time to worry about lost gold—whatever he gave up today, he could always find a way to reclaim later. The only thing that mattered was getting out of the Holy See alive; negotiations could always resume once they were safely outside.
“The second matter.”
At last, she responded.
Pope Selena, silently searching for her next line, finally noticed that Lin Wei had written further instructions on the back of the letter. A wave of relief washed over her, and she continued reading aloud.
The message was simple—aside from her final, decisive action, there was only a single line she needed to deliver.
But in this moment, facing these nobles, now utterly subdued and afraid to even lift their heads, nothing could have been more fitting.
A powerful surge of satisfaction welled up within her, almost intoxicating.
She looked down at the nobles, cowed and trembling, not daring to meet her gaze.
A blinding torrent of holy light erupted, flooding the grand hall with its final, dazzling radiance. Celestial chants echoed through the air, their resonance so powerful it seemed to shake every soul present.
And then, in a voice as cold and commanding as judgment itself, Pope Selena delivered her verdict:
“Take your gold.”
“And get out!”