Mercenary Wars

Chapter 49 Declaration of War
Most people believe that the Pope attended the funeral.

But few people know that the person present was not the Pope himself, but the "Papal Legate".

As the leader of all Mosas, the Pope is not only the most respected person in the entire continent, but also the person with the most affairs to attend to. Of course, it is impossible for him to attend everything in person.

Thus, the "Papal Legate" system came into being. Whenever there was a major ceremonial matter and the Pope was unable to attend, he would authorize a special envoy - usually a cardinal, to attend the ceremony in his own image.

The envoy authorized by the Pope is completely equivalent to the Pope himself in terms of ritual and will also call himself the Pope.

Of course, it is only equivalent in terms of etiquette.

As the spokesperson for Mosaic on earth and the successor of the first Pope Saint Robert, the Pope can never be replaced by anyone else.

Therefore, the envoy who is transformed into the appearance of the Pope through magic will have a gray triangular pattern on the back of his right hand to distinguish him from the Pope himself.

Anyone who knows the situation will know that the person coming is an envoy, not the real Pope, as long as they see this gray triangle.

At this moment, "Pope Fanfred VII" who appeared at the Count's funeral had such a gray triangle on the back of his right hand, and it was very obvious.

In fact, according to common sense, the funeral of a count is not worthy of the attention of the Holy See, let alone the Pope or the Papal Envoy. It would be good enough if a cardinal could come.

It was only because Earl Prestor had a good personal relationship with the Pope during his lifetime that this funeral received such an honor.

Funerals are always complicated, and funerals of nobles are especially complicated. What was held today was merely the "condolence" session.

After this, there is a funeral procession, in which the earl's coffin is carried by a team of family members, attendants, priests, etc., and gifts are distributed to churches and the poor along the way. Then there is the requiem ceremony, and finally the burial.

Everything is carried out according to the established process.

Until a discordant voice sounded.

"The old earl has passed away. I want to know who will be the next Earl Prestor?" The speaker was a burly bald man who sat on the edge of the noble seats. He was obviously just a minor noble, but his tone of voice was very rude.

Although funerals are serious ceremonies, the atmosphere at the scene was frozen when these words were spoken.

Lena's expression froze for about a second before she said, "The next Earl of Prestor will be decided by a papal encyclical."

"A decision?" The other party sneered, "The succession to the title is clearly determined by the Dato' Act. The Pope's encyclical merely confirms it!"

He added, "Ms. Lena, I think you should know that the Dato's Law is a law inspired by Moza, enacted by Dato' VIII, and has been in effect for a thousand years!"

Lena's face turned pale.

Obviously, from the perspective of law and even doctrine, there is nothing wrong with what the other party said.

The Dato Act detailed the rules of succession for the nobility and was recognized by the Holy See and almost all Mosaic countries. Neither the king nor the pope could circumvent this act to select the successor to the nobility.

According to this bill, the next Earl of Prestor can only be Viscount Ulysses, a man who should have attended the funeral but was neither invited nor took the initiative to attend.

This is what Lena and the old count did not want to see.

Fortunately, there were some people besides them who did not want to see Juris become count, including the Pope.

Of course, this also includes today's Papal Nuncio.

"The Holy See will determine the next Earl of Prestor in accordance with law and doctrine," the papal envoy said. His face and voice belonged to the real Pope Fanfred VII, a white-haired old man with a kindly voice. The bald man didn't dare to act too arrogantly in front of the papal envoy.

He bowed and saluted, then said, "Your Holiness, I would like to ask if Viscount Juris will become the new Earl of Prestor? According to the Dato's Act, he is the only eligible heir."

The papal legate did not respond, but said: “After the funeral, you will see the results in my encyclical.”

It will take at least a few days for the funeral to be completely completed. If it is delayed, it may take several months.

Upon hearing this reply, the bald man's politeness towards the Pope's envoy immediately dissipated. "Your Excellency, as far as I know, the successor was determined on the day the noble died!"

The Pope's legate said: "But the coronation ceremony takes place after the funeral. If the coronation is not completed, the succession will not be complete. This is also the content of the Dato's Law. I think you are aware of it, Baron Tyrosus."

Baron Tyrosus paused for a moment, then became even more rude: "Are you planning to enact new laws during this time?"

The papal legate frowned, and a hint of majesty appeared on the kind face of Pope Fanfrost VII. "This is the responsibility of the College of Cardinals and me. It is not your concern."

Baron Tyrosus: "I believe the College of Cardinals will not violate the laws of Mosa. Viscount Juris is undoubtedly the successor to the Earl. In three days, he will come to take over his country!"

"Of course, I also believe in the Holy See," he added, showing what little respect he had left.

He then left the mourning scene directly.

There was silence.

After a moment, the condolences continued as if nothing had happened.

But in stark contrast to the apparent calmness of the mourning scene was the surging crowds throughout Prestor Castle.

Following Baron Tyrosus's declaration - or "declaration of war", no one held any hope anymore. Those who should avoid war avoided it, those who should prepare for war prepared for it, and those who should speculate engaged in it.

The Grey Eagle Mercenary Group is no exception.

Following the arrangements of the higher-ups, all Grey Eagle mercenaries arrived at their defensive positions for final familiarization and drills, and to guard against the approaching Yuris army.

Gao Jianuo also climbed up the city wall, stood on the high place and looked into the distance, surrounded by several rookie teammates.

Most of the guards on the city walls are rookies or archers, and the real elites are under the city walls. This is determined by the war model of the Fararo world.

Gao Jianuo had heard about the unique war model of the Fararo world for a long time, but he still lacked an intuitive understanding.

Fortunately, it won't be long before he understands how the war in this extraordinary world is fought. He is full of curiosity and even a little anticipation about it.

"Hey, why is the castle glowing?" A young rookie mercenary said in surprise, pointing at Prestor Castle not far away.

The guards turned to look.

Suddenly, a colorful light lit up at the top of the castle, and then quickly spread along the city wall. Soon, a huge light curtain was formed, and after expanding a circle, it protected the entire Prestor Castle.

"It's a defensive magic circle!"

(End of this chapter)