The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Finally, Lind spoke up, and Cliff, trembling with fear, wiped the throne and shakily sat down.

Lena, unusually, remembered some etiquette and wanted to bow, but as soon as she made a move, Cliff launched himself into the air.

"No, no, no, no! No need for formalities, no need for formalities! The situation is urgent, yes, the situation is urgent, let's keep all formalities simple!"

Before Lena could even bend down, Cliff didn't dare to sit down anymore, waving his hands to indicate that Lena didn't need to bow, as if his head would roll off the table if Lena did.

Lena looked at the new king with a strange expression, but stopped what she was doing. Cliff glanced at the governor of the North, whose expression seemed to have softened a bit, before touching his heart and letting out a slow sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty, for your safety, I will protect you from now on."

Linde glanced at the royals whose heads were already tucked in, and then the soldiers behind him began to scatter and take over the palace.

"Ah this..."

To be honest, even Cliff was somewhat hesitant to accept this request, as it was tantamount to handing over the entire palace.

"Governor of the North, don't go too far! No matter what, this palace belongs to our Augustine family. What right do you, a mere foreign official, have to take over the palace?"

An Augustine stepped forward. Even the Dark Lord left a capital city for the Augustines, so how could this Governor of the North not even leave them a palace? Although Cliff was the nominal king, without a palace, he was basically just an empty shell.

Linde glanced at Augustine, then reached out his hand to a secluded spot. At that moment, Lucanus emerged from the shadows and handed Linde a stack of documents.

"Were you involved in Claire's coup?"

For a moment, Cliff wondered if the heating array in the main hall was broken. Oh, it wasn't the right weather to turn on the heating array yet. Cliff shrank his neck and stopped looking at the fellow clansman who had just stepped forward.

"No...no...I didn't, I didn't..."

Augustine retreated in a panic. He hadn't actually done anything; he had simply handed over his personal guards to Claire and then turned a blind eye to the coup.

There may have been a coordinated effort to seal off the palace gates, but that's no longer important.

No one expected that the first thing Linde did after arriving in the capital was to help Lilith settle scores, or rather, no one expected that this settlement would come so quickly.

A competent politician would use this as leverage to weigh the options, maneuver, and gain more benefits. But none of that mattered to Linde. Linde held absolute power and had no interest in getting involved with these guys.

“Drag him away, take him in along with those coup plotters, write down their charges, and put them on trial.”

Following Lind's orders, two soldiers dragged the Capetian royal family out of the main hall without any dignity.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Your Majesty, save me! If the Northerners take control of the palace, Your Majesty is doomed!"

Facing his fellow tribesman who was completely clueless about the situation, Cliff, who had already recovered, cursed, "It is precisely because of insects like you that I need the Governor of the North to protect me!"

The Augustins have been kept in captivity for too long, and the talent pool is dwindling; many people simply don't understand the current situation.

Thanks to Cliff's cooperation and Judith's accusations, Cliff's scattered followers were all brought under control. The royal family, guards, and adventurers who participated in the coup were all arrested by Lind, who was willing to kill the innocent rather than the guilty. For the first time, the nobles of the capital saw the claws of the North extended.

Seeing that Cliff was somewhat sensible, Lind did not take any further steps, but simply chatted with Cliff for a few words before leaving with his men.

In any case, Lind has already acknowledged Cliff's status as king, which is enough for Cliff.

Cliff closed himself off and reflected. Perhaps because he hadn't given up until the very end and had managed to defend the capital, he still had some prestige. That's why the governor of the North was willing to give him face. Otherwise, he probably would have surpassed his brother to become the shortest-reigning king in Capetian history.

But this does not mean that Cliff's position as king will remain secure.

After a moment of silence, Cliff summoned his servant and said, "Someone, help me draft a decree."

......

Meanwhile, inside the central church, the old pope sat in his usual preaching seat. The already frail pope was now on his deathbed. The several beams of light outside the city seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength, so much so that he seemed to be on the verge of departing for the goddess's kingdom at any moment.

As if summoned by something, the old pope raised his eyelids and indeed saw a familiar figure.

"Your Majesty... I knew you would come back..."

"Your Holiness, I am no longer the king..."

Lilith stood before the old pope, reaching out to stroke the back of his hand, which resembled a withered pine tree.

"Oh right, look at my memory, it's wonderful that Your Majesty no longer has to bear the burden of this country."

The old pope was genuinely happy for Lilith, but at the same time said, "But I'm sorry, Your Majesty... Saint Lilith, the Church still needs you."

At this moment, the nun beside him said, "Your Holiness, after His Holiness the Pope used his final Aurora Spell, he was supposed to go to the Divine Kingdom to pay homage to the Goddess, but His Holiness the Pope still had some unfulfilled wishes..."

Before Lilith could speak, the old Pope said, "Saint Lilith, the entire Holy See has decided to appoint you as the new Cardinal. After my death, you will run for Pope along with the other Cardinals."

Given Lilith's prestige, as long as the Vatican grants her a seat in the election, the so-called election will be nothing more than a formality. Lilith, who has just relinquished her royal duties, will soon be taking on new ones.

However, the old pope was quite open-minded, saying, "The world has changed, and the church must change too. Don't care about the church's old rules. Join the Northern Church and don't make things difficult for yourself."

The old pope used all his strength to gently grasp Lilith's hand, but Lilith dared not look up and could only sob as she said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

"And... I've read so many collections of writings and novels, and in the end, the Pope is always portrayed as a bad guy. But I hope that, starting with me, the Pope won't be so bad..."

The old pope gave a wry smile, his voice growing softer and softer: "If you ever create a work like this again... remember to bring it to me so I can see it..."

The old pope's eyes had begun to glaze over, and his voice seemed to be driven only by the last of his strength, until he finally breathed his last.

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

On the very first day that the capital had been secured, nine solemn chimes rang out from the central papacy.