A man in his 60s dressed in ceremonial papal robes stood in the grand hall of the Visconte Palace.
The folds of his crimson vestments fell in solemn cascades about him. The years had silvered his hair to white and carved faint lines of wisdom around his eyes. Yet those eyes, pale as polished silver, seemed to pierce the veil between mortal and divine.
There was holiness in his bearing, a quiet radiance that drew reverence from even the faithless. But beneath that saintly light lingered something immovable, almost regal—a command that brooked no dissent.
With him were the elite Soldiers of Christ, all adorning white and gold uniforms that made them look angelic and sophisticated. As soldiers and staff greeted the Pope, he raised his hand in benediction; it was not merely a blessing that followed, but obedience.
The scent of incense clung to him like a shadow, as though holiness itself refused to drift far from his presence. Around him, soldiers bowed their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. Even low-ranking nobles who peacocked about in high society were quick to submit themselves to the dominating aura of the Pope.
Victor and Alphonse were quick to descend the stairs and present themselves to the Pope once they learned of his arrival. Before them was a man whose hair was as white as snow, with eyes that looked like the steel of sabres.
Victor and Alphonse may have been royalty and rulers, but before the Pope, they could only nod and show respect. "Greeting your Holiness," They said in unison.
The Pope offered a warm-looking smile and extended his hand with the mighty Papal ring on it. It was made of white gold, with a modest ruby encrusted on it. Alphonse was quick to kneel and kiss it, whereas Victor did not show such enthusiasm to do so.
"Greetings, King Victor, Prince Alphonse. I thought it would be most appropriate to visit the new ruler of this city and converse with him." The Pope's words poured out of his mouth, sweet like honey. For a man with such a presence, his voice was warm and welcoming.
Everyone seemed to be bewitched by it, but Victor was not. He had an inkling at the back of his mind, warning him to be on guard of this holy figure. "Why don't we relocate to a quieter place?" Suggested Victor. Both men agreed, and the three of them were seated in a nice lounge away from prying eyes.
The three men were seated in a lavish lounge with none of their guards present; they were stationed at the doors, allowing the three men to converse uninterrupted.
"I must admit, your Holiness. I am surprised that you came to visit. I would have come to visit you soon after I finished establishing myself," Alphonse apologetically said.
The Pope did not hesitate in saying, "Well, I had time today and thought it would be a good use of it. Especially when it gives me the chance to talk to the person who brought the horrors of war to this city."
Alphonse's face went white; the kind and welcoming man from a few minutes ago disappeared. Now he was a serious and domineering figure who made Alphonse sweat. Victor remained silent, waiting to see how the situation unfolded.
"Your Holiness, you must know that all efforts to avoid this siege were made. We delayed our siege to give time for the Red Viscontes to surrender. If we wanted to, we could have used the Luxenberg Rockets to devastate the enemy; we refrained from doing so," Alphonse replied, his words stammering from his mouth.
The Pope did not give any time for the words to sink in before he replied, "All efforts were made to avoid this? Like what? Did you even send the terms of surrender? Did you parlay with your brother to discuss a surrender? All that you have done is spend the lives of thousands of Christian men."
Alphonse began to fluster and could not fathom the words to offer a reply. Victor intended to stay out of this until the Pope began to focus his attention on him. "You are awfully quiet, King Luxenberg. It was your men who did most of the killing during this war. This was a fight you should have stayed out of. Did you enjoy taking the lives of so many Christians?"
Victor remained composed as he replied, "I am not to blame for treachery. If anyone is to blame, it is the Red Visconte leadership. They unlawfully usurped the crown of this land and divided the continent. And if we are throwing around blame here, your Holiness. What efforts did you make to resolve this war?"
His words were precise and left the room feeling more tense. Alphonse was flabbergasted that Victor would dare challenge the Pope. He knew it was best for him to stay quiet and let the conversation stay between those two.
"On multiple occasions, my cardinals and even I tried to mediate a peaceful resolution, but they fell upon deaf ears. Christians have been killing Christians for the last two decades. It is a great tragedy that you two have contributed to. In all honesty, excommunication for all of you is not out of the question," Pope Constantine said.
The threat of excommunication was serious; to be excluded from the church was a thing no ruler wanted. To be branded an outsider by the church meant the people would be quick to rebel, demanding a ruler who was of their faith.
"Excommunication? You do understand that I have an army that would fall on its bayonets if I commanded it. If you wish to make my kingdom an enemy of the church, best believe that my people will not rise up against me," Victor confidently stated.
The Pope was amused by Victor's confidence, believing it to be all bark without any bite. Nevertheless, excommunicating the Kingdom of Luxenberg would prove to be too difficult for him to handle. The backlash would be severe, and if there was a war between the faith and the Kingdom of Luxenberg, the Pope was not confident that he would win.
"Is that so? Well, King Luxenberg, given that this war has claimed too many Christian lives over the last two decades, I am not one who wants to spend more of it in an unnecessary war. Besides, given your work at beginning to convert the continent of Simbar to our religion, I can be forgiving," Pope Constantine said, subtly backing down, knowing that his bluff had been called.
The Pope wanted to try and pressure the two rulers into fulfilling a hefty atonement that would bolster the strength of the church, but given Victor's defiance, it seems that the Pope will need to stop persisting unless he wishes to take things to far.