"Is everything ready for the full effect of our speech?" asked Pope Urban IX as he looked toward his advisers. In three hours, he would send his army into the USA to restore order there, fully aware that they would face harassment from the established powers in the country. The Church had already sent bishops to various world leaders to present their proposal for becoming a faction within their governments. Most governments had agreed to the proposal, as they saw it as a better alternative to expelling a rather large number of their people, something they had little interest in doing because it would mean losing a considerable amount of tax revenue.
Was Pope Urban IX happy that the largest reason those governments were willing to accept the Church's proposition was that they wanted time to change their laws? No, he most certainly was not. They wanted that time so they could find ways to keep the children within their countries and raise them to believe that God was not a real god, but merely a human creation that had been spreading lies. The Pope was furious about that, and he was equally displeased that Gaia had spread a book explaining the limitations of his god. He hated the situation, but he could sadly understand why Gaia had taken that step, even if understanding it did absolutely nothing to make him less angry.
At least, the existence of that book meant Christians were not immediately being burned at the stake in every place where their beliefs were rejected. Because of that, Pope Urban IX had mixed feelings about the book and everything it represented. He could not accept the claims made within it, but he also could not deny the practical consequences it had created. For the moment, the Church had been given enough room to survive and organize itself, which was something he considered essential. If they wanted to protect their followers and expand their influence, however, they would need more than simple agreements with governments.
The Church would eventually need to create a place where many of its followers could live together. Having Christians concentrated in one area would give the Church far more control over their community, while also allowing the believers to live among people who shared their faith. It would be easier to organize them, protect them, and maintain their way of life if they were surrounded by their own peers. Unfortunately, finding such a place was far from easy. There was no truly unclaimed land available to them at the moment, as practically every piece of land in the world had already been claimed by some government or another.
Even areas where no one lived for hundreds of kilometers were still considered part of someone's territory. Russia was perhaps the most obvious example of this strange situation, as Siberia contained enormous stretches of land where a person could travel for thousands of kilometers without seeing another human being. Yet the fact that the land was empty did not mean it was unclaimed. If the Church attempted to simply declare a large portion of Siberia its own territory, there would almost certainly be a war with Russia, and Pope Urban IX had no intention of starting such a conflict without preparation.
Because of that, he had ordered fleets to scour the oceans in search of another possibility. Somewhere in the vastness of the world's oceans, there might be an island or piece of land that could become a new promised land for his people. It was a difficult search, and there was no guarantee that they would find anything suitable. Still, Pope Urban IX considered it worth pursuing, because having a territory of their own would change the Church's position in the world considerably. Until then, they would have to continue working within the borders controlled by other governments.
"Yes, sir. Things are going great. The circle is done and charged, so we can begin at any time," said one of his attendants. Pope Urban IX nodded at the report, satisfied that everything was proceeding according to plan. The teleportation circle was ready, and the preparations for the speech were almost complete. There was only one more matter he wanted to confirm before he began.
"Great. And how are the paladins doing?" asked Pope Urban IX with a relaxed smile as he thought about his loyal knights. Early after the arrival of the System, he had decided to recall all the Swiss Guards who had ever served and transform them into paladins responsible for protecting the believers of their lord. He had also paid quite handsomely to equip all of them with full knight armor, an investment that had already proven extremely valuable during their battles against goblins.
There were now a little under one thousand paladins, as they were now officially known. Before the arrival of mana, they had already been an elite military unit, so they had adapted remarkably quickly to the new world. Their experience and discipline allowed them to become the spearhead of the Church's armies. Each and every one of them was capable of commanding one of the Church's divisions, giving the organization an unusually large number of experienced commanders.
"They are doing great. We are sending one hundred of them to fight, so those evil spawns of Satan should get ready to be executed," said the angry-looking servant. His expression made it obvious that he had no sympathy for the enemies the paladins were about to face. Pope Urban IX, however, simply nodded at the report. The deployment of one hundred paladins was a significant commitment, but he believed their presence was necessary for what was about to happen.
"Yes, that is good to hear. I am glad they are ready, as the quest they have been given is not going to be easy," said Pope Urban IX with a holy expression. "But it has to be done, as we cannot allow those evil spawns to touch our faithful." His words were firm, leaving no room for hesitation regarding the mission. "Yes, sir," all the attendants replied at the same time, each of them wearing a determined expression.
Their reaction was hardly surprising. Since becoming Pope, Urban IX had already demoted several of his servants for failing to meet his expectations. More importantly, he possessed the ability to bless people with his lord's powers, and through that blessing, he could check how faithful people were. This ability allowed him to distinguish those who genuinely believed from those whose loyalty was weaker. It was one of the reasons the paladins were going to become so feared.
Pope Urban IX had personally blessed every single paladin. As a result, he was certain that they were as faithful as they could possibly be. They were not mindless followers who simply accepted every decision without thought, however, and that was precisely what he wanted. He did not want soldiers who could only obey because they had no ability to question anything. If they had their own thoughts and could recognize problems with a decision, they would be more useful in the long run.
At the same time, their faith ensured that once he gave them an order, they would carry it out. That combination was exactly what Pope Urban IX wanted from his elite soldiers. They could question his decisions among themselves, but if he ultimately ordered them to act, they would do so without abandoning their mission. That was what made them so valuable to the Church. Their loyalty was not based on the absence of independent thought, but on the fact that their faith remained strong even when they had their own opinions.
"Right, let me go speak with the paladins about their mission, and then I will go and do the speech," said Pope Urban IX. He turned away from his advisers and began walking toward the meeting room where the paladins were discussing their duties. There was still time before the speech, but he wanted to make certain that the soldiers understood their mission completely. Some information could not be included in a public speech, especially when revealing it would place the Church's plans at risk.
As Pope Urban IX entered the room, he saw the oval table where all the paladins were seated. Every one of them was already wearing their armor, with only their helmets removed and placed on the table to their left. The heavy armor gave the room a serious atmosphere, and every paladin immediately turned toward the Pope when he entered. As one, they stood from their seats and bowed respectfully to him.
"Stay seated. I am here to give you your last instructions that I cannot say in the speech, but I believe it is best that you know about them," said Pope Urban IX with a serious expression. The paladins immediately obeyed and returned to their seats. Urban IX then looked around the oval table, making sure that he had the attention of every soldier present. What he was about to tell them was not information that could be allowed to spread beyond this room.
"Good. As you all know, our god is currently poisoned by a millennium of bad faith that was directed toward him. Because he could not filter out that bad faith, he is currently in a fairly bad state," said Pope Urban IX. Every paladin nodded as they listened, because they already had access to this information. It was a heavily guarded secret within the Church, and only those considered trustworthy enough were allowed to know the true condition of their god.
"With that said, you know that if you become an adult—or 'mortal' is a better term for it—you gain the ability to help purify the poison that the Lord is suffering from," continued Pope Urban IX. He paused briefly before explaining the danger hidden within that situation. "But therein lies a trap. Every faithful person is able to create a connection, but the spawns of Satan, the corrupted humans, can kill God if they capture enough Christians, poison their faith by making them join them, and then take over God's body and wreak destruction on Earth."
The paladins remained silent as they absorbed his words. They understood that their mission was therefore more important than a simple military operation. Their task was not merely to defeat an enemy army, but to protect the people whose faith was connected to their god. If too many Christians were captured and corrupted, the consequences could become catastrophic. Pope Urban IX wanted every paladin to understand exactly what was at stake before they entered the battlefield.
"So your job is to protect all the Christians that you can find," said Pope Urban IX, his expression becoming firm. "And I give you permission to kill anyone who is involved with the kidnapping of Christians. I will deal with the consequences." His voice carried the full authority of his position as he gave the paladins their final instruction. There would be no uncertainty about what they were permitted to do, and no question about whether the Church would support them afterward.