"Sir, it is not that I disagree with your sentiment, but would that not ensure that the people and governments in the USA and around the world will hate us?" asked Meinrad Dünner. "They will see us as the enemy if we begin executing people without proper justification. This is no longer the time of the Inquisition." His tone was respectful, but there was a clear warning behind his words. Even though he understood the Pope's anger, he also understood the political consequences of allowing the paladins to act without restraint.
Meinrad Dünner had commanded the Swiss Guards for twenty years before retiring. After Urban summoned him back, he had returned without hesitation and become the oldest paladin in the newly established order. He was also the most decorated among them, having successfully defended the Popes of that time against two assassination attempts that the Church had not possessed enough intelligence to prevent. In addition to those two incidents, Meinrad had foiled at least ten more assassination attempts, making him an absolute legend among the paladins.
Because of his accomplishments and reputation, Meinrad had immediately been appointed commander of the paladins once he returned. The previous commander had been demoted to vice commander, but he had surrendered his authority without asking a single question. Everyone understood that Meinrad's experience, reputation, and abilities made him the obvious choice for the position. Even among the newly empowered paladins, there were very few people who could compare to him.
"You are right if you stretch that concern across the entire world," said Urban, acknowledging Meinrad's point. "But the situation in the USA is different. The people there have become so disenfranchised with their government that many of them now believe it is controlled entirely by Wall Street." He leaned back slightly as he considered the political situation. "If we begin killing people who kidnap others in the streets, the population may actually cheer for us."
"The government, however, will be furious," Urban continued. "They will most likely accuse us of interfering with their authority and damaging the interests of the wealthy elite." The Pope understood that the American government would not care nearly as much about the criminals as it would about the Church acting independently within its territory. That was the real danger of the operation. The Church might gain the support of ordinary citizens while simultaneously becoming the enemy of the people who controlled the country's institutions.
"So we absolutely cannot hand these people over to the US authorities," Urban said firmly. "They will likely either walk free or receive extremely light sentences." His expression hardened as he imagined the consequences. The Church could not allow the people responsible for kidnapping Christians to escape punishment simply because the local government was unwilling to act. If the authorities refused to protect the faithful, then the Church would have to find another way.
"Then why don't we establish our own courtrooms for situations like these?" Meinrad asked with a confident expression. "We only need access to cities where the technology is still functioning. Once we have that, we can use our own judges and legal personnel to punish these criminals under US law while still ensuring that they receive a fair judgment." His proposal was not to ignore American law, but to make certain that it was actually applied. If the Church could demonstrate that it was acting according to existing laws, it would be much harder for the government to accuse them of arbitrary executions.
"That is a good idea, Meinrad," said Urban. "Let us see whether there is a city you can use that is mostly Christian." As he spoke, he placed a holographic map over the oval table. The projection spread across the surface, displaying the territory of the United States in detail. Urban moved his hand across the map while searching for a suitable location.
"Here in Texas. That one should do," Urban said as he pointed toward Houston. The city was large enough to provide access to the remaining technological infrastructure, while its population contained a significant number of Christians. It would also give the Church a place from which to operate without immediately appearing to be establishing a completely independent country. Meinrad studied the location for a moment before nodding.
"Good. Then I still give you permission to kill if necessary," Urban said, his voice becoming firm again. "I will handle all the fallout that follows, but try to capture them whenever possible so we can put them on trial." He paused before adding another condition. "The first person we put on trial should be someone truly heinous, someone whose crimes are impossible to defend."
"The gangs in the USA have become extremely bad," Urban continued. "The corrupted humans now have all the space they need to operate because the authorities have lost control of many communities. Let us allow all that garbage to rise to the surface. Then we can show the world that our communities are safe." His eyes gleamed with calculation as he considered the possible results. If the Church managed to expose the criminal organizations and punish their leaders publicly, it could gain a large number of new faithful.
Urban then looked toward his new commander with a thoughtful expression. He hoped that Meinrad would soon become an adult in the eyes of the System. That development would be extremely important, because it would allow the old paladin to gain access to God directly. Beyond the bliss that came from using divine power, the amount of power a person could access was largely determined by how faithful they were. The more faithful someone was, the more effectively they could help cleanse the poison afflicting their god.
Meinrad's faith was so pure that Urban believed the amount of power he would eventually gain access to would be enormous. The Pope could already imagine what such a person would be capable of once he crossed that threshold. The Church would gain a weapon unlike anything it currently possessed. However, Urban himself was not particularly capable of fighting, despite holding the highest religious position in the Church.
He could barely use his fists, and even then, they did not inflict the kind of damage one would expect from someone with divine authority. His mana had been permanently altered when he became Pope, something he had only discovered during the last few days. His class was focused almost entirely on blessing, strengthening, and supporting others. It made him extremely valuable to the Church, but it did not turn him into a frontline fighter.
Meinrad, on the other hand, was entirely different. The old paladin could destroy almost anyone who stood in his path. There was a simple reason for that difference: Meinrad had been a soldier through and through. If he had not been so faithful, he would have participated in every battle he possibly could have. Fighting was not merely a duty to him. It was something he had spent his entire life mastering.
Now that cold weapons were once again the most useful weapons on the battlefield, Meinrad had become even more frightening. His experience had already made him dangerous, but his dedication to training had pushed him far beyond the level of an ordinary soldier. He had begun studying different types of cold weapons when he was thirty, partly because he wanted to challenge himself and partly because he wanted to expand his abilities beyond the weapons he had originally mastered.
He had not disappointed himself. Meinrad trained under numerous masters of weapon combat, especially members of the ancient Trade Families. Those families were genuine experts in their specialized weapons, and their knowledge was not something they freely shared with outsiders. Some families had spent centuries refining a single weapon style, making them incredibly dangerous opponents. They were precisely the kind of people Urban never wanted to make enemies of.
After Meinrad retired from the Swiss Guards at the age of forty, he spent years training with these families. Because he had once commanded the Swiss Guards, he was granted far more freedom than an ordinary outsider would have received. The Trade Families respected the Swiss Guards greatly, and that respect gave Meinrad access to techniques, training methods, and instructors that would normally have remained beyond his reach. Over the course of thirty years, he learned more than almost any outsider would ordinarily have been permitted to learn.
During those decades of training, Meinrad acquired the official designation of Grand Cross. The title had not been awarded in roughly five hundred years, making his recognition extraordinarily unusual. In medieval times, it had essentially been the highest title a knight could receive. However, there had once been a major difference between being bestowed the title and earning it through personal achievement.
Meinrad had earned his.
In the old days, earning the title meant that a knight would be safe from prosecution for the rest of his life. No one wanted to challenge someone who had reached that level, because even facing him five against one was considered a dangerous proposition. The Trade Families had therefore decided that Meinrad deserved the title, not because of his position within the Church, but because of what he had personally accomplished through decades of training and combat.
The title itself might no longer carry the same legal meaning in the modern world, but Meinrad was about to remind people why it had once inspired fear. Urban was especially eager for him to become an adult in the eyes of the System. Once that happened, the Church's military power would increase dramatically. With Meinrad's faith, experience, and combat abilities combined with access to divine power, the Church would possess a terrifying force.
"Your will shall be done, my lord," said Meinrad, breaking Urban out of his thoughts. His voice was calm and unwavering, showing that he had already accepted the mission. Urban looked at him for a moment before nodding.
"Good. Prepare yourself for the teleportation. I will go and give my speech," said Urban as he walked out of the room. His expression was filled with anticipation as he imagined the reaction of the world. He was excited to show everyone his paladins and reveal what they were capable of. The Church was about to make its move, and Pope Urban IX intended to ensure that no one would underestimate them.