The aide-de-camp's heart was pierced through, and he fell to the ground without making a sound. The killer was Dean's personal attendant. The swordsman's eyes were cold. He pulled out his sword and kicked the corpse back into the tent. Then, he turned around and stood in front of the tent. The soldiers that belonged to Count Milnor were nowhere to be seen. The only ones standing were the church disciples wearing the Viper Cross robes.
"You …"
Mirno had never thought that he would have such an encounter, and he could not help but feel regretful. He thought that leading an army to war was an easy task, but he did not expect that the various forces would be so heartless. If he was in Charles II's palace, he would have a hundred ways to reprimand Cardinal Dean and make him suffer a great loss. However, on a real battlefield, his methods were useless.
"The Viper Cross wants to take back what belongs to us. We won't make a big fuss about it. Count Mirno, don't worry." Dean was calm. He picked up the milk tea cup that belonged to Count Mirno with his long, skinny fingers. This exquisite cup was brought by the count himself. It was made by the craftsman who made porcelain for the royal family. The lines were fine and the colors were bright. Dean had no intention of drinking the tea. He just lowered his head and looked at the cup. He ignored Count Mirno, who was trembling in anger, and said, "If I'm not mistaken, this cup should be worth more than 60 silver coins, right?"
Mirno's face turned pale. His trusted aide's corpse was lying on the side, and the team that was supposed to protect him was nowhere to be seen. Obviously, he was under house arrest now. How could he have the mood to answer Rhode's question?
"Count Mirno is a noble of the kingdom, so you don't have to think about what this cup means to ordinary people. You also won't understand why I led my men to declare war against the Rosy Cross. Some things are too far away, so there's no need to explain. You won't understand even if I explain. "
He put down the cup and looked up. When he stared at Mirno with his cold eyes, the latter could not help but shiver because of his strong mental strength.
"So, no matter what happens next, I'll leave the task to you and His Majesty. I think you know what to say and what not to say. "
He then stood up and left, not giving Count Milnor a chance to speak. When the adjutant's corpse was dragged away, Mirno, who was sitting in the tent, turned from anger to fear.
He understood that no matter what the Viper Cross did, he would be the one to take the blame.
*****
The village outside the Sanctum City had experienced a series of fierce battles in the morning, and the Sanctum Guards that had rushed out had won the battle due to their superior equipment. But after successfully chasing away the 'Sacred Army' that had plundered the grains, the exhausted warhorses no longer had the strength to return. So, all the teams decided to rest and reorganize in the village. But before they could even have a bite of lunch, the 'Sacred Army' that came for revenge swarmed the village. There were at least fifty to over two hundred of them. No matter how strong they were, just the numbers alone had completely overwhelmed the temple guards.
Under such circumstances, the exhausted Temple Guards could not escape in time, they could only brace themselves and fight. The only thing they could do was to immediately send soldiers back to Temple to request for reinforcements.
So, the news of the five teams requesting for reinforcements reached the Sanctum in the afternoon, and the bishop in charge of defense was shocked.
He knew that he could not make the decision, so he could only rush to the church in the inner city and urgently request to see the Pope and the Cardinal Bishops to resolve the matter.
However, the group of old men in the Cardinal Bishops had not experienced such an urgent situation for a long time. When they received the notice to convene a meeting, all of them changed their clothes and went to the church. After the Pope explained the situation, the cardinals looked at each other and did not know how to react.
"What do you mean? Is Count Milnor planning to declare war on the 'Rose Cross'? "
"I don't think so. Maybe it's just a conflict caused by his failure to manage his subordinates well. The knights that he gathered at the last minute are mostly mercenaries. If he could not control them, it's not surprising that they would be plundered."
"But now that it has happened, what should we do? The village has been plundered, and the Temple Guards are surrounded. Are we just going to watch? "
The chaotic discussion reverberated in the church, and even the Pope was annoyed. However, because of the rules of the Church, he could not make a decision on the matter at hand. He could only try his best to guide and summarize, and get the Cardinal Bishops to come up with a practical decision as soon as possible.
However, as the group of old men discussed, they suddenly realized a problem: Rubens had disappeared.
In the morning, Rubens's departure was too sudden. The news of him leaving the Holy Cathedral had not even spread in the inner city. At this time, Rubens's faction of cardinals were silent. Only then did the others realize that Rubens had "escaped".
Choosing to retreat in a political struggle basically meant that one would not be able to do anything in the future. Many old men finally heaved a sigh of relief, and the subsequent decision was soon unified …
Now that the faction that was "close to Efta" had completely lost its momentum because of Rubens's absence, almost everyone present believed that "befriending the royal family" was the main purpose of the future action. Their opinion was also very much inclined to "let the matter rest": first send the army to rescue the Temple Guards, then calm the matter down, and then put the matter on the table of negotiation.
This was the mainstream opinion of the entire Vatican. If Rubens was here, he would definitely put forward a stronger opinion. He had experienced the battlefield in Efta, and had a deeper understanding of these "small conflicts" or "frictions" that sounded like nothing. But unfortunately, he was not here, and the Cardinal Bishops who had lived in the Holy Cathedral for a long time had almost forgotten what war was like.
They could never remain calm until the end of the war. This principle had been completely forgotten by them.
It was not that no one in the Vatican was willing to object, but the "opinion leaders" had already reached a consensus, and no one else could object. Therefore, the Pope quickly sorted out the opinions and issued them. By the time the Cardinal who received the order went to execute it, two hours had passed since he reported the news.
Including the preparation time for the mobilization of the entire city's armed forces, by the time the rescue team set off, there was no longer any "fighting" to speak of in the villages.
*****
Cardinal Rubens, who had left the Holy Cathedral in the early morning, had already traveled 30 kilometers west in the afternoon.
If he had followed the carriage's speed, he could have gone further. But obviously, Rubens was not in a hurry. Almost every hour, he would stop the carriage to rest for a while. After all, he was already old, and the bumps and swaying were really a big drain on his physical strength.
Logically speaking, when traveling, one should wear comfortable casual clothes, but Rubens always wore a very formal robe. Not only did this robe have bright and gorgeous colors, but it had also received an extremely powerful Holy Blessing. At the same time, he was also holding the Cardinal's Scepter, which was only used during the "Grace Ceremony", and even wore a crown inlaid with Magic crystal.
The accompanying attendants did not quite understand the Cardinal's intentions, and Rubens did not explain much along the way. He just kept looking at the rugged and winding road in the distance …
From here to the northeast was the edge of the Bogdo Parish. Rubens's hometown was in the south of Bogdo, but at this time, he was obviously not looking at the location of the small village where he was born. When a dark shadow appeared on the distant mountain road, the Cardinal finally let out a sigh of relief, then straightened his crown, and said to the surrounding attendants, "Pack up and make way."
"Sir … Is that, is that an army?"
The coachman who was originally driving the carriage was so scared that his legs turned to jelly, because he could also see the shining armor and the large groups of horses under the sun. They had never experienced war before, and this was the first time they had seen an army on a real expedition. On this road in the middle of nowhere, it was really a huge psychological pressure.
"So what if it is, and so what if it isn't? The army is also made up of people, not magical beasts. "
Rubens was obviously in a much better mood than before, and he was even willing to talk to the coachman about this matter. But it was clear that the latter could not relax. He anxiously moved the carriage and luggage away, and the scout in the lead had already arrived in front of him on a horse.
The four scouts all had a "Rose Cross" emblem on their leather armor. When they came closer and saw Rubens's clothes, they immediately jumped off their horses and rushed to the front without saying a word and saluted respectfully.
"After all, I'm not late."
He nodded, then turned around and looked back. In his vision, the column of smoke near the Holy Cathedral was gradually dissipating into the sky …
*****
When the decision of the Cardinal and the Pope was carried out, the remaining six to seven hundred garrison troops in the Holy Cathedral City were basically all mobilized.
Because it was in the name of "rescue", after they put on their armor, they did not split into five teams like before, but instead moved forward in a group, rushing from near to the nearest village. But when they arrived at the nearest village, they saw that the buildings had already turned into ashes, and the ground was littered with mutilated corpses.
Rescue? The battle had already ended two hours ago … Three to four thousand cavalrymen surrounded a few hundred Holy Knights who did not even have the ability to escape, the result was obvious.
In fact, many people had actually thought of this, but the Cardinal and the Pope had initially underestimated the ferocity of the enemy, and overestimated Count Mirno's control … Until now, they still thought that they were facing "Count Mirno's disobedient subordinates", and they only needed to clarify the misunderstanding and find some excuses and resources to send them away.
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