Chapter 561: 559 Invitation_1
 

The remnants of the sunset spill obliquely onto the wide streets of Dragon City.

Pedestrians on the street are herded to the sides by the guards, yet none dare to voice any complaints.

This is because the guards are slowly escorting a horse-drawn carriage, and the fire emblem clearly emblazoned on the side of the carriage signifies that it belongs to the St. Lorenzo family of the Imperial Royal Family.

People could only watch with curious and admiring eyes as the carriage entered the gates of the private manor of the Prime Minister of the Empire.

Having waited for a long time, Baron Heidegger rushed to greet the carriage as it approached, hastening to offer his respects and say:

“Your Majesty, welcome to Heidegger Manor!”

Emperor Reinhardt descended from the footstool and smiled at Baron Heidegger, teasing, “Prime Minister, you haven’t prepared a meal of sweet potatoes for me again, have you?”

“Of course not.” Baron Heidegger went up front, gesturing with his hand and replying, “Tonight’s banquet is prepared to the highest standard, and will certainly not disappoint you.”

Only then did Emperor Reinhardt nod in satisfaction and step toward the manor.

Baron Heidegger followed him and said, “However, Your Majesty, even though sweet potatoes don’t befit your status, they are being widely grown in the North Territory and the yield is very high. You might want to reconsider Scholar Sunny’s suggestion.”

Emperor Reinhardt’s brow immediately furrowed, remarking, “We will discuss this another time.”

Seeing this, Baron Heidegger fell silent again. Clearly, this was not the true purpose of his invitation to the Emperor this time.

When the two men walked into the banquet hall, all kinds of delicacies were already laid out on the long table, and the air was filled with the intoxicating aroma of premium champagne.

Only then did Emperor Reinhardt’s face reveal contentment as he promptly took the seat of honor at the table.

At this point, however, he noticed that there were only three sets of cutlery on the table, and he asked in uncertainty:

“Heidegger, aren’t your family members attending this banquet?”

“Their station is too low, their manners too coarse. I will not disturb Your Highness’ mood with their presence.”

“Then who is this third set of cutlery for?”

“There is another guest coming tonight. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Really?” Emperor Reinhardt cast a deep look at Baron Heidegger and asked, “Where is this person? They are not late, are they?”

“Of course not,” Baron Heidegger respectfully replied. “However, I apologize that we did not inform you beforehand. I’m afraid this guest only intends to attend with Your Majesty’s permission.”

Emperor Reinhardt waved his hand laughing, “Let him come out.”

Only then did Baron Heidegger clap his hands. The attendants in the hall retreated, and then an elderly man dressed in a red priest’s robe slowly entered.

“Noputon?” Emperor Reinhardt raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Didn’t Gregorian send you on a mission to the Westland?”

Cardinal Noputon stepped forward to respectfully bow before seating himself to the left of Emperor Reinhardt and said:

“Your Majesty, you are well aware of the unpleasant experiences I had with Duke St. Gregorian. So why spoil the mood by discussing them now?”

Emperor Reinhardt smiled knowingly. Naturally, he was aware of the Cardinal’s notorious past which had caused quite a stir. It was hardly a secret among the Empire’s upper echelons.

“So, Cardinal Noputon, if you stay in Dragon City rather than go to the Westland, aren’t you afraid Gregorian will punish you for it?”

“I am.” Noputon nodded his head with a chuckle, but there was no apprehension on his face. “That’s why I had the Prime Minister invite you here in order to seek Your Majesty’s personal protection!”

“My protection?” It seemed as though Emperor Reinhardt had understood something, he leisurely said, “Just me protecting you may not be enough. This also depends on your own capabilities.”

Noputon understood immediately and said: “Your Majesty, I have been staying in Dragon City for some days now and have privately visited many Deacons of the Cardinals’ Union of the Church. They unanimously believe that Pope Gregorian’s power plays and reckless actions have been the root cause of today’s tense situation. Therefore, he no longer deserves to be Pope!”

The so-called Cardinals’ Union is akin to the Imperial Senate. It is the highest authority in the Church. Each Pope is elected by vote among the Cardinals’ Union members, and the Cardinals’ Union also possesses a crucial power, that is, the power to impeach the reigning Pope.

So when he heard that Noputon claimed to have secretly gained the support of the Cardinals’ Union, Emperor Reinhardt was surprised. However, he quickly regained his composure, faking nonchalance with a smile. He said:

“Cardinal Noputon, if you have already gained the support of the Cardinals’ Union, then why don’t you prompt them to impeach Gregorian? Why still seek my protection?”

Noputon sighed and said, “That’s because… I’m not sure I can persuade the Paladin Knight.”

A thought struck Emperor Reinhardt and he immediately understood Noputon’s apprehension.

The Paladin Knight is the commander of the Holy Temple Knights and also a loyal follower of Pope Gregorian. If Noputon said he was not sure he could sway this person, it must be because he was worried that Gregorian will not accept the Cardinals’ Union’s impeachment. He might even order the Holy Temple Knights to suppress the decision of the Cardinals’ Union by force.

So, it seems Noputon was seeking Emperor Reinhardt’s protection in hopes of leveraging the power of the royal family to keep the Holy Temple Knights in check and stop Gregorian from lashing out desperately.

Through this understanding, Emperor Reinhardt quickly became hesitant.

The reason he didn’t take a stance on the Duke St. Hilde’s murder was that he didn’t want to get involved in the dispute between the Church and the North Territory.

From his perspective, although the Church is to be loathed, the North Territory also needs to be guarded against and kept in check. Hence, his strategy is to let the two factions contain each other.

He even went as far as driving out Queen Midela just to maintain his neutral stance.

So naturally, he did not want to be drawn into this vortex by Noputon.

“Cardinal Noputon, the ‘Glorious Code’ expressly states that nobles should not interfere with the internal affairs of the Church. Therefore, I’m afraid I cannot help you with your request.” Emperor Reinhardt spread his hands, expressing his helplessness.

Noputon seemed to have anticipated the Emperor’s evasion. He took a deep breath and his tone grew solemn:

“Your Majesty, if you refuse to extend a helping hand, I’m afraid I’ll have to turn to the St. Hilde family. I believe they will surely be willing to cooperate with me and make Gregorian pay the price he deserves…”

Bang!

Upon hearing this, Emperor Reinhardt reacted as if he had been struck at his throat. He instantly placed his wine cup heavily back on the table, his expression becoming incredibly serious.

Unaware that he had just completely infuriated the Emperor sitting next to him, Noputon continued to casually lift his wine cup, sipping it lightly.

It suddenly became quiet in the hall, with only the sound of the crackling fire in the fireplace breaking the silence.