"That guy is just a jerk!"

In the upper city of Gusborg, a crisp female voice filled with resentment echoed from a delicate three-story detached mansion.

Although Granzon had already made up his mind to eradicate the influence of the Temple Church in Milanía, the church had deep roots in the area, leaving its marks in many places, such as this inconspicuous yet valuable residence.

It belonged to a nobleman in the royal capital who was influenced by the church, and that nobleman willingly contributed his property to serve as a temporary residence for Sevita.

Sevita hung her red holy robe on the coat rack, revealing a fitted long shirt embroidered with silver holy patterns underneath. She changed her shoes and paced back and forth in the living room, still seething with anger.

To think that they actually paraded her out, even though it was done "politely" as she put it, those two guards even considerately arranged for her shabby carriage... But the act itself was far from polite.

It might not be a big harm, but the insult was strong, and the damage seemed significant.

The secret trip of the red-robed Archbishop, coming from afar to meet with Granzon, indicated the seriousness with which the papacy viewed the matter. The repercussions of failure would undoubtedly be substantial.

"Really, it was a good opportunity to reshape faith..."

"Your Grace Archbishop, His Holiness under the Pope's crown has said that Granzon's character is unpredictable and highly casual. If things don't work out, there's no need to push it. Please don't blame yourself too much."

The only companion on this secret trip, who also doubled as a guardian and coachman, a holy knight, took out some lemon honey tea from the ice chest, added ice, and handed it to Sevita.

"Ah... Karina, I really despise that guy! Why won't men like him just disappear!"

After taking the cup, the red-robed Archbishop placed it directly on the coffee table, flopped onto the sofa, covering his face like a salted fish, muttering under his breath.

"Your Grace, that's a bit..."

Karina was a bit at a loss, unsure whether she should join the esteemed Archbishop in cursing Granzon or pretend not to hear.

After the Milt incident and confirming with the papacy that Yuan was the mastermind, the Academy City did not trouble Karina too much - or even if Ciella wanted to pick a fight with the papacy, facing numerous troubles after the Gates of Hell incident, Academy City did not have the capital.

As for Karina herself, after returning to the papacy, she was sent to seclusion to practice with the heavily injured Johannes to avoid scrutiny. Just a few days ago, she had passed the internal assessment of the holy knight order, being awarded the title of grand knight and recognized as an eighth-level knight.

"Let it go, it was just venting after all."

Sevita's salted fish state did not last long. She sat up, took a sip of tea, and regained her composure.

Rearranging her thoughts, her goals remained two-fold: reviving faith through the miracle at Kent Mountain and gaining jurisdiction over the recognized apostate Heinrich.

Given Granzon's attitude, continuing negotiations to reach conditions acceptable to the papacy and the Kingdom of Milanía would be quite difficult. His demand that almost severed ties between the Milanía diocese and the papacy was undoubtedly unacceptable to the papacy, making this path very challenging.

Yet, with the energy of the Temple Church, unilaterally claiming the miracle at Kent Mountain was an act of the goddess was still feasible - perhaps giving up propaganda in the Milanía diocese and covering the news in other countries would suffice.

With the speed of information dissemination in this era, for the common people, anything beyond a few hundred miles might as well be another world. As the sole orthodox religion in the human world for millennia, the credibility of the Temple Church remained strong.

Even if Granzon insisted on challenging them, by officially claiming the miracle on Kent Mountain had no connection to the goddess in the name of the kingdom, the Church, possessing a vast base of believers across the continent, could still make it a fact in the eyes of the majority.

Though collaborating with Granzon in this matter would be a bonus, having jurisdiction over Heinrich was crucial.

Requesting jurisdiction over Heinrich was merely a hope for a trial in the ecclesiastical court - and for the Pope, the initial intention was to spare Heinrich.

...

"King Granzon? I never expected you to have time to visit an old man like me."

In a serene bamboo forest, Heinrich closed the book in his hand and looked up at the silver-haired man entering.

This place used to be owned by Lord Brad, of course, it was confiscated after the prince committed treason. Due to its location in the relatively secluded upper city with sparse foot traffic, Granzon had someone erect a suppression array to confine Heinrich.

"Just dropping by, we haven't seen each other since the new year."

Granzon walked into the pavilion where Heinrich was reading, sat across from him, yet his expression was unusually serious. "I also have a few questions for you."

"If it's related to the papacy, please leave."

"Hey, the places you are confined in right now are all mine. Isn't it too presumptuous to kick a guest out?" Granzon smirked, showing a degree of audacity that he had rarely seen before.

Heinrich calmly looked at Granzon. "When I was in cooperation with Lord Brad, I had envisioned this day. Although the split between the churches within Milanía's borders and the papacy doesn't mean that I have betrayed my faith in the goddess."

"...you dare say that." His Majesty the King knocked on the pillar beside him, carefully observing Heinrich's expression. "But it doesn't matter, you don't have to answer me. I just came to confirm something."

"What?"

"The red-robed Archbishop from the papacy came to see me. It was a secret trip, carrying the Pope's will, saying they want to save you."

Heinrich's expression remained unchanged.

"While I refused, upon further thought, something about this seems strange."

Granzon continued incessantly, "Because 'important members betraying and involving in internal struggles of other countries' is quite shameful, so they negotiate in secret. While in general countries, it is reasonable, the premise of such actions is to save that person. Otherwise, it would be more sensible to formally request your extradition openly than through secret negotiations."

"It's much more interesting when considering the premise of keeping you safe."

"You are the Temple Church after all, do I need to remind you of the harsh means used against apostates? If I'm not mistaken, nailing on a cross and burning them to ashes under the pretext of 'purification' is a basic operation. Wanting to keep you safe and wanting you dead are the only plausible scenarios."

"The Order of the Holy Cloister, right?"

Granzon revealed a satisfied smile.

For the first time, he saw a hint of wavering on the face of this retired holy knight.

Satisfied with the answer, His Majesty the King did not waste any more time and left the small bamboo forest cottage.