Heart of the Castle

Chapter 823 Death of Cardinal St. Belikov

Cardinal St. Belikov is the one with the strongest faith among the four cardinals of the Shining Temple. He has always advocated taking the strongest position and using iron and blood methods to meet any challenges from heretics or from within the Shining Alliance.Although the cardinal is a bit old, he is energetic, decisive and honest. He has a high prestige in the Shining Temple and is regarded as the best successor to His Majesty Pope Nicholas St. Huaiyuan. people.

However, in the recent period, the cardinal has always been in a state of anxiety and confusion, so much so that he showed a trance look when he participated in the morning prayer, and even said the wrong prayer words several times in a row.

Before the priests with expressions of astonishment or concern surrounded them, Cardinal St. Belikov put down the thick religious books in his hands, walked out of the prayer hall quickly, and returned to his room, at the same time softly commanded His own captain of the knights, "I am very tired and need a quiet sleep. Don't let anyone disturb me until the bell of evening prayer rings."

"Yes, Cardinal Belikov." The high-ranking apostolic knight wearing a shield badge surrounded by golden lilies on his chest replied loudly, and then looked at the former's bloodless pale cheeks full of worry, " My lord, would you like me to see a doctor? You look very bad."

Cardinal St. Belikov wanted to make a smiling expression, but he failed a little. It seemed that he just moved the corner of his mouth. "I am not sick, my child. Pious faith can keep us away from diseases, disasters, and hunger. Besides, besides His Majesty the Supreme Pope, I am the best magic spellcaster in the Temple of Radiance, bar none."

"I'm very sorry, Cardinal Belikov." The captain of the guardian knight showed an embarrassed smile, and bowed deeply with his hands on his chest, "Please rest at ease, I will lead people to guard here, and no one will come disturb your sleep."

"Very well, thank you, and thank those young people on my behalf." Cardinal St. Belikov said softly, then opened the door and walked in.Just as the captain of the Guardian Knights was about to turn around, the door opened again, and the cardinal's pale face appeared behind the door, his tone undeniably tough.

"You must make sure to wake me up after the bell for evening prayer. If I don't open the door, I'll give you permission to break in. Do you understand?"

The Captain of the Guardian Cavaliers had a confused expression on his face, but he knew very well that Cardinal Belikov was strong and stubborn. Once he made a decision, he would not be shaken by anyone's persuasion. "Of course I understand, my lord." He tapped the breastplate with his iron glove, "I will follow your orders to the letter."

The door was closed again, isolating the noise and clutter from the outside world.Cardinal St. Belikov was silent for a long time, and he let out a deep and tired sigh. Then his tall waist collapsed, and his whole person suddenly looked much older.

"This is really...absurd." Cardinal St. Belikov grumbled, and staggered to his desk full of parchment scrolls and religious books, and waved away a pile of quills, ink bottles and Other sundries, found the root that has been bothering him for the past few days from below.

It was a piece of pale silver thin paper, on which dozens of lines were densely written in gorgeous and smooth cursive characters.There is no signature at the end, but there is no need for a signature at all. St. Belikov can fully see who wrote this letter. After all, Nemok—a former cardinal—has worked with him for more than ten years , They have long been familiar with each other's handwriting.

"The paper is full of lies, shamelessly fabricated, outright absurd!" Cardinal St. Belikov whispered again, but rather than refuting the contents of the letter, it seemed to be firming his own beliefs. "What kind of prophetic dream? What is it that His Majesty Pope Nicholas has been corrupted by darkness? It's all nonsense from cultists, and there is no evidence that can stand up!"

There were no other people in the room, and of course Cardinal St. Belikov wanted to convince himself.His tone became more and more intense, and his words became more and more sharp, but his eyes remained fixed on the silver letter paper, as if every word on it was squirming secretly, trying to crawl into his mind.

"Nemek... You traitor who should have been burned by the golden flame for 1000 years, dare to take advantage of the opportunity of serving as a cardinal to secretly observe what His Majesty the Pope is doing... Even... oh, no, this way Even thinking about it is a blasphemy against our lord Flandara. Of course His Majesty Pope Nicholas will not be eroded by darkness, because he is the mortal spokesperson of our lord Flandala and possesses supreme radiant power !"

A series of whispers similar to curses spewed out from St. Belikov's mouth. When he finally stopped and was about to take a breath, a small but clear voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"But you don't have the confidence to categorically deny what is written in this letter, do you?"

"No! I can!" St. Belikov roared in his heart, but his throat seemed to be stuck by a pair of steel clamps, and he couldn't utter a word.

"Forget it, haven't all kinds of abnormal things happened at the foot of the holy mountain during this period? Are there no doubts about the decree from His Majesty Pope Nicholas? Haven't you doubted that those cruel Did the ruthless and mercenary decree really come from the benevolent and generous Pope ten years ago? Or was it misinterpreted and used by someone with ulterior motives?" The voice got louder, and St. Belikov gasped After a while, he finally heard where the sound was coming from.

From the bottom of his own heart.

No matter how loyal he is to His Majesty Pope Nicholas, St. Belikov is a devout follower of the Lord of Light.A few months ago, when His Majesty Pope Nicholas instructed the Knights of the Guardian Order to make a big move to capture the former head of the Iron Guard Knights of the Kingdom of Arthur who lived in seclusion near the Holy Mountain, Earl Buster Fremont and his family, St. Belikov once put forward a different opinion in a fierce tone, thinking that no matter how much the Kingdom of Arthur is now posing a threat to the Shining Temple, the family members of the believers should not be used to threaten him, forcing him to betray the motherland for the benefit of the Shining Temple .

Except for Jean Leighton, the head of the Knights of the Hammer of Judgment, who has a straightforward personality, St. Belikov's opinion has no support from anyone.Another cardinal, St. Bogdan, has always adhered to the principle of prudence and self-preservation, and unconditionally agrees with His Majesty Pope Nicholas' decree, and the headmasters of the two major apologists, the Shield of the Steadfast and the Armor of the Holy Order, also hold the same position.

As for Ingram, the only head of the Sword of Condemnation who can rival His Majesty the Pope in terms of strength, he almost never cares about things other than praying, fighting, and honing his swordsmanship, even if His Majesty entrusts him with massacres. This fanatic would not frown a little on tasks such as babies or burning villages, let alone ask the reason for the task.

Earl Buster Fremont is an upright old knight, but his ambition has long been exhausted, so after his relatives were captured by the Knights of the Sword of Sin, he finally succumbed to the threat of the Shining Temple.This matter made St. Belikov feel deeply sad. He couldn't imagine that this was something that the devout believers of the Lord of Light could do, even if he finally persuaded him with the reason of "for a higher benefit". Despite himself, the cardinal still had a shadow of doubt in his heart.

What worries Cardinal St. Belikov even more is that the clergy of the Shining Temple are degrading. Ten years of high status and good life have made them break their vows to stick to poverty. More and more regional bishops and priests are Wearing luxurious clothes, pursuing the enjoyment of wine and food, but turning a blind eye to the lives of poor believers in the parish.They even team up with cruel officials, arrogant lords, and usurers who are good at knocking bones and sucking marrow to oppress these people and extract bloody religious taxes from them.

There are too many things like this to enumerate, but the senior management of Guangyao Temple seems to be happy to see it happen.Whichever diocese pays more generous religious taxes, the regional bishop of that diocese will be rewarded, and whichever diocese collects taxes poorly, the regional bishop in charge will either be severely reprimanded or simply deprived of his teaching post.Cardinal St. Belikov has lost count of how many times he has severely criticized this practice. However, with the acquiescence of His Majesty the Pope, his criticisms always have no real effect, or for a period of time, some people Some regional bishops who were excessively oppressing believers restrained a little, but as soon as the situation subsided, those people intensified the exploitation of believers.

Such a regional bishop...can really devote himself to spreading the gospel of the Lord of Radiance?
Cardinal St. Belikov shook his head wearily.He is very clear about his views on these people. The reputation of the Temple of Glory is being corrupted by their greed, and the light of the Lord of Glory, Flandara, is being eroded by their shamelessness. Only with members who can be saved, the Temple of Glory can be reborn and become a powerful organization that is full of vitality and stands at the pinnacle of the mainland.

By that time, how much threat can a mere Arthur Kingdom bring?
"Whether the things described in this letter are true or not, I should take action." St. Belikov told himself in a stern tone, then rolled up the silver letter paper and stuffed it inside the cardinal's robe chest inside the dark pocket.This letter was written by the biggest traitor in the Temple of Glory, and it was filled with unconfirmed conjectures, so it must not be discovered by others. "It's not because the contents of the letter have shaken my heart, but as a humble believer in the Lord of Radiance, I must figure out what caused the character of His Majesty Pope Nicholas to undergo such a drastic change."

"But before that, I must have a good rest, my energy must be restored to fullness, and my faith must be strengthened, so that I can be sure to successfully perform the magic spell that cannot make a single mistake."

Cardinal St. Belikov told himself this, and then staggered to the bedside.He had originally thought that the confusion of thoughts would make it difficult for him to fall asleep, but perhaps it was because he was too tired during this time, the cardinal who had already decided what to do, fell into a dark and sweet sleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

By the time Cardinal St. Belikov opened his eyes again, the light entering the room through the window was already quite dim.He got up as fast as an old man could do, walked quickly to the window, and then breathed a sigh of relief—the western sky was burning like a sea of ​​​​fire.

"Fortunately, I didn't oversleep. Judging from the sky, there is still a short period of time before evening prayers, which can be used to cast this magical spell." Cardinal St. Belikov lit the candles on the candlestick for illumination, Then, a very secret drawer was opened under the desk.

This drawer is full of various exquisite religious utensils, and from the appearance, not all of them belong to the worship of the Lord of Radiance.Cardinal St. Belikov found a small sheepskin bag from the drawer. The mouth of the bag was tightly tied with a string, and a vivid blood-red eye was painted on the bottom.

"The Eye of Moti... an evil thing created by a certain crazy alchemist, which can ignore all magic, supernatural powers and magic spells, and see anything that is deliberately hidden." Cardinal St. Belikov The expression on his face looked a little ugly, he hesitated for a few minutes, and then he untied the bag with the slightest movement, and then poured out a ruby ​​the size of a fist inside.

This ruby ​​is pure and flawless, and is invaluable. Thousands of sections have been polished by craftsmen skillfully. Even if it is inlaid on the crown of the lord of a country, it can be called extravagant.However, the value of the material is only the most insignificant among the many values ​​of Moti's Eye. This alchemy gem has an extremely powerful power to disturb the spirit. Illusion of phagocytosis divided by red cross section.

Cardinal St. Belikov lightly touched the surface of Moti's Eye with his fingers, and the ruby ​​shook slightly in his palm, and a flash of iridescent light suddenly flashed, which intensified the strange feeling of devouring the soul dozens of times.This light caused St. Belikov to lose his mind for a few seconds, and then the cardinal came to his senses, took a breath of air in horror, and almost threw the Eye of Morte on the ground.

"My lord of glory, Flandala, this is really an evil alchemical creation!" Cardinal St. Belikov said to himself, "But I want to use the ninth energy level of Flandala's gaze. Without the cooperation of the Eye of Moti, it would be half the effort... I must use it again to determine whether His Majesty the Pope..."

Cardinal St. Belikov choked up in pain. He couldn't imagine what he should do if what was written on the silver letter paper was true... Perhaps the reason why Nemok left the Temple of Glory and set up a new branch of Guangyao Protestant justification for this?St. Byelikov involuntarily covered his face with his hands. These thoughts were so terrible that he almost wanted to cry.

The red light of the western sky is slowly fading, the evening has come, and in one hour's time, it will be time for the bell to ring for the Evening Prayer in the Temple of Radiance.Remembering that he had ordered the Captain of the Guardian Knights to wake himself up at that time, Cardinal St. Belikov knew that he could not continue to delay the time, so he took a last look at the desktop.Spread out a piece of sheepskin painted with countless complex talismans on the table, five candles are burning on the bronze candlestick, gem shards sprinkle the lines of positive hexagrams along the candlestick and the sheepskin, the Eye of Morte is at hand——cast The preparations for the magic spell are all done.

There is no longer an excuse to procrastinate.Cardinal St. Belikov thought silently, then slowly raised his hands and folded them in front of his chest.

There was a pious religious prayer in the room.

Just when Cardinal St. Belikov was performing divine magic and was about to find out the reason for His Majesty Pope Nicholas's personality change, on the top of the Holy Mountain, His Majesty the Glorious Pope Nicholas St. Huaiyuan suddenly walked out He stood up on the undecorated white holy seat, with a stiff expression, and a black-red light flashed in his eyes.

"Someone... is spying on us..." His Majesty's lips parted slightly, and an indistinct voice came out from between his teeth. level...Among the high-ranking priests in the Temple of Glory, there are only two who can do it...then...is it Belikov? Or Bogdan?"

His Majesty the Pope then made a few gestures towards a crystal ball beside him. Under the humming of an unfamiliar language with a strange accent, the crystal ball suddenly changed from crystal clear to opaque black. It looked like it was scorched black by the flames.

"It's not... Bogdan." His Majesty the Pope frowned and waved his fingers again. This time, the changes produced by the crystal ball were even more powerful. With a burst of dazzling light, Cardinal St. Belikov appeared on the surface of the crystal ball The bishop's room, and the figure of the cardinal who was performing magic.

"What a pity." His Majesty the Pope muttered to himself, "Belikov...has a firmer belief than anyone else, and has an upright personality. He has great prestige in the temple..." He raised his hand lightly. One finger, and then overlap it with the figure of Cardinal St. Belikov in the crystal ball, "I really don't want it to be you... because I respect your personality and admire your ability... "

Before the words fell to the ground, His Majesty Pope Nicholas suddenly grabbed the finger with the other hand, and severely broke the first knuckle. Bai Shengsheng's bones pierced the skin, and a large stream of blood immediately rushed out, staining it red. His Majesty the Pope's entire left hand.

In the crystal ball, Cardinal St. Belikov's head was suddenly twisted backward at a terrible angle, and then snapped off from the middle of his neck. The angle and posture coincided with the finger that His Majesty broke off by himself!

(End of this chapter)