Blood Assimilation

Without waiting for Holy Knight Randy to reply, the Pope changed the topic and said: "Now, let us discuss a plan to deal with Cardinal Juke. It is clear that he is unfit to hold his position in the Church any longer. As you suggested, the only way to maintain the honor of the Church would be to demote him from his position as Head of Cardinals."

The Pope turned around, slowly walked back, and sat on his throne with an impassive expression. His demeanor was no longer amicable; he now wore a stern expression on his face.

Holy Knight Randy nodded in agreement and carefully suggested: "I have thought of a plan, Your Holiness."

"Oh?" 

The Pope became interested and gestured for him to continue, saying: "Do enlighten me, my son."

Holy Knight Randy responded: "I suggest we gather evidence of Cardinal Juke's wrongdoings, including his blackmail of me, and present it to the Council of Cardinals."

"That could be a viable approach." 

The Pope agreed after a short deliberation. He added: "We need to ensure that the truth comes to light and that justice is served accordingly."

"Yes, Your Holiness." Holy Knight Randy replied.

With an impassioned demeanor, Holy Knight Randy declared: "With your guidance, I will do everything in my power to expose Cardinal Juke's actions and bring him to accountability."

The Pope nodded in appreciation and said: "I have complete faith in you, my son. You have already proven yourself to be a true warrior of the faith. Therefore, I shall leave this matter in your hands."

Holy Knight Randy bowed gratefully once again, determined and resolute. He said: "Thank you, Your Holiness. I shall not disappoint your trust."

The Pope smiled warmly, and the two of them continued to discuss the details of their secret plan, engrossed in conversation.

…

A day later.

In the Imperial City, at the Holy Church of Light's Sacred Building. 

Cardinal Juke received a message from the Supreme Pontiff of their Church. As he read the contents of the message, he became anxious, wondering what the Pope wanted from him. The short notice informed him that the Pope would come later to inspect the Church in the Imperial City. However, the Pope did not specify the day or time of his arrival, leaving Cardinal Juke with no choice but to stay in the Sacred Building all day, even though he had other matters to attend to outside of the building.

Originally, Cardinal Juke had planned to meet the Pope and share his findings about the Vampire Queen. However, he wanted to gather more information, such as the accurate location of the Vampire Queen's hideout, before doing so. Despite secretly deploying the Holy Knights to the Meistic Forest, he had not been able to obtain the location of the Vampire Queen.

"Zolat Grant... That useless piece of shit!" Cardinal Juke muttered in frustration. 

"He spent all that time in the Meistic Forest, and now he's claiming he found nothing? Who does he think he's fooling? If he didn't find anything, he should have just died there. But now, I need him alive since he failed to discover the Vampire Queen's hideout. Moreover, there's a chance he's plotting something behind my back. Damn it, at this rate, I'll need to find an alternate method to increase my status in the Church. With a higher status, I can avoid participating in the upcoming war and live a life of luxury without worries."

With an expression that constantly changed between anger, frustration, and jealousy, Cardinal Juke paced back and forth, deep in thought about his encounter with Zolat Grant a few days ago. He sensed something fundamentally different about him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Lost in his thoughts, Cardinal Juke murmured in envy: "The Pope sure has it easy. The title of Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Church of Light is not just for show. He only needs to give orders and sit back, using the excuse that he's protecting the Church while we risk our lives in the war. If I could be his right-hand man, I wouldn't have to put my life on the line in future battles."

As Cardinal Juke was lost in his musings, Holy Knight Randy, who had returned, entered the Sacred Building, immediately triggering the magical formation of the building. In a flash of light, Cardinal Juke disappeared from his room on the second floor.

…

Inside a dimly lit nave, adorned with religious artifacts and symbols, Holy Knight Randy stood below the chancel, his expression weary. Removing his helmet, he held it by his side as he took a deep breath, looking as though he had just returned from an arduous journey.

At that moment, Cardinal Juke suddenly appeared on the elevated chancel. Upon seeing the arrival of 'Zolat Grant', his face contorted in anger and he shouted: "You've returned so soon, Sir Grant?! Did you even leave the Imperial City?!"

Holy Knight Randy stood confidently before Cardinal Juke, who wore a stern expression. Sincerely, he replied: "I assure you, Your Eminence. I have made the journey and conducted my investigations diligently before returning."

Cardinal Juke clenched his fists, clearly not convinced by Holy Knight Randy's response. 

"Don't play games with me! I know you're lying! It's hard to believe you could have accomplished the task I assigned you in such a short time!" He shouted.

With a calm demeanor, Holy Knight Randy began to respond, saying: "I understand your doubts, Cardinal. But I—"

"Enough!" Cardinal Juke interrupted. 

Watching the calm expression on Holy Knight Randy's face as he spoke only fueled Cardinal Juke's frustration, causing his anger to bubble to the surface. He didn't allow Holy Knight Randy to finish his response before angrily saying: "Don't lie to me, Zolat! You left just three days ago. It's impossible for you to have traveled to the Meistic Forest and completed your task within that time frame. There's simply not enough time to search the entire forest, so why did you return so quickly?"

He continued: "Even if you used the teleportation formations in the teleportation stations, it would still take at least a week to return. And factoring in the time it would take to search the forest's periphery at the fastest pace, you're still too early. In other words, you're lying, as you have not fulfilled your assignment, Zolat."

Holy Knight Randy raised an eyebrow at Cardinal Juke's accusations, feigning innocence. 

In the next moment, he scowled, his face displaying slight displeasure, before defiantly stating: "I understand your skepticism, but I speak the truth! I have completed my mission as instructed. I only decided to return when I was certain that there was no lair of a Vampire Queen, as you claimed."

As the tension in the room grew palpable, Cardinal Juke and Holy Knight Randy engaged in a heated exchange, with Holy Knight Randy maintaining an unwavering gaze, confident in his statement. Meanwhile, Cardinal Juke refused to believe his words.

"Enough with your lies!" 

Cardinal Juke became increasingly exasperated, his voice rising as he pointed at Holy Knight Randy. 

"You dare mock me? And what's with that look on your face?! I will not tolerate this insolence as a Cardinal of the Holy Church of Light!" He stated angrily.

Hearing Cardinal Juke's words, Holy Knight Randy relaxed his expression and calmly responded: "My apologies, Your Eminence, but I have indeed completed my journey to the Meistic Forest in the North. However, I found nothing of significance in that forest despite extensive searching with the aid of the Dungeon Hunters in Alpheotus City."

Just as the tension in the room was about to reach its peak, the gate of the Sacred Building suddenly burst open, revealing multiple figures elegantly walking in, their long white robes fluttering behind them. It was the Pope, accompanied by the Council of Cardinals of the Holy Church of Light. They entered the chamber of the Sacred Building, their expressions grave and stern.

As soon as they entered the hall, the Pope's piercing gaze fell upon Cardinal Juke, causing him to involuntarily tremble. Taking in the unfolding scene, the Pope frowned and sternly asked: "What is the meaning of this commotion, Cardinal Juke?"

Feeling the weight of the piercing gaze, Cardinal Juke stammered, struggling to find the right words. He trembled and broke out in a cold sweat under the Pope's penetrating gaze that seemed to see right through him.

Cardinal Juke paled as he realized the gravity of the situation. After a few moments of hesitation, he nervously attempted to explain himself. After some thought, he managed to say: "Your Holiness, I... Holy Knight Captain Grant failed to fulfill his duty of protecting the villagers in a certain village in the north. I was only reprimanding him for his negligence."

The Pope's frown deepened, his eyes still fixed on Cardinal Juke. With a hint of coldness, he uttered: "Is that so, Cardinal Juke? And what led you to believe that Holy Knight Captain Grant was negligent in his duty? I find it hard to believe that you would act in such a manner without proper justification. Therefore, enlighten me."

Cardinal Juke's face paled, sensing that something was not right, but he managed to maintain a minimum level of composure to reply to the Pope's queries. Stammering, he responded: "I... I received reports, Your Holiness. Reports that the villagers were left unprotected... It was a sacred mission—"

The Pope's piercing gaze intensified, silencing Cardinal Juke, who still had much to say. The Pope looked at him suspiciously and questioned: "I don't recall any sacred mission being assigned by me recently. If it was indeed a sacred mission, as you claim, then why do I have no recollection of it? Isn't that strange, Cardinal Juke?"

"T-That was because this was an old mission that remained incomplete—"

Before Cardinal Juke could continue his explanation, the Pope abruptly raised his hand, silencing him.