### Chapter 131: Aftermath (Part 2)
As night deepened, a series of booming shouts echoed from the tower on the east side of the camp.
“…Can you count? It’s been how many months since April? The food supply issue, the transportation logistics—nothing has been resolved! How many people in the city are waiting with their mouths wide open for food? You guys came here in droves—what on earth have you been doing these past few days, huh?”
Pope Angel sat in a chair with his hair resembling a bird’s nest. He pointed down at the silent members of the Williams Chamber of Commerce, the branch manager of the Currency Exchange, the Republic’s emissaries, and the secretary, narrowing his eyes to unleash a stern reprimand.
“What have you investigated regarding the Williams Chamber of Commerce? After this long, have you unearthed anything? Were you able to find out which farmers are hoarding food and jacking up prices, or who took the church’s supplies? Speak up!”
Slap!
The Pope slammed his fist down on the armrest, springing to his feet and startling the people below, who jumped in unison, exchanging nervous glances. Nobody dared to speak first, fearing they’d invoke his wrath.
Angel glared at them for a moment, took a deep breath, and then burst out laughing, pointing at them one by one, his tone shifting to calmness: “When we were in the Royal City, you said news was cut off and that the situation here was unclear, making it hard to handle things. Fine, I let you tag along. I won’t meddle in the Chamber’s or Currency Exchange’s affairs; I’ll leave it to you to sort them out on your own. I’ll just look at the results.”
“Where are the results you owe me now?”
His calm retort thickened the air in the tower with tension. The Chamber members didn’t dare speak, and the Republic’s emissaries were certainly not about to jump in at this moment. Everyone understood; this young Pope had probably been boiling with rage inside for quite some time and wouldn’t be interested in their excuses now.
“The Republic’s southern region is plagued by floods, with bandits running rampant, and you tell me transporting goods is perilous while the merchants in Silgaya are too scared for their lives. Organizing everything has proven quite difficult. Then, before long, those heretics came charging in, pillaging and razing countless villages, making farmers and merchants too afraid to approach. And now you think things are even more challenging.”
“While you’ve been dragging your feet, feeling like this is too hard or that is too hard, thinking we should take our time, how many starving civilians in the southern regions have died? How many knights holding the front lines have fallen?”
“They died still hungry.”
Angel stood in front of them, hands clasped behind his back, a sardonic smile on his face as he swept his gaze across their faces. With suppressed calmness, he articulated, “The church’s brave warriors stood against the fiercest enemies, their lives creating a bulwark for you. They died while you lived. Do you think that’s a difficult situation?”
Without waiting for a response, Angel scoffed: “Oh, I bet you don’t think about that. You folks hiding in the back see time pressing, the situation complicated. This won’t work, that won’t work. When you can’t do something, you just make excuses, feeling all put-upon, without ever considering the grounds that they are suffering on. After all, it’s not you who’s starving.”
“Now that the warriors have won the battle, paying with their bl**d, the rain has stopped, those heretics are dead or fleeing, the most significant issue has been resolved. But the people in the city are still starving… Look, there’s just this one little problem left. Yet you come running to tell me it’s still complicated.”
He stepped around a few paces, muttering “complicated” to himself, tugging at his hair, about to turn when he suddenly halted, stared at the cowering crowd, and exclaimed, “It’s been four months! How many have died? Have you even counted?!”
“Dare to tell me the real number?!!”
That furious bellow sent a chill down everyone’s spine, throwing them into a state of panic.
Up until this point, they had never witnessed the Pope fly off the handle like this. Some were even meeting him for the first time today. This young Pope, who usually seemed somewhat laid-back, now oozed an intimidating authority with his furious demeanor, startling them all.
The younger ones were too shocked to move, their legs weak, just barely managing to stand. The older and more seasoned foxes from the Currency Exchange, though they might have been stewing internally, held their tongues, not daring to utter a word amidst the brewing storm.
Pope Angel glared at them for what felt like an eternity, his gaze sharp like a kn*fe, and no one dared return his stare. Everyone bowed their heads, shrinking back in fear.
After a moment, he broke into a smile again.
“Fine, if you can’t handle it, then I’ll take care of it.”
The blonde man waved his finger in the air, gesturing to a few people from the Chamber of Commerce standing at the front, and pointed directly at the elder in the center with a severed arm, slowly speaking.
“As the responsible parties for food recruitment and transportation from the Williams Chamber and St. George’s Currency Exchange, you outstanding merchants have not only failed to ensure smooth supply routes but have also lost military supplies destined for the Mosli Coast, directly leading to the Third Knights Order’s defeat, allowing heretics to invade this land, plundering and causing chaos… For this, you five shall bear full responsibility.”
As soon as the words were out, someone fell to their knees, panicking and shouting, “Pope!—”
“Don’t interrupt.”
Angel cut him off forcefully, not giving him a chance to speak: “You all had nothing to say earlier; now’s not the time to start.”
Then, he turned his gaze toward the silent Republic emissary standing on the other side: “When Alectine City was in peril, the temporary city chose to remain idle, looking after themselves. Now that the crisis has passed, why do they continue to keep their gates shut? Are they afraid of the fleeing heretics?”
“Well then, Ambassador Wetherill, please go and inform them not to wait for the heretics to strike. In three days, if they don’t open the gates and release the supplies, I will personally lead a force to smash down their gates.”
The emissary lifted his gaze: “Pope, about the temporary city…”
“Don’t look for excuses again.” Angel interrupted him sternly, “Because of your problems, the victorious First Knights Order has had to share their remaining rations. Whatever you have to say, you take it to them and those they risked their lives to save, and see if they want to listen to your excuses.”
“Knights!”
Angel shouted towards the door, summoning a few Golden Armored Knights inside. He pointed at the pale-faced members of the Chamber of Commerce and calmly instructed, “Take them away.”
At that moment, the elder with the severed arm, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: “Pope!”
The old man’s lips trembled, his body shook uncontrollably. Yet when Angel turned his gaze upon him, the elder stood firm, meeting the sharp glare without flinching, then revealing a tragic smile after a moment.
“Fine… If it must be this way, then so be it…”
“Take him away.”
…………
Night wore on deeper.
As the last of the crowd trickled out of the tower, Angel plopped back into his chair, rubbing his forehead with a soft sigh: “Really… achievement not enough, but mischief overflowing…”
“A bunch of useless fools.”
Not long after, several bl**d-covered knights entered the tower, dropping to one knee before Angel.
“Pope, the cleaning up in the city is almost complete. Most of the mice have been found and dealt with, including a few fierce ones we’ve broken their limbs. They’re now locked up with the Faith Organization, being interrogated by Lord Isaac. How do you want to proceed?”
“Let Isaac handle it.”
Angel waved his hand, a touch impatiently cutting off the knight: “Whether he gets results or not, in one hour, drag them all to the city walls and execute them for the public to see.”
“Understood.”
“And about the jester, whether he’s here or not, no information leaks.”
“Yes…”
After the knights left, Angel was left alone in the massive tower.
Firelight flickered against the walls, casting sharp shadows on the man’s chiseled face. Angel gazed into the flickering glow, falling silent with thoughtful, narrowed eyes.
The surroundings were eerily quiet.
Only the sound of his fingers tapping rhythmically on the wooden armrest could be heard—tap, tap, tap…
