### Chapter 111: The Meeting (Part 2)
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
The conference room fell into an eerie silence, where even a pin drop could be heard. The only sounds were the faint breaths and the “clatter” of the lady cleaning up shattered ceramics. The commander named Annie quickly called in two soldiers to sweep the floor clean, and the two soldiers entered looking as if they were sensing something was off. They worked with lightning speed, barely daring to breathe and almost fleeing as they rushed out.
“… Anseier.”
Once the cleaning soldiers left, Annie helped the lady settle back beside Duke Skarlick. Queen Elizabeth, the first to break the silence, stared across the round table at the elderly man who looked as if he regretted speaking out. Her gaze was lazy but sharper than a sword, and in a calm, icy tone, she slowly said, “Don’t casually mention her name…”
That voice, clear like a lingering flower in a quiet valley, gave an immediate chilling sensation, as if one had just fallen into an icy cave.
“You are unworthy.”
Accompanied by those frosty, unsparing words, the dazzling golden eyes, radiant like the sun, deeply pierced the old pope’s face.
The old man realized that, in that moment, the young queen from Ethanbel, who wielded immense power, had clearly entertained thoughts of m*rder against him.
People like her could have easily masked such murderous intent. If not necessary, she’d have no need to manifest such feelings towards someone as prestigious as him — the archbishop of the Holy Church, highly regarded among common folk, just a step away from being promoted to cardinal.
There was no sense in making a display of such intentions over a girl who was long gone — it wouldn’t benefit her in any way.
And yet, she still did it…
Her Majesty was making her stance clear to him, and the old pope understood this.
So…
Why?
A fleeting moment of confusion crossed Anseier’s eyes, and he suddenly realized he was hesitant to meet the gaze of the queen, who, in his eyes, was still just a little girl. In fact, even Duke Skarlick beside her seemed much more comfortable than her — the old pope gathered that was an act since the duke was likely nursing a grudge against him, along with his lady and the other generals he had brought to the meeting—great, that was exactly the outcome the old man desired.
“… Her Majesty reminds me.”
Anseier, a man who had weathered many storms, quickly suppressed the flicker of panic and anger rising within him. He rubbed his wrinkled face and, when he looked up again, his expression became more natural. He intended to smile to ease the tension but ended up coughing instead, weakly saying, “I guess I’m getting old…”
“I haven’t been well these past years, my eyesight is failing, my mind’s muddled, cough cough… I often say things that offend others, and I occasionally lean on my age… indeed, my sparse contributions throughout my life can’t possibly compare to Miss Silvya’s; she’s a hero, while I am nothing…”
He intended to wax emotional and genuinely praise the deceased “patient” before continuing to fan the flames — the more fervently he did, the easier it would be to execute the following plans. As he pondered over the upcoming lines, Her Majesty interrupted him again.
“You really are getting old.”
This young queen, renowned throughout West Continent and radiating beauty, stared at him with her bright eyes, half mocking and half indifferent, her tone like a teacher scolding a naughty student, and looked at him as if he were a fool: “I just said, don’t casually mention her name… can you not remember?”
“……”
The old pope was suddenly left dumbfounded.
Awkward…
Angry.
Every emotion he felt threatened to boil over in that moment.
He seemed to have not experienced such humiliation in a long time…
Being called out by a mere girl in front of so many people, leaving him without an ounce of dignity.
Once her words were out, the uncomfortable atmosphere flooded everyone’s faces and hearts. The Commander of the Fourth Knights stood frozen, while the vice-captain beside him flushed in an ugly mix of colors. Even the representatives from Winter City looked stunned, and Firebird Annie, who had just helped the lady and was about to take a seat, nearly toppled her chair, and two seconds later, a boisterous commander from Erin Castle couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
The harsh laughter ignited a powder keg; first, the slender vice-captain slammed the table, standing up with a grim expression, his hand instinctively reaching out, wanting to point at Queen Ethanbel, but for some reason, after locking eyes with her cold gaze, he turned his finger toward that boisterous commander and started cursing him instead.
“d*mn it, I’ve had enough of you, you filthy Northern brute—”
The boisterous commander shot back, eyes wide: “Bullcrap! If you don’t like it, step outside for a one-on-one! I could take down ten of you in no time!”
“d*mn it—”
“The King of the North, you’ve really pushed it!”
“Shut up…”
“I’ve said it before, these people are impossible to deal with. It’s a waste of time to negotiate with them! The Fourth Knights? What good can you do at Moon Mountain Gorge! Just a handful of you, if we wanted, we could wipe you out in a heartbeat—”
“What!? Does Winter City dare defy the Church, defy the Pope’s orders? You want to d*e!!”
“Better to d*e a step later than you—”
“I said, everyone shut up!”
“Stop the noise.”
With a crash, Duke Skarlick slammed his teacup on the floor. Old Pope Anseier, bracing himself on his cane, stood up, his golden eyes flashing slightly as he shot a sidelong glance at the vice-captain and the group of clergy members shouting across from him. Meanwhile, seeing their master genuinely lose it, even the Northern factions who were still upset chose to silence themselves at this critical moment.
“This is… heh.”
The raucous scene in the vast conference room quickly returned to calm as both sides reclaimed their seats, some standing slowly retreating to their places, while Old Pope Anseier smiled cheerfully, first nodding to his people, saying, “Take the vice-captain out to rest,” then turning back, casting a meaningful glance at that scheming little blonde girl named Elizabeth.
“I just thought of something… I really can’t figure out how I offended Her Majesty; after all, we’ve never had any animosities, right? Ah, my mind is really not working well… cough cough… or perhaps, Your Majesty is just trying to find any excuse to meddle in this war?”
He paused for a moment, observing Elizabeth’s reaction while continuing, “If that’s the case, then this old man… I must give you a gentle reminder. You’re still too young…”
At this point, Old Anseier had already regained his composure, still speaking with the same light, frail tone, his amiable demeanor making it hard to stir up emotions. After saying this, he leaned back on his cane and trembled back to his seat: “It’s not that I intend to make things difficult for anyone here, it’s just that the pope’s resolution is set, and even if you wear your lips thin arguing with me here, it will be of no use… Your Majesty, I don’t care what plots you have in mind behind the scenes, I’ll advise you — think about how many people in Ethanbel Palace will actually support you…”
“My position has been made clear to you.”
Queen Elizabeth remained firmly seated, still donning that serene demeanor, gradually leaning back against her chair, appearing a bit fatigued, wanting to close her eyes again: “Two years ago, I signed an agreement with Emperor Keynes, and since he broke it first, I’m here now. I will withdraw my troops from Baihao City only when the debts owed to Royal City are repaid.”
“Your Majesty… you’re being unreasonable. Given the current situation, how could you not understand with your wisdom? As long as a day goes by with the city surrounded, this money will never be gathered from the royal palace… the more you surround them, the less likely they’ll give it up…”
“That’s not my concern.”
“Shall I make a guarantee for you? I swear in the name of the gods, if you can convince Duke Skarlick to start withdrawing troops from Baihao City tomorrow, we can prioritize part of that debt you’re owed by Chielis City to be repaid through the Currency Exchange…”
“I said, that’s not my problem.”
“Lord Anseier.”
After a while of silence, Duke Skarlick finally spoke up, his voice deep.
“I’ve had someone analyze the new tax proposal from the Church. I understand your intention to urgently address the issues in Silgaya, but may I ask if the person who drafted this proposal considered how many families among the Empire’s citizens can afford this high tax rate?”
“Rest assured, I had earlier communicated with Emperor Keynes. He assured me that the citizens of the Empire would not stand idly by while the West Continent is in trouble. They can accept it…”
“Heh… you might want to ask those citizens of Chielis City about that… after all, it’s them who have to cough up real coins, not you, Keynes, or us… Also, I’m just asking casually, no need to mind… if this tax is indeed collected later, who will manage its distribution? How can you assure that the funds will reach those truly in need?”
“… Duke, are you questioning the Church?”
“No, no, I’m not questioning anyone… I’m just somewhat distrustful of the current Currency Exchange. To put it plainly, that emerging family, Rossius… us Northerners don’t really trust them.”
“Lord Anseier, Captain Selamus, you two are both reasonable and upright individuals, and our common goal has always been the same; we all wish to end this war as soon as possible, but our ideas on how to end it differ… fundamentally, it’s all due to mutual distrust.”
“You have your difficulties, and we have ours, yet we do not wish for the situation to escalate any further. I called my subordinates here today so they could hear and see what exactly has caused this war, which should have ended long ago, to drag on to this day… why we have yet to breach the royal palace, while at the same time, I hope the Church can see our stance.”
“And now, I believe you see clearly our stance… the royal city must be taken, yet we do not wish to conflict with the Church. The North will not agree to the implementation of the new tax proposals within the Empire, but I, on my personal behalf, and on behalf of Winter City, can assure you…”
“After the war, our Winter Moon family will do everything in our power to support the reconstruction efforts in the disaster-stricken areas of Silgaya. Those who remain homeless and starving, if the Emerald Capital truly can’t handle it, I will organize the Shanter Army to share the burdens with the King, sending the remaining refugees to the Empire, to Winter City…”
“Duke, you… are being unreasonable…”
This meeting ultimately ended on an unhappy note.
