“Big Brother, are we really going to ask these clergy for help?”
Kaiso sat in the carriage, somewhat confused.
“Mm, of course. These clergy are an extremely important force within the Empire. As things stand, they haven’t taken a side with Second Brother yet. We must make contact with the clergy before Second Brother makes his move.” Soren replied affirmatively.
“Big Brother, what you said makes sense. I’ll listen to you!”
Kaiso trusted his elder brother completely.
In truth, among the heirs, Soren was an outstanding existence.
In his eyes, Soren far surpassed their second brother.
Unfortunately, their two brothers’ mother was not favored by their father.
There had always been conflict, which meant the two brothers also received no affection.
If their father had placed the favoritism he showed toward Second Brother onto Big Brother instead, why would they need to do these things in secret?
The carriage stopped.
Soren opened the door and jumped down.
“Third Brother, let’s go.”
Kaiso followed closely behind.
Unlike their usual high-profile, lavishly dressed outings, at this moment the two brothers were in disguise.
They had not brought any guards either.
They were very low-key.
To others, they looked no different from ordinary believers.
The two walked into an unremarkable church.
“These people…?”
Kaiso saw the Holy Knights inside the church and felt his heart tighten.
These Holy Knights were all armed.
They seemed to have been waiting in the church for a long time.
After the brothers entered, their gazes all turned toward them in unison.
Kaiso felt an invisible pressure pressing down on him.
As the Third Prince of the Empire, being looked at like this made him want to lash out.
However, Soren held him back.
Facing the gazes of the Holy Knights, Soren showed no fear on his face.
He acted as if he didn’t see them and strode forward with large steps.
He arrived at the center of the church.
An elderly man in holy robes holding a staff stood before the statue of the deity.
He lowered his head as if in prayer.
Light filtered through the stained glass and fell upon him, making the scene appear extremely sacred.
“Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope.”
Upon hearing the voice, Altes raised his head.
Soren politely bowed to Altes.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“So it’s the First Prince who has come.”
“Mm.”
“The First Prince? Hehe.” Soren gave a bitter smile. “That’s how others see it. However, it won’t be long before I become a dead man.”
“First Prince, you didn’t bring any guards with you? This is quite dangerous. If someone with ill intentions notices, it would be troublesome.”
“Your Holiness, to show my sincerity, I only brought my younger brother here. As I said, this is a very important matter I wish to discuss with you.” Soren spoke seriously.
“…First Prince, I greatly admire your courage.”
Altes waved his hand.
The armed Holy Knights all left.
From the corner of his eye, Soren noticed that someone was still standing in a corner of the church.
They had not left with the other Holy Knights.
He wasn’t entirely sure who this person was.
However, he still focused his attention on Altes.
“First Prince, what exactly is the matter that requires you to see this old fogey?” Altes revealed a kindly smile. “If you need the Holy Land to do something, you could have simply had your father send someone over. A single word would have sufficed.”
“My father…”
Soren’s gaze shifted.
He was silent for a moment before looking directly at Altes and speaking.
“Your Holiness, perhaps very soon, I will no longer be a prince.”
“I have always followed my father’s teachings and devoted myself to the Empire and the people. It’s just a pity that Father still favors Second Brother far too much.”
“Prince Damian?! What do you think of him?”
“Honestly speaking, Second Prince is a very outstanding heir. He has excellent abilities, acts decisively, and possesses outstanding leadership. It’s just a pity…” Altes sighed. “He doesn’t seem to like the clergy very much. He also doesn’t show enough respect toward the gods.”
Soren caught the key information.
His pupils shrank abruptly.
He already had a clear understanding in his heart.
“If, Your Holiness… I mean, if Father passes the throne to Damian in the future, what do you think will happen?”
“I think that if Prince Damian becomes emperor, he might make the Saint Luo Empire even stronger. However, at that time, there probably won’t be much of a place for our Holy Land within the Empire.” Altes revealed a regretful expression.
“Your Holiness, I came here precisely because of this matter. To be honest, Father plans to abandon me and Third Brother and place the Empire’s future on Second Brother.”
“Oh? There’s such a thing?”
“Yes. Father gives all the good things to Second Brother. He even lets Second Brother lead troops to suppress deliberately incited rebellions to build prestige and constantly sidelines Big Brother! If this continues, all the ministers will side with him. This is all deliberately done by Father!” Kaiso said anxiously.
“Alas, First Prince, I deeply sympathize with your situation. However, this is an internal matter of your imperial family. We of the Holy Land are powerless to help.” Altes sighed.
“Your Holiness, we need your help very much right now.”
“There is nothing we can do.”
“I have long heard that the Holy Land’s Holy Knights possess extraordinary combat capabilities. Although they do not participate in conflicts between nations, the combat strength of the Holy Knights absolutely surpasses that of ordinary armies!”
“Our Holy Knights only fight to resist evil,” Altes paused. “We maintain good relations with the Emperor and cannot interfere in internal imperial family affairs.”
“Rather than letting the Holy Land become the state religion of our Saint Luo Empire?” Soren threw out an explosive statement.
“What?” Altes was somewhat surprised.
“I can say with certainty that the cooperative relationship between the imperial family and the Holy Land will end once Damian ascends the throne. However, if I can obtain the support of the Holy Land, after I inherit the throne, I will make the Holy Land the sole religion of our Saint Luo Empire… Strictly speaking, the only religion of the human race!” Soren offered an incredibly tempting condition.
Kaiso was very surprised.
His elder brother had actually used this method to seek the Holy Land’s assistance.
This time, the one who fell silent was Altes.
“Your Holiness, you are a smart person. You should know that only I would offer such a condition. Whether it’s Father, Second Brother, or any other heir, none of them would make this kind of promise,” Soren reminded him. “I am different from the others. I can tie my own fate together with that of the Holy Land.”
“I didn’t misjudge you, First Prince,” Altes revealed a satisfied expression. “Then let the Holy Land assist you in becoming the true heir to the Empire.”
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