Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 430: The Pope’s Meeting

TL: Etude Translations

The Golden Dome Temple, located right in the heart of the City of Light, is a cluster of buildings housing most of the central institutions of the Holy See, such as the College of Cardinals, the Gospel Institute, the Council of the Holy See, and the Court of Religious Tribunal, among others.

Within the sanctuary resides the most important figure of the entire Church of Light – His Holiness, the Pope.

The current Pope, Harrington II, has been in this position for twelve years and is seventy-three years old.

At the moment, the Pope was in his residence, receiving a report on the situation in Horn Bay. The meeting was attended by many high-ranking officials.

“Armed conflicts have broken out several times since last year in the border areas of the two factions.”

“The situation shows no signs of easing, with the contradictions between both sides growing ever larger.”

The head of the Court of Religious Tribunal, Turs, a man in his forties and also the head of kntelligence of the Holy See, expressed his helplessness with a spread of his hands to the Pope.

Pope Harrington II, with a headache, turned to Bishop Bloom, responsible for diplomatic affairs, and asked, “Have we received any news from the envoys we sent?”

Bishop Bloom coughed awkwardly and replied, “We just got a reply saying that neither side wants to give in. Elvis thinks we are too lenient towards heretics, while Fort Ness believes we are too biased towards the Horn Bay Church.”

Pope Harrington II shook his head in dismay at the complicated situation.

Turs, looking worried, said, “Reliable intelligence indicates that both sides are mobilizing their armies in preparation for a possible large-scale war.”

The Pope, somewhat annoyed, said, “How did the situation in Horn Bay become like this?”

Bishop Bloom softly voiced his opinion, “As a clergyman, Elvis’s faith in the Heavenly Father is unquestionable, but as a regional archbishop, he is… not very flexible or adaptable.”

Pope Harrington II, frustrated, asked, “Who was it that pushed him to the position of regional archbishop?”

Everyone exchanged glances, silently choosing to remain silent.

Ah, the Pope is getting old and his memory is failing.

Seeing no one responding, Pope Harrington II pointed at himself, surprised, “Ah? Was it me?”

To spare His Holiness any embarrassment, Bishop Bloom quickly said, “At the time, Elvis was an outstanding candidate in every aspect – devout, just, and chaste, making him the obvious choice for regional archbishop.”

Head Turs muttered under his breath, unheard by others, “And the most rational among a bunch of lunatics.”

Bishop Bloom continued, “It was Antony who went to Horn Bay for the assessment at that time, so the information then was reliable. But we didn’t expect Elvis to become so paranoid now.”

Pope Harrington II remarked, “Antony? I remember him as a very capable and promising young man.”

Bloom answered, “Yes, it was him who went to the Holy See this time to mediate the dispute, but unfortunately, he failed.”

Pope Harrington II looked disheartened, “With things having reached this point, I cannot shirk my responsibility.”

“How can this be blamed on Your Holiness?”

“Yes, it’s all Elvis’s fault for messing things up with his unnecessary witch hunts.”

Everyone tried to absolve the Pope of blame.

The head of the Court of Religious Tribunal shook his head and said, “We’ve already sent several groups to guide the local churches on how to identify real witches, trying hard to avoid miscarriages of justice. But we still can’t stop the ‘witch hunt’ from expanding its reach. Many with ulterior motives have joined, quickly distorting its original intent.”

“Like Eik Collins, representing the inland countries of Horn Bay, who have always coveted the maritime trade of the coastal nations, always seizing opportunities to cause various troubles.”

Bishop Bloom said resentfully, “Moreover, Elvis has been foolish enough to offend the rulers of various countries, which is extremely arrogant. Now, with the support of these rulers, the people of the coastal nations have started to despise the Church. It’s a disaster.”

Head Turs of the Court of Religious Tribunal solemnly said, “Your Holiness, esteemed lords, I believe the situation in Horn Bay is beyond salvage. Now, we should not be considering how to stop the war, but rather we should be contemplating which side to support after the war breaks out. It’s better to be prepared.”

“Do we even need to discuss this? Despite some faults, the Horn Bay Church is still our own. How can the Holy See abandon these devout believers?”

“Yes, if we stand by and watch, how will other powers on the continent and various local churches view us? The Holy See will lose its credibility.”

“The coastal nations of Horn Bay are almost turning heretical. I heard they are trying to establish a ‘New Sect’ that wants to be on equal footing with the Holy See. This is outright treason.”

“My lords, I must remind you, a significant portion of the Holy See’s finances depends on the tithe income from the Horn Bay Church. If Horn Bay slips from our control, the severe consequences need not be stated.”

The attendees unanimously expressed their opinion: even though Elvis is a fool, he is still an archbishop appointed by the Holy See.

The City of Light could continue to intervene to prevent radical witch-hunting activities in the region and even punish the archbishop, but they cannot let him be taken down by a group of secular rulers with heretical tendencies. Otherwise, where would the Holy See’s dignity stand?

In essence, they meant: A dog that bites people will be dealt with by its owner, and outsiders should not interfere.

Pope Harrington II, hearing everyone’s opinions, looked worried, but eventually said, “Alright.”

Thus, the stance on the situation in Horn Bay was set.

“Your Holiness, my lords, there is another matter I need to mention.”

Head Turs took out a thick book.

“Recently, a book detrimental to us has appeared in Horn Bay – ‘Records of Injustice.’ This book specifically compiles various… cough, so-called ‘miscarriages of justice’ that occurred during the witch hunts, not only in Horn Bay but also in many historical instances. Of course, I must emphasize that except for the Horn Bay incidents, which have some truth, the rest is all fabricated. But no one will actually verify the authenticity of these stories. Once this book spreads, it will greatly damage the reputation of the Church of Light.”

Pope Harrington II took the book, quickly flipped through a few pages, his expression turning grim, and he snorted, tossing it on the table.

“It’s all the ravings of a madman. Who is the author?”

“Uh… we haven’t found out yet. They’ve hidden their identity well.”

Turs suggested, “We should mobilize our forces to ban this book in other places. I wouldn’t be worried in the past, but since the introduction of Ordo paper, the cost of copying books has greatly decreased, making its circulation much wider.”

Bishop Bloom said, “We don’t need to be so cautious. Even if paper has become cheaper, someone still needs to copy it word by word. Such a thick book won’t be a problem for us in the short term. We should focus on the imminent war.”

“Hmm, we can leave it at that for now, but I hope you all don’t forget about this matter.”

Turs nodded, though he was just bringing it up in today’s meeting as a formality.

Hi guys, if you enjoy this novel and would like extra chapters, please consider supporting me by subscribing to the Plus tier on Patreon! /EtudeTranslations/membership