Reincarnated as incubus: I didn't mean to seduce you!

Night had fallen, but a piece of news, like a bolt of lightning in the darkness, spread throughout the Royal Capital.

All the major powers were murmuring the same name—

Kael.D.Helois!

This name, along with the Lionheart Duke’s recognition and permission for Kael to join the competition for the Duchy’s succession, instantly swept across the Royal Capital.

As could be expected, this matter would not settle down anytime soon. It marked the first time that the Lionheart Duke had openly permitted the candidates to truly start competing for the future rights of Lancaster.

As the one who personally guided the Lionheart Duke to make this decision, the Baron Helois, was destined to become a focal point for all major powers, his newfound reputation even surpassing many Lionheart Family descendants who had been established for much longer.

After all, a thousand words could not compare to a single recognition from the Lionheart Duke. Lancaster, after all, belongs to that Duke, and until a new successor surpasses their Family Head, nothing would change.

...

The Earth Mother Goddess Church, Cardinal Tertullian held a quill, meticulously recording the recent performances of the Undead in Lancaster.

He looked towards the Magic Letter beside him, noting the events that had occurred in the castle today.

To think that the child would directly step into the internal strife of the Duchy, eh? Good, the Church has been too low-profile for too many years, causing many to forget who truly holds the power of speech.

However, Tertullian’s gaze involuntarily drifted toward the distance; in that direction lay a true maelstrom.

Within the depths of that maelstrom, indescribable entities tangled with each other—these beings possessed the continent’s supreme divine power and belonged to a domain where the gods themselves intermingled. That place was known as The Papal State of Brinia.

Including the Earth Mother Goddess Church, the headquarters of all the orthodox churches were virtually established within the Pope Country.

As of late, things have been complicated, and with the situation turning increasingly peculiar at the Church headquarters, Tertullian as a high-ranking Church official could not rest easy.

The Church Alliance, composed of 12 orthodox churches, oversaw all matters within The Papal State of Brinia. This unified institution, known as the Holy Hall, could be considered the quintessence of divine power in the Human Kingdom.

And the one controlling the Holy Hall, hence the real ruler of this immense earthly divine kingdom, was none other than Pope Mephiel.

In fact, in terms of church hierarchy, there was originally no clear difference in status between archbishops and the pope; it was merely a matter of how various sects addressed their own highest leaders.

But Mephiel was different. As the Pope of the Losanda Church, he was graced with the Four Divine Blessings, awe-inspiring to all.

This bestowed upon Mephiel a prestige far surpassing that of ordinary people within the four main orthodox churches, and combined with his identity as the Master of the Holy Hall, this ambiguously elevated his position above that of past regular leaders of the Holy Hall.

The unshakable throne known as trust, recognized by countless believers, cast an additional halo over the title of the Pope.

Since Mephiel took over the faith-collapsing Papal State amidst chaos over 300 years ago and took the reins of The Papal State of Brinia, the once severely weakened state had miraculously reversed its decline, gradually returning to its former glory.

Therefore, a saying circulated in the Pope Country—

Mephiel brings not glory to the Papal throne, but the Papal throne is made resplendent by Mephiel!

For a leader of the Church, this is the highest of praises.

Logically, with such a steadfast and reliable leader guiding the order of the world on behalf of the orthodox gods, Tertullian should not feel uneasy.

Yet in recent years, the true representative of the Human Kingdom’s order has been the Yibel Federation, the real center of humanity. The freshly restored order of The Papal State of Brinia had subtly begun to clash with it.

For the Earth Mother Goddess Church, which always favored peace, this was not a pleasant situation.

They preferred the idyllic scenery, the scent of wheat in the fields, and conducting research to improve the fertility of the land, the quality of the crops, and the taste of the food.

As for those who trampled crops and destroyed the land, they would face severe sanctions—a reason why the Earth Mother Goddess Church has so many Druids.

However, Tertullian could clearly sense that the contradictions between the top two powers of the continent were becoming acute.

He looked at the section about Kael in the Magic Letter and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth:

’Little Kael, although expected, I didn’t think you’d receive the Lionheart Duke’s recognition so quickly.

The Earth Mother Goddess Church doesn’t need to rely on The Papal State of Brinia’s prestige to maintain stability. If someone dares disturb our pastoral life, I wouldn’t mind using this staff to crack open their skull.’

Tertullian was bound to pay attention to Kael because compared to himself, Kael was the one with the most direct contact with the Undead, and from what he could see, the Undead seemed to recognize Kael more than he had anticipated. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As a result, Tertullian saw him with new eyes. Discover hidden content at empire

As for the Church’s internal decision of "non-interference with the Undead’s choices, freedom to come and go" how should it be interpreted?

Non-interference is one thing, but to say that the Priests of the Earth Mother God would not care, that would be impossible.