Joseph sighed a long breath, his feeling were tranquil and peaceful. He has too many regrets on his life, but he wanted to be happy, even just for his last moments. "Having my family surrounding me on my deathbed is the best situation to wish right now," he thought, as he closed his eyes.
"Rest first, Your Holiness. We can't have your body hurting again. You need to gather your strength." One of his subordinates' voice sounded beside his bed. His name was Luther, a commoner that became a cardinal with his devotion for the Church and the god of truth, Hesiod.
"Too bad his loyalty was only for that one god only," Joseph pondered to himself. His feelings were bitter, but only for this one man.
"I need to sleep... you guys, go first. Cardinal Luther, gather the Cardinals and the High Priests after I woke up later. If there were Bishops that you can contact, also reach out to them. I think... I need to go now." Joseph said with low voice, his body was aching again.
It has been like this for the longest time he had felt that there was something wrong on his body. Even using gracia to suppress the symptoms was useless, it almost felt like it was not a curse or an ability. A poison of this caliber, something that could even harm the Pope of the Holy See, definitely had some antidote to counter it, but Joseph did not want to counter it.
He left it to fate if he healed naturally or die in the most painful way. Sadly, it was the latter that happened to him.
"Yes, Your Holiness. But please, you need to be with us longer. I don't think the young Saintess can take it, the responsibility as the leader of the Holy See, that is." Luther said solemnly. He then left the gazebo that the Pope was resting and went on his way.
"Yes... Responsibilities..." Joseph muttered sarcastically. It almost made him laugh, him neglecting the cruelness of the person that was closest to him. To think he would poison the Pope to claim his position, Joseph could only sighed sourly.
"Midnight fire lotus flower... that's the flower that he painstakingly used on you. Hah! What a foolish clown, hurting himself just to poison his savior. Hmm." Suddenly, a man wearing a thick hooded cloak appeared by the gazebo's entrance. His entry was timed, where no one could see him, so Joseph, his disciple, must be the only that can get a glimpse of his face.
Joseph, after hearing his master's voice showed a little shocked expression, then it softened as he sighed in relief. "What are you doing here, master? I thought you hated me after I disobeyed your order."
The hooded man stared at Joseph for a moment, under his hood, a vertical feline eyes were glinting under the dark hood. "I just wanted to lecture my more of a fool disciple before he passes away. And how long has it been... Two decades, three..?"
"Twenty two years, to be exact. The product of my disobedience has grown up well. You should see him sometime. He is you grand-disciple, after all." Joseph proudly said with a little smile.
"I'm not here to listen about your boastings, Joseph," the hooded man strutted beside Joseph's bed, his staff was tightly being grasped by his hand, hidden on the long sleeves. "Why didn't you just kill that cruel man? You could've ripped him to shreds if you wanted. Why go suffer like this if you can live for over a hundred years if you willed it."
"Ah, yes. The Holy Pope Joseph, living above others, trampling the lives below me," Joseph sarcastically answered his master.
"I told you, master. I never wanted that life, I am myself... only fate decides if I die right here, right now or not." He said proudly.
The hooded man clicked his tongue, then summoned his weapon soul, a book, filled with divine and brilliant aura, carved with countless runes and mysterious graphs. The star soul reflects its user, and it clearly reflects the aura of this mysterious man.
"What if I decided to prolong your miserable life? Will you accept?"
"I can only say that fate is the only one who can decide what will happen to me... Let me be at peace, master." Joseph reached out for his master's hand.
"You!" The hooded man exclaimed, but he didn't shove his disciple's arm. "How can you be like this, benevolent and merciful?! You are not a saint!"
"And you are not a god!" Joseph snapped back.
The hooded man was left in shock, that it felt to Joseph that his words hurt his master. He tried to say anything back, but his master retracted his weapon soul.
"I control the fate of this world. I tell prophecies, I care for them. But this..! This is unacceptable!"
Although tensed, Joseph felt happy to once again see his master acting like he always had. He knew that the burden of carrying all the lives of this world behind his back was stressing his master. "I lived my life already. Let me go, master. Let yourself go..."
"No..." The hooded man backed away, his voice was low and firm. "This is what I chose to be. I need to balance the order. There shall be none taking advantage of the others. I... I must do the deeds."
"By killing over and over again? You told me that before, right? Until there's nothing passes through your watch and the variables needed to sustain remains here, the cycle will not change." Joseph sighed, as his chest was hurting again.
The hooded man sighed, and turned around to see the sunlight basking the flowers of the garden. "That's right... This is the duty that I've been doing ever since that war."
"And look where we are now? You cannot change anything, nothing will remain stagnant forever. Even the chains that bind you and me, and the other people here will fade away at the right time..." Joseph talked to his master as if he was persuading him, but was cut off.
Turning around to stare at Joseph's eyes, the hooded man let out a little amount of oppressing aura. "Is that why you're doing this? You want to change the world that I maintained? How dare you, disciple?"
Even though Joseph achieved the highest rank a human can achieve, he was weakened and couldn't help but cough from the pressure of his master, "I can't say my reason to you anymore, master. All you can do now is hate me. The only thing that I want from you is please trust this foolish disciple of yours. That's my last wish from you."
The hooded man retracted his aura as he whipped his sleeves in the air in irritation, "Hmph! Do you have any respect for your master? I feel like I'm losing a son if you die, you know."
"Just promise me to take care of my family after I left, master. Only you can do that." Joseph said, his voice was now forced as he was feeling out of breath.
"I will promise you that! By my name, Muhammed the Prophet!"
That was the last sentence Joseph heard before the figure of his master disappeared again. He forced a smile on his face as he have at least fulfilled a regretful wish of his, that was to see his master for the last time. The feeling of drowsiness then filled his mind, and he slept.
After he woke up again, he found all the people that Luther called and he nodded in satisfaction. He then used a bit of his strength to gesture at his ward, that was standing below the gazebo.
"Go find the Chief Paladin, Sir Lumiere. Tell him that the Pope wants to see him for the last time," Joseph whispered. Then, he watched his ward hurriedly ran away out of the garden.
The tranquil and peaceful atmosphere of the gazebo made him doze off a little, and found himself wanting to rest again, but he resisted that feeling. "If I sleep again, I might not wake up again! I will not let that happen!" Joseph thought.
Meanwhile, at the Monastery, a few minutes after the Pope ordered his ward to call the Chief of the Paladins, Lumiere hurriedly ran towards the other side of Vider, towards the Cathedral. The journey took him only a minute as he used his gracia to rush there.
After reaching the Cathedral, Lumiere only walk towards the garden, but with hastiness. There, he paused after witnessing the seen in front of him. It was so peaceful here, as if a saint blessed this placed. He reached for the flowers as he walked towards the Pope.
The blossoming daisies of the garden swayed as Lumiere passed by hurriedly to the gazebo of the Pope of the Holy See. It is the most dominant religion of the Renald Continent that they were living.
Lumiere climbed the stairs of the gazebo and saw the high priests and the cardinals around the Pope's bed, white and gold filled with jasmine's scent filling the air around it. Bluntly putting it, the scent of flowers was just put there to offset the smell of the strong medicines and other herbs that was placed either under the Pope's bed or beside it.
He couldn't help but sigh to see the mighty Pope Joseph, that led the Church of the Holy See to its glory, smile at Lumiere while he watched him on his deathbed to be. Also, there were people surrounding the gazebo, and only the closed aids of Pope Joseph were standing beside him.
They were all crying, weeping for their beloved Pope that was taking the last moment of his life. Lumiere found it unpleasant, them crying and showing negative emotions to someone that didn't deserve to be treated like that on his last moments. He made way by sweeping the others by the arm, then Lumiere kneeled beside the bed of the Pope.
"It's Lumiere, Your Holiness," one of the cardinals spoke softly to the Pope. He whispered the words after leering at Lumiere first. This cardinal clearly showed that he didn't want to be in the same place with the Paladin of the Saints Temple, the other half of the Papal Hall that makes the Church whole.
Lumiere kept his head down, he can only see his long creamed colored hair even if he tried to look up, anyway. His monocle on his right eye stayed firm, contrary to its chains.
"Ah... Lumiere. Have you done what I've ordered you?" The Pope's voice was raspy and exhausted, he can only speak little by little, and Lumiere could tell that his time in this world is limited now.
"Yes, Your Holiness, I have done well this time." Lumiere's words were trembling, anger and sorrow filled his mind.
The high priests and cardinals watched Lumiere with wary eyes as he kept his head down. They will permit him to be disrespectful on the Pope's last moments. Just looking at him feels hostile to them. The power of the man, kneeling in front of them, is second to none on the Church. And now that the Pope is dying, nobody could stop him if he ever goes berserk here, they have no choice but to keep their mouth shut.
But, the Pope suddenly tried to get up and made the people in the room gasp.
"Your Holiness, your body can't handle it! Please stay in bed!" Cardinal Luther, who was the highest cardinal helped the Pope to get up, even though his words contradicted what his doing.
"I will pass away anyway! Might as well cherish it.", the Pope swiped off the Cardinal's arm away with his little strength. Him being a proud warrior at his last moment made the cardinals and the high priests around him tear up a little.
They helped the Pope to get up while Lumiere stayed kneeling as he reached out for the Chief Paladin's head. His white armor and cape glistened due to the sunlight on his back. The gazebo in the garden of the Cathedral is the perfect place to take a rest, the sunshine passing through the windows was precisely the amount of sunlight that makes someone relaxed here.
Unfortunately, this same sunshine was being used like a baptism for the death of the Church's most important person. Lumiere's tears dropped down his cheeks as he was patted on the head by the Pope. He felt joy and love for the first time in his life.
The Pope watched Lumiere suppress his emotions with teary eyes as well. This will be the first and the last time that he will be touching his bastard son, born from a princess of the Argent Kingdom.
'This child has suffered many things and I, as a father, didn't even noticed that he was suffering inside. I'm a failure of a father.' Joseph thought, bitterly.
The Pope pondered on himself, then he placed his hand under Lumiere's chin and lifted his head to see his sone's face. Alas, also for the last time, Lumiere saw the wrinkled face of his father, and grabbed his father's hand with his two trembling hands.
The Pope having a bastard son was a secret of the Holy See and will remain as it is. No one shall know about it, or it will stain the reputation of the Church. Joseph didn't want to leave a problem for his people after he passes away.
Lumiere's achievements were all due to his hardwork and not the backing of his father. He became the commander of the Paladins using his strength and unfaltering will alone.
"Take care of the Saintess for me, Chief, hmm?", the Pope said. His order looked like a request as well as a question, he was hoping that Lumiere will not accept it and quit, but he knew that will never happen. His son was like his mother, they always wanted to be honorable and do their job as a knight. No knight will be a coward and run away from his problems and trials.
"I... I shall accept your last will, Y-your Holiness." Lumiere's tears cannot stop to rush out of his eyes, even his monocle are filled with his tears while he smiled at his father for the last time.
The Pope is not even older than forty years, but his wrinkled face said nay, nevertheless. It was due to an unknown illness that even the cardinals cannot fathom. His previous auburn hair that showed brilliance before has turned into pale brown with little grey hair mixed in it. His eyes have bags under it due to exhaustion, sleepless nights and furious sudden pain burdened him up until this moment.
The Pope leaned down to kiss Lumiere's forehead, then embraced him after. When his lips were close to Lumiere's right ear, he whispered softly in his ear, "I'm sorry... Lumiere."
The Pope's body then collapsed on Lumiere's while still embracing him. His pale skin turned even more pale, to the point that it turned blue in just a few blink of an eye.
"Your Holiness..?" The cardinals lightly patted the Pope's shoulders, but there's no more response. He was not moving anymore, neither breathing. His eyes were shut, but he was smiling upon Lumiere's shoulders. Even the cold touch of Lumiere's armor did not make the Pope move.
"N-no... This can't be..." Cardinal Luther kneeled down, he did not show his face to the others. Maybe because he did not want for the others to see his miserable expression.
"He is gone... T-the Pope's gone!" Looking up from downstairs of the gazebo, one of the priests that used to serve the Pope cried out.
"This is not the time to be sad right now," Lumiere said to them, his strength supported the lifeless body of his father back to his bed. "Start the prayer.. We can't let the Pope's soul wonder around without the guide of the god, Hesiod."
The ten cardinals and twelve high priests kneeled down while weeping on the floor and chanted a prayer.
"Oh, God Of Truth, bless this apostle who is now coming to you to be born happily on his second life. Please have mercy for his sins and thank you for your blessings upon us. May the truth be seen upon our time of salvation"
They all chanted while their tears are falling down on their eyes together with Lumiere. After their sorrow has subsided, the cardinals and the high priests immediately voted for a new Pope to be crowned.
Then, Cardinal Luther has unanimously won and will be crowned as Pope of the Holy See in one month. Lumiere, after the Pope's passing has steeled his resolve to protect the Saintess with all his life. He didn't care about the Papal Hall anymore. He had nothing left here, only harm and mockery were the things that this place gave to him.
Although the Saintess is only turning five, it will be safe for her to have a powerful guard and the other Paladins as well. But Lumiere didn't mind that, as he had focused his mind to achieve his goals first. He left the guarding to his subordinates for now, as he was finishing the last mission the Pope gave him before he passed away.
Many things happened after the Pope's dying. The Regulus Empire, the strongest nation in Renald Continent was in turmoil due to their rebellious Black Minister who conspired a coup together with the heroes and some high ranking nobles.
Lumiere infiltrated the Empire and now, he is in a covert mission, disguising as a commoner from the Argent Kingdom, acting as the White Minister of the Regulus Empire.
This is only the beginning of the war that has to come. The root of it all, and the start of the downfall of Regulus.