The mass that was about to happen was suddenly interrupted by a bishop who came in shouting.
"Your Holiness, there is trouble!"
That voice was directed at an elderly man in his 80s.
His long gray hair reached down to his belly, his gray eyes gave the impression that he was asleep, but he was wide awake, even if he didn't look it.
On top of his head was a purple sundress with golden swords.
He was the highest authority in the church of the Kingdom, Pope Casimiro Neville.
Casimiro asked the bishop before pouring holy water into a silver chalice.
"What trouble are you talking about?"
"Insolent. Don't you see that you interrupt the preparations for the mass?"
"Y-Your Holiness please listen carefully!"
Because the large hall where the mass was being held was too big and accompanied by background music, it was impossible for them to hear anything.
The music stopped and Casimiro like the others heard a strange sound.
He approached the window and visualized a bunch of people outside.
He found this strange since none of them were in line waiting to enter, they were crowded together as if they were a mob.
Casimiro found that odd.
He quickly approached the door and when he opened it he was met by Eli who greeted him.
"Good evening, Your Holiness Pope Neville."
"I'm sorry to disturb you on this most important day as the weekly mass."
"You see, it won't take you long I just want to discuss something simple with you."
Casimiro watched Eli carefully, the truth is he doesn't recognize Eli.
He is a man with an old-fashioned mindset so closed to the point that he looks at women as a tool to reproduce and take care of his children.
When a bishop told him she was the princess, he knew what to do.
Her serious and bitter expression was erased by a good-natured one.
"Good evening Princess Elicia, what do you need from us with this crowd behind you?"
Casimiro bluntly went on and demanded to know in a polite manner the reason for all those people.
Eli answered him in the same respectful aggressive tone.
"The reason for our visit is so that you would lend us your support."
With those words, Casimiro thought it was some princess whim nonsense, he didn't think it through and smiled.
"The church is there to help and more so if it is the royal family. What do you want our help with princess? Feed the needy? Clothe the less fortunate? Tell us how we can help."
She smiled grimly as she said.
"We want your support to eliminate discrimination against demi-humans so that there will never be that again."
The moment he heard that, Casimiro's muscles almost deformed from the anger he felt.
In his head he cursed Eli.
(What the hell do you think you're saying toy princess?)
(Are you asking humans to treat as if they were friends or companions to those beasts whose only reason for not being hunted is because of their human appearance?)
Casimiro is the kind of nobleman who hunted foxes for sport.
But there were some anomalies that he didn't see as odd.
Sometimes he would put demi-humans on the run for his knights to take care of torturing them after escaping, even having his dogs eat them.
It was sport, as he didn't see them as human.
This problem in the past ended almost with a war between Eli's grandfather and him.
If it wasn't because some church members knew that being enemies of the royal family was dangerous, they stopped Casimiro with puns.
In the end he thought people would look down on the church if he won and it would be bad for his family to be treated as a family picking fights with others.
In the end he was just left instilling his knowledge to the new generations on how the church should be.
Casimiro using appropriate words said to Eli.
"Princess, I told you that you have my support, but what you are asking for is something we can do nothing about."
"Discrimination comes from people's hearts, we cannot manipulate their hearts to be different."
"Therefore, we cannot help you."
He thought that with those words he won, but Eli hearing him prepared her countermeasure.
"I understand that, but doesn't the church have the power to accomplish that?"
"I remember when I was a child, my grandfather used to tell me that you have the power to change the way others think."
"That's why he always looked to the church as an ally, but you refused."
His raised eyebrows lowered in anger.
She was lying.
The church never said that, but now that everyone heard it, to deny it would be to enter into argument.
It would be creating a lie or truth depending on who won.
So, he decided to calm things down.
"Princess, we should talk inside matters this important. Please come in."
"Thank you, but no."
"... Excuse me?"
Casimiro felt his hatred grow every time Eli refused his order.
For him, for a woman to do that, it was a sign to slap her hard across the face or whip her on the back.
That was what he believed.
Eli nodded and took off her glove.
"You see, from the moment I was born, I always saw people as people. I never cared about the color of their skin, eyes, hair, gender, species, or religion."
"I only see people. So to me, those demi-humans are people just like you and me. That's why I consider discrimination wrong."
Eli turned and approached a demi-human with bunny ears.
She smiled at him and asked.
"Please take out your razor."
The rabbit-eared knight heeded her and without hesitation pulled out a small pocketknife.
Then she asked him a crazy request.
"Cut off the tip of your finger. Just a light cut will do."
The knight who doubted Eli before, now without hesitation did it.
He made a small cut on his finger and the blood came out.
Then Eli using that same knife cut her finger.
She took the knight's hand and showed it to the masses.
"People of the Kingdom. can you tell me if this blood to you is any different than that of a human?"
"No. It is red like mine."
"This is proof that similar blood makes us human."
"That is why discrimination is wrong. We treat our sisters and sisters of different skin colors or ways of looking at life atrociously."
"That's why I will fight against it. I will abolish discrimination before I die."
Eli raised his fist and everyone clapped.
He turned around and to Casimiro dismissed him.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you because we didn't get anywhere, but I certainly want your help in the future."
"I ask your permission because I must return to the academy, a student should not be so late at night outside her dormitory."
With her angelic smile, Eli walked off along with the crowd to the capital.
Watching her walk away, the bishop at Casimiro's side watched as he bit his lower lip and blood poured out in droves.
(That damned princess... She used me as a stepping stone to achieve her stupid whim!)
Eli never sought cooperation, she sought for her cause to increase and when they all go home, they will tell what she did and more people will worship her.
Eli's plan was going full steam ahead.
◇◇◇
Before Eli and the others left, Emma came out of the place.
Al spotted her.
"Emma, were you able to get it?"
"Sure I did, but I can't talk now, let's leave quickly."
They all ran off, Eli was in no danger as she was backed up by knights, but Al grabbed Sig by the shoulders and took him with him.
◇◇◇
After returning to the academy, Eli went to take a bath, eat a snack, and then go to sleep.
Nadine and Emma's room were on either side of Eli's, so they could protect her more easily.
Nadine saw Eli cuddling her pillow as if she were a child.
Not only her attitude was, her room that instead of being a student's room looked more like a girl's room.
Eli recreated his palace room at the academy.
Anyone would think it wasn't allowed, but she pulled it off as she manipulated the director and gave him a house in the country.
Eli looked at Nadine who had been sighing for a while now.
"Is something wrong Nadine?"
She looked very seriously at Eli.
"Princess, are you sure you did what you did?"
"You just upset the church, they could file a complaint against you!"
Eli looked at her friend without interest.
"What about it?"
"What I sought was a change. If it were up to them everything would stay the same."
"Until someone tells the truth, society will never change. We will continue to live with this class model until the end."
"But princess..."
"I said it's okay! I'll fix it myself since Rose is my friend! I want her and her son to walk around the capital without being judged by others! Poom!"
Eli shouted as she puffed out her cheeks.
She looked like a balloon about to pop.
She lay down in annoyance and covered herself with the sheets.
"Goodnight Nadine."
She waved goodbye to her friend so she could sleep angrily.
"Goodnight princess."
As Nadine looked worriedly at the fuse Eli had lit.
No one knows what will happen now that the church felt offended.
◇◇◇
That same night, but a little after Eli went to sleep.
Casimiro was in his private room in the main church headquarters which was his bedroom.
It had properties, but he preferred to sleep in that place, he felt comfortable.
Smoking his pipe, he cursed Eli.
"How dare that princess... no, that woman make fun of me to my face!!!"
"You're just a brat! A woman! You dare to go against a man?! Against the pope of the church?"
Casimir was too angry with Eli that he used his teeth to break his pipe.
He cut his tongue and the inside of his mouth.
He used healing magic to heal himself.
"Your Holiness, I'm sorry to bother you so late, but you have a visitor."
A priest knocked on his door.
Casimiro was so angry that he sent the visitor away.
"Tell it to go away. I don't want to talk to anyone at this hour."
He thought that being so late, it must be some annoying person... until he heard his voice.
"Hey, hey, you being angry is not my problem. I came to talk business."
He immediately stood up and went to grab his ceremonial cane.
He changed into something more presentable and after putting on his glasses said.
"All right, send him in."
As he opened the door, a well-dressed man walked in.
"You do know it's me. You don't need to change into something half dressy."
"Hmph, I'll never be at a disadvantage in status against someone of your ilk."
*Sigh*
"Your personal fights are with my father not me please."
The guest sat down as if he owned the place.
He was a middle aged man, husky voice with a very deep tone.
Black hair with white locks combed to the sides. Navy blue eyes and a scraggly beard.
His eyebrows and beard had a peculiar shape similar to the number six.
The head of the family of barons with power almost equal to that of a duke.
Klyde Bartolt was.
"Will you offer me some tea?"
"Just like your father you are rude."
"Hahaha you see, my father is the rude one. He takes what he wants, I'm more respectful."
"I didn't come to talk about him, you can visit him at his grave, you won't be long to go."
"Impertinent brat."
Casimiro sat down and chatted both of them about business.
At a certain conversation, Klyde's calm attitude went.
"... What did you say?"
"The princess came today to make a fuss. Somehow she managed to get into a meaningless discussion that demi-humans need rights."
"There were too many people next to her. If it had been some normal family girl, it would have been simple to put her to sleep."
Klyde listened carefully to every word Casimiro said, even exaggerating or lying to prove that Eli was the culprit.
"One more thing."
Klyde said as he glared hatefully at the window.
"The princess is Duke Redblade's fiancée. isn't she?"
"Yes. They came here to affix their signatures for future marriage. I was present that day."
"I see."
Klyde stood up and before leaving said.
"We'll talk about the overseas sale later."
The sale he was referring to was due to the guns and food they sold overseas.
The weapons that Isaac and Oliver carried were actually part of a deal with enemy nations against each other, the church was funding this so that in the midst of desperation the masses would run to the kingdom and thus increase the faith that would save them.
The Bartolt family would make sure to sabotage from within those nations.
◇◇◇
After returning to a house prepared by the knights of Sig.
Emma was sent to change into her uniform after taking a bath.
She told Sig that there was no need for that, but he told her that they already got what they went for and no one is chasing him, there is no rush on it.
After returning changed into her maid outfit, she took the scroll that was in her things.
No one checked it for that reason, they wanted her to say.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry to say, but I kept an eye on the scroll before I brought it, I had to check the veracity of the information in case it could be a forgery."
"I see, how did you do that, how do you know it's not a forgery?"
"It's very simple in fact, if they had wanted to keep something so important safe, they should have kept it in a vault. But looking at the actions of the top brass, I'd say their thinking is ridiculous."
"They think they would never get robbed or something like this would never happen. Their optimism is to be feared."
"I understand, please read the information it says."
"Aye, aye."
Nadine began to read what was written on the parchment.
It had no financial value of any kind, nor any information about any purchase or sale.
There was nothing that could mean anything important.
But that was worse.
The content of the parchment was a notebook of memories.
It contained Casimiro's memories.
These memories were written so that he would not forget anything.
The expression of both Sig and the others present showed how serious they were about their contents.
Al's cup dropped as he suddenly rose from the table.
"This must be a joke!"
In that notebook did not contain something old.
It was recent.
Every scroll inside that room contained every written reminder of Casimir.
The one Emma brought was the most current of them all, which was why she thought it was the most important of them all.
The contents of the scroll were of what happened with Harrisburg where it involved both Calvin and Klyde.
Casimiro noted in a roundabout confession about the situation in the kingdom.
In short, the kingdom is slowly being abducted by Klyde as he desires the crown.
Even if it was not information about some illegal purchase or sale, this was serious and very serious.
Sig was sweating because of it.
"Baron Bartolt's family is almost at the same level of seniority as the four families."
"If they want to take over the country, I won't let them."
Sig will protect his country and his family at any cost.
◇◇◇
Klyde was walking down the aisles of the church.
He was muttering.
"Redblade. First he gets in my way by killing Harrisburg, then with the principality. The Calvinists are extinct."
"Now his fiancée is messing with my business."
"Demi-humans being discriminated against is the best thing for the pet retail business. Nobles, rich merchants and important people from abroad don't have semi-humans in their lands."
"Thanks to many living in this country we can kidnap them and sell it. And now that idiot princess wants to eliminate that?"
"You're fucking with me!"
He punched the wall hard.
"Right. I guess it's time to advance my wish."
He lifted his gaze and looked at the horizon.
"The era of the Bartolt dynasty will begin shortly. Eliminating Redblade and Brune is priority."
"After all. I have an ace up my sleeve."
"I'll ask that guy for help."
Klyde went home while planning to eliminate the royal family.
_______________
I leave fanservice from Eli since she shined so much: https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/es/post/show/32079033