Dark King

On the high steps behind these people stood a figure with a scepter in hand and a crown on his head. He was an old man dressed in a gorgeous robe that resembled the stars and the Moon. His temperament was refined, and his expression was gentle. However, the white hair on his temples and his slightly sunken eyes.., he appeared somewhat haggard.

When Barton saw this refined old man, his heart trembled. His eyes widened, and he stood rooted to the ground, unable to move his feet.

“Pope… Pope!”Barton looked up at him. His heart was filled with shock and awe. He didn’t think that he would be able to see the great pope.

Richelieu looked down at the trembling youth. Although the latter’s appearance wasn’t outstanding but it was surprising that he could gain the trust of the suspicious dudian.

The people on both sides of the row looked at the teenager. They looked at him with sharp eyes. They wanted to see what was so special about him that he could become the new pope.

However, after looking at him for a moment, everyone found out that the latter was an ordinary apprentice knight. He didn’t have any temperament just from his appearance. It should be known that most of the time others didn’t know about his inner self, it was often through one’s temperament and appearance that one imagined one’s personality and character. However, the appearance and temperament of this youth was really unable to match the identity of a ‘pope’.

It was the first time that Barton was being watched by so many people. He felt his heartbeat quicken and his entire body felt like it was pressing down on a huge mountain. He could not breathe as if even the dark spots of radiation that were hidden under his clothes were exposed to the air, making him feel insecure, he was so nervous that cold sweat was breaking out all over his body, but he was too shy to show it. He could only secretly hold it in. Under the guidance of Ernorin, he slowly walked into the hall.

Richelieu quietly watched Barton. When he walked in, his gentle face slowly revealed a smile that was just right. “Mr. Barton, Tomorrow is the time for you to inherit the throne and become the new pope. Are You Ready?”

Barton heard his words and his heart jumped. He stuttered, “P-pope, i-i…”

Seeing his reaction, the two rows of people on the side frowned slightly, but they lowered their heads subconsciously and did not show it.

Richelieu raised his hand slightly and stopped him. He said softly, “You don’t have to be nervous. When I was the pope, I was as anxious as you. I didn’t even sleep the whole night!”At this point, he laughed lightly.

The tense atmosphere in the hall immediately eased. The others looked at each other and thought that this was true. If they were the ones who became the pope, they would probably be nervous and excited.

Barton saw his gentle look and immediately felt a sense of familiarity. He nodded hard and said, “I got it!”

Richelieu smiled and said, “When you become the Pope Tomorrow, you need to recite the Holy Scripture. You have to prepare this tonight. Don’t make any mistakes. “In addition, there will be many nobles and important figures from the military region coming to watch the coronation ceremony. There can’t be any mistakes in the ceremony to avoid being laughed at, understand?”

Barton was shocked. “You still need to recite the Holy Bible?”He didn’t know many words, and they were words that had been adapted in recent years. The Holy Bible was written earlier, and it was filled with ancient words from the past, so he might not be able to recognize all of them, if he could not read halfway, wouldn’t that be too awkward?

Richelieu’s eyes flashed slightly, and he said softly, “You don’t have to worry. You just need to choose one of them to recite. There’s no need to recite the whole thing. Later on in the evening, I will send someone over to guide you.”

Barton heaved a sigh of relief. He was about to say that that was great, but he felt that it was too casual to speak like that. He could only say embarrassedly, “Thank You, your holiness the Pope.”

“The ceremony will be a rehearsal tonight. You should familiarize yourself with it first,”Richelieu said gently, then, he turned to the two rows of people on the side and said, “Don’t make any mistakes during the succession ceremony tomorrow. All the documents must be prepared. We can’t afford to be careless in this matter, do you understand? !”At this point, his expression was extremely stern. He did not have the slightest gentleness toward Barton.

“Yes!”Everyone replied in unison.

Ernorin also responded, sighing in his heart. He knew that the matter was already set in stone, and he was powerless to change it. However, this was not the worst thing for him. He guessed that the reason why the other bishops would agree to it was most likely because they had thought of one reason — this little brat being the pope was at least better than Richelieu being the pope, when his foundation was unstable, he would be able to take advantage of him and even plunder resources for his own use!

This was something that Richelieu could not do when he was still in office. Secondly, this little brat was too ordinary. Even if he was nurtured by the Holy See in the future, he would not be able to achieve anything in a short period of time. The chances of him being replaced in the future.., was far greater than replacing Richelieu!

From all these aspects, this was a greater benefit.

Thinking of this, he felt relieved in his heart. Suddenly, he felt that looking at this little brat was much more pleasing to the eye.

A night passed in the blink of an eye.

The Holy See’s St. Mark’s square had been conducting a rehearsal of the ceremony throughout the night. Barton had participated in it several times. After familiarizing himself with it, he began to read the Holy See’s scriptures under the guidance of the People Richelieu had arranged. Meanwhile, the rest of the Knights of light, the head knight, and the priests of light were still rehearsing the ceremony over and over again. It was only until they had cooperated with each other without any mistakes that the grand rehearsal ended.

The dawn shone down from Mount Utto.

Although it was early in the morning, it was already extremely lively at the foot of the mountain. Groups of carriages slowly drove over. The carriages were adorned with the flags of various nobles. Among them, there were carriages of the military region, as well as the carriages of important figures such as the Court of Justice and the hall of knights. The pedestrians who came to watch the grand ceremony on the side of the street saw the passing carriages. They were excited and pointed at them.

Thump, thump!

The Holy Bell Rang, and the echo spread throughout the entire Mt. Utto.

The grand ceremony began in St. Mark’s Square. On this square, which had been bearing the weight of more than two hundred years, the statues of successive popes stood tall and huge, looking down at the densely packed figures on the square.

As the Psalms and music sounded, Barton and Richelieu entered the square and ascended to the highest altar.

Barton had never seen so many people. As far as he could see, all he could see were black heads and cheers. He was so nervous that his back was covered in cold sweat.

Richelieu sensed his nervousness and guided him to slowly follow the ceremony.

A moment later, as the alternating ceremony ended, Richelieu left the altar, leaving Barton alone to recite the Holy Scripture of light.

Richelieu returned to the main hall behind the square. At this moment, the main hall was empty, without a single guard. Everyone was gathered in the square in front. Richelieu pushed open the door and entered the center of the main hall. He looked up and saw a black-haired youth leaning comfortably on the pope’s throne behind the main hall. He crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hands, staring at the ground in a daze.