I Became The Pope, Now What?

[Big brother, if you're reading this letter, that means I'm long gone from this world. I hope the one to bring this letter to you is Sylvester Maximilian, the Bard of Solis.

I remember the stories you told me about the East, about a boy who was bringing miracles to the people with his knowledge blessed to him by Solis. I remember you telling me stories of his valor and the hardships he faced. I always wondered what kind of man he was…then I met him, and he was more spectacular than any.

Sorry, big brother, when I was small, I used to say I'll only marry you—but I fell madly, deeply for this one man that no woman could ever have.

Yet, I was not blessed. A few months ago, when I went to the north to check the fields, I was murdered…

Masan is in ruins, Brother Jinn…there is nothing that can save it now. Our family is rightfully doomed, but please, I beg you, join Sylvester and become his loyal follower. He is the only one who can lead this world to a greater future—I trust him, and so you should.

Let the Mirmasan family live through you. Use your knowledge to create inventions to change the world and clear the sins that cloud the name of our family.

Goodbye, I love you.]

Jinn was a tearful mess as he concluded reading the letter. He clasped the page to his chest, near his heart, while his other hand ruffled his hair in frustration. Throughout, he remained silent and wept.

Sylvester knelt down and patted his shoulder, not saying anything either. He smelled the intense scents of sorrow and pain. Perhaps, in the entire Mirmasan family, Fernis and Jinn were the only ones who considered each other family.

For nearly half an hour, Jinn was a shattered wreck. Finally, when he wiped his reddened eyes clean, he gazed at Sylvester's face. "Jac…I mean, Your Grace…Where is Fernis' remains?"

"She left no such thing behind. Her body faded away as an essence of this world, becoming one with the very earth itself. I apologize, Jinn. Had I known, I could have saved her before any harm befell her. She was truly faithful, honorable, and pure in heart and mind." Sylvester tried to console him.

He resorted to the second-best means he knew to calm people. He sang a hymn under his breath and created the halo. The warmth radiated from it always soothed the tormented or devastated souls, taking his light as an embrace of tranquilizing peace.

An hour later, Jinn regained composure and stood up. He conjured a handful of water on his palm with magic and cleansed his face. Once he felt composed, he stared resolutely at Sylvester.

"If Fernis said you are the only path to a better future of this world, then I would like to be an observer—so I may be able to tell her if she was right or not when we meet again in the afterlife. What do you need me to do, Your Grace?"

Sylvester sighed and looked at the machinery. "Jinn, I don't need you to raise your sword for me, nor be my shield. All I ask you to do is further your horizon and be a greater inventor. Make inventions that can change the entire world, how we live, and how we earn—I want you to make more machines like these and even greater ones."

With a heavy heart and expressionless face, Jinn walked towards the steam turbine machine. "You know what this is?"

Sylvester decided to dazzle the man with his twenty-first-century knowledge. "It's a steam-powered turbine that rotates the gears, which in turn can be used to operate various types of machinery, such as a mill or a furnace."

Jinn stood there in shock. Never in his life had anyone correctly guessed what he was building. Each time, people considered his inventions useless toys with no practical purpose.

Quickly, Jinn rushed to stop the machine and then headed towards what seemed to be a storeroom. From inside, he retrieved a peculiar box with a gear attached to its outer side, and the box had two protruding rods on top.

Jinn swiftly used a cotton belt to connect the gear of the new box with the gear of the steam turbine. After that, he restarted the turbine at full power.

"Then, can you tell me what this is?" Jin asked.

Sylvester first observed the machine. In a moment, when the turbine reached high speed, the strange box began to make a buzzing noise.

Bzzz!

With that, a peculiar thing happened. The two rods on the box started to sparkle with lightning, and eventually, the two rods, as if synchronized, maintained a bright bluish-white light.

"That's... lightning?" Sylvester exclaimed, delighted that the man had developed something like that. "Did you use coils? That's what is hidden beneath the box, right? You probably used copper wires and magnets."

"..."

Jinn's jaw dropped, and he looked towards the ceiling. Then, he clapped his hands together and closed his eyes, praying. "O' Solis, you have truly blessed this man. Fernis, it seems you were not wrong!"

Jinn then looked at Sylvester with newfound interest. "How do you know this?"

"Because I've attempted to create it before, along with many other things. But the world was not prepared for such revolutions, for insanity runs rampant, and there is no societal order. Any change in society requires unity and peace first—we have none." Sylvester answered and walked closer to the electric motor. "I envisioned creating a way to illuminate streets and houses with this, instead of smoky torches. Imagine constructing a dam on a river with a controlled outlet. The water falling due to gravity would work to move a turbine, and that would generate this lightning on a massive scale—I call this energy 'electricity.'"

James' excitement, despite the depression, couldn't remain hidden. "Then... When do you think the world will be ready?"

Sylvester, with unwavering determination in his words, replied, "When I become the Pope... in one year. But that cannot happen unless Masan is divided into smaller kingdoms, eliminating any threat to the Church's absolute rule. For all this to occur, I must first defeat the Shadow of Masan."

"Shadow of Masan? Though most believe that individual to be a legend, I hold enough authority to know that they rule from the shadows, dictating the direction Masan should take. But I do not know their true identity, and I believe only the Emperor does." Jinn answered.

Sylvester had no issue with that, as his question had already been answered by Fernis. "Jinn, tomorrow is the final day... Only you and the Supreme General will remain after I'm finished. If you cherish your mother, you may spend the night with her."

"I don't," Jinn replied instantly. "I don't have many memories of them, particularly of my mother. She gave birth to me, and beyond that, only the nannies cared for me. The same was true for Fernis and Zedd. But I will go and be with her... for the last time.

"Don't tell her anything about Fernis, and act natural. It's the best for all of us," Sylvester advised him.

Jinn agreed and quickly shut down all the machinery in his large workshop. After that, he bid his farewell and silently left. He looked left and right at the walls of the corridor as he walked, reliving the old memories.

"Finally, it's over." Sylvester took a seat on the chair and removed his miter. "He's talented and very intelligent. I don't know if he will remain loyal to me or stab me in the back. Chonky, be cautious with him."

"Aye, Aye!"

With that task completed, Sylvester gazed out of the window to calculate the time until sunrise by observing the moon's position. "Still three hours before sunrise. I hope Manzax and Soulbreaker are successful."

With some time remaining, he decided to speak with Aurora and inquire about her preparations. He sat down and focused on her Solarium signature.

"I'm almost done here," Sylvester reported. "What's your status?"

"Sylvester? Yes, I've completed my work here. Just finishing the morning's preparations. I will be present on time in the Emperor's court. Hozin and Kimino have also finalized everything."

Sylvester took note and ended the communication quickly. It was a blessing to be able to remotely connect with so many people and plan things. It was a great tool, as even the Shadow of Masan could not track his communications.

Finally, he proceeded to connect with Sir Dolorem in the Holy Land and inform him about the big day. He wanted to get an update on everything as well since his main objective was to go there soon.

"Argh! Fall back! Don't fight them!"

Sylvester heard Sir Dolorem's shouts once he connected with the man's mind. He could feel the rush and the surging thoughts of the old Knight. Something was happening, and Sylvester could not see it, which made him tense.

"Sylvester here! What's happening?!" Sylvester abruptly spoke, starting with his name first to immediately put Sir Dolorem at ease.

"Sylvester! We were fooled!" Sir Dolorem spoke, but midway stopped, and only grunts came as if there was a fight. "The Holy Land has fallen!"

"What?! To whom? Did Beastaria attack again?" Sylvester nearly lost his focus due to the news. "Who did it? And where are you right now?"

"Sylvester... w-we lost to our own! While we had the Inquisitors under our control, the entire Holy Army was compromised! They have laid siege to all factions opposing the First Guardian of Light—Niel Grey has declared himself the Pope!"

Sylvester went silent for a few minutes and allowed Sir Dolorem to continue with his battle. He thought about the whole situation; the more he thought, the less sense it made. Yes, he knew very well for years that the First Guardian was rebellious and held significant influence throughout the Holy Land. But the man was, at best, a Grand Wizard of level ten—how could he become the Pope?

"Sylvester... I am trying to retreat from the Holy Land with the few Inquisitors we have here! We are surrounded... Only the Headmaster, the tenth Guardian Geralt, is with me! The rest—all except Bloodrain—have surrendered themselves to the heathen!"

Sylvester felt a shockwave go down his spine, and his body sweated. He expected the mutiny of the First Guardian at most, but the rest was not supposed to happen.

"What do you mean? Why would someone like Faithwalker surrender? He's the Pope's protege! And where is the Pope? He can effortlessly handle a few Grand Wizards!" Sylvester inquired with a gasping voice.

Sir Dolorem took a moment to respond as he battled alongside talking. It was incredibly frustrating for Sylvester, as he couldn't see anything and felt powerless to assist his most devoted and beloved companion.

"Sylvester…The Pope has gone missing!"

Thank you for reading. GT votes are much appreciated.