Come to another world and become a lord

Chapter 183 King Philip's Dilemma

King Philip IV was sitting in the study of the palace. The sunlight from the window shone in, illuminating his exquisite desk. The heavy velvet curtains were half-closed, creating a peaceful and comfortable atmosphere in the room. However, this atmosphere was completely opposite to the king's mood. At this moment, he frowned and held a secret letter tightly in his hand. Until the third prince Gareth knocked on the door and came in, he suddenly threw the letter in his son's face and shouted:

"A cardinal died in Snow Rock City!"

"What?" Gareth didn't react for a moment. He quickly picked up the letter and unfolded it to read it carefully. Then he widened his eyes unconsciously. "Cardinal Clemens was assassinated by a vampire in Snow Rock City? How, how is this possible?"

"How is this impossible? Someone secretly reported the vampire matter to the Vatican, and now the situation has turned into this!" Philip said angrily.

"Father, do you think Carl is behind this?" Gareth asked cautiously.

"Who else?" cried Philip, and then, thinking of something else, he asked, "Did you give him the wine?"

"Yes," Gareth replied.

"Did he take it?" Philip asked again.

"Yes," Gareth replied.

Then Philip shouted:

"He dares to do this even after receiving it! He is so bold!"

Then a cup was thrown to the ground and broke into pieces.

Gareth did not speak, but lowered his head and read the letter again. After a long while, he said uncertainly:

"They said it was because Ford's daughter Isabel was secretly setting up a religious group in Snow Rock City and recruiting followers, which attracted the attention of the church."

"So what?" Philip asked.

Gareth quickly explained:

"Isabel was so blatant, the local church would naturally report it to the Holy See, so it's not necessarily him who did it."

"Hmph~" Hearing Gareth's words, Philip snorted unhappily, "That idiot Ford, doesn't he know how to keep a low profile? He made such a big fuss! And that guy Carl, even if he didn't do it himself, he just let the situation develop!"

"The question is what to do now?"

"Now..." Philip said to himself, his eyes showing some uneasiness. The assassination of the cardinal was such a big deal, the Vatican would definitely not let it go, and Ford, the vampire, would most likely not be saved. The problem now was how to distance himself from the matter.

Just as he was thinking, there was a knock on the door from the servant outside. The king nodded slightly, motioning him to come in. Then he heard the servant whisper, "Your Majesty, Archbishop Mede has arrived."

Philip sighed softly. What was to come was bound to come. He secretly considered how to deal with the next thing in his heart, and then replied helplessly:

"Let him come here."

The servant nodded and left. Not long after, the door of the study was pushed open again, and Archbishop Mede walked in slowly. He maintained a calm expression as always. When he saw Philip, he bowed slightly to him respectfully and sat down only after getting permission.

"Your Majesty, the Holy See has learned of the death of Cardinal Clemens. Your Majesty is extremely angry about this and demands a thorough investigation." His voice was still calm, but it carried a pressure that could not be ignored.

Philip was shocked. He had expected this to happen, but when it actually happened, he still felt a little uneasy. He tried to appear calm, then pretended to be shocked and said:

"I feel extremely sorry for the death of Bishop Clemons! I never thought that there would be a vampire in Snow Rock City. Oh, it seems that I have been too indulgent to the North, and it has become like this! It's all my fault, it's all my fault!"

Then he shook his head again in a pretentious manner and sighed.

Maide just watched him act quietly until he finished speaking, then smiled slightly and said:

"Your Majesty, the Holy See does not doubt your sincerity. However, the fact that vampires can act so recklessly in your territory and even assassinate a cardinal shows that their power is more deeply rooted than we thought."

Philip frowned slightly, then sighed:

"This shouldn't have happened. It's probably due to the war in the north over the past year. If Carl hadn't invaded Torrentso and caused chaos there, how could these monsters have had the opportunity to take advantage of it? Don't worry, I have taken measures to absolutely ensure the safety of Snow Rock City. I will show no mercy to anyone who endangers the country and the church."

Maide looked at him and laughed again, still smiling, but for some reason Philip felt a little terrified. Then he said slowly:

"Your Majesty, you are exaggerating. In my opinion, it has nothing to do with Lord Karl. It is said that the vampire of the Blood Cult is Ford's daughter Isabel. Isabel von Walter~" He paused here, sighed, and continued, "Their family is also considered an old-fashioned noble family. How could they raise a vampire?"

"This... is really unbelievable." Philip said in a low voice.

"Yes, indeed." Maide also nodded in agreement. "Earl Ford is your majesty's direct vassal. For so many years, he has been right under your nose, but you didn't even notice it. Your majesty and I have both had this experience~"

"Maybe there's nothing wrong with Ford himself, and the vampire is just his daughter." Philip said suddenly.

"You mean his daughter was converted?" asked Maide.

"Yes, that's probably the case!" Philip said immediately with a smile.

Hearing his words, Maide took a deep breath again and said:

"Well, maybe. But His Majesty has already decided that Ford will be excommunicated and the Crusaders may be used..."

"Crusaders?" Philip's eyes suddenly widened. "The Pope wants to use force against Walter?"

"This should not have happened, but since it concerns the survival of mankind, Your Majesty had no choice but to do it." Maide replied.

"Wait, shouldn't we investigate this matter first and see what Ford himself is like..." Philip continued.

But I saw Maide smiled again, and then said:

"Why, Your Majesty, do you think the death of one cardinal is not enough and want another one?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Archbishop, you are joking." Philip waved his hands quickly.

"Hmm~" Maide nodded, and then changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty is actually not very willing to do this. After all, this is your territory. If possible, I hope that Your Majesty can persuade Ford to come to the Holy See for inspection... If he is unwilling, I also hope that Your Majesty can take the initiative to raise the banner of fighting against dissent..."

Philip was silent for a moment, his eyes fell on the secret letter on the table. He could feel the other party's invisible coercion, but what could he do? If he made this matter public, he would be in the wrong. In the end, he could only slowly say, "Archbishop, please tell the Pope that I will do my best to cooperate with the Holy See. If Ford is really a vampire, I will never tolerate his evil!"

His tone was calm, but Gareth noticed that his knuckles had turned slightly white, revealing his inner anger.

Maide nodded:

"The Church is willing to work with Your Majesty to solve the vampire problem, but we also hope that Your Majesty can understand the importance Your Majesty attaches to this matter. If Ford is a vampire, Your Majesty must deal with it decisively. No one can be above light and justice."

"Of course, it is everyone's responsibility to eliminate heresy. Please tell His Holiness the Pope for me, so that he can rest assured!"

Maide nodded with satisfaction and bowed to the king again: "May the light guide Your Majesty. We all hope that peace will be restored in Xueyan City as soon as possible." After that, he retreated under the guidance of his servants.

As soon as the door closed, Philip could no longer suppress his anger. He slammed his fist on the table, his anger boiling in his chest:

"Crusaders, he actually dared to send Crusaders to my territory! Where does he want to put me?"

"Father, what should we do now?" Gareth asked cautiously.

Philip took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Fred must be abandoned. As for Carl... he wants to have fun? That's not easy. Arrange an envoy to tell him immediately that vampires appeared after he occupied Torrentso. A cardinal died in his castle. He must take full responsibility for this matter!"

Gareth nodded and quickly turned to make arrangements.

King Philip stood alone in the study, his eyes gloomy. He understood that the current situation was beyond his control. The problem was Ford. If that guy fell into the hands of the Church and said something he shouldn't say, it would be troublesome. Fortunately, Archbishop Mede also said that he hoped he would play a leading role in this war against vampires. In this case, he should show his loyalty to the Church. Ford must die on the battlefield, and he must not be given a chance to speak!

"This is a battle that cannot be lost." He muttered to himself, with deep determination in his eyes.