"Luka Kaslana, regarding the crimes of Kallen Kaslana, do you have anything further to say?"
Night had completely fallen. No candles were lit in the church, allowing darkness to slowly consume all visible space.
The only light within the entire church emanated from behind Bishop Nikolas, who stood high upon more than twenty steps. The wall behind him was composed entirely of exquisite amber pieces. For some reason, though there shouldn't be and weren't any traces of candlelight within, it radiated a dazzling golden brilliance. While no one had ever seen the so-called Gates of Heaven, if they truly existed... perhaps this was it.
It wasn't Luka's first time being summoned under such circumstances, but he couldn't help but lift his gaze slightly. The Bishop's pointed mitre and the crosier in his hand were enveloped by the light radiating from the amber wall. A mere glance was blinding, let alone trying to discern Nikolas's features.
Nikolas seemed particularly fond of receiving visitors at this hour. At least, as far as Luka remembered, every time he had been summoned by the Bishop, it was at this time.
If one had to say, the darkness fit well with the unique gloominess characteristic of the Apocalypse family. And the golden holy light added a touch of divinity. More importantly, through the dual concealment of darkness and intense light, he perfectly hid his old age—although Bishop Nikolas's worsening health was already common knowledge among Schicksal's upper echelons. Otherwise, even with the disastrous defeat in the Eastern Expedition, the Castle Council wouldn't be pressing so aggressively.
In the mere span of looking up and down, Luka's mind wandered far. He thought back thirty years, to him, Nikolas Apocalypse, Francis Kaslana, and Sabres Schariac. They had grown up together, just like Kallen, Otto, and Eleanor now. But fate played tricks. Francis and Sabres had both died young. Nikolas himself had one foot in the grave, not to mention they were now like strangers...
There was no time for sentimentality. Of course, there was also no need for deliberate thought. Groveling and begging for mercy—things other Kaslanas would never learn in a lifetime—he, the outlier, was already intimately familiar with:
"Kallen publicly slandered Schicksal and blasphemed against God in her words. Death cannot absolve her crimes. Furthermore, as a member of the Kaslana family, she actually robbed an ordinary person's property, truly disgracing our name. I have already exercised my authority as head of the family. From this day forward, Kallen has no further connection to the Kaslana family!"
"Oh? Luka Kaslana, do you think this will extricate the Kaslana family from this matter? How laughable!"
Nikolas's voice floated down lightly from above, yet it was somewhat hoarse, as if too much phlegm was caught in his throat, making even his words muffled and unclear.
Luka inwardly wished this old fool would choke to death on his phlegm right then and there, but in reality, he could only humbly lower his head and explain:
"Not at all. This is merely a normal disciplinary action within the family. Even if Schicksal doesn't pursue Kallen's actions, the Kaslana family will definitely punish her."
"Very good. Your Kaslana family has always possessed awareness. This is good, but... you always use your awareness in the wrong places."
"Uh... Lord Bishop, please enlighten me."
"Heheh!"
Nikolas raised his crosier and struck the floor heavily beside his feet a few times.
"Luka Kaslana. Kaslana... We are all adults, Luka. Between you and me, there's no need for veiled pleasantries and pointless talk—you simply want to preserve the Kaslana family amidst this turmoil. That deceives no one."
"..."
Luka sighed heavily. Indeed, they were all adults. Who didn't know the other's intentions?
It was just that usually, people maintained a certain degree of decorum in their interactions, so words weren't spoken too directly. But Nikolas clearly couldn't be bothered with that now—in other words, he had cast aside all pretense of face.
Fine. Rip away all masks, say what needs to be said, no more beating around the bush. Perhaps it hurt one's pride, but it was truly a blessing for the mind.
"Luka, do you know the difference between the Castle Council and me?"
Without waiting for Luka's answer, Nikolas continued speaking to himself:
"The Castle Council wants power. They want the authority of Schicksal that has been held by the Three Great Families. From the moment Schicksal was founded, all power has been controlled by the Three Great Families. The Castle Council was established merely to prevent decision-making errors and to mediate relations between the Three Great Families. Now they've seized the opportunity presented by the failure of the Eastern Expedition. They want to overturn the principle that Schicksal is led by the Three Great Families. Since that's the case, whether the Three Great Families themselves continue to exist is irrelevant to them—they only want the power held by the Three Great Families. How ridiculous!"
As if to punctuate his words, Nikolas let out a series of cold laughs, but after about five or six seconds, he choked on phlegm, having to pat his chest while coughing violently. To maintain his episcopal dignity, he even had to swallow the phlegm back down.
However, a bishop was still a bishop. His skin was thicker than his heavy mitre. He quickly pretended nothing had happened and continued:
"But I am different. The Apocalypse family is different. I also want my descendants to completely control the power of Schicksal. But I am already the Bishop of Schicksal, and my descendants will also be the Bishops of Schicksal. We are born with the legitimate right to rule Schicksal, and this legitimacy is built upon the foundation of the Three Great Families being united.
"Luka, things have reached this point. The Castle Council will absolutely not let this go just because you deliberately distance yourself from Kallen. Kallen is merely an excellent opening for them. Their goal is the Kaslana family's resources and the hereditary right to command troops passed down through generations of Kaslanas. Only by obtaining these can they contend with the Schariacs, who control the other half of the military power, and the Apocalypses, who hold the position of Bishop.
"Therefore, therefore... Luka, only I, Apocalypse, can save the Kaslana family. And for the stability of Schicksal, Apocalypse also needs Kaslana. Luka, do you understand? Only by closely following Apocalypse is Kaslana safe."
After all that talk, so that was it. Luka wasn't surprised at all.
Schicksal's system was inherently deformed. From the moment Schicksal was founded, the Three Great Families established themselves as equals. This was originally due to mutual trust and equal strength; it was impossible to definitively rank them.
But as a massive organization, Schicksal couldn't possibly have the three families deliberate every matter together; the efficiency would be far too low.
Thus, the three families quickly divided the labor—the formidable Schariacs and Kaslanas split the military power. After all, military force was the most fundamental power, and dividing it between two families was the most stable arrangement. The Apocalypse family, in turn, received the hereditary right to the position of Schicksal Bishop.
From the perspective of that time, the Schariacs and Kaslanas, holding military power, enjoyed immense prestige. Whether the Apocalypse Bishop's position was secure depended on the mood of the other two.
So, while the "Bishop" was nominally the leader of Schicksal, it was merely compensation for the Apocalypses withdrawing from military affairs. However, over the subsequent millennia, as Schicksal continuously expanded, this compensation soured—
The military power held by the Schariacs and Kaslanas was certainly important, but Schicksal was no longer just a religious organization. Shedding its religious cloak, it was now effectively an empire unifying Europe, possessing secular power. It wasn't surprising that the Apocalypse family, in turn, came to dominate the other two.
But domination was just domination. The Schariacs and Kaslanas would never completely submit to Apocalypse leadership, because, according to principle, the Three Great Families were inherently equals.
And this was something the current Nikolas could not tolerate. Yes, Luka understood. What Nikolas wanted was simply the Kaslanas' subservience.
If he just nodded now, Kallen's matter would no longer involve the Kaslana family. He still trusted Nikolas's ability.
From then on, Schicksal would no longer be the Schicksal of the Three Great Families, but the Schicksal of Apocalypse.
But he had no other choice. As Nikolas said, the Castle Council wanted the power of the Three Great Families, not the families themselves. If turning to Nikolas was like bargaining with a tiger or drinking poison to quench thirst, then turning to the Castle Council would only result in being torn apart immediately.
Besides, the Kaslanas rarely interacted with the Castle Council; there was no way to prove their sincerity.
No, actually, there was another option—
"Nikolas, don't push too far. Your Apocalypses are also a target of the Castle Council. If the Kaslanas refuse to bow today, after the Council finishes with us, the three little Schariac girls certainly won't be able to resist either. By then, the Castle Council will completely control the military power, and you Apocalypses will be nothing but turtles in a jar!"
Luka bit his lip. He wanted to be defiant just this once, but his lips moved for a long time, yet he ultimately lacked the courage to gamble—gamble that Nikolas could remain absolutely rational, gamble that even if the Kaslanas didn't yield, Nikolas would still protect them out of consideration for protecting the Apocalypses...
But he truly didn't dare to gamble. The Kaslana name represented not only countless lives but also bore the weight of past glory and responsibility.
It was common for dynasties to rise and fall. How many once-illustrious noble families had descendants who had now lost even their surnames, mingling daily amongst the lowest classes, unaware of their ancestors' glorious deeds?
But the descendants of Kaslana absolutely could not end up like that. Kaslana was more than just a bloodline; it was a legacy of guardianship, a belief passed down like a constantly relayed torch. Though it shone brightly in the darkness, it also had to be carefully protected from being extinguished by the night wind and cold rain.
For this reason, he could only...
He lowered his head humbly, bending his waist. Nikolas said no more, simply walking down the steps one by one, finally stopping on the last step before him.
Luka's facial muscles twitched violently. But since he had already lowered his head, even bowed his waist, then taking one more step wasn't unbearable, was it?
He knelt on the ground, crawling on his knees towards Nikolas, took hold of his boots with both hands, and gently kissed them.
"Very good, Luka, my dear friend. You have proven your loyalty. Return with peace of mind. The Kaslana name shall endure until after the Apocalypse name ceases to exist."
"Yes."
Luka gritted his teeth and continued crawling backward until Nikolas had returned to the top of the steps, only then gritting his teeth and rising.
"Lord Bishop, there is one more thing..."
"Speak."
"Kallen... what will happen to her?"
Nikolas fell silent for a rare moment before slowly saying:
"People must pay the price for their actions, even if it's just a youthful impulse. Saving the Kaslana family is already my limit. I will do my best for Kallen, but the Castle Council's sentiments must also be considered. Do you understand?"
"Understood..."
"Then please leave."
"...Yes."
Watching the figure of his childhood playmate step deeper into the darkness, Nikolas's eyes flickered, his thoughts unknown.
Logically, since their meeting was private and there was no third party present, there was no reason for him to remain here after Luka left.
But he still stood there, eyes slightly narrowed, as if about to fall asleep standing up. After about ten minutes passed like this, he softly called out:
"Otto, my son, come out."
As the words fell, a hazy figure emerged from the darkness to his left, its form sharpened by the golden light emanating from the amber wall.
Otto obediently stood before his father.
"Otto, my son... Otto, my son..."
Otto looked up following the sound. His father's face was cast in shadow by the golden light, his specific features impossible to discern. Otto tried to complete the image using his memory, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.
Just a few days ago, father and son had spoken face-to-face, yet now even his features felt so unfamiliar.
Perhaps it's the same for Father towards me—Otto thought.
Otto waited silently. He waited for his father to speak first, but after murmuring his name twice, Nikolas fell silent again.
Clearly, he was waiting for Otto to ask first.
And without needing much thought, there was only one question:
"Kallen... can she really not be saved?"
"Heh, heh, heh, heh..."
Nikolas laughed haltingly four times, not directly answering the question:
"Otto, do you think what Kallen did was right or wrong?"
"I... What she did was obviously right! Things like indulgences will completely destroy Schicksal's credibility! And for ordinary people, not to mention the salesmen are already selling indulgences for six Gold Groschen each, even at the one Groschen set by Schicksal, that's equivalent to a laborer's entire monthly salary in Kolosten! This kind of behavior is blatant robbery!"
"Have you said enough?"
Suddenly interrupted, Otto's lips moved slightly, but he ultimately chose silence.
"Naive! Do you think right and wrong are child's play? You just want to say that Kallen's actions were just, and Schicksal should immediately stop issuing indulgences! Then let me tell you, Otto... Schicksal's Eastern Expedition accumulated debts of over two billion Gold Groschen over five years, and Schicksal runs an annual deficit of over one hundred million Gold Groschen. The income from indulgences barely covers one year's deficit. If we don't do this, the debt will only pile up higher, and Schicksal will have no choice but to declare bankruptcy..."
"You're just trying to argue for the necessity of indulgences, but is something necessary automatically correct!"
For the first time in years, Otto summoned the courage to interrupt his father's lengthy speech. But instead of praise, he received merciless ridicule:
"Correct? Otto, my child, I told you, correct, wrong, right, wrong, these are just concepts for children playing house. A person goes through three stages of growth in life. The first is understanding the right and wrong of things. The second is understanding that things aren't just right or wrong. You understand this now, it's not too late."
"Indeed..."
Otto took a sharp breath and asked:
"Just tell me directly, what exactly do you need for you to let Kallen go? You don't need to tell me anything else. You called me here for this very reason, didn't you?"
"Heheh... Hehehe... Otto, my child... Ever since my dear Ferdinando passed, you have been the most satisfactory among my many descendants."
Nikolas laughed with satisfaction, but then his tone shifted abruptly:
"But I will not pass the Bishop's position to you. My body won't last much longer. After my death, Marseille will succeed me as Bishop. He is still young; I will have Risa assist him. I will also have him marry Eleanor, thereby securing the support of the Schariac family. As for you, Otto, my son, what you need to do is..."
He paused deliberately here, then his words seemed to switch tracks and begin anew:
"Although Luka has already represented the Kaslanas in showing submission, he has always been slippery and unreliable. To grasp the power of the Kaslana family firmly in hand, I need you, Otto, to complete the marriage contract with your fiancée Kallen. That is all."
Otto's head snapped up. This was exactly what he had always wanted.
But he wasn't happy. There wasn't a single shred of emotion within him that could be called "happiness." This was indeed what he had dreamt of for over ten years, but what use was it now?
He also knew very well—this wasn't what Kallen wanted.
This was something Kallen absolutely could not accept.
But reality offered no choice. Otto could only nod blankly and request:
"So... can I see her once?"