Ice Vapor Goddess

Chapter 66 The Black Lynx

“He’s lying,” Agostino said, swallowing the last crumb of bread.

"When he asked the last question, his divine favor had ended, and God despised his actions, but he still insisted on speaking."

“We’ve been arguing our whole lives, and no one knows him better than me.”

“Who else is going north?” Agostino sneered. “Andrea Romano, his most beloved illegitimate son, the twenty-four-year-old diocesan bishop, has been stationed there for a whole year, leading a team of steel angels to guard the largest sanctuary in northern Albion, the Grass Fortress.”

Mrs. Dela Pass sighed: "He's actually a good boy."

“Yes, good boy. Apart from being a bit arrogant and not being as good as Xilun in exams, he has no flaws.” Agostino smiled. “It’s a pity I don’t like Innocent, so I’m determined to sabotage him.”

"So you sent Xilun to the north as well."

“Yes.” Agostino nodded. “He was also given a Holy Guard and a lot of supplies. It’s a pity that Anthony didn’t make it there in time… But that kid Ober is good. After becoming a Royal Knight, he should be able to wear the Archangel’s Robe.”

“What an old fogey,” Mrs. Dela Pass chuckled. “Everyone knows he wants to promote Andrea, but you have to interfere.”

Agostino shrugged: "There's no way around it, that's how the elderly's rights are used. If they disagree, the oldest cardinal will die of anger on the spot in the council chamber. Nobody wants to take that responsibility."

Mrs. Dela Pass looked at him.

He didn't have much time left. He began to feel relieved, began to sense the call of heaven, and began to joke about his age.

“Sirlen can do it,” she said, a loving smile in her eyes.

“You do approve of him,” Agostino glanced at him. “Everyone knows what that kid did in Lundinia.”

“But he’s a good boy, isn’t he? He’s just too insecure,” Mrs. Dela Pass said with a smile. “He doesn’t want to admit that his father is an alcoholic, abusive, and unemployed shepherd, and his mother is a gossiped-about cleaning lady. He studies like crazy and tries to act elegant, not because he likes it, but because he wants to be different from his family.”

"He wanted to prove his nobility through high-society women, to demonstrate his success through their love, and to see a successful version of himself in their eyes. But one day he will realize that this method is meaningless; he is just insecure."

Agostino was silent for a moment, his aged wrinkles tightly knitted together.

Then, he said hoarsely, "...I still remember the first time he came to Florence, wearing a patched black robe, like a thin and wary little lynx. Father Miller said he swore with all his piety that Siron was a good boy, that his theological talent was unparalleled, and that he just needed to be educated."

“I know Miller, that old stubborn man, it’s hard to imagine him recommending someone so strongly.”

“But I don’t like Celen. I didn’t like him from the first moment I saw him,” he said.

"He's as annoying as Innocent Jr. was as a child, like a reclusive hedgehog with fire and beast in his eyes, desperately climbing up the ladder, and once he gets power, he'll plunge the world into flames."

“When he came to me with Miller’s letter of recommendation and asked if I could be his spiritual mentor, I almost couldn’t resist kicking him out—he didn’t even know how to hide the lust for power in his eyes.”

“When he walked out the door, I knew he hated me, that wretched little thing—I knew him too well. He wouldn’t be grateful if I did him a favor, and he would hate me if I refused.” Mrs. Dela Pass smiled: “But you still agreed in the end.”

Agostino spat out a mouthful of thick, murky phlegm: "Who told him to be so good at exams? I don't know how this little guy's brain works. Even if Andrea studied like crazy, he still couldn't beat him. I hate Xilun, but I hate Innocent even more. The little beast is still not as annoying as the big beast, so I took him in. I want my student to outdo him."

Mrs. Dela Pass laughed, knowing that her husband was just stubborn, even though he later liked Celen so much.

She still remembered that day when Siron won first place in the debate at the University of Florence, and Andreas fainted on the spot. Agostino laughed like a child and spent all his time hanging around Innocent VII.

Later, some students at the seminary called Siron Martin Luther, because only the devil could be so good at arguing. Agostino put them on a wooden frame and almost beat them to death.

When he graduated, he knew that Siron had applied for the parish of Lundinney for power and wealth, but after sulking in his room for three days, he still signed the approval.

He knew that Xilen would not be grateful, that he was just a tool for that child to climb the social ladder, but he still agreed.

Siron flirted freely with noblewomen in Lundinia, frequented noble homes, and even clumsily became involved in many power struggles. The consequences of his recklessness were mostly secretly covered up by Agostino.

Even his eventual transfer to Speyside was the same.

He said he would make this little devil taste the bitter cold of the North, but who punishes people with a Holy Guard squad, a team of Iron Angels, dozens of talents from all walks of life, and so much gold, mercury and supplies?
Who used their power to make him a bishop at the age of twenty-seven and sent him to a refuge before the end of the world?
He kept saying, "I can't give my students less than what Innocent gave me," but anyone could see the concern on his face.

“He was a very sad child,” Mrs. Dela Pass said with a smile.

She remembered when Xilun first visited her home and, upon seeing her for the first time, exclaimed in shock, "What a handsome grandma!"

From then on, she took a liking to this student and often made him pancakes. When Agostino got angry and wanted to hit him, she would stop him and wink at Siron to run away.

“He wanted to climb the social ladder not for himself, but because he wanted to become a big shot. He always felt that once he became a big shot, he would no longer feel inferior and would be recognized by high society,” Mrs. Dela Pass said softly.

“He is different from Innocent VII. Innocent VII craved fire because he himself was fire; he was born to ignite the world. But Siron craved fire because he emerged from the ice. He was so cold that he desperately wanted flames to warm him, even if it meant burning himself to death.”

"He was such a poor child..."

Agostino didn't speak, but just sighed softly.

Suddenly, the mechanical timer on the gun turret went off. Mrs. Dela Pass stood up, pulled down her stylish brown goggles, and gripped the vibrating gun barrel lever.

The 12th day of the Siege of Florence has begun.

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(End of this chapter)