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Mr. Skelly scratched his skull. Tons and tons of letters were stacked upon the pope’s desk, which Mr. Skelly was stationed behind. “I guess it was about time we’ve been found out,” he said and sighed, speaking to his subordinates who couldn’t formulate a response. “We had a good run, but since the pope escaped, he must’ve sent someone to investigate the church to check if it was safe to come back. After investigating, it’s pretty clear the church has been taken over by an imposter, us.”
Mr. Skelly raised his head, and the relatively smart skeleton and ghost didn’t respond. They stood and floated in complete silence, staring at him with hollow eyes and eye sockets. Mr. Skelly clacked his teeth together before grabbing one of the letters. He broke the wax seal, whose symbol he didn’t recognize, and unfurled the scroll with his bony fingers. “What? The Kingdom of Hungary has accused me of declaring war on it? If I knew where it was, I definitely would’ve since it can clearly throw around false accusations like these!” He paused. “Wait. I’m not the one being accused. Why am I outraged? It must be because I’m too used to those kinds of accusations.”
Mr. Skelly tossed the scroll over his shoulder and picked up another scroll. He recognized the seal this time. It came from the emperor that he had sent a scathing letter of reprimand to under the guise of the pope. His jaws contorted into a smile, and he practically tore open the paper. “Let’s see how he responded!” Blue flames flickered in his eye sockets, and after a moment of reading, they dimmed. “That’s it? Our world is very weak; we shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves? What kind of response is this? He’s willing to give up all his power if it means the pope can take control of the world?” His eye sockets narrowed. “It’s a trap, simple as that.”
Mr. Skelly snorted and threw the scroll away before picking up another. He broke open the wax seal and read the letter. It was from Francis I. “He’s thanking the pope for convincing Charles V to lay down arms. Isn’t Charles V the one that sent the letter just now about giving up his power?” Mr. Skelly turned around, squinting at the scroll he had thrown aside. The tiny name at the bottom of the letter indicated it was from Charles V. “Interesting. Very interesting. What’s going on with this Charles V fellow? He seemed ambitious, but now he’s like a cat that’s been sprayed. But how could the pope have convinced Charles V to lay down arms? Judging from Charles’ letter, they haven’t been in contact. This Francis fellow must not be very bright, or Charles’ actions are just too uncanny that Francis couldn’t come up with another explanation.”
Mr. Skelly rubbed his chin. “Politics was never really my strong suit.” He glanced at his two subordinates, but their expressions hadn’t changed the whole time he was monologuing to himself. He sighed. “But it seems to me, everyone’s looking to the pope to mediate their problems. If that’s the case, isn’t the identity of the pope just really too great? If I send out a letter asking all these influential people to keep an eye out for my dear Alice, I’ll find her in no time.” His eye sockets narrowed. “That is, if I can continue keeping the identity of pope.” He waved at his subordinates. “I have orders for you!”
The relatively smart skeleton opened its mouth. “What are your orders?”
“Find and capture the previous pope.” Mr. Skelly nodded. After a short pause, he added, “Secretly. Capture him secretly.”
“Understood.” The two subordinates turned around and left.
Mr. Skelly frowned, unsure if they understood his orders properly. If it was his army back at home, he wouldn’t be worried. Well, it was up to a leader to trust his men! This would be their first trial. Even if it failed, he could always initiate the backup plan—silence everyone who discovered the existence of the undead, whole cities included. He shrugged and picked up another letter that was on the table. Perhaps the large volume of letters was just due to the pope’s position, and there was nothing to indicate that he had been discovered. He unfurled the newest scroll, and one of his eye sockets widened as he read. “Henry VIII found a purple-horned devil with purple eyes. Tafel? He’s hoping I can wield the powers of God to smite her? It seems like Tafel usurped the throne of the Holy Roman Empire and wants to conquer the whole world? She didn’t even inform me, the pope, after stealing my empire!” He paused. “Wait a minute. I’m not the pope. Yet. Either way, it seems like I’ve located Tafel!”
***
Tafel raised an eyebrow. In front of her, Henry VIII was fidgeting and sweating. Tafel’s eyes narrowed. “Well, what is it?”
Henry VIII swallowed. “I have an idea for expansion, Your Majesty.”
Tafel looked around. She seemed to have teleported into Henry’s study, nowhere near any lands worth expanding into. “My time is very valuable,” she said. “If this idea isn’t good, I can send someone else to conquer this island for you. A lot of nobles are looking to be promoted.”
Henry VIII cleared his throat. “Do you know the pope?” he asked. “Have you considered taking over the church? The people you’re looking for, they sound like heretics and witches. If anyone has any clues about them, it’ll be the church. However, to prevent the common people from panicking, they won’t spread the word to the public, but there’s no doubt the higher echelons of the church have their details. If you conquer Vatican City, there’s a great chance of discovering your companions.”
Tafel nodded. Long ago, she had considered taking over the church; however, the whole thing with the peasants got in the way, and she was sidetracked by some nobles. Now that she had powerful subordinates under her, she was relatively free to do more things. However, the king in front of her was awfully suspicious. “Why are you sweating so much? Are you trying to hide something?” Her eyes narrowed. “You couldn’t be thinking that the church could deal with me because, in your eyes, I’m a devil, right?”
“No,” Henry said after a short pause. He almost choked on his spit. “Of course not. It’s just a bit hot, that’s all.”
Tafel squinted at the king for a few moments before smiling. “Alright, if this goes well, you’ll be promoted. But if it doesn’t go well, you’ll learn what it means to be a bit hot.”