Salute To The General
Chapter 3085

Shortly after, Nathan and the others were brought to the square in front of the Curia's headquarters by Daveth. The square was extremely spacious, capable of accommodating more than a hundred thousand people.

The Curia used that place for its ceremonies and celebrations with the believers as well as for major announcements.

At that very moment, fifty thousand people thronged the square, consisting of five formations of ten thousand men.

They were the Holy Army formed by the Holy Knights of the Curia, and the sight of them standing ramrod straight was awe-inspiring. There were also many cardinals waiting for Nathan's arrival.

Moreover, there were countless citizens crowding the streets surrounding the square.

Under everyone's curious stares, Nathan ambled into the square.

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

"Ha!"

The moment Nathan appeared, the armored Holy Knights slammed their knightly swords against their shields in unison.

It was majestic, but no one knew whether it was a gesture of welcome or an assertion of dominance.

Daveth sneaked a glance at Nathan, only to notice that the latter seemed unruffled. He found it hard to believe that the other man could remain nonchalant despite seeing the terror-inducing Holy Knights before him.

What Daveth failed to consider was that Nathan, as the Commander-In-Chief of the North Army, was already leading hundreds of thousands of soldiers years ago.

A military parade was a common thing for him to witness.

Furthermore, it would be ridiculous if Nathan were to be awed by a mere fifty thousand Holy Knights.

The head of the cardinals, Milo, led his subordinates over to Nathan.

The first thing Milo did was to make the sign of a cross in front of his chest before whispering amen. Then, he politely said to Nathan, "It is my pleasure to have you visit the Curia, Mr. Cross. I am Milo, the head of the cardinals here. The pope has asked me to come here to lead you into the church personally."

In an impassive voice, Nathan said, "Please lead the way."

However, Milo was in no rush to lead him into the headquarters of the Curia.

A troubled look appeared on his face, and he parted his lips before closing them again.

Noticing that, Nathan asked, "Cardinal Milo, is there a problem?"

Milo replied, "Indeed. Here's the thing: the Curia has different ways of treating different distinguished guests. Mr. Cross, if you're visiting the Curia as the future Holy Maiden's father, then we will surely welcome you into the Curia's headquarters in the most respectful manner. In contrast, if you're visiting the Curia as a head of state, then we will have to welcome you accordingly."

Nathan shot a glance at him and asked, "What if I'm here in a private capacity?"

He could see that the Curia was trying to mess with him.

It was a fact that Nathan was there to meet Eugene IV in a private capacity. One could even say he was there to hold the latter accountable for his announcement-to force him to retract his statement and choose someone else as the next Holy Maiden. Needless to say, that was something the Curia would not wish to see.

Milo was making it sound like he was contemplating which way to welcome Nathan, but the truth was that he was giving him a warning.

In other words, what he meant to say was, "If you accept the Curia's arrangements of how your daughter is the future Holy Maiden, then we will treat you with civility during your stay here. However, we will show you no mercy if you do not accept that." Alas, since Nathan had dared to come all the way to Salinsburgh, he would not be afraid of the Curia. He clearly expressed his stance when he announced that he was there in a private capacity.

Milo's expression darkened.

It looks like Nathan's adamant about creating a ruckus here and forcing the pope to retract his statement.

When he spoke again, there were no traces of the politeness he had shown earlier. Even his tone was icy as he said, "Mr. Cross, since you're not here as the future Holy Maiden's father, a head of state, or a believer of the Curia, you're merely an ordinary traveler to us. Do you know that the pope would not allow private meetings under normal circumstances?"

Nathan chuckled. "This thing started because of the Curia, and my meeting with Pope Eugene is for the sake of resolving this peacefully. I have come with the intention of talking things out reasonably. However, if you do not wish to be reasonable, I will have to resort to force."

Resort to force?

Upon hearing Nathan's words, Milo and the others frowned.

The head of the cardinals was shocked and enraged, while the others were indignant.

They could not believe Nathan had just threatened the Curia, let alone menaced the Curia in front of the tens of thousands of Holy Knights.

He thinks too highly of himself! This is absurd!