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It never ceases to amaze Eleanor at how Pope Vittorio is arguably one of the youngest ever, as the sheer amount of work that goes into the role cannot be overstated. So much so that logical thought would suggest that Vittorio is either a genius, or he's such a complete and utter fanatic that he spent every waking moment of his life prior to his appointment to his position studying. The part that annoys her is that she doesn't know the man well enough to be able to tell which one is right. Part of her would rest easier not knowing, however.
She locks eyes with the Pope once, her sharp eyes meeting his calm ones as she and her escort approach. Once they've reached an appropriate distance, she subtly motions for Blake to stop while Julio continues on to take his position at his master's side. "Greetings, your Holiness."
"Greetings, Professor Valliere. I would enter into formalities, but given the reason you are here I feel that it would not be the most prudent use of our time." Vittorio replies in a mellow tone.
"I agree. However, for once there is some good news. Tristian's Wind Stone deposits have been reduced to below-critical levels. Mr. Blake has bought our nation some time, though he has taken more forceful measures than necessary." Eleanor never quite feels completely at ease around the Pope, which makes sense given his position relative to her own.
"Ah, yes, the conflict between the elusive mage's forces and Tristian's army. An unfortunate turn of events, but no doubt a necessary one." Pope Vittorio nods in acknowledgement and approval before looking to Blake. "I cannot thank you enough for taking matters into your own hands as you have. If the Windstone Crisis were allowed to happen, I have no doubt in my mind that our civilization as we know it would be no more."
"I am more than happy to help, and there is a fair bit of benefit for me to do so." Blake responds as he tries to get a measure of the man standing before him.
"No doubt. The Wind Stone clusters are massive, and if unearthed as they are could fuel airships and related matters for generations." The Pope smiles faintly for reasons known only to him. "Though you are no doubt busy working on other nations, now that we have met in person I can give you permission to mine out the Windstone deposits threatening Romalia. Gallia and Germania will not be quite as receptive to the idea, however."
"Your actions in Gallia are no secret, Sir Blake." Julio chimes in to offer explanation. "The total destruction of a Windstone node is a very hard thing to miss. Not to mention you successfully kidnapping both Charlotte de Gallia and Ophelia de Gallia, and defeating an elf to do it!"
"You're quite well-informed." Blake frowns slightly in response to hearing that.
"Romalia makes a point of being at least somewhat aware of the workings of other nations, in case one gets too greedy." Vittorio speaks again. "Joseph's... madness is something we have not missed, and Julio has compiled quite the report on your actions against him. It is a shame that his daughter would be the next in line for the throne were he removed from it. Your harboring two members of the Gallian royal family would go a long way toward stabilizing the region were that not the case."
"And that would help my efforts immensely. The Gallian military is still too strong for me to take on directly, and in order to do so I'd essentially have to halt all other operations in the interim. We're on a rather strict timetable as-is." The steampunk mage states.
Vittorio's expression turns grim. "Do you have an estimate?"
"This land has approximately two to three years before chunks start getting torn out of it." Blake supplies. Eleanor feels no need to interject now that she's seen Professor Wardes' own research on the matter.
"...That is not much time at all. Perhaps even for one such as you." The Pope nods solemnly. "Though with our knowledge that Joseph has entered into some kind of agreement with at least one elf, that will be grounds for grand heresy. It will not be difficult to convince the other Cardinals to mobilize an Inquisition against the mad king. One way or another, he will be removed from his seat of power, and from there we will be able to place who we wish on his throne."
"That's for the best, seeing as the man wishes to weaponize the crisis for his own use." Blake all but spits the word out, showing clear disdain for the mad king and his ambitions.
Just as Julio had done when he heard about Aoi kidnapping Henrietta, Vittorio's own eyes go wide. "What...?"
"It's what he originally asked us to do once we demonstrated our ability to reach the wind stone nodes. It's why my partner and I had to destroy the one we located." Blake explains, which does nothing but worry the Pope further.
Julio, however, chimes in. "Come to think of it, given your capabilities, why didn't you just steal the entire node instead?"
"You are aware of how volatile those stones are, right? I can target any location I am aware of, but if handled improperly the node would have just exploded anyway. Joseph had his men secure the mining site in the middle of our fending off his military and pet projects, meaning that even if we weren't being hounded, we were in no position to retake the site." The steampunk mage gestures with the mug in his hand. "If we left it, that's a huge cluster of potent crystallized wind magic in the hands of someone who shouldn't have it."
"You did as anyone would have, do not worry." The Pope reassures the steampunk mage over his actions. "For Joseph's destructive ambitions to have reached that point... No, perhaps he was like that all along, and we could not see it. He plays the role of the fool well." He then sighs in a resigned manner. "I was hoping that conditions would be better for us to act, but it appears that we may have to contend with the Reconquista and Joseph simultaneously."
"That does leave us in a bit of a pinch. Henrietta has potential as a leader, but she's young and her nation doesn't support her fully. Albion and Gallia are both effectively enemies, and you're fighting Germania to get access to the nodes you need to remove to render the area safe. That means everyone is spread out except for the ones we actually need to stop." Julio muses, his smile long faded.
"Albion will be easy. If the leader of the Reconquista is silenced, then the entire movement will no doubt crumble soon afterward. Only a small team would be needed to end that." Vittorio notes, his tone returning to something more neutral. "The main threat is Joseph himself."
"I can't pull miracles out of my hat, your Holiness." Blake states simply.
"I would not expect you to, Sir Blake. You are working a grand miracle already, one that ideally should go undisturbed. To be honest, I was hoping that at least one more miracle would occur." The Pope states in a slightly disappointed tone.
"If it's not too much trouble, what would that be?" Blake drops the now empty through a portal as he says that.
"The appearance of another Void mage. Albion's has not appeared yet, and neither has Tristian's. Those who command the Void command great power, Sir Blake, power enough to strike down even the mightiest of foes. With a Void mage on our side, ending Joseph would be easy." The Pope's tone is both hopeful and solemn.
"I doubt that. Joseph himself may be a Void mage as well. One of his servants is adept in handling magical artifacts, and has glowing runes on her forehead." Though Blake refrains from commenting on Julio's hands for the time being. It was a brief thing, but he could have sworn he saw runes on the man's right hand.
"That would be the Mind of God. Ideally, the Left Hand of God or the Heart of God would be a match for such a foe, but those roles are tied to Tristian and Albion's respective Void mages. It is no wonder that you had difficulty in dealing with Joseph." Vittorio nods in understanding as he explains.
Eleanor shifts while trying to decide whether or not to tell the Pope about her youngest sister. On the one hand, if the Pope is looking for Void mages it may be safe to tell him about her. On the other, it could still end badly for Louise. As her elder sister, she feels that she cannot take the risk and remains silent, though she files the thought away for later.
"Is something the matter, Lady Valliere?" Asks the Right Hand, having noted her discomfort.
"The fact that Joseph commands that much power is disconcerting, to say the least. With him being as unstable as he is with the power he wields, it would be trivial for him to go on a campaign of genocide that we would be hard-pressed to stop." Eleanor doesn't try to dissuade Julio, but rather to give him a line formed from another real concern she has.
"Which is why the man must be stopped as soon as possible. There is no point in bringing salvation to the Brimiric nations if they will simply be ravaged by another force immediately afterward." Pope Vittorio responds this time before looking to Blake once more. "For the time being, though I recognize that I have no authority to ask you anything, I would none the less recommend that you cease work on Germania for the time being and relocate your operations to Romalia. I will use the time to help that nation understand just what it is you are doing for them."
"I will assist in your reconciling with Tristian as well, if needed. You are too important as an ally and savior to throw away over petty matters." The Pope continues, having more to say.
"Thank you. That will make my life much easier." Blake responds.
"One last thing: If you do run across any users of the Void that we don't know about, please let us know. We can help them as no one else can." Julio interjects.
"I'll bear that in mind, but understand that such a task is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I can guarantee nothing." Blake shakes his head slightly.
Eleanor couldn't help but note both the irony involved, and that Blake appears to be actively protecting Louise and Tiffania both by feigning ignorance in the matter. In truth, it is likely that the outsider mage could help the two more than even the Pope himself ever could, and without even the slightest hint of wanting to use their talents for his own goals. While Vittorio isn't necessarily a bad man or Pope, the Cardinals have a fair bit of notoriety themselves.
"I would not expect you to promise anything in regards to such a matter. Though I thank you for lending us aid in that manner. I cannot express how important it is for us to have superior might in dealing with Joseph, and two Void mages will likely be able to defeat one." The Pope responds after a moment. "That being said, I will not keep you here any longer than necessary. Lady Valliere, Sir Blake, may you both have God's blessing in the trying times ahead."
"May fortune smile upon us all, your Holiness. We'll need every scrap we can get." Blake states simply before generating a portal beneath himself and Eleanor, the latter of the two giving a small 'eep' sound as she feels the 'ground' give way from under her.
A few moments pass before the Pope speaks again.
"So, what do you think, Julio?" Asks the Pope.
Julio rubs his chin in thought. "Lady Valliere isn't being completely honest. It's true Joseph is a concern, but I'd wager something else is weighing on her mind."
"And Sir Blake is being simultaneously guarded and receptive. He doesn't trust either of us." Vittorio closes his eyes in thought.
"Trust comes with time, master. It's only natural that he doesn't bear everything to us on the first meeting." Julio responds with a reasonable conclusion.
"One step at a time, then." Vittorio concludes.
-
Eleanor and Blake land safely on a white sand beach one one of the islands in the archipelago the latter claims as his territory.
"I can't help but think that those two are jockeying for some kind of position." States Blake in an annoyed manner.
"That's obvious. You're a powerful potential asset who can and will change the playing field on a whim." The wind mage supplies her own theory on the matter.
"It's still annoying." The steampunk mage states the obvious.
"That is true, but as much as I hate to admit it things will go much smoother with them than without them." Eleanor pulls Blake along lightly so the two can walk along the beach.
"I also noticed you held off on telling the Pope about Louise." The steampunk mage locks eyes with his peer.
"...I couldn't help it. Louise isn't ready for whatever they'd saddle her with." Eleanor breaks eye contact worse and moves in a bit closer. "She's not a delicate flower, but she is still new to her power and as much as it makes no sense for me to do so I trust you with her future more than I trust Romalia."
"Well, we do have a Void artifact, and Henrietta's supplying us with another one potentially in exchange for a favor." Blake notes. "We have confirmed assets, Vittorio is only offering potential assets."
"That and she is among friends here. ...I want Louise to be happy, not to be stuck in the Church's grip. As much as I dislike that bastard dragon, he has been more of a boon to her than you could ever understand." Eleanor's normally volatile mood appears to have disappeared completely for the moment. "...And it may be wise for the two to contract soon. I don't think we can keep her status a secret for too much longer. Not with the Pope having an active interest in Void mages."
"And it would be better if she has a dedicated protector. I'll talk to Aoi and see if he'll agree. With the Pope himself smoothing relations over, it'll be easier to justify allowing my partner to go into that role." Blake relents in the matter at least somewhat.
"Thank you, Blake." Says the wind mage before the two turn the topic to other things.
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