Chapter 251: The Holy Son’s Purpose
Leon briefly sized up the other party. Edward was wearing the uniform of the Holy Order of Discipline, with the insignia representing his status hanging directly on the outside of his uniform, while on his hand was a ring bearing the crest of the Marquis of Isenburg's family. All of these represented the other party's identity.
At the same time, it also meant that this time, he had come to visit in two capacities: as an Inquisitor of the Holy Order and as a representative of the Marquis of Isenburg's family.
The Inquisitors of the Holy Order of Discipline were the Church's military police as well as its judges.
Criminals arrested by the Inquisition Office were tried and convicted by them, while Church personnel who violated doctrine were also investigated and arrested by them. The reformatory where Melissa had once stayed was actually operated by the Holy Order of Discipline as well.
The Holy Order of Discipline and the Inquisition Office jointly constituted the Tribunal, which served as the Church's law enforcement force, and the one currently overseeing the entire Tribunal was Cardinal Stuart, the father of the Holy Order Inquisitor before him.
With a father holding such a position and himself having been selected as the Holy Son, one could easily imagine just how bright Inquisitor Edward's future would be.
Seeing Edward appear here alone, Leon relaxed slightly.
If the Church, or rather Cardinal Stuart, intended to launch an investigation against him, then they should have sent a large force into his territory.
If they wanted to seize evidence of his crimes in one fell swoop, they would have to breach the stronghold in one assault and penetrate deep into the dungeon.
If they knew that the Count had once died on this island, they should understand that even an entire knight order might not necessarily be able to force its way inside.
Even if they wanted to capture him first, they would at least have to send a squad. Cardinal Stuart probably wouldn't send his own son on a mission involving unknown dangers like that either.
Judging from that, this visit should have some other purpose.
“For the Lord Holy Son to personally visit me, I truly feel deeply honored.”
After saying that, Leon was about to salute Edward. Although they were both Inquisitors, Edward's rank within the Church was two levels higher than his, making him Leon's superior.
Seeing this, Edward immediately waved his hands: “Your Lordship the Viscount needn't be so courteous, this is your territory, after all.
I'm truly fortunate to have caught you. I just heard from your wife that you'd gone on a long trip to discuss business. My intuition told me I should wait a little longer, and fortunately, I managed to wait until you returned.”
“I only returned this morning, what a coincidence.” Leon replied with a smile.
He could imagine that Edward appearing here was basically impossible to be a coincidence. The Stuart family was monitoring his movements to some extent. He simply wasn't sure whether the other party knew that this long trip had been to make contact with the Witch Assembly's forces.
However, if they had discovered that and couldn't tolerate it, then they would probably have tried to arrest him.
“Then, business in your territory has been going fairly smoothly lately, I presume? I saw that the docks on the western side of the island were extremely busy. I heard that ever since Your Lordship the Viscount succeeded to the title, this territory has begun to flourish.” Edward said with narrowed eyes.
Hearing this, Adele, who stood nearby, immediately showed a nervous expression. When Edward said those words, he once again had that scrutinizing look in his eyes.
It couldn't exactly be said that those words were flattery. After Leon succeeded to the position of Viscount, the territory had indeed begun to flourish in the literal sense. This was all because Leon had earned an enormous amount of money by exploiting the dungeon here and invested it into the territory.
How could she not be nervous when an Inquisitor of the Holy Order mentioned “their business” with such a meaningful expression?
Although she had experienced plenty in the business world, she had never experienced personally breaking the law and then facing a law enforcer.
At that moment, Leon suddenly raised an arm around her shoulders and replied to Edward with a smile:
“It's all thanks to Adele. I'm busy with work and only handle the business occasionally. Most matters within the territory are left to her. This is all her achievement. She used to help her grandfather manage his business and graduated from a prestigious school. She's both outstanding and capable, marrying her was my good fortune.”
Adele felt the pressure of Leon's fingertips on her shoulder. Leon had clearly sensed her nervousness and was patting her shoulder to convey the message “don't be nervous”.
Under normal circumstances, if Leon had suddenly touched her like this, she definitely would have been startled and moved away, but now she instead felt somewhat reassured. After relaxing, she gave Edward a proper smile.
She might not be able to handle a situation like this, but Leon had a way to deal with it properly, and there was no need for her to do anything more.
Leon truly wasn't that worried. He had come to meet Edward Stuart under the assumption that the Stuart family already knew about the business he conducted.
Forget hinting at it, even if Edward asked him outright, he was mentally prepared for it.
It was just that before the other party made his intentions clear, Leon wouldn't casually admit anything and give him leverage.
“You two truly are a well-matched couple. Madam Viscountess is so outstanding, and you are certainly no less impressive yourself.” Edward smiled faintly at Leon, “I came here specifically to bring you good news this time. Your achievements have been recognized. On the first of next month, please proceed to the archdiocese to participate in the Rank Ceremony.”
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Leon felt a slight trace of surprise.
Previously, following Johnny's advice, he had taken the underworld assets of Mr. Turtledove that he had disposed of and, after properly handling them, leaked clues to the Church according to a fabricated scenario. He had even added a small batch of low-purity goods to substantiate the scenario, using all of this as his own achievement.
After review by the Tribunal, his achievement would be recognized sooner or later. He simply hadn't expected someone from the Stuart family to personally come and notify him.
According to the Church's system, non-ordained personnel, such as priests, apprentice knights, and junior Inquisitors, had no ranks, only different positions.
Ordained personnel, however, whether bishops, knights, or Inquisitors, all had a rank system similar to military ranks. They started at Tier One, then accumulated seniority and achievements to rise to Tier Three, after which they could pass an evaluation to advance to Archbishop, Knight Commander, Senior Inquisitor, or Elder of the Order of Discipline. There were still three tiers at this stage, and advancing beyond them meant joining the supreme governing body jointly established by the Four Great Churches, the College of Cardinals, as a cardinal.
Leon was also preparing to raise his rank and climb upward little by little, so he had repeated the same old trick, using surplus underworld assets from the process of reorganizing the organization to exchange for achievements.
The achievements would be submitted to the Tribunal for review, after which the corresponding diocese would commend him, and if there was an opportunity to raise his rank, he would be promoted.
Leon had guessed that he would receive a promotion. After all, at the Marquis of Veronia's gathering, he had already attracted the attention of Church forces connected to the eastern noble circles. Since he was someone Prince Aaron knew, people from the Marquis of Veronia's family and Church personnel whose interests were tied to them should all recognize his achievements.
Yet the person who came to notify him was actually the eldest son of the Stuart family. Logically speaking, the Stuarts should be considered western nobles.
“I happened to be temporarily transferred to the Southeastern Archdiocese recently, where I'm responsible for further reviewing those Church personnel who bear responsibility in the Saintess Incident. These are all duties of the Holy Order of Discipline, and as it happened, your achievement was reported around the same time.
You've accomplished another achievement only a little over a year after obtaining your rank, truly remarkable. The achievement you reported has already passed the Order of Discipline's review. I also took it upon myself to personally visit you and notify you of the news. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience.” Edward explained with a smile.
They actually arranged for the eldest son to come east. Was it to monitor developments here?
Leon sensed Cardinal Stuart's intentions.
“Not at all. For you to attach such importance to me leaves me rather overwhelmed by the honor.” Leon replied insincerely.
“If possible, how about I explain the Rank Ceremony to you? I hope you won't mind me attending your ceremony when the time comes.” Edward said.
Leon realized that this meant Edward wanted to speak with him alone, so he nodded, had Adele and the servants go attend to their own affairs, then invited Edward into the sitting room.
After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries, Edward suddenly said: “By the way, Your Lordship the Viscount, I seem to have heard that you're very familiar with His Highness Aaron?”
Leon was slightly surprised, but quickly reacted: “Haha, I wouldn't dare presume upon His Highness's status. His Highness Aaron merely happened to serve as my direct superior while I was investigating a case. I was simply fortunate enough to receive His Highness's care.”
Edward paused for a moment, then adopted a slightly more serious expression as he said: “You have now obtained a noble title and territory, while also rising rapidly within the Church. Your future is exceedingly promising. You were once His Highness's subordinate, so some people have claimed that you may continue assisting His Highness in the future. I'll speak plainly, I would like to know whether you have any intentions in that regard?”
So that was it.
Leon now had a general idea.
“His Highness is a noble man, and he has also shown me kindness. If I have the opportunity to assist him, naturally I couldn't ask for anything better. As long as he intends to seek the welfare of this country, I will always support him.” Leon answered naturally.
Edward scrutinized Leon again. After a moment, a smile once more appeared on his face: “You truly are outstanding. It couldn't be better for His Highness Aaron to have the support of someone like you. I hope you……remember what you said.”
As their gazes met, both understood without needing to say anything more.
Confirming Leon's stance on the issue of the imperial succession was the greatest purpose behind Edward's visit this time.
Leon had answered without the slightest hesitation just now, enough for Edward to see that Leon already knew Cardinal Stuart was secretly supporting Prince Aaron against Imperial Princess Freda in order to restrain Duke Gran.
To the Stuart family of the Marquis of Isenburg, the greatest significance of the late Count Fry had lain precisely in this. This was also why Cardinal Stuart had no interest in taking a share of the Count's business profits, yet still turned a blind eye to them and could even provide assistance in matters related to the Prince.
Leon had killed the Count, which had originally been a loss for the Stuart family. But when Prince Aaron made his appearance in the eastern noble circles, Leon's association with Prince Aaron also became known to others, and Cardinal Stuart had probably taken notice of precisely this point.
The reason Edward praised Leon as “outstanding” was also based on this——Leon not only already knew what the Stuart family wanted, but was also extremely good at reading the situation.