Chapter 374: Constance’s Speech: End of Arc 7- Guarded Secrets

"Your Holiness." Gabriel walked into Constance’s office. The man tried to hide it, but he was nervous. His leg bounced up and down. His eyes slightly shook as he stared into the air. "They are demanding answers. You must give a speech and clear their doubts."

Consatcne didn’t move. His breathing got slightly louder. Gabriel watched in silence for a few minutes, waiting for Constance to speak. "Have I done the right thing, Gabriel?" Constacne finally spoke, his voice full of doubt. "Have my predecessors done the right thing? Hiding things." It was the first time he had ever questioned it. The truth could never be hidden forever; he just wondered if things would have been better if he were the one to reveal them.

"Your Holiness." Gabriel smiled and spoke softly with a rare kindness, "Does a parent not lie to their child to protect them. The Church must lie to protect those underneath it, not for any insidious reason, but because it is kinder that some people never know the truth. Take Elijah and Ramiel. They did not deserve to know the truth. Not because they are weak but because it is cruel."

Constance finally moved and looked into Gabriel’s eyes. Nodding to himself, he was sure he was right. Some things were better left a secret. "Tell the people I will give a speech within an hour. Anyone who wishes to can attend." Gabriel nodded and walked out. Getting up, Constance knew that words wouldn’t be enough. To stop the inevitable disaster, he had to use everything he could. "One more thing. Get me the journal of Damon ’The traitor’ within the Secret Archive." Constance quickly wrote down instructions, "This is what the book looks like and where it is."

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The halls of the Holy Seat were full of men and women, looking up at the highest balcony. They patiently waited for Constance to come out. The air was tense, as everyone wondered what they would be told. The door opened, and Gabriel stepped out first, looking down at the people. From behind, Constance stepped out, holding a large book.

Everyone couldn’t help but be stunned by his appearance. With a pure white veil covering the upper half of his face, it was impossible to tell if the person they saw was a man or a woman, which reminded some of Khors and his trick of the first man and woman. Wearing a long white robe that didn’t show any luxury, he looked like purity in human form. The agitation they had been feeling seemed to ease up slightly just by looking at him.

"People. Loyal Servants of Sol." Constance’s voice wasn’t loud, but everyone heard it. The gentleness in it made everyone feel safe and welcomed. "I have committed a grave sin." Constance didn’t deny it and lowered his head in shame, "The Church has committed a grave sin. For generations, we have lied and concealed the truth from you all."

Gabriel looked at Constance in surprise. Constance waited for the soft murmuring from the people below to stop before he carried on, "Our founder was not Pope Phineas but Pope Jeremiah. We do not have much information about Jeremiah, but we do know that he was a Blessed One and a man who claimed that Sol spoke directly to him. He is the founder, but not the one whose legacy we follow."

Constance looked around. There was a mix of emotions from the people below him, but the main one was confusion. "In the early days of the Church, there was a difference in belief about who should succeed Jeremiah. The man himself wished for the Church to be led by the Blessed Ones and the Blessed Ones alone. Phineas believed that anyone should be allowed as long as they were faithful."

Constance paused and opened his mouth, quickly closing it again. Taking a deep breath, he wondered how much he should say. Whilst he couldn’t end the schism now that it had begun, he needed to minimise its damage.

"Phineas, with his ambition, committed the first sin in the Church’s history and removed Jeremiah, erasing him from existence. All that remains are the records in the secret Archive. In the end, the role of Pope fell to the faithful, not the Blessed Ones and the position of the Holy Seat’s Chosen was created."

"For generations, this secret was carried. For a while, we couldn’t understand why Phineas did what he did. Those who held this position before me all guessed. Greed, ambition, power. No one knew. Until the journal of Damon ’The Traitor’ was found. This is a copy of it, the original too damaged to be brought out." Constance opened the book to the page he had read to Michael.

"It gets louder. The voice. It was once unclear. At first, it helped, told me things. But now. It wants me to do things. The divine Knowledge of Sol that was once a blessing has become a curse. Whatever this is, it’s eating away at me. Fighting for control." Constance closed the book.

"I will make this journal from this day forward available to the entire Church, so you may prove that what I have read isn’t a lie." Constance paused, chuckling, "All this time, no one knew why Phineas did what he did. But with this, we knew. The Blessed ones are possessed. Maybe by Sol’s divine spirit, maybe by something else that claims to be it. But whatever it is, it fights the person they inhabit. So I will ask you all. How can we trust someone who may not even control his own thoughts to lead millions spiritually? Was Phineas wrong for doing this? Was I wrong for not wishing to tarnish the Blessed Ones that came after Jeremiah by calling them crazy?"

Constance stopped talking again and let the people debate amongst themselves. He could hear disagreements with his point, but was pleased to hear that many agreed with him on the issue. It was slowly working. He couldn’t stop what was going to happen, but he could tell many were on his side still.

"Michael," Constance spoke, silencing the crowd. "He will reveal in time that the Holy text has been altered." The crowd spoke up again, many angry and shocked voices crying out. Constance raised his hand to silence them, "The books after the Book of Phineas. Some have been altered, primarily those involving the Blessed Ones. We did not wish to tarnish Sol’s chosen with claims we couldn’t prove. Some have had their crimes made worse. Some have entire segments of their lives removed. I can’t speak for those before me, but I helped cover this up because I was scared. Scared of betraying Sol. Scared of destroying the faith so many hold dear."

Constance lowered his head once again. For those who looked closely, they saw tears falling from behind his veil and couldn’t help but pity him. "Whatever it costs, if you wish for me to step down. I will. I beg for your forgiveness. For Sol’s forgiveness. All I did. I did to protect the faithful. Protect Sol’s home. But I may have been wrong. And I don’t know." He paused, choking back tears. "I don’t know if I was. I just hope you understand why I did what I did." Constance turned around without waiting for an answer and walked away.

Taking off his veil, he wiped the tears on his face, and smiled.’This is all I can do.’Going back into his office, he took a seat in his chair and patiently sat, much like when Gabriel first found him. He didn’t want to say as much as he did, but it was the only way to justify anything. Even if parts of the performance were a lie, it was one no one could prove.

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Michael walked through the Lands of the Holy Seat with his hood up. Clicking his tongue, he turned into a dark alley, seeing soldiers of the Severian Empire in the distance. He knew Constance wasn’t kind enough to let him leave peacefully and had started to regret not having his sword with him.

’How long has he prepared for this. To even request his father’s support.’Michael knew it was over the moment he was caught. He knew too much, and it couldn’t get out. He could only bitterly chuckle at how prepared Constance was. He must have known that many of the Templars wouldn’t be able to kill the man who led them for years. A foreign power wouldn’t have that problem.

’In the end, he cares more for the Church than Sol.’ Michael clicked his tongue and turned another corner. In the distance, he saw a dock, many Severian soldiers guarding it alongside Templars. It was the only way out. Any land border would be blocked, and he didn’t have the supplies to make it to another Kingdom or Empire on foot.

’I have to trust my men. Years of loyalty. It must stand for something.’Walking closer to the dock, he approached a group of Templars a distance away from the Severian soldiers and slowly lowered his hood. "Men." His voice was quiet but had a power behind it. The Templars instantly straightened their backs. Even if he was their enemy now, the voice had ordered and led them for years.

"You shouldn’t be here, sir." One said hesitantly. Michael frowned and nodded.

"I know. But I need to leave." The Templars looked conflicted, unsure of what to do. Looking at Michael, however, they couldn’t let go of the years of loyalty he had shown them and they had given him.

"One time." One of them quietly spoke and looked at the others. "If you want no part, leave." None of them moved, and Michael lowered his head.

"Thank you." It was like a weight had been lifted, giving him some faith in those within the church.

"If you return, sir. We can’t show the same grace as today. But you gave up your sword. There is no honour in hurting you when you’re unarmed." Michael smiled and lifted his hood back up. Following the Templars, they led him to a desolate part of the port and made him wait. A few stayed behind to watch him, whilst others sneakily grabbed a small boat, stuffing a few supplies in it for him.

"Leave. Never return. We swore an oath and don’t wish to betray it anymore."

"I’m sorry I made you. But your good men. It’s been an honour." Michael pushed the boat off the dock and slowly rode down the port towards the tears of Gaia. He had no destination in mind but knew he couldn’t go to a land allied with the Holy Seat.