Chapter 33: Addressing Titles During Work

"Sir, sir, please wake up."

Leo, who had fallen asleep in the soft chair, was completely unaware until a maid gently shook him awake. Opening his eyes, he looked around.

"I fell asleep last night?"

Rubbing his eyes, Leo rose from the chair and stretched his back. The maid handed him a glass of wine, which he took and drank in one gulp.

Seeing that Leo was in good spirits, the maid finally dared to speak.

"Sir, the Duchess is waiting for you."

"The Duchess? Where is she?" Leo asked, scanning the room for Matilda but failing to spot her.

The maid replied, "The Duchess has already gone out. The soldiers you assigned say the Andalusian paper is finished."

Finished?

Surprised, Leo wasted no time and rushed out of the small cabin.

Outside, he saw everyone in the monastery gathered together, passing sheets of paper from hand to hand like a game of hot potato.

Corrado spotted Leo and walked over, holding a sheet of paper.

"Sir, it’s done."

The moment Leo took the sheet, the system’s notification chimed.

[Mission 'Establish the Monastery' completed]
[Reward: 6 Church Knights, 1,000 gold coins, 500 Fame, 500 Devotion, 1 Special Craftsman]

Wonderful, wonderful.

A smile broke across Leo's face as he raised the paper toward the sky. Sunlight filtered through the thin sheet, falling into his eyes.

His faction, at last, was officially established.

Lowering the paper, Leo surveyed the surroundings. The buildings of the Corezzola Monastery were still made of wood, but that didn’t matter. In two or three years, with some effort, everything would be rebuilt in stone.

By then, this would be his base.

"Excellent, excellent," Leo said, handing the paper back to Corrado before looking at Matilda.

Holding a sheet of paper, Matilda’s face was alight with joy. She had not expected Leo to accomplish this task.

She stepped beside him, while Corrado tactfully withdrew.

"Sir Leo, when do you plan to go to Pisa?"

Her expression was full of concern, clearly caring for Leo.

"Soon," Leo replied, his attention drifting unconsciously to the system.

[Church Knights will arrive at Corezzola today]

"I'm waiting for my men," Leo said. "Once everyone has arrived, we can set out."

What men?

Matilda blinked, somewhat surprised. But remembering the many strange things surrounding Leo, she suddenly felt this was not so odd.

"I’ll go with you, Sir Leo," she said, then turned and swept away, leaving behind a lingering scent.

Leo’s gaze lingered only briefly before he called for Enrico. Enrico, still inspecting the paper, came running at Leo’s call.

"Sir, what is it?"

Enrico slipped instantly into work mode.

"Inform all soldiers to prepare today. Tomorrow we depart for Pisa."

"For Pisa?"

Enrico was surprised at first, but quickly composed himself and hurried off to relay Leo’s orders.

For Enrico, there was no need to question orders—doing as Leo instructed was enough.

Leo turned his attention to the mountain pass leading into the monastery. A banner fluttered there, proof that the soldiers he'd recruited had arrived.

The speed was remarkable.

Leo watched the group: six knights mounted on tall warhorses, each with their own retainers, and over a hundred heavy infantry following behind. The sight was impressive.

Even Matilda paused to observe the formidable procession.

Just how many aces does Leo still have up his sleeve?

She stared at him, while Leo was already conversing with the knights at the head of the group.

"Sir, we finally found you."

The lead knight clasped Leo’s hand, much as Enrico had done when first meeting him.

Leo returned the gesture with a professional smile.

"We’re from Tuscany. My name is Giacomo de Rossi, Florentine," the knight introduced himself. "These soldiers are from places like Perugia, Corsica, and so on."

"Thank you for your efforts," Leo replied, shaking Rossi’s hand, feeling a bit surprised.

The ‘de’ in Rossi’s name marked him as nobility. The Rossi family was highly esteemed in Florence.

"Let the soldiers rest for now. Tomorrow we depart for Pisa," Leo said.

"Yes, of course," Rossi replied, immediately moving to make arrangements.

Watching Rossi organize the soldiers’ accommodations, Leo felt for the first time how gratifying it was to have a force loyal to him.

At least, he was no longer that insignificant figure who could be manipulated at will.

...

Rome, Lateran Palace.

Pope Alexander paced within the palace, his face troubled. Rain beat against the windows, its persistent sound mingling with the cold wind, making the old man uncomfortable.

His nephew, Anselmo, sat nearby, obviously in low spirits. Their expressions matched the gloomy weather outside.

"Cough, cough, the envoy still hasn’t returned, alas—"

Pope Alexander coughed a few times, sighed, and sat down.

"I don’t think we can wait any longer," Anselmo suddenly stood, his dissatisfaction clear.

As a young reformist cleric, he was quite discontent with his uncle’s conservative approach.

"Leo is a heretic! Uncle, sending him out was a mistake! And we don’t have time to waste. If I don’t take office in Lucca soon, how many in the Curia will oppose us?"

As Anselmo spoke passionately, Pope Alexander’s gaze lifted.

Anselmo abruptly fell silent, turning to see Hildebrand.

The cardinal stood there, holding several documents, without any embarrassment; rather, he watched the uncle and nephew’s dispute with keen interest.

"Use proper titles during work, Anselmo," Pope Alexander admonished, prompting Anselmo to lower his head.

"Yes, Your Holiness."

As Anselmo bowed, Pope Alexander regained his authority.

"I agree with you, Anselmo. Time will not wait for us. Therefore, after investigation by the College of Cardinals, I have decided to officially appoint you as Bishop of Lucca. Now you may go and prepare for departure."

Receiving the appointment, a faint smile appeared on Anselmo’s lips. Bishop of Lucca—his dream position.

He nodded slightly and quietly left the office, leaving Hildebrand and Pope Alexander alone.

"What is it this time, Hildebrand?" Pope Alexander asked as he took a document from the cardinal’s hand.

"The matter in Pisa," Hildebrand replied, his tone grave, tinged with concern. His attitude made the Pope take the issue seriously.

After reading the document, the Pope’s expression matched Hildebrand’s.

He was silent for a while before speaking slowly.

"Since the consul of the Republic of Pisa refuses to pay the tithe, let the Bishop of Pisa apply pressure."