Man on the ark, forced to become king

"No, not at all."

Mostima and Remian exchanged a glance and answered in unison.

"Ah...that's strange."

Fiameta's suspicious gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, sensing that the atmosphere was somewhat awkward and that she felt very strongly excluded.

"Is there something you are hiding from me?"

"You think too much."

Mostima quickly changed the subject, pointing to Remian on the hospital bed: "I was just treating her. At this rate, she should be able to move around again in about a week."

"So slow? It's been several days already..."

Fiameta didn't think much of it, and followed Mostima's finger to Remian's leg, wrinkling her nose, not satisfied with the progress.

"Your treatment was really ineffective."

"I'm not a professional, I'd be lucky if it were even useful, why don't you do it?"

"Forget it then."

Thinking about her progress in learning healing magic, Fiameta's eye twitched, and she simply rejected the suggestion.

"I just feel like we might not have that much time, after all, that matter..."

News of the war has already spread within the Golden Tree. After what happened, she and Mostima are bound to join the war and cannot remain in Laterano indefinitely.

A week is not a long time under normal circumstances, but in wartime, you may receive a mission at any time and be on the battlefield at any moment, so time becomes extremely tight.

"That thing..."

Upon hearing this, Mostima fell silent. She opened her mouth as if to say something, when suddenly a golden light flashed in the void, and a golden leaf with flowing light appeared out of thin air, gently falling down and landing in her palm.

Fallen leaves carry messages!

Mostima's expression immediately turned serious after reading the joy conveyed on the leaf, and he looked up at Fiameta.

"Good news or bad news, which do you want to hear?"

Chapter Seven: A Fair and Upright Challenge

"I'm used to hearing the good stuff first."

Judging from Mostima's expression, the fallen leaf could only have come from one person: Lin Lu, the leader of the Golden Tree. Only he could have caused such a noticeable change in expression on Mostima's face, which usually wore a formulaic smile.

Fiamet had a guess in her mind and roughly figured out what the 'bad news' might be, so she didn't care.

Mostima's answer was pretty much what she expected: "The good news is that Remian's leg won't take that long, and someone who can do it better than me has come."

"bad news?"

"I've already said that."

With his hands outstretched, a mixture of bitterness and helplessness crossed his face, and Mostima's voice grew low: "He's here."

Yes, his arrival is the worst news.

Fiamet was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and gave a wry smile.

At this juncture, it's hard to say whether Lin Lu's arrival in Laterano is a good thing.

The curtain of war is about to rise, the old order is about to collapse, and Lateran... is also part of the old order.

Kazdel is already in the Golden Tree's grasp, and next up are Ursus and Colombia. Clearly, the Golden Tree intends to take down some of the most powerful and influential countries in the world first, and then deal with the remaining minions.

Lateran, there's no way to escape it.

They had been prepared for this for a long time, but had been avoiding the issue.

However, now, running away is no longer an option, because that man has arrived.

The leader of the Golden Tree, the king who wields the Golden Law, is about to personally set foot on the land of Laterano. What this signifies is self-evident.

"What are you talking about? Who's here?"

Remy blinked on the hospital bed; this time, she was completely bewildered.

Fiameta and Mostima seemed to say nothing, yet also seemed to say everything, though she couldn't understand them at all. Judging from their expressions, she could only tell that a very important person was coming to Laterano, and his arrival was not good news for Laterano.

“You don’t need to know these things, Remianne. Rest and recover. Fiametta, you stay with her.”

The golden leaf shattered silently. Mostima stood up, patted Fiameta on the shoulder with a heavy expression, and walked straight out of the ward.

This matter is far too important, and its impact on Lateran is immeasurable. Before Lin Lu arrives in Lateran, she must meet with the Pope.

"...What exactly happened? Fiameta?"

Remien was increasingly puzzled. She reached out and tugged at Fiametta's sleeve, asking softly.

"This……"

Fiamet scratched her head, pondered for a moment, and then sighed.

There are some things that Remyane, who is not a member of the Golden Tree, cannot say. Even though she feels that the constraints on her have changed, she still doesn't know what she can and cannot say, and can only give a simple explanation from the side.

"My current boss and I are coming to Lateran. Perhaps this will be the beginning of a disaster, but we are powerless to stop it."

"Why? Is he a terrible person? Or are they going to attack Laterano?"

Remien knew that her two best friends had joined a mysterious organization. The healing magic that could heal her came from that organization, and her injuries, which had baffled many doctors, recovered very quickly with the help of the abundant life force.

It might have taken several years to regain normal mobility, but now it will only take another week for him to be able to walk again.

Because of this incident, Remy had a certain fondness for that organization. However, whenever asked about the specifics, both of them remained tight-lipped and unwilling to say more, so she didn't know much about the organization called 'Golden Tree'.

Now it seems that it wasn't a good place at all? And it might even pose a threat to Laterano?

But... in the end, it's just an independent organization that exists outside of the countries. No matter how strong it is, it has its limits. Even those internationally renowned large companies and underground organizations don't dare to provoke Lateran easily. What makes them so special?

It's important to know that although Laterano's land area is not large, its fighting strength is quite considerable. The firearms and firearms manufacturing industry has been controlled by Laterano for many years, and it is not a country that can be easily provoked.

"I can't say for sure, but he was indeed a very scary person, in every sense of the word."

Fiamet shook her head, sat down in a chair, and reached out to press Remien, who had sat up, back onto the bed.

"Anyway... you'll find out when the time comes, it shouldn't be anything serious."

As she said this, she wasn't really sure herself; it was more of a verbal reassurance.

Is Laterano powerful? There is no definitive answer to this question. Compared to top-tier powers like Ursus, Veronia, Yan, and Colombia, it is certainly inferior.

However, compared with other countries, it cannot be said to be weak. Even compared with the Golden Tree, Lateran is far ahead in terms of conventional military strength.

The problem is that there are too many top experts in the Golden Tree, especially Lin Lu, who is ridiculously strong, so strong that people can't even see her from behind.

Such a person, even if there is only one, is enough to determine the course of the battlefield.

Not to mention, there are many more in the golden tree.

Can Lateran really withstand the siege of several powerful individuals of that caliber?

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With a heavy heart, Mostima left the sanatorium and headed straight for the Papal Palace, the political heart of Lateran, where cardinals usually resided, and the Pope was often there as well.

A group of old men gathered there, ostensibly to work, but actually to have a senior citizens' tea party and sneak some desserts.

However, today was an exception. When she arrived at the Papal Palace, she was told that only one cardinal was on duty today, and His Holiness the Pope seemed to be attending the opening ceremony of a dessert shop and was not here.

It's unthinkable in other countries that the highest leader of a country would attend the opening of a dessert shop.

But in Laterano... well, that's the kind of thing only that old geezer would do.

Mostima remained unmoved, and after figuring out which store it was, headed straight for his destination.

The Pope's status is equivalent to that of an emperor. In other countries, it would be almost impossible to get close to an emperor-level figure at will.

But... this is Laterano, anything is possible.

From a distance, Mostima spotted Pope Ivangelista XI, holding a huge box of ice cream and gesturing to the camera, along with the papal knight opposite him taking photos.

They're birds of a feather.

Mostima felt a chill run down her spine at the sight. She wasn't used to such a lively scene and couldn't feel part of it, feeling like a passerby.

However, considering the seriousness of the situation, she still gritted her teeth and went over, interrupting Ivangelista XI, who was having a great time.

"Your Holiness the Pope."

In the midst of a joyous opening ceremony, Mostima, who maintained traditional etiquette, looked like an oddity, causing the atmosphere to momentarily freeze.

"It is you."

The Pope waved to the knight taking photos, signaling him to stop, before turning to Mostima with a kind expression.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

"Yes, Your Holiness, I think we need a quieter environment?"

In the past, Mostima would never have been able to maintain such a relaxed demeanor in front of the Pope. Respect was still there, but more importantly, there was an equal exchange.

However, the Pope did not dwell on these trivial matters. He adjusted his glasses, pondered for a moment, and then nodded with a smile.

"Then let's use some space in the store. I think there's enough room for both of us."