Corsica Island, the holy city of Cento.

The residence of the Pope of Corsica.

The same night that Marzio and his squad stormed the Blue Butterfly Fort.

The lights were burning brightly in the great hall. The Gothic-style room expressed the power of the new Christianity. Torches hung on large columns, and guards from the Sardinian Guard stood near them, dressed in striped red-blue-yellow doublets and trousers tucked under the knees, a beret or a morion with a red plume in a cuirass. Armed with a halberd, the tall soldiers inspired confidence and reverence for the church, because each of them was just a drop in the ocean from the power of the Holy See. Frescoes with images from the Bible and the New Scripture hung between the columns. One depicted Christ descending on a bright ray to dirty and destitute people. On the other, he also blessed the knights, under whose feet lay the defeated demons. In the center of the hall was a long table, at which sat several dozen people - the noble representatives of Corsica and Sardinia and their allies from Genoa, Pisa and Aragon-Castile. On both sides of the table, two window mosaics towered above it: one depicted the ascension of the Lord, and the other – the Second Coming. The table stood parallel to the mosaics and the Pope of Corsica sat on a luxurious chair with his back to the ascension. It was Alonzo 1 Mosovier– a fifty-year-old man with a long face, slightly pale skin and small but burning blue eyes. Next to him on the right sat Leonce Garrel, Cardinal Vicar of Papal Corsica, Deputy Pope. Leonce was over forty years old, but his face still retained its beauty and former vivacity. His green eyes glittered in the torchlight, and his brown hair, not yet gray, peeked out from under his cardinal's hat. To the left of Alonzo sat Amadeo Fumagalli, Cardinal Secretary of State, Prime Minister of Corsica. He was almost fifty years old. His brown eyes have already faded – he has experienced too much in his lifetime. Under the hat, it was impossible to see his almost completely gray hair, which had once been black. Both cardinals, as befitted, were dressed in red robes embroidered with gold. Behind them sat members of the Order of the "Holy See": Vivien Iber - a forty-year-old man with long brown hair and a light beard - master of the Order; Silvestro Cavalli - a thirty-year-old man with short green-gray hair and brown eyes - deputy master of the Order (Grand Comtur); Letizia Barbieri was a red-haired girl about thirty years old with long lush hair and blue-violet eyes, she was a member of the council of the order. And all the other highest ranks of the order were also presented. Besides them, the best generals of Italy and Spain, ambassadors, as well as representatives of the allied orders: the Order of Santiago and the Order of St. Maurice sat at the table.

At a late hour, the Pope of Corsica held a meeting on a particularly important occasion. Today he had already received the entire Cabinet of Ministers of Sardinia, as well as an incredible number of ambassadors, generals, noble persons from the allied states. There was going to be a huge confrontation, and the Pope wanted everything to go according to plan. They had been sitting for what an hour, and during that time a lot of words were heard about the situation in northern Italy. It all came down to one thing - the escalation of the conflict with Liechtenstein and its allies. There were many contradictions accumulated: economic, religious, geopolitical. Now Silvestro Cavalli was finishing his report:

"According to the final calculations, we caught 236 witches and sorcerers, 136 propagators of various heresies, 57 idolaters, 228 people who keep artifacts of the ancients, 282 adherents of one or another heresy, and about 1,000 items of a demonic nature were seized. We can state that the counties of Bologna and Lombardy have now been completely cleansed of heresy, as well as the indicators of the trials of the Inquisition exceeded the statistics of heretics in central and western Italy combined. I also want to note that we have identified twice as many heretics as we initially assumed."

"Very well, Senor Cavalli," the Pope said. Silvestro took his seat.

"As we see...," the Corsica Pope began, folding his hands in front of him with a lock.

"Even in such a safe and peaceful region as Italy, there are still signs of heresy. We can ensure full control over the situation in our region, but we do not know what is happening in the northeast. Based on the statistics of the Inquisition, we can assume that the situation in that region is no better. And this means that our friends from the Order of the Hospitallers are not coping with their sacred work. We cannot stand aside and not interfere in the affairs of Italy. But something else dejects me... ," he paused for a second. There was silence in the hall, everyone listened attentively to the pope.

"I regret to say that our neighbors, the Kingdom of Veneto and Slovenia, are mired in heresy. But what outrages me is that the source of this infection does not come from the wild lands, but from the Alpine peaks. Liechtenstein has long aroused suspicion: their king does not recognize the authority of the church, does not send proper donations to the temple of the Lord, does not allow the Inquisition into his possessions, relying on his orders, and also incites the rulers of Veneto and Slovenia. We can no longer remain silent. No warnings helped, which means it's time to carry our word not with the help of diplomacy, but with the help of weapons. For the Lord said, "I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." It is time to cleanse Italy and the Alps from heresy, not only among the servants, but also among the nobility and clergy." The Pope spoke in a calm tone, but there was sorrow and indignation in his intonation. He looked rather tired.

"It pains me even to think of Christians fighting with each other, but we have no other way out. It's time to put an end to this. I have called you here, brothers and sisters, to announce the sad news that we are going to war against Liechtenstein and its allies," a mute echo seemed to sweep through the hall, but everyone was silent.

"I can't stand it anymore. We must act urgently. I am ready to excommunicate the King of Liechtenstein and his entire country from the church. I hope that then respectable Christians will rebel against the atheists and help us in the holy cause. However, I do not intend to excommunicate the rulers of Veneto and Slovenia - for now. Maybe they will come to their senses and understand what kind of Judas has settled in the Alpine mountains. I still hope that it will be possible to get rid of the shedding of Christian blood. But still...," here he paused a little.

"It's time to move troops. I have already spoken with the King of Genoa, Pisa and Aragon-Castile – they are ready to come with us. However, what am I saying if they have already sent their best generals to our council," The Pope smiled, but his smile was strained: he was too tired.

"I would like you, gentlemen, to listen to the plan of our master of the "Scarlet Order" – Senor Ibera about the upcoming war," here the master of the order got up from his chair.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!" he said glibly to the whole hall. Dad took his hands off the table and leaned back blissfully in his chair.

"We have prepared a detailed plan of action, which we have already approved with your kings, dear seniors and senoritas," at that moment, he snapped his fingers, and the lackeys ran out of the darkness of the hall and distributed a card to each member of the assembly.

"As you can see, the offensive will take place in three directions. The main attack will take place on the territory of Veneto. Our troops will march from Lombardy and Bologna, and then advance into the interior of the country. When they reach Venice, even if they fail to capture the city within a few months, our armies will move towards Slovenia. Our main task in this direction is to completely capture Veneto and Slovenia and force their kings to surrender. Then, we will go directly to the borders of Liechtenstein. The second strike will take place by sea: our flotillas will blockade the Adriatic Sea, as well as all the other Veneto colonies in the Mediterranean. If everything goes well, then an army landing on the coast of Slovenia is possible. The third strike will take place on the Alps: our armies will approach the border with Liechtenstein in the Swiss region and will advance into the depths of the mountains. If we manage to raise religious uprisings in that region, it will greatly facilitate our work. However, the third strike will be possible only if the first two are successful. Do not underestimate their defense in the mountains – they know the terrain better than we do and can hold off a prolonged onslaught even with a small number. But we have an assistant in this matter – Volga Bulgaria. Liechtenstein is now pulling its armies into Hungary, where they are going to give battle to the nomads, but their chances are slim. Even if they manage to defeat the Bulgars, they will lose at least half of their army. This means that they will no longer be able to give us a decent rebuff in the western direction. We will be able to break them both in Switzerland and Austria, which means that Liechtenstein will be drained of blood. The first blow will be taken by the combined armies of Papal Corsica, Genoa and Pisa. The Italian and Spanish fleets will take the second blow. The third blow is completely taken by the Spanish army. The start of the war is planned for the end of May. During this time, the situation in Hungary should worsen. Any questions?" Here the Ambassador of Aragon-Castile got up from his seat.

"I beg your pardon, senors and senoritas" he began.

"I just want to remind the honorable gentlemen present here that my king will enter the war only after the army of Liechtenstein is defeated in Hungary, or when the Italian army is successful in northern Italy. Don't forget that Aragon-Castile is now at war with Luxembourg, which is preventing progress to the borders with Liechtenstein. If our winter campaign turns out to be successful, then it will be possible to talk about the third strike," the ambassador sat down on these words.

"Even so... ," the magister continued again.

"The united Italian armies will be able to cope with the Venetian army, both on land and at sea. But the further outcome of the war will be guaranteed to be successful if the Spaniards join in. Any more questions, gentlemen?" The Pisan General Martino Neri rose from his seat. He was a swarthy thirty-year-old man with a curly black head and yellow eyes.

"What if Liechtenstein wins in Hungary and retains most of the troops?"

"It's impossible," The magister replied with a grin.

"According to our intelligence, the army of the Bulgars is so large that it can break the defense of the entire army of Liechtenstein. Anyway, even if they come out victorious, the losses will be huge, and the people are exhausted. This is the perfect moment to invade," here a representative of the Genoisian Order of Saint Maurice rose from his seat.

"What will happen if the Bulgars break into Austria, and there will be a risk of encountering them in battle?"

"If that happens, we won't interfere until they've ravaged our enemy enough and retreated back to the steppe. Even if there is a war with them, we have a better chance, since Liechtenstein will surely exhaust the nomads greatly," The Genoese General, Eligio Moretti, stood up from his seat. A Negro with a very short haircut, expressive: cheekbones, nose, lips and gray eyes.

"How will things be if we are defeated on land or at sea?"

"Our army exceeds the Venetian one in number. Failure may befall us at sea – the Veneto fleet is really strong, but it will not be able to resist for long. Any more questions, gentlemen?" Another general of Pisa stood up from his seat.

"How long will the war last?"

"We expect to finish it by the beginning of winter," Giuseppe Saltaformaggio, a forty–year-old general from Pisa with short blond hair, brown eyes and soft facial features, got up from his chair.

"The Kingdom of San Marino is neutral. What is the probability that they will not conspire with Liechtenstein, and we will not get a knife in the back?"

"Extremely small. Now San Marino is waging an aggressive war in the south of Italy and quite successfully. Of course, we are not happy with their expansion, but right now this is not the main thing. They're too busy in the south to go to war with us. But they refused to cooperate, right," Casimiro Torregrossa was the last to get up from his seat – a healthy bald man in his forties, with a well-groomed black beard and bright evil brown eyes. He was one of the most influential and wealthy nobles in Genoa, and concurrently a talented general, but with a very complex character. An excessively hot-tempered, narcissistic and purposeful commander held a death grip not only on discipline in his army, but also on his sword, with which he slew more than one hundred people and demons.

"Are unforeseen circumstances provided for in your plan, and are you planning sabotage operations behind enemy lines?"

"Of course, provided!" the magister answered with pride.

"We are ready for surprises, and Senora Barbieri will tell you about special operations. If there are no more questions?"

There was no more questions. Then the master of the order sat down and gave his word to Letitia. She was a real beauty, if she was from the commoners, then the people would definitely recognize her as a witch. But she was from a noble noble family and now took the place of her late father. In addition to her devilishly attractive appearance, she had an extravagant character, as well as a virtuoso acting game. Even before being on the council of the order, Letizia was able to expose a lot of corrupt nobles, as well as identify underground cells of heretics, using all sorts of means, including seduction. There were many rumors about this lady, especially of an obscene nature. It was also rumored that she had agents all over the country, and that she was in charge of the secret gendarmerie in western Italy. There was little evidence, but looking at this devil, it was readily believed.

"Thank you, Master," she began in her wonderful voice. From this one phrase, the men's faces changed.

"I would like to inform you, honorable gentlemen, that we have a whole network of spies working throughout northern Italy. These groups will promote your advancement, as well as arrange sabotage and raise popular unrest in the enemy's rear. The system is well-coordinated, so you can fully rely on the order. But I won't tell you the details, of course–it's a secret," she said the last phrase so coquettishly that several people in the hall cleared their throat.

"Well, well, my children...," The Pope began here again.

"Thanks to the esteemed Magister Iber and Senora Barbieri for their speech. Now, if there are no more questions left, we can end our meeting. Each of you will receive detailed instructions later. Now we should trust in God, pray for our victory and prepare," he waited a second, waiting for possible questions, but everyone was silent.

"At this point...," he said solemnly.

"I declare the meeting's over," everyone got up from their seats.

"May the Lord bless our endeavors, amen!"

"Amen!" everyone answered in unison. The pope made the sign of the cross over those present, and they began to disperse.

The delegation from Pisa headed for the corridors. On the way, General Neri turned to General Saltaformaggio:

"I don't like it. We openly oppose, perhaps, the strongest army in the world. And we can only hope that some nomads will be able to break it. Martino was saying in an excited whisper.

"Faith alone can turn the universe upside down," Giuseppe answered him in a calm tone.

"Yes, but we need guarantees."

"Guarantees are only in your heart. We will have to break through to Venice before reinforcements from Austria arrive there."

At that time, General Moretti and Torregrossa were talking in the delegation from Genoa:

"Your Honor...," Eligio began.

"I didn't have time to congratulate you on your engagement!"

"Oh! Thanks!" the general answered in his bass voice with satisfaction.

"Indeed, a successful match! My late wife passed away a year ago, and I'm so stale without a woman's warmth," Kasimiro was speaking deliberately.

"However, we have to wait another five months before the wedding, and it, as luck would have it, just before the war itself."

"Yeahh, senor...," Eligio laughed.

"For a long time you will have to pine for a woman's body. However, I know one place." here he began in a whisper.

"Where you can have a good "sad", if you understand."

"Of course, senor!" Casimiro responded with satisfaction.

"I will have to be sad for a long time. My future wife is still so young – only fourteen years old! And I'm used to ladies like Barbieri, you know."

"I understand you so deeply!" Moretti supported him.

Not far behind them was a delegation from the Spanish Order of Santiago. Two knights: one was named Alta Fernandez – a long-legged girl with a lush bust, lavender hair, and the second Valencia Gonzalez - not at all a tall girl with short black hair, she has heterochromia - different eye color, the left is golden, and the right is black.. Instead, they represented a strange tandem of the delegation of the Spanish Order of Chivalry. At the same time, despite their young age, they were entrusted with such a responsible mission. However, they did not know that they were released from their native kingdom at the same time with a sigh of relief and excitement. This couple had long managed to annoy everyone because of their behavior, or rather because of the manners of Senorita Gonzalez, who was very passionate and vicious. Senorita Fernandez served as a kind of fuse for her, since only she alone could stop the rabid Valencia. The management hoped that in such a solid place as the sacred city of Chinto, this group would keep itself in hand.

"Just look at them... Gonzalez hissed in her thin voice.

"They just need to stick in everything that moves. Dirty animals..."

"Calm down, Mrs. Gonzalez," said Alta.

"These are noble Italian aristocrats!"

"Italian?!" Valencia was indignant.

"Then I am the Crimean ambassador."

"Honestly...," Fernandez continued.

"It is not necessary to cause a scandal in such a place, otherwise we will not get off with just a reference to the Palm Tree from now on."

"Bae, for God's sake, don't remind me about that stinking boring island!" meanwhile, ahead of them, the generals were exchanging vulgar jokes.

"Lord Almighty, why are there no decent men in the world?"

"Maybe because you don't let them near you?" Alta asked timidly.

"Nonsense!" Valencia immediately replied.

"Or they're afraid of you...," Fernandez said softly, turning away.

The Pope Alondo was resting in his chambers. He was wearing a white robe, a wet compress was on his head, and he was sitting on a chair with his feet in a basin of warm water. Nuns were bustling around him: they were tidying up the room, putting clothes in the closet, and taking out the remains of dinner on trays. Then there was a knock on the snow-white door, and from behind it came:

"Al, it's me!"

"Come in," The Pope answered hoarsely.

Leonce Garrel came into the room. He was still in his old form.

"Sorry for the late visit, here came a report from the center."

"Come on! The Pope mumbled."

"I can't do it anymore, I don't have the strength. So my head aches, and my bones ache."

"Maybe a pill? Leonce asked in a friendly way," Alondo thought for a couple of seconds and decided.

"Come on!" Leonce Garrel went to one of the lockers and pulled out a plastic box. It contained all the necessary first aid medicines. Finding pills for the head, he squeezed out one and headed to the table where there was a decanter. When the deputy pope of Corsica handed Tom a cup and a pill, the nuns had already stopped cleaning and left the apartment. After drinking the medicine, Dad sighed

"God, I'm so tired of this commotion. So I just want to lie down quietly."

"What to do is life," Leonce stated, sitting down next to him on a chair.

"Life... Amadeo is such a cunning man - he refused the post of the Pope, having found cancer for himself, and he does not blow in his moustache as prime minister."

"Haha, come on!" Garrel encouraged him.

"But the post you are holding – you will go down in history."

"As if I needed this history of yours."

"There it is, your history," grumbled Alondo, "it has turned into ashes and dust. Where is the Vatican now, where is the Pope now? Everything is in the dust in an instant. they were silent for a while, each thinking about his own."

"It seems that the pill has worked. Well, what kind of report is there?"

"From the satellite."

"From a satellite?" Dad was surprised.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've looked down on us. It must be funny to watch all this circus mummers from heaven" he said, pointing to his friend's clothes.

"How else?" Leonce asked a rhetorical question.

"In no other way... If you tell them the truth, then their brains will boil, if they are left, of course. Therefore, we have to play a comedy, but because there is no way! How many tried to restore everything as before, but one thing came out - a massacre. They're like a monkey with a gun, all the same."

"What about Liechtenstein?"

"It's nothing...," The Pope waved away.

"I wrote to them yesterday and called them today, and they just refuse: "we don't have time for this, we have an emergency!"

"And did you call the king?"

"Ha-ha, calling the king!" The Pope laughed nervously.

Yeah, perhaps he is one of all the local clowns worthy of being called that. No, I haven't typed yet. Tomorrow, maybe. I'll excommunicate them from the church and then we'll see how they sing.'

'Do you think they will?'

'He'll call for sure. I don't like their methodology. They know that all this will end badly. What do they care? They are sitting there behind their mountains and not sticking out, well, of course, it's good for us on the island, but if the whole of Italy breaks out again? I'm here, you know, trying to assemble Europe into a single whole, and they're dissolving all the rabble there! The Pyrenean has not yet been fully mastered, France is one radioactive ash, and they have played out here! It's good to wave trunks in front of the aborigines, but if these climb out? Or will they come from the ocean – what then?'

'Do you believe in those stories about America?'

'I believe the data of our drones.'

'This is most likely an old technique,' The Pope sighed heavily.

They noticed the movement...

'What!?'

'I just found out it myself today. We will discuss this at the council later, but that's all later!' he hastily wiped his feet with a towel and inserted his still wet feet into white slippers. The parquet floor creaked pleasantly under his feet.

'Ok, Leo. Let's talk tomorrow – I'm very tired.'

'OK,' they gave each other a goodbye hug.

'Good night'

'Good night...'

At the same moment, not far from the Barbieri family's private palace, at the gate leading to the garden, Letizia was scheduled to meet. The girl went to the metal fence and knocked four times.

'Password!' a man's voice croaked out of the darkness.

'Enrique, it's me!' the girl answered

'Password!' the voice insisted. the girl sighed heavily.

'Oh... a fisherman sees a fisherman from afar,' the gate opened, and out of the darkness came a small elderly man in a brown robe and with a curly gray beard.

'Did you bring it?' he asked.

'Here you go', she handed him the package. Enrique looked at it, and then shoved it inside his cloak.'

'Is everything still on?' the old man asked.

'Yes. Everything is going as we expected. Raise your freethinkers – let them pull together.'

'OK. How is the equipment?'

'Nothing yet.'

'But you promised you'd get it, didn't you?'

'Listen to me, Enrique. I'm not omnipotent. Of course, my charms are strong and my connections are extensive, but even they are sometimes not enough.'

'There was a deal! We can't stay underground all the time', the old man was indignant.

'You can and will if necessary. I am doing everything possible for the success of our business. Soon you will rouse the people, but for now – sit quietly and listen to me, okay?'