A Single Mother's Farm of the Gods
Chapter 221: Interlude: Reclaimation Plan

Chapter 221: Interlude: Reclaimation Plan

The guests of various noble families living under the rule of Emperor Alfred finally gathered for the annual meeting held in winter by the call of none other than Emperor Alfred himself. However, there is one more group that included themselves in the meeting.

The Church.

Although they don’t specify what kind of church they are and why they are just called "The Church", it suffices to say that they are considered one of the main powers that control most of the Luminiera Kingdom’s populace. Only a handful of people who are currently in Luminiera do not believe in this religion’s teachings but the majority of them are firm believers and some are just plain fanatics.

Right now, the bishop of the church is the one who is currently attending on behalf of the Pope himself. Despite losing his arm from the confrontation with Elaina back then when they visited her, he is still an active member of the church.

The Emperor had no idea about that matter that the church was involved but the truth was silenced and no one ever mentioned this to him even Elaina’s parents.

Looking around the room and seeing that the seats were now occupied, Emperor Alfred nodded and the servant nearby rang the bell, signifying that the involved parties remained seated and the extras would need to leave.

"Good morning and thank you for attending the meeting gentlemen. I know you all came from different areas of the kingdom despite the cold weather, therefore, I appreciate the attendance of everyone," Alfred said in an opening statement.

Many nodded in satisfaction while others just scoffed it off as useless remarks, especially for the Elders of the Elders Council. Of course, they didn’t openly show their hostility but Alfred already noticed their dissatisfaction. Still, he didn’t tell them off about it.

"We should begin our first agenda for today and that is by tackling the current situation of dwindling resources of food. Although it isn’t affecting us much just yet, it will soon come to us and it will have a big impact on everyone. I have already deployed a few troops to determine the main reason for this to the other provinces but I must ask the lords about this situation to ensure that we will have a proper response," Alfred started and immediately tackled one of their current biggest problems. He already had a gist of it, but he wanted to hear the report of the nobles to ensure that the reports he received were correct.

"Bandits have been on the rise recently and they have been a pest for quite a while. They randomly started to raid our granaries and ransacked our warehouses, destroying and stealing most of the harvested resources stocked up for the winter causing massive shortages in some areas. We have already asked the soldiers to deal with them but so far, we still haven’t received good news," One of the nobles who owned a fief that focuses on farming reported.

"Sir Locke, you don’t need to worry. We have already begun culling the number of the bandits in the area. Soon enough, you will receive good news and you will soon breathe in relief.

The other nobles also voiced out their concerns and most are about the bandits indeed. Alfred carefully answered every concern without fail and quickly suppressed the worries of the nobles regarding their current situation and predicament.

The Elders also started voicing out their concerns and Alfred also suppressed most of their concerns as much as he could. Thankfully, he managed to handle all of them with ease...except for one question that suddenly appeared the moment the meeting was about to reach the final phase and about to conclude.

"Emperor, I apologize if this seems a private question but...with the divorce you have with the former empress, perhaps getting another candidate for the vacant Empress’s seat will be part of your plans? After all, we needed to have an heir to inherit the throne to be introduced to the public populace.

Alfred was taken aback by the question. This was indeed something that he had not prepared to be asked about.

"Indeed. An heir to be announced soon is necessary. We heard the news that the former empress had already given birth to the accursed twins that were supposed to have the bloodline of the emperor himself. Without a new heir to be announced soon, it won’t be long before the male of the twins will be considered as one of the candidates as the heir," one of the elders said causing the men to have an uproar.

"A prince born with a twin?! That is an ominous thing to have! That is already akin to causing the kingdom to be destroyed in the process!"

"Despite that, we can’t deny that the emperor does have his heir currently alive and well right now. Even if that kid is part of the accursed twins, we can’t deny that he does have the blood of the emperor. We can’t just ignore that matter completely."

The talks continue and Alfred clenches his hands. Despite his composure earlier, it is now being destroyed the more he is listening to the talks of the nobles and the elders.

Before he can say anything, the glass ball currently being carried by the bishop of the church glows bright and a voice echoes inside.

"I am currently hearing the topic being discussed and I can’t help but chime in and talk about this interesting topic. May I join in, gentlemen?"

The voice is one that many of the nobles are familiar with. Despite not officially meeting with him, he is one of the most influential people in Luminiera Kingdom. Just hearing his voice is enough for them to feel the blessings of the gods flow through them.

"Oh my, if it isn’t the pope. The topic is open and your participation, albeit that you are not participating personally, speaking through a medium like the glass ball is an acceptable thing," Alfred smiled and agreed to the Pope’s participation. The Bishop is the one who holds and keeps the glass ball in a good position so that the Pope is seen by everyone and his voice is pristine and clear for every person in the room to hear.

"Good Morning everyone especially to the Emperor of Luminiera Kingdom. It was unfortunate for me to not be able to attend in person. But I hope my proxy is doing a good job so far. I have been busy with the charities I am currently running around the kingdom. I hope the gentlemen can understand why I decided to just talk here."

The Elders immediately smiled, every one of them trying to curry favor for the Pope.

"No worries, Pope. The meeting is almost over anyway and most of the problems have been resolved so far. The Proxy that the Pope has sent is already enough for the current topic we have and his opinions are enough to help steer the situation to the right path," the leader of the Elders council said.

"That’s great to hear. However, that question posed earlier is the only one being not properly addressed, yes?" the Pope asked.

"I was about to answer something about that, but His Excellency decided to talk so we have yet to proceed to the answer just yet," Alfred immediately added.

"That’s good as I am currently holding an idea I want to share. I hope the gentlemen can at least hear my mouth yap for a moment?"

The noblemen shook their heads and the Elders Council immediately answered. "You are free to give your thoughts, Pope. This matter might be immediately resolved the moment you give your opinion to us."

"Great! Right now, the Emperor has yet to have an heir to be called at the moment, yes? And the former empress has finally given birth to the accursed twins?"

"Indeed."

"Although I am not sure whether what I saw is real, I predicted that the Emperor will no longer be able to have another set of new children aside from the children that the former empress has given birth to. This is a future that I am not yet sure so take it with a grain of salt."

The Pope said that, but the nobles and the council started to whisper to each other disregarding his words that "he is not sure about the future he saw". However, Alfred has an idea about why he will have no more future children and he is now fearing the current situation.

"If that is the case, what should we do? Despite being born as part of the twins, my only son will be the prince himself who will be considered the heir, but it is not a good thing due to him being part of the twins, right?"

The Pope smiled. "Although he is indeed born with a twin, this matter can be safely improved and as the Pope, I can say that even I will agree that the twin’s curse will be removed if this method is done."

Hearing this, Alfred felt a spark of hope in his heart.

"Tell me, Pope?"

"The method is simple, Emperor. Since he is part of the twins, disposing of his other twin will remove his status as part of the curse. He will be converted as one the rightful heir in the process."

"D-dispatch? You mean...?" Alfred couldn’t believe his ears.

"Yes indeed. When I said dispatch of his twin, I mean kill his other twin."