The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 1005 - 515 The Emperor and the Electors

Chapter 1005: Chapter 515 The Emperor and the Electors

Among the three thousand ordinary princes, there were not only common dukes, marquises, and earls but also a substantial number of bishops within bishoprics—these religious nobles.

And these were not all the princes within the Empire.

For the Empire’s territories were also filled with tens of thousands of independent knight domains, most of which were inconsequential third-rate characters; but among these knights, there could be a Duke Knight who had grown tired of eternal life and was skirting by in the countryside.

Therefore, beyond the seats of the princes and the free cities, there were even more standing spaces—the knightly standing places.

The awe-inspiring Imperial Parliament Hall, located in the Regensburg Region, was a district that completely excluded commoners.

Hence, it was also known as [Little Heaven] to describe the noble luxury of this area, which was dignified and untouched by a single wisp of poverty.

The seven Electors and Emperor Oyo III, accompanied by grand ceremonies and solemn robes, along with the crowns and the imperial crown on their heads, entered the eight chairs at the center of the hall.

Among them, Emperor Oyo III’s dress was the most exaggerated; the traditional small crown of the Holy Empire was set with a row of fist-sized sapphires and a row of fist-sized rubies, the entire crown was nearly all made of gold, and on the very top of the luxurious crown sat a diamond the size of a soccer ball.

The sunlight passing through that diamond refracted and changed within it, casting a spectrum of colors around the Emperor, creating a magnificent and commanding view.

That diamond was one of the world’s most precious magic gems, known as the Regensburg Giant Diamond; legend had it that whoever wore this diamond would never age, maintaining a youthful and energetic body until the very last moment of life.

Even the imperial robe worn by the Emperor was rich and extravagant; the gold and silver threads embroidered on the robe had been soaked in magic potion for an extended period, granting it very strong physical and magical damage immunity. The various small magic gems that adorned it, like the sun, moon, and mountains, ensured that the Emperor clad in this robe would never die of poisoning.

These items were not actually the private belongings of Oyo III, but an accumulation of the Holy Empire, standard high-ranking attire owned by emperors throughout the ages, primarily for important occasions.

These resources far better suited for crafting armor and weapons, now made into loose clothing, was a display of wealth in and of itself.

Under the rule of Oyo III, the Holy Empire could never afford such extravagance; only during the peak of the Holy Empire could such wealth be possible.

The Little Earls and Little Marquises around Ivita exclaimed in amazement.

"The Emperor really is magnificent! The clothes he’s wearing could pay for ten of my territories. That’s our Emperor of the Empire. I heard these are just the small crown and robes, if it were the clothing for the Emperor’s coronation, it would be ten times more luxurious!"

"Compared to the Electors and the Emperor, we are just country bumpkins. Those bigwigs in the Imperial City, they truly embody luxury. I feel ashamed even being in the same Imperial Parliament. Lord Ivita, you’re so low-key, I believe with your wealth, if you wanted to dress in finer clothing, it would be a piece of cake."

Ivita casually replied, "I’m not the protagonist of this session of the Empire Council."

Such extravagance was to maintain one’s dignity and rule over others; since he was not the Imperial Emperor but just one of the princes within the Imperial Parliament, there was no need for such pomp and circumstance.

And in the eyes of Ivita, despite Oyo III looking grandiose, he was actually quite aggrieved.

For he was merely seated in the midst of the Electors.

The Emperor should sit supremely above all, on par with or even above the Pope; yet, now he sat on an equal setting with the princes, signalling a decline in royal power.

The Holy Empire was less a single country and more a giant coalition of states.

As the Emperor and the Electors took their seats, it was the Archbishop of Mainz, a religious Elector’s duty, to convene and preside over the Empire Council. He swiftly entered the main topic after the formalities, for calling together all the princes of the Empire for a session was not without its costs.

Every person here was someone of significant stature in the eyes of the common folk.

Asking these powerful individuals to convene under a single roof meant that time could not be wasted without restraint.

The Archbishop of Mainz stood up and said, "The task at hand for this session of the Empire Council is of great importance, concerning the future of the Magic Black Forest. But before that, there are some matters that must also be addressed."

Emperor Oyo III looked surprised at the Archbishop and then said, "Archbishop, if we can simplify some procedures, let’s simplify them. The priority of the hour is to protect our faith and humanity."

The Archbishop of Mainz was an elderly man; he looked at the Emperor with a beaming smile and nodded, "Your Majesty, your will is the will of the Imperial Parliament."

Of course, this was just lip service.

The attitude of the Electors toward the Emperor had always been to ’lift high and lay down gently.’

The current Emperor might have a universal perspective, looking at the whole world, but the Electors were more pragmatic — their focus was solely on the proceedings of the Imperial Parliament.

The Archbishop of Mainz announced, "Our first topic is whether we can restore the status of the Alsatian Elector. Alsace voluntarily left the Empire during the reign of Henry VII."