• —”Everything the ‘Wise Man from the East’ said is true!”

• —”The Pope in Rome must abolish all the corrupt practices that have persisted until now!”

• —”The fate of Italy must be decided by us, the Italians!”

Once Savonarola publicly declared his support, the hearts of the Florentine people united as one once more. Even those who had hesitated at the threat of ‘excommunication’ now had the pretext they needed to rejoin the fold.

“It means that, at least here in Florence, Savonarola wields as much power as the Pope. Though it must be quite a headache for the Gonfaloniere,” Hyang remarked.

Shin Sukju replied in a tone thick with cynicism, “It is a disaster of his own making, Your Majesty.”

While Savonarola was famous as a man of religion, he was even more renowned as an authority on humanities, philosophy, and medicine. The very reason Lorenzo de’ Medici had invited him to Florence was not for his piety, but for his fame as a great humanist scholar. The problem was that despite receiving the Medici’s patronage, Savonarola had turned to politically attacking them, especially Lorenzo.

Hyang nodded at Shin Sukju’s response. “I suppose so…”

Damn it! I almost blurted out that song!

Hearing the phrase ‘a disaster of his own making,’ Hyang had to physically restrain himself from singing the tune that instinctively came to mind. Barely suppressing the fanboy impulse that surfaced almost reflexively, he quickly moved on.

“The letter of protest should have reached the Pope by now, shouldn’t it?”

“It should have, Your Majesty.”

Hyang’s call for a five-day recess after the debate with the cardinal had been a move with several hidden purposes. The first was to draw Savonarola into the fray. The second was to observe the shifting alliances among the envoys of the great powers and other participating nations. With the Pope’s envoy publicly mentioning ‘excommunication,’ the major powers now had a clear justification to make their own moves openly.

The final reason was to secure time to send a public letter of protest to the Pope.

The content of the protest, jointly signed by Shin Sukju, Seong Sam-mun, and Yu Eung-bu, was simple.

• —How dare a mere cardinal speak so insolently to the Emperor Emeritus of the Federal Empire of Daehan!

• —As proud citizens of the Empire, and as his loyal subjects, we cannot let this insult pass!

The next morning, a large poster with the full text of the protest was plastered on the embassy wall. At the same time, a contingent of Imperial and Florentine cavalry, carrying the same letter, departed for Rome in broad daylight. The entire spectacle—the fluttering flags of Florence, the Medici family, the Imperial Army, and a white flag of truce—was deliberately staged for all the citizens and envoys of Florence to witness.

Hearing Shin Sukju’s confirmation, Hyang smiled wryly. “The Pope must have a massive headache. I hear he’s been in the middle of various negotiations with the Ottoman Sultan lately.”

Shin Sukju nodded, a similar expression on his face.

***

“This has become a real headache. Haaa.”

Just as Hyang predicted, Pope Alexander VI pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and sighed.

“I sent him as an envoy, and he causes this kind of incident…”

If he could, he would recall the cardinal immediately and strip him of his title. But that was easier said than done. The man’s loyalty to the authority of the Papacy In other words, his faith and his devotion to Alexander VI himself—was as solid as a rock.

To succeed with the reforms he had been planning and implementing since his ascension to the papacy, he needed as many absolutely loyal cardinals as possible. For that reason, he couldn’t carelessly dismiss the one who had caused this mess.

“But to curse the Emperor of the Empire, calling him an ‘insolent one’ and an ‘infidel’… this will immediately cause problems with the Ottomans as well… Haaa.”

The mere thought of the Ottomans made Alexander VI’s head ache even more.

“If this goes wrong, I could lose a very useful card. This is a serious problem.”

The ‘useful card’ Alexander VI referred to was Cem, the brother of Sultan Bayezid II.

***

Cem had been the final contender against Bayezid II in the civil war to determine the successor to Mehmed II. Defeated, Cem sought refuge with the Knights Hospitaller to save his own life. Worried that his brother might return and reignite the civil war, Bayezid II began paying a substantial bribe to both the Knights and the Pope.

And this useful playing card had been passed down to Alexander VI.

***

Alexander VI’s primary concern was the relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Joseon Empire.

As long as Cem was alive, the possibility of another civil war was quite high. For this reason, Bayezid II had refrained from external expansion. Furthermore, unlike his father Mehmed II, who had favored European culture, Bayezid was a man who emphasized a return to Islamic tradition.

Yet even Bayezid II had always maintained a good relationship with the Empire. Whenever an imperial envoy visited, Bayezid II would halt whatever he was doing to personally greet them.

If news of this incident reached his ears, it was highly likely he would abandon his domestic-focused policies and revert to expansionism.

• —They have insulted the great Emperor of the East! What, then, must they think of Islam? This is a holy war!

If that happened, Cem’s value as a bargaining chip would vanish. Bayezid would simply find and kill him in the course of his holy war, and that would be the end of it.

***

“I have no choice. I must proceed according to principle.”

After long and hard deliberation, the solution Alexander VI arrived at was to ‘go by the book.’

The orders he sent to the cardinal in Florence could be summarized as follows:

• —You are to apologize to the former Emperor of the Empire ‘in a public setting’ and ‘with the utmost courtesy.’
• —You are to promise that a response regarding the ritual matters raised by the former Emperor will be sent within two years at the latest.
• —On all other matters, especially those concerning the Papal States, you are to respond from the perspective of a secular monarch.
• —I will be sending an assistant to help you with the above matters.

After writing the letter in his own hand, Alexander VI stamped it with his personal seal, sealed it with wax, and commanded his aide, “Have this sent to Florence as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

Once the aide had left him alone, Alexander VI tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.

“‘According to principle’… The problem is the ‘principle’ itself.”

Alexander VI muttered with a bitter expression.

The power of the Pope, once so mighty as to create the incident known as the ‘Humiliation at Canossa[1],’ had gradually weakened over time. This decline had particularly accelerated after the ‘Avignon Papacy[2].’

The papacy still commanded a significant presence thanks to the political power rooted in the deep faith of the European populace, and the tangible economic and military strength symbolized by the Papal States.

However, if he possessed the same formidable power as his predecessors did at the time of Canossa, the ‘principle’ itself would likely have been different. After all, no matter how great an emperor he was, the man was still an infidel.

***

After reviewing the orders sent by Alexander VI, the cardinal went to the conference hall and bowed his head to Hyang.

“In my shortsightedness, I have committed a great discourtesy to Your Majesty. I beg for your forgiveness.”

“I will forgive a single mistake. But there will not be a second.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Having accepted the cardinal’s apology, Hyang turned his gaze to the newly arrived cardinal.

Judging by the robes, he’s a cardinal, but he’s far too young.

“And who is this you’ve brought with you?”

At Hyang’s question, the cardinal introduced his new companion.

“This is Cesare Borgia, Archbishop of Valencia and a Cardinal.”

“I am Cesare Borgia, humbled by the esteemed position of Cardinal. It is an honor to meet Your Majesty, whose great fame precedes you.”

“A pleasure to meet you.”

As he returned Cesare’s polite greeting, Hyang thought to himself, So he’s here. The man who carved his name into history.

“Be that as it may, is this new cardinal here to take over this position?”

Cesare himself stepped forward to answer Hyang’s question.

“No, Your Majesty. I have come to discuss ‘the things that are Caesar’s.’”

“The things that are Caesar’s? Hahahaha!”

Hyang laughed heartily at Cesare’s response. He had brilliantly turned Hyang’s own logic back on him.

But while Hyang’s mouth was smiling, his eyes were not.

So it’s just as I expected. This won’t be easy. But…

Hyang glanced at Shin Sukju and Seong Sam-mun, who were preparing for the meeting beside him.

I have two very useful cards of my own.

***

With the arrival of Cesare, who joined the conference under the title of ‘delegate of the ruler of the Papal States,’ the meeting finally began to move in earnest.

To be more precise, the process of ‘building a justification for war’ and ‘drawing lines in the sand’ had truly begun.

“This is the method the Empire has devised for the ‘peaceful unification of Italy.’”

“We’ve heard this already. Must we hear it again?” Louis pointed out.

Shin Sukju glanced at Cesare and replied without missing a beat, “We have a new participant, so is it not proper to review the details?”

“I see.”

As Louis backed down, Shin Sukju immediately continued.

• —The unification of Italy must be led by the Italians themselves.
• —For a peaceful unification, the Empire recommends a federal system.
• —The duchies, republics, and kingdoms that constitute Italy will maintain their current independent systems. This is conditional upon their recognition of belonging to a unified Italian state.
• —The members of the federation; duchies, republics, and kingdoms, hereinafter referred to as ‘federal members’; will not possess independent military forces. Instead, they will operate an integrated military organization called the ‘Italian Federal Army.’
• —While the federal members will maintain their independent systems, their taxation and judicial systems will follow federal law. That is, all Italians living in Italy, regardless of their region, will be subject to the same tax and legal systems.

“…and that is the summary.”

The moment Shin Sukju finished his explanation, Louis immediately pointed out a problem.

“I ask this every time I hear this proposal, but how will you determine the monarch who will rule this so-called ‘Unified Italy’?”

“And I answer this every time: did I not state it at the very beginning? We will leave it to the Italians.”

“Hmph!”

Louis snorted lightly, shot a glance at Cesare, and then asked Shin Sukju, “What if the Italians choose the Pope as their monarch?”

“If it is the choice of the Italian people, we will of course accept it. However!”

Shin Sukju paused, and just as Louis had done, he glanced at Cesare before continuing.

“We will accept it if the choice is made through peaceful means. But if it is made through a method that calls for blood, then the victor will claim the right to choose.”

Listening to the exchange between Shin Sukju and Louis, Cesare understood one thing with absolute clarity.

This is not a place to discuss peace! This is a place for drafting a declaration of war!

Having grasped the true nature of the meeting, Cesare cleared his throat and spoke carefully.

“Does that list of federal members also include the Papal States?”

“The Papal States located within Italy are included.”

“But the Papal States are…”

Just as Cesare began to object, Hyang, who had been watching silently, interjected.

“Cardinal, remember that you are here to discuss ‘the things that are Caesar’s.’”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

In the end, to protect the interests of the Pope and the Papal States, Cesare had no choice but to throw himself into the conference with all his might.

***

As time passed, the conference proceeded just as Hyang had anticipated.

The official meetings were secondary; the true intentions of the envoys were revealed after they concluded.

The process of ‘choosing sides’ was nearly complete.