Horn stared blankly at the alarm clock on the bedside cabinet. After about ten seconds, the alarm clock rang and he reached out to press it off.

As if the whole mansion was awakened by him, the Loyal Successors pushed open the door and filed in.

They placed a copper basin filled with hot water and cleansing agent on the washing rack, with a toothbrush and a cup handed directly to Horn.

Under the Loyal Successors’ care, Horn mechanically dressed and groomed himself, mindlessly following the instructor for knight training, then took a shower and changed clothes.

It wasn’t until he got on the horse and rode out of the mansion, feeling the refreshing breeze from the Central Park of the ry Court Barracks on his face, that he truly woke up.

"How much longer to the mansion?" Horn asked Edwin outside the carriage.

Edwin’s resonant voice sounded: "Same as usual, you’ll arrive at the Holy Seat Mansion at eight o’clock sharp."

Indeed, just like always, Horn leaned his body back against the carriage seat.

In fact, his life these past four years had been exactly like this.

Apart from going out for inspections, Horn spent most of his time at the ry Court Barracks and the Holy Seat Mansion.

Every morning, it was just like now, riding the carriage to the Holy Seat Mansion for work.

His residence was located on the southern side of the Central Park of the ry Court Barracks, perched on a hill and nestled among lush woods.

The mansion was surrounded by tall walls, accompanied by several Saintesses and some Miracle Nuns’ residences encircling Horn’s mansion.

Four Imperial Guard regiments took turns standing guard, making it the most heavily guarded area in the ry Court Barracks.

Every morning at seven o’clock sharp, Horn would get up, and by seven forty-five, he would be on the carriage, heading north along Fourth Avenue, reaching the Holy Seat Mansion punctually by eight.

Then Horn would go to the restaurant for a meal, during which the Secret Monks would present the "Truth Daily" and organized news summaries, ensuring His Holiness the Pope knew of any noteworthy happenings within the Holy Alliance from the day before.

After finishing his meal, Horn would linger for a while, chatting and bantering with the other senior monks and old companions in the restaurant.

Ultimately, he would be urged by the Secret Monks to arrive at his office close to nine o’clock.

The desk was already piled with all kinds of messy work reports, although dealing with them wasn’t difficult due to the Imperial Cardinal Conference having mostly attached handling opinions.

As a large number of civilian college students entered the bureaucratic institutions of the Holy Alliance, the Imperial Cardinal Conference, despite initial bumps, had already gotten on track.

The reliance on Horn was increasingly diminishing.

Except for reports marked with major issues by the monks needing review, Horn was basically a giant stamp machine.

Unlike the past, starting work at nine in the morning, an hour for lunch break, Horn could complete the majority of his tasks by less than three in the afternoon.

Especially with Edwin as an external brain, sometimes Horn could finish the majority of his work even before lunch.

The ensuing time was essentially for Horn to freely do what he wished.

Having worked so long and now gaining dream-hoped-for leisure time, Horn unexpectedly felt somewhat unadapted. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

So naturally he found some things to do, practicing breathing techniques, delving into theology, attending university classes, visiting soldiers—these all counted as good.

Sometimes, the Saint’s Grandson referred to in the mouths of the Secret Monk and Loyal Successor Cheka as "cunning like a drunkard dodging the Night Watcher" would slip away for discreet explorations, study recipes, design clothes, write dramas...

Sometimes, he would purposely seek out particularly busy cardinals to chat gossip.

This would push the Secret Monks serving the cardinal to rapidly head to the Pope’s Office to invite the pope’s secret to escort the aimless His Holiness away.

Aside from weekly meetings on Fridays and some important meetings, Horn no longer attended ordinary department meetings like before.

Overstepping authority would inevitably suggest micro-management.

Moreover, granting them autonomy, the efficiency proved far higher than Horn personally ordering coordination.

The entire Holy Alliance had got on track, no longer like a makeshift performance group; everything was orderly.

At times like these, Horn felt both happy and melancholy.

Just as if seeing the child he personally raised grow up, not needing him anymore.

Given the relatively peaceful current situation, perhaps he truly should start thinking about matters personal?

Events from a previous life felt to Horn increasingly distant; he could hardly recall the faces of family and friends.

After all, he had long been a Thousand River Valley Person.

As for the feelings towards the four Saintesses, Horn no longer resisted as he did before.

Yet, the sentiments of these four towards him were all strangely inexplicable.

The interaction pattern between Catherine and him was much like how she initially interacted with Juanuo.

Jia Li, needless to say, calling "Papa" day in and day out, unashamedly.

Hilov certainly didn’t treat Horn as a papa or mom, but constantly made Horn feel like he was her male confidant.

Ironically, Jeanne appeared most normal, yet Horn sensed a peculiar distortion of familial affection in Jeanne’s emotions.

None of them were normal.

Had it been a few years ago, Horn would only consider between Jeanne and Jia Li.

But now, both Jeanne and Jia Li were actively or passively assigned to the borders, unable to return without special command.

With whom he developed the closest bond was Catherine and Hilov, truly reluctant to part.

Having contemplated for ten days and nights, His Holiness the 120 Saint Grandson Pope finally decided: no matter how many, I’ll marry them all!

So now the issue was, how to persuade them into sharing a single bed and how to handle the fact that seven divided by four doesn’t divide evenly.

After fully eating and finishing the chatting, Horn stepped toward the elevator but was stopped by Edwin.

"Your Holiness, today is the weekly meeting, the cardinals and abbots will all attend."

"Oh right, I arranged it two days ago, almost forgot."

Taking a turn, Horn headed towards the Stag Chamber.

Passing through the long corridor, the antlered archway stood on one side, Horn stopped and gazed into the eyes of the deer head above the arch.

He still remembered, back during the Gulag period, the notable moments when several "Archbishops" tussled under the dog’s head.

Even later during Autumn Dusk Island’s military drills, the Stag Chamber was a chaos of fighting.

Yet now times were different, he himself had tremendously progressed, and so had the Holy Alliance.

Order now reigned as the prevailing ethos in the Holy Alliance.

Adopting a gentle smile, Horn himself extended his hand and pushed open the grand doors of the Stag Chamber.

"Why should I compromise for the bigger picture? We’re all for the big picture, why don’t you compromise?"

"Langsande County has locational advantages, with abundant water resources from the Ibe River, on the wool trade route, downstream is Rapids City’s dyeing center..."

"Shangruifo County also has the Nao’an River, also on the wool trade route, downstream is also a dyeing center... Who doesn’t have locational advantages?"

"Back then you were in the Imperial Guard, I was in the Black Champion Army, I didn’t lose to you, and in the local arena, I’m even stronger!"

"Let’s see you take it up on the practice ground!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing."

"So, Todd abbot, just let Shangruifo County have the wool spinning quota?"

"I only have one industry in the spinning field, yet you want to seize it, Langsande County has so many industries, why don’t you take them?"

"Right, you let me have the paper mill, and I’ll give you the bleaching plant."

"The paper made from the paper mill is Joan paper, should we call it High Castle paper? Langsande County has inherent advantages..."

"Oh, you’re refusing, fine then, come on, you horse! Why are you looking, if you have the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one!"