Steel Empire
East-west Relations

While the war in Austria was raging, the Byzantines were not the only ones noticing the conflict. The Catholic Church and the new Pope watched with interest. The successors of Simeon and Avillius were wise and intelligent men now named Lucius who completely disagreed with the approach of his predecessors when dealing with the so-called Heresy of Berengar.

However, the German Reformation had declared its separation from the Catholic Church, and there was little he could do now other than attempt to destroy it through military force. Negotiations would be a significant first step, but the time to talk was too long gone.

With the Teutonic Order preoccupied with its fight in the east against the Golden Horde, and the Knights Hospitaller fighting in North Africa against the Mamluke Sultanate, he had no choice but to create a new Military Order and recruit from the ranks of Europe. Knighthood to lay the increasing influence of the German Reformation.

Although he has not directly called for a new crusade to deal with the issue, he is currently in the process of establishing a new Military Order to combat the threat of the Cursed Berengar and his heresy. Right now, a large group of Welsh Knights were standing in front of the new Pope, their coats were green with red maltese crosses on them, and they were baptized as the first members of the Order of the Red Dragon.

The King of England was a staunch supporter of the Catholic Church and his continued efforts to destroy Berengar Heresy. Many knights from Wales were particularly interested in the idea of waging a new crusade against the German duchy and pushing the Berengar heresy towards extinction. So at this moment, five hundred different Knights from all over Wales gathered at the Vatican kneeling before the Pope. Pope Julius cast a spell in Latin before announcing to the Knights gathered before him.

"Rise the Red Dragon Knights!"

After saying such a thing, the Knights rose from a kneeling position and stood firmly in front of the Pope, as his newest Military Order. They waited in silence until the Pope gave his speech.

"As the Order of the Convent Knights, your goal is to recruit as many followers as possible in the coming years from the UK; we will need your expertise in the upcoming war! The Heresy of Berengar cannot be allowed to flourish! Go ahead, and increase your strength; when the time is needed, I will call you to the crusade!"

The Knights saluted the Pope before chanting the Latin phrase

"Deus Vult!"

after doing so, they left the Vatican. They began their extended return journey to Wales, where they would spend the next few years amassing their power until March in Austria and other regions of Germany that had been beset by the Berengar heresy.

As the Crusaders left the building, Pope Lucius collapsed back to his papal throne and sighed heavily; he was completely and utterly exhausted. However, there was more to the menu to prepare, and when his secretary approached him, he simply asked a question in his mind.

"How much is that now?"

The secretary raised a pair of primitive glasses to his face before peering into the ledger; after doing so, he proudly declared.

"That would be the fifth Military Order that you have agreed to since taking your position as His Majesty."

Pope Lucius began rubbing his temples to relieve his growing headache before loudly voicing his unfiltered opinion.

"That idiot Simeon has left me with a huge mess to clean up. That moron must have had a bad time fighting with a Count while all the Military Orders were at war!"

The secretary immediately began correcting the Pope as he pushed the glasses further up his nose.

"To be fair, Your Majesty, Berengar was only a Baron's Regent when he killed the inquisitors sent to deal with him."

Lucius immediately started rolling his eyes towards his assistant as he voiced his grievances.

"Oh yeah, stupid me, how could I possibly forget the fact that we sent assassins to eliminate Berengar von Kufstein, the rightful heir of Kufstein because we were afraid he would fight against the influence of the Church in Kufstein! the damned inquisitor provoked him to take such drastic measures. Am I the only sane person left in the Vatican?"

The secretary did not know how to respond; he was aware that Lucius was blaming his predecessors for the problems at hand, but what he had just said was heresy of limits. After all the words that Lucius spoke made it seem like it was entirely the fault of the Church that Berengar caused such a great schism. Therefore, the secretary chose to ignore the Pope's comments and instead focus on the next issue. 

"Your Majesty, the Patriarch of Constantinople, has just arrived and is waiting for you outside. Should I bring him in?"

"What do you think?"

Seeing the displeased expression in the Pope's eyes, the secretary quickly rushed over to bring the Patriarch into the room. After a while, he returned with a priest dressed in extravagant attire who was the leading authority of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The man did not bow before the Pope and instead spoke formally to Lucius.

"Congratulations on Lucius' promotion. It's been a long time since we last met."

Lucius stood up and approached the patriarch in a friendly manner before speaking to the man in a friendly manner.

"It's nice to meet you, Peter; I must say that these are the terrible times we've had."

However, as Lucius approached the man named Peter, the Patriarch retreated and harassed Lucius' good demeanor while adding insult to the wound with his harsh words.

"These are the terrible times you've had. Although I may disagree with the German Reformation, and frankly, I find them heretics. Count Berengar has given great assistance to the Empire, and for that, we will not get involved in your matters. of infidelity."

Lucius had a worried expression on his face as he asked the Patriarch of Constantinople about his worries.

"You mean to tell me that you're not going to help us? After all the west did to support the reconquest of your Empire? Our knights are still bleeding for you in Egypt!"

However, Peter only chuckled at the Pope's reply.

"Funny, the last time I checked, one of your precious military orders went to slaughter them through Moscow, which was filled with people from our denomination. However, the Pope did nothing to stop them. I'll be frank to you, Lucius, we don't have a military order like you, so the Orthodox Church can't give you military aid, you have to ask it from the Emperor, and he wants to be in a relationship with Prince Berengar, so your chances are slim. "

Lucius immediately felt his headache grow three times greater when he heard this news; he thought inwardly for a few minutes while once again rubbing his temples before coming up with an idea.

"Well, can you at least issue a statement calling the German Reformation a heretic? Or maybe help us fund a new Military Order?"

Peter was outspoken by his rejection by further angering the new Pope.

"Can I? Yep. Will me? No. gabe. Such an act would only be hostile to Berengar, who led the German Reformation, and I do not know about you, but, to be honest, I do not want such a person as my enemy. , nor do I wish to incur the wrath of the Emperor by damaging the relationship between the two of them. You are your own Lucius, at best, I can pray for your success."

Lucius could hardly believe his ears, he expected some kind of support from the Church in the east, yet they blatantly rejected it; prayer? What is the use of prayer? He needed iron and flesh if he wanted to get rid of the heretics who had begun to possess Christendom. Since when does prayer win battles?

Upon hearing Peter's reply, Lucius' expression became gloomy, and he began to shift the subject to another matter.

"That's it; well, I hope you enjoy your stay in the Vatican for now. Be sure to extend my greetings to the Emperor when you see him again later."

Peter nodded before answering.

"I'll do it."

After these words were spoken, the Patriarch of Constantinople left the building and proceeded to some casual affairs. As for Pope Lucius, he had returned to his papal throne, where he sat comfortably and placed his head in his hands before shouting loudly into their hands. Just why did nothing seem to go as he wished? Did God really like the German Reformation? This was a thought that he thought of as his mind slowly drifting into space.

The refusal of the Orthodox Church to assist the Catholic Church in any way as they seek to deal with Berengar and his German Reformation will be a point of great contention between the Western Church and the Eastern Church. It would also unwittingly foster a relationship between Berengar and the Byzantine Empire.