The next morning, the final phase of the Council continued. However, unlike before, three orthodox Metropolitans were "absent" from this meeting: Metropolitan Mark of Ephesus, Metropolitan Oulophin of Kherson, and Metropolitan Makarios of Pontus, who had openly stirred up trouble at the scene yesterday.
As for Manuel, he continued to act as a witness to the Council, sitting with other relevant secular lords in the observer's gallery, quietly watching everything that unfolded.
Since no one else obstructed or disrupted the meeting this time, the resolution for the unification of the churches was officially passed by noon. The front page of "Angelic Compassion" was also affixed with the signatures of high-ranking clergy from both the Eastern and Western Churches, with the exception of the three orthodox Metropolitans who were deliberately absent.
Signing in place of the Chersonese Diocese and the Pontus Diocese was MegasCancellarius of the Bosphorus Despotate. He held some religious-related authority, so he was sent by his Caesar to sign on his behalf. As for whether this signature held true validity, that depended on Caesar Manuel's attitude.
Thus, the resolution for the unification of the Catholic and orthodox Churches was passed without question. The previous interlude seemed to have never happened, concealed beneath a facade of mutual affinity and friendliness. As for what his subjects would think of this decision, would they care?
However, how could something that had happened truly have no impact at all? At least many in the upper echelons clearly saw that, even under the prevailing trend, this young Caesar from the Black Sea coast was still trying to maintain a semblance of dignity for the orthodox Church and even the Roman monarch through his own means. This would, in due course, bring unexpected prestige to the Bosphorus and its monarch, making him an object of admiration for many Romans.
The Council concluded with all present moving to the then-unfinished Florence Cathedral for a joint prayer. This cathedral would later be known by a more famous name: Santa Maria del Fiore.
At the end, when they prayed the Kyrie, almost everyone recited the Catholic version, "Lord, have mercy. (Kyrie eleison)"
Only Manuel softly recited the orthodox Church version, "Lord, have mercy. (Κύριε ἐλέησον)"
This scene was naturally observed by Constantine, Moria Despotate, and Pope Eugene IV, among others.
After the Council of Florence concluded, Constantine found an opportune moment to discuss the upcoming religious matters and related issues with Pope Eugene IV inside the now-completed cathedral. When the topic of the former's Brother-in-law, Bosporus Caesar Manuel, came up, Pope Eugene IV uncharacteristically showed a look of regret, "For the Lord's sake, why would your promising young Brother-in-law be resistant to such a matter in line with the Lord's holy will?"
Nonsense, if Rome wasn't truly on the verge of collapse, which Roman would want to humble himself before the Western Church? Constantine grumbled this inwardly, but outwardly he offered a different explanation, "Perhaps it's because he is still young and cannot let go of some old ideas, which led him to make such a rash move. For the Lord's sake, the Church has ultimately achieved unity, and I believe, Your Holiness, you need not worry about this matter."
After hearing Constantine's defense of his Brother-in-law, the aged Pope Eugene IV snorted lightly and no longer pressed the issue, instead continuing to discuss other related matters with him.
Since they had already reached most consensuses when John VIII and the Ecumenical Patriarch arrived earlier, Constantine's current task was more about confirming whether the Holy See's promises were still valid. This naturally included the matter of the Crusaders against the Ottoman.
"Rest assured, Prince Constantine," Pope Eugene IV stated confidently, "The Catholic side will never stand by and watch its Eastern brothers perish at the hands of infidels. The Lord will bear witness to this oath." The Pope was serious, for he also knew that sending aid to Constantinople was the cornerstone of his unification of the Eastern and Western Churches. If he failed to keep this promise, how could he hope to win the hearts of the orthodox regions and reconcile past grievances?
While the two discussed the unification of the churches and subsequent matters, Manuel had already embarked on his journey from Florence with his subordinates.
"Caesar, won't you stay here a bit longer?" Amiroutzes, in the carriage, looked back at the city with some reluctance. He greatly admired and enjoyed the beauty of this ancient city and the ancient buildings preserved since Roman times.
"No, there's no need for now," facing this subordinate who might be taking some blame, the Caesar's attitude was much better than when he had first surrendered to him. "The portraits have been left here, that's enough. And rather than lingering in Apennine, it's better to return home as soon as possible to handle military affairs. The sooner the better, because something big is most likely coming soon."
Most of the attending subordinates were bewildered by the Caesar's words. But out of their respect and trust for their monarch, they chose not to press the matter. Serenus even veered onto another topic, "By the way, Caesar, during your time in Apennine, one of your titles seems to have spread?"
"Oh? Tell me about it?" Hearing this, the Caesar became intrigued. After arriving on the Apennine Peninsula, he had mostly interacted with local dignitaries to gauge their attitudes and ascertain whether the Bosphorus could profit from it, and thus lacked knowledge of local rumors.
"Turk Butcher," "Angel of Death for the Muslims," "King of the Black Phoenix," "Eight-Armed Octopus," or "Blade of the Messiah"? Thinking that these cool, yet chuunibyou-esque, nicknames he had imagined might be sung across the entire continent of Europe, Manuel felt an uncharacteristic thrill deep down, stirring with youthful exuberance.
"It's like this, Caesar," but to his slight surprise, his Grand Chancellor seemed embarrassed, "This title is..."
"'Prince Olubey of the Goths.'"
"Huh!?"
The young Caesar felt his entire being deflate within him. It was like expecting to be universally praised, but people only called you "Old Wang from next door"—equally disappointing.
After a brief moment of disappointment, he immediately connected it with the knowledge in his mind. After half an hour of analysis, he roughly had a clue, "The Genoese started calling me that, didn't they?"
"Perhaps," Serenus clearly didn't fully understand how this title spread, "It is said that merchants from northwest Italy started calling you that?"
Clearly, it was the defeated Genoese, Manuel thought indignantly. In official history, his Turk name "Olubey" was also mostly recorded in Genoese accounts. As a transmigrator in this world, while he didn't reject the name, he still preferred to be called by his original Greek name "Manuel." The last time someone called him "Olubey" was several years ago.
Thinking of this, his dissatisfaction with his old rival Genoa grew even more.
"These wicked Latins!"