The Pope is Absent
The Pope is Absent
The lodging.
The day was slowly dawning, and the time to meet Flora was approaching, so Kylon, Agnes, and Linda were getting ready to leave.
They each had their own belongings and things to do, so they were moving busily, but since I had nothing special to pack, I just stared blankly.
What I had was the Morning Star Kylon bought me.
And since it was a Holy Sword Kylon didn't know about, there were no other belongings to pack.
After everyone had packed their bags and finished preparing, we walked to a designated section of the Royal Capital and were able to meet Flora.
The book cover, made of more luxurious leather than before, seemed to prove that this Grimoire was no ordinary item.
The gold leaf etched all over the leather, and the round jewel adorning the center, all proclaimed its beauty, so I couldn't help but stare at it blankly.
Anyway, the moment we joined Flora, her expression twisted slightly.
"...You're late."
Thinking about it, we were supposed to meet earlier, and I felt sorry that we were delayed because of my mealtime.
Seeing Flora's slightly displeased face like that, a groan escaped me.
She's already prickly, so what if she gets even angrier here? I also felt that anxiety.
Of course, I thought it was something Kylon would have to deal with, regardless of me, but still, if Kylon's romantic endeavors failed, it wouldn't be Kylon who was anxious, but me.
Even though Kylon said he would help me reach an ending and even send me back to my original world, I knew very well that Kylon wasn't as desperate for an ending as I was.
What if her Favorability Score drops for no reason? As I was worrying about that, Kylon saw Flora, who was glaring fiercely, and a corner of his mouth lifted.
"...Sorry, sorry. I'll buy you something later that's even considered expensive at the Magic Tower."
Kylon, speaking with a sly air, seemed to be trying to bribe her with an item.
At that, Flora didn't seem to think it was so bad, as she softened her twisted expression and let out a groan.
I realized that items related to magic must be quite expensive, as it could quickly appease Flora, who was a magician.
"Hmph, do you think you can appease someone with something like that?"
She spoke in a pouting voice, but Kylon merely gave a wry smile.
Because he knew she wasn't that angry anyway.
But even amidst that, Kylon threw a joke her way a moment later.
Of course, if she had truly made a displeased face, that would have been the right thing to say, but seeing as she only grumbled and didn't outright refuse, I quickly realized Kylon knew what he was doing.
"What's wrong? Not good enough? Should I get something else then?"
"No... I can't even say anything. It's fine, it's fine."
Flora seemed displeased with Kylon again, pouting her lips and letting out a sigh, at which point Kylon finally smiled brightly and nodded.
"Alright, alright."
After we joined up, as soon as the conversation was over, we headed to our next destination.
The Cathedral, which could be said to be the reason Kylon returned to the Holy Kingdom.
What business could Kylon possibly have at the Cathedral? It wasn't hard to figure out that it was to find the Pope.
After all, I had heard what he was thinking.
But was that something easily known?
I didn't think Kylon's actions were meaningless, but I didn't think it was something he needed to go this far for.
Because I wished for him to quickly gather the remaining six Enhancement Stones to amplify the Holy Sword's power, and at the same time, capture Agnes and Flora.
Or perhaps, what I was thinking was too standard, leading not to the True Ending, but to a very common ending, so it was difficult to openly refute Kylon's opinion.
"Anyway, let's go then."
With Kylon's words, we headed towards the massive Cathedral located on the highest terrain.
*
The foremost political figure in the Holy Kingdom was the Pope.
And the second was the King.
At the center of the Holy Kingdom was the Royal Castle, which could be called the primary space for politics, but the Holy Kingdom's Cathedral, located at the highest point in this Holy Kingdom, could be said to be the true power.
Climbing, climbing, climbing the stairs.
After facing the Pope's sanctuary, where others would hardly dare to set foot, my exhausted stamina felt like it was dragging me to the ground.
Flora floated herself up alone, and Kylon, Linda, and Agnes had enough stamina to climb quickly, but I was so exhausted that I had to entrust even the Morning Star I was carrying to Kylon.
As I was panting and my shoulders were heaving, Kylon, in the midst of it all, took out a supplement for me.
"Saintess-nim, please have this. You must be very tired, aren't you?"
"Ah, no... I, I'll eat it for now. Thank you."
I quickly accepted Kylon's kindness, drank it, and immediately regained my composure.
Just a moment ago, I felt like I was going to die from shortness of breath, but now, my body, as if forgetting that I had climbed those stairs, gently returned my heart's rhythm and lung movements to normal.
The moment I calmed down and my shoulders stopped moving, Kylon confirmed it, straightened his shoulders again, and approached the door in front.
Guards and what appeared to be monks were blocking the door, but Kylon paid them no mind.
"I've come to see Pope-nim for a moment."
Kylon walked confidently, glanced at the guard, and then spoke to the monk standing next to him.
At that, the monk, clad in a plain white robe, scanned Kylon's appearance with blue eyes before cautiously opening his mouth.
"...Pope-nim is currently absent."
"Do you know where he went?"
"That, we also don't quite..."
The monk, whose dull blonde hair swayed, replied in a soft voice as if he didn't know either, but then he waved his hand as if to indicate that he couldn't possibly know due to his position, rather than making excuses.
Unlike priests who wore different colored cloths depending on the period, these monks only wore white robes regardless of the period, so it was a point that made one realize they likely had no authority in their position.
Kylon seemed to know this well, as he groaned 'Hmm,' then, realizing he couldn't meet the Pope, he mentioned the next most powerful figure.
"Then, is Jugyo-nim here?"
"...Among the Jugyo-nim, some are absent with Pope-nim, and others have remained here to hold mass."
The fortunate thing was that it meant only some had accompanied the Pope.
And that conversation clearly held value.
If a Jugyo accompanied the Pope, it meant that at least from a Jugyo's perspective, they would know the Pope's movements.
Therefore, Kylon nodded, showing a not-too-exaggerated reaction.
"I see. Then, please let me meet Jugyo-nim."
At Kylon's request, he briefly turned his gaze, looked at Linda, Flora, and Agnes in turn, then shook his head.
It seemed to imply that unless they were Cathedral officials, entering the Holy Kingdom's largest Cathedral, not just any ordinary one, would not be easy.
"Well, since you are Hero-nim, no special verification process will be needed. But the people behind you cannot enter."
Kylon was quite large, Flora wore a large, oversized conical hat and robe, and Agnes, though in light armor, was also armored, so I, standing at the very back, seemed to have been sufficiently hidden and invisible to the monk's eyes.
"...Can I go in?"
So I slipped out from beside them and revealed myself.
At that moment, I felt as if the monk's breath caught.
"...A white, Nun's Habit. Sa, Saintess-nim, is that you?"
"Ah, yes."
"No, how, how can someone wearing a white Nun's Habit not be known to the Cathedral... Excuse me, Guard-nim?"
The monk, who had been wearing a bewildered expression, repeatedly pondered before finally seeming to decide that he couldn't come up with an answer himself, so he approached the guard and whispered something.
At that, the Cathedral's massive doors instantly opened, and the monk gestured inside with his hand.
"I will guide Hero-nim and Saintess-nim. The others will be guided to the tea room by this guard here."
The party, instantly split into two teams, slowly walked forward, each with a different guide.
The monk guiding Kylon and me began to voice his complaints in a bewildered tone.
"No, how can it be that the Saintess-nim has appeared, and the Cathedral doesn't know? What an astonishing turn of events, I wonder what happened."
However, it was quickly apparent that his emotions were directed elsewhere, not at Kylon or me, so I merely listened to his words.
"More importantly, where did you get that white Nun's Habit?"
"From that Convent over there."
"But why was there no contact... I'll have to look into this. We wouldn't have known if Saintess-nim hadn't come herself. I will guide you to Jugyo-nim's location right away."
The moment I stepped inside the Cathedral, and then through a connected door into the Cathedral's inner grounds, a landscape the size of what I would consider a massive village greeted me.