#108
Roze had said that Bellacups Cardinal was the Pope's closest confidant. Surely they weren't dragging her all the way to the Pope like this?
"Oh dear. Bellacups Cardinal himself..."
"Don't be so tense. He's a man of dignity befitting his reputation. He won't give you any trouble, Father Dein."
But it seemed Father Dein wasn't the only one on edge.
Are they taking me along too?
Neither of them seemed to have noticed Catherine's presence at all. No matter how much she squirmed, Father Dein just kneaded her body as if trying to loosen up his nerves.
Damn, he's really tense! Let me go and leave me behind!
They soon entered a space shrouded in an eerie silence. In the dimly lit room that felt like a basement at first glance, Father Dein spoke in a trembling voice.
"I-It's an honor to meet you."
Catherine let out a small sigh. The narrow room held four cardinals in yellow robes and one man standing by the window.
"Haha. An honor? How humble of you, fellow servant of God."
Bellacups Cardinal rose from his seat to greet Father Dein. Was it because he was properly dressed this time? He exuded an air of authority she hadn't sensed before.
"I arrived at dawn today, so all I saw was the clock tower with its head lopped off. Father Dein here was the only witness on the scene, so I asked for his help."
"Yes! I'll do my utmost to assist."
"But... what's with the cat?"
Only then did they seem to notice Catherine, and Father Dein flinched, stammering on.
"Ah! It's a kitten the kids were looking after... I had to rush here, so..."
"It's fine. Having a cute little cat around opens up the airways a bit."
Damn it all. Catherine resolved to transform into a praying mantis next time for sure.
But if she wasn't imagining it, ever since they'd entered the room, there had been an uncomfortable gaze pricking at her heart like needles. What was this? This uneasy, filthy feeling... it wasn't unfamiliar somehow.
"Ah, introductions first. As you know, I'm Bellacups Cardinal. This is Cardinal Rosalyn, next to her..."
Catherine pondered. What was this sensation?
It was a different breed of discomfort from the revulsion she'd felt from Bellacups Cardinal. More like... the moment she'd reunited with Percival Benedict Parhenrine on the Christopher and the Lilith Ship.
"And this is Percival Benedict Parhenrine. I'm sure you're familiar. His fame precedes him."
Oh, crap.
...No, wait.
Catherine's heart, which had plummeted to the floor, bounced back up. The Percival by the window was just a projection transmitted via mana stone—not his real self here in the room. No need to fear a mere image.
Catherine had sent telegrams via mana stone herself now and then, but those were just for text messages. Real-time video transmission required top-grade mana stones, something only the ultra-wealthy or high nobles could afford to toy with.
Should I get one for home?
She had plenty of inherited wealth. Buy four: one for home, one for the Panya family, and one each for Yaong's and Demian's collars. Perfect. Demian's could double as surveillance to keep him from slacking off.
"I was shocked to hear the news. A dragon invading the Papal Palace?"
"The real problem is that it stole the central clock tower. This is a humiliation for the Holy See. Just like that incident 200 years ago. The Busperfield mages will mock us for years."
"Don't worry about such petty unpleasantness. Everyone knows Busperfield's mages are frivolous and low-class."
Even as the cardinals chatted about the incident, Catherine's spine remained chilled. If it wasn't her imagination, Percival's gaze was still nailed to her face.
She groomed furiously, playing the cat to the hilt.
"So, those figures atop the clock tower were real entities, not illusions?"
"Yes. There was definitely a demon riding the dragon. If I may venture an opinion, it seemed quite deliberate..."
Catherine didn't stop grooming even as Percival interrupted the serious back-and-forth.
"Yes?"
"This cat... you mean?"
Father Dein looked down at Catherine in his arms with a puzzled expression.
Familiar eyes? It's just your run-of-the-mill orange tabby!
Catherine, equally baffled, instinctively licked her butt like a cat—then jolted in disgust.
Filthy.
Then a bad hypothesis hit her.
Did I accidentally transform into Yaong's likeness...?
Transformation magic was among the highest-difficulty spells. For Catherine, not yet proficient in magic, it wasn't unlikely she'd defaulted to the familiar baby kitten form of Yaong without realizing. No, probably certain. This cotton-candy fur was that telltale familiar yellow...
Percival, still eyeing her suspiciously, spoke.
"This cat?"
Before Father Dein could respond, the transmission cut off abruptly. No one called out his rudeness, so it must have been par for the course.
"Just as rumored, what a willful personality!"
Not that impressive, Father Dein.
Soon, someone cautiously spoke up.
"I wonder why?"
Even Percival couldn't very well say, "It looks like that woman's pet monster I chased all over."
"Haha. Probably just too adorable a kitten."
Bellacups Cardinal stared piercingly into Catherine's eyes with a meaningful look.
"Hmm. Strange. Benedict isn't the type to fuss over small animals. The only recent interest he's shown was..."
The other cardinals leaned in, eyes gleaming, waiting for the rest. So he did get attention from his male colleagues, for whatever reason.
Bellacups Cardinal spoke of Percival's interests in a very careful, gentle tone.
"A sharp young lady, quite clever-looking. So perhaps... this cat?"
The moniker "the Pope's right hand" wasn't for nothing. His chilling deductive skills even evoked Orzen from 600 years ago.
Catherine agonized. She couldn't let her identity be exposed like this, not here. So...!
Time for the ultimate killer move. Baby kitten yawn!
Catherine gaped her mouth wide and yawned with a shiver. The frozen tension in the air melted in an instant.
"Haha, no way? Sustaining a cat transformation this long is impossible without a master high mage. A realm no young person could reach."
Another priest countered.
"But Shagweed II and Duke Chezare crushed all the top mages at age twenty. Their prowess back then was legendary, from what I hear."
"Was that lady half-mad like those lunatics? Look at Benedict. All the so-called geniuses are out of their minds."
Catherine found the cardinal's argument quite logical.
"Watch your words, Cardinal."
"Ahem. I didn't say anything wrong. So, Bellacups Cardinal, did that lady show any such signs?"
Bellacups Cardinal, after much thought, shook his head firmly.
"No. A spirited girl who eyed outsiders warily and spoke her mind bluntly."
"For you to praise her, she must have been quite sharp."
Yeah, yeah. Lump me in with a psycho like Percival and I'd be offended.
"Sounds just like a romance novel scene. The Lily Knight falling for a smart, ordinary woman... I kinda want to root for it."
"Don't be flippant. Benedict is already engaged, isn't he? You haven't forgotten?"
"Ah, right. He never mentions his fiancée, so it slipped my mind."
Catherine barely suppressed a gag.
Like old men chatting over lunch, the priests huddled and gossiped for about an hour before concluding.
"Father Dein, as Benedict requested, watch that cat for two hours."
"Looks docile enough not to run off."
Father Dein replied with a sense of responsibility.
"Yes! I'll take good care of it!"
Only then could Catherine, cradled in his arms, escape the cramped room.
Bragging about their adopted sons and daughters I couldn't care less about.
She'd never forget those old men's personal stories till she died. Improved memory wasn't all upside.
"Meow. Thanks to you, I get to chat with Benedict. He's so busy and popular, always summoned everywhere—I could only watch from afar."
Father Dein's face lit up like a kid meeting his idol.
Same Holy See, yet hard to even see his face. Makes sense. The grounds rival the Imperial Palace.
The Michaela Church, the oldest religion with the most followers, had large and small temples across the continent centered on the Papal Palace. Only those with deep faith, upright conduct, and highly trained mind and body among its priests could join the Papal staff—a well-known fact.
Holy Knights, in particular, held an exalted position that only warriors of noble blood recognized by the Pope himself could attain among the elite priests.
Percival is an impressive knight.
Did that mean character and skill weren't proportional after all? [