Chapter 334
Chapter 334
Chapter 334
Beatrice, the current Pope of the Holy Kingdom.
It was Zeke's first time seeing the Pope in person, so it felt strange.
Nevertheless, he knelt before Beatrice with a devout posture.
"I greet Your Holiness. I am Zeke Draker, a knight of House Draker, heir to House Agamemnon, and Duke of the Kingdom of Cusco. I have come to see Your Holiness to become a sword that protects the Holy Nation of Vadoka."
Beatrice approached Zeke with a warm smile.
"Sir Zeke. May the Sun God's blessing be with you."
She took Zeke's hand directly and helped him up while speaking.
"Thank you so much for safely bringing Roban, Sir Zeke. I prayed to God every day for that child's safe return to Vadoka, and it seems He answered my prayers by sending you."
Zeke looked at Beatrice and said.
"I am only doing what must be done."
She smiled benevolently, a halo seeming to shine around her, as she spoke to Zeke.
"I would like to serve a meal to our precious guests. It will be ready soon, so please dine with us."
"There could be no greater honor than dining with Your Holiness."
Zeke's group moved to the dining room with Beatrice.
However, upon entering the dining room, Zeke's group wore bewildered expressions seeing that magical power wasn't properly supplied, candles were lit everywhere, and even proper heating wasn't available.
Beatrice arranged seats at an old round table and invited Zeke's group to sit.
"Please wait a moment."
While wondering why she didn't take a seat and went somewhere, Zeke was soon surprised to see Beatrice herself carrying bread and food with Roban.
"How can Your Holiness prepare the meal yourself? What are the other employees doing?"
Beatrice, who skillfully placed bread and soup on the table, smiled and said.
"It's alright. This is what I usually do."
She brought boiled potatoes and salad made with vegetables she grew herself.
Then she sat down and offered a prayer.
"We thank the Sun God for giving us our daily bread today..."
Among all the past Popes, there were certainly those who were more frugal than Beatrice.
However, unlike the current situation, they maintained frugal lifestyles deliberately for their beliefs despite having authority as Pope.
Also, even if they lived that way in private, it was customary to serve meals befitting the status when envoys or guests came from outside.
But in Beatrice's case, there was no budget allocated to the papal office from the beginning, so she had to be self-sufficient, growing vegetables and baking bread herself.
It meant that other bishops and cardinals weren't treating Beatrice as Pope.
Felix, descendant of Arch Paladin, wore an indescribably serious expression.
He couldn't believe that the Pope, who was like a symbol of the Order, was being treated this way.
Zeke looked at the table and quietly began eating bread and soup.
He chewed each bite thoroughly, savoring the taste, and ate all the food with appreciation.
Seeing him like that, Felix and Decker also ate their food calmly just like Zeke.
After finishing his meal, Zeke wiped his mouth with a napkin and said to Beatrice.
"Your Holiness, it was truly a precious meal."
Beatrice smiled happily at Zeke's sincere words.
"Really? I'm glad Sir Zeke enjoyed it."
Zeke said to her.
"May I serve Your Holiness a cup of tea?"
She nodded with a clear smile.
"Of course. Ah, since the weather is nice today, shall we have tea together in the garden?"
The group went to the back of the papal office.
And they couldn't help but be surprised again.
What was called a garden was actually an abandoned land that she had cultivated into a vegetable garden herself.
Zeke looked at the vegetable garden and said.
"The crops have grown very healthy. It seems Your Holiness has put great care into growing them. Those crops in particular tend to attract insects."
At those words, Beatrice asked in surprise.
"Sir Zeke, have you grown crops before?"
Zeke smiled and answered.
"Yes, I used to grow and harvest crops myself."
Strictly speaking, this happened in his previous life, not his current one.
Zeke took out tea and refreshments from his inventory and prepared them on the makeshift table.
When an elegant tea table was set up in an instant, Beatrice's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"How amazing. Sir Zeke, you have many mysterious talents. It's really wonderful."
Just listening to her speak, she was no different from a country girl.
He thought that perhaps it was because of her pure and unblemished nature that she was somehow enduring in Vadoka, which was like a den of demons.
Zeke served Beatrice tea that he had brought from Ishtar.
She closed her eyes and savored the fragrant aroma of the tea.
"It has such a calming scent."
As they drank tea in silence, Zeke slowly spoke up.
"Does Your Holiness know why I have come here?"
At Zeke's words, Beatrice erased her smile that was like that of a pure country girl and nodded with a stiff expression.
"My education is limited so I don't know exactly how things work in the Holy Kingdom... but from what I hear, a terrifying monster army is heading towards Vadoka."
She put down her teacup and continued.
"Since Sir Zeke is an honorable knight, you must have come here to save the Holy Kingdom of Vadoka. Am I correct?"
Zeke nodded and answered.
"That's right. I have come here to protect Vadoka and Your Holiness against the Iron Legion of Orcs."
Beatrice looked at Zeke and bowed her head demurely.
"Thank you once again, Sir Zeke, for coming such a long and treacherous way to protect the people of the Holy Kingdom."
Then Zeke stared at Beatrice intently and spoke in a slightly different tone.
"Your Holiness, I apologize, but as things stand now, it will be impossible to protect the Holy Kingdom of Vadoka and the Sacred Kingdom."
Beatrice was startled by Zeke's words.
"Wh-what do you mean? Are you saying that even with your power, you cannot stop those monsters?"
Zeke shook his head.
"The castle of the Holy Kingdom of Vadoka is solid and tall. So in fact, the forces here should be more than enough to stop the Orc army. What I'm talking about isn't about the monster army."
He paused briefly before speaking again.
"Those corrupt priests eating away at the Sacred Kingdom. They are the ones destroying Vadoka."
At Zeke's words, Beatrice's face turned pale.
The ones who effectively ruled Vadoka were the council members who held key positions, including the Chairman Pierre.
Beatrice also knew that they had usurped the Pope's authority and were controlling the Holy Kingdom as they pleased while only lining their own pockets.
However, as someone who became Pope simply because the Mark of the Sun appeared on her, a ordinary nun, there was nothing she could do except act as a figurehead.
Zeke looked at Beatrice and said.
"Your Holiness, though they have sufficient forces to stop the monsters, they are evil ones who abandon their people to death to protect their own interests. How can those corrupt individuals be called priests bestowed by God? Your Holiness must rise up and punish them yourself."
Then Anthony, who was standing behind Beatrice, spoke to Zeke as if he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Sir Zeke, Her Holiness already loses sleep every night worrying about her people. Though she knows about these problems, Vadoka is not a place that can be moved carelessly!"
Anthony was a member of the Pope's guard and secretly harbored feelings for the beautiful and pure Beatrice.
He was prepared to give everything for her sake.
In his heart, he wanted to take her away from this den of demons right now to a place where she could live more comfortably.
But Vadoka would never let go of her who possessed the Mark of the Sun, and knowing this, he too was doing his best to protect Beatrice while keeping quiet.
Then Beatrice slowly raised her head and spoke.
"Sir Zeke."
With her solemn voice, she had transformed from the innocent country girl baking bread into the leader of a religious order bearing the weight of millions of followers.
Beatrice asked Zeke.
"Did you bring this up because you have a way to punish those wicked ones and reclaim the church's authority?"
Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
He took out the jeweled sword Roland from his inventory and gripped it in his hand.
Anthony, startled when Zeke suddenly drew his sword, tried to block Beatrice and draw his own sword.
Then Beatrice raised her hand and stopped Anthony.
Zeke held the jeweled sword Roland with both hands, brought it close to his chest, and infused it with power to spread a curtain of light.
WOONG!
As the light spread, those nearby felt their bodies grow warm.
To this, Roban looked at Zeke with a blank expression and said.
"The return of the first Holy King..."
The sight of Zeke wielding the magnificent sword and emitting light power was similar to that of Holy King Geo Lubern recorded in history. Zeke spoke while scattering light.
"This sword was made by melting down the hammer of Lord Fab Valencia, who gave up his position as Arch Paladin 50 years ago to normalize the Holy Kingdom."
Beatrice's eyes widened at hearing Fab's name.
"Lord Fab?"
Zeke nodded and pointed to Felix.
"Felix here is Lord Fab's grandson and has inherited his lineage."
Beatrice's eyes wavered at Zeke's words.
She asked Felix while looking at him.
"Sir Felix. May I verify if you truly inherited Lord Fab's lineage?"
Felix, suddenly becoming the center of attention, stuttered in surprise as he answered.
"O-Of course, Y-Your Holiness! I-It's an honor! N-No, I mean... how should I do it?"
Beatrice grabbed Felix's wrist.
Then a warm energy circulated through Felix's entire body from his wrist.
Beatrice could feel the dormant Arch Paladin energy in his body.
"Indeed, you have inherited Lord Fab's lineage."
Seeing Beatrice's reaction, it seemed she already knew who Fab was.
Then a voice rang in Zeke's ear.
―Sir Zeke, there is something I need to show you separately.
Through her message, Zeke realized that Beatrice was hiding her magical abilities.
Zeke quietly nodded, and Beatrice dismissed everyone around them before going down to the underground of the papal office with Zeke.
The underground stone chamber was filled with unused furniture and chapel tools.
It seemed to be a space used as storage.
Beatrice passed through the items in the storage and lifted up the floor in the corner.
Then stairs leading down appeared beneath it.
"This way."
Following Beatrice down the underground stairs, surprisingly there was a catacomb where the remains of saints were buried.
The underground catacomb, with sarcophagi embedded in carved walls, looked similar to the underground tomb that Fab had hidden before.
Beatrice took him further and further down below the underground tomb.
And at the very bottom, there was a single coffin sitting alone.
Beatrice looked at that coffin with sorrowful eyes.
"These are the remains of the previous Pope."
Zeke was shocked to hear this.
"Why are His Holiness Baor's remains here? I thought they were supposed to be enshrined in a designated place after the state funeral."
Beatrice nodded.
"That would be correct according to principle. But the previous Pope was someone who fought a long and fierce battle with Lord Fab to try to change the Holy Kingdom."
Zeke realized what Beatrice was saying.
"They didn't even give His Holiness proper funeral rites."
Beatrice nodded.
"No matter how many times I said we didn't need other luxuries and should just cremate the remains and enshrine the ashes, they just kept telling me to wait, so there was nothing I could do."
To those seeking to fulfill their own greed, an upright and honest Pope could only be a thorn in their side.
Then Beatrice placed her palm on the sun emblem carved in the middle of the sarcophagus and channeled magical power into it.
WOONG!
The sarcophagus then vibrated and moved to the side.
Under the sarcophagus, stairs leading down had been created.
"Your Holiness, this place is...?"
"Sir Zeke, while I am the Pope of the Vadoka Holy Nation, I actually have another name."
She slowly opened her mouth.
"I am Beatrice Valencia, who serves as the head of the Golden Dawn Society."