Chapter 16
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: A Small Stone Cannot Block the Waves (1)
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My body reacted before my head could catch up.
"Greetings to His Holiness the Pope!!!"
I shoved the chair aside and dropped to one knee right there.
"I pay my respects before the incomparable saint of the continent, the noble one who upholds the will of the Lord God!!"
- Haha. What a spirited fellow.
Escabaor III's face broke into a smile at the sight.
It was a kindly laugh, but to me, it sounded like the Grim Reaper chuckling.
The Pope.
That name weighed more than a thousand gold and carried a presence as vast as the sun.
If the Saintess was the face and symbol of the Church, the Pope was its king and spiritual pillar.
For such an existence—one whose name was hard to even utter lightly—to appear before me without warning...
'What the hell is going on here!?'
My mind still couldn't keep up.
All I could do was desperately cling to my sanity amid an endless barrage of question marks.
- Raise your head. This isn't a formal audience.
"Y-Yes, but how dare I look upon Your Holiness's countenance as an equal! Please, retract your words."
- Come now. As you can see, I'm on vacation right now. I'm no different from the old man next door.
He lifted his arms slightly to show off his shabby clothes.
- Don't be so formal with a grandpa in pajamas.
Easier said than done.
What lunatic would lift their head here?
Unless someone egged them on from the side.
As I stayed frozen for a good while, Mohaim stepped forward from beside me.
"Central Officer. His Holiness is troubled. Please, rise."
You.
You were the culprit all along.
I glared at him like I wanted to kill him and opened my mouth.
"...Then forgive my rudeness."
- Come on, get up. You'll just get dirt on that pristine uniform for nothing.
I slowly rose to my feet.
Barely holding back the wobble in my legs, I said to him,
"Captain Espirence, thank you for granting me this tremendous honor of meeting His Holiness."
Of course, my real thoughts were different.
You crazy bastard.
If there's a problem, solve it with talk—not by dragging in your Church's top leader.
"I'll repay this favor someday. Definitely."
Just you wait.
I'll never forget this.
I'll personally inspect every single one of the 358 entry regulations just for you.
The knight order captain, reading my expression, grinned and nodded.
"I look forward to it."
A exchange of fake smiles went on for a bit.
I turned to the Pope, who watched the scene with satisfaction.
"It is truly an honor, but I never imagined Your Holiness would grace this humble border in person."
- I made a little promise with Mohaim. To help if something truly unsolvable came up.
"You mean—"
- Before that, mind giving us a moment?
The Pope raised a hand to cut me off, then raised his voice.
- Erzena, are you there?
Mohaim turned the crystal orb toward the Saintess.
She, who had been huddled a short distance away, shuffled over hesitantly.
"...Yes. I'm here."
A completely different attitude from her earlier tantrum.
- If the knight captain had to cut the orb, it seems he couldn't calm you down.
"Eek."
Erzena flinched in surprise.
'Yes! Exactly!'
I agreed vehemently in my head.
Stung, she rubbed at the bruise still on her forehead once more.
- What trouble did you stir up this time?
"Well... I have something to say. Just the two of us."
- Is that so? Let's hear it, then.
The Saintess's eyes sparkled.
She snatched the crystal orb from Mohaim at blinding speed and whispered something quietly.
"Central... evil... Church... black..."
Like a kid tattling to the teacher, she muttered nonstop.
Covering her mouth to avoid being overheard, only fragments reached my ears.
- Oh ho. Is that true?
"Absolutely. It was black, I tell you—black! Who else could it be!?"
But the Pope just wore a faint smile, unmoved by her confident tone.
- My, my. The Central Officer must have had his hands full.
"Pardon?"
He spoke as if admonishing her.
- Child. Just because you see and feel many things doesn't mean they're all the truth.
"W-What do you mean? I saw it with my own two eyes!"
Not getting the reaction she wanted, Erzena couldn't hide her panic as she shot back.
- The Lord God often bestows unexpected gifts upon us. Even if they seem like poison now, looking back, they turn out to be great blessings more often than not.
"Some things are obvious at a glance. Like that man over there!"
- You never know. He might seem that way now, but that young Central Officer could become a great asset to our Church. Perhaps even to you.
"How could a heretic—"
- We mustn't make such judgments lightly, Erzena. Always doubt, ponder, and reflect if we're truly seeing the essence.
The Pope's voice grew solemn.
- If you view others' lives through the lens of your own extreme one, the world will leave only allies and enemies.
"..."
The Saintess had no reply.
She merely gripped the crystal orb with trembling hands, staring at the Pope in disbelief.
In the long silence, he asked,
- Would you have our Church treat even those lost in injustice and ignorance as enemies? Must all who don't believe be slain?
Erzena jumped at the horrifying question and cried out.
"No!"
Her sharp shout echoed.
Bouncing off the walls, it returned to her.
"That's... not right. You're correct, Your Holiness."
A quiet voice.
"I'm sorry. I'll... think more on it."
With that, Erzena bowed her head deeply.
The raging holy power had dwindled entirely, barely flickering behind her.
- I'm glad you still have room to grow.
The Pope smiled as if understanding.
Mohaim, watching silently, approached her, took back the crystal orb, and returned.
- Sorry about that. I called you here and then chatted privately.
"Not at all. On behalf of the Crossroad Kingdom, I thank you."
I couldn't help but applaud inwardly.
To overwhelm that wild Saintess with words alone.
Call me petty, but it felt damn good.
She must have been a real handful.
- Now, back to the main topic.
"Gladly."
- Good, good. It was about entry, right?
He cleared his throat a few times.
- But where's Gerard, the border chief? I need to discuss this with him.
A name I never wanted to hear popped up.
My expression changed in an instant.
I covered it with a gentle smile as soon as I realized, but my voice couldn't keep up.
"...Former Chief Gerard Monarch has been executed."
Gerard Monarch.
Former Central Officer.
The man who brought tragedy to the southern border.
The scum who sold examiners to a shadowy group.
Just saying that vile name twisted my gut.
- ...Right. My apologies. Old age makes me forgetful.
"No need. Your interest in not just the faithful but us officials is deeply humbling."
- Then you're the chief now. This'll be quick.
Escabaor erased his smile, turning serious.
- Central Officer. Will you not clear the path for our pilgrimage group—no, our holy army?
There it was—the real point.
Clearing the way for their show of force.
My answer came immediately.
"I sincerely apologize, but I cannot give a firm approval."
- Hm? You mean no?
"Not at all. I'm saying this is beyond my authority."
With the Pope here, this was out of my hands.
It was no longer a border issue but a diplomatic one.
"As of now, all inspections are provisionally suspended. I'll connect you with our Foreign Affairs Minister shortly—please wait a moment."
This required an emergency report to the ministry, no stamping until opinions aligned.
A complex procedure: if consensus failed to the bitter end, then deny entry.
Invoke the 'Border Provisional Measures Protocol.'
'In other words, it's not my problem anymore.'
Beyond what a border chief could handle.
Matters between a nation and the Church weren't in my jurisdiction.
And that meant I could step away now.
No time to hesitate.
I wanna get outta here.
I immediately addressed my attendant, who had been minimizing their presence like a folding screen behind me.
"Request an emergency audience with the Minister."
But before the attendant could act, the Pope spoke first.
- No need for that. I'm asking you, Central Officer.
"...Pardon?"
What the hell?
I finally managed to speak.
"Forgive me, Your Holiness. I failed to grasp your intent."
- You caught on quick. I want this handled quietly.
The confusion didn't last.
I realized what he meant.
"Your Holiness, do you perhaps wish for this matter not to become known to the world?"
- Ah. So you are the chief. Straight to the point.
He shrugged like he'd been caught.
- Exactly. I'd prefer this holy war stay secret if possible. That's why we disguised as a pilgrimage group.
Blunt honesty.
But it didn't make sense.
'A plan so grand—why keep it secret?'
Proclaim it far and wide if it's so noble.
Spread word of their deeds to expand influence—that's the Church's goal.
Reading my face, the Pope continued.
- A holy war is glorious, but it demands blood. And blood draws leeches.
He shook his head like he'd seen it all before.
- Central Officer. What happens if the Church spills blood in its name across the world?
This continent had barely kept peace for a decade. Declare war, and what happens?
The answer was obvious.
"...Others in rival Churches or nations would call for war too."
- Precisely.
War is contagious.
Greed, revenge, noble cause—it doesn't matter.
A civil war sparks, escalates to regional conflict, then full-scale war between nations. Common as dirt.
Just needs one to start.
Violence is like desire.
Once ignited, it spirals uncontrollably.
That's why we block it from spreading across the continent.
Why Crossroad Kingdom stays absolutely neutral and bars armies.
- If handled diplomatically, word gets out. It could pave the way for greater wars. Does your kingdom want that?
Escabaor suddenly lowered his voice.
- But if you 'overlook' it and let them through, no issue arises.
The Pope's true aim emerged.
- The holy war proceeds in secret, remembered only as a pilgrimage.
He was requesting my 'cooperation.'
"...Your Holiness. That would mean—"
- I know. Accepting puts you in a tough spot. I hear Crossroad punishes examiners harshly?
The Pope lightly chopped at a flower bed with his hand.
A small block tumbled to the ground.
We all knew what that signified.
- Not the Foreign Affairs Minister—I'll speak to your king directly. Tell him no punishment.
"Th-That's not so simple."
Breath caught in my throat.
The overwhelming pressure made sanity slip.
- The queen's a devotee of our Church. A word to her, and the king will listen. He's henpecked, isn't he?
He laughed.
- You'll be safe. I guarantee it.
An offer too heavy to bear.
The Pope added more.
- And I'll promise compensation. By the Lord God, you'll play a great role in this grand undertaking.
Only then did I see it.
His eyes gleamed with the same blind faith and resolve as the Saintess's.
But he wasn't a mere zealot shouting God's will like her.
He was far more dangerous—tempered with restraint and tolerance.
- This is God's will to purge the world's evil. No worldly war.
A voice filled with power. Gentle yet unyielding.
- Do not block the waves, please. Resistance brings only hardship.
His words ensnared me, freezing me in place.
- Central Officer.
"...Yes."
He called my title. Like a father calling his son.
- Are those you're judging pilgrims or a holy army?
The final question landed.
"..."
Powerlessness washed over me.
No—something more complex.
Not fear. Not anger.
Sympathy.
'The Pope might be right.'
This wasn't for me to judge.
I lacked the power to refuse.
A colossal Church spanning the continent versus a tiny nation in its path.
An entry examiner from that insignificant country.
The gap in power was too vast.
No helping it.
How could a mere examiner stop such a tidal wave?
The Foreign Affairs Minister's words resurfaced too.
- Keep the Saintess out of trouble. Good or bad.
Anything involving her—don't make waves.
No escape.
Only the path they'd laid out: no running, no refusing.
I had one choice.
Not to defy the waves.
To walk their path.
"...Understood."
I nodded slowly.
"Well decided, Central Officer."
Mohaim sighed in relief.
- Excellent.
The Pope smiled, pointing at my seat.
- Now, just the finishing touch. An honor, Central Officer.
I sat as if entranced.
With my resolve set, no reason to hesitate.
"Erzena Selaph. Captain Mohaim Espirence."
I called their names.
"And members of the 1st Paladin Order."
I pulled over all their documents with personal details and laid them before me.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I... must have harbored foolish thoughts."
I gripped the [Entry Permit] stamp.
The entry procedure words flowed smoothly.
"You have stated a proper purpose and consistent testimony. Thus, by my judgment."
I paused here.
Yes.
Declare no issues with their purpose, and it's done.
'Close my eyes and stamp. Hold out three days, get the bonus and keep it incident-free.'
Paid leave for my hard-working sense officers and attendants, preserve my boss cred.
And more.
Church blocks punishment, promises greater rewards.
No catches, no fallout even if caught.
'Just once.'
Shut my eyes just once.
Just once.
A brief silence, eyes closed.
Not just for me—for my subordinates too.
As I raised my arm to stamp with that thought,
[Central Officer... please, don't cry... It's not your fault...]
The Visual Officer's final words resurfaced.
"...Visual Officer."
My senses snapped back.
Why she was no longer here.
Because Gerard sold her out once.
Her desperate plea ignored once.
Because I bowed to Chief Gerard's authority once.
I remembered.
'Just once.'
Enough to change everything root and branch.
"..."
I stared silently at the hourglass wall, five minutes past.
My reflection in the glass was no different from Gerard's.
A compromising chief.
An examiner with eyes shut.
Rage boiled up.
Nothing had changed since then.
"Central Officer?"
"...Thus, by my judgment."
I opened my mouth again.
And stated my resolve.
"Despite clear evidence, you persisted with consistent lies, pressured examiners with your authority."
"...!!! Central Officer, what is the meaning of this!?"
Mohaim shrieked in shock at the shift.
I raised my voice louder.
"Plainly intending to justify your war under the name of holy war, disrupting continental peace!"
So it echoed across the entire border.
So all could hear, I shouted till my throat bled.
"As all this violates entry regulations, I hereby declare!"
I raised the stamp.
And,
"Entry denied for the pilgrimage group—no, the holy army."
Slam.
A blood-red mark seared onto the documents.
[Entry Denied]
I addressed them all, staring at the stamp.
"There are no exceptions at the border."
I vowed to myself.
"Not even for God's apostle."