No Boyfriend? We Need to Talk
Yuhwa stared at the paladin with a confused look before jerking her chin toward Park Jin-tae.
"We'd like a private conversation. Association President, would you mind stepping out?"
"Ah, yes! Of course. Right this way, please."
He was quick on the uptake, at least.
Park Jin-tae led Yuhwa, Ayane, and the paladin down to the lowest floor of the Association headquarters. The elevator opened into a sealed chamber lined with thick lead and mana-blocking stones.
"This is the Association's Level 1 underground security zone. No CCTV, no listening devices, and not even mana waves can escape. Feel free to speak openly. I'll take my leave."
The Association President bowed politely and closed the door behind him.
Only three people remained.
Yuhwa. Ayane. The paladin.
Yuhwa stood with her arms crossed and one leg propped, looking down at the paladin. Ayane hovered beside her, sneaking glances at Yuhwa's tail while gauging the mood.
"So. The Vatican's legendary paladin. Why have you come looking for me?"
At Yuhwa's blunt question, the paladin placed a hand over her chest and bowed respectfully.
"It's an honor to meet you. I am Cecilia, Chief Paladin of the Vatican."
Cecilia. A pretty name that suited her delicate appearance. Pale silver hair, height barely in the early 150s, no visible muscle—just a soft, almost fragile-looking girl. Watching her, Yuhwa felt an odd sense of dissonance. Different from Ayane, somehow.
Cecilia's lips moved as though forming Italian or Latin sounds, yet the words reached Yuhwa's ears in perfect Korean. Ayane spoke actual Korean, while Cecilia's speech was being translated. That seemed to be the difference.
"Your mouth moves differently, but I hear Korean. You bought a translation skill too?"
"...That's correct."
"You feel like someone who bought a translation skill."
Cecilia's shoulders twitched.
As expected. The Vatican has been making full use of the Tower's shop system.
She swallowed and answered carefully.
"Yes. As you've likely guessed, I am the one who cleared Hell difficulty... that paladin."
"You look different from the photos. Is this your real appearance?"
"Ahaha... I usually wear quite large armor. It wouldn't look very dignified for the Saintess's escort knight to have this kind of face."
Fair enough. She had the sort of face that made people want to dote on her—soft cheeks that practically begged to be pinched.
...But she's pregnant.
Just what kind of man had she gotten involved with? Whoever he was, one thing was certain: her determination to act was formidable.
She's not even afraid of the fallout.
Cecilia straightened her posture and stated her purpose.
"I'll speak plainly. The Vatican's upper echelons—especially the Papal Office—are watching Lady Yuhwa's power and movements with great interest."
"And?"
"We wish to establish friendly relations with you. In particular, our spiritual pillar, the Saintess Lady Isabella, earnestly desires to meet you in person."
Her voice grew more earnest.
"If Lady Yuhwa would visit the Vatican, the Saintess has said she may personally bestow a 'blessing' as a token of gratitude. This would be an unprecedented honor in Vatican history...."
"Hah!"
Before Cecilia could finish, Ayane gasped and clapped both hands over her mouth.
"The Saintess's Blessing?! She's really offering that?!"
Yuhwa frowned at the outburst.
"Why the fuss? What's so special about the Saintess's Blessing?"
"Y-You don't know?! About the Saintess's Blessing?!"
Ayane stared at Yuhwa in disbelief.
"Why should I bother learning about such trivial human magic?"
Yuhwa answered with complete confidence. Ayane clicked her tongue like she was sighing.
Very arrogant. One of these days I'm flicking her forehead.
Ayane rubbed her forehead and began explaining.
"The Saintess's blessing isn't ordinary healing magic. It's a buff carrying the authority of light and life."
"Oh. Keep going."
Yuhwa showed genuine interest, so Ayane launched into an enthusiastic explanation, practically spitting with excitement.
"Once blessed, you can sleep soundly without insomnia for half your life."
"Oh."
"You can also control your metabolism freely, so you won't gain weight no matter how much you eat. Aging slows down too, extending your lifespan."
"Oh...."
"And most importantly, it can even cure baldness, which is considered incurable!"
Yuhwa's expression grew slightly peculiar. Did Ayane have a baldness problem?
Objectively, the effects were impressive—from a human perspective. Especially for the world's aging power brokers and chaebols. For them, the Saintess's blessing was something worth spending trillions of won to receive.
Not for Yuhwa, of course.
Cecilia nodded and added, "The shrine maiden is correct. It means the Saintess holds great interest and favor toward you. Please accept our invitation...."
"Got it. I understand the gist. Sounds interesting enough."
Yuhwa nodded and waved a hand dismissively.
"You've said what you came to say. Now I'll ask something personal."
Her blue eyes slowly drifted down to Cecilia's lower abdomen.
"Do you... happen to have a boyfriend right now?"
"Excuse me?"
Cecilia blinked, caught off guard.
"I asked if you have a man."
"Uh... no?"
"So you don't have a boyfriend, correct?"
Cecilia nodded, still flustered.
"That's... right? Those of us who wield holy power aren't supposed to meet men."
"And she wouldn't have time for men anyway."
Ayane cut in. Yuhwa raised an eyebrow, and Cecilia explained.
"Because I'm the Saintess's escort knight. I'm always training or protecting her. The Vatican is mostly women anyway, in case anything happens to the Saintess. Even if I wanted to meet someone my age, there aren't any men in the Vatican. Haha... the few men there are either old grandfathers or children."
Yuhwa's eyes wavered.
No boyfriend?
This crazy woman. Then whose child is she carrying?
Could it be... she'd secretly indulged in pleasure and had an accident?
Yuhwa's mind flooded with trashy morning-drama scenarios.
Leaving this alone would be dangerous.
She looked so pure. Maybe some worthless man was gaslighting her. At the very least, she needed to drop a hint to that Saintess so proper measures could be taken. She didn't particularly want to deliver the news herself, but she refused to leave any lingering unpleasantness.
Yuhwa made her decision with a serious expression.
"Very well. Let's go. To the Vatican."
"Ah...! Truly? Thank you, Lady Yuhwa!"
Cecilia's face lit up.
Yuhwa turned to Ayane.
"Ayane. You're coming too."
"Huh? Why me again...?"
"Just because. Your reactions are vivid and cute. It's fun to watch."
Yuhwa lightly pinched Ayane's cheek.
"Hik...! What are you doing?!"
Ayane blushed and shrank back but couldn't refuse, only nodding.
This girl keeps slipping into weird speech patterns. She's really fun to tease.
Yuhwa started to turn away, then paused.
"Come to think of it, Ayane. You're the Sun Shrine Maiden, right? Can you give blessings like the Saintess does?"
Ayane's eyes widened.
"I-I can, but... my power deals with sunlight, so it doesn't have the same life-granting effects as the Saintess. It's just enough to relieve fatigue and lift your mood for a few days...."
She fidgeted with her fingers.
"Still, if you want, I can do it right now?"
"No, not for me."
"Not for you, Lady Yuhwa?"
"Yeah."
"Then who...?"
"There's someone."
Yuhwa's gaze flicked briefly toward Cecilia's lower abdomen. It was so quick that neither Cecilia nor Ayane noticed.