The Vatican's Watcher
Last night, in a secret conference room in the Vatican, a cacophony of large and small voices echoed without end.
“The heir to the Calione family is coming to Italy?!”
“What the hell is going on at a time like this?!”
They were priests from the Vatican's intelligence agency, overseeing the entire Italian peninsula. The reason they had gathered so late at night was the recent intelligence report.
“We have to stop him right now!”
“How do you expect us to stop him?! Do you know how much money the Calione family has donated to our Catholic Church over the years?”
“Then what do you suggest we do? Just let him be? Who knows what kind of trouble he might cause?!”
“Isn't he the boy who recently helped Bishop Augustus take down Fafnir? With all the talk floating around about canonizing Augustus as a saint, if we block that kid from coming, what do you think the other factions will say?!”
The conference room fell silent at one priest's words. It meant there was no political way to block him.
“Even the rumors circulating right now paint the Calione heir as nothing short of a troublemaker. He stood at the forefront of the war against the Villain Union, led the charge in slaying the evil dragon Fafnir, and now he's even been invited to the 'Walpurgis Night'—that pagan festival!”
“How is that a pagan festival? It's just a simple fellowship gathering!”
“What?! How do you know that? Are you a pagan too?!”
──Thud!
“──Silence.”
The one who froze the rowdy conference room in an instant was a man wearing a crimson hat on his head, maintaining a gentle smile.
“Let's calm down a bit. Do we really need to fight among ourselves?”
He was the head of the Vatican's intelligence agency, known as the Cardinal.
“It's true that incidents and accidents seem to follow Eugene Han Calione wherever he goes. However, it's not proven that the boy himself is evil. He might just be unlucky enough to get caught up in them.”
His words were reasonable. No matter how many rumors swirled about him, there were no stories of the boy committing crimes or acting like a villain.
Yet he was still the Calione heir. If he got involved in anything on Italian soil—willingly or not—no one could predict how the land would change.
Perhaps because of that, one priest looked at the Cardinal with evident worry.
“……Cardinal. So what do you plan to do?”
The Cardinal, stroking his ring as if he had already decided, replied.
“We'll send someone to keep an eye on young Calione by his side.”
“Pardon? A child……?”
“Mikaela. I'm thinking of sending her.”
At those words, every priest who had been sitting quietly shot to their feet.
“Sending Mikaela is overkill, isn't it?”
“She's one of the intelligence agency's key assets. Sending her for just one kid?!”
“Just assign a nun from another department. Any of them could handle simple surveillance!”
──Bang!
The Cardinal slammed his staff into the ground once more. But this time, something was different.
“You all are truly ridiculous.”
His expression was no longer smiling. It was coldly hardened.
“This is no good, that is no good. You don't like my proposal either.”
The conference room fell silent once again.
The Cardinal, gripping his staff tightly, took a deep breath, regained his usual mild expression, and spoke to them.
“As you all worry, Eugene Han Calione could be a major variable for our Holy Empire. If he gets caught up in an incident or tries anything suspicious, wouldn't it be best for us to step in first and handle the initial response? Or……”
He stood from his seat and looked at the priests.
“It's too late after something happens. If things go wrong, who among you will deal with the Caliones?”
No one could answer his question. Most of them had personally witnessed how the Caliones had sealed the Vatican's underground dungeon in the past.
“This is why we raised her. This is why we trained her. If not now, when else can we entrust her with a real mission? To protect you all? To transport holy relics? No. It's right now.”
Confirming the room's atmosphere had shifted to acceptance, the Cardinal sat back down.
“Issue the mission to Mikaela. Officially, it's to escort the heir of the esteemed Calione family, who has greatly contributed to the Catholic Church. For intelligence purposes, monitor his every move and report back.”
With the emergency agenda concluded, the Cardinal raised both hands, pointing at those in the room.
“──All for the Kingdom of the Lord.”
“──All for the little lambs of this world.”
“──The meeting is adjourned. Go prepare to spread the Gospel.”
“──Praise the Lord.”
Thud—thud—
The sound of the Cardinal's staff signaling the end of the meeting echoed, and the priests began to file out.
In the suite room of a Palermo hotel, the central city of Sicily, I stared at the message I'd just received, suppressing my growing anxiety as best I could.
“It's already too late……”
I clutched my face and glanced at the woman passed out on the bed.
It had been about 20 minutes since she lost consciousness. About the same time since I'd asked Latte to find out why the Vatican was coming after me.
──Ding!
Finally, after the long wait, a new message arrived.
“Huh?”
The utterly absurd reason left me dumbfounded.
The Vatican was sending an escort? To the heir of the Calione family, no less? To a mafia boss's son?
“Does this even make sense?”
And the person who got knocked out by the door was supposed to be my bodyguard?
“This is ridiculous.”
The reason they sent a bodyguard. No matter how I thought about it, it screamed surveillance rather than protection.
Otherwise, there was no reason for the Vatican to assign someone to me.
Honored guests? Sure, our family donated massive sums to the Catholic Church every year, but we weren't beloved enough to warrant a personal escort.
So who was this girl right in front of me? She looked familiar, but I couldn't place it. From the game maybe?
“I've definitely seen her somewhere……”
As I pondered, staring at her lying silently on the bed—
“……Impressive as expected, Mr. Calione Junior.”
“Hm?”
She, who had kept her eyes closed until now, opened them and propped herself up.
“I didn't expect you to notice I'd woken up just from that. Truly deserving of the title 'troublemaker of the era.'”
……Pardon?
She rose from the bed, clasped her hands politely, bowed toward me, and began her introduction.
“Captain of the 0th Knight Order of the Holy Vatican Empire's Holy Knights. My name is Mikaela. Starting today, I have been officially assigned to escort the firstborn of the Calione family, honored guest of the Vatican, Eugene Han Calione. I look forward to working with you.”
Ah. It clicked.
0th Knight Order Captain. A late-game character in the game, far stronger than her appearance suggested—one of the Vatican's top fighters by pure combat ability.
She looked a bit different from the one I knew, but as the 0th Knight Order Captain, she undoubtedly had real power.
I had no idea how someone like that ended up knocked out by a door, though. She just seemed incredibly clumsy.
And understandably so……
“That's strange. Why is my forehead so hot……”
“……You might want to check a mirror first.”
“A mirror, you say?”
Hearing me, she clutched her swollen forehead and headed to the nearest mirror.
A moment later.
“Huh?”
Mikaela stared at her reflection, her forehead bulging prominently in the center.
She panicked briefly, raised one hand to her forehead, and a green glow enveloped it.
The wound, wrapped in light, slowly returned to its original skin tone, the swelling subsided, and it healed completely in moments.
Right—most Vatican folks could use healing magic.
She doesn't seem to think it's a big deal, so I'll just let it slide quietly.
I watched her self-heal, lost in thought.
In this world, healers were rare resources. And she was knight order captain level. Not the exact character I'd met in the game, but still.
They'd basically dispatched a top-tier talent as my official bodyguard……
Hm? Doesn't this mean I've got a walking auto-heal potion on my side now?
“Hoo……”
“Hm? What is it? Something to say?”
“No, nothing. Keep healing.”
“?”
This could be more useful than I thought. Ideas on how to make the most of her were already forming in my head.
My lips curled up involuntarily. It was a day that made me want to offer a prayer of thanks to the Lord.
Before Mikaela arrived at the hotel.
She pulled out her phone, checked the final orders from the Vatican, clenched her fist, and steeled her resolve.
Her mission target: Eugene Han Calione, heir to the Calione family, known to dominate most of the underworld.
Not long ago, he was derisively called “Calione's wastrel,” but that was ancient history. Nowadays, anyone saying that in gatherings would be laughed out of the room—his growth had been phenomenal.
And that was because he'd been involved in numerous incidents, racking up extraordinary achievements.
Even if they were exaggerated rumors bolstered by Calione power, they were too significant to ignore.
I must be cautious, ever cautious. Stay as close as possible, figure out if he's plotting anything suspicious, and grasp his daily habits.
Recalling the Cardinal's advice—the man who had taken her in and raised her—Mikaela entered the hotel.
“Welcome, Sister. What brings you to our hotel?”
In what was now the Holy Vatican Empire of Italy, religious figures commanded universal respect. Sure, in remote Sicilian villages away from the mainland, they might face suspicion, but in this Catholic-dominated land, no one dared ignore them.
“Vatican business. I have matters with the guest in this suite.”
Mikaela showed her identifying necklace and stated her purpose. Normally, staff couldn't disclose guest info, but this was Vatican business—refusal wasn't an option. The employee hesitated briefly before handing over the elevator key to the suite.
“May God's blessings be with you, Sister.”
“May God's blessings be with you.”
After a simple exchange, Mikaela boarded the elevator.
Her plan was as follows:
1. Knock first, greet face-to-face. Having completed objective self-assessments during Vatican training, she knew she was beautiful and cute. Meeting face-to-face before raising alarms would be advantageous.
2. Engage in disarming actions nearby to spot openings in young Calione, gather intel, and report to the Vatican. Visible “flaws” could make him underestimate her, loosening his tongue. She'd exploit this to send maximum intel. She'd practiced plenty. The plan was perfect.
Finally at the suite door, she offered a brief prayer to steady herself, then knocked.
A voice from inside asked, “Who is it?” but she didn't respond. In this region, saying “from the church” usually triggered caution.
But the door didn't open.
What? She definitely heard a voice.
Knock knock!
She knocked again and waited quietly. Her rhythm nearly broke, but she was a pro—regaining composure instantly.
Still no response.
Tilting her head, she knocked rhythmically, cheerfully.
Knock knock! Knock! Knock knock!!
──Bang!
A shock hit her head, her vision shook violently, and strength drained from her body.
“Ugh!”
I didn't sense any presence at all……
The sudden ambush caught her without invoking protective holy power. She was done for.
To think I'd get taken out right from the start……
With that, she blacked out.
When she opened her eyes again—
……Mission accomplished. Infiltration success.
Realizing she was lying in the target's room, she faintly smiled inwardly.
He didn't know she was awake. Playing possum could yield valuable intel—
“This is ridiculous.”
……?!
As if he knew she was awake, she felt his gaze. Mikaela jolted, nearly summoning holy power, but suppressed it. A “passed out” person using it would be suspicious.
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11……
She counted primes as in training to calm her chaos.
Yes, her breathing control and acting were flawless. No way even he could—
“I've definitely seen her……”
He noticed that? The holy power she'd barely summoned? She wouldn't have detected it without focus.
To be caught like this…… Overwhelmed by his observational prowess, she abandoned the act and opened her eyes.
This one's no pushover.
His demeanor shifted instantly—as if nothing happened—now wearing a concerned expression. It sent chills down her spine.
And her swollen forehead.
She rushed to the mirror for treatment, but……
……He's smiling?
Even this was part of it?!
……Eugene Han Calione.
Gazing at him smirking behind her, she cranked her alert level to maximum.
Eugene Han Calione. A truly terrifying man.