Chapter 129: Connections Met in the Holy Empire
Tearing his gaze away from the Holy Sword, Siu slowly rose to his feet.
"Dizzying."
It wasn't a reference to physical dizziness.
He was thinking of the world's dire situation and the regression orchestrated by the Goddess herself.
Tucking the Holy Sword at his waist, he left the sanctuary and descended, lost in thought.
More than anything, her words—"You've suffered greatly"—lingered deeply in his mind.
Indeed, skimming through the myths and history of his first timeline, one couldn't help but feel profound pity for the Goddess. As she had said, she had been peacefully watching over the continent and tending to her creations when the first assault came.
A ruthless god, like a bandit bursting through a rift in dimensions.
And after that, she faced invasions from over ten more gods.
Some were deliberate, others accidental, and a few ended in negotiations without battle.
But there was no denying the Goddess had endured immense hardship.
'She must have been livid to include even that in the scriptures.'
The Creator Goddess had gone to great lengths to document her own ordeals, exposing the ugly, vicious truths of the other gods. No one does that without seething rage.
In the process, her power gradually waned until she finally fell into slumber. That was when the demon gods, whom everyone thought were behaving themselves, began to stir. Such was the backdrop to the gods' war.
Siu recalled a hushed rumor from his first timeline: The scriptures, said to chronicle all history and myth, were incomplete. The true, full version existed separately, detailing the Goddess's heartbreaking tale.
Seeing her icy expression, he couldn't shake the rumor from his mind.
'If that's the "heartbreaking" part... then even her twisted sense of justice starts to make sense.'
The sanctuary wasn't vast, so he soon reached the fence, where a guard opened the gate for him.
"How did it go, sir?"
The female guard who asked wore a face that expected little. With him emerging in under ten minutes, it was a fair assumption.
"I'm just coming from meeting the Goddess."
"...Pardon?"
"She asked me to protect the world."
With that, he casually revealed the Holy Sword at his waist.
"......!!"
It was an item that hadn't been there before.
They had thoroughly searched him before entry—no subspatial artifacts, no place to hide a sword. For one to appear out of nowhere was shocking.
"A-Are you truly...?"
"Yes. She even bestowed several blessings upon the Holy Sword."
He didn't know the details of those blessings himself, but he figured the church would verify them.
"The true Saint..."
"That title's a bit embarrassing. Just call me Siu."
"No, we couldn't possibly address the Saint so casually...!"
Her resounding reply made Siu flinch. It wasn't fanaticism, but the fervor and reverence in the guard's eyes were burdensome enough.
Yet, how could any devotee not be thrilled? A true Saint, unseen for centuries, had met the slumbering Goddess. Especially a guard of deep faith and elite skill, tasked with sanctuary duty.
"Ahaha..."
As he faltered, a nun rushed over from a short distance away.
Not just any nun, but an Archbishop of the Goddess's Church—and Elaine's benefactor and mentor from the New Year's party. Elaine still habitually called her "Priestess," but her rank was Archbishop.
"You truly met her...!"
"Pardon? Ah, yes, but... word spread already?"
Perplexed, Siu asked, but she shook her head.
"No. Tradition holds that way. Those who linger long come down without meeting her, while those who descend quickly have met her. She connects via the spiritual realm, not full manifestation."
"Ah."
To him, it felt like at least thirty minutes, but the guards' reactions suggested far less.
"Shall we discuss the details, then?"
"Please do."
The Archbishop smiled warmly at Siu, then turned to the four guards.
"You all know, but today's events are secret. You understand why."
"Of course."
"No worries, Archbishop."
"Yes. We appreciate it."
Bowing politely to the younger guards, she led Siu away. He thought they'd head to the guest room he'd just left, but she guided him to a more secluded spot. Still, no worries stirred.
'If picking the most trustworthy nation, it's the Holy Bishura Empire, hands down.'
More precisely, the Papal Court of the Holy Bishura Empire.
Unlike the unstable Palania Kingdom, the Holy Empire was united by unwavering faith in the Goddess. Permitting dual citizenship and more, they truly were the continent's mediators.
Descending to the basement, Siu entered a spacious conference-like room and met utterly unexpected women.
"Lady Ariel?"
"Welcome, Siu."
"And all the Saintesses too..."
Five women in total.
The SS-grade hero Ariel Grande, plus the four Saintesses including Elaine.
Including the 4th Saintess he'd last seen before the Pope, he knew them all.
"Siu♥"
Spotting him, Elaine leaped from her chair and into his arms. He caught her effortlessly, but his gaze, still unsettled, swept over the other four.
"Siu! You have to look at me too!"
"Ah, yeah..."
"Sorry for startling you."
Ariel rose with a smile.
"N-No, it's just... so rare to see you all together."
"True enough. We're all ridiculously busy, right?"
"......"
Siu eyed the 2nd Saintess, Kim Hansol, with an awkward glance as she quipped.
An SS-grade hero and the four Goddess-chosen Saintesses outranked even cardinals by position alone. Half the room held top-ten figures in the Holy Empire.
'This lineup is unprecedented.'
Why were they gathered in this underground chamber?
Unease bubbled up.
"Heard the Goddess acknowledged you? As expected of Siu! Incredible!"
"Out of nowhere? Didn't we say not to worry?"
"Still, it's different! You met her directly!"
"Huh?"
Siu's eyes widened.
"Only two here have met the Goddess in person."
"Me and the 1st Saintess."
Ariel's words puzzled him. Saintesses were chosen by the Goddess—yet they hadn't met her? The 1st Saintess clarified.
A 70-year-old noblewoman with silver-streaked white hair, looking late forties—unlike the Pope. But age showed in her elderly speech.
"Hee hee. Since the Goddess slumbered, only the 1st Saintess generationally meets her. Others merely sense her will. And Ariel here is a bit special..."
"I'm not special, 1st Saintess."
"......?"
Ariel's tone was unusually stiff.
"Hee hee. This old Saintess erred again. My apologies."
"...No matter."
"Anyway, only three here have met her: the Saint and you two. But it's a secret because..."
Siu unwittingly finished for her.
"Officially, the Goddess slumbers... Ah, sorry for interrupting."
"Hee hee. No need. The Saint is correct."
"That's why I asked the guards to stay silent."
The Archbishop stepped forward.
Siu sighed, realizing he'd overlooked it until now. Even in the first timeline, and from Sharfria on day one in this reversed world. Proximity to the Holy Empire's Saintesses and Holy Sword had made him forget.
"...The Goddess said as much."
"Pardon? What...?"
"She can't stay long or the demon gods might notice. Then I woke up."
To him, it meant their meeting wasn't long—but reactions differed.
"Ho. That long, eh...?"
"Pardon?"
Ariel explained with a smile to his confusion.
"The 1st Saintess and I merely glimpsed her, no real talk. Just a few words from her, chance for one or two questions. Probably under five minutes."
"......"
Speechless, he reflected. He'd thought his own short, but felt like twenty minutes—far longer than theirs. Considering safer times and fuller power then, theirs were perfunctory.
'Real VIP treatment... Means no one else she trusts that much. No—I'm the only one with future knowledge to exploit. No other regressors, she said.'
"See? How amazing Siu is!"
Elaine clung tighter, beaming.
Her overt affection drew no frowns. The 1st Saintess, Kim Hansol, and Archbishop watched fondly; the 4th looked envious.
Only Ariel, impassive, spoke.
"To business. This is a gathering to avert the world's end."
"......Pardon?"
Siu thought: Today's full of surprises and questions.