Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Moon Pope's Warning
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“…….”
We who had witnessed the unprecedented spectacle of the Moon Pope unleashing violence upon the Sun Pope right before our eyes were left utterly speechless.
My mind raced furiously. The mere fact that both popes had gathered in the same place was something I'd never seen in the game, let alone them displaying such behavior.
I calmly reviewed their conversation.
The Moon Pope had rebuked the Sun Pope for clinging to meaningless hope. That hope was undoubtedly tied to the words she herself had spoken earlier about fate and predetermined paths.
Fate cannot be changed—even the sun and moon must walk their fated roads—yet Floretta had protested that she couldn't abandon her sister, only to get slapped across the face.
'So even here, the popes are blood-related.'
The fact that they were sisters came as no surprise at all. In the game, the Sun Pope and Moon Pope were siblings too. With the mod flipping genders, they naturally became sisters.
What I really needed to ponder was how they viewed each other. At least, it didn't seem like they saw one another as mere livestock, as in the game.
If that were the case, the Moon Pope wouldn't have come here, nor would the Sun Pope have worn such a crestfallen expression.
“……Yes, I’m sorry. Moon Pope.”
The smile vanished completely from Floretta’s face. She gazed at the Moon Pope with sorrowful eyes, then bowed her head and apologized.
“That’s enough, now that you understand.”
The Moon Pope withdrew her hand. Having gotten the response she wanted, she turned away with a chill wind practically whipping around her, then began striding off once more with the click-clack of her high heels.
The sound of those high heels halted right beside me.
Violet eyes radiating an eerie intensity turned toward me. Her appearance was strikingly similar to that of the heresy inquisitor Selene overall, but the Moon Pope exuded far greater maturity.
“In the name of the Moon Pope, I warn you, outsider.”
Her gemstone-like amethyst eyes sharpened coldly. Clear hostility dwelled in the gaze she directed at me.
Unlike the Sun Pope, who had showered me with inexplicable goodwill despite never having met me—insisting she desperately wanted to—the Moon Pope displayed equally inexplicable enmity without ever having laid eyes on me.
Did they really have to be polar opposites in that regard too?
“If you interfere in the affairs of us sisters, I will not stand idly by. That is what I mean by abandoning your vain delusions.”
‘……Vain delusions?’
I hadn’t done anything yet—what made anything a vain delusion? I couldn’t make sense of it at all.
“Do you understand?”
When my response was slow, a chilling warning shot back immediately. An inexplicable power emanated from her voice. It felt like something was tightly constricting my throat.
There was no benefit to crossing the Moon Pope here, so I meekly nodded and replied.
“Yes. I understand, Your Holiness.”
Upon hearing my answer, the pope resumed walking with an expressionless face. No one dared to speak. The only sound echoing through the hall was the click-clack of her high heels.
The gray silhouette vanished at some point, melting away like snow in the sun.
It had all happened in the blink of an eye. I’d been staring at her retreating back, yet only after sunlight poured into the empty space did I realize the Moon Pope was gone.
With the moon gone, the moonlight gradually faded as well. Warm sunlight filled the void left by the darkness and white light. We stared at Floretta in stunned silence.
Floretta stood still, one hand cradling the cheek the Moon Pope had struck. Despite the one-sided barrage of verbal abuse and violence, not a trace of anger showed on her face.
Instead, only sadness and pity—emotions utterly contradictory for a victim of violence—lingered there.
Noticing our fixed stares, Floretta hurriedly composed her expression. The slightly swollen redness on her cheek subsided cleanly. A beaming smile returned to her face.
But because of the grief-stricken look she’d shown just moments before, she only appeared more pitiable.
“I’ve shown you an unseemly display.”
“……Your Holiness, what was that just now?”
“It was nothing. Merely a difference of opinion. Won’t you forget what just happened? It’s a shameful blemish.”
Her words came with a benevolent smile, yet carried an inexplicable power. Even the knight commanders, who seemed brimming with questions, couldn’t defy them.
Of course, it wasn’t something one could simply forget at her request. Realizing that, Floretta’s smile turned faintly self-mocking.
“It seems today’s meeting ends here. If it’s not too rude a request, might you stay a few more days in the Holy Kingdom? I promise the finest hospitality.”
We exchanged glances. Staying longer here posed no issue in itself. But after witnessing that scene firsthand, we wondered if we could truly relax.
Silver eyes and pink eyes flicked toward me. Seeing the de facto number one and the nominal number one naturally seeking my opinion felt oddly surreal.
In the end, it seemed I had to give the answer, so I stepped forward.
“Then, shameless as it is, we’ll take our leave for a time, Your Holiness.”
“Thank you for your difficult decision.”
Sunlight bloomed from her body.
—Heretic Arbiter.
Floretta’s voice spread outward in gentle, concentric waves. It seemed a form of divine command infused with holy power. As the waves passed over us, a cozy sensation enveloped our bodies.
The hall’s doors burst open. Stella entered with a bright smile.
“Yes. You called for me, Your Holiness?”
“Please provide lodging for our honored guests.”
“Got it. Come on, honored guests? Follow me. Since Her Holiness has gone so far as to ask, it looks like you’ll be staying a few days. No need to worry—I’ll give you the best rooms.”
We cautiously bowed in respect and exited the grand cathedral.
Those green eyes watched our receding backs for a long while.
The building Stella led us to was extravagantly luxurious. According to the knight commanders, it wouldn’t pale in comparison even to the imperial palace.
Lying on a bed so plush it felt like sinking into liquid, I spent the entire night mulling over what lay ahead. I’d barely finished organizing my thoughts when dawn broke.
Actually, there wasn’t much to agonize or deliberate over. What needed to be done from here on out had been decided long ago.
Defeating the final boss of the DLC. That was the absolute top priority. Leaving it alone would lead to the Holy Kingdom’s destruction and massive damage to the Empire—how could I ignore that?
The story had already twisted completely, so there was no guarantee the DLC would unfold exactly as in the game. But if neglect meant world-ending catastrophe, it was always best to assume the worst outcome.
And the first quest of the “Awakening Evil” DLC was this.
“You want to spar with me?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
To hold a mock boss battle against Stella, the Heretic Arbiter directly under the Sun Pope.
Having pulled an all-nighter, I headed at dawn to the training grounds where the Heretic Arbiter and battle nuns trained. Lying there doing nothing would’ve been pointless anyway.
Stella, who had been sparring with the battle nuns in the exact same spot as in the game, paused her arms upon spotting me enter the training yard.
“What’s the reason?”
“Do you need a reason to throw down?”
I tossed back the exact line the Heretic Arbiter used in the game when challenging the player. A ‘this is rich’ expression crossed Stella’s face.
But the response from her mouth far exceeded my expectations.
“As you can see, my weapon’s like this, so I might not be able to hold back precisely like with a sword. Sorry, but I don’t want to risk that. Her Holiness said to treat you as honored guests, after all.”
Stella tapped the mace planted vertically on the ground. In the game, she would’ve jumped at the chance the moment I said that. Her personality seemed to have shifted to one far more cautious.
From her position, it probably wasn’t appealing, but sparring with Stella was absolutely necessary for me. I needed to win here to unlock the next quest.
“If an honored guest like you ended up dying in a spar with me, I don’t even want to think about the fallout. So sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”
“…….”
I hadn’t anticipated this. Stunned by Stella’s refusal, I stood dumbly in place. What now? Did I really have to wait for her to challenge me?
“In that case, allow me to help.”
At that moment, someone descended like the moon itself. Stella’s expression soured the instant she identified the woman.
“……Heretic Inquisitor. What business do you have here?”
It was Selene.