Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Persuading the Heresy Inquisitor
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“Please wait here, honored guest.”
Upon arriving at the location guided by the battle nun and settling onto the sofa, a steaming cup of tea and pastries shaped like oddly formed bread were promptly served.
It seemed that offering refreshments while keeping someone waiting was a common practice, whether in the Empire or the Holy Kingdom.
“The Heresy Inquisitor will arrive... soon.”
The nun who had brought the refreshments flinched upon seeing me, stammered through her words, and quickly vanished.
All the nuns I had encountered on the way here were faces I recognized. They had put on a strip show right in front of me to determine whether I was a heretic, so it was impossible for them not to remember.
That memory appeared to be firmly etched not only in my mind but also in the minds of those who had exposed themselves. The nuns fidgeted nervously, unable to even properly meet my eyes.
Whenever our gazes accidentally met, they would scamper away. Whether it was because of the memory of stripping in front of me or because they had branded me a heretic, it was unclear.
With the battle nuns having vanished from the surroundings at some point, I took a sip of the tea.
*Hm. Not my taste.*
And I shuddered at the flavor.
It was incredibly bitter. As bitter as the arrowroot juice or red ginseng tonics my parents used to make me drink before I possessed this body. My face involuntarily scrunched up the moment the tea touched my tongue.
I forced my expression under control and picked up one of the bread-like pastries to at least rinse my mouth.
*...*
It didn’t serve as a palate cleanser at all.
This one was absurdly cloying. It felt like what boiled sweet potatoes left out at room temperature for three days might taste like. The moisture in my mouth seemed to be sucked into the pastry instead.
I gave up on the refreshments and glanced to the side. Selene sat there with a blank, soulless expression, staring straight ahead without the slightest movement.
She had clearly been too shocked.
I had no desire to disturb Selene, so I kept my mouth shut. Silence hung in the air. Only occasionally did the sound of me sipping tea and shuddering, or chewing the cloying pastry, echo through the room.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting so long.”
After I had taken about three sips of tea, Stella burst through the door. Her green eyes lingered on me briefly before turning toward Selene on my left.
She tilted her head at the sight of Selene frozen in a dazed stupor.
“Why is the Heresy Interrogator acting like that?”
“Well, something happened that warranted it.”
“It must have been quite the incident to leave her so utterly dumbfounded.”
Stella sat on the sofa opposite me. The motion sent her ample breasts bouncing vigorously. The breast coverings hiding her nipples and areolae fluttered up and down, creating a precarious spectacle.
“What brings you here, honored guest?”
“I have a request for the Heresy Inquisitor.”
“One you couldn’t tell the battle nuns about, that only I absolutely need to know, yet it requires the presence of the dazed Heresy Interrogator beside us?”
“That’s right.”
“What kind of request is it?”
Her green eyes sparkled faintly. They seemed half-filled with curiosity. I wondered if she could maintain that smile and gaze even after hearing what I was about to say.
“Heresy Inquisitor Stella.”
I shifted my expression to one of utmost seriousness. The curiosity sparkling in her green eyes dimmed slightly.
“Would you join us in persuading His Holiness the Pope of the Sun to open the path to the underground of the Holy Kingdom?”
“...Pardon?”
Stella froze mid-smile the instant she heard my words. Her eyes vibrated incessantly. It was exactly the same reaction Selene had when she first heard me.
After stammering and blinking repeatedly for a while, Stella finally managed a faltering response.
“Ahem, heh. You’ve got a sense of humor, honored guest. Underground? The Holy Kingdom doesn’t have any such—”
“It’s already been discussed with the Heresy Interrogator.”
“...”
Upon hearing that, the smile finally vanished from Stella’s face. She looked at me with an expression that could be seen as troubled or at a loss, then let out a deep sigh.
It was a sigh laden with worry and concern.
“How much do you know, honored guest?”
“That a monster slumbers underground in the Holy Kingdom, one that even His Holiness the Popes cannot deal with. And that the Pope of the Moon intends to sacrifice her own life for the Pope of the Sun. Is that enough, or do you need more?”
“No, no. That’s more than enough.”
Stella leaned back against the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling. The posture naturally accentuated her already prominent bosom even further.
Her underboob and sideboob were fully visible, but Stella paid no mind to the state of her breasts as she pondered deeply for a long moment before sitting up straight and meeting my eyes.
“Honored guest, since you seem to know everything, I won’t beat around the bush. The monster underground in the Holy Kingdom is one that even His Holiness the Pope failed to subdue. It’s an existence we can’t handle either.”
“Didn’t the Rune Dungeon, which was subjugated not long ago, receive the same evaluation? The Holy Kingdom had failed to conquer it multiple times and sealed it off with a barrier because it was deemed impossible.”
“They may look similar at a glance. I’ll admit that. But they’re completely different.”
“In what way?”
“The Rune Dungeon was a place that could have been handled without issue if His Holiness the Pope had stepped in personally. It was simply left alone because the monster underground in the Holy Kingdom prevented him from revealing himself carelessly.”
Ah, so that’s why they left it alone.
In the game, plenty of people had wondered why the Rune Dungeon near the grand cathedral was left untouched—why didn’t the Pope just go subjugate it himself? Now the mystery was solved.
“But that’s not the case with the monster. Even the divine power wielded directly by His Holiness could only barely prevent its evil aura from overflowing... How could the Rune Dungeon and that monster be the same?”
Having finished speaking, Stella rose from her seat. She circled around the table with clicking heels, came to my side, perched on the arm of the sofa, and gripped my hand tightly.
“Honored guest, I don’t know how you obtained information about that monster, but I’m grateful you’re thinking of us. Still, this is the Holy Kingdom’s affair, something for us to resolve. The Pope of the Moon has already made her resolve firm.”
“His Holiness the Pope of the Sun doesn’t seem to have given up yet, though.”
“That one...”
Stella trailed off. She seemed at a loss for an answer. I wasn’t sure if she knew about what had transpired inside the grand cathedral, but if she did, she’d have even less to say.
“...Anyway, I’ll gratefully accept your goodwill. Please forget about it. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any of this, so feel free to put it out of your mind as well, honored guest. You don’t need to worry.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
Why, indeed.
The answer was already set. It was a simple, clear reason.
Letting the Pope of the Moon sacrifice herself would be pointless, and if left alone, the Pope of the Sun would meet a gruesome end as well—not to mention the Holy Kingdom would fall when the monster awakened as a consequence. So I had to go beat the damn thing down.
It was a bit crude, but not wrong. The Rune of Repose in the Abyss was already subjugated to me. No one else could even enter the Abyss with this rune.
But how could I say that outright? That the Pope’s sacrifice was useless and the Holy Kingdom would perish without me—it’d be lucky if it wasn’t seen as narcissistic blasphemy.
She was someone who, after countless failed attempts to twist the revelation, had ultimately accepted her fate in defeat and frustration, closing off her heart. All the more reason.
“Well, why do you think?”
But it was also true that I had no other reason to offer.
I muddled through with a vague response, brushing it off. Best to let them imagine whatever they wanted in cases like this.
“...”
Stella fell silent, still holding my hand. She was probably imagining what the reason might be. Her cheeks flushed and faded repeatedly, though I had no idea what exactly she was picturing.
It was quite some time before her mouth opened again.
“...A method.”
“Pardon?”
“Since you speak with such confidence, you must know a way to slay the monster. Tell me. How exactly do you plan to kill it?”
I glanced at Selene. Her expression had somewhat returned to normal. It was the same explanation I’d given to persuade her, but repeating it wouldn’t wear it out.
“First, we need His Holiness the Pope of the Sun to grant the ‘Solar Eclipse’ divine spell. It’d be great to get ‘Lunar Eclipse’ too, but the Pope of the Moon won’t cooperate with this, so we’ll just have to try.”
“Where did you even learn about ‘Solar Eclipse’... Never mind. Go on.”
Stella started to say something but shut her mouth in resignation. She must have figured I’d gotten the info somehow on my own.
“Then, with this rune I obtained from the dungeon, I can walk through the Abyss unscathed. Even without divine power.”
“...Really?”
“Yes. Trying to enter by driving out the Abyss with divine power was the wrong approach from the start. No matter how powerful the divine power Their Holinesses can wield, that place is essentially the monster’s home.”
“And after that? What will you do once you face the monster?”
To her question about the most crucial part, I grinned and replied.
“Simple. I land all my hits, and I dodge all of its attacks.”
“...Pardon?”
Stella froze in place, as if a video had been paused. I deliberately repeated myself.
“I land all my hits, and I dodge all of its attacks—”
“That’s not what I meant, honored guest.”
Her grip on my hand tightened fiercely.
“If you’re joking, it’s not funny at all. Be serious.”
“I am being serious. It’s a strategy that always works. Land all your attacks, dodge all the enemy’s, and you’ll win any fight.”
I had started by explaining it to Selene in elaborate detail, but this was the gist of it. Naturally, she had been dumbfounded when she heard it.
That’s why I demonstrated it firsthand.
Her mind still hadn’t fully recovered because of it.
Seeing Stella about to object in disbelief, I cut her off.
“Don’t you remember our one-on-one spar, where you couldn’t land a single hit and got utterly defeated? It’s exactly like that. Just swap the Heresy Inquisitor for that monster.”
“...”
Mentioning our previous spar made Stella go quiet as a clam. Her own complete domination in a one-on-one was a perfect example.
“I don’t lie or bluff. The one-on-one with the Heresy Inquisitor, and the Rune Dungeon subjugation—I said I could do both, and I did. Isn’t that worth trusting me one more time?”
“...”
Stella was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“Honored guest. No regrets? Truly?”
Regrets? As if.
The story of the Awakening Evil DLC was a simple choice: slay the monster in time, or let it wake and destroy the world. Who would pick the latter?
“Do I look like someone who regrets it right now?”
“...I understand. I’ll help you.”
Permission came more easily than expected. What I was asking was borderline coercion, so getting approval with just words meant things were going exceptionally smoothly.
Selene’s case, filled with distrust, was something I’d braced for from the planning stage. Considering her position as Heresy Interrogator, she’d actually been persuaded fairly easily.
Subjugating the Rune Dungeon solo, plus bringing Lucia’s divine catalyst, must have greatly bolstered her trust in me.
Suddenly, Stella stroked the back of my hand.
“It sounds utterly absurd, but you’ve already performed what amount to miracles several times, honored guest. I owe you a personal debt, and there’s grace I must repay. So I’ll believe. The possibility that maybe, just maybe, you can pull it off.”
Her hand released. Stella rose from the sofa.
“What do you need help with?”
“First, an audience with His Holiness the Pope of the Sun. Is that alright?”
“I’ll give prior notice. Are you heading out right now?”
“Not yet.”
There was one more place I needed to visit first.