Temptation (2)
Watching that scene felt like looking at my old self and my comrades. It filled me with both pity and rage.
“If you, Senior, would rise to a high position and guide the way, I could ascend without enduring such hardship.”
That guy would never accept my help so easily. He’d probably refuse it outright. That was exactly why I had taken him as my disciple. Whether it looked like it or not, he took after me with that stubborn pride of his.
“From the beginning, Priest Arthur was a talent the central church had been watching closely. To reach the highest places, however, one must endure many trials. And he faces the cruelest period in which to do so. If it were you, Senior, you could lessen the difficulty of the trials your disciple must face.”
He would manage just fine without my help. But the world was never that simple. Skill alone didn’t guarantee survival until the end.
“How could I possibly dare to use you, Senior? I am merely granting you authority. Do everything you ever wanted to do. Change everything you ever wished to change. I will stand as your backing!”
No matter how I looked at it, this was clearly an attempt to exploit me… He must have been far more terrified than he appeared. He had gotten quite good at hiding his expressions, but after observing him for a while, I could sense it.
“You’re really scared, aren’t you?”
“…Please help me, Senior.”
Exactly. No matter how old a coward grew, his nerve would never suddenly enlarge. He had lived comfortably without being exposed because times had been peaceful, but now that a crisis had arrived, he needed to display the dignity of a Pope—and that was impossible for him. That was why he had come running to me.
Dealing with a frightened man was remarkably easy.
When I thought of Priest Arthur, my teaching ability didn’t seem so terrible. So why did this one turn out so pathetically? When he first entered the order, I had trained him the most because I was his direct senior. I couldn’t help sighing at the memory.
“Help me!!”
“Yes?”
I had heard she followed my master around because she liked him, but was she even copying his behavior now?
Cardinal Bella, who had suddenly appeared before me, looked extremely desperate.
“What’s happened?”
Moreover, the first words out of her mouth were ‘Help me.’ I asked because I feared someone might have harmed her, but she shook her head vigorously.
“It’s not that. We have a serious problem right now.”
“A serious problem?”
“Quickly! Hurry! You must help me!”
“What exactly are you doing?”
Eventually, Sister Melody, who had been watching, stepped forward.
“It’s urgent,” Bella said. “It’s not dangerous, so please just follow me. All right? I’ll explain on the way.”
It wasn’t just anyone; a Cardinal had come to summon me. I couldn’t ignore her. With no other choice, I decided to follow.
“Understood. Let’s go. You must explain immediately.”
“Yes!!”
At my decision, Sister Melody checked the sword at her waist. The motion made it clear she would draw it at a moment’s notice if necessary. Fortunately, she began explaining the situation as we moved.
“That snake came to see Uncle. They’re talking right now, but he might get caught in that serpent’s tongue, so please stop him. He definitely won’t listen to anything I say.”
The “Uncle” clearly referred to my master. The part I couldn’t parse was “that snake.”
“I’m not sure who you mean by ‘that snake.’”
When I answered honestly, she let out a small “Ah!” and continued with a perfectly straight face.
“Sorry. I phrased it too personally. I meant the Pope. The Pope.”
“You mean… who, exactly?”
It was shocking enough that she called the Pope “that snake,” but she revealed with complete nonchalance that he was here right now.
“The Pope has come here.”
It seemed my master’s claim of having connections with the Pope was true after all. But why was that a crisis?
“And? I already knew you two were acquainted.”
“The problem is that man is trying to make Uncle a Cardinal.”
A Cardinal?!
Master becoming a Cardinal? It wasn’t that he was unfit for the role, but hearing the possibility still felt strange.
“If he becomes a Cardinal, isn’t that a good thing?”
For a priest to rise to Cardinal meant his achievements had been recognized. It was something to celebrate, not panic over.
“Do you have any idea how black that man’s heart is? Why would he suddenly visit someone he’s ignored and abandoned for years just to offer him the Cardinal seat?!”
Well… there was no chance he had suddenly decided Master was impressive. He clearly intended to place him in that position to make him carry out some task.
And if it was a task for my master, then…
“Is it because demons have begun appearing lately, and the Labyrinth has opened?”
“Exactly! That’s it! It’s a scheme to drag Uncle into danger.”
That was enough to make me feel genuine resentment toward the Pope, whom I had only ever seen from afar.
“But he’s retired. I was under the impression he had no desire to return to duty.”
“The Pope is the kind of man who accomplishes whatever he sets his mind to. He’ll probably tempt Uncle by offering to hand over his liver and gallbladder.”
“In the end, isn’t it more important whether Master actually needs a liver or gallbladder?”
My master wasn’t the sort of person who desired such things. After retiring, his goal had been to live freely and travel. Lately, he had even said he wanted to age gracefully and die peacefully. For someone like that to suddenly become a Cardinal and return to active service?
“There’s no way he would accept…”
“Do you think the Pope’s seat was won so easily? His tongue is his greatest weapon. That’s why we can never let our guard down.”
Her evaluation was so scathing that I almost doubted she was speaking about His Holiness.
Following her, we soon entered a quiet, shabby little shop. Inside, I saw the Pope and my master engaged in conversation.
“Wow… he really is here.”
I had only ever seen the Pope’s face from a distance, so I felt a moment of uncertainty, but the extraordinary presence radiating from him even at this range left no doubt about his identity. Whatever they were discussing, the atmosphere looked incredibly serious.
“I knew it would come to this!! Hurry inside and ruin everything!! It looks like Uncle’s already falling for it!”
“Come on, surely not.”
What could he possibly gain by jumping into a situation like this? At her insistence that we hurry, I moved despite knowing how rude it was.
“Eh? How did you know to come here?”
My master noticed me the instant I approached.
“Well… even I didn’t know I’d be coming here until about ten minutes ago.”
“Don’t tell me…”
My master glanced anxiously at Cardinal Bella, who was watching from the side.
“That girl did something unnecessary.”
“You were saying rather strange things… Ah! Your Holiness, please forgive my rudeness.”
“Not at all. This is actually perfect timing. I very much wanted to meet and speak with Priest Arthur.”
I was startled when the Pope spoke my name as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You know who I am?”
“How could I not know Priest Arthur, the youngest Chief Healer in history?”
“It’s because he’s my disciple.”
“Of course, that only made me more interested.”
While the Pope maintained a dignified and polite tone, my master responded with his usual stubborn, curt attitude. I wondered if this was acceptable and carefully observed the mood, but somehow only I felt uncomfortable. The other two looked perfectly at ease.
They must be on fairly good terms.
Were they really that close? Yet from what I remembered of Cardinal Bella’s sharp words earlier, they didn’t seem particularly friendly.
“Would it be all right if I joined your conversation? I heard you offered my master the position of Cardinal.”
“You already heard about that in the short time it took to get here?”
“Are you truly considering accepting it?”
“When someone offers you the Cardinal seat, refusing would be the stranger choice, wouldn’t it?”
Logically, he was right. Not just anyone could become a Cardinal. But did I not know my master? After all the years we had spent together, I knew perfectly well he wasn’t the type to accept such an offer.
“Do you think I don’t know Bishop Saul? There’s no need for you to accept. What meaning would the Cardinal title even hold for you?”
“It holds meaning.”
“It seems Priest Arthur came here specifically to oppose the idea.”
To the Pope’s question, I answered honestly.
“When I considered what price would have to be paid for receiving the Cardinal position, I found I had no choice but to oppose it.”
Placing my master in the Cardinal seat would come with a price—the duty to confront demons, to enter the Labyrinth and seal its evils. Every one of those tasks carried the risk of death.
“I thought the same at first. But once you hear the full story, your opinion may change.”
“What story is there to hear? Just refuse it.”
It wasn’t as if my master craved power. I couldn’t understand why he would be tempted by this proposal or what the Pope could possibly offer him.
“Priest Arthur has no reason to oppose this. It will be a good thing for you as well.”
“Are you telling me to stand by and watch my master walk into danger just because it benefits me?”
“Why do you assume it would be dangerous? You know what kind of man Bishop Saul is. This won’t pose any great risk to him. He is that extraordinary a person.”
It was good to hear the Pope acknowledge my master’s abilities, but asking a man who had lost an arm only days ago to fight again didn’t sit well with me.
“I’m grateful you recognize the Bishop’s capabilities, but I will decide my own future. If you were planning to accept the proposal on my account, please refuse it. You know how much I dislike such things.”
“I know you’re opposing this because you’re worried about me. However, whether I accept the Cardinal position is entirely my decision.”
It was a firm line: even as his disciple, I had no right to interfere with his personal choice.
“Besides, I have no intention of making this decision solely because of you. Do you think I’m a fool? That I would move for such a trivial condition?”
In truth, I had known nothing about it. Only later, when my master explained, did I learn that until the moment I appeared, he had been extracting every possible benefit from the Pope. And that it was the Pope—not my master—who had welcomed my arrival.