Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: Papal Palace (2)
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While Galen was finishing his treatment in Kairoan, the year came to an end.
The late winter of the old year passed, and the early spring of the new year arrived. The winter in the southwest wasn't as mild as the south, but the temperature change wasn't all that noticeable.
"Happy birthday, Brother!"
"Yours too, Lilia. Though it's a bit arbitrary."
They weren't born on the first day of the new year or anything like that—they were both orphans, so they'd just decided on that date as their birthday.
Whatever the backstory, Galen had turned twenty-four by his reckoning, and Lilia had hit twenty.
"See? You really needed some rest. You look so much brighter now."
"W-Was I looking gloomy up until yesterday?!"
"Not terribly, but... it showed a little. No one can avoid fatigue entirely, not even you, Lilia."
The poison tormenting Galen didn't sleep at night, so it was true that she had to monitor his condition all day and treat him accordingly.
But Lilia had refused even sleep, let alone proper rest, sticking by Galen's side for days on end. She insisted on watching over him until he was fully cured.
Unable to stand it any longer, Galen had asked Diana the night before to put Lilia to sleep almost by force.
It was reluctant rest on her part, but it had helped—she showed up looking refreshed and full of energy.
"Blind devotion without self-care isn't the answer, Bishop Lilia."
Diana, who had taken over monitoring Galen through the night in Lilia's stead, said sternly on purpose.
"Especially now that you're about to become an Archbishop. I'm not saying not to cherish the one person right in front of you, but you have to think about the ten, hundred, thousand who come after."
"I-It wasn't that extreme..."
"Why else would Brother Galen ask me to step in? Even he could see you were pushing too hard."
"Eek."
"Come on now, Lilia."
Galen beckoned the sulking Lilia over. He lightly draped an arm around her shoulders as she shuffled up and patted her reassuringly.
"It's not a scolding. I'm grateful for how diligently you've cared for me, of course. I just want you to treasure and look after your own body the same way."
"...Okay."
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Shall we have breakfast together?"
Lilia nodded. Galen smiled warmly at her, then turned to Diana.
"If it's not too much trouble, would Bishop Diana care to join us?"
"Ahem, thank you for the offer, but..."
Diana cleared her throat.
"I'm not so oblivious as to miss the hint."
"...It's just breakfast."
"N-No, it's not."
Diana started to rebut Galen's protest but trailed off.
She had spent quite some time sharing a carriage with the two of them on the journey from the south to the southwest.
Even then, she'd sensed they were more than just friends.
Now, the distance between them felt even smaller. The casual intimacy, even if just light touches...
Butting into that for a meal with no real business there? It wouldn't exactly be appetizing.
"I need to check on the others anyway. I'll eat separately."
"Ah, right. Thank you for last night."
"No trouble at all. Hardly had to lift a finger. I'll take my leave then."
Diana chose a wise retreat, bowing politely before withdrawing.
Galen gave a wry smile and led Lilia to the dining hall.
They didn't go for anything extravagant first thing in the morning. Warming their stomachs with hot onion soup, Galen remarked,
"What a relentlessly packed year it's been."
Spring: tracking the magic plague. Summer: hanging out with the earth sprites. Fall: crushing the assassin guild. Winter: settling affairs back home. And finally, the orc mage and assorted others.
Looking back, he'd made the most of every last year.
Lilia, already back to her usual self, chimed in agreement.
"Right? Last year felt twice as busy as the year before."
"Probably because I was gone for half of the year before."
"Oh?"
Life as a young priest who had never even left the area around Abaka before meeting Galen wasn't exactly dynamic or spectacular.
Most of the memories that stuck strongly with Lilia were from after she'd set out on her pilgrimage, which began in late fall two years ago.
Even taking their first meeting as the marker, they'd only spent about seven months together that year, while last year they were together the whole time. It wasn't just perception—they'd faced more incidents, making it busier for real.
"When you put it that way, it really doesn't feel like it's only been two years. More like a decade."
"You were ten back then."
"It's just a figure of speech!"
Lilia's slightly pouty expression soon softened.
"Still, turning twenty feels good."
"Does it?"
"Now I'm in the same decade as you, Brother! Teens always get... a bit dismissed."
"Superficial types do tend to make that mistake."
They acknowledged you as an 'adult' after your eighteenth birthday, but not quite a 'grown-up.' That vibe.
Curiously similar sentiment to modern Earth in that regard. College students are seen as 'youthful spring chickens,' not 'seasoned veterans.'
Truth be told, Galen was still treated like a greenhorn at his age, so whether Lilia was nineteen or twenty, her youthful looks wouldn't change prejudices... but no need to point that out here.
"Well, once you're an Archbishop, you'll be world-famous, so no one will dare."
"Ugh, now I'm embarrassed... They'll distribute portraits everywhere..."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course. Top brass like that—His Holiness and the Archbishops—their faces get sent to churches worldwide. Can't have anyone not recognizing them."
"That's some solid security. Guess I won't even need ID if I'm with you, Lilia."
Galen chuckled and asked,
"So, what's the schedule like? Does His Holiness personally ordain you as Archbishop?"
"Yes. We'll have to head to the central region. But no rush—we can wait for the summons. Bishop Hamel and Bishop Diana already sent up their reports, so once it arrives, off we go."
"Ah."
"That's why I'm planning to head down there until then."
"Pardon?"
Lilia smiled a bit sheepishly.
"Your treatment should be fully done by tomorrow or the day after. Then I can help the others. The south hasn't fully settled yet."
Kairoan had been lucky with minimal damage, but the villages and towns along the orc mage's northward path had suffered heavily.
Unfortunately, those nearer the start of the path were mostly reduced to rubble, while places closer to Kairoan had higher ratios of 'patients.'
It sounded odd, but it was accurate. The dead became 'casualties.' Areas hit more recently had more survivors hanging on.
"I'll come with you, then."
"What? It's dangerous!"
"I've already survived the most concentrated dose of that poison."
"That doesn't make you immune."
"Just suppress it with magic power. No way that much vicious residue is still lingering."
If it were, they wouldn't need medical aid—everyone would already be dead.
"Besides, I'm something of an expert at clearing residual poison now."
"Seriously, no one would blame you for just resting..."
"That's what I should be saying to you."
"I'm a cleric, though?"
And so, the two left Kairoan and headed south.
Hamel and Diana urged rest repeatedly, but they couldn't sway Lilia's stubbornness. Galen let slip,
"You won't talk her out of it, so just help out. Make the treatments as efficient as possible."
"Urgh."
Truthfully, it wasn't as if Lilia was forcibly squeezing out her holy power to the extent they feared. If so, Galen would have stopped her from the start.
Her holy power, vastly increased upon reaching Archbishop level, had even doubled thanks to the Star Fragment—more than enough leeway.
"There, all done!"
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"No need. Sister, where's the next patient?"
With Lilia bolstering the church's already diligent medical network, the results were outstanding.
Holy power not only increased in quantity with higher attainment but also in quality. A priest's Healing Miracle and a bishop's differed noticeably in effect.
To say nothing of Lilia's, now at Archbishop level. Hyperbole aside, she handled the work of a hundred priests single-handedly.
"Throw out that blanket. You need to air the place out. Hmm, this one's got to be burned right now."
"R-Right here?"
"No need to let it spread down the hall."
"F-Fire!"
"It's fine, relax."
Galen ended up playing a solid supporting role too.
Over time, the poison had dispersed quite a bit, but it still lingered enough to trouble the weak—elderly or children—and Galen cleared it out every time.
Honestly, it wasn't pure selfless service like Lilia's, but...
Mortal Mists Lv.30
Progress to next level: 8%
His self-taught Mortal Mists had leveled up quickly on its own, and while levels were one thing, the spell's versatility grew with diverse practice.
Sensing ambient poison in his perceptual range, delicately manipulating the death fog to neutralize and strip just the toxin—everywhere became a training ground. Precision control was still iffy, so he usually incinerated whole patches.
In the process, he discovered an unexpected perk from the Star Fragment.
Up to the self-study limit, mana expenditure yielded experience, enabling hyper-growth. Doubling mana via the fragment doubled Mortal Mists' growth speed too.
Two weeks after leaving Kairoan, Mortal Mists had already broken through Silver rank. The orc mage would be raging from beyond the grave.
Eh, even if my motives aren't pure, good results are what matter.
Saving people, gaining experience, leveling up. Public good and personal gain in perfect harmony?
His fame rose too, unintended though it was. Lilia was the star, Galen the sidekick, but still.
Around then, the summons straight from the Papal Palace arrived via Hamel.
"Wish it'd come a bit later."
"You've done more than enough. The other priests are starting to feel bad. When the boss overworks, it pressures the underlings."
"No helping it. Took time to relay from Kairoan here, so..."
Lilia muttered regretfully, rifling through Hamel's letter.
"Hmm, looks like just the one."
"What's missing?"
"Only my summons."
Obviously—they were calling to ordain her Archbishop, so of course she'd get one.
Galen blinked in confusion, but Lilia's hesitant follow-up made it click.
"No separate invitation for you, Brother... W-Will you come with me?"
"Were you planning to go alone?"
Galen grinned teasingly. Lilia's face lit up.
"No!"
"Then let's get ready."
"Yes!"
Back in Kairoan, the two bid farewell to Hamel and left the city.
Destination: Chroma.
The city at the dead center of the central diocese, called the heart of the world.
"People don't usually call it a city—they say Papal Territory. It's where His Holiness resides."
The escort and guide for the northeast journey fell to Diana and the holy knights.
Originally dispatched to investigate the plague, they'd caught the culprit and nearly finished quarantine—no reason to linger in the southwest. On the return, they were ordered to guard Lilia.
"You don't need to go to such lengths... The road's not rough; it's perfectly paved."
"I understand Bishop Lilia wants some alone time with Lord Galen—"
"That's not it?!"
"In any case, we don't anticipate special dangers on the route either. It's because His Holiness values you so highly. Please bear with us."
The carriage trip from Kairoan to Chroma took a full twenty days.
A wall taller and grander than any city they'd seen came into view.
The Papal Palace matched it, dwarfing every church they'd known in majesty.
"Please wait here a moment."
Diana guided them to a reception room in the vast interior—easy to get lost—and stepped out.
When she returned, her face held a touch of embarrassment. Lilia tilted her head.
"Something wrong?"
"Ah, well... His Holiness wishes to see Lord Galen."
The summons was for Lilia; Galen had tagged along uninvited.
Yet now they wanted to see Galen first, without prior arrangement—awkward for Diana as messenger. And not just any mage, but a Gem-rank one.
"His Holiness must be curious about you, Brother!"
Lilia beamed. Galen chuckled and shrugged.
"Doesn't matter to me. Right now?"
"Yes... Sorry..."
"No worries. Lead the way. I'll be back soon, Lilia."
"See you soon!"
With Lilia's send-off, Galen followed Diana.
The Papal Palace was so enormous it took ages even after leaving the reception room.
Soon, they reached a massive door.
Diana knocked crisply, waited, then carefully opened it and stepped aside.
Galen nodded lightly and entered alone. The door shut softly behind him.
The vast room—more throne hall than office—had an old man at the far end, gazing out a grand window.
Galen strode in casually, halfway across when the man slowly turned.
Galen didn't know the Pope's face. But it didn't matter.
The moment their eyes met—blazing like the sun yet serene as a lake, stigmata gleaming—no words were needed.
The world's mightiest cleric gazed into Galen.