The Pope's Reverent Welcome
It had not taken long at all to reach the walls of the Fhara Kingdom from the Beginners' Plain. With Kama's agility-focused abilities, I arrived in mere moments.
After running for about five minutes, the outer wall of the Fhara Kingdom appeared, and a long line of people stretched toward what looked like the entrance.
Thinking of Riana heading there, I knew the crowds had gathered for the academy entrance ceremony.
Unfortunately, none of the other diverse main characters I knew were in the line, but I saw no need to complain. I waited patiently in line.
“They’re such beautiful people…”
“Shh! You’ll be heard!”
Of course, Kama’s appearance drew stares from the others in line, but no one dared approach her.
That was fortunate. If anyone had, the strange filtering might have caused problems.
While waiting, I scanned the surroundings. Students wearing Lua Academy uniforms were visible, though they weren’t the main characters.
‘It seems the entrance ceremony is indeed taking place.’
About a dozen students were visible, and the remaining merchants were loading their wagons full of goods, clearly planning to make a fortune at the festival that would follow the ceremony.
According to the game’s description, the entrance ceremony was a grand event where talented individuals gathered, and the Fhara Kingdom would hold a two-day festival in celebration.
That meant there was also a joint quest for all main characters and a quest to participate in the festival. If I played my cards right, I might even see the other main characters.
My excitement built to the point that I couldn’t stop humming to myself.
Honestly, the characters I was most eager to see were the ones I had raised myself—the talented swordsmen and mages whose popularity rivaled their own charm.
Riana’s personality was as wild as ever, but compared to her, the swordsmen and mages had calmer, more distinctive charms and prettier faces, making them even more popular.
It wasn’t wrong of me to want to see them once. If I met them at the festival, I would simply pretend not to notice and watch over them.
As I thought of the other main characters from various classes, my turn in line finally arrived.
I watched the merchant and wagon ahead of me enter the main gate of the wall. Now it was my turn. I stopped before the knight holding the halberd.
“What is your purpose for visiting the Fhara Kingdom today?”
“Yes, I simply wish to enjoy the festival a little.”
The moment I answered the knight, another correction began, and his tone was gentle. The way he spoke now made it clear that my original character’s personality and speech had been filtered out.
If I had spoken exactly as the original characters did, Aria’s speech would have been far more volatile.
If I followed the original characters’ speech patterns, Kama’s voice should have matched Riana’s, but it didn’t.
I was relieved. I answered the knight, who nodded and offered his hand.
“Then please show your travel permit.”
“……Yes?”
“The travel permit. If you’ve come from another kingdom or village, it should be here.”
A travel permit?
I blinked at the knight’s words. Of course I didn’t have one. Iriel had only given me the avatar, status window, and skill window—no inventory.
Naturally, I had no travel permit either. I checked my pockets anyway, and when I found them empty, I replied awkwardly to the knight.
“I… have lost mine, so I don’t have it with me now.”
“I’m sorry, but without a travel permit you cannot enter the Fhara Kingdom. Please obtain one from another village.”
Damn it. Something had gone wrong from the start.
The knight told me to get a permit from another village, but I had no time. I wasn’t even sure I could finish everything inside before the gates closed. How could I wait to get a permit?
“Is there no other way? I’d be in serious trouble if I don’t enter today.”
“Even so, without a travel permit you would need someone to vouch for your identity. No one would do that for a complete stranger. Vouching means you would take responsibility for every crime you commit inside. In other words, it’s faster to simply get a new permit issued.”
“But…”
I understood. There was no one here to vouch for me. Even if my appearance was pretty, no one would step forward.
I glanced at the people behind me, who quickly looked away.
Yeah, I get it. Even I wouldn’t vouch for myself.
I nodded at their unspoken understanding and let out a deep sigh.
If I couldn’t enter without a permit, there was nothing I could do. Since I had to be inside today, I would have to leave the line quietly and sneak in later.
Just as I stepped out of line and turned toward the quieter side of the wall, two people walked out from behind me.
Two figures in deep hoods, faces barely visible. Yet the words they spoke shocked me, the knight, and everyone in line.
“We will vouch for your identity.”
“Please allow it.”
The two approached and showed their own travel permits to the knight. At first the knight looked doubtful, but after examining the permits he handed them back with a shudder and a hurried face.
He whispered something to the other knight guarding the gate, then raised the halberd in front of him.
“Since these two have vouched for you, you may enter!”
“Please enjoy the festival!”
The knight opened the gate with a stiff bow. I stared at the two who had vouched for me and the knights.
‘What the hell? Why did their attitude change so suddenly?’
Who were those two that the knights’ demeanor shifted so abruptly? I was glad I wouldn’t have to sneak over the wall, but I couldn’t hide my unease. My expression tightened slightly.
My instincts told me they hadn’t helped with bad intentions.
In short, they looked bad but weren’t truly bad. Or perhaps they were the kind of person you could only truly tell after seeing them up close.
“I have something I must say to you, but if you wouldn’t mind, would you please follow me?”
While I muttered strange words to myself, the more imposing man in the hood spoke in a kind voice.
Since they had vouched for me, I had no choice but to follow. I wanted to learn more about them anyway, so I nodded and trailed behind the one in front.
“Yes, of course.”
“Ahaha, that’s great! I was worried you might refuse. Please follow us.”
“Gladly.”
With my affirmative answer, they smiled and led the way. As we entered the city, the view of the Fhara Kingdom I had only seen in game greeted me.
Next to the streets were fantasy-medieval buildings, and in the center of the square stood a plaza with a fountain.
Countless people walked the streets, and their lively conversations made the place even more beautiful.
It was completely different from the quiet Beginners’ Plain—a living city.
I was momentarily stunned, but I quickly snapped out of it and followed the two in front.
“This is such a bright and beautiful city, isn’t it? That’s exactly why I live in this world, hoping for days like these to continue.”
“Yes, it really is beautiful.”
The man with the impressive build walked expertly, as if he knew the streets well, and continued the conversation while sharing genuine feelings.
The charm of his words made me relax and enjoy talking with him. As we walked, the man suddenly stopped in front of a massive building.
Even looking up, it was so enormous I couldn’t take it in at a glance. White pillars filled each wall, and no matter how I looked, it could only be a temple.
If my memory was correct, this was the temple of the goddess Iriel in the Fhara Kingdom. Just as the game had described, there was no one around the temple, and passersby were nowhere to be seen.
It felt as if the once-noisy street had turned into a silent one, like a dream. My heart felt strangely warm.
“We have arrived. Then I suppose it’s time to remove these hoods.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Pope?
Before I could process the string of honorifics, another surprise hit me as the two men in hoods removed them.
One was an elderly man whose hair had turned completely white, radiating holy energy. The other was a young man with blond hair neatly combed.
And both faces were ones I had seen countless times in the game.
Pope Hellesetins Ban and his attendant Magid.
The priest quest I had cheesed every time with the full-revival potion and enormous gold reward—the highest-level NPC, the Pope.
Now, as living beings, the old Pope and Magid bowed deeply to me.
“It is a great honor to meet you, traveler. I am Hellesetins Ban, the Pope of the temple that serves the goddess Iriel. I have heard much from Iriel herself. She says you possess power enough to shake heaven and earth. It is an immense honor to meet you.”
“Eh?”
“I am humbled to have been chosen by Iriel herself. She claims your power is such that you could part the seas with a single gesture, and I ask for the privilege of serving you.”
“What?”
The Pope bowed not to the king but to me with no hesitation, tears in his eyes, and so did Magid.
Their words were completely absurd. My mouth went dry, and I had no choice but to hold the back of my neck.
What kind of outrageous story was this?
It seemed the goddess had been bragging about me to her own temple.
Hahaha, damn it.