Chapter 141: Vatican (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: Vatican (7)
A meeting room in the Arcadia Cult.
In the center of the room stood several figures, including the Hero, Yohan.
Their leader, Bishop Seong Young-il, stared grimly at a document on the desk.
The document contained two lines of information sent by an informant within the Vatican.
"Is it true?"
It was Yohan who broke the silence. His voice was laced with barely suppressed anger and impatience.
Without turning his head, Bishop Seong Young-il answered in a low voice.
"Yes. They are scheduled to use the Portal to return here this afternoon, South Korea time."
At his confident reply, a muscle in Yohan's jaw twitched.
It had only been a day since she left for the Vatican. Thankfully, the journey hadn't been long.
A sliver of hope rose within him—perhaps their relationship hadn't had time to develop dramatically.
But that hope was soon devoured by black jealousy.
"I don't understand. Why on earth with some strange man…"
As another believer beside him muttered, Seong Young-il cut him off.
His cold gaze swept across the meeting room.
"Our purpose is not to condemn her. And vulgar jealousy is hardly a virtue befitting a Hero."
He said, his eyes seeming to pierce right through Yohan.
"We are here to uphold the Sect's discipline and remind her of her duties as the Saintess. The justification is what matters most."
Seong Young-il slowly looked around as he continued.
"When the Saintess arrives, everyone will show her the proper respect. However, we will question her in front of everyone."
His plan was clear. He intended to use Cheon Yeo-wool's impulsive actions as a pretext to tarnish her reputation and solidify the Hero Faction's standing.
"About why she visited the Vatican alone with an unknown man of questionable origins, without consulting the Sect."
In particular, they had to find a way to separate that man, Jung Hae-in, who stuck to the Saintess's side like a shadow.
His influence was visibly growing, and everything he did seemed to benefit the Saintess.
Perhaps this would… quiet things down a bit.
Yohan clenched his fists, forcibly suppressing the rage boiling inside him.
For now, he had to follow the Bishop's plan.
*
The next morning.
The Pope invited Jung Hae-in and Cheon Yeo-wool to his private dining room.
He had heard that today was the last day of their visit.
He wanted to treat them to one last meal in the Vatican.
Morning sunlight streamed through the glass, illuminating the dining room.
The Pope silently took a sip of his tea, observing the two young people seated side-by-side across from him.
The atmosphere between them was markedly different from when he had first seen them yesterday.
The distance between their chairs had noticeably shrunk.
Just then.
Cheon Yeo-wool was the first to spot a tiny speck of cream on Jung Hae-in's lips from his coffee.
She leaned over and picked up her napkin.
The Pope expected her to hand him the napkin, but her actions defied his expectations.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she leaned in and gently wiped the cream from his lips with her own napkin.
Jung Hae-in, too, accepted the gesture as if it were perfectly natural.
It was the kind of ease seen only between lovers who have grown accustomed to one another.
The Pope was certain. Their relationship had progressed immensely overnight.
The Sect even encouraged such things.
The Ordinum Sect was quite open-minded, after all.
However, he knew that Arcadia was not nearly as liberal.
'Youth.'
Still, how could one possibly suppress the passion between two young adults?
The Pope felt this was a more desirable path.
"Did you have a pleasant evening?" the Pope asked with a gentle smile.
"Thanks to you, we rested well."
Jung Hae-in replied without any change in his expression.
But the seasoned Pope did not miss the fleeting glance he cast toward the Saintess beside him.
Cheon Yeo-wool took it a step further.
She glanced at Jung Hae-in, the corners of her lips lifting slightly as she answered.
"Yes, Your Holiness. It was an unforgettable night."
Her voice was tinged with an undeniable satisfaction.
"I am glad to hear it."
The Pope simply maintained his gentle smile and murmured softly.
*
After breakfast with the Pope, we packed our things and returned to the Portal Clearance Office to head for our designated Portal.
The heated tension of last night seemed a distant memory; a comfortable silence, not awkwardness, flowed between Cheon Yeo-wool and me.
It felt calmer, as if a great storm had passed.
Wait a minute… has it really passed?
I might just be in the eye of the storm and mistaken.
I glanced at Cheon Yeo-wool's lips as she walked beside me.
A faint, swollen red mark on her neck. The trace was still clearly visible.
Last night, we had explored each other until dawn.
We hadn't gone any further. It felt like we had both reached an unspoken agreement.
In any case, we had repeated breathless kisses.
So many I wondered if it was even okay.
I felt like I'd gone back into the Board Game.
At the Clearance Office, the Pope himself had come to see us off.
He gave us a final blessing with a gentle smile.
We bowed our heads deeply to him in return.
It had been a short time, but we had gained so much.
"Thank you for everything."
"Thank you, Your Holiness."
The Pope nodded in response.
"May Terna's blessing be with you."
Leaving the Pope's blessing behind us, we finally stood before the Portal gate.
Ripples shimmered before our eyes as a curtain of blue light swirled.
Without hesitation, Cheon Yeo-wool and I stepped into the light.
– Vwooom.
A dizzying sensation of my body being broken down to a molecular level and reassembled.
I opened my eyes again.
A hard marble floor came into view.
We were in the Arcadia Cult.
With the sound of the Portal closing, our surroundings fell silent once more.
But before the dizziness could even fade, I felt cold stares upon us.
The central hall, connected to the underground Portal gate.
Several members of the Sect were waiting for us. They were all from the Hero Faction, and at their center stood Yohan.
How in the world?
There was no way for them to know our Portal departure time from the Vatican.
I'd heard from Cheon Yeo-wool that they were displeased with the Saintess leaving on a pilgrimage alone with an unrelated man.
Perhaps that was why the tension was as thin as ice.
Just then, Cheon Yeo-wool turned to me and smiled alluringly.
Her eyes showed no sign that she cared about them in the slightest.
Her smile was for me, but it was also a display of defiance for the hostile eyes watching us.
"We're home?"
She whispered, then approached me without hesitation.
And in front of all those watching eyes, she pressed her hot lips to mine.
Before I could even react, her tongue slipped between my lips.
A deep, long kiss, meant for all to see.
Over her shoulder, I could see Yohan's face, pale with shock and fury.
A long moment passed before our lips parted with a wet sound.
At that moment, the Bishop standing next to Yohan cried out in disbelief.
"Saintess! What is this rude and frivolous display in front of everyone…!"
His furious voice echoed throughout the hall.
But Cheon Yeo-wool, showing no sign of alarm, simply smiled elegantly and snapped her fingers.
– Flick.
A small hole of light opened in the air above, and a white bird emerged.
It was Gani.
At the sight, the faces of everyone from the Sect in the hall filled with astonishment.
"Th-that's Lady Ariel's… Divine Bird…?"
Of course, Ariel's bird was much larger and more majestic, but this one would grow to be the same. Their essence was identical.
It was the moment that proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Cheon Yeo-wool had perfectly inherited Ariel's legitimacy through her journey to the Vatican.
In an instant, the tables had turned.
The Hero Faction had clearly intended to hold her accountable for tarnishing her image as the Sect's Saintess, using me, her companion, as a pretext to pressure her.
However.
The Saintess hadn't gone on a private trip with some unrelated man.
The Saintess of Arcadia, together with the successor of Bulgaram.
Had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and returned, having fully inherited the Goddess's Authority.
In the face of such an insane achievement, any nitpicking or moralizing lost all justification.
The people in the hall were left speechless, their mouths agape. The Bishop was no exception.
Cheon Yeo-wool offered them a very gentle, benevolent smile.
Then, in a voice clear enough to resonate throughout the hall, she spoke.
"I apologize for not informing you beforehand. A few days ago, I received an oracle from Lady Ariel."
An oracle?
I listened silently.
"Lady Ariel told me that this man, the successor of Bulgaram, was the essential companion for my sacred journey."
After she finished speaking, she very naturally linked her arm with mine. A soft sensation traveled up my arm.
"And in the Vatican, I came into contact with Lady Terna's traces, thus perfectly fulfilling that oracle before my return. Does… anyone have any objections?"
It was all a lie.
First, I was the one who suggested the trip.
Second, there was no way Ariel would have given such an oracle.
– Chirp chirp?
But Cheon Yeo-wool's soul-infused lie became truth in the face of the evidence named Gani.
No one could answer.
The Bishop, his expression stiff, stepped forward and bowed his head deeply.
"...Congratulations, Saintess. This is an honor for the Sect."
Only then did Cheon Yeo-wool flash a victorious smile at an angle only I could see and whisper to me.
"Let's go."
Leaving them behind, we calmly walked out of the hall.
– Chirp chirp?
Only Gani, oblivious to everything, continued to chirp.