Chapter 512: The Aftermath
Chapter 512: The Aftermath
High Priestess Sophia seemed a little surprised that I had come without Leia or Matilda for once, but when she realized I was simply there to thank her, she accepted my greeting with a pleased smile.
No. Or maybe she wasn't surprised because Leia and Matilda were absent, but because Silvia, standing next to me, looked like she was about to melt into a puddle?
For the record, Silvia was currently trembling in a corner of the room.
She had already nearly died from climaxing with me at the palace, and with one life-threatening crisis after another today, it seemed she just couldn't bear to be near me.
Anyway, my first impression of High Priestess Sophia was that of a strict, beautiful woman, but now the way she treated me was completely different.
I felt like a son-in-law being doted on by his mother-in-law.
Of course, I was the only one thinking of her as a mother-in-law.
In reality, she wasn't old enough to have a daughter Leia’s age, so she might make a complicated expression if she found out what I was thinking.
“Speaking of which, I heard from Matilda that not only the priests who go into the dungeon, but the church itself was planning to dispatch a Sacred Choir? I assume that was thanks to the Pope’s consideration, right? If so, should I perhaps offer my greetings to Her Holiness as well?”
And so, I posed the question to High Priestess Sophia.
It might have been a bit strange to ask a member of the church something like this, but I was sure she would understand—especially since she had once acted as a sort of private tutor for me.
“I see. Even if you don’t meet her in person, it would be best to offer a simple greeting via communication magic. Regardless, I think you should have a proper conversation with Her Holiness at least once. You haven’t spoken to her a single time since you were officially recognized as the Goddess’s Apostle, have you?”
In response to my question, High Priestess Sophia not only agreed but also poked a sore spot.
To be honest, that was exactly why I felt so pressured.
Of course, plenty of people had witnessed me causing the Goddess to descend, and I had a proven track record of slowly undoing Matilda’s curse.
And as for Matilda, while she was often snappy with me, I was sure that she had put in a good word for me with the Pope.
But even taking that into account, I couldn’t understand her intentions. How could she trust me and recognize me as the Goddess’s Apostle when she’d only seen my face once through communication magic?
She seemed like a good person, sure, but still.
“…Ugh. Yes, that’s true.”
“It’s not like you to be nervous about meeting the Pope, is it? There’s no need to be so tense. Her Holiness is a good person.”
High Priestess Sophia must have guessed from my expression, as she spoke in a reassuring tone.
Seeing this side of her really drove home the fact that Leia had been raised under her care.
I’m sorry for thinking you were so strict at first.
You really can’t judge a book by its cover.
“Shall we head to the communication magic room, then? If we don’t hurry, it will be time for evening worship.”
“Ah, yes.”
“I’m sorry, but would you two please wait here?”
High Priestess Sophia seemed to intend to guide me personally. She stood from her seat and looked at Sara and Silvia, asking them to wait.
It seemed that the management of communication and teleportation magic was quite strict in this world.
Even though they were my women, I supposed they couldn’t just let anyone into the room where I would be speaking with the Pope.
But Sara couldn't be separated from me.
“Ah, High Priestess Sophia. Sara…”
“It’s fine. This distance is okay,” Sara said, cutting me off before I could explain that she couldn’t be separated from me. “Yes, High Priestess. We’ll wait here.”
Apparently, she didn’t think the communication magic room was more than a hundred meters away.
I thought so too, to be honest, but you never know.
This temple was surprisingly huge. I’d even gotten lost in it once.
“Is there a problem? If so…”
“No, it’s nothing. Go on, Guwon.”
High Priestess Sophia seemed to sense something was off from our exchange, but Sara just shook her head to dismiss it and waved me off.
Why is she being so insistent… Ah, I see. She doesn’t want anyone to find out that she regresses to a childlike state when we’re apart, a consequence of the incident where she almost lost me.
Now that I think about it, that would be pretty embarrassing.
It’s proof of just how much she loves me.
I almost exposed her secret just now.
And so, without Sara and Silvia accompanying me, I followed High Priestess Sophia to the room where the communication magic device was installed.
As soon as we arrived, a priest standing guard there touched the communication device. In an instant, the crystal in front of me began to display an image of what I assumed was the Holy See.
A face appeared in the middle of the scene, but it wasn’t the Pope.
Well, that was to be expected, of course.
There was no reason for Her Holiness to be sitting guard in front of a massive device like this all day.
The person in the crystal was likely one of the priestesses in charge of communications at the Holy See, just like the priest operating the device on our end.
“Ah, yes, this is the Holy S—Eeeek! N-No way! C-Could it be… the Saaaaint?!”
The priestess, who boasted a beauty befitting a member of the Goddess’s church, let out a dumbfounded cry and began to panic the moment my face appeared in the crystal.
She had looked so calm and pure, but that image was shattered in an instant.
No, more importantly, that reaction… So that’s it. The video must have spread to the Holy See, too. That innocent-looking girl… she’s seen my video…
Feeling a strange mix of emotions, I bowed my head and offered a greeting.
“Hello.”
“Kyaaaaak! The Saint greeted me! Hello! I’m the one in charge of communications at the Holy See and—!”
“Ahem. Ahem. Excuse me,” High Priestess Sophia cut in. “Could you please contact Her Holiness?”
“Ah! High Priestess Sophia! Yes, y-yes! Right away!”
The priestess had been about to launch into an enthusiastic self-introduction, but High Priestess Sophia cut her off with a cough and stated our purpose.
The priestess then vanished from the crystal sphere with a flustered expression.
What a reaction, I thought. I’d felt it when I first met Matilda, but it seemed High Priestess Sophia was quite the celebrity herself.
Well, considering she was in charge of the temple in a massive city like this, I suppose it was only natural.
“Hello, High Priestess Sophia. And Saint, it has been a while. I heard you were driven into a dangerous situation while carrying out the mission bestowed upon you by the Goddess. I am relieved to see you are safe.”
And a moment later, a white-haired elderly woman finally appeared in the crystal sphere.
No matter how many times I saw her, the sense of dissonance was incredible.
She was an old woman who had aged with incredible grace, as if to prove her position at the very pinnacle of the Goddess’s church, where the general standard of beauty was already high.
But to put it another way, it meant that despite the massive correction from her Charm stat, she still appeared old.
Faced with the traces of age, a rare sight in this world, I felt myself being naturally overwhelmed.
But regardless of my feelings, the Pope greeted High Priestess Sophia and me with her usual gentle smile.
“Ah, g-greetings! I am the Saint, Guwon—! No, that’s not it.”
“Hohoho. It seems our dear Saint is nervous. It’s quite all right. Please, relax. Just think of it as chatting with a friendly neighborhood grandmother.”
The Pope spoke gently, a benevolent smile on her face as she looked at me as if I were a cute grandson.
“Ah, yes. Um, I heard that you went to great lengths to help me recently. Thank you very much.”
“Hohot. I see. I was wondering what this could be about when I heard the Saint had suddenly initiated a call, but it was for that. It’s quite all right. This is not something you need to thank me for. You are the Goddess’s Apostle, acting upon a mission from Her. If anything, I am the one who should apologize for not being of more help.”
Ah, from the way she’s speaking, she must have known I was deliberately avoiding any chance to speak with her directly.
“No, no, not at all. Just having you publicly announce that I am the Goddess’s Apostle has made my activities significantly easier. In fact, I should be thanking you for so readily accepting my less-than-credible claims and recognizing me as Her Apostle.”
I waved my hands dismissively as I replied to the Pope.
To be honest, my words were only half-sincere.
Still, it wasn’t a complete lie. It was true that people’s attitudes toward me had changed in various ways after the public announcement.
I’d get small discounts when buying things, or they’d throw in a little something extra.
Even when gathering information from other adventurers, their reactions were subtly more favorable.
The only problem was the occasional person who would start praying the moment they saw me, which was a bit much. But compared to the benefits, it was a minor issue.
“No. It was not I who recognized you. You, Saint, were recognized by the Goddess herself.”
“But even so…”
“And… at my age, I’d like to think I have a good eye for people. Hohot. Perhaps it sounds a bit silly for me to say that to you, Saint, who keeps the company of Lady Diana?”
“No, not at all.”
Right, Diana is much, much older than her.
Still, I couldn’t help but feel that the Pope seemed far more like a grandmother.
No. If I actually thought of Diana as a grandmother, I never would have started dating her in the first place. My Diana is our party’s cute Archmage, the one with the youngest physical age. She is not a grandmother.
“And that child, Matilda… I’m not sure how she appears now due to her curse, but she was once a candidate to become a Saintess. The fact that you’ve won her heart is the most undeniable proof that you are beloved by the Goddess.”
The Pope said this, her smile growing even warmer than before.
I see. So Matilda’s influence really did play a big part. One way or another, that girl has been surprisingly helpful to me.
“And besides, Saint, have you not just made another great contribution to the world?”
“A contribution? Ah… D-Did you see it too, Your Holiness?”
I was confused for a moment, not understanding what she meant, but I quickly realized she was talking about the video.
I just never imagined the Pope herself would bring that up.
“Hohot.”
No, just answer me! Did you really see it? Ugh. This is so humiliating…
Until now, I had confidently maintained the stance that the person in the video wasn’t me, but in a situation like this, I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed.
I was starting to understand why my girls had asked if we were really going to film it.
“And you, Your Holiness, even gave permission for it to be shown in the temples…” Sophia added.
“Hohot. Not at all. I was merely acting in accordance with the Goddess’s will.”
…Is that her roundabout way of saying that my actions are the Goddess’s will? That’s a lot of pressure… I’ll have to be more careful from now on.
“More importantly, Saint. Since we have this chance to speak face-to-face, this old woman has a favor to ask of you.”
The Pope, who had been wearing a benevolent smile until then, suddenly adopted a slightly more serious expression as she spoke.
Ugh. So there is something?! I knew it. I had a feeling there was some ulterior motive when she recognized me as the Goddess’s Apostle so easily. This is exactly why I didn’t want to talk to her!
“It concerns that child, Matilda.”
“…Yes?”
I had been bracing myself for some incredibly burdensome request—one I couldn’t possibly refuse—but surprisingly, the name that came from the Pope’s lips was Matilda’s.
Matilda? What about her?
“I would like to ask you to put just a little more effort into breaking her curse.”
“…Ah. Ahh, I see.”
The Pope’s request was surprisingly simple.
Ah, so that’s all it was. I got all worked up for nothing. As expected of the Pope. The person standing at the pinnacle of the Goddess’s church wouldn’t resort to such a petty tactic as appointing me an Apostle just to make an undeniable request. I believed in her from the very beginning.
“Of course, I know you are busy with the mission the Goddess has bestowed upon you. However, now that the distribution of the video seems to have resolved one of the problems you were facing, I am shamelessly making this request.”
“Ah, no, not at all. Eliminating such a wicked curse from the world is a natural duty for a Saint. It’s something I must do, even without being asked.”
I had readily accepted the Pope’s request, but her next words made me freeze.
“Hohot. I am relieved. That child, Matilda, had many followers even among the other cardinals, so there are many at the Holy See who miss her. This old woman, too, will be looking forward to the day her curse is broken and she returns.”
……Excuse me? Her curse is broken and she returns? To the Holy See?