Chapter 340: The Audience
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 340: The Audience
"Mr. Muen, please follow me."
Muen didn't have to wait long before a nun dressed in solemn black robes arrived to lead him into the depths of the grand hall.
The corridor was wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side. Along its flanks, fragrant small white flowers were in full bloom. Above, the stained-glass dome depicted a series of wondrous scenes showing the Goddess redeeming the mortal world.
Muen rubbed his backside—which had been ruthlessly ravaged by the Pink Bear moments ago—as he looked around, his eyes struggling to take it all in.
His peripheral vision swept over the heavy robes and swaying hemlines of the nuns who bowed as they passed. He couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Damn, they’re huge—no, I mean, it’s magnificent.
As expected of the Life Church; they certainly didn't lack for resources.
He had always thought that as the son of a Duke, he was already part of the "evil aristocratic class" that deserved to be hung from a lamppost. But here, he actually felt like a country bumpkin entering the big city for the first time.
"This is the Emiel Cathedral," the nun leading him said.
She seemed to have sensed Muen’s wandering gaze. Her attire differed slightly from the others, but she didn't look back as she spoke in a calm, level voice. "It is the only holy land in the world named after the Goddess herself. It is the most sublime place of miracles dedicated to her service."
"I see," Muen replied, snapping his eyes forward with a polite smile. "Thank you for the enlightenment."
"I hope you will keep that in mind at all times. Do not defile the sanctuary."
The nun nodded slightly and led Muen through a long gallery into a room filled with the scent of incense and rising steam. She finally stopped and pointed toward a pool in the center of the room, its surface covered in floating flower petals.
"Please bathe."
"Oh, right."
Muen wasn't particularly surprised. An audience with an Emperor or a Pope usually required a ritual cleansing. He reached for the buttons of his coat.
But then...
"...Sister?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Well... I’m about to bathe." Muen looked at the nun, who showed no intention of leaving, and gave her a cautious reminder.
"I am aware."
"Then..."
"My entire heart and soul have been dedicated to Her Highness the Saintess and the Goddess. To me, a man’s naked body is of no consequence," the nun said. Her expression was as cold and rigid as an iron mask. "Mr. Muen, you may simply act as if I am not here."
"..."
But I care!
Being stared down by a stoic, holy-looking nun while trying to wash—was this some new form of divine punishment? Could they at least swap her out for someone else?
Complaints aside, Muen understood her vigilance. He was an outsider about to step into the very heart of the Church. He gritted his teeth and began to strip.
His musculature was defined like a marble sculpture, boasting perfect proportions that would make any young girl’s heart skip a beat. From the center of his spine, magic circuits radiated outward like the rays of a rising sun. The nun’s eyes, previously as still as a stagnant well, finally flickered as her scrutinizing gaze swept over him.
Muen folded his clothes neatly. He even removed the spatial magic ring he had recently purchased from Adolf at a "friendship price" and placed it on a prepared tray. Finally, he submerged himself completely in the pool.
The warm water carried a sacred aura, and it was so comfortable Muen almost let out a groan of pleasure. However, the gaze that refused to look away made it impossible to truly relax.
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"How should I address you?" Muen asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Call me Lin. Head Nun Lin."
A Head Nun... so she really is different from the ordinary sisters.
"Then, Miss Lin, I’d like to ask... what kind of person is His Holiness the Pope, exactly?"
"His Holiness..." Lin paused to reflect before answering seriously. "Once you meet him, you will understand."
"..."
Well, so much for small talk.
Feeling the conversation die a quick death and the atmosphere grow even more awkward, Muen fell silent. He finished washing quickly and donned the white robes that had been set out for him.
As he adjusted his collar, Muen suddenly remembered something. "Miss Lin, do you know Father Sion?"
"Sion? You mean the heretic?"
"That’s the one."
"I knew him. We once served in the same church."
"What was he like back then?"
"Why do you ask?" Head Nun Lin frowned. "He is a man on the Judgment Temple’s most-wanted list..."
"I killed him."
Muen spoke in a casual tone, as if he were mentioning a trivial errand. He gave a bashful little smile. "Just recently, actually. I figured I should ask around. I ought to know what kind of monster ended up dying by my hand."
"..."
Lin froze. She stared deeply at Muen for a long moment before finally speaking. "He was a genius."
"Oh? I thought you wouldn't believe me, and I’d have to pull out evidence to show off and make you gasp in shock." Muen rubbed his chin, looking disappointed. "But... just a genius?"
"Yes. Had he not betrayed the Goddess, his talent would have seen him promoted by the Church within a few years. He would have become a Bishop in charge of his own cathedral."
"I just thought he was a bigot. A madman."
"Genius and madness are, in a sense, synonyms, are they not?" Lin lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
"Fair point." Muen nodded and said no more.
Just as he turned to leave, the nun suddenly asked, "Tell me... did he die in pain?"
"Pain?" Muen thought about it. "He died in what was likely the most painful way possible for someone like him."
"I see..."
The stoic nun finally allowed a faint smile to touch her lips, as if the blood that had once stained an entire church had finally been purified. "That is good."
*
"His Holiness is waiting for you inside."
The nun, whose expression had softened considerably, pulled open a plain door. "Please, go in."
"Thank you."
Muen took a deep breath and stepped through the threshold.
Once his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in light, he found himself in a room decorated so simply it looked like a common living area. There, Muen finally laid eyes on the most prestigious figure on the continent.
Pope Hezekiah.
However, the great man whose every move could stir the winds and clouds of the entire continent looked more like an ordinary old man one might find anywhere.
He wore extremely simple cloth robes. Holding a common wooden bucket and ladle, he was bent over, watering a row of lush green potted plants.
He worked with immense focus, his movements gentle and meticulous, as if he were tending to his most precious treasures. He seemed completely oblivious to Muen’s arrival. Clear water droplets fell onto the green leaves, reflecting his aged, kindly face.
Muen didn't dare be disrespectful. He bowed deeply. "Muen Campbell, only son of the Campbell family of the Leopold Empire, has come for an audience at His Holiness's invitation."
"..."
The old man did not answer. He continued his work with single-minded devotion.
Muen could only wait patiently.
It wasn't until every plant had been watered that the old man set aside the bucket and ladle. He rolled up his sleeves and rinsed his hands in a basin where small, ink-colored fish were swimming.
"The boy from the Mela Domir family?"
"Yes..." Muen blinked, then quickly fished out the letter Teacher Mela had asked him to deliver. He held it out with both hands. "Teacher Mela asked me to give this to you."
"Oh?"
The Pope finally looked up. He didn't take the envelope immediately. Instead, his eyes—filled with the weight of countless years and the brilliance of the Light—swept over Muen with profound meaning.
Muen’s breath hitched.
In that instant, the same discomfort he had felt before Teacher Mela—the sensation of being completely seen through—welled up from the depths of his heart once again.