‘What were they planning to ask…’
Seeing both of them with such serious expressions made me nervous too, but it turned out they only wanted my help in picking out dresses for the upcoming banquet. They were also hoping to gift some banquet attire for the Knight Commanders. The fact that the Pope was personally giving gifts made the Knight Commanders stiffen up in tension.
This was an event that didn’t exist in the original game—or at least shouldn’t exist—so I had no idea what would happen at that location. However, considering how twisted things already were, I accepted that.
Was it normal to start by defeating the final boss of the DLC? As long as the overall story didn’t get too warped, everything else would somehow pan out.
We followed Stella and Selene out of the lodging, and the Battle Nuns who had been waiting outside immediately surrounded us. There must have been at least thirty of them, easily.
It was only natural that we attracted attention as we walked like that. It felt like everyone on the streets was stealing a glance at us as they passed by.
The Battle Nuns were quite tall on average, but they were still shorter than Claudia and me, so we could feel everyone’s gazes directed towards us. We exchanged awkward smiles.
Fortunately, thanks to the Inquisitor and the Inquisitor standing next to us, there wasn’t any outright staring.
“Inquisitor.”
I casually started a conversation with Stella, who immediately turned her head when I spoke.
“Do you have something to say, Distinguished Guest?”
“What kind of wind did you blow through the Nuns?”
“Huh?”
Stella looked puzzled.
I returned to her the exact words Regé had said. Ever since I returned to the lodging, it seemed they had all been eager to help me change clothes and the like.
After hearing my explanation, Stella smiled awkwardly and fidgeted with her fingers.
“Ah… I’m sorry. They’re just really devout, so they must have taken my words too seriously.”
“What did you say?”
“I told them that Your Holiness asked them to take special care of the Distinguished Guests, so they should be more attentive.”
“…”
I instantly understood why that happened.
Right, if the Pope had personally instructed them to take good care of us, they would have felt compelled to act. So, in creating the illusion of duty, such behavior had emerged.
Poke, someone poked me in the side. I glanced down at my right arm. Regé was looking up at me with a gaze that seemed to say I should reveal everything that had happened later.
The remaining Knight Commanders looked similar. Their eyes seemed to ask what kind of monster they had caught to deserve such treatment. Trying to ignore their stares, the poking on my side grew stronger.
I lost track of time as we walked, until Selene finally stopped. We found ourselves standing in front of a building that looked incredibly extravagant.
“We’ve arrived.”
“What is this place…?”
“This is a tailor shop specialized in creating the finest sacred robes. Please rest assured, the Popes have reserved it for today.”
“Reserved for just today? Does that mean we’ll be here all day?” A chill suddenly ran down my spine.
Stella and Selene politely opened the door, and the Battle Nuns knelt down with one knee and bowed their heads. We couldn’t bear that burdensome gesture and hurriedly stepped inside.
The interior was immensely lavish. Gold and jewels symbolizing the sun, silver and marble representing the moon—everything seemed overwhelming. It was hard to take in what was what with just a glance.
Though the place was extraordinarily elaborate, it didn’t feel excessive at all. Instead, it seemed to create a perfect harmony, as if it were only natural.
“Welcome, Distinguished Guests.”
“We thank you for accommodating us.”
The Popes greeted us with smiles. Their sacred robes still boasted an impressive level of exposure, and the fact they weren’t wearing underwear seemed to jiggle in their bosoms.
“It is an honor to see Your Holinesses.”
The Knight Commanders bowed their heads in respect. Regé also unfolded her arms and followed suit.
In the meantime, Floretta took the chance to wave at me with a bright smile. Luna shyly mimicked her, managing an awkward smile as she did so. It looked like she was still getting used to smiling.
I waved back in the same way. If I started to show excessive manners here, the Popes would surely feel awkward. I noticed Luna’s cheeks flushing slightly.
Just after exchanging greetings, the Popes solemnly changed their expressions. Luna’s slightly flushed cheeks quickly regained their normal color.
“Please raise your heads, brave leaders of the Silver Dawn Knights. We are not here to stand on ceremony.”
“W-We couldn’t possibly…”
The Knight Commanders hesitantly raised their heads, only after Floretta reassured them multiple times that it was fine, and Luna joined in. It made me keenly aware of the Pope’s prestigious status.
“I believe the Inquisitor and Inquisitor have already explained the reason we summoned you. It is to gift you with attire for the banquet.”
“Your Holiness, you really don’t have to do that. We’re fine in this uniform…”
Claudia raised her hand to speak with a mix of awkwardness and shyness. Hearing the term “uniform,” I scanned the Knight Commanders, already aware that their uniforms consisted of white sleeveless tops with dolphin shorts in colors matching their hair.
But that kind of expression still felt hard to adapt to.
Floretta smiled benevolently and chuckled softly.
“I completely understand your feelings, but this has already been discussed internally within the Holy Kingdom. We wouldn’t want our good intentions to go to waste, would we?”
Given how far the Pope had gone in her persuasion, Claudia seemed to find it ambiguous to refuse any further, stepping back instead. The other Knight Commanders shared a similar expression of helplessness.
The reason for their hesitation was probably out of pressure. All four of them were too kind-hearted to accept such overwhelming goodwill with a straight face.
“This way, please.”
The Popes led us deeper inside. The corridor was lined with all kinds of sacred robes hanging on special hangers, resembling see-through mannequins.
The clothing here was anything but ordinary. While it started somewhat normal at the entrance, deeper within, the outfits appeared increasingly extravagant and revealing.
The amount of fabric decreased, and underwear vanished. By the end of the corridor, the garments draped on the mannequins evoked doubt as to whether they could cover even a single arm.
‘…Weren’t the Knight Commanders wearing such dresses as well?’
I began to contemplate which was more revealing: the sacred robes just passed or the see-through lingerie dresses the Knight Commanders wore at the banquet. The conclusion was that both were equally revealing.
Thinking that made me feel a bit more at ease. I found it absurd, but perhaps my threshold for women’s nakedness was gradually increasing.
At the end of the corridor was a vast circular space. The Nuns waiting for us immediately dropped to the floor as soon as they saw us. When one Nun lifted her head, the Pope gestured.
“Please show us.”
“As you command, Your Holiness.”
The women gracefully approached the wall draped in curtains. The curtains were cautiously drawn back, revealing a variety of dresses lined up inside.
They seemed to have prepared quite a lot, as there appeared to be at least thirty dresses, and that was just the minimum. There was even another curtain within!
Every single dress was incredibly low in exposure.
The most revealing dress merely showed off the arms and collarbone, while most had hems down to the ankles and were tightly wrapped around the upper body, leaving hardly any skin visible.
Of course, that didn’t mean the clothing was plain. They were dresses that wouldn’t pale in comparison anywhere in terms of grandeur. The level of exposure had simply gone beyond my expectations.
“Distinguished Guests do not possess divine power, so we prepared dresses that cover the body as much as possible. However, if you wish, we could provide you with the same sacred attire as ours. Would you like that?”
After Floretta’s remark, a Nun on the other side drew back another curtain. In that section were even more revealing dresses than those shown earlier.
‘So that’s why the women of the Holy Kingdom are dressed like that…’
Thanks to Floretta’s comment, I understood why women in the Holy Kingdom covered themselves so completely. It wasn’t that they didn’t strip; they couldn’t. To increase the level of exposure in their attire, they had to develop their faith.
The reason the Pope was wearing such a preposterous see-through dress, and why Stella and Selene were clad in more revealing clothes than other Battle Nuns, was all explained by this.
In a world where greater power meant being more naked, it truly exceeded any of my imagination.
“U-Um, it’s fine, Your Holiness. We couldn’t possibly wear sacred robes. The dresses you’ve shown us are sufficient.”
Erica replied hesitantly. It seemed she had entirely accepted the situation that exposure increased with divine power.
“In that case, understood. Please select your dresses now.”
The moment Floretta finished speaking, the surrounding Nuns rushed towards the Knight Commanders, chattering excitedly. The atmosphere grew chaotic in an instant.
The Knight Commanders, seemingly unused to such clamor, looked utterly bewildered. The Nuns all but dragged the Knight Commanders toward the dresses.
Swish, the curtains closed again.
“…”
I naturally found myself left hanging alone.
However, I didn’t feel lonely at all. The sounds of the Nuns chattering beyond the curtains were incessant, and I was thankful to have evaded that kind of madness.
As I was inwardly relieved, Floretta approached me, beaming broadly. Luna followed her closely behind.
“You have something special to do, Distinguished Guest.”
“…Something to do?”
The two Popes each grabbed one of my arms. Squeeze, I felt the absence of a single thread of cloth as their bosoms pressed against my forearms.
“You must choose our sacred robes for us.”
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.