The place the Popes took me to was a small room slightly deeper inside than where we had been.
Luna dragged my arm as she pulled me inside. Floretta, who followed, closed the door. Despite the thickness of the door appearing to be just a couple of fingers, there was no sound whatsoever when it shut.
I looked around. The floor was completely covered in red carpet. The sounds of my shoes, and even the sound of the Popes’ high heels, were muffled, indicating it was not ordinary luxury.
The walls were draped entirely in deep purple curtains, except for three places where something resembling the Popes’ banquet attire was adorned.
I couldn’t even bring myself to call that an article of clothing.
“Please, have a seat.”
Floretta pointed to the large sofa at the opposite end of the entrance. Since Luna was also watching me with a subtle gaze, I sank into the sofa. My body sank down fully.
In contrast, the Popes seemed to have no intention of sitting, instead merely standing and looking at me. Our eyes met. A sly smile returned from them.
Honestly, it was incredibly burdensome. I hadn’t eaten anything, yet I felt completely stuffed inside. I wondered if this was how the Knight Commanders felt when they heard I would receive a dress from the Pope.
“Um… Floretta? Luna? It feels a bit odd for me to be the only one sitting while both of you are standing…”
“Don’t worry, distinguished guest. We invited you here.”
“We can’t have a guest standing. It’s no trouble at all.”
Unfazed by my reactions, the Popes walked toward the wall and reached for something that resembled banquet attire placed between the curtains.
Floretta and Luna, now holding those garments over their bodies, returned to face me again. Up close, they were even more ridiculous outfits.
Luna locked eyes with me and asked, “What kind of dress would you like, distinguished guest?”
“…Do I have to choose from the three pieces here?”
I glanced between the items floating in front of Floretta’s body, those in front of Luna, and the one that hadn’t yet been chosen.
All three had an unbelievable level of exposure. Questioning why they were so scantily clad seemed utterly pointless.
The exposure level of the lingerie and see-through combination worn by the Knight Commanders at the last banquet would pale in comparison to the rags the Popes were holding.
“If you have a specific design in mind, please let us know. Do you have any requests?”
“No, it’s not that… something like a dress with a bit less exposure…”
“I’m sorry, but no matter how much of a request it is from a distinguished guest, it cannot be done.”
Floretta drew the line firmly. Along with that, her expression turned slightly stern.
“As beings closest to the Sun and Moon, we as Popes must always display our devotion and holiness. Covering our bodies is absolutely not permitted.”
What on earth does holiness have to do with being scantily clothed? I nearly blurted that out, but I barely managed to swallow the words back. Arguing here would only put me at a disadvantage. After all, I would never win.
“Evangelina is right, distinguished guest. Popes lead the Holy Kingdom. What do we have to hide from the divine? If we are unashamed before God, we must demonstrate our devotion by revealing our flesh.”
“Please reconsider. If a Pope were to reduce the exposure of their attire, it would surely lead followers to think something was wrong with their person, causing confusion.”
“…”
If a Pope covered their body, people would think they had issues? It seemed absurd from my perspective, but it was even more terrifying that it was entirely plausible in the common sense of this world.
Common sense had changed quite a lot since I was reincarnated here.
“…Yes, I understand, Floretta, Luna. I was being rude. I apologize.”
“There’s no need for you to apologize, distinguished guest. It’s only natural for someone from the Empire to be unfamiliar with the Holy Kingdom’s customs. We’re just grateful you’re realizing it now.”
Just as I was about to obediently apologize and wrap things up, a chilling thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘Could it be that the men are also like this?’
The moment that idea emerged, a chill ran down my spine. My body trembled involuntarily; this was something that should never happen. I hastily spoke up.
“Floretta, do men also have to increase their exposure the deeper their devotion is?”
“Yes? That can’t be the case. What a funny joke you’re making.”
The Popes burst into laughter simultaneously. Especially Luna, who was covering her mouth while snickering.
“Revealing one’s body as a sign of devotion is limited solely to women. According to the scriptures, the Sun and Moon are depicted as nude women.”
“…That’s a relief.”
Upon hearing Floretta’s answer, I let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness I wouldn’t have to see men in such revealing states. I would be able to wear normal clothes too.
“The greater the devotion, the more qualified one becomes to approach the heavens. Our sacred robes were created for that reason.”
In summary, since the Sun and Moon were depicted as naked women, only women could follow the divine image, and as their exposure increased, they approached divinity, thus requiring even greater faith.
I thought that due to the mod, common sense changed, so the more devotion one had, the more revealing their clothing was. Yet, there was a plausible reason behind it. It was somewhat unexpected.
Nevertheless, the final outcome being something resembling a piece of clothing didn’t change.
“To avoid boring you, we will leave the topic of devotion here. Which of the two do you prefer?”
With a beaming smile, the dresses that were floating before them moved slightly closer to me.
Finally, the moment had come. I thought to myself while internally groaning, staring at the dresses, or rather, the rags I hesitated to even call clothing.
What Floretta was holding was a flowing necklace and a C-string.
The incredibly thin golden necklace had two pieces of cloth hanging down. They were triangular pieces of golden cloth that narrowed towards the end.
The length of the cloth was exceedingly short, barely covering the nipples and areolas. It was focused purely on the purpose of covering only the important parts.
Below was even more minimal. Instead of underwear, a C-string was used to cover the genitalia. And it was incredibly small. I questioned whether the length touching the pubic area would even span the size of my palm.
That C-string extended upwards and ended near the uterus. To add to it, a small heart-shaped tattoo was inscribed to indicate the location of the uterus.
“…”
I turned my head back, feeling a sudden pain in my head, and glanced at what Luna was holding, which was yet another outrageous scrap of fabric.
A thin strap, as slender as Floretta’s necklace, wrapped around the hip, and in the center, another thin piece of fabric barely covered the genitalia.
Above the waist, it resembled what is called a slingshot swimsuit. However, its level of exposure exceeded imagination, as aside from near the nipples, it was merely the width of a string.
The strap above the piece covering the genitalia started from right above, barely covering it, stretched up tight due to the breasts, widened slightly at the tips, covered the important parts, and finally met at the back of the neck.
And that was it.
A single strap wrapped around the hips, a piece of fabric just barely covering the genitalia, and a micro slingshot barely covering the tips of the breasts.
‘…Who on earth designed such a thing?’
I felt dizzy. I never imagined anything could surpass the Popes’ sacred robes in revealingness. I thought to win over whatever I wore now, all I would have to do is take it off completely.
Such absurd clothing couldn’t possibly exist in the original Brightest Darkness 4’s world; it must have been created by someone who modified the NPC’s attire along with it. I felt a strong urge to take a peek inside that person’s head.
Desperately clinging to my overwhelming sense of vertigo, I finally managed to speak.
“Um… Are you not planning to wear anything over that dress?”
“Anything else, you say?”
“Like… um… something like the sacred robe you’re wearing?”
I hesitated to say the word see-through, unsure if the Popes would really understand.
“Oh, I see. You mean this outer garment.”
Floretta pointed to her sleeve. I nodded. No matter how translucent the see-through was, it would still be better than nothing. No, anything added would surely be far better than the current state.
However, their reactions seemed rather strange.
“…If distinguished guest desires, I will gladly wear it.”
“Then, I too… haah…”
Both Floretta and Luna seemed to have flushed cheeks for some reason. The moment I noticed them, a chilling realization shot through my brain.
Whatever it was, it was terrorizingly certain that my previous request was somehow related to something suggestive or lewd. If it weren’t, there was no way the Popes would be blushing like that.
My instincts were screaming warnings.
“No. Let’s just forget about that. It was a slip of the tongue.”
I hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. I thought it essential not to leave them with a misunderstanding regarding whatever it was.
“…Yes. Understood, distinguished guest.”
“Understood….”
‘Why do they both look disappointed?’
Floretta and Luna’s shoulders visibly sagged. At this point, I was increasingly curious about what the see-through symbolized. It certainly didn’t seem like ordinary clothing.
“…For now, let’s choose a dress.”
I forcibly redirected my attention back to the garments the Popes held. Specifically, to the third piece that hadn’t been selected yet.
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