‘……So, it was possible for the Pope.’
After contemplating who could bust in through the door like that, I realized that the Pope herself, the one who handed me this brooch, would be able to do it without any issue, and I accepted it.
Floretta walked into the room with her warm, benevolent smile, elbow resting on her sides and arms slightly spread, just like usual.
“Your Holiness, Pope of the Sun?”
Floretta’s expression briefly became subtle when she heard me call her by her title, then turned into that bright smile again as she spotted Minerva sitting across from me.
After all, the relationship between the Popes and me was a closely-guarded secret.
“How did Your Holiness end up here…?”
“Since you, Distinguished Guest, have come to visit the Holy Kingdom again, it would be a lack of decorum for me to merely sit idly. Thus, I have inevitably come here.”
Floretta smiled warmly at me, then turned her head to lock eyes with Minerva, who was observing us with a rather ambiguous expression.
“Eternal Magician, allow me to welcome you to the Holy Kingdom in the name of the Pope of the Sun.”
“Let’s skip the pleasantries. Tell me why you’re here. I was under the impression that the Pope couldn’t just leave the Cathedral, has the doctrine changed now?”
Minerva didn’t use any honorifics for the Pope. It felt like she was only extending the bare minimum of courtesy. Considering the age difference, it might have been expected.
“Eternal Magician, it seems you might be under a considerable misunderstanding.”
Floretta chuckled softly.
“Meeting a precious guest enough to receive that brooch, how can that possibly be seen as an act of carelessness? Please reconsider your thoughts.”
“……Hmm.”
Minerva’s eyes narrowed.
Her silvery-white irises scanned both Floretta and me, then she crossed her legs and a tea cup, steaming with aromatic vapors, appeared in her hand.
It was clear she would, later on, either subtly inquire about our relationship, or at the very least, remain tremendously curious.
As Minerva turned her head away, Floretta looked back at me. Her soft hand gently grasped mine, and as she brought her arm slightly inward, it pressed against her side.
“May I ask what brings you back to the Holy Kingdom, Distinguished Guest?”
‘Back?’
That was a peculiar word choice. Could she be thinking that I’d set up my home in the Holy Kingdom instead of the Empire?
“Have you not heard why we are here, Your Holiness?”
I deflected the question. Now wasn’t the time to probe Floretta’s thoughts.
“That is correct.”
“If you haven’t heard the reason, how did you know we were waiting here…?”
“There are always ways, so please do not worry, Distinguished Guest. Now, what brings you back to our Holy Kingdom?”
I was curious about what that ‘way’ might be, but I didn’t want to pry unnecessarily unless she brought it up first. I answered her directly.
“I’ve come to retrieve the Holy Water imbued with light.”
“Holy Water imbued with light… I understand. How much do you need, Distinguished Guest?”
“I intend to take one flask.”
“To come all this way just for a single flask? How humble of you. I would gladly have given you not just one, but a hundred flasks free of charge if you asked.”
A cheerful smile lit up her face.
“However, Distinguished Guest, do you know how to transport that Holy Water?”
At that question, I sighed inwardly.
While Minerva might be a great help now, I remembered how insane the transportation methods were in the game, thinking back to the grueling struggles of clearing the quests.
The eye-watering expense for Holy Water was due to its low production yield, but even more because the transportation was complicated to an absurd degree.
Even players who complained about the ridiculous prices would radically change their stance after trying to deliver the Holy Water to Ceres just once.
If it weren’t for this Holy Water, the quest to obtain a weapon from Ceres wouldn’t have been that infamous; it would have merely been a slight nuisance.
“Yes, Minerva has agreed to help me.”
“The Eternal Magician….”
Floretta’s emerald-like green irises briefly flicked to Minerva. In that moment, it felt like the yet-smiling expression on her face disappeared.
It was so fleeting that I almost doubted my perception.
“By the way, Your Holiness. Has the Pope of the Moon not come with you?”
I glanced around. I didn’t see the Pope of the Moon. There was no way Floretta would leave Luna behind and come looking for me alone. It had to be one or the other.
Floretta smiled softly and closed her eyes.
“Isn’t she bound to be here?”
“Uh…?”
Before I could express my confusion, Floretta’s hair suddenly turned silvery. Both I and Minerva, who was sipping tea with her legs crossed, looked over in surprise.
Her long, wavy blonde hair now shimmered like it had been dipped in moonlight, transforming into radiant, silvery tresses.
As her eyelids slowly lifted, where her green eyes once were, violet irises like sapphires appeared.
Silvery hair, violet-tinted eyes.
“It’s been a while, Distinguished Guest.”
The voice that flowed out was surely Floretta’s, but it sounded much colder and more rigid than before. Familiar phrasing from a familiar voice.
“Your Holiness, Pope of the Moon…?”
It was Luna.
“I’m glad you remember me.”
“How…?”
“It would be correct to view it as me ‘descending’ into Evangelina’s body. I can explain in more detail, but I doubt you would understand, would you like me to provide such an explanation?”
I shook my head. Although it sounded like Luna descended into Floretta’s body, was that even possible? But with the evidence right in front of me, I had no desire to deny it.
Besides, what would be the point of hearing an explanation if I wouldn’t understand it anyway?
“I lament that I cannot personally attend to you, meeting you in this form. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Floretta, or rather, Luna possessing Floretta slightly bowed her head. A corner of my vision caught Minerva’s gaze filled with curiosity as she observed us.
“There’s no need for such formality, Your Holiness. You don’t need to bow your head so carelessly.”
“It is only proper to be more courteous when it is our relationship.”
In response to Luna’s rigid rebuttal, the words “What is our relationship anyway?” bubbled up to my throat. Sure, we three were intertwined on the physical level, but it didn’t seem Luna meant it in that context.
I didn’t have the courage to ask.
“No matter how much we may be, I cannot sustain this descent for long. Thus, I would like to give you a parting gift.”
“What kind of gift?”
“A blessing spell. The moonlight seems to have dimmed, so I will imbue it once more.”
With that, Luna pulled my head down and hugged me tightly, burying my face in her ample bosom. The scent of sweet fruit mixed with her flesh overwhelmed me.
While holding me tightly, Luna whispered quietly in my ear.
“May a bright full moon always shine in the sky that this little lamb gazes upon. May the blue full moon illuminate the path even in the darkest depths of despair.”
After she finished speaking, Luna began kissing me, first on the forehead, then on both cheeks, and finally, on my lips. Up to this point, it was the same as before.
“……?”
But then after that, it changed.
Ten seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, and she didn’t pull away. The previous kiss had lasted just about ten seconds, yet this time it dragged on beyond a minute.
The pressure of our lips only intensified. Her arms wrapped around my back drew tighter, and Floretta’s softness pressed against me, amplifying the sensation.
“Chu…”
She even slipped her tongue between our lips. I was startled and tried to pull away, but her embrace didn’t budge.
Sure, my strength stat was once 1, but now it was well over 20! What was going on?
Luna, possessing Floretta, continued to share a sticky kiss with me, intertwining our tongues, for several more minutes before finally separating.
The inside of my mouth was filled with Floretta’s taste.
“It is done, Distinguished Guest. I eagerly await the day we meet again.”
Luna, her lips playfully licking, bowed her head. The silvery hair returned to its golden hue, and when her head rose again, her eyes had returned to their original green.
Seeing her familiar beaming smile, it was undeniably Floretta again.
“Have you received your blessing properly, Distinguished Guest?”
“Uh… well…”
“I must admit I am quite regretful to let you leave in such a manner, but it seems time has run out. Thus, I too will bestow my blessing upon you and take my leave.”
“Time’s run out? What do you— ugh.”
Softly, Floretta once more buried my face in her bosom. The sweet fragrance rushed into my nostrils. The sensation of her palm pressing against the back of my head was undeniable.
“May a radiant sun shine upon your path. May you always seek the bright sun in the midst of any tribulation.”
And again, our lips met. Once on the forehead, once on each cheek, and finally, our lips connected once more. As soon as our lips touched, Floretta’s tongue invaded my mouth.
“Ugh… mm…”
Unlike Luna, Floretta let out light moans as we kissed. Saliva mixed together.
Floretta clung to me with her arms around my back, intertwined around my thighs, and pressing against my chest, sharing breaths in a fervent kiss.
I awkwardly embraced Floretta in this intermingled blessing disguise. My hands were positioned in ambiguous places, but I had no time to care about that. I was too busy controlling my lower half.
“Churup… Chuup.”
With the sound of lips smacking and saliva melding, the long kiss finally came to an end.
A silvery thread hung between us as our lips parted. Floretta, as if casually breaking the strand, brought her fingers to her mouth and lightly sucked on them, leaving a translucent droplet on her elegantly outstretched finger.
As I stood there, stunned and bewildered, Floretta quickly tidied herself and pressed her hands together in front of her lower abdomen, bowing her head slightly.
“I shall take my leave now, Distinguished Guest. Next time, I will offer you a better reception, please.”
Before I could even say anything, Floretta gave a sidelong glance at Minerva, and her body seemed to dissolve into the dazzling sunlight.
The soft peachy fragrance lingered in the air around us, and the warmth left in my mouth confirmed that what had just transpired was no dream.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting! Distinguished Guest!”
Booming from outside the door came the voice of the Holy Knight.
As I gathered my senses, I immediately turned to Minerva.
She was the witness to the sight of the Pope and me entwined, exchanging affectionate gestures for nearly ten minutes. I had no idea how she’d react to that.
“Do you have something to say to me, child?”
However, Minerva’s expression was unexpectedly calm. It was so far from the reaction I anticipated that it surprised me.
“……It’s nothing.”
I held my tongue.
Minerva, the very witness to the scene, stood there so composed. I certainly couldn’t ask her why she was so calm after seeing the Pope and me share such a deep kiss.
‘Well, it makes sense that Minerva wouldn’t be surprised.’
After all, Minerva and I had no special relationship. It wasn’t like we were suddenly expressing our affections; the Pope was merely bestowing a blessing.
Considering the redefined notions due to the Mode, it was highly probable Minerva considered it merely as the Pope offering a slightly enhanced blessing.
Meanwhile, Aurora had been left flabbergasted after hearing Stella’s heretical criteria.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting! Here’s the Holy Water imbued with light you requested!”
The booming voice echoed again, and Minerva naturally turned her gaze forward. I followed her line of sight.
‘What the hell, why is it so big?’
I was taken aback by the scale of the ‘one flask’ they brought in. The disparity between what I envisioned and what the Holy Knights were carrying was astonishing.
I had imagined a standard bottle size, maybe up to 1.5 liters, but what they held was entirely different.
The Holy Knights were carrying before us a glass vessel that looked big enough for me to fit inside.
I turned to Minerva with disbelief. Yet her expression was still nonchalant. Apparently, that gigantic glass bottle indeed counted as one flask in her mind.
As I lost my words over the unexpected scale, the careful steps of the knights approached us, and they gently placed the glass vessel on the ground.
Taking several cautious steps back, afraid of missteps, the knights quickly knelt down and bowed their heads.
“It’s been delivered! Distinguished Guest!”
“……Thanks for your hard work.”
“Yes! Thank you! Is there anything more you need?”
“We don’t need anything else; we can manage from here. You can leave now.”
“Understood!”
The knights rose, performing a deep bow before sneaking out, stepping lightly on their toes.
I marveled at how adept they were at tiptoeing around in such heavy armor.
“You look quite surprised, child.”
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