A brightly lit, wide space is filled with dazzling sunlight pouring in through a transparent ceiling.
In the center of it stood an old man, bowing his head.
With gray hair neatly swept aside and a bushy beard resembling a dwarf’s. An eyepatch covering one eye and a pristine white robe.
And, despite his age, a large physique akin to a bear.
At first glance, he resembled a seasoned warrior who had traversed countless battlefields, but in reality, he had spent his entire life working indoors.
In his younger days, he had served as a healing priest, treating those who came to the monastery injured.
As he aged, he had dedicated his life as a devout member, assisting the pope as a close aide.
The old man, the Archbishop of the Nuset Order, lifted his gaze after staring at the ground for a while.
“If you called for me, please say something.”
His gaze was directed towards the wall filled with solemn and grand murals.
More precisely, he was looking at a woman seated on a chair at the lower part of the painting.
She was a priestess, elected as the new pope just a few months ago, and strikingly similar in appearance to the previous pope.
With long pink hair cascading down to her waist. A beauty so captivating that anyone who glimpsed her would find it hard to look away.
While there were some differences, her features were remarkably alike, to the point that even their names were similar.
Officially, they were said to not be related, but the archbishop considered them to be very close to each other.
After all, the personality she had—always avoiding him out of irritation over his constant advice—was just like her predecessor.
“……”
Even now, the pope was sitting with her legs crossed, staring intently at the archbishop.
As always, her face bore an expressionless look, making it hard to tell what she was thinking, but just by observing her gaze, it was clear.
She was currently expressing discontent through her silence.
This was commonplace and didn’t particularly bother him. In fact, the old man let out a small chuckle.
“Are you still unhappy with the last meal adjustments? It was unavoidable. You’re not young anymore, are you? If you don’t take care of yourself, it could lead to serious problems down the line.”
“…I know.”
The pope replied in a grumpy tone. She propped her chin on the chair’s armrest and frowned deeply.
“But no matter what, serving only greens on the dining table is a bit much, isn’t it? I’m not an elf or anything.”
“Your Holiness, that’s discriminatory against races. Not all elves strictly eat greens and some tribes….”
“Ugh, stop!”
The pope covered her ears, shuddering at his words, and once again, the old man smiled gently. It was a moment that brought back long, wistful memories of the late pope.
Eventually, the pope lowered her hands weakly and spoke.
“You truly are the best archbishop. In many ways.”
“Thank you.”
“In that sense, I think there’s no one more suitable for this ‘special mission’ than you. Can I trust you with it?”
“What do you mean by special mission?”
At his question, the pope’s expression brightened as she pulled up the corners of her mouth.
“Just the other day, Logan said that four high-level spirits have been summoned to ‘the other side.’”
“…The summoner must be him.”
“Yes, our Silver Hero.”
“Wow….”
The old man fell silent for a moment.
It was only natural; the summoning of four high-level spirits, close to the Spirit King, signified that a dire situation was at hand.
Could it be that a situation had occurred so significant that even a former warrior who had ascended to demigod status couldn’t handle it?
If that were the case, the late pope might also be in danger. Although he held a higher rank, he had always considered her like a granddaughter; concern and worry surged within him.
“Don’t worry too much.”
As if to reassure the archbishop, the pope waved her hand lightly.
“If he were dead, the Goddess would have already expressed her fury, right?”
“…That’s true.”
“Eluke is unharmed. Still, I would like you to go over there and assist him, just in case. What do you think?”
A dispatch.
She was asking the old man to leave his hometown and work as an aide to the late pope.
It was no easy task.
Considering that he had to live in a completely different world at his age, it was burdensome.
But.
“I understand.”
The archbishop willingly accepted the mission.
The old man couldn’t refuse work; if he was picky about it, he wouldn’t set a good example for the younger priests and holy knights.
No matter how tough or challenging it was, he had to complete the tasks assigned to him without complaint until the end.
That was his belief and conviction so he wouldn’t be seen as just an old relic.
“Your Holiness, I will depart today.”
“Do that. Use the portal created by the Tower Master to get there. It will take you right near him.”
“Then, I shall take my leave.”
The archbishop bowed and turned to walk away.
Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back and said.
“I only mention this out of concern, but please don’t cross your legs in front of any other members. You must maintain the dignity of your position as pope. And do not speak informally either. An ideal leader should always be kind to even the lowest ranks….”
“I got it! I got it!”
While a strong objection burst forth, the old man calmly bowed again, opened the door, and exited.
Left alone, the pope immediately flopped onto her chair, stretching out her body.
Not quite sitting or lying down, she remained curled up in an awkward position. Yet, she seemed undisturbed and stayed that way.
“Ugh….”
After talking for only about five minutes, she felt utterly drained. Truly an incredible old man.
Still, since he did a commendable job, she felt a little regret. Finding someone like the archbishop would be difficult from now on.
As she mulled over various bittersweet emotions, she suddenly smiled.
“Eluke, good luck.”
It seemed like she was tossing a bomb to him, but since she was sending him for a good purpose, she felt no guilt.
*
“You all have gathered.”
After finishing the audience with the Goddess, I called back the attendees I had previously sent out.
Initially, I had planned to bring in only Seo-yoon and Hainha, but I decided to call in the trio who had been dismissed earlier because I had announcements to make.
“I had a conversation with our Goddess and mapped out future operational policies.”
“What is it?”
I glanced at Seo-yoon, who asked, and replied.
“From now on, we will focus on securing talent.”
With the looming confrontation against the evil god “Black Sun” in the future, I was thinking of surrounding myself with various talented individuals.
I had no particular restrictions on the type of talent.
Strong warriors, brilliant strategists, wealthy patrons, devout believers.
Anyone would do. As long as they could significantly assist me, that was enough.
The most suitable candidates for those criteria were people who had experienced similar situations to mine.
“Returnees. I will actively engage recruitment efforts for returnees like Zhang Yao who can be of help to me.”
“Wait a minute.”
The person who interrupted me with a raised hand was an agent from the National Intelligence Service who could be sensitive to such matters.
“Your Holiness, returnees are strictly monitored in each country, so bringing them in is difficult. Except in countries like China, where there are too many to count.”
“Your answer is embedded in what you just said.”
“…Are you planning to target Chinese returnees?”
“That is the plan.”
In our country, I was the only returnee.
Honestly, it was baffling. Switzerland, a country with a significantly smaller population than Korea, had at least five returnees. So why was I the only one?
Anyway, limiting recruitment solely to Koreans would make it difficult to secure talent, so I decided to pursue Chinese returnees.
Unlike other countries, they even published articles in the Global Times pleading for our country to take their returnees, so there was no burden in doing so.
“I think that’s a decent idea.”
Zhang Yao, who was munching on a hot dog, expressed his agreement.
“There are quite a few kids like Haoran who are fatherless in our country. Among them, there are indeed lunatics who capture returnees and use them as slaves.”
“Is that true?”
“It is. There was someone among those who had a quarrel with Haoran who had treated a returnee like a slave.”
That was a bittersweet yet comforting piece of news.
If I could rescue a returnee in a situation similar to Zhang Yao’s, I could successfully integrate them into the order.
Even if not, publicizing the order like Quick Eagle would be beneficial.
“Sounds good. Let’s save that talk for later.”
After that, I conveyed various announcements.
Since about half of the six attendees had a lackluster concentration, I quickly covered the main points, and it didn’t take long.
During that time, Liam’s face scrunched up as he received news of the archbishop coming over.
“The archbishop is coming?”
“Indeed.”
“Ah, it’s exhausting being around that old coot.”
“…You shouldn’t speak carelessly.”
Honestly, I understood him to some extent, but I didn’t feel the need to voice my thoughts. Since Liam had already expressed them, there was no need for me to stoop to his level.
“He’ll likely arrive within a day or two. Seo-yoon, there’s nothing specific to prepare; just be aware.”
“Got it.”
As our manager typed down the schedule on her laptop, I continued with what I was saying.
After organizing all the schedules decided upon in the meeting and discussions, I clapped my hands and smiled.
“That’s it. Thank you all for your hard work.”
Although only three of them had actually done the work, I expressed gratitude to everyone as a formality.
Especially to Liam, who I thanked profusely. It was an astonishing improvement that he attended without protesting his terrible character.
“Next time, please focus a bit more on the meeting.”
“That’s fine, but check this out.”
Liam, subtly evading my request, reached out into the air.
Soon, three swords appeared on his palm. They were Haoran’s swords that he had mentioned he would work on.
“I’ve modified them all. You use them.”
“Me?”
“You don’t have to wield them directly. Just trust me and infuse some divine power into them.”
“Understood.”
As I wasn’t well-versed in weapons, I didn’t bother to question and simply followed his instructions.
It was a relatively simple task.
After injecting divine power into each of the three swords, I stepped back.
At that moment.
Whoosh.
The three swords levitated into the air and began to float around me like satellites.
As I watched the scene blankly, Liam grinned.
“Isn’t it amazing? They usually hide in another dimension, but they appear to protect their owner when they sense danger.”
“Oh… is it a sentient sword?”
“It’s not very powerful, but it does have a consciousness. They’ve been well-crafted, so as long as you have these, you won’t have to worry about getting hurt, wherever you go.”
I had thought it was merely useful, but it turned out to be an unexpectedly handy weapon.
Haoran.
That guy did another thing beneficial for me.
Unintentionally, I had become a generous tree giving away fruits. It turned out I was lucky to have become a target instead.
“Thank you so much.”
Now I could walk around with peace of mind. Even in a state where I couldn’t utilize divine power, I felt secure.
Looking at the swords now, their elegance and coloration were beautiful, but the edge was extremely sharp.
To the naked eye, they looked like fine swords. They were reliable bodyguards.
As I gazed contentedly at the hovering swords, Hekatrith approached with interest.
“Oh, how fascinating indeed. A weapon imbued with mysterious and wondrous power. Let me take a look.”
“Go ahead.”
“Thanks… huh? Why did they suddenly stop?”
Just as Young Dragon looked puzzled, the three swords suddenly slashed at the petite body of Guardian Dragon without mercy.
“Guaak!”
Hekatrith screamed with a face that looked like her eyes would pop out at any moment.
Though she came from the Evil Dragon lineage and wouldn’t die from it, she certainly looked like she was in a lot of pain.
It was so painful that even Liam, who typically wouldn’t flinch at anything, looked startled.
“…I guess they still can’t distinguish between friend and foe. Or rather, they aren’t doing that. Is it because they were Haoran’s weapons?”
Does this mean they take after their previous owner in being a bit of a troublemaker?
I nodded thoughtfully and instructed Liam.
“Let’s show these weapons who the real troublemaker is.”
It was time to establish a hierarchy.
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