“Welcome.”
“Come on in.”
After all the hardships, I finally arrived at the home I longed for.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really ‘my home,’ but Seo-yoon’s house. Nevertheless, it felt so good to be here.
As soon as I entered the house, I immediately asked Seo-yoon, “Where are the kids? Didn’t they throw a fit saying they missed me?”
I had been away for two whole days.
I could only imagine how much the kids had whined. I felt too embarrassed to look Seo-yoon in the eye.
That was until now.
“Well, not really? Hekatrith played with them, so they’ve been pretty calm.”
“…Is that so.”
Then that’s a relief, but I felt a little disappointed. They didn’t even ask for their mom…
“But where’s my brother-in-law? And who is this?”
While I was soothing my feelings of disappointment, Seo-yoon glanced at the woman standing behind me.
“Liam had something to do, so he couldn’t come. And this person is…”
I nudged the woman who came with me, Zhang Yao, to step forward and continued, “This is Zhang Yao, the new Holy Knight of the Order.”
“…Holy Knight?”
Seo-yoon’s eyes lit up with interest as she scanned Zhang Yao and subtly nodded, looking a bit impressed.
It was no surprise, though. Zhang Yao was definitely stunning.
With shining blonde hair, fair skin, and delicate features, she looked like a character pulled straight from a gacha game—a classic beauty.
Of course, she’d still come up short compared to me.
‘Not a chance.’
She might not be as beautiful as Eluke, but she could certainly draw the gazes and attention of many men.
That’s why I accepted her application to join the Order without hesitation. A brilliant decision from my pope-like mind.
“Seo-yoon, this lady will be my top Holy Knight in charge of my protection from now on.”
Top Holy Knight.
The closest aide to the Pope, responsible for his safety, and the pinnacle of all Holy Knights.
I decided to appoint Zhang Yao as a suitable replacement for ‘that guy’ I left back in the other world.
Although her faith was practically non-existent, appointing her wasn’t unreasonable. This position is usually filled by the strongest among Holy Knights.
However, I didn’t really need her for protection. The main purpose was to have her by my side to dazzle people with her beauty.
A strategy to promote the Order. Having two pretty ladies together would spark interest even in those who weren’t initially interested.
I wasn’t sure what her real intentions were for wanting to join the Order, but nonetheless, it was a win-win situation.
Satisfied with my brilliant plan, I continued the introductions.
“Yao, this is my dear little sister I mentioned before.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Me too.”
After shaking hands with Seo-yoon, Zhang Yao glanced down slightly. Meanwhile, Young Dragon, watching the interaction quietly, waved his forepaw.
“Nice to meet you, human.”
“…A dragon?”
“Indeed, I am the great dragon, Hekatrith! Currently, I have taken it upon myself to protect the benevolent Order that serves the Sun! The Pope begged me to join, and I reluctantly accepted!”
An arrogant self-introduction dripping with bravado. It seemed my Young Dragon had charged up quite a bit of ‘evil dragon’ energy in my absence.
Guardians shouldn’t behave like this. As Pope, I needed to set things right.
“Hekatrith, keep your schedule clear for tomorrow.”
“Why? Why would I do that?”
“Let’s have some character education after a long time.”
“Guahhhh!”
Was the very mention of education enough to send him into a fit? Hekatrith suddenly rolled around on the floor in chaos.
Ignoring him, I stepped into the living room.
Without sparing a glance at my pet dragon’s antics, Seo-yoon grabbed my arm and led me.
“Unnie, let’s eat, okay? I made a lot.”
“What’s on the menu?”
“Spicy Pork Stir-fry and Kimchi Stew.”
“Oh.”
Both are dishes I love. Truly, it’s just like Seo-yoon.
With how busy I was for the past two days without a proper meal, this couldn’t have come at a better time.
I ran to the kitchen and took a seat at the table without hesitation.
Soon, Zhang Yao, who was watching Hekatrith roll on the floor in fascination, also took a seat beside me.
“Let’s eat well.”
“Thank you.”
We simultaneously picked up our chopsticks and took a bite of the spicy pork. The flavor of the mildly spicy seasoning wrapped around my tongue as I chewed.
“Delicious…!”
It was tastier than I expected. A flavor that jolted my taste buds, accustomed to a vegetarian diet for twenty years.
Next to me, Zhang Yao nodded vigorously, continuing to eat nonstop.
“It seems your skills have improved.”
Having lived alone since leaving the orphanage, Seo-yoon’s cooking skills were fantastic.
I could never imagine reaching this level after being used to meals prepared by others.
Maybe I should learn to cook too. I can’t keep relying on Seo-yoon to feed me forever.
“I made a lot, so eat as much as you want.”
“Thank you.”
I happily ate to my heart’s content as my kind little sister suggested. I lost count of how many bowls of rice I finished.
After finishing lunch, we even enjoyed some green tea for dessert.
Both my tongue and stomach rejoiced in satisfaction. It felt like a reward for the mental and physical toll from dealing with Haoran and the Burning Association.
“This is heaven.”
If the Goddess heard me, she might have smited me with a flick on the forehead. I relished a rare moment of peace.
Meanwhile, the girls who had been sleeping woke up.
“Mommy!”
“Mom…”
Erina and Ibailla rubbed their sleepy eyes and rushed into my arms.
As I hugged them and looked into their eyes, the stress I had recently felt melted away instantly.
Indeed, my daughters are my treasures. No matter how many times I see them, I find myself wanting to see them again.
Even if they had been whimpering earlier, they made me smile endlessly.
“Where did you go?!”
“Mommy’s a fool….”
Upon hearing Seo-yoon’s earlier comment, I felt a tinge of sadness, but now my heart felt lighter. It seemed they both missed me terribly.
Out of curiosity, I asked if they didn’t miss Dad, and Erina and Ibailla answered in unison.
“Dad goes out to play all the time.”
“Not really?”
It seemed Liam didn’t have much of an impact on them, even after being away for a few days.
Feeling an unexplainable satisfaction, I pulled them into my embrace tightly. They also grabbed me in return.
Just being here with my lovely daughters made me happy. And Rohan, who was still so young, too.
I would do anything for my kids.
And now was the time to act. If Haoran’s last words held any truth, that is.
— The Black Sun. The black sun floating in the sky told me, “Pay attention to Clitia Eluke.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to believe Haoran, but if it wasn’t sheer nonsense, it was awfully specific.
Also, it bothered me that he brought up the black sun, which is considered a symbol of misfortune and despair in our Order.
It seemed necessary to review future plans and schedules in various ways.
“Seo-yoon, please contact the Order’s executives.”
“Why?”
“This will be the first of its kind in this world. I want to hold the first ‘Sun Meeting.'”
First, I needed to gather the key figures in our Order in one place. After all, heavy burdens become lighter when shared.
“But aren’t most of the executives here already? Is it necessary to involve me?”
“…I was just trying to sound impressive.”
The Pope had to maintain a certain flair, after all.
*
The next day.
I asked Liam, who returned home last night, to use space movement to take me to the conference room.
The meeting room was located in the Korean branch of the Burning Association.
I chose this place because I planned to use it as the cathedral for our Order in the future.
Although the ownership hasn’t been officially transferred yet, it will soon. I had a multi-talented agent by my side to make this happen.
“Hainha-san, please.”
“Yes…”
Hainha, who was attending as my attendant, responded in a small voice.
She looked pretty exhausted, so I added a few words.
“Everything is for the development of our Order. Please let me know if you encounter any difficulties.”
“The request itself you made…”
“Everyone, let’s get ready.”
I sat at the head of the table in a benevolent tone befitting a pope, cutting off Hainha’s mumbling.
The meeting members gradually found their seats.
There were a total of six participants.
Me, Pope Clitia Eluke.
Ex-hero and honorary member Liam Erams.
Pope Manager Seo-yoon, attendant Hainha.
Guardian Dragon Hekatrith, top Holy Knight Zhang Yao.
Kim Yi-jeong, who is in charge of external affairs, was supposed to attend but heard he couldn’t make it today due to other commitments.
I had heard he was doing great work lately, so it’s a pity I wouldn’t get to see him.
Anyways, since everyone seemed ready, I slowly opened my mouth in a calm atmosphere.
“Then, let’s start the first Sun Meeting.”
I gathered my Sacred Power in hand and lightly scattered it. Countless fragments fluttered like mini flowers through the meeting room for a brief moment.
A light ritual that had to be performed before starting the meeting. It was an offering to the Goddess.
“First, agenda item one.”
As I started, I surveyed the faces of the attendees, trying to speak.
“Excuse me, Pope.”
But before I could continue, Zhang Yao raised her hand and spoke up.
“What is it?”
“Is it not allowed to have snacks during the meeting?”
“……”
Wanting snacks during the sacred Sun Meeting? No wonder she was a down-to-earth Holy Knight…
I felt a brief surge of irritation but soon calmed down as a pope should.
“You may eat.”
“Then I’ll go grab some quickly.”
True to her word, Zhang Yao hurried over to the adjacent room and returned with a pile of snacks.
A bunch of snacks and three bottles of cola. Just as I thought she’d share with everyone, she only placed them in front of her.
“…Are you going to eat all of that by yourself?”
“Well, I could share if you ask.”
‘Could share’ instead of ‘I will share.’ Despite her appearance being quite slim, why did she have such an appetite?
I felt a momentary dizziness from the rookie top Holy Knight’s careless behavior but decided to endure it and continue the meeting.
“Then….”
“I want to present the first agenda item!”
At that moment, Hekatrith, who had been resting their forepaw on the table, suddenly shouted. They flapped their wings energetically.
Although it felt a bit unsettling, I decided to give them the floor.
A decision I would soon regret.
“We should first carry out a policy of beheading those who do not believe in our Goddess… what was her name again? The Sun God? Anyway! That way, more people will come into the Order, right?!”
“……”
Hekatrith’s radical suggestion, even more extreme than the cult of the Burning Association, was quickly silenced when Seo-yoon covered her mouth.
“…Thank you for your opinion.”
Why was the meeting atmosphere so chaotic? I rubbed my temples, trying to ease my frown.
It was then that Liam, who had been quiet, suddenly stood up.
“This is intolerable.”
Liam spoke to me with an incredibly confident expression.
“Honey, I’m going to exercise while listening to the meeting. I’ll quietly practice swinging my sword against the wall, so don’t worry too much!”
“…….”
I stared intently at my detestable colleague and then squeezed my eyes shut, collapsing into my chair.
I slumped back and quietly gave my order.
“Zhang Yao, Hekatrith, Liam, please leave.”
Today’s meeting, it seemed, would end in failure.
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