Chapter: 600
The very next morning after hearing from Phoebe that we could head over, we promptly exited the Alrn Territory.
“Didn’t they say to come by noon? Is it okay to go this early?”
“Frey Kent, have you ever been to a sacred ground?”
“Am I supposed to have?”
“Not really, I was just asking.”
“The reason we’re moving now is due to the uniqueness of the sacred ground. It’s a place that can’t be reached by teleportation magic.”
Arthur frowned at Joy for cutting him off, but he didn’t interrupt the explanation.
“Can’t be reached?”
“I’m not sure why exactly. All I know is that some force within the sacred ground blocks space movement.”
Since Garad’s castle couldn’t install a teleportation circle last time, it’s impossible to reach the sacred ground directly either, which means we need to find a different way.
In the old game, it was basic to handle all possible tasks on your first visit to the sacred ground. Best case? Avoid visiting until the absolute last minute.
“So how do we get there?”
“If magic won’t work, we’ll have to rely on good old physical means.”
Ignoring Joy’s explanation, I stepped onto the teleportation circle and fought back the urge to puke as I stepped outside.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Alrn’s friend.”
Waiting at the door was one of the current Cardinals of the Church, Cardinal Cesare.
I know that guy.
He looks like a frail old grandpa, but really, he’s the head of two factions in the Church.
He’s the top contender to become the next pope when the current one steps down.
Cardinal Cesare.
I kept my mouth shut, determined not to make a scene, and he let out a hearty laugh.
“There’s no need to worry about being rude. I’ve heard countless stories about you. If you’re wielding Lord Ruel’s weapon, I can easily overlook most things!”
Cesare wore a friendly smile, but my instincts screamed that I definitely shouldn’t take him lightly.
“Cardinal Cesare!”
“Lady Saint, it’s been a while. I’m glad to see you looking healthy; this old man is pleased.”
“I didn’t expect to be greeted by the Cardinal.”
“Hahaha, watching Johan bustling about piqued my curiosity. I must be getting close to the end since I can’t hold back my worries!”
After finishing his greetings with Phoebe, he checked out my friends and nodded with a smile.
“My good friends,” he muttered, looking like a kind old grandpa, but we all understood that nobody in this gathering could treat him lightly.
The fierce glint in his eyes—that had flashed for a brief moment—was sharper than any general’s eye that focuses on a battlefield.
[What a creepy old man. Typical church folk.]
Just as I was thinking of hiding behind Phoebe, Garad’s voice echoed in my ear.
[Yeah, he’s definitely the kind you see up top. You can’t get up there without someone like him.]
‘Hey you two, are you reconciled?’
[Nope. They’re still at it. Mental projections are great, huh? As long as you keep at it, you can move for a lifetime.]
[Damn it. He’s frustratingly stubborn.]
Wait, they’ve been at it for almost two days with no end in sight?
How does that even make sense?
Physically, they shouldn’t be out of stamina yet, but in a real combat scenario, there are limits!
[You know what? It’s best to keep your distance from guys like him. They can never be on your side.]
[Not necessarily. This sly fox leans toward good, relatively speaking.]
Amid their conversation, a faint rumbling reached my ears. That wasn’t the sound of metal clashing, though.
It was more like the noise made when a hurricane sweeps across the land. I wonder what a dreadful mess the training grounds will be later tonight.
[If I can just get recognized as an ally, that’d be fine.]
[The problem is getting recognized.]
[True enough.]
With that in mind, I opted to keep my mouth shut and endure the unnerving gazes directed at me.
“He’s a frightening person, alright.”
“It was as painful as when I got glared at in high society.”
“My neck felt all tingly.”
“Well, he’s a pious man for sure. As long as you keep your manners, you should be fine.”
As we clambered onto the carriage, I couldn’t refute the evaluations directed at Cardinal Cesare, so Phoebe awkwardly defended him with a smile.
Sure, he probably is pious. But the problem is that being pious and being good-hearted are two different things.
“Oh, by the way, about the procedures we talked about yesterday—does everyone remember?”
“Procedures? What’s that?”
“Didn’t the saint explain it yesterday?”
“Did she?”
“Ugh. Let me explain again, and for once, remember it.”
Not wanting Joy to snag the explanation again, Arthur immediately took over.
Phoebe had described the procedures as something similar to visa screening.
Possession of potential weapons is prohibited. Spatial storage items are also off-limits. You can’t even take in items with magical functions.
Additionally, one has to throw themselves into a myriad of other restrictions just to enter the sacred ground. It’s all to prevent someone from ruining it.
“So what do we do now?”
“We’ll use Lucy Alrn’s power. That guy seems to possess his own spatial pocket.”
This is where my inventory ability shines.
A unique skill that exists outside this world and is impossible to verify in any way.
No one among the numerous strong people I’ve met has ever pointed out my inventory. It’s evident from that.
“Hand over your pathetic weapons. Are you happy about that? It means I’m tolerating your crappiness.”
So, if it were me, I could bring weapons into the sacred ground. Once inside, it wouldn’t be difficult.
Especially since we have Phoebe with us.
Using Phoebe’s trust, we could make it slip by, and entering the trial grounds would simply be the end of it.
Even if we did get caught, we could say it was resonating with Ruel’s mace and got sucked in, and they’d be hard-pressed to argue that.
After all, Ruel’s mace is a weapon that vanished alongside my grandfather. There wouldn’t be many who know much about that!
“So now we just act normal during the daytime.”
“Are there lots of tasty things?”
“Not sure. I was in a rush the last time I visited. What about you, Saint?”
“There are definitely a few places worth looking forward to.”
“You can trust Phoebe’s word. I was completely satisfied too!”
“If it’s her gluttony we’re talking about, it’s pretty trustworthy.”
“What’s wrong with my love for food?!”
“Did you really need to ask? Gluttonous pig?”
“I’m not a pig!”
As we bantered about trivial things in the carriage, the sacred ground came into view.
The first thing that caught my eye was a towering spire that seemed to touch the sky.
Built in the mythological era, that tower still radiated the blessings of the great god, showing no signs of decay even after so many years.
Well, it’ll probably collapse within half a year or so.
As I pondered whether it was possible to preserve the tower in reality, I realized that given the chaos the pope was stirring up, I had no power to intervene and shook my head.
“Yes, verification complete.”
I placed Garad’s shield into my inventory and reduced Ruel’s mace into a necklace size as we passed the inspection. In the inspection, I caught a glimpse of a nun’s reddening face as she repeatedly heard my news and scurried forward.
“Ah! Lady Alrn! Could you wait just a moment?!”
Wha—what now?! Did they catch me? Did my excuse of a holy artifact gifted by Count Artea not work?!
“We have one last procedure left! Here!”
As I was tensing up inside, the nun suddenly thrust a nun’s habit toward me, and I blinked in confusion.
One last procedure? I’ve probably been to the sacred ground thousands of times in the game, and this event never happened back then!
“You need to wear this!”
…Huh? Is that it?
Well, compared to the torment I underwent from the perverted apostle, this is nothing.
*
“What’s with the nun’s habit all of a sudden, Phoebe?”
Joy complained, unable to look straight at the one forcing her to shed her favorite dress.
“I’ve never heard of any new rules at the sacred ground.”
“W-Well, it’s for heightened security.”
“Lady Saint, you really can’t lie, can you?”
Arthur, fiddling nervously with his priest robe, looked at Phoebe as she avoided his gaze.
“No, it’s not usually this bad. If it’s an honest-to-goodness lie, Phoebe can handle it pretty well.”
“That means this lie shouldn’t even exist, then.”
“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about?!”
“Do we really have to wear this? It’s so uncomfortable to move in.”
As Frey, awkwardly dressed, whined, Phoebe clenched her eyes shut.
“We must’ve gotten swept up in something now, right?”
“Sure sounds like it. There’s only one reason the Saint is being this forceful.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
Sweat trickled down Phoebe’s back as her friends continued their conversation.
“Dumbass, think about it. Why would the Saint succumb to her desires?”
“If she had just been honest, we’d gladly cooperate, you know.”
“Huh?”
“Our Lady has been quite pampered by us. A favor like this would pose no problem.”
“Ugh… Ah, it’s Lucy, right?”
“What? Stupid swordsman.”
With her heart racing like she could listen to it echo through eternity, Phoebe was lost as the soft sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears.
She wished she could open her eyes right there and then!
But could she bear seeing Lady Alrn glowing in all her dignity in this unstable state of mind?
Would she be able to endure facing the results of her own desires!?
“…Kyaa!”
Caught up in her desires and doubts, a sudden touch on her stomach startled Phoebe back to reality, and she opened her eyes wide.
“It’s not a good time for prayer, you know. Didn’t you know that? Pathetic saintess?”
Facing Lucy dressed in her nun’s habit, Phoebe desperately suppressed her rising smile.
If she let her guard down, she’d surely end up grinning like Lina!
That could not happen!
Not here, this is the sacred ground! I absolutely need to uphold my dignity here! I’m the saint, after all!
“Quickly, guide us, pathetic saintess. I’d love to see how hard your underlings worked.”
“…Yes, yes ma’am!!”
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