Chapter: 601
After wrapping up his chat with the Pope, Cardinal Lazaro let out a long sigh and straightened his back.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but it seems you have no plans to return to the Church anytime soon.”
It’s been quite a while since that guy stayed at the sacred ground, but this year, the Pope has been out and about more than ever.
Essentially, the position of Pope is like the symbolic figure of the Lord’s Church.
While the creation of the Saint’s role has slightly diluted that significance, it only serves as a mascot and doesn’t replace the Pope at all.
The Church absolutely needs someone in the Pope’s seat.
Because of this, the Pope of the Lord’s Church—who holds the greatest influence on the continent—must live without even a moment’s rest throughout his tenure.
In fact, there have been several Popes in the past who have died from overwork, so it’s not hard to imagine how overwhelming the workload is.
The current Pope has been working more passionately than any Pope in history up until this year.
While everyone below him is struggling against their physical limits, he’s been tirelessly working away.
After years of this, he has become such an influential figure within the Church that his influence is everywhere, without exception.
Right now, I’m somehow managing to maintain the status quo by keeping in touch with His Holiness regularly, but I know it won’t last long.
The level of capability is completely different. While His Holiness can resolve issues with just a glance, I’m left struggling over the details for minutes on end.
“Too few people—way too few.”
Thanks to months of trimming down, the manpower in the Church has significantly dwindled.
In such a situation, the Saint worked miracles, further spreading the workforce thin.
I have no ill thoughts about her.
Being born with the birthright to be disliked by the Lord yet chosen by Him is admirable, not to mention stepping out to create a better world.
How could I possibly resent someone doing their duties?
Ha! Damn it. If I were just twenty years younger, I wouldn’t complain like this.
“Cardinal Lazaro.”
At the sound of his assistant’s voice, Lazaro raised his head and furrowed his brow at the stack of documents the assistant was holding.
“What’s this?”
“Petitions from those currently awaiting trial. I’ve only brought those from the influential.”
“And still, this much?”
A sigh escaped him involuntarily. That’s just how huge the corruption in the Church has become, stretching over a long time.
How is it that even the dark evil god has crumbled, yet the darkness rooted in the Church seems endless even if you try to uproot it?
“And today, the Saint and her friends have arrived at the sacred ground.”
“Are they the ones who made a name for themselves in the Fairy Forest hunt? I’d like to meet them and have a chat.”
“Shall I convey your intentions?”
“No need. What would an old man like me do to steal their time? I don’t have any time to spare in the first place.”
“Cardinal Cesare has already met them.”
“…Cardinal Cesare?”
What the hell is that old coot up to now?
Why is he messing around with the young folks who are supposed to lead this new era even if he’s stepping onto the execution block himself?
As he contemplated shoving some righteousness down the old man’s throat, Lazaro took a long breath and picked up his pen.
“Any other news?”
“The Art Guild has dealt with the old followers of the darkness. It seems they’ve received new guidance from the new evil…”
*
While wandering the sacred ground with Phoebe, what struck me most wasn’t the beautiful scenery, delicious food, or the unique divine atmosphere, but the current fame that Phoebe held.
“Saint! What brings you here…?”
“If there are no seats, why not sit here…”
“Rather than a nuisance, we ask for your prayers…”
“Saint…!”
“Saint…!”
Seeing people gushing over Phoebe as though she were a legendary figure made me acutely aware that she truly was a saint.
I knew she was popular.
Back when we were at the Academy, people would go all fan-girl when she walked by, unsure of what to do next.
But I was her friend and had seen both her noble side and her clumsiness many times before.
Watching her shine with saintly dignity in front of everyone while next to her I’m just soaking in the awkwardness felt weird.
“I… I’m sorry. I’m taking up too much time because of me.”
Phoebe, back from offering prayers for the believers, apologized, but we didn’t think much of it.
Sure, it was true that she was making us wait, but we were also gaining so much in return.
‘Phoebe must be struggling.’
Being worshipped isn’t always a good thing.
To worship someone means you inherently consider that person different from yourself.
The worshiper and the worshiped can never be close. Even surrounded by so many, Phoebe will end up lonely in the end.
[You’re the one bearing the hardships for her. Cherish her.]
‘You don’t even have to say it. I already cherish her.’
[That’s not enough. You should give her some serious attention.]
[Wow, that’s rare coming from you.]
‘Hey! You two! Stop bickering and go back to fighting!’
Suddenly annoyed with the two who had paused their quarrel just to unite against me, I let out a big sigh and turned my gaze around.
‘And by the way, you know we can’t just do whatever we want here.’
The people in the sacred ground are respecting us only because we are friends of Phoebe.
But, if I were to call her a “pathetic saint” or mock her, wouldn’t I end up being roasted on a stick?
The very thought of a saint’s apostle getting executed in the Holy Land of the Lord is just too much!
Isn’t that overthinking it?
Not entirely, considering that it seems the Lord’s Church doesn’t feel too kindly toward me.
When Phoebe isn’t around, I frequently catch those judgmental glances aimed in my direction.
It’s not the fault of my other friends.
It’s purely about me.
At first, I thought it was because of Lucy and her antics. The brat who kicked a bishop in the face and shattered his noble virtue—perfect conditions for a grudge.
But listening to Joy and Arthur, it seems that the issue runs deeper.
‘It can’t be helped that the believers of the Lord’s Church hate Lucy. It’s just how it is.’
‘You, with your connection to the Saint, bearing the legendary holy knight’s weapon thanks to divine guidance—that’s you. But when it comes down to whether you’re part of the Lord’s Church or not, it’s a tricky question. It’s not like the things you did with the Art Guild were few.’
Knowing my position as an apostle of the Lord, my friends will doubt me no matter what I do, but to those who know nothing, the view is different.
To them, I’m simply seen as trash who’s gotten a lot from the Lord but threw it away to dive into the Art Guild.
With that brat brazenly showing up in the sacred ground, they must feel a real grudge.
Having realized this, I decided to enjoy their hostility.
Let me get this straight; I’m not about to become a masochist or anything. I just found it a bit entertaining thinking about how differently things could be perceived.
Think about it. The saint who’s so precious and cherished by them blushes like a tomato if I offer her a hand, while the Lord they worship is literally waiting for a moment to drag me down.
In a way, it’s like NTR from a different perspective!
“Mesugaki Golden Sun”—what a monstrous hybrid that would be!
Imagining something like, ‘Uwoooo~ the super cute saintess and the super creepy god~’ made it hard not to chuckle despite the hostility.
Thus concluded our joyous tour of the sacred ground. That night, we decided to stay there, using the excuse of having run late, and secretly sneaked out from our accommodation in the dark.
There were many people wandering inside the sacred grounds, but that was no problem for us.
After all, we had someone who could control the powers of darkness!
This power, once wielded by the dark evil god, could not even be perceived by me, an apostle of the Lord, or by Phoebe, the saint!
But would some wannabe priests even recognize us?
Sneaking out at midnight without issue and gracefully invading Phoebe’s space, we headed toward our destination without a hitch.
“Using the powers of darkness to wander around the sacred ground? By just saying that, I’d be labeled an heretic!”
“Shut it! Your Highness! I was concerned about that too!”
“…You two. What would it feel like for a saint to be conducting a secret operation?”
“That would be…”
“Sorry, Phoebe.”
“Why are you worrying about silly things? Who cares about the rules set by these trashy folks? My voice is more valuable anyway!”
Is there really a need to care? As long as the Lord’s apostle is complicit in the offense, there’s no issue, right?
That thought barely formed in my mind, yet the strange expressions on my friends’ faces didn’t waver. I suppose there are things that the head can accept which the heart cannot.
As we leisurely roamed the sacred ground, we finally arrived at our intended location when the moon reached its zenith.
“This is… the Repentance Chamber.”
Feeling the smell of blood emanating from this place built for clergy to confess their sins, I placed my hand on the statue at the end of the room.
No grand objects were needed.
The condition to open the door to the dungeon was simply to “infuse the sacred power of the Lord.”
Almost immediately after channeling the divine energy into the statue, I confirmed the appearance of the door and told my friends to follow before making a dash into the dungeon.
‘…Huh?’
And just as I stepped through the entrance, I instinctively froze in place. A smell that should never be felt underground was wafting in.
“Ugh! Can we drop the powers of darkness now?!”
“Wouldn’t want to do that twice.”
“Right? Too easy and not interesting—Oh? Is that blood I smell?”
“…Lady Alrn. This is…”
The stench of death, enough to make one gag.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
