Meeting the Pope? Sure, that’s cool. From the tone of the letter, it doesn’t seem like he’s blaming me. Even if there’s some hidden agenda behind it, he’ll at least pretend to be a nice old man chuckling away.
The Pope isn’t someone you can just meet anytime, though.
Officially, he was just a representative of the congregation, but in reality, he was the head of the church. So, even a Cardinal couldn’t just waltz in for a chit-chat.
That day, when Cardinal Kwon In-Soo saw me receive the Pope’s letter, his face turned pale.
As long as I had a meeting with the Pope scheduled, he wouldn’t be able to meddle in between.
What a sight … though I couldn’t laugh too hard about it, as I was in a bit of a hot water myself.
It takes six hours by plane just to get from the 21st District to the Central Church. Sure, the 21st District is urbanized and population-heavy, but there’s a reason it takes under two hours to reach the Elven District, which is almost on the fringes of human society and the frontlines.
Considering my status as a Saintess and the fact that the church has its own plane, the procedures shouldn’t take too long, but still, six pure hours of flight time is critical.
Even though there’s not an airport in the middle of nowhere like the Elves have, airports are usually built quite far from the city center. Even if you take the train, it still takes an hour. A two-hour round trip, and with the flight time, that’s a total of fourteen hours.
Even if I finished meeting the Pope in thirty minutes upon arriving at the Central Church, I’d like to avoid a grueling fourteen-hour expedition.
Oh, and with a distance that takes six hours by plane, the time zone changes too.
…No wonder I hardly remember my last trip to the Central Church; I was completely exhausted, mentally and physically.
“There are accommodations for outsiders at the Central Church. With your status as a Saintess, the procedures shouldn’t take as long as they did last time,” the Mother Superior said, meticulously checking my outfit before departure.
“There’s no need to rush back; it would be better to take your time and rest. I’ve contacted the Academy in advance, so missing a day shouldn’t be an issue.”
Hmm, thinking about it, I’d be staying there as a Saintess, not just a Nun. Perhaps I can relax a bit more than I do here, living my life as an ordinary Nun.
Ah, either way, I’m a guest called by the Pope.
…It’s not like I sent out the request expecting such special treatment, though.
*
Upon arriving at the airport by car, I spotted the Knights that seemed like a never-ending chain from a word game.
It seems this was the official escorting knight squad assigned to me.
In a way, it felt a bit odd to have the Inquisition’s knights following a Saintess. It’s not like they were fanatical zealots going on witch hunts.
…I mean, back then, it was pretty much like that, though, so.
“This time, I’ll be accompanying you, Saintess. Please take care of us,” said Mr. Paul, slightly bowing his head. His graying hair was just as usual. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to have grown any whiter. I heard he had quite the ordeal after I half-destroyed the Elven Village, and he had been stationed there to help with the reconstruction.
“Thanks to that, I actually got to rest rather easily. I prefer physical work over handling paperwork,” he replied when I asked about it.
“That’s true. The folks here would worry about their weight instead of reading,” Grace chimed in. Last time I met her, she was in casual athletic wear with her white t-shirt zipped only up to her chest, but now she was fully decked out in armor. She looked very dignified. I remember thinking she was quite tall for a woman. She was almost as tall as Mr. Paul, the commander.
The armor made her shoulders look broad, giving her an intimidating presence compared to most male knights. But the playful expression she wore was just the same as before, making it not uncomfortable at all.
“I was actually worried about muscle loss from only eating vegetables, but they provided protein-rich food from outside. Personally, I found that quite lucky!”
One of the knights added, and I couldn’t help but pull a slightly sour face.
I hadn’t been running around much in my daily life, let alone doing exercise.
“Oh, and there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to, Saintess…”
As Commander Paul said that, he shifted slightly to the side.
There stood a visibly tense young clergyman.
With neatly cut light brown hair and clutching a hefty Bible to his chest, the bespectacled beauty was dressed in a gray priest robe. She looked so frail she seemed weaker than me.
She hardly seemed fit for the knight squad; could it be there’s a different kind of officer affiliated with the church’s knights?
“I-I-I’m Deacon Christine! It’s an honor to meet you, Saintess!”
Christine, who looked several years older than me—even if we accounted for age from the other world—said, clasping her hands together, only to let go and drop the Bible she was holding against her chest.
The Bible hit her foot hard. Thud.
“Eek!”
Watching her bounce back made it seem even less like she belonged to the knight squad. Now that I think about it, there was no reason for a Deacon to be attached to the knights. Perhaps she was an office staff member who did the paperwork the knight squad despised?
“…This is the person who delivered your request for an audience with the Pope to the Holy See,” Commander Paul mentioned.
Ah.
Looking down at her, teary-eyed and bending over to rub her foot, I thought, …Hmm, I really didn’t get any spy or monitor vibes from her. If she were truly a spy, she would have no reason to show herself like this.
No, no, no, more importantly—
Sitting down in that outfit would definitely expose her underwear…!
The female priest robe shares a basic design with the nun outfit and the saint’s robe.
That means the bottom is essentially a mini-skirt! No matter how dedicated you are to becoming a priest, having such a casual view of sexuality at this age is a bit much, isn’t it?
Look at that! The male knights are all avoiding eye contact and clearing their throats over there!
“……”
Maybe she sensed my complicated gaze, as she suddenly jumped up in shock. Seeing that, I was startled and instinctively took two steps back.
“…Ugh.”
From the side, Grace quietly picked up the fallen Bible, dusted it off, and handed it back to Christine.
“I’m sorry. You were just acting like someone who could assess the situation appropriately a moment ago…”
“Ah…”
So, it seemed she was either too excited about meeting the Saintess or too nervous.
At this rate, it’s meaningless to pry.
If this were an act, she’d say it was because she ‘respected the Saintess,’ and even if it wasn’t, her reasoning would be similar.
What could I say to calm her down? After some consideration, I ultimately decided to simply greet her politely. It’s human nature to ignore embarrassing moments. If you act as if you didn’t see it, it usually avoids fostering bad feelings.
“I’m Clara Anderson. This journey might be long or short, but I hope it goes well.”
I said, thinking perhaps we would be traveling together for the next six hours and at least fourteen hours on the way back.
“Ah, ahh, yes! I look forward to working with you!”
The Deacon replied, shaking my hand again.
This time, the Bible did not drop, as Commander Paul caught it mid-air before Christine could trip over it.
…This trip doesn’t seem like it will go smoothly.
…Thinking about it, I’ve never had a smooth trip since coming here.
*
It seems we were on the same type of airplane I had taken last time, or maybe one that was similar in shape. I really have no expertise in this area, but the internal layout seemed quite similar to what I remembered, so I guess it was correct.
Since it was a six-hour distance, I expected an early morning departure, but since the Pope isn’t available for an early arrival, we ended up boarding the plane well past 9 in the morning.
By the time we got off the plane and headed to the Central Church, it would be almost 4 PM. Well, even if they say to come anytime, it’s not as simple as that. It’s like telling your working friends to call you whenever, but if they actually do, you can never make it.
I knew all too well how hard it is to find time during working hours, having experienced it myself.
Well… No matter how you slice it, I still have to be on this plane for another six hours. If it had been the night or early morning, I might have caught some sleep, but I woke up at my normal time and now aboard the plane, so I wasn’t particularly sleepy at all.
Hmm.
I quietly glanced at the Deacon sitting in front of me, who seemed to be squirming uncomfortably.
So far, the oldest clergyman I had seen was Father Nguyen. He appeared to be well past a forties’ age, his face etched deeply with wrinkles, but his hair hadn’t completely turned white, so he didn’t appear like an old man.
He looked similar in age to Mr. Paul, who was seated in another cabin, but Mr. Paul was healthier throughout his life, resulting in fewer and shallower wrinkles than Father Nguyen. Probably, in terms of rank, both priests and the squad leader would be in similar positions.
The issue was the other priests—or others in similar roles—I had encountered were all incredibly young. Andrea looked to be in her early twenties, and Miracle Investigator Matthew Turner was probably around the same age. The church’s lawyer, Remir, didn’t seem to have much of an age gap compared to Ramihi.
In that sense, I was somewhat intrigued by the Deacon sitting in front of me.
A young individual still on their path to becoming a priest. While young, their outward appearance seemed to suggest they were older than Andrea. Of course, depending on behavior, you could believe Andrea was in her thirties.
It wasn’t due to poor skin or anything like that. How should I put it? The overall vibe was just… weird to put into words.
Perhaps if she wasn’t wearing glasses, she might appear a bit younger. Each time those green eyes behind the lenses glanced at me, it was somewhat unsettling.
“Um, Deacon Christine?”
“P-please just call me Christine…”
“…Christine?”
When I called her name, her face flushed red.
…Was she perhaps expecting to be called by name on purpose?
Nah, that can’t be it.
I shook my head, clearing those strange thoughts away.
“I have something I’d like to ask.”
“P-please.”
She didn’t need to tremble so much with each word.
But it was understandable; honestly, I wouldn’t have confidence speaking in front of the Pope either. I could think it’s nothing, but to her, I’d probably seem like a power figure who could easily change her future.
Besides, in this place, only Linnea and Aurora—my utmost confidantes—were present. Although Aurora had been staring outside since the flight took off, Linnea, with her training in the Inquisition, was attentively watching the conversation between me and the Deacon.
Even so, the Deacon appeared way too anxious to notice any of that… Anyway.
I suppressed a sigh of exasperation and finally asked her.
“You said you sent my request for an audience to the Holy See without Cardinal’s permission, right?”
“Y-yes… I’m very sorry.”
No, I didn’t mean to make her apologize.
Maybe it sounded like I was scolding her? I paused for a moment to ponder.
It could indeed sound that way.
Whatever the reason, skipping protocol falls under missteps in any organization. Let alone in a context without an official hotline, having a mid-level manager circumvent protocol entirely just to push an issue upward could lead to serious retribution.
Having thought of this, I spoke to the now-quaking Deacon in as calm a voice as possible.
“I’m not pointing out a fault. I simply want to understand why you did that.”
“That’s… um…”
Catching my slight smile, Christine seemed to glance at me with her green eyes before quickly looking down and responding.
“I thought the Cardinal wouldn’t send your request to the Holy See…”
How would she know? He did seem quite adamant about it when he came to see me.
“But I believed that such requests being ignored without just cause would not be something the Goddess would wish.”
After a brief pause, the Deacon continued.
“There are many heard stories about how the Cardinal feels regarding you, Saintess.”
Upon hearing that, I nearly groaned, clutching my head.
Could it be that this was a religious aspiration…?
[How commendable.]
It is commendable!
The Goddess even acknowledged it! She ratified it!
So it wasn’t just due to political motivations but rather religious fervor!
What’s more, I was just about to wallow in self-pity and drag someone else into it.
She probably hasn’t even considered that I sent that request to secretly lure the Cardinal. The one who was deceived was me, and it turns out she’s an incredibly earnest and devout individual.
“So…?”
“U-um, I rewrote your letter onto another paper and sent it to the Cardinal, while your original request went to the Holy See… I’m sorry!”
……
So that’s how it went, huh.
“Um, no, there’s nothing to apologize for… you simply acted on your beliefs…”
Well, the Cardinal was in the wrong here, not Christine.
But more importantly, with a subordinate thinking and acting like that, how rotten must Kwon In-Soo be?
I privately ground my teeth and vowed to clear every speck of dust about him.
“Then what’s the reason for heading to the Holy See…?”
“Um, I’m not exactly sure. I think the Cardinal wouldn’t just sit around… maybe it’s regarding some disciplinary action?”
Yet, her voice lacked confidence.
Even if the outcome of those actions were, at worst, an excommunication, the Pope wouldn’t personally summon someone to do that. He would seriously contemplate how serious the matter is doctrine-wise before personally signing off on the excommunication document, which then the local Cardinal would execute.
The Inquisition would handle the inquiries regarding the excommunication, and with any Holy Power, most would be able to avoid that fate. Whether or not she could become a priest after that would be another story.
“I doubt it’s disciplinary… I don’t think your mistake is anything terribly significant.”
To outright say she’d done no wrong felt a bit much. There had definitely been a violation of protocols.
However, if that breach of protocol stemmed from following her conscience, then it changes the narrative entirely. If even the Goddess affirmed that conscience, then it further complicates things. Even sins that can be washed away with confession wouldn’t count if the Goddess acknowledged them.
… Telling her that might send her into shock, so I’d rather not share.
In any case, protecting a whistleblower is appropriate.
Otherwise, there might not be another person willing to expose a group’s faults due to their conscience.
After all, she was a Deacon working under Cardinal Kwon In-Soo. If she knew about any malfeasance he committed, she could potentially be of help to me.
“…Thank you.”
Telling her this directly seemed to help calm her trembling heart, as Christine’s once restless eyes now appeared slightly relieved.
Well, although I didn’t tell her about the Goddess’s endorsement, it’s a statement coming from a Saintess who can receive revelations directly.
It would seem that the revelation I claimed was rightfully mine.
I should save that revelation for when I find myself tongue-tied in the Central Church.
[… .]
I felt someone gazing down at me from above, but I desperately tried to ignore it.
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