Chapter: 606
The Pope, waking from a short nap, turned his gaze to Lasha after seeing the corpses of several people lined up around him.
“Did you take care of everything already? They were once called the elite of the Church.”
“Even these guys? C’mon, that’s some nonsense. They’d lose to a little brat like Allen.”
“Show some respect when mentioning that person. There are lines that even you cannot cross.”
Thinking he was joking, Lasha was taken aback by the Pope’s expressionless face and opened her hands wide.
“Why?! You just laughed it off last time!”
“Back then, I hadn’t made a judgment about the Apostle of Jushin yet.”
“So now you have a judgment?”
“Hah. Hahaha! Yeah! I’ve made a judgment! That person is someone chosen by Lord Jushin without a doubt!”
Recalling the scene from moments ago, the Pope found his lips moving of their own accord.
It had nothing to do with the beautiful appearance that would attract the Goddess of Beauty and Art.
He didn’t care about the impolite words that would incur the wrath of various Evil Gods.
The Pope was solely looking at the opponent’s inner self, trying to confirm if that person was worthy in the eyes of the Lord.
And the conclusion he reached this time was utterly satisfying.
Lucy Allen was not lacking to be chosen as the Apostle of God.
He was a hero and a warrior that the Lord could place his last hope in.
“I should have known from the moment I reached out to help the Saintess become a true Saintess! Ah! I resent the ungodly self! I want to tear apart my doubting heart about the will of the great Lord Jushin!”
If only he had that thought, he wouldn’t have to endure the heartbreak and insult the doll of Lady Ruel!
He might have prepared for his great undertaking without incurring the Lord’s hatred!
The foolish and lowly self was too much to bear. It felt like tears of blood were flowing from the resentment.
“What on earth do you find so appealing?”
“Everything.”
The Holy Knight Ruel and Knight Garad showing respect.
Displaying condolences to the fallen apostates even if he was a bit reluctant.
Being able to boldly curse at an opponent he had once found uneasy.
The arrogance to only embrace what he desired.
But above all, the nobleness of embracing even the opponent’s sins.
“Hah. This is something. At my age, I never thought I’d be interested in someone other than the great Lord. I truly can’t predict the ways of the world.”
“Old man. You know you sound a bit crazy right now, right?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve always been crazy.”
Originally, he had planned to pressure the heretics he had left alone at the edge of the continent, but it seems he needed to tweak the schedule a bit. He needed to make a stop in the city.
“Lasha, do you know about the place where they sell artworks made by the Arts Church?”
“…You’re not thinking of buying that, are you?”
“It’s a kind of holy relic, isn’t it?”
“I don’t care about that sort of thing.”
“Well, that’s true. You’re someone distinctly far from femininity.”
Lasha gave a displeased look at the blunt remark, but the Pope paid no mind to her expression.
Now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to use the Church’s information network?
If he hooked on to Cardinal Johan, it wouldn’t be too hard to get what he wanted.
It was unfortunate that he couldn’t act officially.
A few months ago, he would have dealt directly with the Apostle of the Arts Church using his position as Pope.
“But hey, if things go as planned, do you think the little… Apostle of Jushin will just sit idly by?”
“No way! That person will definitely try to stop me. What I am planning is something Lord Jushin would never desire.”
“Is that really okay?”
“What a foolish question! From the moment I resolved to let the great Lord set foot on this land once more, I prepared myself to wander hell forever! Do you think I would hesitate to go against His will?”
“Not that, but what if you get interrupted and fail?”
“That could happen. An Apostle who gets help from the great Lord. It’s not strange for someone like me to be crushed easily!”
The Pope nodded readily as Lasha looked shocked.
“But that’s a happy thing in its own way. It shows that the great Lord Jushin can reclaim former glory even without me.”
A man who has risen to the position of Pope making the best use of his power and ability to carry out plans he has built over decades—if a little brat who was appointed as the Apostle could stop him, he’d gladly laugh and head to hell.
It means that the great Lord possesses supreme authority and wisdom that someone like him could never reach.
“Thinking it through, I believe the failure of the plan might actually be more joyful.”
“Then do you want to give up on the plan now?”
“I can’t do that. Even if it’s not by my will, I’ve been assigned the role of a trial. It’s a believer’s duty to give their best in times like this.”
The Pope, who was somehow feeling good and humming a tune, wished for the seeds sown in the kingdom to bloom quickly.
All preparations were complete. Now, he only had to wait for the dominoes to fall while handling petty tasks.
“Let’s move. I feel full of energy today.”
“After all this hardship, if it ends up being dull at the end, I’ll be mad.”
*
“Hrng!”
The shock of the divine flowing in drew me from my mental world into reality, and I flinched at the five pairs of eyes directed at me… five pairs?
“You woke up early this time, Lucy!”
“Didn’t the Saintess say she was fine?”
“She did, but no one was more anxious than Phoebe herself!”
“That’s right. The Saintess was constantly restless.”
“I can’t rule out the possibility that I made a mistake.”
As I passed the voices of my friends talking through their relief, I spotted the familiar face from my mental world.
This appearance must be when Grandpa was called a hero. The intense gaze was burdensome, and while I was lost in thought, the doll suddenly bowed its head to the ground.
“I apologize! Oh Apostle of Jushin! I have disturbed the noble purpose you hold!”
…Huh? Me?
“If it weren’t for you, how many more sins would I have committed!”
The doll, bowing with such force it seemed ready to collapse, overflowed with momentum.
What on earth is happening? I couldn’t catch up with the situation; when I turned my gaze back to my friends, Phoebe cleared her throat.
“After you collapsed, it didn’t take long for the divine that resided in you to return to this person. After that, the recovered doll immediately wanted to apologize to us.”
“It’s true! I’ve committed a sin that would be an insult to not only Lord Erginius but also to the original, Lord Ruel! How can I not express my gratitude to those who prevented me!”
The doll bowed again, but its gaze towards Joy wasn’t kind.
Is it because Joy uses the Power of Darkness?
I understand having bad memories, but that’s separate. It just doesn’t sit right with me.
Suddenly rising to my feet, I stepped on the doll’s head.
“Is the way a doll apologizes different from a human?”
“…Apostle?”
“Is it an apology if you act displeased even after being saved? That’s amusing.”
“That is…”
“But do you know? Our idiot was the disciple of that sympathy loser who made you. You just insulted both the old man and that sympathy loser. Wow~ What a great Holy Knight who insults even the creator~ Who’s next? Me? Are you coming for me?”
As I continued to squish the doll’s head, it started to panic and spit out apologies before finally retreating.
With its face all messed up from being stomped on, the doll apologized while Joy waved her hands in confusion.
“She’s much kinder than she looks.”
While everyone’s eyes fell on Joy and the doll, I quickly checked on my condition.
With Grandpa’s divine energy embracing me, it seemed I had recovered somewhat.
I wasn’t at my best yet, but I had succeeded in escaping ‘sickly Lucy.’
At this rate, I would be back to normal in a few days.
Things had gotten tangled, but I was glad to have achieved the results I had hoped for when I suddenly remembered the dungeon’s clear reward and grabbed the doll by the neck.
“Bad doll. Don’t you have something to give us?”
“Are you talking about rewards? I was just about to give it to you once you woke up!”
What the doll pulled out from its inner pocket was a necklace that Grandpa had once directly blessed to the sloppy god.
The effect of that necklace is quite simple. It increases the amount of divine energy, boosts recovery, and provides beneficial effects when using abilities related to the divine.
The issue is that it has been weathered over a long time.
Even wearing it now would only yield weak effects, and restoring its original performance would require all kinds of hardships. It’s an item one only comes looking for when aiming for high points, disregarding efficiency.
For me now, it holds no more meaning than an accessory, but its symbolic significance is undeniable.
A necklace containing the Lord’s blessing that was once used by the Holy Knight Ruel. Don’t you think the clergy would go crazy over it? Count Arteia, who’s mad about holy relics, would likely foaming at the mouth to get this!
“Sloppy Saintess.”
“Yes?”
“Here. Take it.”
In other words, it’s best for Phoebe to wear it. She can utilize the significance it holds better than anyone.
“Me…? Wouldn’t it be worn by you, Lady?”
“Do you want me to wear a necklace that smells like Grandpa?”
“But Lady, you and Lord Ruel…”
“Ah, so you’re saying you don’t want this? How cheeky for a sloppy saintess.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“Oh, is that so? Do you want it?”
“Yes! More than anything!”
“Then ask for it.”
Phoebe’s eyes trembled at the word, and she took a deep breath, trying to bow her head like the doll just did.
“Oh Apostle of Jushin, please bestow your blessing upon this little lamb.”
“Huh?! Am I that sloppy? How can I be so mercenary! It can’t be helped!”
Not anticipating this kind of situation, I tried hard to ignore the judgmental looks around me and was about to hand the necklace to Phoebe, but she shut her eyes tight and pulled back.
…You want me to put it on directly for you?
It was perplexing, but I couldn’t refuse her wish.
I had just told Phoebe to beg for it, and if I step back now, I’d be seen as garbage!
And putting on a necklace is so easy! I can do that anytime!
Confidently, I walked over to Phoebe, but soon found myself in trouble.
Whew, the divine pocket is too big! It’s a design where I can’t help but touch it!
No, calm down. I can’t become the same kind of idiot as the sloppy god! I must prove what the Pope said is right!
While constantly focusing on not being associated with the sloppy god, I successfully managed to put the necklace on her in a perfectly respectable way.
Finally, Phoebe opened her eyes, fiddled with the necklace, and smiled like a child.
“Thank you very much, Lady.”
Hah. Sure. If you’re happy, then that’s great.
“Lucy Allen. I’m sorry to interrupt in such a situation, but may I ask one thing?”
“What is it? You want to put it back on again, Useless Prince? Hehe, that’s a little fishy. Typical teenage brat…”
“Not that! Isn’t that necklace Lord Ruel’s? So the other side will know that the Saintess interfered in the dungeon?”
That is indeed a problem. The symbolic nature of the necklace can be annoying in such circumstances.
Three people were involved in the dungeon matter, but the only one most worth paying attention to is Cardinal Cesare.
The Pope would rather praise Phoebe, and the hunting dogs who were with him wouldn’t move unless it was by his command.
[About that part, I have a thought.]
‘What is it?’
[Let’s make good use of that doll. I don’t want to admit it, but after all, it is a doll made based on me.]
As I listened to Grandpa’s plan, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.
If it goes as planned, it might indeed turn out to be quite enjoyable.
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