“Here it is.”
I showed Kelaout the neatly organized educational plan.
Since I put a lot of effort into it, there shouldn’t be any parts that can be criticized.
However, there might still be typos that I missed checking, so I couldn’t rest easy just yet.
‘…I did run a spell checker, so it should be fine?’
Why do I feel so nervous when I’m the one in charge?
It’s all because Kelaout is too competent and older than me.
If he were younger or didn’t excel at his job, I would have felt more at ease.
Kelaout is the oldest priest in the Order, with a work ethic so admirable that even I, the Pope, can’t help but feel tense around him.
Of course, that wasn’t the only issue.
“Your Holiness, this is an excellent plan.”
With that, the Archbishop opened his mouth with compliments. It was a signal that the nagging would soon commence.
“But…”
As I predicted, Kelaout narrowed his left eye and began pointing out the flaws in the plan.
“Even if it’s not an official event of the Order, the tone you’ve written is too light. It’s okay not to include a prayer for the Goddess or quotes from scriptures, but you should have at least written an introduction explaining why this plan was created. Also, you were too vague about the issues of the people listed in the training schedule. Such a short and simplistic phrase could even be considered rude when sending a letter to a friend. Please don’t forget, Your Holiness, that you are the face of the Order.”
I nearly let my eyelids droop but barely held it back.
Is this the patience of a transcendent on the brink of demigod status? Just as I was feeling proud, Kelaout spoke again.
“By the way, what is ‘Tribe Viewer’ at the end?”
“Oh, I was thinking of broadcasting the Archbishop’s classes nationwide through the internet streaming service you experienced last time. Would that be alright with you?”
I asked just to be polite, but I already knew what the answer would be.
“Of course, there’s no problem.”
Kelaout replied immediately, stroking his beard.
“If we leverage the power of that internet broadcasting, more people will be able to attend my classes.”
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you for this opportunity. It seems I can contribute, even if just a little, to the constructive advancement of the world.”
I knew he would be pleased.
Our Archbishop shares the same dream and goal as the Goddess.
A world where everyone lives comfortably.
A peaceful world where no one struggles to survive and where no one sees a bleak future as something to be accepted.
The harsh admonishments he gives to me and the other members are not unrelated to this.
It’s his intent to correct the discipline of our Order to have a beneficial influence on the people of the world.
While the dream itself is truly commendable…
The process of achieving it exhausts those around him far too much.
Yet, I couldn’t dissuade him. It was just too idealistic, and the Sun shares the exact same dream.
Given the circumstances, I had already discarded any thoughts of opposing Kelaout.
Instead, I resolved to actively help in any way I could.
This was why I was pushing for Kelaout’s classes.
‘I can’t be the only one suffering.’
After all, pain is lessened when shared.
“Archbishop, the class is tomorrow, so please prepare how to teach in advance.”
“Understood. It seems I’ll be busy today.”
“Since it’s for the people, you must persevere, even if it’s hard.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
As our conversation continued with slightly different feelings between us, suddenly…
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: Pope! Look at this!
A telepathic message suddenly appeared before my eyes.
However, the design was subtly different from usual, with unfamiliar writing at the top.
[Hekateth Talk]
‘…What?’
It seemed someone had fiddled with magic last night.
Soon, Young Dragon sent another message.
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: Everyone, pay attention! Since the Archbishop noticed, we improved the visual telepathy magic. We referred to the messenger “K톡” from your world to enhance its design and added a function!
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: (Hekatrith smiling)
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: How about it? Now you can send small images like this!!
Is this some kind of emoticon?
For Hekatrith, the concept of a messenger must still be unfamiliar, but given her transcendent talent and intelligence, she seemed to have learned it in no time.
While I admired Young Dragon’s magical talent, the explanation continued.
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: By the way, this is a chat room without the Archbishop.
→[Magical Genius Guardian Dragon]: I created two chat rooms!
This was news that would be welcomed by everyone.
→[Highest Holy Knight]: Wow! I have to acknowledge you this time.
→[Manager]: Honestly, it was tough because you talked too much.
←[Pope]: Excellent.
←[Pope]: (Eluke giving a thumbs up)
I wanted to avoid using the group chat with Kelaout, separate from helping to achieve our dreams. It’s just too strict.
As I enjoyed the telepathy, I kept my gaze wary of the void.
If the sharp-eyed Archbishop grew suspicious, he’d uncover the new chat room too.
“Your Holiness. I’ll be taking my leave now.”
Fortunately, my desperate acting seemed to have paid off, as Kelaout noticed nothing and soon exited the Pope’s Chamber.
Apparently, he planned to spend the entire day organizing the lesson content.
I could leisurely look forward to how he would teach the troublemakers since it wasn’t my responsibility.
With the stern Archbishop not guarding my side, I dashed to the sofa and flopped down.
-Grumble?
The White Tiger, sitting in a corner, approached me and tilted its head, as if asking why I was resting when it was still work hours.
“White Tiger, being free when working actually hinders focus and lowers efficiency.”
-Grrr.
The White Tiger gazed at me, then leapt into my lap.
Then, it gently tapped my hand, as if demanding to be petted immediately.
It looked like a cat but acted almost like a puppy.
“Alright then.”
As I petted the White Tiger as requested, I picked up my smartphone with the other hand.
There was someone I needed to contact soon.
[Eluke: Agent Hainha, how have you been?]
[Eluke: The reason I’m messaging is that there’s a Returnee who doesn’t fit with our Order and has no intention to join us.]
I sent the “K톡” message and while sipping on soda, I soon received a reply.
[Hainha: Which person are you referring to?]
[Eluke: It’s Cubica.]
[Hainha: Ah.]
That single “Ah” carried a multitude of sentiments.
I smirked and handed Cubica over to the government.
[Eluke: Right now, while her mind is filled with lewd thoughts, we can’t predict what may happen in the future. Cubica Coin will surely rise spectacularly someday. So, it’d be better to let the government take care of her. I’ll give up on recruiting Cubica for the infinite progress of our country.]
Sending the message politely, there was a bit of a wait before I received a response.
[Hainha: (An emoticon of a floppy puppy)]
It was an emoticon that made it easy to guess what was on their mind.
*
“Yes, understood. I will proceed as such.”
After finishing a call with her superior, Hainha briefly laid her head on the desk.
Lately, her excessive workload often kept her up all night, leaving her feeling heavy all over. Just like that, sleep began to creep in.
Should I just fall asleep like this?
Seriously contemplating this, Hainha stood up and downed an energy drink while getting lost in thought.
‘Now I need to meet in person for a detailed discussion.’
Not long ago, Hainha learned that there were other Koreans who returned from another world before the Pope.
Six Returnees were coerced into submission by the Great Demon.
Among them, one had no intention of joining the Pope’s Order.
Cubica Psycheless, who had lived in the world of the 19+ male-oriented game “Aigis” and then returned.
Since she had died and been reincarnated, her prior identity was that of a Returnee who had already vanished.
However, Cubica cherished her former family and friends greatly.
Moreover, she was also very invested in their livelihoods and had consistently asked for updates on how they were doing.
While her intentions were pure and without flaws, the problem was that her preferences were a little too… lewd. I spent several hours seriously contemplating what kind of expression to use to explain that in a report.
‘…But I should recruit her, right?’
She’s very different from the Eluke Pope, but I still have to try to hold onto her.
Currently, South Korea is one of the very few countries without any Returnees affiliated with the government.
Even some impoverished countries in Africa or the Arab world are treating a few Returnees with utmost respect, employing them as soldiers or agents, but South Korea has none.
All because of that Great Demon.
‘I can’t let this opportunity slip away.’
Hainha was determined to make Cubica a government-affiliated Returnee by any means necessary.
She had thoroughly prepared everything, from the benefits that should be granted to her, policies modeled after other countries, and a list of special privileges and support funds the government could provide.
Everything had been perfectly arranged after careful meetings to fill in the blanks from Eluke’s time.
Now, all she had to do was meet Cubica and woo her.
However, one issue had to be resolved first.
‘Everything has to go well.’
Hainha, battling sleepiness, held her smartphone with eyes forcing themselves to stay open.
On the screen was the “K톡” chat she had exchanged earlier with Eluke.
[Pope: Cubica is currently under the influence of a Succubus. The hypnosis can be broken immediately, but first, we plan to go take care of the Succubus. For safety’s sake.]
Ah, a demon, Succubus.
Since they often appear in games and comics, Hainha could roughly understand the situation.
Unlike when she first met Cubica, now she felt a surge of sympathy.
A Returnee who is being forced to act lewdly by a Succubus. That was a story that could easily be overlooked by superiors.
‘I have to go see her tomorrow.’
Right on cue, Eluke invited her to the Sun Cathedral for tomorrow.
[Pope: Please come visit tomorrow to meet Cubica.]
[Hainha: Understood.]
[Pope: Would you like to attend the Archbishop’s class while you’re there? It will surely be beneficial.]
[Hainha: Yes, I will. I’m looking forward to it.]
As she skimmed through the messages in the chat room, Hainha suddenly narrowed her eyes.
[Pope: (An emoticon of a lesser panda rolling on the ground and laughing heartily)]
‘…Why is he sending such an exaggerated laughing emoticon?’
For some reason, that emoticon made her feel uneasy.
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