“This way.”
Inha politely bowed and pointed inward with his arm. The Pope, Eluke, slowly entered after standing still for a moment.
With a relaxed gaze, a faint smile, and a straightened back, she walked with an elegant bearing.
There was an undeniable gracefulness even without being conscious of Inha’s gaze. Just standing there, it was enough to make one’s mouth drop open.
‘She’s definitely not just any Pope.’
It was easy to forget this due to her down-to-earth demeanor usually shown on broadcasts, but Eluke was refined like no other.
Even in uncomfortable situations, she spoke politely, her demeanor always that of a dignified clergyman. She was a person of character that even non-believers should aspire to emulate.
However, she would sometimes display bewildering and nonsensical behaviors. This was one of those times.
“Perfect.”
As Eluke looked around the room, she nodded in satisfaction. Then, she gently grasped at the air and extended a clenched fist toward Inha.
“Thank you. I’ll pay you back with this.”
“…….”
What could it mean? It was surely another one of her unfunny jokes. He knew that, but he couldn’t grasp the context of the humor at all.
‘A fist… Does that mean she’ll be a strong support going forward?’
It was a plausible deduction, but it felt wrong for some reason. Eluke’s humor was always complicated. It couldn’t be that easy.
After a brief moment of racking his brain, he found no other meaning.
Cornered, Inha decided to go with the safest and most stable option.
“Thank you.”
He offered a light smile as a response. In a situation where something was received, this was the most reasonable call.
“……”
But perhaps Eluke was not satisfied with Inha’s reaction. She cast him a long, silent glance.
Soon after, looking bewildered, she spoke.
“Did you not understand? It was a highbrow joke about capturing the sunlight, the goddess’s grace, with my hand and presenting it as a gift.”
“…….”
It was neither highbrow nor anything else, just utterly perplexing.
“Oh, the humor point was pretending to capture the sunlight, which you can’t actually hold, and gift it.”
She even elaborated, making the situation more tragic.
Yet, the person in question was genuinely believing it to be funny and smiled, which only amplified his embarrassment.
“How about it? Doesn’t it make you chuckle now that you know what it means?”
Inha calmly answered without revealing his true feelings.
“National Intelligence agents shouldn’t laugh.”
“Is that so? That’s a first for me.”
“Do you think the rules for National Intelligence agents will be out there for the public?”
“Ah, I see. I’ll keep that in mind moving forward.”
As Eluke seemed to understand, Inha felt inwardly relieved.
‘I guess I’ll have to keep making excuses like this from now on.’
He had found a means to counter the Pope’s bewildering jokes. An unexpected achievement.
Inha, holding back his relief, spoke again.
“Is there something you dislike?”
At his words, Eluke glanced around for a moment. Inha followed suit and slowly shifted his gaze.
A neatly arranged office desk and chair. Potted plants filling in the empty spots along the way. A productive space with everything from a meeting room to a break room and an office.
This was to be the headquarters of the Nuset Order.
“Since the interior isn’t completed yet, please let me know if there’s anything you want to change.”
This office was part of the Returnee support plan.
To be precise, Eluke had requested a large religious facility for the order, but compromised on this office due to pushback from the established religion.
It could have been a matter that brought discomfort to Eluke as a Pope. However, she accepted it without complaint.
In fact, she even rejected proposals for a larger venue, content with just the small office.
It seemed the reason was to avoid drawing adverse public attention if the office was too grand or luxurious. It was an understandably valid concern.
“There are some disappointing aspects, but overall it’s not bad.”
A bright smile appeared on Eluke’s face as she quickly surveyed the office. She seemed satisfied.
She proceeded to walk around, paying keen attention, observing with meticulous detail instead of just a casual glance.
“This desk is sticking out a bit.”
Not even the smallest detail escaped her notice. In other words, she could be a bit picky.
“I would prefer this plant replaced with a different one.”
“Why’s that?”
“The color is too white. I’d like one that has a hint of pink rather than pure white.”
“…Yes.”
Inha wrote down Eluke’s comments diligently while thinking.
‘She’s quite particular.’
She was so different from her usual self. There was a solemn atmosphere that gave her an air of dignity—a stark contrast to the strange humor she had just displayed.
A fastidious approach to work and incomprehensible jokes, Eluke was a supervisor who would be hard to serve.
‘…This is gonna be tough.’
Inha let out a short chuckle. From now on, he had decided to serve Eluke as her aide.
Of course, it wasn’t something he could do without permission; orders had come down from above. He was to become the Pope’s closest aide and watch over her every move.
In essence, it was a position that came with surveillance.
‘Surveillance, huh…’
While the higher-ups expected him to play a sort of spy, it wouldn’t be easy.
How could he gather intel on a Pope who receives direct attention and affection from the goddess? Trying to steal information would likely bring divine retribution.
“I’ll wrap it up for today.”
At that moment, Eluke finished her review. She had pointed out twenty-two shortcomings.
It seemed she was preparing to leave. Just as she was about to call for a taxi, her sweet voice rang out again.
“Since we’re here, let’s hold a meeting.”
“A meeting?”
“Yes. There’s an important issue at hand.”
Eluke spoke seriously as she walked straight into the meeting room. Inha quickly followed her in.
The meeting room wasn’t large, but it had a cozy, immaculate atmosphere. Plus, it seemed equipped with the latest gadgets, earning it the compliment that it was ‘very MZ.’
Eluke took her seat at the head of the table, and Inha sat beside her to begin.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s an emergency. I need Agent Hainha’s strength.”
What on earth could have happened for her to say that. It seemed like it would be a heavy topic, and Inha involuntarily stiffened.
Not long after, Eluke sighed with a somber expression and said, “I have to become an idol for my daughters.”
“…….”
It was certainly an emergency.
*
After the ‘live news chaos incident,’ I laid out several requests during my meeting with Hainha.
Back then, overwhelmed by Liam, Hainha was simply jotting down my requests verbatim.
I had slyly slipped in an unreasonable request asking for a major religious facility for our order, which ended up resulting in this office.
‘Great.’
Honestly, I hadn’t been expecting such a large religious facility from the start.
It was merely the government trying to show goodwill towards me, and this was sufficiently satisfactory.
Now, with a divine spell for security measures, it would be perfect. Until we set up a formal religious facility, I planned to use this space.
“Let’s watch.”
And today, our order was holding its first official meeting in this office.
The attendees were just me and Hainha. Given the urgency of the matter, it was decided it would be just the two of us.
“I’ll start right away.”
After a moment of waiting, Hainha switched on the projector. Unfortunately, the video didn’t have any religious significance.
Shortly after, a cute and lively tune filled the air that was far from solemn.
– Today too, I walk towards you♪
An animated girl with orange hair sang and danced.
Whether it was the voice actor putting in soul or not, her singing ability was decent. While not top-tier, it was still pleasantly listenable.
The dance wasn’t vigorous but was enjoyable to watch. It looked like a choreographer had been brought in for the moves.
“Kids’ animations these days are extravagant.”
Hainha, diligently noting something in her notepad, murmured softly with a tone of admiration.
She still appeared at ease. It was probably because she hadn’t seen a ‘real’ performance yet.
– With wishes in my heart, Emerald Moonlight!
Just as the chorus ended and an exciting rhythm started to build, the orange-haired girl stretched out her hands to present a heart.
Her cute appearance matched with a sweet pose and a bright smile made a green heart arise from her hands.
The green heart floated over the audience, wafting about and became a green light illuminating below—a gentle light reminiscent of moonlight.
– Indeed, Araya…!
A girl presumed to be a friend cheered from backstage, and for some reason, tears were rolling down her cheeks as if she were moved.
When the performance wrapped up, an episode concluded.
As a cheerful ending song played, silence reigned in the meeting room.
“…….”
“…….”
A chilling silence so thick you could cut it with a knife. We watched an animated feature brimming with energy, yet the atmosphere became the opposite—somber.
How was I to break the ice? There were so many things to say, yet my mouth just wouldn’t budge.
It looked like Hainha was in a similar predicament; her serious expression softened as she cautiously broke the silence.
“Is the main character a superhuman, perhaps?”
“…I don’t know either.”
Why did hearts emerge from one’s hands, transforming into moonlight? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
Clearly, today’s animation was not for me. I wanted to revisit the cartoons I used to watch with electric mice.
“Shall we move on to the next episode?”
“Yes, let’s keep watching.”
Resolutely, we decided to continue watching for the sake of our research.
We went on to watch about five more episodes in quick succession, and with each passing episode, the atmosphere in the meeting room dampened further.
– Everyone, please focus on me!
Especially when the seemingly normal girl suddenly turned into an adorable angel and flew around, I nearly jumped out of my seat.
I had to admit, it was indeed entertaining. I could somewhat grasp why my daughters were so enamored with it.
But asking me to do something like that? This felt like an assassination attempt.
“Are you really going to do it?”
Soon after, Hainha asked, bewildered. I gave her a bitter smile and nodded.
“If my kids want it, how could I ignore them as their mother?”
I could do anything for my daughters. Even if it meant achieving dreams that magic and sacred spells couldn’t fulfill, I would gladly do it.
Thus, despite my reluctance, I resolved to somehow make it happen.
“Please help me become a good mother for them.”
“…Alright.”
Whether it was my earnest heart reaching her or not, Hainha’s expression turned serious. Soon, she opened up her notepad, filled with diligent notes.
“Your Holiness, first, please listen to the analysis results.”
“Go ahead.”
In the meantime, it seemed she had already finished her analysis. A capability befitting a National Intelligence agent.
It was a good decision to make her my aide. Just as I was thinking this, Hainha, still peering at her notepad, continued.
“The idol from the animation we just watched, ‘Sparkle Jewel,’ each has a concept. For instance, the main character, Ara, was a girl spreading love to everyone.”
I nodded and listened quietly. Though the content was absurd, hearing it seriously somehow made it sound plausible.
“And they all donned outfits and nicknames appropriate to their concepts. Therefore, deciding on a concept would be our top priority.”
“Do you have any concepts in mind?”
“Of course.”
Hainha answered confidently, bringing up a drawing app on the projector screen.
She began moving the mouse to draw. The outrageous art style could thrill even an art critic to death.
“This is it.”
I slowly looked at the completed drawing. It was not hard to recognize.
A pink crown and a pink dress. And pink ‘eye wind’ flowing from both hands.
It was a princess figure that looked strangely familiar.
“Pink Ice Princess. How about that?”
“…….”
I looked back and forth between Hainha’s face and the drawing and then squeezed my eyes shut.
“Just kill me already.”
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