Chapter 197

Chapter 195 – Mutation – 6

‘……Should I stop thinking?’

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, something happened as if it had been waiting for me to think. At this point, I began to question if the act of thinking itself was the cause of all this.

In fact, I could easily tell that Kaiquilia would find me much faster than in the game.

The fact that Floretta arrived here meant that Minerva had come along as well, and if it was Minerva, she would naturally think of breaking the bedroom’s barrier with the Pope’s blessing.

It was just that she couldn’t think of that right away because she was too busy receiving blessings from Floretta.

I turned my gaze. There was Kaiquilia dressed in her battle attire from before, and Minerva in a bathrobe that revealed quite a bit of her chest.

Kaiquilia’s expression was very stiff, while Minerva’s was slightly ambiguous. It was a look that wouldn’t be easily soothed by simply saying she was giving a blessing.

I tried to pull away the hand that was gripping my chest, but Floretta’s grip on my wrist wouldn’t budge. Instead, she was pulling me closer to her chest.

With the force applied, my chest squished to the side. The side breast that was pushed out from under my armpit made contact with my upper arm.

“Is it that you cannot hear, or are you pretending not to?”

Of course, Kaiquilia must have seen this. A voice that had noticeably cooled from before came through. It felt like something would break if I let it continue, so I started to squirm.

Floretta, who had been moaning while intertwining her tongue with mine, slowly opened her eyes and released our entwined tongues as I let this atmosphere flow. A silver thread stretched between her lips.

Floretta broke it with her finger and sucked it into her mouth. A gentle smile, the same one she had shown countless times before, spread across her face. The leg that had been firmly held down relaxed.

“Your Imperial Majesty, it’s been a while.”

Then, Floretta casually greeted Kaiquilia as if nothing had happened.

“Did you say it’s been a while?”

Kaiquilia naturally scoffed.

The Holy Sword was standing upright right in the adjacent corridor, but the golden-hued eyes radiated an even more ferocious glare than usual.

“Think about what you were doing in the Imperial Palace. No, if you’ve thought about it, say it with your own mouth. What were you doing in the Imperial Palace?”

“That’s a question with an already determined answer. I was bestowing blessings upon a distinguished guest of the Holy Kingdom.”

However, Floretta calmly deflected the hostility. Not just deflected, she treated it as if it were completely irrelevant.

“Blessing? Did you just say blessing?”

Somehow, the excuse didn’t seem to hold any water. I wouldn’t have bought it either. Mixing tongues in a deep kiss while squeezing the chest isn’t exactly what I’d consider a blessing—

“Since when has the act of granting blessings involved allowing another man to touch your chest? Do you dare to demean me?”

‘Ah.’

From Kaiquilia’s statement, which only singled out the chest-grabbing, it seemed she recognized the kiss itself as a blessing and moved on from it naturally.

Well, the Silver Dawn Knights’ commanders and Minerva had all casually kissed while delivering blessings before, so it wouldn’t be odd if Kaiquilia had altered her perception on that one point.

‘Wait a minute, the fact that she ignored the kiss but is making a fuss about the chest means…’

I looked back at Floretta with a realizing expression. No way, right?

“It seems you’re under a huge misunderstanding, Your Imperial Majesty.”

Floretta’s still gentle and calm voice came again.

“First of all, the distinguished guest is not merely another man. Even if you insist on looking down on him, he is of equal importance to our Popes, or perhaps just as important as them. Secondly, for a greater blessing, it’s a fact that the subjects of the blessing must be more closely connected. What else is there besides a woman’s bosom to meet that condition?”

With that, Floretta lightly lifted her chest from underneath.

A heavy mass of flesh was briefly lifted upward, and when her hand fell away, it moved downwards heavily due to the laws of gravity, swaying momentarily.

“You made it so I could squeeze your chest to grant a greater blessing? You’re saying that without batting an eyelash.”

“How could I dare to lie in the name of the gods? If you don’t believe me, you may ask the Pope of the Moon.”

“Aren’t all you Popes in it together? That is a completely meaningless question. Also, if it were for a greater blessing, simply hugging would suffice to fulfill the condition. The very choice of the chest among many other body parts must be due to your own selfishness.”

“If you mean body parts that serve the same function as breasts, then there’s the butt… But since both of mine are roughly the same size, wouldn’t it be considerate to offer the one that’s easier for the distinguished guest to touch?”

Wow, she’s casually comparing the size of her breasts and butt.

I tried hard to maintain my expression. Her first impression had definitely not been like that. Had she just been hiding her true nature? I wanted to believe it wasn’t because of me that she had become like this.

“So, the Pope of the Sun is not only coveting another’s but is also shameless enough to flaunt her own body. How utterly disgusting and shameless. Perhaps you have a talent for other things as well. Why not put that talent to use even now?”

Kaiquilia mocked. I was stunned by the level of that remark, shocked that I questioned my own ears.

Not only did she refer to Floretta as that woman, but she also sexually insulted her while bringing up the deity that was believed in. It was definitely an astonishing comment that either teetered on the edge or outright crossed a line.

Even I, who knew almost nothing about political etiquette, felt that way; how must Floretta have felt listening to it?

“……”

But contrary to my thoughts, Floretta maintained an incredibly serene expression. If she resolved to take issue with it, she must have been the one with a stronger case.

“That’s right.”

Unexpectedly, a word no one anticipated slipped out from between her aubergine-colored lips.

“I sacrificed this body for the distinguished guest. In an ordinary man-woman relationship, it’s a perfectly normal thing, but coming from a woman in the position of a Pope, it could seem raunchy in the eyes of others.”

“What?”

The very person who had thrown such a mockery didn’t expect to receive such a response, and her face showed a hint of surprise. Minerva, who was watching their argument, looked just the same.

But immediately after, Kaiquilia’s expression soured again.

“Your Imperial Majesty, I envy you. You still possess that pure female form, don’t you? Having never known a man, you maintain a body as pure as a white canvas, a body you’ve never permitted anyone to touch for your whole life. I envy that purity.”

As she spoke her final words with the usual compassionate smile, it drove the nail in deeper.

“The Pope of the Moon and the Pope of the Sun are no longer pure bodies.”

“……”

To say they no longer had pure bodies. The implications of stating such a thing in this location were glaringly clear.

The golden eyes of Kaiquilia and the silver eyes of Minerva both turned to me simultaneously. In the context of the conversation, it was clear that the one who took away the purity of the Popes was undoubtedly me. I couldn’t deny that either.

Floretta didn’t stop there.

“To remain as a pure woman even now, how enviable that is. Both the Sun and Moon would undoubtedly be delighted by your actions.”

That was the final blow. Kaiquilia’s eyes widened. Minerva, with the same curious expression as before, was fine, but Kaiquilia was different.

Even if the words were one of praise on the surface, the underlying meaning was entirely different. To put it bluntly, it was, ‘while I was busy having fun with her, what were you doing?’ And, in reality, that was indeed the case.

I never imagined Floretta would go as far as to say something like this. Is this what it means to be a Pope?

“Your Imperial Majesty, I have no intention of robbing the distinguished guest from you.”

In the face of Kaiquilia, whose fists were clenched and trembling, Floretta opened her mouth once more.

“I merely wish to propose that we all become the distinguished guest’s.”

‘……What are you doing?’

This time, I was taken aback. Kaiquilia seemed to share this sentiment, mumbling while grinding her teeth.

“What did you just say?”

“You may not know, but the distinguished guest is someone we Popes cannot handle alone. That’s why I am making this proposal, Your Imperial Majesty.”

That phrase “cannot handle” meant literally the words’ meaning, but somehow hearing it from a Pope felt like it had a different connotation.

“The distinguished guest has accomplished feats unfathomable in the Holy Kingdom. The Sun and Moon have personally bestowed blessings upon him, and he has heard their voices through prayer. Discovering this sacred relic was also his achievement.”

The three pairs of eyes briefly shifted to the staff propped up next to Floretta.

The weapon, referred to as a lantern while boasting an impressive appearance, had transcended its limits and was akin to a sacred relic now. 

The fact that I had found it, combined with not being a Pope yet hearing the voices of the Sun and Moon, not to mention the fact that they even bestowed their blessings, all those feats on their own would have made the person a highly revered figure in the Holy Kingdom, but it was me who accomplished all of it alone. Even Kaiquilia was showing a look of astonishment on her face.

On the other hand, Minerva had an expression that seemed to say she had expected such a reaction. It seemed the incident where I found the Crystal Scroll had a significant impact.

“How could we, such precious beings, dare to monopolize him?”

With those words, silence enveloped the corridor.

Floretta sealed her lips as soon as she finished speaking, and Minerva looked at me with eyes full of interest and curiosity.

Kaiquilia did the same. Her golden pupils pierced through me. A chilling feeling ran down my spine. No matter how many times we met, those eyes never seemed to get any easier to meet.

“Come here.”

A voice came, tightly clenched.

“……Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I said come here.”

I walked up to Kaiquilia. I had no idea what she was thinking, but with Floretta and Minerva present, it wouldn’t matter.

First, the perfectly fitted suit caught my attention. The white shirt that subtly revealed the black lingerie underneath, the long coat that reached down to her ankles, and the suit pants tightly clinging to her form.

Even though Kaiquilia was already tall, the outfit made her proportions extraordinary.

“……”

Kaiquilia, who had been staring at me with cold eyes, suddenly grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close to her face. Naturally, our center of gravity shifted, closing the distance between us.

“You are different from those Popes.”

The golden eyes turned toward my back, where Floretta was. 

“You must handle this man alone, so keep a close eye.”

And then our lips met.