The golden hair that could only be described as the very color of the sun cascaded down, boasting a fullness that wrapped around her body and spread outward. The tips of her hair almost brushed the floor, while neatly styled bangs revealed her forehead.
Her bright green eyes sparkled as if they contained the fresh, vibrant essence of greenery. Around her neck hung an ornament with a green gem that matched her eyes.
While her appearance was striking, what truly left me speechless was her outfit. It was a sheer, almost see-through garment that barely covered anything from shoulders to toes. Stella’s nun outfit had its share of exposure, but the woman before me took it to another level.
Collarbones, arms, cleavage, chest, abdomen, sides, navel, hips, lower belly, and thighs—all were practically as good as naked.
In fact, standing there in that outfit might be less obscene than her current attire. Her chest was as ample as Lize’s, with her sideboob practically hiding her upper arm.
The only thing that remotely covered her important parts was an incredibly thin piece of cloth. It draped down from behind her neck, briefly covering her chest before merging at her lower belly to guard her delicate parts.
Even the cloth’s thickness was alarmingly thin; you could see a hint of flesh peeking out from beneath her thighs.
With such an outfit, there’s no way she’d be wearing any underwear.
In fact, nothing resembling underwear was visible up to the point just before her nipples; there were no traces of it under the garter belt circling her hips.
In other words, the only garments on her body were sheer fabric that was practically transparent and a piece of opaque cloth narrower than her arm, alongside a garter belt and stockings.
Even I, who thought I’d seen it all, was completely flabbergasted by what she was wearing.
Even the sheer dresses worn by knight commanders at banquets didn’t display everything like this, nor did Aurora’s dress.
“I’ve been wanting to see you very much,” the Pope greeted with a smile.
I couldn’t muster a single word, captivated by the unique grace emanating from her and the absurd presence of what could hardly be called a sacred robe.
Her appearance didn’t matter much; in any given street, beautiful women were a dime a dozen. Even important NPCs were beings described as beauties that didn’t do their looks justice and were entirely out of this world.
But imagining such a ridiculous outfit was entirely beyond my capabilities.
Recalling that such an outfit was crafted by mod creators, it showed that human talent always exceeded people’s imaginations.
“Delta? We’re about to go in too—”
The knight commanders were just as stunned as I was.
Iris turned to the Pope while entering and immediately froze. Claudia, Lize, and Erica followed suit, sharing the same fate.
Without their armor, their expressions were completely visible. According to Stella, showing oneself unarmored in front of the Pope was deemed irreverent.
However, their feelings seemed entirely different from mine.
While I was shocked by the ridiculous exposure of the Pope’s attire, the knights seem to be struck by the grace and holiness emanating from her.
“Welcome, Knight Commander of the Silver Dawn Knights. In the name of the Sun, I welcome you all,” the Pope took a graceful step forward.
As she did, the hems of her robe fluttered, and her chest bounced. The thin piece of fabric covering her crucial parts swayed gently.
The way it flapped made it clear the cloth was not secured anywhere, yet her sacred parts were never revealed.
“And now, I suppose I should introduce myself,” she said, stopping about ten steps away from us, spreading her arms before gently bringing them together in front of her lower belly, smiling brightly.
It was a cute yet mature smile, a delightful contradiction.
“My name is Floretta Evangelina.”
A halo bursting from behind her shone even brighter. The light was so intense that I nearly had to shield my eyes. Squinting, I looked at the woman named Floretta through my fingers.
“I am the Sun Pope from the Raphael Holy Kingdom.”
The very heartbeat of the Holy Kingdom and a representative of God stood right before us.
“Has your heart calmed a bit?”
Floretta smiled benevolently as she gazed at us. Just seeing her smile made the knight commanders express their emotions, entirely disregarding her outfit.
I wanted to ask how she felt about her own outfit, but speaking trivialities before the Pope seemed utterly inappropriate, so I swallowed my thoughts.
“You must be the one Stella mentioned,” her green eyes turned towards me.
“…Did you know about me?”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t,” the Pope chuckled quietly. Each of her actions radiated dignity. If it weren’t for her absurd outfit, the title of the Sun Pope would suit her splendidly.
“I, Floretta Evangelina, apologize on behalf of the Inquisitor for the rudeness.”
Her head slightly bowed. Before we could even react in surprise to stop her, her head was back up in place.
“I don’t think His Holiness the Pope needs to bow to us…”
Erica stammered, her voice shaking.
“Status isn’t what matters, Knight Commander of the Silver Dawn Knights. What matters is who committed the wrong. I, too, have strayed and seek forgiveness.”
“When you say wrong…?”
“Do you remember the actions of the Inquisitor Stella?”
Claudia, Lize, and Erica all flinched at once. I did too. It was a memory that was hard to forget, one that I could never misunderstand.
Having the battle nuns strip in front of me while declaring heretical judgment and even asking to touch themselves was an unforgettable memory.
“I was the one who hinted to the Inquisitor that you unleashed a demon. It was also me who, knowing the demon had vanished, requested a holy war from the Inquisitor. Now do you understand my sin?”
I had expected this.
In the game, the Inquisitor only followed orders given by the Sun Pope. Meanwhile, the Heretic Inquisitor obeyed only the Moon Pope’s commands.
If the Inquisitor had moved beyond the Papal Palace and invaded the Empire, there was only one person who could have commanded such actions throughout the entire continent.
“I will not deny my mistake. However, I beg you to understand that it was a choice I could not avoid.”
“…A choice you couldn’t avoid?”
“To dispel the Inquisitor’s suspicion toward you entirely was indispensable.”
The smile on Floretta’s lips slightly faded.
“How unfortunate. The child of a devil worshiper was sacrificed before their very eyes and barely escaped, following the will of the gods afterward. The hatred and grudge that child harbors against demons is beyond imagination.”
I had heard snippets of that story before. It reflected the game’s setup exactly.
The Inquisitor’s enjoyment in torturing devil worshipers may stem from personal preferences, but it was partly steeped in tragic trauma from their childhood—a longing for vengeance against their parents.
Despite that, due to the faith or divine power stats falling below a certain level, she was a notoriously tough NPC to deal with, suggesting that players’ feelings towards her were typically negative.
“Not too long ago, you all must have been associated with demons.”
I had no intentions of denying that; I simply nodded along. The knight commanders, feeling shy, nodded quietly, their faces flushed at the thought of associating with demons before the Pope.
“Although faint, you still bear the scent of demons. Regular believers wouldn’t notice, but our battle nuns and the Inquisitor would have surely caught on.”
“And now, that’s been purified and vanished, since you’ve met His Holiness the Pope.”
“Did you know that? It’s quite remarkable.”
Floretta smiled at me with overflowing kindness. It was information that was excessively referenced once you took down a demon boss and spoke to the Pope—how could I have missed it?
I had originally planned to remain silent until the Pope spoke again, but the knight commanders’ expressions rapidly darkened, prompting me to speak first.
The idea that there was no implication on my end didn’t mean having the scent of demons lingering was a good thing. I could sense their discomfort.
“If you had first encountered the Inquisitor within the Holy Kingdom, the repercussions would have been much larger.”
It was clear how extreme things could have turned. When seeking out heretics, it didn’t mean approaching lightly or cautiously, especially having suspected devil worshipers within the kingdom itself.
It was either the Holy Kingdom facing annihilation or us being wiped out. One way or another, it would have led to a fight with fatal results.
“That’s why I needed to clear any misunderstandings before entering the Holy Kingdom and commanded a holy war to meet with you directly. I could have easily told you that you were not heretics, but ultimately that would involve meeting with that child.”
‘…Huh?’
Wait a minute, something’s off here.
“Your Holiness, may I ask one question?”
“Feel free. What are you curious about?”
“Why is it taken for granted that we’ll be coming to the Holy Kingdom?”
I almost let it slide due to how casually she mentioned it. The Pope made assumptions with the expectation that we were headed for the Holy Kingdom.
We’d certainly hear about it. Yet, we were only going to dive into those events after progressing well into the latter half of the main story.
The only significant items to gain from the Holy Kingdom were the enchanted sacred spells associated with the Sun and Moon Popes’ quests. Everything else was trivial.
I had no intention of investing my stats into anything resembling a cleric.
“Have you noticed?”
Floretta’s smile broadened even more. She stepped closer, the click-clack of her high heels echoing throughout the room. With every step, her chest swayed delicately.
Reaching just before me, Floretta gently smiled and held my hand tightly.
“That’s precisely because I wanted to meet you.”
