The next place I headed to was obviously the lodging where the Knight Commanders were. I had to explain the situation first. I also needed to convey that this time I would be acting alone.
Even if the Knight Commanders wanted to join me, they couldn’t. After all, they didn’t possess the Rest in the Abyss Rune.
The Knight Commanders, who had only assumed I was discussing runes with Selene, wore utterly bewildered expressions as soon as they heard my words.
And rightly so.
It was ridiculous that just a few hours ago, I had handled the Rune Dungeon solo, and now I was saying I was off to subjugate the monsters underground in the Holy Kingdom after just turning my head for a moment.
Particularly, Lize’s expression was beyond words. I owed her a debt of the heart, so I couldn’t even meet her gaze and sneaked a glance away.
“Delta.”
Lize called for me. I flinched and cautiously raised my head. Her blue eyes were shining even chillier than usual. She wasn’t angry, but that made me even more tense.
“We will believe in you until the end. You’ll definitely come back in one piece. I don’t know how incredible this secret you are hiding is, but you’ve managed to keep it under wraps until now.”
However.
She added something afterward.
“Don’t try to carry everything on your own. That’s absolutely not what we want. Neither I, Erica, Iris, nor Claudia want that. We can help you with anything you want to do and can support you at any time. Sometimes, you need to lean on us too. Got it?”
Considering all the things I had done up to now, I nodded quietly. If I were to reflect on my past actions with the Knight Commanders, even a hundred mouths wouldn’t suffice.
I had glossed over all my crazy feats with just the mention of a secret. How I knew about the monsters underground in the Holy Kingdom was, of course, a secret as well. So I could hardly ignore the pricking of my conscience.
Furthermore, the Knight Commanders weren’t just scolding or blaming me; they were genuinely worried, which made their words even more significant. What could I possibly say in response to their concern?
“It seems you have quite a lot you’re hiding.”
“……”
Selene remarked in her trademark expressionless manner, making it hard to tell if it was a compliment or an insult. At a glance, it sounded sarcastic, but considering her personality, it could’ve genuinely been a compliment.
After exchanging their farewells, we headed towards the Sun Cathedral. The front was still bustling with people praying to the Pope of the Sun.
Some recognized Selene and greeted her, but she completely ignored them as she passed by. The ignored people didn’t seem to care at all either.
“Here we are, Distinguished Guest.”
As we turned behind the cathedral, Stella approached us from beside a door radiating vibrant sunlight.
“I simply mentioned to the Pope that you have something to say. It’s your job to persuade Her Holiness.”
“That will be enough. Thank you, Inquisitor.”
“No need for thanks. I’m just as desperate. A lifeline I can finally call hope has appeared; I have to grab it with all my might.”
Stella wore her usual cheerful smile, yet there was an underlying bitterness about it. Overall, it was a bittersweet smile.
Stella must have been through a lot of emotional hardship during this time. The Pope of the Sun has been struggling to find a way to save her sister, while the time for the Pope of the Moon’s sacrifice was drawing near, yet no solutions were in sight.
“Go well, Distinguished Guest. I’ll be waiting.”
“I wish for a good outcome.”
After receiving the farewells from Stella and Selene, I stepped through the radiant door.
As I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again, I saw the golden sunlight streaming through the stained glass, just as before, and a woman looking down from atop a grand staircase.
With the sunlight streaming in from behind her, her voluminous golden hair seemed to glow, almost like a halo.
“Welcome, Distinguished Guest.”
With a gentle smile, Floretta began descending the stairs one step at a time.
She was still wearing extremely revealing clothing. While the secretive parts were covered by just a single strap, the exposure level was so high that it was practically meaningless.
Her ample bosom seemed to make swish swish sounds with every movement. I desperately tried to maintain eye contact with Floretta to avoid looking elsewhere.
Even so, I couldn’t help but notice her chest wobbling at the corner of my eye. The sheer fabric barely concealed her, with just one opaque strap securing her chest, making the movement even more pronounced than Lize’s.
As the Pope of the Sun reached the bottom of the staircase, she approached me. She was shorter than me, so naturally, she looked up at me while I looked down at her.
“I believe you have something to say.”
“Yes. I came to make a request to Your Holiness.”
“A request… what kind of request?”
“Could you teach me the ‘Solar Eclipse’?”
“……”
A minute crack appeared on the face that had always worn a benevolent and kind smile. Floretta quickly smoothed over the tiny fracture that appeared and returned to her gentle expression.
“I wonder where you got that information about the Solar Eclipse. You truly are remarkable.”
Hehe, Floretta chuckled softly. Though it was a fleeting laugh, her chest once again jiggled, drawing attention to her presence.
“If that’s what you desire, I wouldn’t be unable to teach you. However, may I impose one condition?”
“What condition?”
“What do you intend to use it for?”
Clack, the sound of high heels echoed. The space between us, which was already quite close, shrank even more.
“The Solar Eclipse is a sacred spell whose existence is even rarely permitted to be known. So what is it you wish to use it for that you’re asking to learn it?”
So it has come to this.
I took a deep breath and steeled myself, looking directly into Floretta’s eyes as I spoke.
“I want to save the Pope of the Moon… no, Your Holiness’s sister.”
“……”
Slosh, a massive crack formed on Floretta’s expression.
I exited through the door I had entered.
I shot a glance at Stella and Selene, asking how it had gone. Without a word, I tapped my weapon lightly. Stella’s face lit up, and Selene’s mood noticeably brightened.
The next destination was the Pope of the Moon. This time, Selene led the way, with Stella and me following behind. I reflected on what had just occurred while following Selene.
Floretta had cried.
All dignity, position, and honor of being a Pope had been shed, and she had become a caring younger sister, sobbing like a child.
Immediately after hearing my words, she had fumbled, asking what I meant. But as soon as I mentioned the choices I had encountered in persuading a Pope in the game, she wrapped her arms around me and burst into tears.
The interpretation of the revelation. That was how I was persuading Floretta.
As a Pope, being the one closest to the divine, the Pope of the Sun would instinctively gauge the truth of my interpretation, so there was no concern of being dismissed as a liar.
Even if the Pope of the Sun couldn’t achieve a perfect interpretation alone, a Player could. After all, interpreting the content of the revelation was one of the DLC storylines.
Originally, I would have to go through a more complex quest line, but I simply skipped all of that. I had memorized all variations of the revelation long ago.
Floretta, who instinctively realized my words were the truth, buried her face into my chest, sobbing, wondering if I could really save her sister, if she wouldn’t have to kill her sister with her own hands.
Eventually, she cried so hard that she nearly choked out her voice while teaching me the Solar Eclipse. Not to mention she burst into tears again when I said I would be going.
“This is the place.”
Selene halted in front of a large cathedral. While it was as enormous as the Sun Cathedral, the color scheme was entirely opposite.
While the Sun Cathedral was adorned in gold and jewels, the Moon Cathedral was decorated with silver and platinum. The materials gave it an overall dimmer ambiance.
Everything else was the same. Its immense size and towering spires that seemed to reach for the sky.
Perhaps because it wasn’t time for the moon to rise yet, unlike the Sun Cathedral, there was no one praying nearby or even passing by.
Selene led us to the back of the cathedral. There, a silver door glimmered, seemingly emitting moonlight. Stella and Selene stood on either side of the door.
“Please enter, Distinguished Guest.”
“We didn’t have to let her know you were coming…”
“She must have already sensed it. It’s a pointless action.”
Having accepted that, I stood before the silver door. After all, a person of such status as the Pope of the Moon wouldn’t fail to notice someone attempting to enter her cathedral.
And by not hindering me, it was as good as giving permission to enter. If she intended to reject me, she would have done so long ago.
“Distinguished Guest, may you be safe.”
With Selene’s concern in mind, I stepped into the silver door radiating moonlight. The bright light pricked my eyelids. I kept my eyes closed and walked on.
Then, at some point, when the light in front of me faded, I slowly opened my eyes.
The space was filled with silver.
In stark contrast to the place where the Pope of the Sun was, this dim and cold room was adorned with marble, silver, and platinum. It was still daytime outside, yet the moonlight filtered through the stained glass.
“Why have you come here?”
From atop the tall staircase in the center, a woman turned her back to me, gazing at the stained glass, her voice breaking the silence. Though not as voluminous as Floretta’s, her hair was still quite abundant.
There was an overwhelming aura about her. It seemed she held no intention of concealing her hostility towards me. As I hesitated, the Pope of the Moon spoke again.
“Why have you come here?”
The clack clack of her high heels echoed as her body slowly turned. Her flowing silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, catching the moonlight and glowing bright silver.
Her jewel-like purple eyes fixated entirely on me.
“Are you truly refusing to answer?”
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