The Holy Kingdom – The Pope

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Led by Jade, I exited the room—

“Hehehe.”

Annie stood before us, a sly grin on her face.

Arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

Anyone could tell she was planning to tease me.

“Annie? What’s with that wicked expression?”

“You know why. Lena’s voice echoing all night was so loud, I couldn’t sleep.”

“Ugh…”

“Ahem…”

Jade and I simultaneously made sounds of discomfort, our weak attempts to clear the air.

We had been a bit too enthusiastic. In a small house like this, there was no way it was soundproof.

Did Lord Antonio hear everything too, by any chance?

That would be a little embarrassing.

“Oh my? Now I see you two even came out holding hands?”

“We’re in love. Right, Lena?”

Jade didn’t seem embarrassed by Annie’s teasing, but rather confident.

She looked more confident than when she became the Hero.

Is this what it’s like for a man who has won a woman?

I always want to tease the innocent Jade, but…

Still, today is our first time having sex, so I should play along.

-Slide.

I snuggled closer to Jade.

“That’s right. We’re going to proudly announce that we’re dating.”

“Ugh.”

Annie pretended to vomit at our cheesy display.

“Being single, I can’t stand the chill in my bones.”

“Hehe, Annie, you can just find a boyfriend soon too.”

“I don’t even know where to find someone to date… I’ve already left the Academy. I’m jealous of you two.”

Still, the look in Annie’s eyes as she looked at us showed that she was happy with how things turned out.

Annie had always wanted Jade and me to get together.

“I can’t stand this.”

Annie suddenly grabbed my empty hand.

“Why the sudden hand-holding?”

“Jade, I’m going to borrow Lena for a bit. Don’t worry, I’m not stealing her. Okay?”

“…Huh? Uh, okay.”

Leaving Jade nodding behind, Annie started dragging me away.

-Tap, tap, tap.

Once we were a good distance away from Jade, Annie finally stopped.

“What’s going on?”

“I wanted to ask you a few things. So, how was it? Judging by the sounds, it was pretty wild.”

“T-That kind of talk is a little embarrassing.”

“You know it’s an important issue.”

“Important…?”

Ah.

I finally understood Annie’s intentions.

When we were staying in Growburn Village, I told Annie that I was suffering from sexual frustration.

She must have been worried that if my relationship with Jade wasn’t satisfying, it would become a problem again.

Well, my answer was already decided.

“…It was amazing. I think I even fainted at the end.”

“Gasp. That much?”

Annie covered her mouth, surprised by my intense expression.

“Well, looking at the hickeys on your neck, I guess so. But you should probably cover those up. Unless you want to spread rumors to the people at the Great Temple about what you did with Jade.”

“R-Really? I didn’t even think about that.”

I touched my neck at Annie’s words.

I could feel the slightly swollen skin.

Last night, Jade left so many marks on my body that it was almost completely covered in red. She had been holding back for so long, so it was understandable.

Maybe Jade wanted others to see me like this.

In this aspect, Jade seems to be getting more wicked too.

“Anyway, I never knew Jade had that side to her. She was like an animal. It was tough, but… it felt good.”

In reality, sex with Jade was quite satisfying.

And I wanted to praise Jade’s incredible creativity with the ‘Aura Penis.’

To think she would use Aura there.

What if she had made a mistake and hurt me?

Well, considering Jade’s eyes at the time, she was so lost in the thought of having sex with me that she probably didn’t even think about that.

Anyway, if she could make the Aura thicker, she could freely change the thickness, size, and shape, so it’s a jackpot.

“That’s a relief. Jade is good at being a man.”

“So, Annie, you don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

“Still, don’t overdo it. If she asks you to do anything weird, make sure to refuse. I heard men have strange desires.”

“Huh? What’s something weird?”

“Uh…? Well, um…”

As expected, Annie’s face turned bright red when I teased her about sex even a little.

Annie will have sex someday too… who will she do it with?

I’ll stop her if she brings a weird guy.

‘How should I do it with Jade next time?’

I should try to get Jade to use honorifics or order me to serve her.

That way, it’ll be more fun to be taken.

**

Gathered around a large table in the living room, we began to discuss our future plans.

“Lord Antonio, when are you planning to see the Pope?”

Jade asked Lord Antonio about the schedule first.

“Well, I’m thinking tomorrow. The sooner we visit, the better chance we have of catching the Pope off guard.”

“What are you planning to do when you get there? I doubt the Pope will willingly let The Saintess join the Hero Party just because you ask him to hand her over.”

No matter what the Hero demanded, if they made the excuse that The Saintess was sick, there was nothing we could do.

By the way, Lord Antonio has been calling the Pope ‘Pope,’ not ‘Your Holiness,’ which shows how much he’s been holding back against the Pope.

“That’s true. I suspect the Pope is secretly using The Saintess’s Divine Power to make money. If that’s the case, The Saintess’s existence is important to the Pope. My plan is for the Hero to rescue The Saintess.”

Antonio picked up a rolled-up piece of paper next to him and unfolded it.

-Whirr.

The paper showed numerous walls and rooms marked with lines.

‘A map?’

It was clearly an internal map of a building.

“This is the internal map of the Great Temple and the Vatican. The Saintess is staying somewhere here. It will take some time for the Hero to be officially appointed. Until then, everyone will probably stay at the Great Temple. During that time, we’ll each wander around, gather information, and find The Saintess.”

“Then, after we rescue The Saintess… are we just going to take her and leave?”

“That’s right. I’ll take care of the aftermath, so you can receive the information and leave for the place where the Demons are. The Saintess will be able to escape from the Pope’s clutches thanks to you.”

Antonio nodded at Jade’s question.

This is such a frustrating plan.

Of course, we could just leave with The Saintess, but then the Holy Kingdom would remain a mess. If that happens, it will definitely harm us later.

“I think we need to take this opportunity to overhaul the current Holy Kingdom. Jade and Annie would be uneasy about leaving like this too. Right?”

“Lena is right. The Saintess is important, but I’m most concerned about the problems in the Holy Kingdom. I’ve heard many stories about the common people suffering from the priests’ profiteering.”

“I wish that were possible, but… I don’t know how many people will support us. Most of the Holy Kingdom is already on the Pope’s side.”

“Don’t give up yet. We have Jade, our strongest card. If we use the Hero’s name, we can use the power of the people to expose the corrupt Vatican.”

The biggest reason I’m stepping up like this is because I feel sorry for Lord Antonio, who has worked so hard.

He’s not someone who should be pushed aside and left in such a miserable state.

-Knock, knock, knock!

Suddenly, someone knocked loudly on the door.

“Oh? Did you call someone else?”

“…I didn’t call anyone here today.”

Antonio looked serious at my question.

Then it seems like we have an uninvited guest, not a visitor.

-Buzz.

I subtly spread mana to sense the surroundings… there were quite a few people.

About a dozen armed people. Judging by the Divine Power they possess, they must be people dispatched from the Vatican.

“I’ll check it out first.”

Antonio grabbed the hammer leaning against the wall and approached the door.

-Creak.

Antonio carefully opened the door, and people in armor stood before him, each holding a weapon.

The man wearing the most ornate clothes stepped forward.

He seemed to be the representative… his long mustache was impressive.

“Lord Antonio. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“Haha, Cardinal Cassius, what brings you to such a remote place? And with so many Holy Knights. Are you planning to start a war?”

“Hahaha! Of course not. I just brought them for my ‘safety.’”

Cassi…us? Is that the right name?

Anyway, since I don’t remember the name, he must be someone who got to the position of Cardinal by luck.

From his first impression, he seemed like a typical nobleman who acts based on his power.

He doesn’t have any of the dignity that a Cardinal should have.

“…Then what is it? It seems a bit rude to come here with weapons.”

Antonio frowned and pressured the Cardinal, who, overwhelmed by his spirit, stepped back a few steps.

“Ugh… Calm down. I think you’ve misunderstood our intentions. We’re just here to escort the Hero.”

‘Oh my?’

It seems the Vatican made the first move before we could do anything. Sending this many people means they’ve already prepared for us.

In fact, Antonio said he reported Raspha to the Great Temple, so there’s no way the Pope doesn’t know the current situation.

Antonio probably took that into account when he made the report. Given his personality, he wouldn’t have missed the chance to track down a Greater demon just because of personal feelings.

Anyway, with this speed of judgment, the Pope must be quite smart.

‘This is a headache.’

I’m starting to get a headache as I roughly grasp the situation.

I’m not confident when it comes to this kind of pure mind game.

I also doubt that Jade can withstand this kind of intrigue well.

Well, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just have to use force.

“Hahaha! The Hero? Why would the Hero suddenly be here?”

Meanwhile, Antonio didn’t change his expression at all, even though he was hit right on the mark.

He’s improved a lot in his acting skills over the years.

“We already know everything. You left the Holy Kingdom for a few days to escort the Hero, didn’t you?”

“That’s right. But I couldn’t find the Hero in Growburn Village. We must have missed each other. That’s why I said in my report on the Dungeon that I didn’t see the Hero.”

-Slide.

Antonio denied the Cardinal’s words and gestured something behind his back.

It was clearly a signal for us to hide.

Right now, we can’t be seen thanks to Lord Antonio blocking the entrance, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered.

I lowered my head and whispered to the two who were nervous.

“We can’t let them find out we’re here. Especially Jade, it’s important that you don’t get caught.”

“Then we should hide.”

Jade, who roughly understood the situation, also lowered her voice and started speaking.

“W-Where? Should we hide here?”

-Thump!

Annie, flustered, quickly went under the table.

“How is it? Can’t you see me?”

Uh… I think they’ll find you right away there.

Annie’s red hair was too visible to be considered hiding.

“Let’s just hide in the room.”

“There’s no place to hide here, so we’re in big trouble. If they barge in like this, it’s only a matter of time before we’re discovered.”

While we were panicking, we heard the Cardinal’s words.

“Hahaha! Is that so? It seems to me that the people behind Lord Antonio are the ones.”

“I’m the only one in this house. Has your eyesight gotten worse than an old man like me?”

“If you think I’m bluffing, I’ll tell you exactly. One man and two women who were in the living room.”

“…”

Well, it seems like we’ve already been caught.

Lord Antonio seemed to be at a loss for words at the Cardinal’s accurate words.

“Annie, you can just come out. It’s already too late.”

“…Okay.”

Annie, dejected, slowly crawled out from under the table.

The situation was too bad.

We were talking in the living room, and they happened to come at that timing, so they probably saw us as soon as the door opened.

“Well… Good. I won’t hide that I’m with the Hero. But I’ll be taking the Hero with me. So, go back.”

“These are the orders of His Holiness the Pope. We’ve brought several carriages, so please come with us to the Great Temple.”

“…What if I refuse?”

Antonio refused the order and slightly raised his hammer.

Clang, clang-

Immediately, the Holy Knights next to the Cardinal all drew their swords and pointed their blades at Antonio.

“You know, don’t you? We’ll have no choice but to take you by force.”

“Haha. Are you serious? Me?”

Uh… Is the scene I’m seeing real?

“Sigh…”

I felt stuffy and sighed involuntarily.

To think that the knights of the Holy Kingdom would point their swords at Lord Antonio.

Originally, they should all prostrate themselves and bow as soon as they saw the Hero, but is this right?

If I were the Hero, I would have lost my temper and punched them.

‘Was it wrong for me not to come to the Holy Kingdom?’

Has the world changed a lot in just a few years?

Anyway, seeing this ridiculous thing happen, I have to completely overhaul the Holy Kingdom this time.

Let’s start by replacing the Pope and the Cardinal.

And I don’t think the Pope is stupid, so I’m not too worried… but if he did anything bad to The Saintess, the Pope will have to be prepared.

Of course, if that’s not the case?

I can just enjoy myself comfortably.