Seongguk – Intersection

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Lena and Jade moved quickly and soon arrived at the banquet hall.

However, Jade hesitated in front of the entrance to the banquet hall, unable to open the door.

The door was splendidly decorated.

If he opened it and went inside, he would have to deal with countless people again.

To Jade, this door looked like the entrance to the Demon World.

“Haa… I really don’t want to go in.”

Jade sighed, already feeling the fatigue washing over him.

Lena, who was next to him, looked frustrated.

“Tsk, tsk. I gave you something good earlier, how can you be like this?”

“That was good, but…”

“You’re so frustrating… Okay. If you do a good job dealing with the envoys and come back, I’ll give you another gift tonight. How about that?”

‘Another gift tonight?’

At Lena’s suggestion, Jade’s body suddenly surged with energy.

For tonight, this much hardship was no problem.

Jade pounded his chest with his palm and said,

“Trust me. I’ll remember the information from each country and pass it on to you.”

“Good. That’s the attitude I wanted. I’ll be cheering you on from behind.”

Lena’s face brightened at Jade’s confident appearance.

“Let’s go in now.”

“Just a moment!”

As the two were about to enter the banquet hall, they looked around at the sound of someone calling out, and a priest was running towards them.

“Huff, huff… Are you the Hero and Lena? You’re finally here. I’ve been looking for you.”

‘Oh dear.’

Did I make someone suffer for nothing because I disappeared without saying anything?

Jade felt sorry for the priest who was sweating profusely.

“I’m sorry. I had some business to take care of. Did you need something from me?”

“Ah, I wasn’t looking for the Hero, but for Lena.”

“Not me, but Lena?”

I naturally thought he was here to find me…?

Jade couldn’t think of a reason why he would be looking for Lena instead of him.

“Yes. His Holiness the Pope has summoned Lena to the Papal Palace.”

“His Holiness the Pope is summoning me? So suddenly?”

Jade could tell at a glance that Lena, who was listening to the conversation next to him, was also flustered.

“I didn’t hear the details either. I was just told to bring Lena, who would be at the banquet hall…”

“Then it seems like I’m late, please guide me quickly. I’ll follow you.”

“Lena, wait a moment.”

Jade stopped Lena, who was about to follow the priest right away.

“Why?”

“Is it okay for you to talk to the Pope alone?”

“It’s okay.”

Even with Lena saying it was okay, Jade couldn’t feel at ease.

Of course, when I actually met the Pope, he didn’t seem like a terrible villain as I had expected. He was kind and considerate, and he even handed over The Saintess to us without any friction.

But I hadn’t completely erased my doubts. The fact that Lord Antonio still hadn’t been allowed to meet The Saintess, and the reason for the exploitation in the name of Divine Power, hadn’t been resolved.

“Come with me for a moment.”

Jade grabbed Lena’s hand and walked away, putting some distance between them and the priest. Then he began to persuade Lena again.

“Lena, you need to think carefully. What if the Pope does something to you?”

“Actually, I’m a little worried too. But he handed The Saintess over to us, so he’s probably trying to be lenient. I don’t know exactly, but he’s probably going to ask about the Hero Party in your place since you’re busy.”

“I’d rather go with you. Then it’ll be okay.”

“You have to deal with the diplomatic envoys, Jade. I can do it alone. You don’t have to protect me so much.”

“Still, can’t you not go? You know it’s not because I don’t trust you.”

“Hmm… then let’s do this.”

Lena suddenly rummaged through her bosom and handed something to Jade.

In Lena’s hand was a small, red device.

“What’s this? I can’t figure out what it is at first glance.”

“Just take it.”

Lena placed the device in Jade’s hand and began to explain.

“It’s easier to think of it as a device for sending messages. I have one too, and when you press the button on one side, a signal goes to the other side. I originally used it to talk to Annie in the dormitory. I took it with me when I left the dormitory.”

“But why suddenly this…?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking at it? You’re so worried about me. If something dangerous happens, I’ll press it, and then you can come and save me.”

With this, even if Lena were in danger, he could quickly go and save her.

“Okay. I think I can rest assured with this.”

Jade liked the switch very much.

“Then I’ll go! Take good care of the diplomatic envoys.”

Lena waved to Jade as she followed the priest.

“Be careful too.”

Jade waved back in the same way.

“I wonder if she’ll be okay…”

Even though he said he was relieved, Jade was still a little worried about Lena.

These days, now that he was in love with Lena, he felt that his interest and worry for her had increased several times over.

Of course, Lena was far superior to him in fields that required thinking, such as tactics and politics. Even if he was by her side, he wouldn’t be of much help.

‘It might be an opportunity.’

If it was Lena, she would be able to obtain various information about the Pope through this meeting.

“Let’s go.”

Now I have to do what I have to do.

That way, I can get Lena’s ‘gift’ too.

Jade shook off his worries about Lena and entered the banquet hall.

**

-Knock knock.

“You may enter.”

-Creak.

As Lena carefully opened the door to the Papal Palace and entered, the Pope was waiting for her inside.

“Hello. I heard you were looking for me.”

“Welcome. I’ve been waiting for you, Lena. Please sit here.”

“Yes.”

Lena sat in the chair opposite the Pope.

The desk in front of the Pope was neatly cleared of documents, perhaps for the conversation with Lena.

“So, what is it that you wanted to see me about…?”

Lena, looking around with a slightly nervous expression, discovered something in front of her.

It was a glass filled with liquid.

The same glass was placed in front of the Pope on the other side.

“Is this tea?”

“It’s my favorite tea. It’s made from the leaves of a plant that only grows in the northern part of the Empire. Why don’t you try some? I’m sure Lena will love it.”

The Pope smiled and raised his teacup. He brought it to his nose, smelled the aroma, and began to drink the tea first.

“Hmm… the aroma is good today too.”

“Then I will too…”

Seeing that, Lena hesitated for a moment and took a sip of the tea.

-Slurp.

“!!”

Lena’s eyes widened as she tasted the tea.

“Delicious.”

And she continued to gulp down the tea.

The Pope was watching her finish the tea in an instant with a satisfied smile.

“Haha, it seems you like the tea. I’ll pack some for you when you leave.”

“Ugh…”

Realizing that she had shown a disgraceful sight in front of the Pope, Lena blushed and hurriedly wiped her mouth.

“Ahem! Thank you for letting me taste such precious tea. By the way, why did you call only me and leave Jade behind?”

“There’s plenty of time. First of all, before we get to the main point, you were quite late in coming here… Is there a reason? There’s dirt on your clothes too.”

“The reason I was late is… Ah!”

At the Pope’s words, Lena seemed to remember something and asked the Pope a question.

“Jade and I met an unidentified Wizard in the garden near the banquet hall, do you happen to know who that person is? He was a young and very powerful Wizard.”

“An unidentified Wizard…”

The Pope put his hand on his forehead and fell into thought.

“Are you perhaps talking about Ian?”

“Ian? What does he do?”

“He’s someone who was supposed to come from the Magic Tower at my invitation. Thanks to his outstanding talent, he became a disciple of the Magic Tower Lord a few days ago. Did something happen between you and him?”

“Well, there was a bit of friction…”

Lena trailed off, unable to tell the details of what had happened.

If she went into detail, it was clear that what she and Jade had done in the garden would be revealed.

“Originally, genius Wizards don’t understand other people and have a bit of arrogance. Because of that kind of personality, they often have problems in relationships between people. If Ian has been rude to the Hero and Lena, I will apologize on his behalf.”

“It’s okay. There was just a slight misunderstanding between us.”

“Haha, then that’s a relief. If a conflict had arisen between the Hero and someone who might become the next Magic Tower Lord, it would have been a headache.”

The Pope took a sip of tea and then put down the teacup.

-Clack.

“Then shall we get to the main point?”

“Yes.”

-Gulp.

At the Pope’s serious expression, Lena swallowed and straightened her posture.

“The reason I called Lena is to talk about the future of the Hero Party.”

The Pope paused and cleared his throat for a moment.

“To put it bluntly, Lena, you must leave the Hero Party.”