episode_0217

Chapter 217 – Year-End Party

‘A Paladin?’

The unexpected words caught me off guard.

Not only me, but Deborah and even the Saintess widened their eyes in surprise.

“A-A Paladin?”

“Yes. All transmigrators possess special abilities. They are powers bestowed by the Goddess. Abilities sculpted into the most fitting form for the individual.”

“Most fitting ability…”

Deborah’s gaze turned to me.

Her eyes were filled with the question of what on earth I could have done for ‘rape’ to be considered the most fitting ability for me.

It was understandable, as I hadn’t explained my situation before transmigration to Deborah.

However, I was just as perplexed.

‘Does she truly believe I was framed?’

Even if I was an excellent rapist now, at the time, I was merely an innocent victim who had been falsely accused.

But does that mean the Goddess perceived me as a rapist regardless?

Fortunately, that question was resolved by the Pope’s subsequent answer.

“The problem is that the Goddess of Darkness, Nephelina, intervened in that process.”

“The Goddess of Darkness… Nephelina?”

“Yes. Nephelina intervened at the very moment Repentia-nim was about to summon the transmigrators. Thanks to that, many things became twisted. Those who were supposed to come were omitted, and those who shouldn’t have came instead.”

“Those who shouldn’t have…”

“Originally, Repentia-nim would have selected benevolent and righteous individuals. But Nephelina arbitrarily changed them into heinous criminals. It’s obvious what they would do with powerful abilities, isn’t it?”

The Pope’s words were not far from the truth.

After all, on my very first day of transmigration, I saw a transmigrator using aphrodisiacs to rape Alisa.

And I, too, eventually became a criminal who could nonchalantly consider rape, even if it was due to circumstances.

But there must be others who aren’t.

For example, Pernia, although she went slightly astray in the middle, has continued to stay with Abel’s party and cooperate with them.

Kenneth only slaughters monsters and has never harmed the people of the continent.

Deborah voiced my thoughts for me.

“But there’s no guarantee they’ll commit crimes, is there? What if there are innocent people among them?”

“That’s why we must ferret them out as quickly as possible. It would be a grave matter if such individuals fell into the hands of the Dark Cult. In fact, the apostle known as the Golden Ghost has become the greatest threat to the Church right now. The Church must prevent the birth of a second or third Golden Ghost.”

There was no room for argument.

Getting angry now would be no different than admitting I was a transmigrator.

More importantly, I wasn’t angry.

‘I just need to avoid getting caught.’

Now that I’ve broken the ice with the Pope, all I need to do is continue to maintain my relationship with the Saintess and extract information from the Church.

Sometimes, I could even disrupt them by leaking false information.

“Ahem! Anyway, that’s about all the information I can give regarding transmigrators. Any more than this would truly be difficult. Please understand.”

“That’s enough. Thanks to you, I learned a lot. Thank you.”

“Haha! No need for that. It’s a token of my apology, isn’t it? More importantly, don’t you have anything to ask? We somehow skipped over that.”

At the Pope’s words, I fell into momentary thought.

‘What should I ask?’

It was difficult to ask for more confidential information, and there was nothing else I could think of to ask right away.

It was then, as I racked my brain, that my eyes caught sight of the statue outside the window.

‘Ah, that was it?’

There was one thing I was curious about regarding the Goddess.

I immediately questioned the Pope.

“Your Holiness, have you ever actually met the Goddess?”

“Haha! The Goddess, you say? The Goddess is busy preventing Nephelina’s descent. She doesn’t have time to manifest in the Mortal Realm.”

“Is that so? That’s a shame.”

“Do you wish to meet the Goddess in person? May I ask why?”

“Well…”

I turned my head and stared at the statue.

Delicate yet splendid features. Overwhelmingly ample breasts comparable to the Saintess, a slender waist, wide hips. And shapely thighs with beautifully toned calves.

It was such incredible beauty that she could be called the Goddess of Beauty rather than the Goddess of Light.

To the extent that any man living on this continent would want to see her at least once.

“She’s pretty.”

“What? Hahaha! Yes. The Goddess is indeed beautiful. I hope you can see her someday.”

“Also, I’m curious if she actually looks exactly like that statue.”

I wanted to confirm if the sculptor was just overly biased, or if she was truly that beautiful.

At my words, the Pope smiled gently and unraveled a story.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The sculptor, Malicent, who carved the statue, even said that his skill was utterly insufficient to express the Goddess’s beauty. There will be no disappointment.”

“That’s a relief. Thank you for answering my trivial question.”

“Haha! Not at all. Rather, it makes me feel young again, which is pleasant. Now, please go enjoy the party. I must be going too.”

“Yes. It was a pleasure, Your Holiness.”

The Pope left with that simple farewell, then disappeared with the Paladin.

Afterward, the Saintess led us.

“Shall we head to the party now? There’s a lot of delicious food, so you should look forward to it!”

“Yes. Let’s go then.”

It was just after we had left the grand cathedral.

“Oh my? Saintess-nim. Are you coming out now?”

A woman, adorned with such dazzling makeup and accessories that it was hard to believe she was a priestess, approached us.

Unfortunately, despite her diligent efforts to adorn herself, she couldn’t match the unadorned beauty of the Saintess.

The Saintess greeted her warmly.

“Cardinal Karlen! It’s been a while!”

“Yes. You too, Saintess-nim. But who are these two beside you? Could you introduce them?”

“Ah! This gentleman here is Young Master Ruan Friuli. And this young lady is Deborah. She’s a disciple of the famous Grey Tower Master-nim.”

“Oh my! So she is. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Cardinal Karlen.”

Karlen shook Deborah’s hand, then approached me.

I merely stared blankly at her.

‘When should I kill her?’

This wasn’t a thought from a psychopath, but rather because Karlen was, of course, a person who deserved to be killed.

Because she was secretly colluding with the Dark Cult and would later make a contract with Lilith, the Archdemon of Lust.

Since she was planning to betray the Church and inflict immense damage, it would be beneficial to deal with her in advance.

In the first place, it was probably this woman who leaked our information to the succubi during the last undercover investigation.

While I adjusted the timing in my mind, outwardly, I wore a friendly smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Ruan Friuli.”

“Hoho! Friuli, you say? Are you the son of Duke Byungang? You are truly handsome.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Your Eminence is also beautiful.”

“Thank you. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll be going now. Saintess-nim. See you again.”

“Yes! Take care!”

The Saintess, never even dreaming that Karlen would be a traitor, waved her hand brightly and saw her off.

Once Karlen disappeared, she tilted her head.

“That’s strange. Why did she leave right away today?”

“Why? What did she usually do?”

“She asks me to go shopping with her every day. She asks why I don’t wear makeup and even offered to teach me her makeup techniques.”

“…Ah.”

It seemed Karlen wanted to close the distance with the Saintess in advance.

Once they became close, anything was possible.

However, the reason she left right away was probably because of Deborah.

For a split second, I saw Karlen’s face twist as she observed Deborah and the Saintess.

Perhaps she didn’t want the very handsome and cool young man to compare her, an older woman, with the lively young beauties.

I fully understood that feeling.

“Hmph!”

As I nodded with a satisfied smile, the Saintess tugged at my sleeve.

“Young Master. Stop acting strange and let’s go. We’ll be late for the party.”

“Huh? What strange thing did I…”

“Hurry! Let’s go!”

“U-uh, oh!”

I was dragged along by the Saintess to the party venue.

*

After finishing lunch and having a simple tea time, we finally headed to the orphanage.

In front of it, the orphanage director and a crowd of orphans were already waiting.

“Whoa! Saintess-nim!”

“I missed you!”

“Hello!”

Regardless of gender or age, the children enthusiastically welcomed the Saintess.

The orphanage director quickly stepped forward, calming the children.

“Saintess-nim. Welcome. Thank you for coming every year.”

“Oh, it’s nothing! I wanted to come, you know. And today, I brought others with me. These are the people who agreed to help!”

The orphanage director’s gaze turned to us.

Her skin was wrinkled by the passage of time, and her eyes held a gentle wisdom gained from countless experiences.

Her appearance was reminiscent of figures like Mother Teresa, whom one would only read about in biographies of great figures.

“Hello. I am Ruan Friuli. Please take good care of us today.”

“I’m Deborah. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. If you get tired, please say so in advance. The children are very energetic, so it will be quite tiring.”

Her gentle voice eased the tension that had unknowingly built up after meeting the Pope.

Just then, the Saintess interjected.

“By the way, Director-nim. I’ve prepared a cake. What should we do with it? Would you like to eat it now?”

“…A cake?”

“Yes. It was baked really deliciously today, so don’t worry!”

The Saintess confidently puffed out her chest.

In stark contrast, the orphanage director’s face stiffened slightly.

If even someone reminiscent of Mother Teresa could stiffen their face, it must mean the Saintess’s cake was truly terrible.

The orphanage director quickly blurted out an excuse.

“L-Let’s eat the cake later. It hasn’t been long since we finished lunch. It’s playtime now, so we’ll eat it when the children’s stomachs settle.”

—Aaaaaah…

As soon as the orphanage director finished speaking, sighs echoed from all around.

A deep sense of despair lay on the faces of all the orphans. It seemed they were distraught at the thought of having to taste that terrible food again.

Even the light faded from the eyes of a female student who had constantly gazed at the Saintess with admiration.

However, I didn’t bother to blurt out anything like, “This time it’s different.”

After all, a twist has the most impact when it’s unexpected.

I decided to look forward to their reactions then.

“Young Master! Deborah. You two play with the children here for a bit. I’ll go put away the cake.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

The Saintess whispered with the orphanage director and entered the building.

With their restrainer gone, the children had a field day.

“Wow! Unnie! Is your name Deborah? You’re pretty!”

“Your eyes are like stars! They sparkle!”

“Do you have a boyfriend? If not, will you go out with me?”

The boys instantly fell for Deborah and threw flirtatious advances at her.

“Oppa! Are you a noble?”

“You’re so handsome! Like a bad boy!”

“Do you have a girlfriend? Can I apply to be one?”

The girls, only slightly softer in their speech, similarly tried to monopolize my side.

This is why being too handsome isn’t always good.

‘This is troublesome.’

I shook my head, basking in my superiority, then reached out and pulled Deborah closer.

“Ah! Ru-Ruan?”

I held the startled girl in my arms, rested my chin on her shoulder, and said nonchalantly.

“Kids. We’re dating. So, sorry. Got it?”

—Aaaah…

Sighs descended once more.

However, it seemed there were rebellious spirits among the children, as one uttered a suspicious remark.

“I-Isn’t that a lie?”

It was a boy of about 15 years old.

At that age, they were treated almost as adults in this world. Many even married quite early, at that age.

I turned my head and faced Deborah.

“Deborah. They’re suspicious. What should we do?”

“Huh?”

“I think we need to show them some proof?”

“Ugh…! Wh-What…”

“Here.”

I lightly tapped my lips.

Understanding the meaning, Deborah blushed, conscious of the children’s gazes, then cautiously closed her eyes and kissed me.

The suspicious boy saw the scene, then made a tearful face and ran away.

My victory.

‘How dare they covet whom?’

I, Ruan Friuli.

Even if it’s a child, if they pick a fight, I won’t back down.