Ch.150She wants it.

# Chapter 150: She Wants It

The basis for transferring some of the Pope’s authority to Emilia…

In reality, from the perspective of this “real world,” I had nothing concrete to offer right away.

To be precise, I had suspicions but no physical evidence.

However, when it came to Riel, our former tutorial bot, I could present very definite “proof.”

I gestured for Riel to come closer, then whispered softly in her ear.

“Riel, the truth is… I received an event message.”

“…Really?”

Perhaps finding my statement random, Riel widened her eyes in surprise.

Of course, that was the normal reaction, so I nodded once and then…

[Time Pause]

I recalled the event message that had suddenly appeared during my work recently and began searching through my message window.

…However, due to the sheer number of accumulated messages…

The minor embarrassment of taking quite a while to find the relevant message was something I decided to… erase from my mind.

‘Well, since time is paused, time is on my side anyway.’

And after some time had passed…

‘Found it.’

I finally succeeded in bringing up what I had been searching for among the mountain of various event messages.

[Event: There is no loyalty without compensation.]

[Emilia Hart, the Vatican’s interim administrator, was a capable assistant who had served the late Pope since his youth before his explosive death.]

[Although unlike most assistants, she came from a commoner background and her abilities were confined to within the Vatican, making the outside world generally distrustful of her…]

[In reality, from the plans supposedly put forward by the late Pope]

[To grand schemes like the Zeltech-Vatican alliance operation to usurp the imperial throne]

[To the selection of internal troops, supply management, administrative systems, personnel management, and handling various internal Vatican issues…]

[She was truly instrumental in building the Vatican into a power capable of challenging even the Emperor’s authority.]

[But for all her service, the late Pope gave her nothing in return.]

[To be precise, he did promise her the highest glory and compensation once he reclaimed his position…]

[But the person who made that promise was tragically reduced to dust in a bomb attack.]

[As a result, she fell into despair as her lifelong dreams turned to nothing, becoming like a robot that simply follows orders.]

[Emilia Hart, Vatican Interim Administrator, has developed the trait ‘Apathy’ (overall ability reduction)]

‘It would have been nice if they’d summarized this more concisely.’

To summarize the message in one line:

‘A capable assistant was exploited, had her pay withheld, and is now mentally broken!’

That would be accurate enough.

But what was important wasn’t that event message, but the additional event message that appeared right after:

[Event: Loyalty requires compensation.]

[After the Vatican’s surrender, intelligence agents dispatched from the Diplomatic Enforcement Agency conducted an in-depth analysis of Emilia’s situation and attitude.]

[As a result, they concluded that with appropriate response and promised rewards, she could be transformed into a loyal subject to you.]

[Of course, given that she was loyal to that vicious late Pope and nearly dealt a severe blow to the Empire and imperial authority, you could alternatively punish her for those crimes and lead her to a miserable end.]

[Option 1: She was merely a tool; we will welcome her as a friend and colleague (proceed to linked event)] <Selected>

[Option 2: Considering her crimes, ensure she pays an adequate price (proceed to linked event)]

‘Hmm.’

In gaming terms, this was essentially a headhunting… or recruitment event.

One disappointing aspect was that I had no detailed way of knowing what her “capabilities” were.

In the original game system, I would have at least seen a status window or performance metrics for a “character I’m recruiting”…

But even approaching my 17th year since being transported to this world, I still hadn’t found a way to check anyone else’s status window besides my own.

‘A status window that can’t see other status windows? Pew pew…’

But based on the event message description and the evaluation from the Diplomatic Enforcement agents who sent me the report, her capabilities seemed to exceed those of most characters I’d seen in the game…

[Time Pause Release]

I released the time pause while keeping the message displayed, recited its contents to Riel, and then said:

“That’s why I want to share some of the Pope’s authority and power with Emilia.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

Riel nodded in response to my explanation, seeming to find it reasonable.

“But what if, after all this preparation, she refuses?”

“…Do we need to consider that possibility?”

I couldn’t help but feel perplexed by Riel’s words.

A talent recruitment event where the recruit refuses us?

Where did she get such a troublesome idea to put in my head?

Seeing my reaction, Riel shook her head and continued:

“Think about it, Minister. According to the event content you described, we’re only ‘proposing’ the offer.”

“That’s right.”

“But most recruitment events happen when the other party is already inclined toward us, and we just make the choice.”

“…!”

“The situation is a bit different from usual, so if we’re not careful, all our preparations might collapse, Minister.”

The moment I heard Riel point out something I hadn’t considered…

I realized that my grand plan, carefully crafted using time pauses, could be destroyed before it even began.

‘Oh crap, what do I do now?’

But it wasn’t like I could stop the current situation.

Or more precisely, I had no intention of stopping.

“Even if we fail, we GO!”

“Oh nooo…”

With the thought that I’d already fired Chekhov’s gun, I sent the carefully prepared compensation plan along with the Vatican’s administrative paperwork.

All the while, I spent the night anxious about what would happen if she really did refuse.

————————————–

But the very next morning after sending the proposal…

“…”

“Duke Arto, from now on I will serve as your faithful servant or slave, pledging my eternal loyalty.”

“Umm…”

“Command me to do anything; if you tell me to undress, I will do so and anything else!”

Riel and I felt indescribable emotions as we watched Emilia weeping and pledging her loyalty outside the office early in the morning.

No, it went beyond a simple loyalty pledge. It was more like…

‘Ah, so Emilia is indeed from the Vatican after all.’

That’s what came to mind seeing her fanatical behavior.

However, we couldn’t leave her prostrating herself outside the office forever, going beyond even the most extreme forms of kowtowing.

“Riel, let’s bring her inside…”

“Yes.”

We brought the fanatic-like woman into the office.

“Here you go.”

“Ah, thank you, Assistant Riel.”

We decided to calm her down with a warm cup of tea while talking.

But ironically, as Emilia calmed down with the tea, she became much quieter.

We could only manage brief conversations.

In the end, it was just a repetition of the loyalty pledge she had cried out earlier.

After sending her back to the Vatican…

“…Did I do the right thing, Riel?”

Looking through the window at the departing Vatican group, I could only utter words tinged with regret.

“Well, at least you succeeded in gaining one more devoted fanatic.”

And in response to my reaction, Riel answered with something of a sarcastic tone.

“…”

“…”

But we couldn’t maintain this awkward atmosphere forever.

Sitting back down, I decided to focus on work and quickly move past this subtle tension.

However, just as I was about to get back to work with that thought in mind…

-Ding♬

[Time Pause]

[Event: The Best Play!]

[News of how your achievements prevented the Empire’s system from being overthrown is spreading to various countries through diplomatic missions.]

[And to take advantage of this opportunity, an event is being held to demonstrate the Empire’s resilience!]

[Of course, whether you participate or not is up to you.]

[But it might be best not to imagine what disaster might occur if the key figures don’t attend an event meant to showcase the Empire’s strength.]

[Option 1: Do they really need me? Everyone will manage on their own. (Proceed to linked event, -10 goodwill with Artlaia)]

[Option 2: They need me to make the party shine. (Proceed to linked event)]

Reading the content of the newly appeared event message, I felt another sigh trying to escape from within me.