Chapter 12. Honor and Sacrifice (10)

It was my first time flying on a plane for that long.

And it was also my first time flying on such a luxurious plane.

It’s not that I’d never flown on a plane in my past life. I had traveled abroad a few times.

My salary wasn’t that high. Naturally, I only flew economy class. I had only heard of business class and seen it in pictures.

While I thought they wouldn’t put me in economy class-

“…Hey, Ria.”

“What?”

“Is it really okay for religious people to travel in such nice seats?”

I asked Ria with a rather serious expression.

Ria’s expression turned a bit bewildered for a moment.

Right. Ria probably seems like someone who has flown on a plane before. And probably in good seats too, since she’s the daughter of a wealthy family.

I don’t know if it would be this level of good seats- but if she had a chance to fly with someone high-ranking, it’s possible.

The plane we were on was closer to what’s commonly called a charter flight.

Since I had only seen business class in pictures, this was my first time seeing an entire section of the plane decorated like a large room. The seats were literally sofas.

There was also a large TV, and plenty of drinks and snacks were prepared.

When people think of charter flights, they usually imagine medium or small planes, but this plane wasn’t like that. The Vatican was in Vatican City, and naturally, to get there, a small plane would lack the fuel. Even with a plane utilizing magic.

The plane we were on was a massive one, the kind that an airline would need to fill with passengers to make a profit.

“…”

At first, Ria seemed about to answer my somewhat foolish question, but then she seemed to change her mind.

“It seems they think you’re a very important person.”

Ria answered like that.

Oh, but doesn’t it really feel like she’s explaining something to someone who knows absolutely nothing?

“Humility is a good attitude to gain favor with others. But it doesn’t work everywhere. If you keep saying you’re okay, people will genuinely think you are.”

“Oh, but I wouldn’t mind if the seats were a bit smaller…”

“That’s why I’m saying it’s not just the seats that will get smaller. They’ll start belittling everything you do. It’s about time some fools start thinking that everything can be achieved just by sitting and praying.”

“Uh-“

“…Don’t say it’s okay.”

Ria said that and then grabbed my hand.

In the center of her hand was a small wound. A wound that looked like it had been pricked by something sharp.

“Can you still say that after seeing something like this?”

It would only provoke Ria if I tried to say that the extent of my injuries was small compared to others who would die.

I chose to just nod quietly.

*

The Vatican was, the Vatican.

In other words, I have nothing else to explain besides that.

Isn’t it the most religious region in the world? A city-state with a population of less than a thousand, so small that it’s questionable whether it can be called a country.

Even that population is symbolic; citizens are not granted nationality by being born in the Vatican, but rather by cardinals and the like granting them citizenship. Therefore, of the less than a thousand people, less than a quarter actually live in the Vatican.

Of course, if there were only clergy in a real city, it wouldn’t function normally, so people from other countries come to work. At least most of the shops here are run by Roman citizens, and as for military power… in the past, one might think of the Swiss Guard, but now there’s an official knight order. And not just one or two.

Well, even if it’s military power, most of them are hunters or heroes.

To be honest, my heart pounded a little. It was my first time visiting Europe. The scenery itself was completely different from my home country.

Normally, my appearance stands out quite a bit. Even in a globalized South Korea, people of my race were still a minority.

But here, my appearance blended in more smoothly than Ria’s. I had also securely hidden my hair within my veil, so the dyed parts didn’t stand out.

Although the nun’s habit was a bit tight- well, we can just consider it as the design varying slightly by order.

Just as Korea has a state religion, this place also has one. In a sense, the current Vatican has become much stronger than the Vatican of the past.

If we had only stayed within the Vatican, it might have been a bit disappointing, but our destination was ultimately Rome, not the Vatican. The Lateran Basilica, where the Pope resides, was in Rome.

Quite some time had passed since the Gate disaster. Rome had become a bustling tourist city again, just like in the old days. But as we entered the thick walls of the basilica, the clamor outside subsided significantly.

The air was somewhat heavy. I found myself walking cautiously as people with completely different cultures from those I usually meet were moving carefully down the corridor.

“I believe you’ve already heard about the Pope’s health.”

Sister Maria, walking beside me, spoke.

“It’s a very famous matter. There’s even talk of electing a new Pope.”

I knew that too. Actually, I hadn’t paid much attention, but since I lived in the church, it was a topic that always came up during political discussions. I often heard it in the dining hall.

It had been almost five years since the Pope had become reclusive.

It wasn’t that he had completely disappeared inside, but he would come out to officiate important masses or attend events. However, the more he did, the more apparent it became that the Pope was aging and becoming ill… I had seen it a few times on the news.

Even to me, who didn’t know much, it seemed that way. He had pale skin and thick dark circles under his eyes, giving him a rather intense impression.

Did he say he was injured in the past?

Is it something that the holy power of the Pope or other clergy cannot do anything about?

“…Originally, there would have been many more procedures. Ah, of course, these procedures are not because they doubt the Saint Candidate. I’m talking about various events.”

“Like a welcoming ceremony?”

“That’s right. I heard you danced too.”

No, who on earth- Ah, right. I attended with the church people.

My face felt hot for no reason.

“The church’s welcoming ceremonies won’t be that much fun. Above all, you don’t seem to like that sort of thing. And…”

“And, perhaps the Pope’s condition…?”

Sister Maria nodded. Her expression wasn’t very good.

Perhaps she was personally close to the Pope? Ah, of course, the relationship between a nun and a priest, even if they were close, was like that of a supervisor and subordinate who had a few more conversations.

“…I…”

Sister Maria tried to say something, but then closed her mouth and shook her head.

“It’s better not to talk about this now.”

Saying that, she stood in front of a rather large and thick door.

There was some back-and-forth. Italian was exchanged, and a fully armed knight guarding the door slowly opened the massive door.

With a creaking, heavy sound, the opened door revealed the back of a haggard old man.

And-

“…Oh.”

I muttered.

The Pope was praying. Naturally, praying on his knees on the floor in a formal posture is not a good posture for health. It was not a posture that an elderly person with bad knees and back could manage.

Even the current Pope looked like he could collapse at any moment, but he was praying while sitting.

It wasn’t a simple religious ritual.

It had a more practical meaning-

“…Anna.”

Ria called me and lightly touched my arm.

At the point she pointed with her finger, there was a spot.

A very, very small dot.

Floating in the air.

It was a mana sphere.

However, it was somewhat different from what I had seen before. It didn’t have the shape of an eye, nor did it seem to be alive and moving.

Even though it was so small that a clergyman, if not me, could probably get rid of it.

We slowly approached the Pope. We saw the Pope’s profile, which had only been visible from the back.

His praying fingertips, with sweat beading on his forehead, were blackened and dead.

“My goodness.”

I muttered involuntarily.

So, the ‘reason the Pope was dying’ was probably here.

Because of that small mana sphere.

“It appeared right after the Gate disaster. Since then, the Pope has been praying for a set amount of time every day.”

“…”

“We don’t know what that is.”

Sister Maria spoke softly. Her voice was small, as if she didn’t want to disturb the Pope.

“However, we haven’t been able to get rid of it, no matter what we’ve tried. The government of this country knows, and neighboring countries know- but it hasn’t been revealed to anyone else yet.”

And, they found hope.

Perhaps, for these people, that hope was me.