Chapter 280

*Thud.*

The Pope collapsed onto the floor, landing beneath the sofa in an undignified heap.

The Cardinal also nearly tumbled off the edge of the sofa, barely managing to maintain his balance.

Their eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

It was understandable.

Saint Lepheria.

Even in the Church’s records, she was described as a saint who couldn’t speak.

But a voice had suddenly emerged from her.

And it was…

A chilling, unsettling voice that seemed to scrape against their souls.

An eerie silence filled the room as the Pope and the Cardinal stammered incoherently.

And then,

– What are you doing?

The Saint, the very person who had created this unsettling atmosphere, calmly signed, as if nothing had happened.

Huh…?

W-What…?

The Pope and the Cardinal blinked repeatedly, their eyes filled with confusion.

They exchanged glances, as if on cue.

Did you see that?

Y-Yes, I definitely saw it.

They confirmed that they weren’t hallucinating.

No, it couldn’t be a hallucination.

They had seen and heard it with their own eyes and ears…

“Huh?!”

“What?!”

They exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with surprise.

Because they saw it.

The Saint’s eyes were their usual ocean blue.

It was impossible.

Just a moment ago, they had been blood red…

– Why are you just sitting there? Get up.

The Saint extended her hand to the Pope, who was still sprawled on the floor.

The Pope instinctively took her hand.

It was warm and soft, the hand of a living human.

Her hand helped him up.

The Pope sat back down on the sofa, or rather, was placed back on the sofa.

His face was blank, as if he had seen a ghost.

The Cardinal also stared at the Saint’s face, as if trying to find something, but he couldn’t seem to find anything out of the ordinary.

It was then.

The communication device on the nearby desk beeped and flashed.

Someone was calling.

The Pope and the Cardinal glanced at the Saint nervously.

– Answer it.

The Saint said with a gentle smile.

But the Pope hesitated.

He wouldn’t have hesitated under normal circumstances.

Because he knew that she couldn’t hear, even if she could read lips.

But that obvious fact had been shattered by the previous event.

Her voice.

He had clearly heard her voice.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

“Your Holiness… It seems urgent.”

“Ah, right.”

The Pope, prompted by the Cardinal, reluctantly stood up and approached the communication device.

But he made sure to keep his back to the Saint and his body blocking the screen.

He felt uneasy.

And he also wanted to confirm something.

Whether she could actually hear or not.

He activated the device.

*Bzzt.*

The screen lit up.

“What is it…?”

– Oh, isn’t this His Holiness the Pope? It seems like you have someone even more important behind you.

An unfamiliar voice.

The face was also unfamiliar.

It was someone he didn’t know.

The Pope’s face hardened instinctively.

It was understandable.

An unknown person appearing on this dedicated communication channel was an impossible occurrence.

It meant that…

“M-Max Celtrine?!”

The Cardinal, who had approached at some point, exclaimed in surprise, revealing the identity of the unknown person.

– Oh, you know me. I know His Eminence the Cardinal as well.

Max Celtrine grinned, his tone casual and confident.

The Pope muttered, his face stiff, “So this is…”

– Yes, the one and only Max Celtrine. A devout believer, might I add. But why are you treating me so poorly, Your Holiness? Tell me, what did I do to deserve this?

His words were incredibly disrespectful.

Under normal circumstances, both the Pope and the Cardinal would have been furious.

But the situation was different now.

Very different.

They couldn’t afford to be concerned about such things.

Their eyes were glued to the unbelievable sight on the screen: the attack dogs and Inquisitors, bound tightly with ropes.

“H-How…”

“W-What is this…”

It was an impossible sight.

And yet, it was happening right before their eyes, on the screen of the communication device.

The Pope and the Cardinal were frozen in shock.

Max, on the other hand, grinned, his teeth glinting.

– Ah, these bastards? Whoever trained them, they can’t even tell the difference between heretics and believers. They even bared their fangs at a devout believer like me. So I had to teach them a lesson. Why are they attacking a devout believer when they should be going after the heretics?

His words were dripping with sarcasm.

But the Pope and the Cardinal were speechless.

“Ugh…”

“Hmm…”

They couldn’t openly express their anger.

Because they were the ones at a disadvantage now.

Their subordinates had been captured, and each one of them was a liability.

– Let me ask you something. Did you really try to kill us?

It was an obvious fact.

Why was he asking such a question?

It meant that there was another meaning behind his words.

The Pope and the Cardinal’s expressions changed as they realized it.

This was a proposal.

A negotiation.

The Pope swallowed nervously, trying to regain his composure, and said, “…No. It seems like there’s been a misunderstanding.”

– Aha, a misunderstanding. That’s understandable. It’s human error, after all.

Max’s words struck a nerve with the Pope and the Cardinal.

Because there was a hidden meaning behind his words.

He was implying that they were using God’s name to justify their actions.

The Pope’s anger flared, but he suppressed it.

“Y-Yes. A misunderstanding. A slight mistake.”

– I see. And because of that slight mistake, there have been casualties. We’ve become murderers. What about that? Are we going to be punished for a crime we didn’t commit?

“N-No, of course not. Punished? A righteous and unavoidable killing is not a sin in the eyes of God. This is precisely such a case.”

The Pope’s hand trembled as he was forced to back down, offering empty words of comfort in response to Max’s blunt question: “You sent people to kill us, and some of them died. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to hold us responsible?”

It was humiliating.

But he had no choice but to back down.

– Phew, that’s a relief. I was feeling a bit uneasy.

Max smiled.

The Pope wanted to punch that smug face.

But all he could do was clench his fists, his hands trembling with suppressed rage.

– Anyway, it was a misunderstanding and a mistake, so please release those dogs. Ah, but before that, we need to make things official.

“W-What do you mean?”

– There’s nothing more unreliable than a verbal promise. Of course, I know that Your Holiness’s words are worth more than gold. But things happen. It would be more reassuring to have it in writing. Perhaps someone who can notarize it…

– I’ll do it.

The Saint suddenly spoke up.

One person was surprised, and two people were shocked.

But the surprised person quickly regained his composure, a sly smile appearing on his lips.

– Oh, Archbishop, you’re here as well. This is perfect. There’s no one more trustworthy than you.

Max, realizing that the Archbishop was on their side, judging by the Pope and the Cardinal’s grim expressions, said without hesitation.

– Isn’t that right, Your Holiness?

“…”

– Why aren’t you answering?

“Y-Yes, of course. That’s right.”

The Pope’s cheek twitched.

It was a clear sign of his displeasure.

But he had no choice.

His priority was to rescue his captured subordinates.

He could refuse and escalate the situation, but it would be a risky move, one that required him to put everything on the line.

He wasn’t willing to take that risk.

And the fact that the Saint was present, observing everything, made him even more uneasy.

– Then I’ll take that as a yes and we’ll proceed. The contents…

And so, the notarization of the agreement began, with the Archbishop as the witness.

Max had relied on the Archbishop’s authority and power, which even the Pope couldn’t ignore, but he didn’t realize that it was much more than that.

The notarization of a legendary Saint.

Even the Pope’s grandfather couldn’t refute this.

And,

– I let you off the hook once, but it will be different next time.

The Saint smiled sweetly, her words a veiled threat.

Even without her words, the Pope knew that the situation had changed drastically.

Breaking the first agreement was a weapon he could wield.

Because he still had the power and authority of the leader of the majority faction.

It would have been a clean victory if they had succeeded.

But their plan had failed miserably.

And failure meant a loss of power.

Uncertainty, doubt, and distrust would inevitably shake the foundations of the organization.

His power and authority were waning.

That was why the Pope had to swallow his pride and back down.

*Scribble, scribble, scribble.*

The Pope signed the document with a heavy heart and put down the pen.

– Excellent.

Max smiled with satisfaction.

The Church had admitted their mistake, agreed to not hold them responsible for the casualties, and promised to not interfere with them in the future.

It was all documented and notarized.

– Then I’ll leave those dogs where they are. You can collect them yourselves. May God’s grace be with you.

*Click.*

The screen went dark.

Max had ended the call.

“Ugh…”

The Pope frowned and clenched his jaw.

The Cardinal hung his head in shame.

The atmosphere was somber.

Only the Saint was smiling.

“…Are you satisfied? Now please leave.”

The Pope expressed his displeasure, his voice cold.

He didn’t want to see her face.

But the Saint simply smiled.

*Thud.*

She leaned closer to the Pope.

The Pope’s eyes widened in surprise.

The Saint whispered in his ear, “You reek of corruption. Behave yourself.”

Her eyes turned blood red again.

“Gasp!”

The Cardinal collapsed, his legs giving way.

The Pope froze, his eyes wide with fear, his body trembling.

It hadn’t been a hallucination after all.

…The Saint had heard everything.

…She could speak.

– Let us all become more devout and faithful believers. Until next time.

She smiled sweetly and signed, as if nothing had happened, and then she opened the door and disappeared.

“…”

“…”

Only the Pope and the Cardinal remained in the room.

Silence and shock filled the air.

* * *

“Wow, big brother Max, did you just threaten the Pope?”

Ran, who had been listening, blinked in amazement.

“W-Will it be okay?”

Annette looked worried.

“They were the ones who started it.”

Camian said firmly.

He had definitely grown bolder.

I chuckled.

“Camian is right. They were the ones who made the mistake. We were just trying to survive. And don’t worry, the Archbishop herself notarized the agreement.”

I had always known.

That the Archbishop’s position within the Church was significant.

But today, I had learned something else.

That she was part of the opposition faction, opposing the Pope.

And Sister Marianna, who had come to help us, was probably also part of that faction.

Anyway, it was good news for us.

We knew who to side with.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“Please convey my gratitude to the Archbishop.”

“…You knew.”

Huh?

There seemed to be another meaning behind her words, but I decided not to ask.

Because there were too many eyes and ears around us.

“Yes, I’ll thank her personally soon.”

I deliberately left an opening for a future meeting.

Considering she had Guardian Knights at her disposal, she was probably the leader of the opposition faction, so it was necessary for me to meet her again.

“Understood, brother. I’ll let her know.”

“Thank you.”

The conversation was over, and the situation with the Church was settled for now.

Now there was one more important thing to do.

“Everyone, gather around. I have something important to announce.”