Interlude – Holy Nation

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“A Hero has appeared…”

In a dimly lit room, a middle-aged man muttered. The man with yellow hair was deep in thought.

“I was just starting to rake in the gold… and now this.”

-Flap.

The curtains fluttered in the wind, letting sunlight stream through, revealing the interior of the man’s chamber.

The room was adorned with expensive, jewel-encrusted ornaments, creating a dazzling yet sacred atmosphere.

-Bang!

At that moment, an old man with grizzled hair burst through the doors of the Pope’s chamber. He called out to the man inside in a booming voice.

“Your Holiness!”

“…Lord Antonio. What is the meaning of this?”

The Pope was momentarily taken aback but quickly composed himself, asking the visitor the reason for his intrusion.

“Is it true what I’ve heard? That the Holy Kingdom asked the Rica Kingdom to delay the Hero from coming directly to the Holy Kingdom?”

“Hmph! Surely not. What benefit would I have in doing such a thing?”

The Pope refuted Antonio’s words with a calm expression.

However, Antonio showed no sign of being convinced.

“Then why were priests suddenly dispatched to the Rica Kingdom?”

“Just a coincidence. They’ve always requested priests from us.”

“You’ve always refused, citing the need to maintain the scarcity of priests, but suddenly that makes sense—”

“Lord Antonio.”

The Pope cut off Antonio, who was pressing the issue. His voice seemed slightly angered.

“Have you come all this way, a retired Cardinal, because of mere rumors? I will overlook this impudence as a sign of respect for your wartime achievements, so please, return at once.”

Such brazenness. Antonio was about to lose his temper with the Pope but ultimately gave up.

After all, it was clear that the Pope would never acknowledge Antonio’s claims.

Antonio changed the subject, bringing up something he had always requested of the Pope.

“…Then, may I have a moment to see the Saintess?”

“The Saintess, you say?”

“Just to see if she is well.”

“That is not possible.”

“You’ve been using the Saintess’s Divine Power to heal countless nobles and receiving enormous sums of money! Why can’t I even see her!”

“Hmph… Haven’t I told you many times? The Saintess is currently fine. But she is always in danger due to the Demonic Energy within her.”

The Pope shook his head as if he were tired of the subject.

“That’s why I need to confirm it myself. I am the one who knows the Saintess best from the past.”

“Didn’t you already have a brief conversation with the Saintess last time? You checked on her condition then, so why are you doing this now?”

“Are you referring to that conversation through a wall in front of everyone?”

“That was already the greatest convenience I could offer. Currently, only those with the rank of Cardinal or higher can see the Saintess. You know this is a set principle, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“Hah, a principle.”

To think they would suddenly create a principle overnight and use it against him. He couldn’t allow himself to be led around by the Pope like this.

“In that case, I will return to my position as Cardinal.”

In the end, Antonio made a somewhat unreasonable move. It was an expression of all the frustration he had accumulated.

“Don’t act like a child. You know that all the Cardinal positions are already filled. Should I expel them for your sake?”

“…”

Antonio clenched his left fist tightly, glaring at the Pope without a word.

“And didn’t you retire due to your injuries, Lord Antonio?”

-Flap.

As if to prove the Pope’s words, Antonio’s right sleeve was empty, swaying powerlessly. It was an honorable wound he had sustained in the war.

“…I understand. I entrust the Saintess to your care.”

-Thump.

‘So, he’s going to play it this way until the end.’

He had hoped that His Holiness the Pope would reveal the truth he had been hiding, but Antonio, now outside, felt a sense of frustration and despair that made him want to vomit blood.

-Thud, thud.

As Antonio walked down the hallway, his worries about the Saintess did not leave him.

‘What kind of situation is the Saintess facing right now?’

Back when Antonio was a Cardinal, as soon as the war ended, the Hero’s party entrusted the Saintess to the Vatican and disappeared without a trace.

After that, Antonio and the previous Pope diligently cared for the Saintess, who was being consumed by Demonic Energy.

It was heartbreaking that the Saintess was Cursed, but the war with the Demons had ended, so they were able to endure each day.

In the meantime, a few years ago, the Pope passed away due to old age and returned to the embrace of the Goddess, and at the same time, Antonio relinquished his position as Cardinal. This was meant to signify entrusting the Holy Kingdom to a new generation.

However, starting a few years after the new Pope was elected, the situation gradually began to change.

One day, the Vatican began to turn Antonio away at the door.

“Lord Antonio. You cannot meet the Saintess directly.”

It was an unspeakable matter, so Antonio pressed the issue, but—

“Why can’t I see the Saintess!”

“Lord Antonio. This is a regulation that has been in place since a few days ago. Please calm down and return quickly.”

“I will formally protest this issue to the Pope.”

“Hmph, it won’t do you any good.”

Antonio dismissed those words lightly, but surprisingly, just as the priest had said, even the Pope would not listen to Antonio.

“Are you serious…?”

“This is a regulation that was decided upon by us in the previous meeting. The retired Lord Antonio cannot see the Saintess.”

The war with the Demons had pushed the continent to the brink of destruction. As a result, countless priests and Cardinals were sacrificed in the flames of war.

In the end, Antonio was the only one of the seven Cardinals at the time who had survived the war.

Because of this, the people who were currently promoted to Cardinal and Pope were people who would not have been in their current positions if there had been no war.

Surviving the terrible war meant, in most cases, running away to save one’s own life.

“I still can’t understand what His Holiness the Pope is thinking…”

But unlike the others, the current Pope was a carefully selected individual. Antonio had certainly agreed to him becoming Pope.

The Pope had always told Antonio of his commitment.

“I will rebuild the fallen Holy Kingdom and heal all those wounded by the war.”

The current Pope had weak Divine Power, but he was a more faithful and righteous person than anyone else.

But the recent actions of the Pope were at a level that one could believe he was a completely different person.

A few days ago, Antonio heard surprising news from a priest who had come to visit him. It was the urgent news that a Hero had suddenly appeared in the Rica Kingdom.

“Lord Antonio, have you heard the news?”

“What are you talking about?”

“A Hero has appeared. Just yesterday!”

“What…?”

At that story, Antonio collapsed into his chair.

The appearance of a new Hero meant a great many things.

The most important of these was that a crisis was about to befall the continent.

‘Is the continent going to be engulfed in flames once again…’

But on the other hand, he gained a small hope in this bleak situation.

If the Hero came to the Holy Kingdom, the Pope would no longer be able to hide anything about the Saintess.

But perhaps the Pope was not a fool?

He quickly took action, pressuring the Rica Kingdom to prevent the Hero from coming directly to the Holy Kingdom.

But that action only gave Antonio certainty.

‘So, he’s trying to hide the Saintess until the end… It’s become clear now.’

Until now, he had tried to believe that it was out of pure intentions, but it was clear that something had happened to the Saintess.

Either her condition due to the Demonic Energy had worsened, or they were using the Saintess.

If it was the latter, it would be a sufficient reason to prevent Antonio from approaching.

“If that’s the case, there’s only one way.”

If the Pope had made a move on the Hero, then he could go and escort the Hero himself.

‘I must leave immediately.’

Antonio began to move quickly.

**

“Hah, this has become troublesome.”

The Pope gripped his head tightly.

It was Antonio again.

Until now, Antonio had interfered with everything the Pope had tried to do. And now, he had appeared again after hearing the news that a Hero had appeared.

If he were to mess up the matter related to the Hero because of this, he would be finished, literally.

“Um… May I serve you again?”

Suddenly, a sweet female voice was heard from below the Pope.

A woman was crouching under the desk the Pope was using.

“Very well. Continue.”

“Yes.”

-Slurp, slurp, sluuuuuurp!

As soon as the Pope’s permission was given, the woman put the Pope’s large object into her small mouth and began to suck it diligently.

“So, he heard the information through his connections in the Vatican? The Hero is also a headache. If Antonio does something rash, things will go wrong.”

The Pope pondered, then slowly stroked the woman’s black hair.

-Stroke, stroke.

“Isn’t that right?”

“Slurp, uuuh?”

She looked up at him with questioning eyes at the Pope’s question.

She had a beautiful face no matter how one looked at it. Even though her face was ruined from sucking his cock. The Pope admired her as she served him.

A beautiful woman sucking a cock and watching the man’s every move.

It was a tremendous sight that might stop the hearts of all men.

“Oh dear. You’re stimulating me.”

The Pope couldn’t hold back and forcefully shoved his cock into her mouth. It was an action that showed no consideration for the woman.

-Thwack!

“Ugh?!”

Tears welled up in the woman’s eyes as the cock suddenly pierced her throat.

-Slurp, slurp, sluuuuuurp!

But she quickly regained her senses, as if she was used to this treatment, and began to serve him.

“Haha! Well, you don’t need to know anything.”

The Pope laughed coolly and spoke the title by which people called the woman.

“Saintess.”