Ominous Thoughts – 2

It was an undeniable fact that the monster was dead.

The Pope of the Sun was certain, and the abyss and shadows that had filled the barrier were gone. Denying that possibility here would have been stranger.

However, no one knew ‘how’ it died.

Stella, Selene, and Floretta all hated to imagine such things. But the situation kept leading their imaginations in that direction.

The enormous explosion sound heard at the end. The monster, whose method of defeat was unknown. The abyss pit that had completely vanished. That person who hadn’t appeared for over an hour.

What if, truly what if, though it was merely a hypothesis, that person had sacrificed their life to defeat the monster? What if they had given their own life and met the same end as the monster?

This was merely a change in the victim of the monster, from the Pope of the Moon to that person.

Once ominous thoughts began, they followed one after another. In Floretta’s mind, several scenarios of that glorious sacrifice were already piling up.

That person, who had done their best but instinctively knew they wouldn’t be able to defeat the monster in the end, had sacrificed their life to defeat the monster and was swept away by the explosion themselves, becoming a martyr.

Just as they were about to return after defeating the monster, they were swept away by an explosion caused by that filthy, hideous being, who couldn’t die alone, and lost their life.

Floretta’s face, imagining such things, began to turn paler and paler. As the Pope of the Sun wore an unusual expression, the expressions of the other two also grew serious.

Floretta, who had been continuing her ominous thoughts for a long time, finally opened her mouth.

“……What if that person was martyred?”

“What?”

“Your Holiness, what do you mean…?”

As the word ‘martyrdom’ abruptly popped out of Floretta’s mouth, Stella and Selene were simultaneously horrified.

“The explosion sound that vibrated the barrier at the end. What if they intentionally caused it, or… were unable to avoid that explosion and were swept away… In either case, what if they sacrificed their life, meeting their end along with that monster?”

“…….”

“…….”

The two wanted to tell her not to worry, that it couldn’t be true.

However, even if they tried to say that, there was no evidence. There was no evidence that they had died, but also no evidence that they hadn’t. No, the circumstantial evidence leaned more towards them being dead.

And in such situations, negative thoughts usually had a much stronger effect than positive ones. Especially for someone as sensitive as Floretta.

“If that’s the case… if that’s what happened…”

“Your Holiness, please calm down. There’s no evidence yet that Honored Guest-nim has died. We just need to wait here. Honored Guest-nim will surely return.”

Stella, unable to watch Floretta’s face turn not just pale but even blue, cautiously opened her mouth.

Stella didn’t believe that person had died. She still thought that something had happened, and their return was just a little delayed, and Selene thought the same.

The attitude that person showed when they entered the abyss. That was absolutely not the attitude of someone going to their death. It was a conviction possible because both of them were confident in reading people’s emotions.

No matter how much one pretends to be cheerful on the outside, if death truly looms, unless they have absolutely nothing to lose, they are bound to reveal at least one dark side.

However, not a single gloomy aspect could be found in that person, even immediately after they arrived at the barrier.

‘The Inquisitor probably thinks similarly, but Your Holiness…’

The problem was that such conviction was merely a personal conjecture to the Pope of the Sun.

It was woefully insufficient as a basis for persuading someone already caught up in negative imaginings. Saying one could tell by looking at their face, there was no way such a thing could be presented as evidence.

This was even more true in a situation where the person concerned was almost in a panic, like now. Floretta had already, in her mind, decided that person must have died.

“Ah… how… how could such a thing happen…?”

As the situation unfolded like this, Stella and Selene also became equally anxious. After all, Floretta’s delusion wasn’t entirely baseless.

No one here knew the true nature of the explosion sound that echoed from underground, and they couldn’t rule out the possibility that that person had truly been swept away by the explosion.

Moreover, even the time that had passed so far lent weight to the possibility that that person might have died.

The monster had died a little over an hour after they went down there, but that person hadn’t appeared here for over an hour since then? It meant something was seriously messed up.

Considering that it would have taken a considerable amount of time just to descend to where the monster was, it was a bit strange that it was taking so long to come back up.

Status unknown. It was the most terrible phrase.

Because Stella and Selene, as an Inquisitor and an Inquisitor, had experienced sending off many battle nuns, they knew very well the terrible pain that the phrase ‘status unknown’ carried.

Stella, who had heard about Lucia’s situation recently, was affected much more severely. She had realized that a glimmer of hope might remain within the phrase ‘status unknown’.

“What are you talking about?”

From behind them, a cold voice, yet one that contained a hint of unease, was heard.

They creakily turned their heads. Standing there was the Pope of the Moon, whose eyes were swollen red as if she had been crying profusely until she arrived there.

Her two hands, clasped together in front of her lower abdomen, trembled slightly, and her wide-open violet eyes quivered. Her expression showed that she absolutely could not believe what she had just heard.

Although she had been forced to act with a cold and aloof personality, the former Luna was very affectionate and gentle, like her younger sister. In some aspects, she was even more so than Floretta.

If such a person were to hear that someone had sacrificed themselves for her survival, her reaction would be as clear as day.

“What you just said… is that true, Floretta?”

“Unnie…”

Floretta, without realizing it, uttered the word ‘Unnie’ and flinched in surprise. Because every time she had called the Pope of the Moon ‘Luna’ or ‘Unnie’ until now, verbal abuse and violence had returned.

Because her body remembered past events, she flinched, fearing that the Pope of the Moon might resort to violence again this time. Even though her mind thought they could now return to how things used to be.

Luna also seemed equally surprised. After hearing ‘Unnie’, she paused for a moment, then, with a determined expression, she moved her legs and approached her.

The two Popes faced each other. Their gazes met. Luna hesitated for a long time, perhaps because of what she had done, and finally gently clasped both of Floretta’s hands.

“Yes. My sister.”

“……Unnie.”

At that moment, Floretta’s eyes welled up with tears.

She tried her best to hold back the flowing tears, but while she was already having the sad thought that that person might have been martyred, hearing the words she had so desperately wanted to hear made it impossible to stop her tears.

“Hmph… Unnie, Unnie… *Hmph*…”

“Don’t cry and tell me. Hmm? Floretta. That person was martyred, you say?”

“Th- *Hmph*… that person… *Hmph*…”

Even though Luna desperately tried to comfort Floretta, Floretta began to cry even more profusely. It was a situation where she simply couldn’t speak.

“*Hiccup*… The monster, that… monster… *Hmph*…”

“Inquisitor, Inquisitor. You explain. What happened?”

Stella and Selene exchanged quick glances, and perhaps thinking it better to explain formally in such a situation, Selene stepped forward.

Selene explained everything that had just happened.

The explosion sound that caused the barrier to vibrate greatly, the fact that nothing remained where the barrier had disappeared, and the fact that that person hadn’t returned even after an hour had passed.

Finally, even the anxious Pope of the Sun had put forth the conjecture that perhaps that person had also been swept away by the explosion and died. Luna simply listened to Selene’s explanation impassively.

“And Your Holiness has arrived here.”

“……I see.”

Luna bit her lip. At the Pope’s gradually changing expression, a chill ran down Stella’s and Selene’s spines.

‘Why on earth didn’t they give me an inventory?’

I gathered all the items from the new area in one place, explored every nook and cranny of the path, defeated all the monsters within, then collected the items and struggled back to the boss room.

It might look a bit uncool, but it was an unavoidable choice if I wanted to collect all the items. Because it would be crazy to leave behind hard-earned items just because it looked a bit uncool.

‘Still, I gained a lot, so it’s bearable.’

In addition to an enormous amount of experience, there were the sacred catalysts to give to the Popes, as well as the joyful news of having defeated the boss. Since I had gained so much, I could gladly overlook it.

At the very least, my level must have increased by more than 10. It was as if I had fulfilled nearly a week’s worth of level grinding in just the past hour.

There was nothing more to gain here. Carrying an armful of items, I stretched my neck out and staggered, then stepped onto the magic circle in the center of the boss room. Then, the magic circle began to glow.

Soon, a pillar of light shot up towards the ceiling, and I felt as if my body was being teleported somewhere.

I closed my eyes, then opened them shortly after, feeling a cool breeze. Through the items, I could faintly see the figures of the Pope of the Sun, the Pope of the Moon, the Inquisitor, and the Inquisitor.

Seeing the Popes embracing each other, it seemed the Pope of the Moon had come all the way here. I had expected the Pope of the Sun to go to her, so it was honestly a bit surprising.

I approached the four people, still holding a full load of items.

“I’m a little late-“

And as soon as I confirmed the situation unfolding in front of me, I made the same expression as a certain black man who returned with pizza only to find his room on fire, and dropped everything I was holding.