Return – 3

“……An Inquisitor? From the Moon Pope’s faction?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Perhaps because the gray-haired woman honestly revealed her identity as an Inquisitor, the murderous intent flowing from the Knight Commanders softened slightly.

The Sun Pope’s faction was the Inquisition Judges, and the Moon Pope’s faction was the Inquisitors. Although it was only a one-character difference, many users loosely interchanged the terms, but the two were distinctly different organizations.

Even in the game, the Battle Priests belonging to the Inquisition Judges wore heavy armor and used maces and greatshields, whereas the Battle Priests belonging to the Inquisitors wore dark holy vestments and used only a rapier without a shield, clearly distinguishing them.

Both had the commonality of being widely known among the people of the continent for various reasons.

Just as the Inquisition Judges and their subordinate Battle Nuns were known as the Holy Nation’s supreme and strongest military force, the Inquisitors and their subordinate Battle Nuns were known as the Holy Nation’s supreme and strongest assassination group.

Rumors even circulated that if the two groups combined forces, an entire large territory could disappear overnight, so even the Knight Commanders couldn’t possibly be unaware.

However, revealing her identity didn’t mean they completely dropped their guard. It merely shifted from ‘we’ll kill you immediately’ to ‘we’ll listen to what you have to say.’ The tips of their swords were still pointed at the gray-haired woman.

This was especially true for Iris, who had just heard that an Inquisition Judge from the Sun Pope’s faction had arbitrarily called me a heretic and then verified my purity by making me strip and touching my chest.

“What business does an Inquisitor from the Holy Nation have here?”

“Just now, you yourself said that the Holy Nation would have contacted the Emperor. Don’t you have any idea what it might be?”

“……So you were the means of contact.”

“You have pinpointed it accurately this time as well.”

The woman, who called herself Selene, slightly raised both hands to head height, indicating she had no intention of fighting.

“As I said before, I did not come here to fight. Therefore, I would be grateful if you would lower your weapons.”

“That’s not for us to decide.”

“That’s right. It’s not for the Knight Commanders to decide. It’s for me to decide.”

Aurora walked out from behind. Erica and Claudia tried to dissuade her, saying it might be dangerous to approach, just in case, but Aurora simply dismissed their concerns with a wave of her hand.

“Right. So you gave His Majesty the Emperor a heads-up to issue such an order to our Delta, didn’t you?”

“I merely conveyed His Holiness the Pope’s words, Lady Aurora-nim. Do you think I have the power to change or influence the intentions of your Emperor?”

“Well, Aunt-nim isn’t the type to do that. So what’s the reason?”

“You ask for the reason?”

“The reason you met Aunt-nim and conveyed that Delta would go to the Holy Nation. We can travel between the two countries anytime without needing to do that. The Aeternum Empire and the Rafaella Holy Nation aren’t on such bad terms that they need permission just to visit each other, are they? It shouldn’t have been a necessary task, so why did you do it?”

“That’s not right. It was clearly a necessary task.”

“So what’s the reason? Are you going to make me repeat myself?”

“It is to prevent a dispute from breaking out between your Emperor and the Sun Pope.”

When the insane answer, ‘to prevent a dispute between the Emperor and the Pope,’ came back, Aurora gasped, as if momentarily speechless. It was the same for the other Knight Commanders.

Needless to say, I was no different.

Only the maids wore their usual expressions. Whether they truly weren’t surprised, or if they maintained their composure despite being surprised, or if they simply didn’t grasp the significance of those words, only they would know.

“……It seems like this is a conversation we should have among ourselves. Everyone agrees, right?”

It was a roundabout way of asking them to leave. The maids, understanding the underlying meaning, bowed their heads and filed out of the reception room. *Click*, the last maid closed the door.

After confirming that all the maids had left, Aurora pressed her hand to her forehead and let out a sigh, ‘Hoo.’

“Tell me more in detail. A dispute? And between His Majesty the Emperor and His Holiness the Pope?”

“Were you unaware?”

Selene replied calmly.

“The Emperor is much more concerned about that man than you realize. Therefore, it was necessary to inform them of our purpose beforehand so that His Holiness the Pope would not feel as though he was taking that man away, and that is why I came here.”

Though the words were uttered calmly, the impact of that answer was immense. I was so shocked that my body stiffened abruptly.

‘What did I just hear?’

The Emperor is concerned about me?

And to the extent that he’s so extremely wary of even the act of visiting the Holy Nation to meet the Pope, that someone as high-ranking as an Inquisitor had to come personally to give a heads-up that there was no such intention?

The only time I properly encountered him was when I blocked an attack during a game event while dealing with the Lord, so why on earth?

I had thought something was unusual ever since I received the letter stamped with the Emperor’s seal, but realizing that the Emperor’s interest in me was far greater than I’d imagined sent shivers down my spine.

My head ached. I had never heard of the Emperor showing such immense interest in the protagonist from the very beginning. Thinking about the main story that was about to unfold, I already felt overwhelmed.

It seemed everyone else felt the same way; except for Selene, who had spoken the words, everyone wore expressions filled with shock. Rije, in particular, looked even more serious.

“Now that I’ve even told you why I came here, are you willing to put away your weapons?”

“……Everyone, lower your weapons.”

Aurora bit her lip and spoke. The Knight Commanders slowly put away their weapons.

“Alright, I get it for now. I’ll have to think about this more later.”

Although she said she would think about it, even Aurora would have no other choice but to quietly accept it. If the Emperor himself was going to take an interest in me, who could stop him?

“If you came to deliver a message to His Majesty the Emperor, then why did you stop by us? Surely you’re not going to say you just ‘dropped by’?”

“Of course not. I came to escort you all to the Holy Nation, as commanded by His Holiness the Moon Pope.”

“Escort? Not surveillance?”

“It is a pure escort. The domains of the Sun and Moon are inviolable. As long as the Sun has welcomed you as guests, the Moon will absolutely not interfere.”

“Inviolable, you say? Absolutely no interference?”

Aurora let out a snort.

“The very fact that you’re here violates that, doesn’t it? The Sun Pope invited us, didn’t he? So why did an Inquisitor come instead of an Inquisition Judge? Weren’t the domains of the two Popes inviolable to each other?”

“This contact was commanded by His Holiness the Moon Pope, so even if you ask me, I know nothing. However, I have no doubt that everyone has their own intentions.”

“Ha. You’re certainly good at saying you don’t want to tell me without actually saying it.”

As if displeased with the current situation itself, Aurora scoffed. Selene calmly brushed off her sarcasm.

“Strictly speaking, it has nothing to do with my will, but since the outcome is the same situation, you are free to think as you please.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll take that as you don’t want to talk about it.”

Hoo, Aurora let out a deep sigh.

“When’s the departure? I don’t know if you’re aware, but it hasn’t even been an hour since our kids returned from subjugating monsters. And since Aunt-nim’s letter doesn’t even specify a departure date, I’d like to let them rest for at least two days. Or maybe even longer.”

“You may depart whenever you wish, but I would recommend resting for no more than three days. Your Emperor is not a patient man.”

She was right. Since the Emperor himself had commanded us to go to the Holy Nation, we couldn’t afford to dawdle here for days. It was right to rest for at most two days and then depart immediately.

Selene knew that fact very well too, which is why she could calmly respond to Aurora’s half-threat that they could stall here for months if things went awry.

“Lastly, all Knight Commanders must accompany you to the Holy Nation.”

“Why?”

This time, Iris stepped forward. Although her weapon was lowered, her eyes were still full of vigilance.

“It is a recommendation from His Holiness the Moon Pope, so I do not know.”

“That cannot be. One of us must certainly remain to protect Lady-nim.”

“Do not worry.”

Selene’s eyes briefly gleamed. Then, shadows squirmed and rose from various parts of the reception room, beginning to transform into human forms. I was startled, but the other Knight Commanders remained calm.

The squirming shadows that had risen transformed into perfect human figures. All of them were women, wearing black veils on their heads.

Their attire was incredibly suggestive in a different way.

If the Battle Nuns belonging to the Inquisition Judges wore clothes that revealed more than they covered, then the Battle Nuns under the Inquisitors wore clothes that covered their entire bodies, with less exposure overall.

That’s because what tightly encased their bodies was translucent black tights.

The tights clung to them perfectly, as if they had been vacuum-sealed. They were so form-fitting that it made one wonder how they even put them on or took them off.

They didn’t gleam like similar latex materials, but because the fabric was translucent, the skin underneath was clearly visible. Body parts like firm 11-pack abs, or the navel next to them, for instance.

If it weren’t for the tops that looked like leather jackets cut off entirely just below the nipples, they would have revealed even the very tips of their breasts. It seemed they wore them not to cover their chests, but to emphasize them.

At least they wore underwear on the bottom, which was a relief. If they hadn’t, even the private parts between their legs would have been completely visible.

I have no idea why those damn garter belts were consistently worn, though.

“I was wondering when they would show themselves. If they hadn’t disappeared after you left, I was planning to cut them down right there.”

“Did you notice?”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“That was not my intention. If you felt that way, I apologize.”

While Selene and Iris exchanged words, the Battle Nuns who had risen from the shadows knelt on one knee before Selene and bowed their heads.

There were twelve in total, all with dark silver hair mixed with gray and purple eyes. Considering that all the Battle Nuns under Stella had blonde hair and green eyes, it seemed there was some secret involved.

However, at the moment, I was too confused because of the Emperor to think deeply about such things.

“My subordinate Battle Nuns will protect you. They will watch over every moment, so you may set your worries aside.”

As Selene snapped her fingers, the Battle Nuns who had been bowing before her melted away as if dissolving, transforming into shadows and disappearing. Aurora looked around with a displeased expression.

“Thinking about being watched all day long doesn’t make me feel good at all.”

“The surveillance is only for the exterior of the mansion. Unless something special happens, they will not look inside.”

“……Well, then it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I understand.”

“Yes. I will take my leave now.”

With those words, Selene pulled her robe back over her head. Her dark silver ponytail was swallowed by the robe, and her purple eyes vanished from sight.

Selene, now looking exactly as she did when she first appeared here, offered her final greeting.

“Please rest comfortably. I will see you when you depart.”

Soon after, the robed figure vanished as if moonlight shattered.

Where the moon had disappeared, sunlight once again shone down.