Seongguk – Intersection

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“…Yes?”

Suddenly telling Lena to leave the Hero Party.

It was only natural that Lena was bewildered by the Pope’s shocking statement.

“….”

Lena, at a loss for words, tried her best to control her expression. After a moment, she calmly asked the Pope the reason.

“This is so sudden, and it’s a demand I can’t possibly understand. Could you at least tell me why I should do that?”

“To be precise, it should be ‘Lena should leave the Hero.’ After careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that Lena will be a burden on the Hero’s journey.”

“That’s a rather unpleasant way to put it. I’ve been with Jade for quite a long time, and I’ve never been a ‘burden.’ Rather, we’ve worked together to solve many problems.”

The Pope nodded as if Lena’s words were correct.

“Of course, I am grateful to Lena for bringing the Hero safely this far. But at your first meeting, you said that the Hero was too good for you. That means you are well aware of your position.”

“…That was a compliment meaning Jade is amazing, not a statement with that much meaning.”

“I’m saying this for your sake, Lena. If it were just a normal situation, I would have cheered you two on. But this situation is different. The world will not accept you being with the Hero. You are a commoner, skilled in swordsmanship but still only at the 5 Star level, and you have an unfortunate past. I’m not blaming you, Lena, for being a victim. It’s just that the world’s view will not be favorable.”

“No. That’s okay. Jade said he would love everything about me. He won’t care about what others think.”

Lena’s eyes were filled with firm belief in Jade.

“You seem to misunderstand the love that men whisper about. There is no such thing as eternal love. More and more beautiful and talented women will approach the Hero. Will the Hero’s love for you remain unchanged then? For example, what do you think the Hero will think when he sees the beautiful Saintess?”

“The Saintess….”

At the Pope’s words, Lena’s eyes, which had seemed so firm, began to waver slightly.

It was clear that it would be difficult to find a man who wouldn’t be swayed by the Saintess’s angelic appearance.

“In fact, even if this love continues as it is, it will be a problem. The things that will happen in the future are not child’s play. If your relationship with the Hero deepens, the Hero may make the wrong choices or suffer great harm in important moments to protect you. In the end, you must break off the relationship before it’s too late. If it’s now, the Hero will understand your choice.”

After speaking, the Pope, his throat slightly dry, picked up his teacup and drank.

-Slurp.

“Now that I’ve explained it to this extent, you should know what choice is the right one, Lena.”

“….”

Lena was silent for a moment.

Thinking that Lena was wavering at the sight, the Pope continued to press her.

“I understand your confusion, but I want to get a definite answer from you.”

But Lena—

“Hehe, this is fun.”

Suddenly burst into laughter.

The Pope frowned at Lena’s unexpected reaction.

“Oh dear. It seems you didn’t understand what I said, Lena.”

“No. I understood everything. Thanks to you, I think I finally know what His Holiness the Pope is really after.”

“Hahaha, my true intentions? As I said before…”

-Clap.

But Lena’s clapping cut off the Pope’s words.

Smiling at the slightly dazed Pope, Lena rose from her chair. Then, with her arms crossed, she began to walk around the room.

-Thump, thump.

“The reason you’re trying to kick me out of the Hero Party is so that His Holiness the Pope can control Jade, right? Judging by the fact that you mentioned the Saintess earlier, it seems you’re planning to get Jade in your grasp through the Saintess. And I’m an obstacle to that plan, so you’re trying to get rid of me?”

“You’re making a very wild leap. I said that out of concern for you, Lena. It hurts my heart when you say things like that.”

“Is that so? Since arriving in the Holy Kingdom, I’ve been thinking about what His Holiness the Pope is aiming for. What is the ultimate reason for holding the Saintess in your hands and using Divine Power to rake in money? And now you’re even trying to get the Hero in your grasp.”

“Hmm… It seems to me that Lord Antonio has been giving you a lot of wrong information, Lena.”

“Lord Antonio focused on the Pope’s greedy desire to monopolize Divine Power and use it to rake in money. Because of that, poor citizens in all countries are suffering because they can’t receive treatment. So Lord Antonio seems to think that it’s simply for the purpose of luxury… but I see it differently.”

“Very well. Then what do you think of me, Lena?”

As he said that, the Pope wore a benevolent smile, but his eyes were chillingly cold.

-Thump.

Lena picked up a golden statue that was placed by the window.

The statue was in the shape of an angel with large wings. Below it were small carved kingdoms, with the angel’s wings enveloping them.

“His Holiness the Pope is trying to devour the world. Just like the Demon King.”

“…Interesting.”

At those words, the smile disappeared from the Pope’s face for the first time.

Regardless, Lena continued to speak her mind.

“You thoroughly control and adjust the number of priests dispatched to each country, and return the remaining priests to the Holy Kingdom to monopolize Divine Power. Through this, the Holy Kingdom is exerting a powerful influence. It was also His Holiness the Pope who induced the Rica Kingdom to order the Hero Party to head to Growburn Village. Of course, there are many countries that are dissatisfied, but you can silence them with the power of money and Divine Power.”

“Lena, you should calm down for a moment. It’s true that I have influence in most countries. But trying to devour the world? You have a vivid imagination. What leader would refuse to have strong diplomatic power? Of course, I admit that I like money and indulge in luxury. But that’s just a bit of a hobby.”

The Pope tried to refute her step by step, but Lena just snorted.

“Hmm… For someone who likes luxury, the decorations aren’t being taken care of at all.”

When Lena put down the statue she was holding, her hands were covered in a lot of dust.

“This must be a means to hide your intentions from your enemies.”

“….”

In the end, the Pope was speechless, his hands trembling on the desk.

“We are currently in a period of peace. But everyone knows what choices humans make when a common enemy disappears.”

Humans, being greedy animals, were always fixated on the idea of taking what belonged to others.

They had only suppressed that desire for a while due to the great disaster of the Demons.

“You must be planning to take advantage of the inevitable war that will break out, right? Moreover, while humanity is underestimating the remnants of the Demons, if they are struck by a Legion Commander, the only place they can cling to is the Holy Kingdom. That’s how the Holy Kingdom will gradually devour the world.”

“…All of this is for the development of the Holy Kingdom. If the Holy Kingdom loses its power, a disaster will befall the world instead.”

The Pope weakly spat out an excuse, but…

It didn’t work on Lena, who was full of conviction.

“It wouldn’t be a problem if this was just the idea of some king… but His Holiness the Pope is the leader of the Holy Kingdom, which serves the Goddess. That position is meant to convey the Goddess’s words to the world, stop the Demons, and show mercy to countless people. But what will happen if everyone finds out that you’re not only monopolizing Divine Power to earn huge profits, but now you’re even trying to take the whole world into your grasp? I’m guessing the reaction won’t be good.”

-Thump, thump.

After talking for a while, Lena returned to the desk. Then, she grabbed the teacup that was placed in front of the Pope and drank it all down.

-Slurp.

“I talked a lot, so my throat was dry. So, what do you think? Of my reasoning.”

When Lena finished speaking, silence flowed through the Pope’s office for a moment.

During that time, the Pope just sat quietly with a blank expression.

After a moment, the Pope’s mouth slowly began to open.

“I’ve been had. Was the clumsy and innocent appearance you showed me from the beginning an act?”

“That’s for His Holiness the Pope to judge.”

Lena shrugged her shoulders.

“Ha, I really can’t believe it. Lena, who is still young and inexperienced, is showing this much insight. Now that I see it, the person leading the Hero Party isn’t the Hero, but Lena. I’m even starting to wonder if the real Hero isn’t Lena.”

The Pope, who had been admiring her, suddenly looked at Lena with cold eyes.

“But you know what? So, what are you going to do, Lena?”

“Are you now resorting to blaming me?”

“It’s true that I have such ambitions. But even if you have the name of the Hero on your backs, the Hero is still just a fledgling. He hasn’t accomplished anything yet. Almost all countries and most of the high-ranking officials of the Holy Kingdom will support me, so do you really think you can bring me down? In fact, I doubt anyone would believe you if you said these things outside.”

Currently, the Hero Party’s reputation was weak, and the Pope’s influence in the Holy Kingdom was absolute.

The castle that the Pope had built over the years could not be torn down with such speculation without proper evidence.

“You’re starting to show your true colors. But surely you don’t think I came here without any preparation?”

-Swish.

Lena took out a round device from her chest.

“Hehe, what could this be?”

“Ha!”

The Pope, who immediately recognized the identity of the device, let out a sigh.

“I’ve been completely outmaneuvered by Lena’s trickery. To think you even prepared a Recording Device. Did you plan this far?”

“Well, there was a bit of coincidence involved. It even contains the Pope’s words admitting his purpose. What do you think will happen if I spread this to all the countries? I think they’ll pounce on His Holiness the Pope like hyenas.”

Lena, as if the business was over, turned her body and began to approach the door, waving one hand as if to tease him.

“Thank you for today. I didn’t know I would gain the upper hand so easily.”

“Lena! Please stop for a moment.”

“Do you have anything else to say? You know that it’s impossible to persuade me with money, right?”

Then, the Pope hurriedly got up and bowed to Lena.

“Could you give me a little time?”

This was a humiliating sight that was hard to believe from the Pope, who had been so arrogant until just now.

“To think you would come out so groveling. Is this you saying you’ll do better in the future?”

Lena shook her head at the attitude that had changed like the back of her hand.

But the Pope’s face, which had raised his head again, was brightly smiling.

“Haha, this much time is enough. I will not stop the plan.”

“…What? Seriously, this is ridiculous—”

Suddenly, Lena began to stagger,

“Huh?”

-Thud!

And fell to the floor.