CH 135

A solemn silence fell over the table.

Even though meat was served on the plate of all four people, they didn’t seem to have any intention of eating it.

In particular, Ephael had his head hanging down, dry washing his blushing face with his hands.

I sorted it out.

“So, let’s all forgive Ephael after each of us gives him a hard beating later and today’s meal is also on him.” 

The answer came soon.

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

Only then did Ephael raise his head.

“I-Is that all?” 

Then Hestio replied bluntly.

“Why? Is this kind of penance too light?”

“Uh, honestly, yes.”

“What the hell, dude?” 

I could feel the effort to recover the atmosphere from the usual spicy banter. Thesilid also tried his best to help.

“He has a point. Ephael is an Aura user, so Hestio’s bare fists might only tickle his skin.”

“Ahh, now that you mention it. Ellet, you beat him for my share.”

“I will.”

Starting with me, Thesilid and Hestio also started eating. In the relaxed atmosphere, Ephael smiled helplessly.

“Thank you for accepting the confession, Your Eminence.”

“It was nothing.”

Then Ephael picked up a large bottle from the corner of the table and opened the cap.

Thesilid’s narrowed eyes reached him.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you that I ordered a drink?”

Ephael deftly spoke and he tipped the bottle into mine and Hestio’s empty glass, in turn.

“Tag along for a while. Just a little bit.”

When Thesilid saw this, he spoke sternly. 

“The virtue of a paladin is to abstain from drinking anything other than the wine paid by the church……”

“You are still a kid.”

Ephael skipped Thesilid’s glass of milk and thrust the spout of the bottle into my glass.

“I believe you are an adult, Ellet.” 

“Of course.”

Three glasses of wine and one glass of milk clashed lightly for a toast, and the moment the rim of the glass touched the mouth.

“hmm.”

“Ku-hum.”

The gap between Ephael and Hestio’s brow narrowed.

“I don’t think we can drink this.” 

“I just lost my appetite. Put it away.”

Thesilid raised the corners of his mouth as he finished drinking his honey milk. I also hadn’t drunk yet. It was because I knew that the quality of the alcohol was low by using ‘Food Detection’ among my cooking skills.

Nevertheless, I brought the bottle in front of me.

“Ellet, are you drinking it all?”

“You have a surprisingly cheap tongue.”

“Be quiet and look.”

I took out a golden-jeweled goblet from the subspace inventory. It was the artifact I had bought the other day, the ‘Holy Grail of the Ritual’.

<Oh, that’s right. There was this.>

Chung chung chung.

As the wine is poured into the chalice, a light flashed. The 6th option in the listed skills, ‘Improve the flavor of alcohol’, was activated.

The alcohol, whose color and aroma had significantly changed compared to before, was newly poured into the glasses of the paladins. 

“Drink.”

“……Wow, crazy. This has become a different kind of drink altogether.” 

“Hey, is this the Saint’s miracle?”

Hearing a comment about the Saint, I was reminded of something I had to say, after munching on the honey-buttered sweet potato, I continued.

“Did you hear that mine and Terry’s Order was officially launched? Are you two thinking of moving to this side?”

Thesilid was the first to respond.

“Are you thinking of increasing the number of people?”

“In the future, I will subdue a lot of burst dungeons and SS-level or higher dungeons, so I want to prepare.”

“I see.”

“Why? Are you sad?”

I jokingly asked, but Thesilid didn’t answer.

I looked back at Ephael and Hestio.

“How is it? Will you come this way?”

Hestio asked while pointing alternately at Thesilid and me. 

“So now you are saying that you want us to join a punitive squad where you are the Leader and he is the Vice-Leader?”

“Yes.”

Both answered at the same time.

“Absolutely hate it!”

“…I wasn’t expecting such a violent rejection. What’s the reason?” 

“Who’s crazy enough to join a punitive expedition run by kids who date?” 

“Hestio is right. Do you know what kind of mood-fouling things we will see? I will never go.”

[‘The Critic who adjusts the balance’ agrees that there is a high probability that working with knights that are a couple ends up in a minefield.]

[‘The Troubled Architect of the Tower of Trials’ says that it is an immutable truth that transcends dimensions.]

[‘The Scales that Judges the Soul’ is satisfied with the fact that you both seem like a couple at first glance.]

“It’s not like that.”

“Gibberish.”

“I’m telling you is not like that.”

“Yes, yes. How dare we question Your Eminence?”

It seemed that my sincere eyes and honest tone didn’t reach them at all. I’d rather approach it in a different way.

“Ellet, Thesilid, I wish you happiness as you two dig around dungeons together.”

“Yes, don’t bother other people’s mental health for no reason……”

“Even if we are exempt from sharing the loot with the Church?”

“……”

“……”

“Our Order is exempt from the duty of sharing one-third of dungeon exploits.”

I emphasized again after a moment.

“Please, don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything, Captain.”

“I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, Captain.”

They were also talented people with flexible thinking circuits.

I laughed aloud and raised the glass to a head level.

“Good. Then I will soon make a formal request to the Department of Prosecution. Shall we toast to commemorate?”

“Yes, Captain Ellet!”

We stayed up all night eating, drinking, and talking. I was able to spend the end of my vacation in a fun and boisterous manner just as I had planned.

✠

The next day, Thesilid and I arrived at 4:00 PM, the return time designated by the Vatican’s Office.

As soon as we returned, there was a schedule to attend a memorial service and a joint funeral. I went to the border after changing into a cardinal’s uniform provided by the Vatican.

We arrived in the Cyrillic province, which suffered more than a thousand victims. The five villages there disappeared from the map and in its place, large cemeteries and memorial stones were replaced.

I didn’t have any particular tasks during the ceremony. 

Like other cardinals, I climbed up in front of the memorial stone, laid down flowers, and offered a prayer for the dead with a pious bow.

‘May you sleep peacefully under the name of The World God.’

[‘The World-building God’ looks at you while working overtime.]

Come to think of it, these days, it seems that World God is always working overtime when he glanced at my situation.

I came down from the altar where the memorial stone had been erected and returned to my original seat next to Thesilid.

“Your Eminence.”

Clovis moved next to me and quietly spoke.

“I would like to report on the investigation of the black magic swordsman.”

“Right. Go ahead.”

“Among the five villages that were destroyed, the condition of Kasaka Village was dire. Investigators say it seems to have been burned down by black magic, not by Dungeon Burst. It’s judged to be the work of that magic swordsman.”

“……I see.”

I already knew this, but I couldn’t be calm when I heard Clovis’ voice. 

It feels like a sense of reality was given to what existed only on printed paper. The tragedy that was flat is now reconstructed as my reality. 

I lowered my eyes and calculated Reed’s guilt.

The people Reed directly killed were the villagers of Kasaka and the magicians of Ragneif.

However, his power played an absolute role in creating a Dungeon Burst and bringing Hellkaion into the world, which was the greatest contributor to the horrors of this incident. The law of causality that he has to bear after twisting the world’s laws is heavy.

Therefore……

‘You’ve become a proper mass murderer, Reed.’

The ceremony was over before I knew it. When I returned to the Vatican, the sun was setting in the sky over the courtyard.

After mingling with the other cardinals who had participated in the ceremony, we headed into the main building.

Then someone called me up.

“Your Eminence, The Chosen One.”

A handsome blond middle-aged man approached, he was Cardinal Vesalius, the Minister of Prosecution.

“What’s the matter?” 

“Her Holiness the Pope wants to have a private meeting with Her Eminence, The Chosen One.”

“……”

This is very sudden.

The most powerful person in The Vatican and the helper of the Last Boss wants to see me. Just the two of us on top of that.

I made up a good smile without being awkward.

“I understand that Pope Benedict is quite ill.” 

“We are grateful for her recovery.”

“I’m glad.”

“She is waiting in the chapel now. Let’s go right away.”

I looked back at Thesilid.

Before I could say anything, he murmured softly.

“There will be…nothing much.”

“……”

“Take care.”

I nodded, feeling a little puzzled. 

“I’ll guide you, Your Eminence.”

Two men, presumed to be the Pope’s escort paladins, guided me.

The sun sank into the horizon as we moved to a desolate annex building. The night falling in the holiest place of this world was somehow dreary today. 

After entering the building and walking along the hallway for a while, the heavy sound of a pipe organ rang in my ears.

The escort knights stopped walking.

“You can go all the way down this hallway. Then, we will be on our way.”

I stood for a moment where they had left and looked at the end of the hallway. The chapel door was wide open and inside there was only terrible darkness as if I could touch the abyss.

I’m a little out of breath. 

<Ellet.>

“……I know, Agnes.”

Tak.

I sensed that it was a dangerous place. Nevertheless, I took a step.

Tak.

The sound of the pipe organ became clear. It was a low and slow note as if crawling on the floor. It was a requiem.

Tak.

Both my legs crossed the threshold and at that moment.

Kiiii. Taang.

The door to the chapel closed behind my back.