Vol 4. Chapter 49: The Pope

Crimson Leaf Empire — Asumos Church Headquarters,

Inside the Divine Capital Grand Hall,

“Rumble, rumble~”

The ancient stone doors, nearly twenty meters tall, slowly swung open.

Guided by two Church envoys dressed in white and wearing golden masks, several important members of the ‘Light of the Sun,’ led by Archbishop Nick, slowly stepped into the very heart of the Church.

The Divine Capital Grand Hall.

As the very core of the Church's core, its magnificence and extravagance were simply breathtaking.

Within the exceedingly luxurious, spacious, and brightly lit hall stood more than a dozen stone pillars traced with golden patterns and inlaid with brilliantly colored gemstones, creating a scene of overwhelming splendor and grandeur.

Countless exquisite murals and masterfully crafted religious works of art filled the interior of the grand hall.

Above, glazed lamps constructed entirely from pure crystal and white diamonds hung from the ceiling, every single one radiating an atmosphere of sanctity and magnificence.

Deep within the hall stood a breathtaking statue of the Goddess, a full thirty meters tall and fashioned from extraordinarily expensive white-gold diamonds. Whenever sunlight streamed through the glass dome and fell upon the Goddess statue, its entire body would radiate dazzling golden light.

It was a miraculous sight of such beauty that one could only marvel at it.

......

Even though this was far from her first visit to the core of the Asumos Church, Mengxi, who was following behind Archbishop Nick, still couldn't help feeling shaken by the sight.

Compared to the Divine Capital Grand Hall, the Skyvault Imperial Palace that Xue Tianao had once taken such pride in could practically be called a ‘thatched hut.’

Every time she came here, every time she entered this magnificent and ancient sanctuary, Mengxi was once again made keenly aware of just how terrifyingly deep the Asumos Church's foundations truly were.

“As expected of... a power that has existed for a thousand years.”

The wealth contained within this sanctuary alone was probably enough to rival the treasury of a small nation.

And this was merely the tip of the iceberg when it came to the Church's wealth.

More than half the population of the continent consisted of loyal believers of the Asumos Church. At the same time, the Church controlled countless mineral resources. Within the Crimson Leaf Empire, it occupied nearly half the market in education, medicine, and luxury goods.

Every year, the offerings made by believers and the profits generated by its various industries amounted to an astronomical sum.

On the Anqieka Continent, when it came to wealth, if the Asumos Church claimed second place, there probably wasn't anyone who would dare claim first.

Although the people of the Asumos Church always publicly declared that all this wealth was used to make offerings to the Goddess and aid those suffering throughout the world, Mengxi merely scoffed at such claims.

As someone who had once spent quite some time living in an impoverished village, Miss Mengxi knew perfectly well exactly how the Church ‘aided’ the people.

As for making offerings to the Goddess?

There were only a few offering ceremonies each year. How much money could those possibly cost?

“I really don't understand what these people spend all that money on...”

Mengxi pondered this in her mind as [N O V E L I G H T] she walked through the sanctuary.

But regardless,

after entering the Divine Capital Grand Hall, Miss Mengxi, as the Child of Destiny, remained fairly composed overall.

However,

compared with Miss Mengxi, White Yama and Archbishop Nick appeared extremely uneasy. Neither had spoken a word along the way, and an intensely oppressive atmosphere surrounded them. There wasn't even the slightest trace of the excitement and fanaticism that believers would normally display when visiting the Divine Capital Grand Hall.

As the group ventured deeper into the hall, Miss White Yama's face grew increasingly pale. Her small hands tightly clutched the hem of her skirt, and her delicate body couldn't stop trembling.

At this moment, White Yama possessed none of the majesty or valiant bearing expected of a Heavenly Apostle.

Instead, she looked like nothing more than an anxious child who had committed some terrible mistake and was about to be scolded by her parents.

Meanwhile,

although Archbishop Nick appeared relatively calm on the surface, his heart was equally filled with panic. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans continuously rolled down the white-haired old man's forehead.

“F-Four... All four of them are actually here...”

Nick looked toward the two white figures beneath the Goddess statue, then at the other two white-clad Church members who had guided them here.

His heart nearly leaped out of his chest from sheer nervousness.

Nick knew perfectly well that these four emotionless, almost doll-like beings were the Pope's envoys—the Holy Decree Envoys.

The Holy Decree Envoys served directly at the Pope's side and were the Pope's most trusted confidants.

The Pope was occupied with countless affairs every day and rarely appeared before ordinary Church members or believers. Even an Archbishop like Nick could count on one hand the number of times he saw the Pope in an entire year.

Normally, whatever instructions they received from the Pope were conveyed through these four Holy Decree Envoys.

And now,

all four of the Holy Decree Envoys, who were usually so difficult to encounter even individually, had appeared together inside the Divine Capital Grand Hall?

How could Nick possibly fail to understand what that meant?

That person... had actually come in person...

Originally, Nick had still held onto a faint sliver of hope. He had hoped that after coming to the Divine Capital Grand Hall this time, he would merely need to meet one of the Holy Decree Envoys and receive the Pope's instructions through them.

But now, it seemed that he was going to have to meet that person directly...

At this thought, the unease within Nick's heart spread wildly like floodwaters bursting through a dam.

When the two Holy Decree Envoys in front finally reached the base of the Goddess statue and stopped, Archbishop Nick's anxiety reached its peak.

But no matter how uneasy he felt, Nick knew very well that he couldn't neglect proper etiquette.

After all, the Pope did not like discourteous people.

However,

when Nick took a deep breath and raised his head, preparing to bow respectfully toward the Pope seated upon the main throne, the old man's brows suddenly twitched, and a stunned expression appeared on his face.

??!

Huh?

Because,

when the main seat turned around, what appeared before him wasn't the terrifying figure he had expected.

Instead, sitting on the main seat was...

a fluffy little pink furball with three tiny golden horns on its head?!

The moment the little furball was exposed to everyone's gaze, it became even more timid and curled itself tightly into a ball. Its adorable amethyst-colored eyes were filled with panic, making anyone who saw it instinctively feel a trace of pity.

Nick was no exception.

However,

rather than pity, Nick was mostly just dumbfounded.

“Wh-What... is this? Why... is it sitting on the main seat?”

And besides,

that appearance... Why... why does it look so much like... a Holy Beast?

No!

That wasn't the point!

The point was that the Pope wasn't sitting on the throne!

Then where was the Pope?!

At this thought, panic immediately appeared on Nick's face. He hurriedly looked around, desperately searching for that familiar yet terrifying figure.

And just as Nick was trying to locate the Pope, an approachable, cheerful voice tinged with playful teasing suddenly entered his ears.

“Yo, Archbishop Nick. Why are you so nervous? It's not like I'm going to eat you~”

?!!

Th-This voice?!

Following the source of the voice, Archbishop Nick hurriedly turned his head and looked behind him.

Only to discover that,

without anyone noticing,

a young man dressed in noble white Church robes had somehow appeared directly behind Nick and was even greeting him with extraordinary familiarity.

The man's sudden appearance caused White Yama's expression to change slightly as well. Evidently, even this Heavenly Apostle hadn't noticed the man's arrival in the slightest.

“Long time no see. What, you're not happy to see an old friend?”

The man chuckled as though he had just reunited with an old friend after a long separation. Without another word, he casually threw an arm around Nick's shoulders.

The man had dazzling golden short hair, with the ends fading into a sacred silver-white. His lively dark-red eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at Archbishop Nick with an exceedingly friendly expression.

Strictly speaking, the man's appearance was utterly ordinary.

He was the kind of person who, if thrown into a crowd, would become completely indistinguishable from everyone around him.

However,

this seemingly ordinary man faintly radiated an invisible presence.

He hadn't released even the slightest trace of mana or Holy Aura, and both his words and movements were incredibly friendly, yet he instantly subjected Nick to an unprecedented pressure that nearly caused his heart to stop.

And after the man had appeared without anyone noticing, the four white-clad Holy Decree Envoys immediately dropped to one knee without a word, offering the man their most sincere greetings.

Someone capable of receiving such treatment from all four Holy Decree Envoys—

the golden-haired man's identity was naturally self-evident.

After sharply drawing in a breath and forcing down the anxiety in his heart,

Nick struggled to maintain his composure and respectfully greeted the golden-haired man.

“This subordinate, Nick, p-pays his respects to... His Holiness the P-Pope.”

“What's with all this ‘subordinate’ stuff? Do you really have to be so distant?”

The man deliberately put on a displeased expression before smiling.

“Nick, how many times have I told you? We're friends. When there aren't any believers watching, just call me Kael. There's no need to be so formal.”