Chapter 494 (1): Holy Mother Cathedral

The warehouses in the Papal State had been raided by a demon, but they hadn’t been emptied. At least many of the gems, jewelry, and antiques remained. Mikhael grabbed a handful and tossed them into his personal storage, planning on picking a few—no, packing a few dozen of them.

Wayne had a large social circle that would necessitate more than a few gifts. If some of those people received gifts, while others didn’t...

Mikhael shook his head, grabbing another handful.

Some would be given as gifts at their first meeting, while the others would remain in his storage. They might just be of use.

Before walking out of the warehouse, Mikhael looked at the mess and scoffed, “Lord of Envy, I don’t know how you infiltrated the human world, but stealing from the Papal State is a grave sin. The treasure from Heaven isn’t for you even if it’s been collecting dust on the shelves. Just you wait. The next time we meet, you’ll pay with blood.”

“Śār!”

Outside the warehouse, two angels awaited. Throne Olga and Throne Fred were both the highest bar of beauty in the human world.

Olga bowed to Mikhael, suppressing her emotions. “I received news about your descent.”

Wayne had left the two Thrones behind to keep looking for the Anointed One before entering Heaven. Knowing what they should do, the Thrones had stayed in the Papal State and waited for further instructions rather than going anywhere.

It was Reza who had informed them. He had gone to the Pontiff’s basilica and asked who the new Pontiff was. Hearing that the voting was still ongoing, he grabbed the headwear and put it back on.

Raincheck for the vote.

Then he demonstrated the two pairs of wings on his back.

Worried that the cardinals would be displeased, Reza had fanned them to cool them down. As expected, the cardinals immediately became agreeable once they saw the wings on Reza’s back, not saying another word about the election.

A Cherub’s wings were cool and effective, but in the human world, being a pontiff came with more advantages. There was never a shortage of people surrounding the Pontiff, which helped Reza complete his mission.

As soon as he reclaimed the title, he made a headcount and arranged a dramatic reception. When he learned that the two Thrones were still around, he sent someone to inform them where Viceroy Mikhael was.

The reason Reza hadn’t done it himself was simple: times had changed. The lowly Pontiff from a few days ago had become an important Cherub. Thrones didn’t deserve to have him personally inform them.

Ha, you should be the one coming to me.

Nevertheless, Olga wasn’t a regular Throne. While the Anointed One was still in the human world, she had served him as a bodyguard. If Hestia didn’t enjoy an inherent advantage, Olga might have become the new Sacred Virtue instead.

Since Auriel, Gerar, and Vilkul would inevitably make a mistake, Reza considered Olga a potential fellow Sacred Virtue, which was why he had ordered the messenger to be polite.

Mikhael nodded at Olga, ignoring the other Throne. With a casual wave, he opened the Gate of Heaven and sent Fred back.

“Olga, Heaven has changed. Lahr defied the Anointed One and ended up executed, so the Seven Sacred Virtues have undergone a change. Milia is a Śār now. Hestia has taken Milia’s place...”

Mikhael summarized the new status quo, then said with a frown, “You were close to the Anointed One in the human world and never followed the lead of Auriel and the other trash. That I appreciate. There’s one thing I’m dissatisfied with, though. Why haven’t you served the Anointed One as Hesione has done?”

“Huh?!”

Olga didn’t understand what her superior was getting at, which was to be expected. To her, Wayne was Śār Hesione, and Hesione was a depraved clergywoman Hestia often insulted.

“I recommended the Anointed One to make you a Sacred Virtue, but Hesione had an absolute advantage during the vote. Hestia was chosen instead. You’ve got nothing.”

Mikhael sounded displeased. “Hesione’s influence among the Seven Sacred Virtues is further expanded. Milia and Hestia follow her, while Auriel, Gerar, and Vilkul will try to get on Hesione’s good side because they have offended the Anointed One. Reality pains me.”

Olga was still lost. When her superior stopped talking, she finally asked the question.

“Fool, the Anointed One is Wayne,” Mikhael responded. “He’s never been Hesione!”

Olga’s eyes widened. “Oh, then isn’t Frey doomed?!”

“That’s not the case. As one of the Seven Sacred Virtues, Lust—no, Purity—fits the Anointed One’s standard of beauty...” Mikhael paused. “You look good, too. Why haven’t you taken your chance?”

Blinking, Olga said stiffly, “Śār, I’m your subordinate. I once mistook the Anointed One for Śār Hesione, so I could not possibly betray you and go for another Śār—”

“Why not?” Mikhael interrupted her. “Don’t you know that because of your caution, you’ve lost your chance of becoming a Sacred Virtue?”

Olga lowered her head. Her superior wasn’t making any sense. She would’ve talked back if she weren’t talking to her superior.

Mikhael narrowed his eyes. “Thankfully, you still have a chance. Three of the Seven Sacred Virtues will make a grave mistake one day, so you can replace one of them. When you return to Heaven, remember to approach the Anointed One and get closer to him—intimately close, I mean. Do you understand?”

In the bigger picture, it was to prevent Wayne and Hesione from destroying Heaven. Mikhael’s voice had to be one of the voices influencing the Anointed One. On a personal level, every time Olga slept with Wayne, he would sleep with Hesione one less time. There was no downside to the plan!

Olga stared at Mikhael blankly. Her superior had thought wrong. After the time she spent in the Anointed One’s company, she had come to know his character. For example... Um...

Anyway, the Anointed One wasn’t a pervert who would take whoever caught his fancy. He was quite nice; at least he was quite nice to her, and he had never shown any inappropriate desires for her.

“I don’t want to hear it. Solve whatever problem you encounter. I want results!"

“I-I understand.” Olga nodded gravely. Her superior felt different today, but she couldn’t put a finger on what.

“Viceroy Mikhael.” Reza came over in a pontiff’s attire, followed by two clergywomen whose beauty could rival that of Olga. He introduced Mikhael to the women. “They are the Anointed One’s lovers in the Papal State.”

Mikhael frowned. After some consideration, he decided to send them to Heaven—straight to the ninth heaven.

Again, anyone else sleeping with Wayne would lessen Hesione’s suffering. It was a good thing.

Mikhael was an angel of action. He immediately sent the clergywomen and Olga to Heaven, having them wait outside the temple in the ninth heaven. He didn’t find Wayne there, only Hesione, who held herself like the lady of the house.

Scowling, Mikhael left the three women with Hesione, telling her to deal with them as she saw fit. The two clergywomen were Wayne’s lovers in the Papal State and had gotten intimate with Wayne, and Olga had been Wayne’s bodyguard in the mortal realm, so she should continue to be that.

Hesione watched Mikhael walk away without a glance back, resigned. The derision in his eyes made it seem like she had only become a viceroy by selling her body. Although that wasn’t entirely inaccurate, Mikhael’s gaze was so direct that it undermined the Anointed One’s authority. That was his mistake.

Hesione didn’t pick on the three unlucky souls. The two clergywomen were pure, at least for now. Olga... The bookish angel might seem smart, but her intelligence was but an appearance. Olga was not much smarter than Hestia. Nothing would happen even if Hesione left her alone.

Rather than kicking them out, Hesione instructed the two clergywomen to tend to the garden and Olga to guard the door of the temple.

Mikhael didn’t know Wayne, but she did. Wayne wouldn’t be staying in Heaven most of the time. The three women might not meet the Anointed One even once in the next few months. On the contrary, they would be a great risk in the human world.

They might get pregnant!

***

July first.

The grand delegation of the Papal State arrived in Londan. Queen Sophelia had come in person to receive the delegation, accompanied by Princess Juno, legendary mage Celeste, and Captain Hermann of the knight order of the Saint George Cathedral. All of them were connected to the Holy Light.

Aside from representatives from the Windsor royal family, Archbishop Gunther of the local Saint Paul Cathedral was also present. The delegation consisted of many representatives from the Papal State. Among them, Pontiff Reza was too important for anything to go wrong. Just in case, the airport was under lockdown with strict security today. Access restrictions would only be lifted once the delegation left safely.

Soon, the reception realized something unusual. Reza, wearing a crown, wasn’t in the center, but was instead following a young man. The blond man radiated fierce holy intent. Glancing at him was like looking at the sun.

Did another angel descend? What for? To destroy the Lord of Deceit, the great demon lord occupying Londan? If even Śār Auriel had been defeated, would another angel succeed?

Just leave Londan alone. The city can’t take the enthusiastic visits from so many great demon lords and Śārim.

Hiding her resignation, Sophelia went up and bowed, looking impeccable. “Your Holiness, it is the Windsor family’s fortune to welcome you to Londan.”

The Windsor family had a strained relationship with the Papal State. Both sides wanted the other dead, and they had each made their fair share of unethical moves.

Times had changed, though. The Windsor family was no longer in charge of Windsor, and the nation would change hands if Wayne just said the words. Sophelia, with a different mindset, felt no trace of anger when she looked at the Pontiff.

She wanted to laugh, actually.

You don’t know, do you? That there’s a great demon lord in Londan, and he’s my ex-boyfriend’s son.

Her chest ached, and her smile faltered.

“Your Majesty, I didn’t expect you to receive us in person...” Reza greeted her. Looking around, he said in a low voice, “Has the Lando family not attended?”

“No.” Sophelia shook her head, keeping an eye on Mikhael out of the corner of her eye, waiting for Reza to introduce the angel.

Mikhael had been the Lord of Pride in Hell for most of his life. Now that he could don a white uniform and walk under the sun with his real name, he would not keep a low profile. He would even write on his face that he was the Viceroy of Heaven. With a slight smile, he nodded at Sophelia.

He was so handsome that even the Queen felt her heart race.