Chapter 16

It’s reassuring, really.

Guardians are able to sense the location of the pope candidate they’ve bonded with.

‘He probably couldn’t sense anything after I got swallowed by the monster.’

I looked around the area.

Now that I knew Daddy was nearby, I wanted to try summoning him… but unfortunately, the space was far too cramped for that.

‘Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.’

For some reason, Bennett looked a little withdrawn as he spoke carefully.

“…The surviving fanatics ran off.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, like a kid confessing he broke a vase.

Well, he is just a kid.

“That’s fine. What matters is that you’re alive.”

At my calm response, Bennett’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘This whole plan was to save him and the others, after all. At least it paid off.’

And as a bonus, I scored some goodwill with the protagonist’s sidekick—solid stock for a rising investment.

Yeah. My stock’s definitely going up.

“Since the kids were rescued, all that’s left is for us to get out of here.”

This place wasn’t ideal.

Lack of oxygen was the biggest concern.

I walked up to the stone wall and peered through the cracks.

‘Huh? Is that… a portal device?’

Maybe the holy knights who came here weren’t completely useless after all. I spotted a familiar object.

A flat cylindrical stone. Above it hovered a shimmering, aurora-like ring. Through that ring, I could glimpse the world outside.

It was a device that allowed you to escape a dungeon.

In simpler terms, an emergency escape button.

‘If only we could get to that.’

The pile of rubble blocking the path was the problem.

Was there no way to get past it?

“Um…”

Bennett spoke up behind me.

“Are you… our enemy, or a pope candidate…?”

I turned to face him.

Droopy eyes, but brimming with stubborn resolve.

“You really joined as an infiltrator and didn’t learn?”

“Huh?”

“The number one rule when dealing with fanatics.”

Bennett fell silent for a moment.

“Always doubt…”

“And trust…”

“…only your own judgment.”

“Exactly.”

When I smiled, his big eyes wavered.

He looked like a puppy mistaking me for its owner. Confused and conflicted.

“Then… I’ll just believe what I want to believe.”

I didn’t question his judgment.

‘I’ll tell Daddy everything once we’re out anyway.’

Whatever Bennett thought of me, I had to make sure he kept his mouth shut.

I already had a plan to win him over.

“More importantly, we need to get past that wall. Any ideas?”

Bennett had been stuck here longer, so he must’ve assessed the place thoroughly.

The area near the rubble was tight, but there was a bit of room if we moved back.

The ceiling was low, but the space was decent.

“Actually, I saw a bomb back there… I think the fanatics were planning to use it!”

Bennett’s voice came quickly, like a puppy wagging its tail.

He still looked hesitant though, glancing around like he wasn’t entirely sure if I was trustworthy.

Whatever. I turned toward the direction of the bomb.

They must’ve planned to blow themselves up if their hideout got exposed.

‘Wait… maybe we can use it.’

The ceiling looked ready to collapse at any moment.

And Bennett—a main character—was here with me.

“Let’s use it.”

“What?”

“I said let’s use it.”

“What?!”

Moments later, I was holding a small bomb that Bennett had fetched.

It looked like a gemstone, but it worked like a stick of dynamite—light the fuse, and kaboom.

“Got it? As soon as there’s an opening, grab me and run.”

“Y-yes, but… is this really safe? If we hesitate even a little, we’ll get buried by the ceiling…”

“I trust you. You look like you’ve got fast legs.”

I almost let it slip that I knew he was fast.

Bennett blinked, then nodded with determination.

“Understood…! I’ll do everything I can to survive!”

He used a flint to light the fuse.

A bomb this size would only blow away the stones.

The rubble would fall, the ceiling would collapse.

It all came down to how quickly we could move in those few seconds.

I sat and covered my ears.

BOOM!

A massive shockwave rattled through my body.

‘Is it time to move?’

The thought barely finished when I was yanked off the ground.

“Uwaaaaaah! Please let me become a holy knight when I get back home!”

“What the hell?!”

I couldn’t hear Bennett clearly through the dust and noise. All I could do was pray his sharp eyes led him safely ahead.

“There!”

I spotted the aurora ring—our portal—just as rocks began to fall.

Even the slightest delay, and we’d be crushed.

I grabbed Bennett’s hand and jumped forward, pulling him along.

“Run!”

Our bodies were swallowed by the portal.

The feeling of teleportation…

‘Ugh, motion sickness…!’

It was like being on a boat in choppy waters.

When I opened my eyes—

‘We made it.’

Green grass stretched before me. Relief hit instantly.

But only for a moment.

‘Oh no…’

The sight around us—no, the people around us—left me speechless.

‘This must be what they mean by “out of the frying pan, into the fire.”’

We’d made it outside. It even looked like a garden.

The problem was the army of holy knights positioned around the portal.

They surrounded us, keeping their distance like they were ready to strike if needed.

They looked like a patrol squad assigned to watch the portal device…

But the real issue was who they were—

“…Shit.”

“Candidate? Did you say milk?”

I quickly pulled the still-dazed Bennett behind me.

We were surrounded by the White Holy Knights.

And their vice-captain…

“Well, well. Look who it is—our lovely little candidate!”

…was Usher.

[Faction: Fanatic of the Evil God]

Even before I saw his face, that faction tag popped up.

And the ridiculous part was—

‘You’ve got to be kidding. Is this really the holy knight order?’

Among the white-clad knights around us, several bore the fanatic tag as well.

“Candidate? Are you… the pope candidate Sir Derek was searching for?”

“Of course. The very one I’ve been courting so ardently. Right, Sir Hela?”

Usher took a step forward.

“Welcome, Candidate. You’ve been through so much. That sudden teleportation must’ve shocked you. These old temples can be tricky, haha!”

You smug bastard. A vice-captain of the holy knights talking like that—it was straight-up blasphemy.

With a bright smile, he reached out his hand.

For a moment, I caught the greed glinting in his eyes.

“From now on, the White Holy Knights will personally protect you.”

“Thank goodness, Candidate…! We’ve met holy knights!”

Clueless, Bennett tried to get up.

I yanked his sleeve and forced him back down.

“…Candidate?”

Bennett looked at me, confused.

But I didn’t panic at the sight of Usher.

‘Are you kidding me? After what that lunatic pulled last time, you think I’d go along with this?’

All I had to do was summon someone who could deal with a mad fanatic.

Preferably… someone who’d already smacked this guy around once before.

I called out a name I missed dearly.

[Crisis detected! Let’s summon ‘Daddy’!]

Or at least, I tried to.

[Try saying it out loud!]

[Heehee! Daddyyyyy❤️ I’m scared! Magical summon~]

‘Does this cursed interface enjoy humiliating me?’

“Daddy!”

[Oops! Incorrect incantation!]

[But ‘Daddy’ has responded to the summon anyway!]

[Tip! Improper commands may lead to random penalties. Be careful!]

I ignored the increasingly deranged messages.

All I focused on was the gathering light forming around me as the summon activated.

A hand reached through the light.

Why did that alone calm me down so much?

The moment I saw the black glove, my chest tightened, and the tension drained from my fingers.

Like I’d finally come home.

‘Even though I haven’t seen him that much.’

But before I could even finish that thought, my body moved on its own.

The light vanished, and without even seeing him clearly—

I leapt into his arms.

Awkward but warm.

“Daddy…!”

“…”

My Guardian didn’t answer.

But his silence was all the reassurance I needed.

‘Wait. What’s wrong with his face?’

One side of Daddy’s cheek was red.

Like he’d been slapped.
 

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Translator: Japchae