<Chapter 99>

‘Why is he just standing there like that?’

It was too dark to make out his expression. I quickly turned back to him.

“Why did you suddenly stop? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Do you like every handsome man you see?”

“What? Where is that coming from?”

Temenos shot me a sharp glare, his words laced with accusation.

“You told me you’d never tolerate me cheating, but you can?”

“That’s not what I meant at all—wait! That comment wasn’t about being romantically interested in another man!”

But Temenos wasn’t buying it. He simply stared at me in silence before speaking in his usual unreadable tone.

“Actually, I was just thinking about a lady I saw earlier in the banquet hall.”

“What? Who is she?!”

Has he been checking out other women while sticking this close to me? When? Who?!

“So, if I think about another woman, you’ll immediately grab me by the collar, but if you think about another man, it’s fine?”

“What? Ah, ahem.”

Something feels off. When did I grab him by the collar?

I loosened my grip on his clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles I’d made.

“I was just fixing your collar since it got crumpled. There, all done.”

“It got crumpled because you grabbed me by the collar.”

“Shh. Be quiet. I’m barely holding back the urge to strangle you right now.”

I know he only said it to make me see his perspective.

I understand, but that doesn’t mean I liked it.

“I phrased it wrong just now. That was my mistake. But from now on, don’t joke about things like that, even in passing. It’s irritating.”

“As long as you understand how I felt, that’s enough.”

Temenos put on a generous expression, as if he were magnanimously forgiving me.

It was unbelievably annoying, but since I had been the one who slipped up, I decided to let it slide.

‘Ugh, I’m exhausted.’

I was truly drained now. As I tapped my legs lightly, I asked him,

“By the way… you weren’t actually thinking about another woman, right?”

“If my wife thinks about another man, then I suppose I should try it too.”

“So, did you or didn’t you? I won’t get mad, so just be honest. Hmm?”

I raised myself onto my toes and cupped a hand around my ear, leaning toward him expectantly.

Temenos gave me an unimpressed look.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Forget it.”

Shaking his head, he suddenly lifted me up into his arms.

“Eek! You scared me!”

“Let’s just go home.”

“Home? We’re not going back to the banquet hall?”

“Do you want to go back?”

“Uh… not really.”

“Then it’s settled.”

I was already tired, so if I could go home, that was fine by me.

Leaning against his shoulder, I suddenly recalled something and narrowed my eyes at the back of his head.

So, did he think about another woman or not?!

*  *  *

It was late at night, but the imperial palace was as bright and noisy as daytime due to the grand banquet being held in the great hall.

Some guests were already heading home, while others, delayed for various reasons, were only just arriving.

With dozens of carriages coming and going through the palace gates, no one paid any attention to the lone white carriage making its way deeper inside.

As a result, no one realized that the person arriving at this late hour was none other than the Pope.

“Your Holiness…! How could you come at such an hour without any prior notice? And more importantly, is it safe for you to be out like this?”

“I won’t be long. I wish to see the Emperor—can you take me to him?”

“Ah, of course.”

The Emperor isn’t accepting visitors tonight. However, if the guest is the Pope, there’s no way he’ll refuse.

‘The Emperor has been sending messengers to the Great Temple lately… So, was this his way of requesting a private audience instead?’

The attendant came to that conclusion and began leading the Pope toward the Emperor’s quarters.

But then—

“…Hm? Your Holiness?”

Noticing that the footsteps behind him had stopped, the attendant turned around.

Between the trees, shrouded in the shadows, the Pope was silently staring at something.

His veil obscured his exact line of sight, but the direction was clear.

Following his gaze, the attendant spotted a man carrying a woman on his back.

Judging by their attire, they were both nobles. The attendant immediately tensed.

‘Could it be… Is he trying to take a drunk noblewoman somewhere secluded…?’

If something disgraceful like that happened within the imperial palace, it would be a disaster.

But thankfully, the woman on the man’s back seemed completely lucid. In fact, she was playfully poking his cheek with her finger.

“…Haha, hahaha!”

“Your Holiness?”

Hearing the sudden laughter beside him, the attendant turned to the Pope in shock.

‘Why is he laughing like that?’

Did he find the affectionate scene amusing?

But the Pope’s laughter didn’t seem to come from finding something funny. It was more like—

“I see. So I was right all along. Of course,” muttering cryptic words, the Pope turned back to the attendant.

“I’m troubled leaving the Great Temple unattended when the Saintess has yet to awaken. I’ll be returning now.”

“Excuse me? But since you’ve come all this way, shouldn’t you at least see the Emperor?”

“He will understand. Still, if he hears that I came all this way only to leave again, he may be disappointed…”

The Pope turned fully toward the attendant and spoke:

“Keep my visit here a secret.”

The moment he finished speaking, the white triple crown atop his head gleamed.

More precisely, the black diamond embedded in its center began to glow.

A strange golden light rippled within the gemstone, swirling like liquid gold contained within its facets.

That light seeped into the attendant’s body through his breath. His pupils flickered, losing focus for a moment, before he nodded slowly.

“Yes… Of course, I shall keep it secret… Do not worry. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Good. I trust you.”

Or rather, he trusted the mind-control he had just placed on him.

He rarely used his divine power for trivial matters anymore, now that its replenishment had slowed significantly…

“I see. Inosensia… So she really did find the holy relic in the North.”

Seated inside the carriage, the Pope recalled the breathtaking sight he had just witnessed—the radiant divine power overflowing from that small body.

‘That was an enormous amount of divine power!’

For a moment, he had been so overwhelmed that his knees nearly buckled.

The divine power surging from Inosensia was so immense that Temenos, who had been carrying her, had become almost invisible in comparison.

It’s clear now. Inosensia must have claimed the northern holy relic.

‘But how did she find it? Was it truly hidden within the Winstein duchy?’

Regardless, this was a welcome turn of events—she had brought the northern relic all the way to the capital.

And at the perfect time—when I already possessed three of the four relics.

‘At last… Soon, all four relics will be in my hands.’

This can only mean that my long-cherished wish is finally coming true.

A once-in-300-years chance—perhaps even his last opportunity. The Pope reined in his excitement and removed the triple crown from his head, setting it on his lap.

His thumb stroked the black gemstone, which still held traces of shimmering gold.

“How foolish and arrogant you are! Do you truly think that by struggling so desperately, you can become a god? A mere creation, daring to covet the rank of the Creator!”

Looking back, it was almost laughable.

The divine beast that had scorned him as a lowly being had fallen dead at his feet.

And the omnipotent God had been forgotten by the very creatures He had created.

Now, the only way for a god to remain in this world was to cling to human faith.

But prayers no longer reached God.

As long as all clergy carried the pendants he had crafted, and as long as those clergy guided the prayers of the faithful—those prayers would be offered not to God, but to him.

‘Becoming a god was impossible after all…’

But if he could gather all four relics…

And if he could perform the miracle that even God had failed to achieve…

“…Esther.”

Murmuring the name that had become like a prayer to him, the Pope began plotting how to steal the relic from Inosensia.
 

<To be continued>

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