Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Sacred Relic (5)
“Isn’t a promise a promise?”
Bringing a sacred relic from another religious order and asking such a thing with such an innocent face…
‘Goodness, what am I to do with him.’
The Pope was struck speechless.
“Didn’t you swear to the Father?”
To dare show such an attitude toward the Pope.
He had absolutely no reservations.
‘He couldn’t have foreseen this far.’
This wasn’t just any object—it was a sacred relic (聖物).
It wasn’t something one could easily obtain just by planning for it.
Moreover, it was a sacred relic from another religious order.
“Your Holiness.”
The Pope approached Erik, who kept pestering him as if urging him on.
Erik, who was two heads taller, bent his knees to meet the Pope’s eye level.
“There’s no need for that.”
Erik unconsciously stepped back as he looked at the Pope, who now seemed two heads taller than himself.
It was a spine-chilling power.
Just moments ago, he had looked like an old man, but now he had the dignified bearing of a steadfast Paladin.
‘Truly befitting of a Pope.’
The way he freely changed his appearance was miraculous enough to naturally bring the word “miracle” to mind.
“Yes, the promise was to bring a sacred relic.”
The Pope nodded as he looked down at Erik.
‘He’s grown tremendously large.’
Erik truly looked up at someone for the first time in a long while.
The back of his neck felt stiff.
However, he kept his head raised stubbornly, anticipating the Pope’s next words.
Thud!
The Pope silently placed his hand on Erik’s head.
A warm energy seeped into Erik.
‘A child raised in the embrace of Priestess Ruelle and Riferoze.’
Raised in a sanctuary.
Growing up in a Paladin training center.
He was different from typical Paladins who were forged through sacred duties.
‘Truly composed and unperturbed.’
His worldly ways of getting around like a snake over a wall, and his impudent attitude.
Bringing a sacred relic from another religious order and asking for recognition…
While making such an innocent expression.
‘The flexibility of groups is important too.’
Even for a group that moves in the name of the sacred divine.
Having one cunning Paladin like this wouldn’t be bad either.
After Riferoze disappeared, the Astia Religious Order had felt somewhat lifeless in terms of character.
‘It wouldn’t be bad for her disciple to fill that role.’
The rising star called Erik was indeed welcome.
The Pope removed his hand from Erik’s head.
And said:
“I acknowledge it.”
Erik bowed his head in admiration.
‘Certainly as the Master said.’
Just as the Emperor had, the Pope of the religious order also possessed an open mind.
He had a heart as vast as the great sea.
‘Should I say the next thing?’
Having the sacred relic from another religious order acknowledged was just the beginning.
There were still things left to say.
Erik recalled what his master had said in the past.
“What’s the Pope like? Hmm, if you just maintained face in front of people, he was quite generous when alone. Even things he said no to, if you threw yourself down and pleaded, he’d often give in.”
Hmm.
This could work.
It was something possible because she was his master, but…
‘I’m Master’s replacement.’
Now Erik was realizing that he himself was approaching a similar position.
Erik was a pilgrim of the religious order and someone who collaborated with the Empire.
Therefore, Erik planned to boldly request cooperation from the Pope.
Erik looked up at the Pope.
‘When?’
Before he knew it, he had shrunk down like a small child.
Erik calmly opened his mouth without being flustered.
“Your Holiness, through His Majesty the Emperor’s mediation, would you consider selling the Almanism Church’s sacred relic?”
“Oh my.”
Looking at Erik’s radiant smile, the Pope swallowed hard.
***
“I have something to prepare, so I’ll be back shortly.”
Erik left the Pope behind and performed the Miracle of Teleportation to disappear.
The Pope looked at the Almanism Church’s sacred relic with a perplexed expression.
‘Is he using me as a sacred relic guardian?’
He clicked his tongue at such audacity.
However, he didn’t find it entirely unpleasant.
‘Riferoze, are you still alive?’
This was because his long-lost old friend came to mind.
‘She really made someone just like herself as her successor.’
Erik’s behavior of blurting out what he had to say and then disappearing was no different from Riferoze.
‘What’s so important about a mere sacred relic.’
She too had left somewhere, saying she would find the disappeared religious order’s sacred relic.
“Where on earth did that Erik fellow suddenly go…”
As the Pope was lost in thought:
Diiiiing!
Divine power was carved in the shape of a cross in the air.
“Oh!”
The Pope shook off his idle thoughts and let out pure admiration.
The Miracle of Teleportation.
It was a power that consumed tremendous divine power, so not just anyone could use it.
Moreover, one had to be able to clearly visualize the place they wanted to move to.
‘The teleportation time is ridiculously short.’
Furthermore, to complete a round trip in just a few minutes?
It was an absurd talent.
“Magnificent.”
The Pope admired Erik as he appeared, cutting through the air with divine power.
To which Erik said:
“Since Master couldn’t perform the Miracle of Teleportation, I worked tirelessly at it.”
In short, Erik had lived as Riferoze’s teleportation shuttle.
“So you were the reason Riferoze became so elusive!”
The Pope clapped his knee and exclaimed in admiration.
Riferoze, who couldn’t perform the Miracle of Teleportation due to her poor head for it, had been disappearing frequently for over ten years.
The cause was Erik.
“So you’re saying you could use the Miracle of Teleportation from that young age?”
Suddenly the Pope felt something strange.
‘He’s fifteen now, so he understood all those complex things when he was five?’
It required understanding coordinates and grasping the concept of space…
As the Pope tilted his head in puzzlement, Erik calmly spoke:
“There was nothing quite like a beating.”
“Beating?”
“Learning while getting beaten by Master, I naturally memorized it.”
“Oh my.”
The Pope looked at Erik with pitying eyes.
He too had been a mere Paladin before becoming Pope. During his training days, he had been Riferoze’s peer.
“You must have suffered greatly.”
The Pope understood Erik’s “learned while getting beaten” very well.
The Astia-style heavy swordsmanship known to have been created by the Pope was actually developed together with Riferoze.
How many beatings had he taken in that process?
“Suffering…”
Erik choked up.
To think there was someone who understood the trials and tribulations of being with Master Riferoze.
Was this truly the Pope?
It was the understanding befitting the leader of a religion.
“You’re the first person I’ve met who understands the hardships of being with Master.”
“Of course, most would have said ‘What could you be lacking with such a great person as your master?'”
“…You truly are His Holiness the Pope.”
Erik, who had originally planned to extort a proper amount, changed his mind upon seeing the Pope.
Fellow sufferers.
Erik too felt a similar sentiment in the Pope’s eyes.
“Your Holiness, I’ll try to get as much as possible.”
Knock, knock!
Just then, a visitor arrived at the hut in District 5.
Creeeeak!
As the door slowly opened:
“Charge!”
The Empire’s 2nd Security Forces Knight Order appeared, waving splendid flags.
Vice-Commander Erica, wearing Mithril armor, entered the hut and removed her helmet.
Then she bent her knee and knelt on the floor.
Her long red hair flowed down to the floor.
In this old, dirty wooden house in District 5, the Duke’s second daughter and the Knight Order’s Vice-Commander had knelt down.
But she didn’t care.
Rather, she trembled with emotion.
She said:
“I greet His Holiness the Pope of the Astia Religious Order. May the grace of God Astia be with you.”
Watching Erica greet him with a respectful and courteous posture filled with devotion, the Pope nodded.
“May the Father’s blessing dwell upon you.”
Only after the Pope accepted her greeting did Erica rise to her feet.
The Pope looked at Erik and asked why he had brought the knight order.
Erik answered matter-of-factly:
“Since we plan to sell the sacred relic, we need proper packaging.”
“Oh my, packaging?”
The Pope chuckled at those words.
The expression of using the knight order as packaging was quite witty.
Erik also laughed along:
“Haha!”
A sacred relic was indeed worthy of such treatment.
‘…Crazy bastard.’
Erica, who was moving the sacred relic to the carriage with the knights, shook her head.
If it weren’t for that face of his, she would have kept her distance long ago…
As she was checking the sacred relic loaded in the carriage:
Swoosh.
“Hiek.”
A shadow fell over Erica.
With that build, it had to be Erik.
She let out a small scream in surprise for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
Erica, who had been maintaining an expressionless face while pretending to be bold, turned around and asked:
“Should we head to the Imperial Palace?”
Maintaining dignity during official duties was important.
She was a direct descendant of a ducal house and a knight of the Empire.
Looking at such an Erica, Erik smirked.
He whispered in Erica’s ear:
“Maintain your dignity, Princess.”
***
A tense atmosphere pervaded the air.
It was a gathering of the Empire’s core personnel and the leader of the Almanism Church.
“I clearly sense Mother’s presence, so why do you block my path?”
Both groups felt the divine vibrations.
Through the audience hall window, a long pillar was clearly visible.
“When there’s a separate owner of the item, how dare you try to go out on your own?”
The confrontation between the religious leader trying to go out to find the sacred relic and the Emperor blocking him.
Of course, both the Emperor and the religious leader remained standing in their places.
Clang! Ting.
“Archduke, step aside.”
“Grrr.”
The Golden Knight Order’s commander and the Northern Archduke’s swords clashed.
“How dare you draw your sword before His Majesty!”
The Empire’s nobles were strong.
Nobles were created by extracting the essence of martial arts passed down through generations.
“Do not block our leader’s path!”
The Almanism Church’s Golden Knight Order was also strong.
They were strategic weapons forged through various hardships and training based on faith from the moment of birth.
Tap, tap!
The Emperor drummed the armrest of his throne and propped his chin.
A coded message from the intelligence department was delivered to his fingertips.
[Erik Sacred Relic Pope]
When the three words were put together, the Emperor’s stress disappeared as if washed away.
“Enough.”
When the majestic Emperor shouted with all his might:
“Your Majesty.”
The Northern Archduke sheathed his sword.
Even though the Golden Knight Order’s commander was holding a sword behind him, he simply stepped back.
The Empire’s Emperor was absolute.
“Stop this, all of you.”
The religious leader also followed the Emperor’s lead and withdrew his knights.
‘He beat me to the punch.’
He felt displeased that the Emperor had acted first.
‘Has that youngster changed so much?’
The Emperor he had seen decades ago and the current Emperor were completely different.
Wasn’t he quite the monarchical figure now?
“The sacred relic will arrive soon.”
The Emperor spoke to the religious leader, who was looking at the staff with a stern face.
To dare speak of the Almanism Church’s sacred relic as if it were his own…
“Youngster, the Astia Religious Order must be the owner of the sacred relic.”
Just as the Emperor was the master of the Empire, the religious leader was the master of the Almanism Church.
Naturally, he possessed power befitting that position.
When the religious leader touched the sacred relic staff, he saw fragments of the future.
“That fellow Erik and the Pope of the Astia Religious Order will come together.”
The Emperor boldly looked down at the Pope.
However, inside he was bitter.
‘The power of God.’
Wasn’t it truly absurd?
Thinking of the cost of the encryption system created by mobilizing the intelligence department spread throughout the Empire and the Imperial Magic Tower made him naturally feel sick.
Didn’t those religious fanatics just need to tap their staff to understand situations as if seeing the future?
“Youngster, the Empire should also serve God.”
As if reading the Emperor’s mind, the religious leader chuckled.
“When the old religious leader goes to God’s embrace, I’ll have to consider it.”
The Emperor also smiled back and tapped his throne.
Both were on edge in their own ways.
That’s when it happened.
“His Holiness the Pope of the Astia Religious Order and Sir Erik the Pilgrim are entering!”
The herald in front of the audience hall blew his trumpet and shouted.
The trumpet sound was quite cheerful.
Buuuuuuuu!
“Hmm, surely there was no trumpet when I entered, was there?”
The religious leader asked.
“The Empire only blows trumpets for those it welcomes.”
The Emperor answered.
‘This is maddening.’
The ministers and the religious leader’s knights glared at each other with hands on their sword hilts.
The conversation between the Emperor and religious leader was like a bomb that could explode at any moment.
Drrrrrrrr.
Through the wide-open doors of the audience hall, Vice-Commander Erica Fernasia entered.
She drew her sword, raised it high, then pressed it to her chest.
It was a military salute signifying the Empire’s glory.
Watching this, the Emperor smiled with pleasure.
“Didn’t you say the sacred relic has an owner?”
“…The Empire has borders. But religion has no borders.”
The religious leader bristled in response.
“That is truly correct. It’s been a long time.”
At the Pope’s words as he appeared past Erica, the religious leader’s prospects darkened.
‘This has become difficult. Why has the Astia Religious Order stepped forward?’
The Almanism Church’s religious leader glared.
He had come thinking to extort something using the Third Prince’s death…
No, wait.
This was actually better.
‘I can just take the sacred relic.’
Looking at the massive man Erik who appeared behind the Pope of the Astia Religious Order, the religious leader’s mind changed.
The god of the Almanism Church liked shiny things.
The religious leader’s eyes were fixed on the armor emitting sacred light in Erik’s hands.
‘Indeed, it’s something God Alman used to use.’
Originally, he had planned to pressure using the Third Prince’s death as pretext, but the Pope’s presence made this difficult.
‘If I swear to the Father. With just those words, there would be nothing to say.’
As a fellow religious person, he knew well.
This was an absolute excuse.
Therefore, the religious leader changed his thinking.
Looking at Erik with his sinister smile, the religious leader opened his mouth.
The religious leader also had a twisted expression.
“This is definitely our Almanism Church’s sacred relic. How about exchanging it with the Astia Religious Order’s sacred relic that we possess?”
There was no answer.
Tap! Tap!
Only the sound of the Emperor tapping his throne could be heard.
It was the Pope of the Astia Religious Order who broke the long silence.
“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time.”
“Your Holiness, you’ve been well.”
The religious leader’s mood soured at their courteous appearance toward each other.
Then the Pope said:
“Our religious order is far from commerce, isn’t it? Therefore, we wish to entrust the disposal of this sacred relic.”
The Emperor smiled pleasantly.
The Pope slightly turned his gaze to look at Erik.
‘Being Riferoze’s disciple, his mind has become strange…’
Erik was grinning like a complete madman.
The words Erik had said on the way came to mind.
“Your Holiness, please entrust the mediation of the sacred relic to His Majesty the Emperor. Then we should be able to get at least 1 billion or more.”
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