Vol 4. Chapter 50: The Pope

Kaelrode-Andoluvich.

The supreme ruler of the Asumos Church, the Twelfth Pope. More importantly, he was universally recognized as the Goddess's representative in the mortal world. Not only did he hold an exalted position within the Asumos Church, but even across the entire Anqieka Continent, there was virtually no one who could compare with him in status.

Whether it was the emperors of the Four Great Empires or the Tower Masters of the Holy Tower and the Red Moon Tower, when facing this supreme ruler of the Asumos Church, they all had to show him a certain degree of respect.

On the one hand, this was because of Kaelrode's supreme status and the formidable power of the Asumos Church.

On the other hand, it was because of Kaelrode's unparalleled strength.

In this world where strength reigned supreme, Kaelrode's peerless combat power at the Peak Eighth Tier was enough to earn anyone's respect. No one dared underestimate His Holiness the Pope. Within the Crimson Leaf Empire, Kaelrode's prestige had even surpassed that of the Crimson Leaf Imperial Family long ago.

The reason was quite simple.

In the eyes of countless people, His Holiness the Pope was the savior of the Crimson Leaf Empire. If the Pope hadn't turned the tide all those years ago, the Crimson Leaf Empire would probably have been destroyed by the Red Spider Lily and become nothing more than a fragment lost to the currents of history.

Despite his tremendous prestige,

ever since becoming Pope more than three hundred years ago, Kaelrode had rarely appeared in public. The daily operations of the Asumos Church and its various large-scale activities were almost entirely presided over by the three Archbishops. The Pope himself hardly ever participated.

His Holiness seemed to remain deep within the sanctuary at all times, worshiping the stone statue of the Goddess.

Even on the rare occasions when he issued orders, they were conveyed through the four Holy Decree Envoys.

Even senior members of the Church found it quite difficult to meet this elusive Pope, who seemed to come and go without a trace.

Therefore,

in the eyes of most people, this supreme ruler of the Asumos Church had become synonymous with mystery. Since the Pope almost never attended major events, coupled with the Church's ability to suppress information, very few people even knew what he truly looked like.

As a result, ordinary believers and common citizens could only rely on their own imaginations when picturing this peerless powerhouse.

Some imagined a handsome and dashing knight, others a tall and mighty warrior, a priest overflowing with sacred majesty, or perhaps a kindly old man with benevolent eyes...

But no matter how wildly they imagined,

they probably never would have guessed that the mighty figure they worshiped was actually such an unremarkable-looking young man...

......

Facing the golden-haired man who had casually slung an arm around his shoulders and was behaving as though they were extremely close, Archbishop Nick couldn't help taking a deep breath before nervously shaking his head.

“Your Holiness is His Holiness. The hierarchy between superior and subordinate cannot be disregarded... Addressing you directly by your name is absolutely out of the question...”

“Oh, come on, Nick. Were you always this rigid?”

Seeing Nick nervously reject his suggestion, Kaelrode didn't get angry. He merely shook his head indifferently.

“Fine, fine. Since you don't want to, then as your old friend, how could I possibly force you?”

“Thank you, Your Holiness.”

“Sigh~ Do whatever you want.”

After patting Nick on the shoulder, Kaelrode suddenly revealed a concerned expression and began circling Nick, carefully examining the Archbishop's body.

“Speaking of which, after going through something like that, Nick, is that old body of yours still holding up?”

“It's... it's still holding up.”

Nick replied shakily.

But the moment the Pope mentioned the Skyvault incident, Nick's pupils abruptly contracted. His body began trembling as the unease in his heart rapidly intensified.

Although there wasn't even the slightest hint of blame in Kaelrode's words, and his tone was instead filled entirely with concern, Nick was utterly terrified.

“I-I'm... terribly sorry... Your Holiness. This time, this subordinate... f-failed to stop the Abyss Demon invasion. The weapons we were supposed to bring back were also destroyed during the battle, and our plan to expand the Church's influence failed as well... I-I'm... truly sorry!”

As he spoke, Nick immediately dropped to one knee before Kaelrode without another word, lowering his head as though sincerely repenting for his failures.

Seeing this scene and staring at the trembling Archbishop, Kaelrode froze slightly.

A profound glimmer faintly flashed through his dark-red eyes.

Then Kaelrode let out a long sigh, stepped forward, and personally helped Nick back to his feet.

“Hahahahaha! All right, all right! Nick, Nick... Relax. I'm not angry with you over this.”

“Y-You're... not?”

Looking up at the smiling Pope, Nick revealed a confused expression.

“But this subordinate... th-this time...”

“It's nothing. I know perfectly well what level that Abyss Demon invasion was.”

As he spoke, Kaelrode slowly walked toward the throne and carefully picked up the trembling white furball sitting upon it.

Then, while soothing the adorable little creature by gently stroking it, Kaelrode spoke to Nick, White Yama, and the others.

“That wave of Abyss Demons was never something your group could have stopped in the first place. Even if they had attacked the Church headquarters itself, we might not necessarily have been able to withstand an Abyss Demon assault of that magnitude. Not to mention that monster Flame Prison appeared during the later stages of the incident. More than four hundred years ago, when I personally attacked the Great Winter Forest, I joined forces with two other colleagues, and even the three of us couldn't defeat that monster. Expecting you to fight something like that would obviously be unrealistic, wouldn't it? Besides... the reinforcements being intercepted by the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church was also beyond anyone's expectations. So, Nick... I don't blame you. There's no need to be so nervous.”

Kaelrode gave him a gentle smile.

“Y-Your Holiness, do you... really mean that?”

“Of course. How could I blame you for something that was already beyond your capabilities? Besides, I'm already very happy that all of you managed to return safely.”

“Th-Thank you, Your Holiness.”

Nick replied somewhat blankly.

He clearly hadn't expected the Pope to treat his failure so lightly.

And besides, the Pope was actually concerned about his well-being?

What kind of joke was this?

Normally, shouldn't he have...

......

Nick pursed his lips in confusion.

And just as Nick was struggling with these thoughts, Kaelrode's urging voice once again sounded beside his ears.

“Hurry up and stand properly. And stop making such a gloomy face. Smile more. That doesn't just apply to you, Nick. Bai Xiaozou, you too.”

As he spoke, Kaelrode cheerfully raised a hand and jokingly pointed toward the white-haired girl beside Nick, who had remained nervous the entire time.

“Bai Xiaozou... Oh, no, White Yama! You too. Stop being so scared. It's not like I'm some kind of monster. Both of you, hurry up and smile. Stop making the atmosphere in here so awkward! You're frightening this little one~”

“Y-Yes...”

“Understood, Your Holiness.”

Faced with Kaelrode's instructions, Nick and White Yama exchanged glances before hurriedly nodding.

They immediately forced smiles onto their faces.

However, since both of them were clearly forcing themselves to smile, the expressions on their faces looked exceedingly strange and uncomfortable.

Fortunately,

Kaelrode didn't care. Instead, he nodded with satisfaction.

“That's more like it. It's always better to smile.”

“Y-Yes...”

After awkwardly chuckling a few times, Nick cast a puzzled glance toward the white furball in Kaelrode's arms.

At that moment, a trace of seriousness couldn't help flashing through the Archbishop's eyes.

Frightened?

Although His Holiness claimed that the little creature was frightened because of the oppressive atmosphere inside the hall, from Nick's perspective, the little thing was obviously terrified of Kaelrode himself.

Originally, the little creature had merely been curled up nervously on the throne.

But after Kaelrode picked it up and held it in his arms, the little creature began trembling violently and even struggling desperately.

Kaelrode's attempts to soothe it weren't helping in the slightest.

Instead, the little creature's terror only seemed to intensify.

Moreover,

this little thing's appearance...

Why did it seem...

After hesitating for a moment, Nick pursed his lips before curiously asking,

“Your Holiness, this... this little creature is?”

“Hm? This little one? She's the child of the Holy Beast~”

“The Holy Beast's child?”

Nick exclaimed in disbelief.

White Yama, standing nearby, [N O V E L I G H T] froze for a moment before pointing incredulously at the white furball in the Pope's arms.

“Is... is she from that egg?! But that egg hadn't hatched for hundreds of years! I-I thought... I thought the egg had already died?!”

“No. This little one simply woke up a little late.”

Kaelrode smiled faintly as he gently patted the little white furball on the head.

“Then... Your Holiness.”

“What is it? Do you have another question, White Yama?”

“Well...”

After hesitating briefly, White Yama's gaze slowly settled upon the little white furball.

“Well, if she's a newborn Holy Beast, shouldn't she stay beside the adult Holy Beast after being born? Wh-Why is she here?”

“Because I intend to raise this little one personally.”

“But... Your Holiness, isn't this a little too early? If you want to train the young Holy Beast, couldn't you wait until after she's been weaned? Why take her away from the adult Holy Beast so soon? Wouldn't that be... inappropriate?”

Looking at the little creature whose eyes were filled with anxiety,

White Yama's heart trembled slightly.

Perhaps because she herself had grown up without her parents by her side, White Yama couldn't help feeling a trace of sympathy for the young Holy Beast.

A child who had only just been born

should stay beside her parents, shouldn't she?...

However, just as White Yama was about to continue,

Kaelrode's next words abruptly made the Heavenly Apostle's entire body tremble.

“What's inappropriate about it? The earlier she's taken away, the sooner she'll forget her mother.”

?!!

Huh?

Hearing Kaelrode answer in such an indifferent tone, White Yama's pupils abruptly contracted, as though she couldn't quite believe what she had just heard.

“Um... Your Holiness... Wh-What do you mean? Forget her mother? Wh-Why does the little Holy Beast need to forget her mother?”

“Why?”

“Y-Yes.”

Faced with White Yama's incredulous question, Kaelrode placed the white furball back onto the throne and casually waved his hand, as though the answer couldn't have been more obvious.

Then he chuckled.

“Hehe, isn't the answer obvious, White Yama? It's very simple. If this little one doesn't forget her mother, then how is she supposed to eat the Holy Beast in the future and inherit her mother's power?... If she doesn't properly inherit it, that'll give me quite the headache.”