Chapter 195
Franz quietly set down his teacup and spoke.
“The tea tastes excellent.”
It was a customary pleasantry.
Not that the tea tasted bad, though.
“I am glad it suits your taste.”
The Pope, sitting opposite him, picked up his teacup.
Judging by the smile spreading across his lips, he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.
But such a good atmosphere was only temporary. The conversation immediately cut off, and an awkward silence began to linger.
Since it was his first time facing the Pope like this, it was only natural.
Asking how he had been felt awkward, but skipping straight to the main point felt too businesslike, making him hesitant.
And that part was clearly his own fault.
“Your Holiness, I apologize. I should have come to see you sooner…”
“Why is the Saint apologizing…?”
The Pope’s expression was full of bewilderment, as if he had heard something completely unexpected.
Soon, he set down his teacup and continued speaking.
“Although I hold the position of Pope, I am not that great a person. Unlike the Saintess or the Saint, I have not received the Goddess’s will. So, you may just think of me as an elderly follower.”
“I understand what you mean.”
To put it differently, it was like the emperor saying, “I lack the strong martial prowess to protect the country, so I am just a middle-aged man representing the people.”
It was difficult to accept, and difficult to refuse.
Well, it was still much better than his being drunk on the position of Pope and wielding power.
“I believe you already know the reason I invited the two of you here without my having to say it.”
Saying so, the Pope rose from his seat and headed to the bookshelf. Then, he pulled out one of the countless books. It was an ordinary book with no title written on it.
“I believe I have a duty to leave a record of this incident for future generations, so that those who might experience the same thing do not lose hope. And that is the direction the Goddess Church must take.”
Sitting back down, the Pope opened the book.
Quite a lot of things were already recorded inside, and among them was the fact that Franz had become a Saint.
The pages, densely filled with text, turned until they soon stopped at a blank page.
“Then, may I ask you to tell the story.”
“Yes, of course.”
Franz slowly began to unravel the story.
From how he came to chase the Seven Great Evils, to gathering the sealed holy relics, to Deliaspi Dyne’s plan, and to subjugating the Demon God.
Of course, there was some embellishment along the way. He couldn’t exactly say that a damn hologram had told him.
The parts he couldn’t quite remember along the way were filled in by Yusti-ah.
It was around the time that long, long story was almost over.
“Are you saying your breathing stopped, but you came back to life…?”
“Yes, that is what has happened for now.”
“How could such a thing be possible? I can only call it the will of the gods.”
To be precise, it was more like he had arbitrarily taken a god’s power.
Anyway, should he explain the fact that he had become a demigod or not?
“It would be better not to say it, right…?”
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t think of any advantage to telling him. It would definitely just lead to a bunch of annoying things.
However, it seemed better to tell these four - Yuna, Yusti-ah, Hera, and Arian.
If a problem arose later, they would definitely nag him about hiding things again.
Afterward, Franz chatted a little more before rising from his seat.
“Then I will be on my way now.”
He had told him everything he could, so there wasn’t really a problem.
It was also about time for the Magic Tower members to gather.
“I will look forward to our next meeting.”
With the Pope’s farewell, Franz left the Pope’s room together with Yusti-ah.
It had been morning when they arrived, but the sun was already high in the sky.
It was when they were walking down the corridor, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the windows.
“Franz, you’re hiding something again, aren’t you?”
Yusti-ah suddenly said something meaningful.
“Why do you think that?”
“I can tell just by looking at your expression. You’re definitely hiding something.”
Does it show on my face that much…?
He thought he was used to hiding his emotions, but it seemed that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Or else Yusti-ah was exceptionally good at reading expressions.
Well, either way, her words were true.
“I’ll tell you later when things are sorted out.”
“Yes, I’ll wait. Your mind must still be complicated right now, too.”
“So you know how to wait, too?”
“A-Am I some kind of puppy?! Of course I know how to wait?!”
Yusti-ah blushed and shouted in a low voice. Since they were inside the Cathedral, she seemed to be restraining herself quite a bit.
“No matter what you do, I-I won’t wear a leash…!”
Franz went blank for a moment. It was because such an unimaginable remark had popped out.
He had just joked about whether she knew how to wait, but who would have known that would lead to a puppy and then a leash.
Of all things, there was someone around who liked leashes, so it was hard to even take it as a joke.
While Franz was lost in such thoughts, Yusti-ah, who had already walked far ahead, spoke.
“Just hurry up and come…!”
“Yeah, I’m coming.”
Franz immediately took a step forward. The thoughts that had filled his head were gone.
A faint smile had spread across his lips, but he himself was unaware of it.
Before long, Franz arrived at a small open ground behind the Cathedral.
Many people were already there, having their own conversations.
“Magic Tower lord, is your body feeling a bit better?”
Arian, who had at some point approached his side, asked.
“It’s gotten somewhat better. More importantly, what about the others?”
“They’re coming from over there.”
Arian pointed somewhere with her finger, and Franz’s gaze naturally followed it.
Yuna and Hera were there, both dressed in nuns' habits.
“Franz-!”
Spotting Franz, Yuna waved her hand widely in greeting.
At the sight of her, Franz was able to shake off the last remaining bit of anxiety.
He had expected Yuna to be perfectly fine, of course, but he had still been secretly worried.
“Magic Tower lord, what are you going to do for today’s schedule?”
Arian suddenly asked.
Franz shifted his gaze back to her and said.
“First, I need to handle some piled-up work.”
“I’ll do it instead, so just rest.”
“It’s fine. My mana core is shattered, not my body.”
“Wait a minute. Your mana core is shattered…?”
Arian’s eyes widened in shock.
Contrary to how calmly Franz had spoken, it was not something to be easily brushed off.
Let alone his life as a mage, just being alive was a miracle in that state.
As Arian realized this fact, her eyes began to tremble.
Franz lightly patted her shoulder with his palm.
It was obvious what she was thinking.
“Arian, I’ll tell you everything later when things are sorted out. I’m not in as dangerous a state as you think, so don’t worry.”
“…Understood. Then I’ll go prepare the Spatial Movement Magic.”
Arian spoke in a much more subdued voice and immediately left Franz’s side.
Franz smiled bitterly as he watched her retreating figure.
Even if it couldn’t be helped, he had ended up making her worry.
Meanwhile, Yuna and Hera had arrived at his side.
“Franz, how is your body?”
“So-so? Yuna, how about you?”
“I’m completely fine now.”
Yuna said so, bent her knees, and kicked off the ground, leaping into the air, as if to show firsthand that she was healthy.
Franz’s gaze belatedly followed her upward.
“…She seems excessively healthy.”
With just a light jump, Yuna soared higher than the top of the Cathedral.
He was aware of the hero’s power, but he couldn’t help being surprised every time he saw it.
Soon, Yuna landed lightly and smiled brightly as she spoke.
“How is it? I’m totally healthy, right?”
“You are. Still, just in case, be careful for a while.”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful. Thanks for worrying about me.”
It wasn’t really something to be thankful for.
Franz shrugged, conveying that thought.
At that moment, Hera spoke.
“Franz, may I ask you one thing?”
Franz nodded.
“What do you plan to do from now on? What should we do?”
“For now, I plan to return to my daily life. I have this and that to do. As for you guys…”
What would be best for them to do?
He wanted to take them straight home, but he wasn’t in a situation to do so.
But telling them to go back on their own didn’t sit right with him either, since they would have to travel a long way by carriage.
“…If you don’t have anything urgent, could you help out with some work at the Magic Tower for a while?”
To be exact, it was only until his mana core recovered, though when that would be was unknown.
“I don’t have anything particularly urgent.”
“I don’t have anything urgent either.”
Hera and Yuna readily accepted his request.
“Magic Tower lord, the magic preparation is all finished.”
It seemed Arian had also finished her preparations just in time.
It was a bit early, but it was time to return to everyday life.