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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘…I guess it’s possible if she’s the Pope.’
I briefly wondered who could have barged into the room so rudely, then I realized it was perfectly acceptable for the Pope herself, the one who had given me the brooch, to do so.
I couldn’t help but nod in understanding.
Floretta, a warm, benevolent smile on her face, entered the room with her signature pose – her elbows tucked against her sides and her arms spread slightly.
“Your Holiness, the Pope of the Sun?”
Floretta’s expression shifted subtly for a moment as she heard me address her by her title, then she smiled again after noticing Minerva sitting across from me.
My relationship with the Popes was supposed to be a secret, after all.
“How did Your Holiness…”
“I couldn’t possibly remain seated when the honored guest graced us with their presence in the Holy Kingdom. So I had to come here.”
Floretta, her warm, benevolent smile still directed at me, turned her head and met Minerva’s gaze. Minerva was watching us both with a rather curious expression.
“Eternal Mage, I welcome you to the Holy Kingdom in the name of the Pope of the Sun.”
“Spare me the pleasantries. Tell me why you’re here. As far as I know, the Pope isn’t allowed to leave the cathedral grounds. Has the doctrine changed?”
Minerva didn’t use honorifics, even with the Pope of the Sun. She was only showing the bare minimum of courtesy. It might have been natural, considering their age difference.
“Eternal Mage, it seems you’re under a great misunderstanding.”
Floretta chuckled.
“How can meeting such an esteemed guest, worthy of receiving that brooch, be considered leaving the cathedral grounds without a valid reason? Please, reconsider your thoughts.”
“……Hmm.”
Minerva narrowed her eyes.
Her silver-white eyes scanned Floretta and me, then she crossed her legs and looked away, as if to tell us to talk amongst ourselves. A steaming teacup materialized in her hand.
It was clear that she would subtly inquire about our relationship later, or at least harbor a great deal of curiosity even if she didn’t ask directly.
As Minerva turned away, Floretta looked at me again. Her soft hand gently clasped mine. Her arm moved slightly inwards, pressing against her side.
“Why have you returned to the Holy Kingdom, honored guest?”
‘Returned?’
It was a rather peculiar choice of words.
Was she thinking that I would eventually settle down in the Holy Kingdom instead of the Empire?
“Haven’t you heard why we came here, Your Holiness?”
I subtly changed the subject. Now wasn’t the time to ask about Floretta’s thoughts.
“I have not.”
“If you haven’t heard the reason, how did you know we were waiting here…?”
“There are ways. You needn’t worry about it, honored guest. So, why have you returned to our Holy Kingdom?”
I was curious about those ‘ways,’ but I didn’t want to pry unless she offered an explanation.
I answered obediently,
“We came to acquire Sunlit Holy Water.”
“Sunlit Holy Water… I understand. How much do you need, honored guest?”
“We need about one barrel.”
“You came here wearing that brooch just to acquire one barrel? You are too humble. Even if you had asked for a hundred barrels, we would have gladly given them to you without asking for payment.”
A beaming smile appeared on her face.
“However, honored guest. Do you know how to transport the holy water?”
I sighed inwardly at her question.
It was easy now that I had Minerva, but the struggles I went through in the game to complete this quest, without access to such a convenient method, came to mind.
The reason why Sunlit Holy Water was so expensive wasn’t just because of its limited production, but also because the transportation method was incredibly troublesome.
Even players who couldn’t understand why mere holy water was so expensive would change their minds after completing the quest to deliver Sunlit Holy Water to Ceres.
If it weren’t for this holy water, the quest to obtain a weapon from Ceres wouldn’t have been so infamous. It would have been just slightly annoying.
“Yes. Lady Minerva has offered to help us.”
“The Eternal Mage has…”
Floretta’s emerald green eyes glanced at Minerva, who was sitting on the sofa.
For a moment, I felt like the faint smile on her face disappeared.
But it was so fleeting that I might have been mistaken.
“But Your Holiness, where is the Pope of the Moon? Didn’t she come with you?”
I looked around.
The Pope of the Moon was nowhere to be seen. There was no way Floretta would come alone, leaving Luna behind. Either they would come together, or neither of them would come.
Floretta closed her eyes, a gentle smile on her face.
“My sister is right here.”
“Pardon…?”
Before I could even ask, Floretta’s hair turned silver in an instant.
Minerva, who had been sipping her tea with her legs crossed, looked at her in surprise, as did I.
Her long, wavy golden hair, which had been reaching the floor, was now a radiant silver, as if bathed in moonlight.
Her closed eyelids slowly opened, revealing violet eyes, like sapphires, where her green eyes had been.
Silver hair and violet eyes.
“It’s been a while, honored guest.”
A voice emerged from her lips.
It was Floretta’s voice, but it was much colder and more formal than before. A familiar voice, a familiar tone.
“Your Holiness, the Pope of the Moon…?”
It was Luna.
“I am honored that you remember me.”
“How…”
“It would be more accurate to say that I have ‘descended’ into Evangelina’s body. I can explain further, but you probably won’t understand. Would you like me to explain it anyway?”
I shook my head.
I wondered if it was even possible for Luna to descend into Floretta’s body, but I didn’t want to deny it when the evidence was right in front of me.
Besides, what was the point of listening to an explanation I wouldn’t understand?
“I am deeply sorry that I have to meet you in this form instead of greeting you personally. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Floretta, or rather, Luna, who had descended into Floretta’s body, bowed her head slightly.
I noticed Minerva watching us with a curious expression.
“You don’t have to be so formal, Your Holiness. There’s no need for you to lower your head.”
“But our relationship dictates that I show you respect.”
At Luna’s firm rebuttal, I almost blurted out, “What relationship?” We had been intimate, the three of us, but I didn’t think that was what Luna was referring to.
I didn’t have the courage to ask.
“Even we cannot maintain this descent for long. So, I would like to give you a gift before I depart.”
“What kind of gift?”
“A blessing. It seems the moonlight has faded, so I will replenish it for you.”
With those words, Luna pulled my head down and hugged me tightly. My face was buried between her ample breasts, and the sweet, fruity scent of her flesh filled my nostrils.
She hugged me tightly, again and again, then whispered softly,
“May the clear full moon always rise in the sky you gaze upon. May the blue moon illuminate your path, even amidst darkness and the abyss.”
Luna then lifted my head and kissed me. Once on the forehead, once on each cheek, and finally, once on the lips. It was the same as before.
“……?”
But what happened next was different.
10 seconds passed, then 20, then 30. Her lips showed no sign of leaving mine. The last kiss had lasted barely 10 seconds, but this one had been going on for over a minute.
Her lips pressed even closer against mine. The arm around my back tightened, and Floretta’s breasts pressed against my chest, their soft, yielding texture undeniable.
“Mmm…”
She was even slipping her tongue into my mouth. I was startled and tried to pull away, but her arms held me firmly in place.
I couldn’t understand how this was possible.
My Strength stat had been 1 back then, but now it was well over 20.
Luna, borrowing Floretta’s body, continued to kiss me deeply, our tongues entwined, for a long time. It was only after a few minutes that she finally pulled away.
Floretta’s taste lingered in my mouth.
“It is done, honored guest. I eagerly await the day we meet again.”
Luna licked her lips seductively and bowed her head. Her silver hair turned back to gold, and when she raised her head, her eyes had returned to their original emerald green.
Seeing her signature beaming smile, I knew it was Floretta again.
“Did you receive the blessing properly, honored guest?”
“Uh… Well…”
“I am also reluctant to let you go, but it seems time is running out. So, I will bestow my blessing upon you as well, and then I must take my leave.”
“Time is running out, but—”
Thump.
Floretta buried my face in her cleavage again.
Her sweet scent filled my nostrils, and I could feel her hands on the back of my head, pressing me closer.
“May the radiant sun always shine upon your path. May you find the bright sun, even amidst hardship and adversity.”
Her lips met mine again. Once on the forehead, once on each cheek, and finally, on the lips.
The moment our lips touched, Floretta’s tongue invaded my mouth.
“Mmm… Ah…”
Unlike Luna, Floretta even moaned softly as she kissed me. Our tongues and saliva mingled.
Floretta was practically clinging to me as she kissed me. Her arms wrapped around my waist, our legs entangled, her breasts pressed against mine, our breaths mingling.
I awkwardly half-hugged Floretta, accepting this deep kiss disguised as a blessing. I didn’t have time to worry about where my hands were. I was too busy trying to control my lower body.
Slurp… Mmm…
The long kiss ended with the sound of saliva mixing.
A silver thread stretched between our lips as we parted. Floretta broke the thread with her finger and brought it to her mouth, sucking on it gently.
Her index finger, extended seductively, glistened with transparent saliva.
While I was still stunned, Floretta quickly adjusted her clothes, placed her hands in front of her lower abdomen, and bowed her head slightly.
“I must take my leave, honored guest. I will treat you better next time, so please…”
Before I could even say anything, Floretta glanced at Minerva, then her body dissolved into a brilliant sunlight.
The lingering peach scent in the air and the warmth on my lips were the only proof that what had just happened wasn’t a dream.
“We apologize for the wait, honored guest!”
A paladin’s booming voice echoed from outside the door.
I regained my composure and looked at Minerva first.
She had witnessed the Pope and me hugging and kissing for almost ten minutes. I had no idea what she was thinking.
“Do you have something to say to me, my child?”
But surprisingly, Minerva’s expression was completely calm. It was so different from what I expected that I was the one who was surprised.
“……It’s nothing.”
I chose my words carefully.
I couldn’t ask her why she was so calm after witnessing the Pope and me kissing, especially when she was the one who had witnessed it.
‘Well, there’s no reason for Minerva to be surprised.’
After all, we weren’t in a relationship, and we hadn’t kissed and made out for fun. It was a blessing from the Pope.
Considering all the common sense that had been altered by the mods, Minerva probably thought the Popes had just given me a more intense blessing.
Though Aurora had been bewildered when she heard Stella’s explanation of how to identify heretics.
“We apologize for the wait! Here is the Sunlit Holy Water you requested!”
A booming voice echoed.
Minerva’s gaze naturally shifted to the front. I followed her gaze.
‘What the… How is it so big?’
I was astonished by the amount of ‘one barrel.’ There was a world of difference between the ‘one barrel’ I had imagined and the ‘one barrel’ the paladins brought in.
I had imagined something the size of an ordinary water bottle, or maybe a 1.5-liter plastic bottle at most. But what I saw in front of me was completely different.
The paladins were carrying a glass jar large enough to fit me inside with room to spare.
I looked at Minerva, bewildered. But her expression remained calm. That giant glass jar was indeed the ‘one barrel’ she had in mind.
While I was speechless at the unimaginable scale, the paladins carefully walked towards us and gently placed the jar on the ground.
As if afraid of touching it, they retreated five steps from the jar and knelt, bowing their heads.
“We have brought it, honored guest!”
“……Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”
“You are most welcome! Is there anything else you need?”
“No, we’ll take it from here. You can leave.”
“Yes!”
The paladins stood up, bowed to me once more, and tiptoed out of the room.
I couldn’t believe they could tiptoe with all that heavy armor on.
“You look quite surprised, my child.”
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[Your Text Here]
The popes are thirsty…. in a lot of ways
I think being separated by country borders might be a good thing, those 2 might just as well keep him in one room 24/7 making mini popes
Asserting dominance