After casting <Holy Shroud> on Pope Juriel, the aura and golden glow from her body disappeared alongside her halo.
I nodded in satisfaction as Juriel looked at her body in amazement.
"Your <Holy Magic> is indeed beautiful and strong. To think you can cast <Holy Shroud> that fast. And it's even stronger than the one I can cast! Could it hold on for 4 days?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.
"Five days." I corrected her, "And it will block any probing magic cast on you and hide any bad status, bad effect, or aura caused by your skill. Is that enough?"
"That's more than enough. You're truly as powerful as the Goddess had told me." The Pope nodded and scooted to the side. She then patted the bed beside her.
"Please sit here, Paladin Arthur. There is something I need to talk about with you a little. The Goddess only told me a little about you, and I am really curious about the new Paladin. Can you humor me with a few of my questions, if you don't mind?"
"Of course." I nodded and sat beside her while maintaining our distance.
This was our first meeting, and I had yet to know Juriel's personality well.
Unlike the Goddess, who told me she wanted to have sex with me using Sana's body, Jurie was more reserved and like a real holy maiden. Her smile was also giving me a calm feeling.
"Hmm, your smell is good, Paladin Arthur." Juriel suddenly spoke as she leaned closer slightly, surprising me.
Then she jerked her head back, covering her mouth with her hand. "Ah, my apologies. As an Angel, I can smell your Mana. Because of your proficiency in <Holy Magic>, your mana is mixed with its properties and gives me a good smell. That's what I mean by smelling good."
How do I say it? The Pope was similar to Sana in one way or another. Or should I say Sana was similar to the Pope?
They often said something first before noticing what they said and quickly corrected it. They were also intelligent and polite but often got worked up quickly.
I chuckled slightly, and Juriel turned speechless.
"I apologize. It's just that what you said earlier reminded me of Sana a little bit. She often made a similar mistake and apologized quickly." I explained.
Juriel's smile turned warm and gentle as I mentioned Sana. She put her hands on her thighs and looked at me.
"That kid still has the same habit as me. It makes me happy but worried at the same time." She said, giggling softly.
"I know about her ambition to become a Cardinal under me, but it's just too impossible for that kid. I prefer her to stay as an Archbishop and stay by your side, Paladin Arthur. She seems to be happier than becoming a Cardinal. Ah, don't tell her about this. She will be upset." She put her index finger on her mouth.
"I understand. I will keep it a secret."
Two Cardinals were chosen every 50 years, probably because the previous Cardinals' lifespans were exhausted, so they needed to choose a new one. But…
"Why don't you want Sana to become a Cardinal, Pope Juriel?"
"Because the Cardinals have no freedom. They need to help me to make a barrier in the Holy City, so the monsters can't advance. They indeed have high positions, but that's in the name only, fufufu."
'So that's the case.' I nodded in understanding.
"Please ask your question, Pope Juriel. I will answer it to the best of my ability."
"Very well. First, I want to ask about the Princess' case. Is it really necessary to get rid of her?" Juriel's soft tone turned serious as she straightened her posture.
"She wanted to use me and the church." My answer was firm and to the point.
As I mentioned before, I did believe letting the Princess do as she pleased wasn't something I should bother with. I had already answered this question many times, and my answer remained the same.
"And I can't revert what I did. The Kingdom is already corrupt, and I will put it in the right person's hand to fix it."
"Are you the right person, Paladin Arthur?"
"No." I shook my head with a self-deprecating smile. "While I can do almost anything, handling a nation is a bit too much for me. In the past, I had my friends help to stabilize my nation. Isn't there a perfect person to rise in power in this church?" I asked, grinning slightly.
"My, who do you mean by the perfect person?" Juriel smiled and held her cheek with her hand.
She clearly knew what I meant and already thought of that.
Since the charity from the Kingdom and the Nobles decreased, there was a clear sign of corruption in the Virtue Kingdom. Duke Bluerose's case was the perfect example of it.
If I didn't go there, the fallen Archbishop Jasper wouldn't have been found out for a while, and Ertha wouldn't have gone to the Bluerose Duchy and met me.
However, when I heard that the Holy Maiden had a <Oracle> skill, I began to think that there was no way the church didn't notice Beatrice and the fallen Archbishop Jasper. That incident seemed to be planned behind my back to raise my reputation.
Also… that blue hair and the lack of information I got from 'Requirement Appraisal.' If it was the Goddess, then she probably could disturb my skill and perk. After all, the Goddess was part of the system and the one who created it.
"Isn't Ertha someone from the Royal Family that went to the church? The fact she wore a blindfold meant she had a sin that she herself couldn't forgive, and that's abandoning her duty and family. I believe the Church is raising her in case something like this happens, no?
"That's why I don't do anything to the 'Real Princess' yet and only make her disappear. The lack of response and the fact that Archbishop Sana and Archbishop Linza returned to the Holy City can be explained by the fact that you have a plan to fill the spot of the Royal Family too.
"Besides… The church has always been strange. Why would a Paladin have higher authority than you and the King? Even if I am the Goddess' apostle, that's just too much." I finished my explanation by shrugging my shoulders and exhaled.
If Juriel didn't raise this question, I would probably just keep silent. And if anyone else besides her, who knew my secret, asked me, I would just say that Princess Carissa was troublesome and I hated her, so I made her disappear.
"I didn't expect you to be able to guess all of that, Paladin Arthur." The Pope didn't seem to be surprised and only praised me. She clapped her hands, making the clapping sounds echoing in the small room.
"But you're wrong about something. We don't plan to raise Ertha to take the throne. She's our family. Instead, we will support the Queen to take her throne and become the ruler of this Kingdom. She's a kind and smart woman, so I believe she will do well. Especially since she will be loyal to someone soon."
I was wrong about my theory about Ertha's situation, huh? Though she didn't deny that Ertha came from the Royal Family.
Still… I looked at the Pope with disbelief. Was she for real? I was expecting something… like a rejection.
"So I am free to do as I please with the Princess?"
"If you already have a concrete plan, then feel free to. Rather, I will help you. Well, King Cassius is a parasite who thinks he can command this Kingdom. We, Castitas Church, have always thought the Queen is a better ruler, so this is a perfect chance to do that.
"In fact, the donation we received only decreased when King Cassius rose to the throne. So we are wondering how we can push the Princess to become the new Ruler, but you have taken care of her. Our only choice is the Queen right now."
"It will cause chaos, you know?" I laughed dryly.
"It is what the Goddess wants." The Pope smiled softly, hiding a lot of meaning behind it.
"I am just her Angel and Luxuria Church's Pope is just her Devil. That's why my authority is lower than yours, her beloved Paladin." She added, answering the question I wanted to know.
'Because the Goddess wants King Cassius to step down, then everyone would follow. It's truly scary when I think that everyone can be controlled by faith.'
My plan was to charm King Cassius. But the church seemed to want to 'get rid' of him and place the Queen as the new ruler. They knew the Queen better than I did, but I had influenced her through Beatrice.
Even now, King Cassius was probably already charmed by Beatrice, becoming an obedient slave. And the Queen was also affected by the rumor, thinking that the King and the Princess did something unforgivable.
I just needed to change a little bit of my plan from the King sentenced the Princess to death to the King protecting a Vampire with his life, opposing Castitas Church's Pope and the Paladin.
Even in the Virtue Kingdom, everything could be ruled out.
This world might still have more mysteries than I initially thought. The matter of the church. The fact Pope Juriel knew my secret and probably was the Pope from the Luxuria Church too.
Virtue was just a name. Everything was based on Sins.
That was why Domination House also used 'Sins' to dominate people and 'Virtue' to free oneself from domination. But Virtue was truly hard to obtain.
'Maybe that's why this world is Sins Paradise. Virtues have no standing in this world.'
I couldn't help but laugh at this. Thankfully, I didn't plan to become a Saint in this world and lived as I pleased from the start.
"That satisfies my first question, Paladin Arthur." Pope Juriel spoke once again in a soft tone. "May I ask my second question?"
"Please, do ask," I answered.
"Do you want to know the way to return to your world?"
At her question, my breath was cut short, and my body froze.
