The grand church in this Holy City was… complicated. The hall was the largest by far compared to the other churches I had visited. It could easily fit everyone in this city without any problem.
'It seems they use a <Space Magic> to enlarge the space around the hall. I wanted to ask who used it, but Alesia, Pope Juriel, or possibly even the Goddess herself could do so. I hadn't appraised Juriel yet, but it's not that important.'
Once we entered, Pope Juriel asked me to put her down. I did so, and she managed to stand on her own without any help.
"Fufufu, thank you, Sir Arthur. I will be fine from here on. How about we have breakfast first? We will meet the 3 Cardinals after that."
"I don't mind. What about you, headmistress?" I turned to Alesia beside me.
"Breakfast will be good." The elder elf nodded, "But please tell the chef the usual."
"Fufufu, you still can't eat meat as usual?" Pope Juriel asked, and the headmistress nodded, "Don't worry. The nuns will inform him. Let's move to the dining room. It's located on the second floor."
We went to the second floor, following Pope Juriel. No one greeted us. The nuns were doing their own duties diligently, only bowing, and didn't bother us when we passed by. Once again, this was truly different from the other churches, where I was constantly greeted.
Still, their stares were really obvious. It was hard to ignore them.
Arriving at the dining room, a nun with her face covered by a veil opened the door for us. When I saw the dining room, I couldn't help but say it was too extravagant.
The term luxury wasn't enough to describe it. Gold adorned every inch of the room, from the ornate chandeliers that hung low, casting a warm glow on the surroundings, to the intricately carved chairs that seemed more like thrones than places to sit.
The walls were covered in rich, dark wood panels that gleamed with a polished finish. Elaborate mirrors reflected the grandeur of the room, making it seem even larger and more extravagant.
As I took in the surroundings, I noticed the table at the center of the room. It stretched endlessly, adorned with golden and crystal glassware that sparkled in the ambient light.
Rows of nuns who were inside immediately prepared the chairs, pulling three at the end of the table for us to sit on. They gestured for us to take our seats silently.
Yeah, this was too much. It was even more extravagant than the Royal Castle.
'And they don't have money to spend… I now doubt Sana a little.'
"Sir Arthur, if you may, please sit on the seat of honor."
"Very well."
If she said so, then I had no problem. Juriel sat on my left, while Alesia sat on my right. The nun pushed the chair so we could sit comfortably and left right after to fetch the food.
Before the food arrived, Juriel spoke once again.
"Sir Arthur, I believe I haven't told you about why I invited you here, yet you agreed to accompany me. May I ask why you chose to do that?"
Why? Because I wanted to stop by and check the border?
That might be an answer she was looking for too. But Alesia looked at me curiously, and this elf had been nothing but trouble. If she knew that I was here because I was curious, I was afraid she would create more trouble.
So, I answered a bit seriously.
"I am worried about the border's situation. I believe that the Hell's Cult has something to do with the strange movement of the monsters. They haven't shown up near the barrier, right?"
"Indeed. So do you really think they are the ones responsible for this?"
"I do." I nodded with a serious expression, "Based on the intel I gathered personally, Hell's Cult is the only one that I can think of responsible for anything to do with the 'border of the world.' At least, I believe they have the power to do so."
Especially that Incubus who charmed 2 Succubi from the Border City. That was left unsaid.
'I know it's better to tell the church about this, but I don't want Alesia to hear it yet. I will probably sneak into Juriel's bed to tell her later.'
"Anything related to the border, Sir Arthur?" Juriel asked in a concerned tone, "May you elaborate on that information again? Please don't worry, I can trust Alesia won't say anything about it to outsiders."
"Don't worry about it, Pope." I said with a smile, glancing at headmistress Alesia, "I have planned to tell her about this too because it's related to our deal."
Hearing that, her expression changed. She now listened to me seriously.
Having both of their attentions, I began my explanation about Hell's Cult goal. Nothing was left behind besides the fact that an instigator from Hell's Cult was now Mia's subordinate and the Incubus' incident. I also left Border City out of this, as they weren't recognized as a 'real' city yet.
Besides, I didn't want to show all my cards to other people I hadn't dominated yet. In this case, I referred to Alesia.
Still, it was important information. Once I finished explaining, Pope Juriel nodded in understanding.
"It seems that we need to check on the west border. I shall order the 3 Cardinals to do it immediately. Forgive me, Sir Arthur. But you might not be able to meet with the Cardinals today. The information that you had just told me earlier was too important to ignore."
"I understand."
"Alesia, I hope you will guide them. As you know, they are still… pretty young. Can I request that from you?"
Alesia looked at Juriel for a second and sighed. It wasn't like she had any choice when in front of the Pope.
"I am also interested in the border's situation, so I guess I will help."
Juriel clapped her hands and smiled.
"Wonderful! Well then, let's have breakfast first! You girls may enter!"
With her command, the door was opened, and the nuns entered, pushing a tray filled with foods. They looked delicious.
