Chapter 164

Luna, who had fainted, was carried inside by me.

It was just a simple fainting spell, so there was really no need to go all the way to the Life Temple, and chances were high she’d wake up soon.

Of course, her high-pitched scream drew some attention, but fortunately, we managed to pass through without too much fuss. Everyone seemed to think it was just a prank.

Anyway, stepping inside the Papal Palace, it was quite comparable to a dungeon. Unlike the entrance, the interior wasn’t complicated at all.

On the contrary, it was quite neat. It seemed the designer prioritized normalcy for the interior rather than extravagance.

“Welcome. I’ve been informed by the Saint.”

As we entered the Papal Palace, it wasn’t long before a guide approached us.

He was a solidly built man, notably muscular despite wearing a priest’s robe.

No, it was more like the priest’s robe showcased his broad shoulders even more. He might not have been as muscular as Rize, but he was definitely impressive.

“My name is Gaspar de Amante. A loyal servant of the Chaos.”

“I’m Rod. What is Rize doing at the moment?”

“She’s training with the Pope in the Training Hall.”

“······?”

Did I mishear that? Who’s training in the training hall?

Kara seemed just as confused as I was and asked Gaspar, “Wait a minute. You said she’s training with the Pope?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

“Not really, it’s just······”

There’s a certain image that comes to mind with the Pope. A kind, well-mannered old man.

But if she’s training with Rize, it sounds like he’s far from that.

“······I’m not very familiar with Byzantium, but are most Popes chosen from the Chaos?”

“Yes. However, it’s often chosen from Gaia or Gulrak.”

“To maintain the balance, I suppose?”

It seems even in Byzantium, power struggles are unavoidable.

This isn’t just a matter for the gods; it’s a human issue too. It’s a concern that’s been decided since the establishment of civilization.

“No, that’s not it. They actually pick the Pope by drawing lots.”

“Excuse me?”

“By drawing lots. They gather all the faithful bishops and above, and hold a drawing. Then they select the Pope.”

“··· ···”

What kind of crazy country does that? Selecting the highest authority by drawing lots?

I was dumbfounded, and Kara was equally taken aback. Other nations are battling for power, yet here it feels altogether bizarre.

“It’s a tradition passed down through history. Honestly, being the Pope is more of a figurehead; it’s not a great position.”

“Wait, how can a country function like that?”

It was surprising enough that Kara, from a newly established civilization like Tartar, would say something like that.

Right now, Tartar is just at ground zero as a nation and has a lot of shortcomings. Even she finds it absurd.

Considering that the supreme leader is chosen by drawing lots, it wouldn’t be strange if another country collapsed under such a system.

“Yes. Since it’s someone personally chosen by Chaos, nobody questions it. Besides, the way governance works isn’t solely focused on the Pope.”

“Even so······”

“I don’t get it either. But it’s a tradition that has continued since the Demon War, so I can’t really say anything against it.”

“··· ···”

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this, but I couldn’t argue either. Maybe even during the drawing, Chaos had manipulated it so that competent individuals were chosen.

It’s absurd, yet on the flip side, it shows how high Chaos’ authority is when all the denominations willingly follow.

‘Why is their authority so high? They’re fickle and rarely lend direct support?’

It wasn’t meant to disparage Chaos, just stating facts. The lack of a message meant even Chaos seemingly accepted that.

Maybe there’s a belief that a lack of authority paradoxically creates fairness. There’s a lot to ponder.

Following Gaspar, I took in the interior of the Papal Palace. It was obvious it was well-decorated.

“······What’s that over there?”

“Oh, that’s the head of a Red Dragon. I believe a knightly order once took it down in the distant past.”

“And why is it inside here······?”

Of course, the bizarre designs characteristic of Chaos were everywhere. Unlike the neat interior of the Papal Palace, the decorations were rather rough.

From the stuffed dragon head to the various other trophies, the civilized grandeur contrasted sharply with the barbaric designs.

The entrance to the dungeon had looked like the kind of place where tribesmen lived. Its presence was striking.

‘At least the trophies······’

If you only looked at the trophies, it resembled the cave where I once lived—except for the colorful glass windows and chandeliers.

Yet strangely, it seemed to fit together in a way that fascinated me. It was like the love-it-or-hate-it vibe of mint chocolate.

“What kind of work do you do, Gaspar?”

“I’m a assistant to the Saint. There are many others like me. All are devoted followers training under the Saint’s ideals.”

“You mean eliminating the source of the suffering, not just treating the effects?”

“Exactly.”

No wonder he looked perfectly healthy, claiming to be a follower of Chaos.

Besides, he could also just be pretending to be fine now. Rize managed to seem quite polite, after all.

Though that was mainly within the confines of her ‘Saint’ persona. Her ‘Gwonseong’ persona gave off an overwhelming air of strength.

“This is the place. They should be finishing training shortly.”

Soon, we arrived at the training hall where the Saint and the Pope were supposed to be training. Thankfully, the training hall looked quite ordinary from the outside.

Gaspar quietly opened the door for us, and by the way, Luna was still slung over my back.

“Thank you for your hard work, Your Holiness. Your skills are improving each day.”

“Uugghh······”

As soon as we entered, I was greeted by an extremely rare sight.

Rize was confidently standing there in her Gwonseong form, in front of her, a single man sprawled out on the floor like a starfish.

From just this, it looked as though Rize was roughing up the man, who appeared to be the Pope.

“Fuck······ why am I the Pope······”

“··· ···”

So he was the Pope, but the way he talked was far from Pope-like.

Rize turned to look back at us while glancing at the sprawled Pope. She then smiled at us warmly.

Given her appearance, even her warm smile felt close to a triumphant grin. Especially in her outfit, which made all her muscles stand out.

She was dressed in short shorts that showed off her thighs, and a black T-shirt that looked stretchy.

“Gaspar, please help the Pope to the infirmary. He shouldn’t be able to walk right now.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Just kill me instead······ I don’t want to be Pope······ why do I have to do this······”

Whatever the Pope mumbled, Gaspar respectfully assisted him according to Rize’s command.

The problem was that ‘assisting’ looked more like he was carrying a sack of potatoes. Quite the treatment for a Pope.

“You came quickly. Did you have any discomfort on the way?”

“None at all. Just that Sivar caused a bit of an incident.”

“Um, does that include the Luna on your back, or exclude her?”

Nope. Why is that question worded like that? Have I been causing that much trouble?

······To be honest, I have caused a lot of trouble. It’s all my fault anyway.

Rod explained what I had caused apart from Luna fainting.

I couldn’t resist my curiosity and got my hand too close to a space that got cut clean off.

Rize seemed a bit surprised by the incident, indicating she hadn’t expected something like that. But she understood nonetheless.

“Fortunately, it sounds understandable. However, even if it’s regenerated, there may be issues with your nervous system, so it would be wise to visit the Gaia Temple.”

“I was planning to do that. But before that, about Sivar·····”

The purpose for coming to Byzantium is one thing. To find out who I really am.

I need to know why I’ve come here through the gods as well. At least if there’s a reason, it would feel less messed up.

“Don’t worry about that. There are ways to handle it. Sivar?”

“?”

“Could you set down Luna for a moment?”

I was puzzled at Rize’s request for a moment but complied and gently set Luna down.

Luna was still unconscious, and it seemed odd she was sleeping so long from just a shock. Normally, she’d have woken up by now.

Before I could even ponder that thought, Rize said, “Excuse me for a moment.”

*Thwack!!*

A tremendous impact struck my neck. The shock radiated from my neck to the rest of my head.

It looked like Rize had just walloped me in the back of the neck. A normal person would have surely fainted from such a blow.

“???”

But not me. I stared wide-eyed at Rize, bewildered by her sudden attack.

My neck tingled painfully. The whole of my head felt like it was ringing.

“Hmm. Your body sure is quite sturdy.”

“Why, why did you hit me······?”

“I did it to knock you out. First, could you kindly present your neck?”

What does knocking me out have to do with Chaos? I shot her a confused look.

However, Rize remained undeterred. She showed me a fist big enough to resemble a cooking pot, threatening me without actually threatening.

“Will you faint peacefully? Or will you faint painfully?”

“··· ···”

The answer was decided. There was no point in resisting at this point.

Besides, Rize wouldn’t do anything reckless. I pressed my lips together and quietly said, “T-take it easy······”

“Understood.”

*Smack!!*

At that moment, an even stronger impact hit me in the back of the neck.

“Ugh!!”

“Hmm. That was weak too.”

*Thwack! Thud!*

I lost consciousness only after receiving two more hits.

******

Before Sivar fainted, Luna was experiencing something strange.

Not only was it surprising that she had fainted due to Sivar’s antics, but she was also dreaming. A dream where she could move her own body.

‘What is this? Where am I?’

Luna blinked and looked at her hands. For some reason, her hands had noticeably tougher calluses.

Not just her hands, her outfit was heavily armored, looking like she was ready to head into battle.

If one only considered this, it could be dismissed as a simple dream. But the scenery around her was far from dreamlike.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The world was on fire. Quite literally, the whole world was ablaze.

The contrast of the dark night sky with the roaring flames that seemed ready to consume her.

It might have been a dream, but surprisingly, the flames didn’t feel hot at all. My eyes weren’t even itchy.

‘What the······’

With a dazed expression, Luna began to move forward. Standing still didn’t seem like an option.

As she slowly walked ahead, she witnessed something far worse than the waves of flames.

‘Oh my······’

In a hellish scene, corpses piled up like mountains, and blood formed oceans.

This was a depiction of mass slaughter, the very sight that Luna was witnessing.

True to the expression, the bodies were stacked into mountains, and blood formed pools. Just looking at it was terrifying.

‘What is that······’

At the peak of the mountain of corpses stood a figure with confidence. Since he had his back turned, she couldn’t see his face.

But Luna could see him as clearly as if he were right in front of her. Maybe it was thanks to her special eyes.

Judging by the wide shoulders and physique, he was definitely a man. In one hand, he held an axe and in the other, a sword.

Both weapons were quite large to be held in one hand, yet the man effortlessly wielded them with both hands.

‘His figure······ seems familiar······’

Just as Luna was lost in thought, “······it’s you?” exited her mouth.

She hadn’t intended to say anything, but it just happened.

In that moment of panic, as she fumbled her words, strangely, her body wouldn’t move.

It felt as if she had lost all control, as her body acted on its own. Meanwhile, the man standing atop the mountain of corpses turned around.

“······!!”

Luna couldn’t help but widen her eyes. And it was no wonder, for as the man turned, she could see his face perfectly.

The man’s appearance was remarkably similar to someone she recognized.

His hair was a bit longer, and most of his boyish features had faded away, but if he grew up, it would be just that face.

At the same time, she could positively identify that it wasn’t him. Because the man’s eyes shone with an intense, deep red.

“······You’ve come.”

But the man she faced now had.

“Friend.”

The vibrant and vivid purple of his eyes was unmistakable.

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