〈 Chapter 267 〉 Sudden Interruption.
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“What’s all the commotion?”
In a heated atmosphere where everyone was ready to unleash their anger at each other.
A sudden voice interrupted.
A deep yet clear voice.
An incomprehensible combination, but that’s how I could only express it.
It was too distinct in what would soon become a battlefield.
Above all, the effect was completely unexpected.
[You? What’s happening?］
‘My body… won’t move?’
I wasn’t the only one frozen.
As I finally managed to move my eyes to check on the heroines, I found confusion reflected in their gazes.
The holy knights also stood trembling in place, all of them frozen.
If someone were to see us, they might misunderstand that time had stopped.
While I pondered how to resolve this situation.
Once again, the voice rang out.
“Everyone, stop fighting.”
In an instant, I regained my freedom of movement.
Thinking the holy knights would also be liberated like me, I quickly adopted a defensive stance.
But there was no need for that.
The holy knights were all standing at attention.
I couldn’t tell if it was by their own will or not.
But judging by their faces, the latter seemed certain.
“What kind of disgrace is this from the holy knights?”
This time, a hint of anger emerged in the deep voice.
With those words, the holy knights parted, and someone slowly approached us.
It was an older white cat beastman.
Draped in a white cloak known as Pellegrina, it looked rather unadorned and humble.
However, the aura emanating from their body was extraordinary.
And the question of who that beastman was was soon resolved.
“What nonsense are you trying to pull here?”
“No, it’s not like that! Your Holiness!”
The Pope.
The highest authority of the cathedral.
At the same time, the ruler of the religious state, the Beastman Kingdom.
That presence had come to intercede in our fight.
‘So that bastard is the root cause of this incident?’
[Seems like it’s the case.］
In any case, I thought it was good.
I could just deal with him all at once.
However, I couldn’t put that thought into action.
“Saintess, are you hurt anywhere?”
“……I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“That’s a relief.”
Unlike earlier, when she frowned at the holy knights, the Pope offered a kind smile to Caressy.
Furthermore, since Caressy’s expression also seemed okay, I decided to abandon my plans for violence.
At that moment, the Holy Knight Commander glared at the Pope with eyes filled with rage.
“You old bastard, how dare you!”
“Be careful with your words. We are in the presence of the Pope.”
“Hmph! Tomorrow, you’ll be nothing but a worm anyway!”
In response, the Pope displayed an air of ease.
After a moment, he turned his gaze to us.
“May I ask who your party is?”
“They are my devoted followers. It’s nice to have fans, but overzealous ones can be a bit much.”
‘What the f*ck is wrong with that bitch?’
[…Caressy’s morals seem to be slipping away.］
I was slightly pissed when Caressy chuckled, but I decided to hit her later.
For now, escaping the current situation was the priority.
I quickly bowed to the Pope and spoke.
“Greetings, Your Holiness. We have come to see the Saintess.”
“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”
As the Pope slowly turned his gaze to the heroines, he finally locked eyes with me.
He nodded his head with a look that seemed to understand something.
At that point, the Holy Knight Commander reluctantly turned his head and spat out.
“Pope! They have disgraced our holy knights! Hand them over immediately!”
“No. These folks were actually invited by me. They wanted to see the Saintess.”
“You’re full of crap!”
Suddenly, the Pope made an unexpected statement.
Still, since he seemed to be trying to protect us.
I quickly chimed in.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Holiness, for the first time like this.”
“Thank you for accepting the invitation.”
With an unchanged expression, the Pope responded softly to my words.
He was indeed the head of state.
At that moment, the Holy Knight Commander bellowed.
“That person over there is suspected of being human! An interrogation is necessary!”
“Is that so? I can’t tell since my eyes aren’t great.”
The Pope effortlessly brushed off the Holy Knight Commander’s loud outburst.
He flashed a slight smile at me and spoke.
“If you don’t mind, could you tell us what kind of beastman you are?”
“I’m a dog beastman wolf.”
“Cut the crap! Where do you even see a wolf beastman in him?!”
The Holy Knight Commander refused to dismiss his suspicions.
So, it was time for some dog talk to shine again.
Clearing my throat, I lowered my voice and let it out.
“This novel is the best literary work of Nopia, and it’s currently being adapted into a webtoon and anime.”
“Shit, so he really is a wolf beastman.”
[That’s absolutely correct.］
‘Did your head get shot?’
The Pope suddenly clapped his hands and addressed the holy knights.
“You can’t be rude to my guest any longer, so please return to your original positions.”
“……Being the Pope ends today. Tomorrow, I’ll come and take care of things myself, so be careful.”
“Oh dear, it’s scary, so would you please leave quickly?”
The Holy Knight Commander gritted his teeth and led his knights out.
They must have regained their freedom of movement thanks to the Pope’s actions just now.
As soon as the holy knights left.
Bam!!!
“Caressy, you f*cking lunatic! Have you lost your mind?”
“Oh, it hurts!!!”
I hit Caressy hard on the head.
[You! The Pope is still here!］
‘Ah, sh*t.’
Only then did I remember the Pope was still present.
As I slowly turned my gaze to the Pope, he gave me a sheepish smile.
“Hmm. I didn’t see anything.”
“Really?”
Hearing that made me hit Caressy once more.
Bam!!!!
“Stop hitting me!!!!”
“……That wasn’t an invitation to hit me again.”
The Pope cleared his throat for a moment and suddenly offered us a proposal.
“Would you follow me for a moment?”
“All of us? Why?”
“Yes, I’d like to have a brief discussion.”
To be honest, even if the Pope asked, I had no intention of complying.
There had been enough troubles in the damn Beastman Kingdom.
However, seeing the Pope bowing and asking me.
“I beg you.”
“……Alright.”
I had no choice but to follow the Pope quietly.
[Are you sure about this?］
‘He seems to be on Caressy’s side, so it should be fine.’
But before I followed, I had one thing to clarify.
So I quickly spoke to the Pope.
“Your Holiness?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
The Pope showed me a kind smile, but.
“You aren’t a gay, are you?”
“Don’t insult the Pope, you f*cker!!!”
“…….No worries, I’m not, so please don’t concern yourself.”
My words caused that smile to crack slightly.
But at least that was a relief.
At least I didn’t have to watch my back.
The Pope regained his composure and spoke to us.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes, let’s.”
As we tried to follow the Pope, he suddenly turned around and looked at Caressy.
“How about leaving the kingdom with them now?”
“I’m not an ungrateful dog, you know.”
“……I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m doing this because I want to.”
“……Got it. Thank you.”
With a mix of sympathy and regret, the Pope quietly closed the door.
Then, without a word, he started walking ahead, and we quietly followed behind him.
Before long, we arrived before some special elevator.
It was likely a facility only accessible to the Pope.
“Your Holiness, where are we going?”
“To my room. There’s also a guest room there, so rest a while.”
Then I quickly expressed my confusion.
“Are there any snacks?”
“…Unfortunately, no.”
At the Pope’s words, Elcia slumped her shoulders and started to tremble.
It seemed she was shockingly upset about there being no snacks.
Desperate to prevent Elcia from going on a rampage, I hurriedly added.
“You could starve in that case.”
“You have quite the appetite, contrary to appearances.”
“Not me, that pig over there.”
“……I’ll ask them to bring some snacks to the guest room later.”
Elcia appeared confused whether to express joy or anger, but.
It seemed joy won, as she struck a victory pose.
After all, food had arrived.
Once we quietly boarded the elevator, the Pope pressed the top floor button.
The elevator moved at a very fast speed.
As our ears popped, we soon arrived at the top level.
Finally, the doors of the elevator opened.
As soon as the doors opened, a huge room came into view, although.
The room looked nothing like the grand cathedral.
Most of the room was filled with thick books and bookshelves.
And an old desk worn out with age.
From the presence of a table and sofa, it seemed to be a combined parlor and the Pope’s office.
Still, it didn’t seem quite suitable for the Pope, the leader of the Beastman Kingdom.
If anything, it looked more like a small to medium-sized company’s reception area.
Noticing my bewildered gaze, the Pope chuckled and spoke.
“I apologize. There’s nothing here, is there?”
“Yeah.”
“……At least deny it for appearances’ sake.”
As we sat on the sofa, the Pope took a seat opposite us.
Soon after, the Pope began to introduce himself.
“Hello. I am a humble being serving as the Pope in the Beastman Kingdom.”
Still, out of all the beastmen I had met in the Kingdom, he seemed the most normal.
Curious about what the Pope might say, I was caught off guard when he unexpectedly uttered.
“Nice to meet you, Shinwoo.”
“……What?”
“And to the female students beside you as well.”
As we expressed suspicion, the Pope quickly added.
“I know thanks to Caressy, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“…Got it.”
In any case, the other party was fully aware of who we were.
Since there was nothing to hide, the heroines quickly took off their purses.
“F*ck, I thought I was gonna die.”
“It was awful! I almost became meat!”
“My wings were soaked in sweat. It was really sh*t.”
“These guys have no qualms about saying anything in front of the Pope.”
“Hahaha. It’s okay.”
I also took off my tail and headband since they were bothersome.
“F*ck, I’ve only now taken this off because of those dog bastards.”
“……All three of those swear words are in the same sentence.”
“Oh.”
Finally, we had shed our disguises and started to confront the Pope.
At that moment, the Pope muttered with a serious expression.
“Indeed… There’s no room for insertion among them… Caressy, stay strong…”
Curious about what he meant, I asked.
The Pope maintained a nonchalant expression.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Caressy’s friends. I have a favor to ask.”
As I felt a headache creeping in at what kind of request it could be.
The Pope suddenly bowed deeply and spoke with a voice full of anguish.
“Please, take our Caressy and help her escape from this place. I beg you.”
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