Side Story 41. Anemone Smiled Brightly (17)
After the meal, Lucien unni carefully whispered to me regarding the advice that I had brought up before the meal. In response, I smiled at Unni and asked her to set up a separate meeting so I could inform her husband and Cardinal Fernando as well.
"Okay, I'll talk to him. No, even if it isn’t my husband, I'll ask my father to schedule it." Lucien unni spoke gravely with determination.
I don't know what Unni's husband is to Cardinal Fernando, but if it were Lutein ahjussi, he would certainly be able to make an appointment. The temple headquarters was where the Vatican was located, and as the archbishop of that area, Lutein ahjussi had great power and could not be ignored despite being in different factions.
"Then please." Doomstone and I thanked Lutein ahjussi for the meal and left his house.
"Ah, it was delicious. Right?”
At my question, Doomstone took it seriously and glanced at the mansion, which was getting farther away, and whispered in a small voice, "It was delicious, but actually, what I ate for lunch was more delicious.”
I burst into laughter at the unexpected answer. So honest. "Ahaha! Of course. The hotel chef is an alumnus educated in the same place as the imperial chef. They’re even invited to cook dinners organized by the pope at times."
Correspondingly, the price of this chef’s food was just as great as his skills. Although, obviously, the lunch was paid for by Duke Arthemius.
"But haven't your tastes become too luxurious? Will you be able to eat food from the market tomorrow?” I asked playfully.
Doomstone smiled and said proudly, "Despite how I look, I'm not picky about food!"
"Hahahaha! That's good. Since we stopped by the cultural experience center and department store today, should we walk around the market tomorrow?"
"That sounds good!" Doomstone readily accepted my proposal.
"Let's go back and have a drink now."
"Oh yeah! Let's hurry up and go!" Doomstone hugged me and jumped up gently.
"Oh, my!" He leaped so high that it made me cling tightly to his chest in a hug.
After jumping onto the roof of a three-story building in one motion, Doomstone laughed joyfully and shouted, "Ahahaha! Hold on tight! I’m going to jump high!"
After saying that, he squatted low to the ground like a spring, then launched himself as if he were flying.
Crack!
"Aigo, I was trying to control my power, but the roof got slightly damaged."
There was a hole as large as the sole of a Doomstone's foot on the roof.
I breathed in the night air that flowed refreshingly across my cheeks and said, "It's okay. The night sky is so clear. It's going to be a clear day tomorrow, too."
The sky was full of stars, and a bright moon illuminated the streets of the holy land. As if we were flying in the sky, I could see the whole city at a glance. After staying in the air for a long time, we started to fall from gravity. Doomstone lightly stepped on the streetlight in the center of the holy land and jumped high into the sky again.
"Good. The force exerted was perfect this time." Doomstone smiled in satisfaction. The streetlight down there stood straight without bending even a little.
We arrived at the hotel shortly after repeating several ups and downs.
I stepped down from Doomstone's arms and smiled pleasantly as I fixed my hair that got scattered in the wind. "Ah, that was fun. Let's do it again next time."
"If you want, anytime."
I retrieved a wig out of my bag and put it on while Doomstone took sunglasses out of his pocket. Then, we smiled at each other and went into the hotel. When we arrived in the room, Doomstone and I drank and spoke for hours.
I spent the entire time laughing. It'd been a long time since I had a conversation with no formality and pretense. I felt sorry for my father, but the time here was so sweet that I didn't want to go back. As we conversed, we slowly fell asleep.
* * *
It had already been four days since I arrived at the holy land. After the initial welcome by Lutein ahjussi, I didn’t hear from him, so I was able to stay at home for the first time in a while. According to the original plan, I expected it to take a week or a month at the earliest, so I wasn’t particularly worried.
Sometimes, things were bound to go wrong if you rushed. It was important to take your time. "Ha-am~! The weather is nice and warm.”
Doomstone lay leisurely on the sofa and yawned as he basked in the sunlight entering the terrace. I was similarly lying on the opposite sofa and enjoying the sun. Just because I was acting leisurely during this time didn't mean I wasn't doing anything. I was busy collecting information in my own way and coming up with future plans.
"Yeah. The sunlight is nice. But do you not train, Doomstone? Glont ahjussi always trains."
At my question, Doomstone yawned. "I'm training right now."
"Really?" From what I saw, I could only see him sprawled out and lying down.
"Yeah. Even though I look like I'm resting, I'm developing mana channels throughout my entire body, all the way to the capillaries. In fact, I have never stopped training since I left my hometown.”
"Even when you sleep?"
"Even when I sleep. I probably won't stop training unless there comes a situation when I have to use my full power."
Wow, it was kind of amazing to keep your mana working even while you were asleep. I also knew how to use mana, although it was only at the level of casting something like magic bullets. As such, I was aware of how hard it was to keep circulating mana nonstop.
To me, this training was unimaginable. And it was kind of barbaric too.
"Ahem! Being barbaric is perfect for training." Doomstone spoke as if he had read my thoughts. It was probably his instincts. He added, "Sometimes, simple is more effective."
We were lying down peacefully when the bell rang to announce a visitor outside.
I guess it's already time. Our free period was over.
I stood from the sofa and checked the visitor using the lens attached to the door. From what I could see, he was a pretty muscular man in a priest's uniform.
"Sister-nim, I am Ryu Cheinlyang. Is Brother Doomstone here-nim? I'm here to say something good."
I didn't want to open the door because he sounded like a pseudo-door-to-door evangelist, but since he knew both my name as well as Doomstone’s, this probably meant that he’d been sent by Ahjussi. Still, confirmation was essential.
"Please tell me your name and who sent you."
"I'm Ruin, a monk who is training as a battle priest. Archbishop Lutein-nim sent me, Sister-nim."
A monk? Was there a class like that among priests?
I decided to open the door for now. Despite what I saw through the lens, the young muscular priest, unfortunately, had widespread hair loss.
"Uh-huh-huh, oh, my. Will the Brother-nim with you allow me to come inside? He has a very nasty... Khmm! It's an incredible aura,” the muscular priest said.
Doomstone sat up and looked at the priest, finding it interesting. "Your senses are better than your skill level. You'll live for a long time."
"Thank you for the compliment. When I sensed your aura, I felt like I would die in one blow if I took even a single step into the area.” The priest said this and carefully took a step inside. "As Sister-nim wished, a meeting with Cardinal Fernando has been arranged. Will you accompany me?”
"Of course. Let's go, Doomstone."
"Okay." Doomstone warmed up lightly.
It was a simple movement, but every time he moved his arm, there was a threatening sound.
The priest saw this, and he swallowed dryly. "What a monster-like Brother-nim you are."
Well, I also agree. But I felt reassured that he was on my side.
* * *
Following Ruin, the balding priest, Doomstone, and I entered the central temple in the center of the holy land where the Vatican was located. Unlike other temples, the central temple bore a splendid appearance that it had during the temple’s prime more than 120 years ago.
"Oh, that's cool. Are those drawings made of glass?” Doomstone asked.
Priest Ruin nodded. "Yes. It's called a mosaic. Each ceiling window is a mosaic portraying the World Tree and the first petal, which is the genesis myth of the Goddess. Since Brother doesn't seem to be a believer, to explain, the world is like a flower wrapped in nine petals….”
Priest Ruin talked about the genesis, the Messiah, and the saints. The story was incredibly dull, and the joyful manner in which he told it made him seem more like a joker than a priest.
After walking for quite a while, when we arrived in front of the cardinal's office, a man with light brown hair bowed slightly to greet us as he guarded the door. "Welcome. I've heard a lot from Lucien. My name is Joseph."
Oh, was this Lucien's husband? He looked quite gentle, not something you’d expect from a former heretic inquisitor.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Anemone."
"I heard that my wife has inconvenienced you. I apologize."
At Joseph's apology, I smiled and shook my head. "No. For us who are the same as family, it’s nothing.”
When I said it like this, it made it seem like I used Unni, causing me to feel a prick in my conscience.
"Thank you for saying that. Since the cardinal is waiting, please come inside." Joseph spoke and opened the door. When he did this, Doomstone tried to go inside.
Yet, at that time, a female knight standing next to Joseph stopped Doomstone. "His Highness the Cardinal has prohibited anyone from accessing this room except for Sir Joseph and the female guest. Excuse me, but please step back."
As the female knight stopped him, Doomstone frowned. "If I don’t want to?"
"I will overpower you with force."
Doomstone laughed pleasantly at the female knight’s brave words. "Ahahaha! With those skills? I won't hold back just because you’re weak."
With the sharp war of nerves between the two, Ruin, the balding priest, raised both hands and spoke in a posture of surrender. "Since this priest has finished his work, I will be leaving. Infighting is prohibited in the temple, so please take a look at the summary of the temple rules."
After saying that, he went somewhere else, humming a funeral hymn as if to state that his business was over.
That priest was pretty weird, too.
When they heard this, the war of nerves between the female knight and Doomstone came to a lull.
I hit Doomstone’s heavily and whispered softly, "It's okay. I have Joseph, Unni’s husband, with me. Even if it’s the cardinal, he’ll have to be careful in the Vatican. Moreover, a wall is nothing to you.”
When I winked, Doomstone laughed cheerfully, "Ahahaha! That's true. Hmm! Good! You can relax!"
In fact, rather than being concerned for me, I was worried that Doomstone would cause an accident.
Well, I gave him a warning before we came here, so hopefully, it’ll be okay.
I went inside with Joseph. As she held Doomstone back, the female knight firmly closed the door behind us.
"Welcome, Asteria's daughter.” A man who was seemingly in his mid-30s greeted me with an intense look.
Was this Cardinal Fernando, the one famous for being a heretic inquisitor? I heard that he was three or four years older than my father, but he looked ten years younger instead. Was it said that divine power had an anti-aging effect?
I smiled leisurely and greeted Cardinal Fernando. "It’s nice to meet you. Your Excellency the Cardinal."
Cardinal Fernando offered me a seat and asked, "Yes. What business does Duke Asteria’s only daughter have with me? I heard that you were coming to the Great Temple to give advice on how to survive."
Cardinal Fernando's voice was soft, but there was an edge to it. It was almost as if he was saying, ‘how dare someone like you give anyone advice.’
Indeed, Fernando, a hard-liner, was bound to be somewhat hostile to me since my father helped suppress the temple forces in cooperation with the Blood Emperor.
I smiled and looked at Cardinal Fernando as I said, "Yes. However, my advice isn’t only to survive the Blood Emperor, but to survive as a result."
"What do you mean?"
At Cardinal Fernando’s question, I smiled playfully. "Don’t you want to depose the Blood Emperor?"
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