NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 357
Extra Chapter: Exploring the Holy Realm – 2
The events happening around me were essentially massive in scale. Ordinary people couldn’t even dream of such things happening multiple times a day.
For example, watching the Pope of the Sun and the Pope of the Moon acting cute, or the Eternal Magician showing interest in something other than magic research.
The ‘Holy Realm’ that Floretta and Luna, Stella and Selene had planned also fit into that category.
It was just that its scale was overwhelmingly large.
“… Is all of this gold?”
“Um… it seems so?”
“The Imperial Palace has its corridors decked in gold, but here…”
“It’s much larger than the Imperial Palace. Is this even a corridor? It seems endless.”
The Knight Commanders were left speechless by the mansion’s immense scale. While the Imperial Palace was just as splendid, the difference in size seemed to make it pale in comparison.
“Delta. I think I shouldn’t be in a place like this, and I’ve hidden both of us, what do you think?”
The triple personality was taking things to another level. While the formal Nix seemed to be overwhelmed by the mansion, the casual Nix had withdrawn entirely, leaving Flore to step forward.
Flore laughed at her other personalities for being cowardly, but when a jewel she carelessly touched rolled away, she froze stiff.
“Wow… look at those pretty colors…”
Even Aurora was busy marveling. At least Kaiquilia and Minerva were responding calmly, but that didn’t mean they weren’t amazed.
They simply expressed their emotions less overtly than others.
“Truly impressive, Pope. To come up with something like this.”
“We have merely realized our vision and plan. The entire Holy Kingdom has struggled for this.”
“Do you believe hands and feet can move without a head?”
“If you say so, I will gladly accept it. Thank you for your praise, Kaiquilia.”
“If you understand gratitude, don’t linger annoyingly.”
“I shall strive to do so.”
Kaiquilia turned her head and clicked her tongue, perhaps because she knew that effort would backfire.
“I will guide you to the next location.”
The Popes, dressed in their sacred robes, walked ahead as the Pope of the Moon and the Pope of the Sun offered to show us around the Holy Realm. The Holy Knights and Battle Nuns had all exited the mansion.
In fact, even if everyone had come inside, it wouldn’t have been a problem at all. With one corridor measuring a whopping 4 km in length, it was wide enough as well.
The length was enough to accommodate our 13-person line and then some. Looking up, it seemed that I would need at least seven more people to reach the ceiling.
“… So, just how much money was spent here?”
Flore asked cautiously, having apparently managed to place the jewel she dropped back.
“We spent more than enough to cover it. This is the place where our child will live. It’s only natural that we wouldn’t mind how much we pour into it.”
Luna mentioned a child without a care, and no one questioned it. Not even a blush showed on any face.
“To expand the scale more here, you’ve made some grand plans.”
Minerva quietly exclaimed while observing the ‘seventh playroom,’ which rivaled the size of a typical sports field. Floretta returned her smile with one of her own.
“It’s something we must do. As Seraphica sister mentioned, this is the place where our child will live.”
“I see. It must be done, huh…”
Minerva quietly mulled over those words, approaching Aurora and Kaiquilia. Whispers could be heard; it seemed like the three were exchanging something among themselves.
Floretta and Luna continued explaining the playroom with a sense of indifference. Meanwhile, Minerva, Kaiquilia, and Aurora naturally moved to the back of the line.
“… It seems it’s about time to wrap this up.”
How much time had passed? Floretta stopped, gazing out the window.
It was merely a tour that started before lunch, yet we had only explored one side of the mansion, and the sunset was already approaching. The sun hung low in the sky, slowly sinking below the horizon.
Beyond the massive corridor, the orange sunset poured in, dyeing it with twilight hues.
“Just in time. The end is near.”
Before us, a wall that was not horizontally aligned with where we were walking appeared. It meant we had finally reached the end of the ‘D-shaped’ hallway. Floretta and Luna turned their bodies as they stopped right in front of the wall.
“Only one last thing remains.”
“One last?”
“Yes. We must explore a highly significant place. Please follow us.”
The Popes summoned their divine power. A portal made of golden and silver light materialized on the beautifully decorated wall. The nearby jewels shone brightly as they reflected the light.
We confidently entered the portal. Other women went ahead, I followed third from the back, with Floretta and Luna taking up the rear.
“…”
As soon as I realized where the portal connected, I halted my steps.
The tightly drawn blackout curtains prevented any light from leaking in, and the chandelier exuded an unusually dark brightness, as if intentionally adjusting the light.
The suggestive atmosphere poured out from the decor and furniture that could be deemed decadent or lascivious, along with a faint fragrance lingering in the air.
Finally, in the center of the room, a massive and vintage bed that seemed to fit at least ten people was placed.
The room that the Popes introduced as the final location was a bedroom.
“You all…”
They had been suspiciously quiet until now. I felt dozens of eyes concentrating in one direction and glanced at Floretta and Luna. The Popes were smiling warmly.
“It was unavoidable, Lord Delta. This place hasn’t been validated yet. We haven’t checked its durability, comfort, or anything else.”
“It’s not like women can validate the durability. Hence, male assistance is absolutely necessary, and there’s only one man allowed entry here.”
The encirclement gradually tightened. Other women, realizing Floretta and Luna’s intentions, began to inch closer.
‘Twelve of them, huh.’
I had yet to experience anything quite like this.
“So please…”
“Could you assist us in validating it?”
To sum it up, the bed was ridiculously sturdy. Even with all 13 of us climbing on it and moving wildly, it didn’t even creak.
After laying down the unconscious women and covering them with a blanket, I finished showering and left the bedroom.
The attached bathroom was akin to a gigantic hot spring. Its purpose was evident, and it had been designed meticulously as if they had planned everything one by one.
“Ugh…”
“Hmm…”
Floretta and Luna, asleep and clinging to each other, moaned in their sleep at the same time. It was astonishing how much they resembled each other.
In contrast, another pair of sisters lying opposite weren’t hugging, but instead, turned away from each other as they slept.
“That— that’s not allowed…”
“T-those are sensitive spots…”
What kind of dream were they having to be muttering like that? I shook my head and exited the bedroom. The Popes’ murmurs continued until I had completely closed the door.
“I see our Holy One is alive.”
At the door, the Battle Nuns were lined up waiting. As soon as I stepped out, they immediately prostrated themselves and bowed their heads deeply. Their breasts pressed gently against the floor.
“How long did it take?”
“We were the twenty-second in line, and the preceding sisters waited and rotated for eight hours, so you may have been in there for just a little over a week.”
For having brought in twelve people at once, I came out remarkably fast. It was thanks to discovering ways to amplify pleasure using mana and divine power in between. Otherwise, I would have been stuck in there for weeks.
Considering that Floretta and Luna couldn’t hold out and drifted off while constantly going at it, the effect was definitely evident.
According to testimonies from the seven women who were dragged in when I lost my reason during the Brightest Darkness 5 game show, the sensations they felt matched perfectly. It sounded absurd, but it was true.
‘That’s not what mana and divine power are for, is it…?’
Eclipse might actually appreciate it more. It wasn’t the first time that earthly common sense had been denied.
While I was not entirely sure about such an unpredictable goddess, I felt that the likelihood of her liking it was considerably higher.
After all, it was Eclipse.
“Tell anyone looking for me that I’m by the lake.”
“As you say, Holy One.”
Once again passing by the kneeling Battle Nuns, I made my way toward the lake. It was so clear and pristine that I wondered if there was even any water in it.
I stood for a moment, admiring the lake, and without even turning back at the presence I felt behind me, I spoke up.
“So, why did you call for me?”
“Oh my, did I get caught?”
“You didn’t even think about hiding your footsteps, did you? That’s shamefully bold of you.”
“My apologies, dear child.”
Minerva sat beside me, looking completely unrepentant.
“How are you feeling?”
“My lower abdomen still tingles. I’ve seriously started to think my head is going to explode. Just where did you learn that mana manipulation technique?”
“Well… it just sort of happened as I went along.”
It was the mana manipulation technique I instinctively used after losing my rationality during the Brightest Darkness 5 game show. The phrase “I just did it” couldn’t be more fitting.
“If possible, I’d love to learn, but… what you said in bed, is it still valid, dear child?”
“Of course.”
“… I guess I have to give up for a while.”
Minerva averted her gaze. As soon as I maneuvered my mana, she begged for me to teach her, only to be promptly toyed with until passing out.
“What did you talk about with Aurora last time?”
“Oh, that? It was nothing special. We suggested creating a place similar to a Holy Realm in the Aiternum Empire. Both Aurora and Kaiquilia accepted with enthusiasm.”
“So you want to build a place similar to this one, huh? Where at?”
“In the sky.”
Minerva looked upwards. The sun was shining brightly in the perfectly clear sky without a single cloud.
“… Is that even possible?”
“If we interpret all the ancient scrolls correctly.”
Minerva, who had casually declared that she wished to build a city in the sky, lightly kicked her feet, splashing her toes in the lake. Circular ripples spread across the dazzlingly clear surface.
As I quietly watched Minerva, who was playfully laughing like a child, I gently placed my hand on my lower abdomen.
“Oh, dear child? What are you trying to do…?!”
“Just giving you a reward for being impressive. You wanted to feel it since the first time you saw me, right? It’s faster to learn through experience.”
“W-wait?! N-not that?! S-stop! Just s-stop! Aah—”
Minerva repeatedly released sweet moans from her lower abdomen before collapsing in less than five minutes. I took the unconscious Minerva back to the bedroom and laid her down in her original spot.
‘… The sky, huh.’
There exists a dimension that could be called that.