NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 68
“……Inquisitor? From the Pope of the Moon?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
The gray-haired woman openly identifying herself as an Inquisitor seemed to alleviate some of the murderous intent flowing from the Knight Commanders.
The Inquisitors were associated with the Pope of the Moon, while the Heretic Judges belonged to the Pope of the Sun. Due to the mere difference of one character, many users casually mixed up the terms, yet the two organizations were distinctly different.
In the game, the combat priests of the Heretic Judges used heavy armor, flails, and large shields, whereas the combat priests of the Inquisitors used dark sacred robes with only a rapier, showing clear differences.
Both groups, however, shared the fact that they were quite notorious among the continent’s people.
Just as the Heretic Judges and their battle nuns were known as the kingdom’s supreme and strongest armed group, the Inquisitors and their battle nuns carried the reputation of the kingdom’s supreme and strongest assassination group.
Rumors had it that if the two factions joined forces, an entire territory could vanish overnight. Even Knight Commanders couldn’t ignore such tales.
Yet, despite the revelation of her identity, the Knights hadn’t completely lowered their guard. The conversation had shifted from “I’ll kill you” to “I’ve heard stories,” but the swords remained pointed at the gray-haired woman.
Especially Iris, who had just heard how a Heretic Judge from the Pope of the Sun called her a heretic out of nowhere and then attempted to verify her purity by groping her chest.
“What is the Inquisitor from the holy kingdom doing here?”
“She just mentioned that she communicated something to the Emperor earlier. Do you not have any guesses about it?”
“……You were that means of communication.”
“Once again, you’ve hit the nail on the head.”
The woman, who called herself Selene, raised both hands slightly to head height, indicating that she wasn’t there to fight.
“As I said earlier, I did not come here to fight. I would appreciate it if you could lower your weapons.”
“That’s not something for us to decide.”
“Right. It’s not for the Knight Commanders to decide; it’s for me to decide.”
Aurora stepped forward. Erica and Claudia tried to warn her that getting closer could be dangerous, but Aurora simply waved off their concerns.
“Yeah. You told His Majesty to give such orders to our Delta, didn’t you?”
“I merely conveyed Her Holiness’s words, Lady Aurora. Do you really think I have the power to change or influence the feelings of your Emperor?”
“Indeed, my aunt doesn’t have that kind of personality. So what is the reason?”
“The reason, you ask?”
“The reason you came to inform us that Delta is heading to the holy kingdom. There’s really no need—our nations can trade freely without needing to alert anyone. The Aiternum Empire and Raphael Holy Kingdom aren’t in any conflict, so why do it?”
“That’s incorrect. It was undeniably necessary.”
“So what is the reason, then? Do you want me to keep repeating the same question?”
“It’s to prevent a conflict between your Emperor and Her Holiness the Pope.”
The utterly insane response about preventing a conflict between the Emperor and the Pope left Aurora momentarily at a loss for words. The other Knight Commanders looked similarly shocked.
I could hardly believe it myself.
The only ones unfazed were the maids, whose expressions remained as calm as usual. Whether they truly weren’t surprised, were shocked but trying to maintain composure, or simply didn’t understand the gravity of the statement was something only they knew.
“……It seems we should discuss this amongst ourselves. Isn’t that right, everyone?”
That was subtly suggesting for everyone else to leave. Recognizing the intent, the maids bowed slightly and filed out of the reception room. Click, the last maid closed the door behind her.
Once the maids left, Aurora sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“Please elaborate further. A conflict, you say? Between His Majesty the Emperor and Her Holiness the Pope?”
“Were you unaware?”
Selene replied flatly.
“The Emperor is paying far more attention to that man than you all realize. Therefore, it was necessary to inform Her Holiness of our intentions to prevent her from feeling that he’s being taken from her, which is why I have come here.”
The bluntness of her words carried tremendous weight. I was so shocked that my body froze.
‘What did I just hear?’
The Emperor is paying attention to me?
Not just casually, but enough to go as far as sending an Inquisitor, who supposedly had no such intention, to deliver a warning that he was highly vigilant about me visiting the holy kingdom?
My only direct encounter with him was blocking one attack during the event in the game when handling the lord—so why?
I had suspected something was off ever since receiving the letter sealed with the Emperor’s seal, but realizing that his interest in me was much greater than I thought sent chills down my spine.
My head began to ache. I had never heard of an Emperor taking such a keen interest in the protagonist from the start. The thought of where the main story might lead was already overwhelming.
The others seemed to feel the same way; bar Selene, everyone wore expressions of shock. Especially Lize, who looked more serious than ever.
“Since you’ve mentioned the reason you came here, have you felt ready to lower your weapons?”
“……All of you, put down your weapons.”
Aurora bit her lip as she spoke. The Knight Commanders slowly sheathed their weapons.
“Alright, I get it. I’ll need a little more time to think about this.”
Though she said she would think it over, there was no real alternative for Aurora but to comply. Who could oppose the Emperor’s interest in me?
“If you did indeed come to deliver a message to His Majesty the Emperor, then why did you stop by here? Surely you’re not just saying you came for a visit?”
“Of course not. Under orders from the Pope of the Moon, I have come to escort you to the holy kingdom.”
“Escort? Not surveil?”
“A pure escort. The domains of the Sun and Moon are inviolable. As the Sun has invited you as guests, the Moon will not intervene.”
“Inviolable, you say? Absolutely no intervention?”
Aurora snorted.
“The very fact that you’re here breaks that rule! The Pope of the Sun invited us, so why have you, an Inquisitor, shown up instead? Weren’t the realms of the two Popes meant to be inviolable?”
“This engagement is by the command of the Pope of the Moon, and I am but a messenger. However, I fully believe everyone has their intentions.”
“Ha. You’re good at dodging questions.”
Aurora seemed displeased with the current situation, mockingly remarking. Selene accepted the jibe with indifference.
“Strictly speaking, this is entirely beyond my will, but the outcomes are the same, so you are free to perceive it as you wish.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll take it as you don’t wish to say.”
Huff, Aurora exhaled loudly.
“When do we depart? You might not know, but our group just returned from slaying monsters less than an hour ago. Since your aunt’s letter doesn’t mention a departure date, I’d prefer if we could rest for at least two days. Maybe even longer.”
“You may depart whenever you wish, but I advise a break of no less than three days. Your Emperor is not a man known for his patience.”
That was true. Since the Emperor had personally issued a command for us to go to the holy kingdom, we couldn’t afford to dawdle around here for days on end. A maximum of two days’ rest and then leaving was the right course of action.
Selene, aware of that fact, calmly responded to Aurora’s half-threat of potentially stalling for months.
“Lastly, all the Knight Commanders must accompany us to the holy kingdom.”
“Why is that?”
This time, Iris stepped forward. Although they had lowered their weapons, her eyes were still filled with wariness.
“It is a decree from the Pope of the Moon, so I do not know.”
“That can’t be. One of us must remain behind to protect Lady Aurora.”
“Do not worry.”
Selene’s eyes briefly glinted. Suddenly, shadows began to writhe and rise in the corners of the reception room, morphing into human shapes. I was taken aback, but the other Knight Commanders seemed unfazed.
As the shadows solidified into perfect human forms, they were all women, wearing black veils on their heads.
Their attire was incredibly revealing in a different sense.
If the battle nuns under the Heretic Judges had more covered than revealed, the battle nuns under the Inquisitors were wrapped up tightly, which made the overall exposure less, but that was only due to being bundled up in semi-transparent black tights.
The tights fit as snugly as if the person was vacuum-packed. I wondered how on earth they put those on and took them off, as they clung tightly to their forms.
Though they didn’t have the shine of latex, the semi-transparency made their skin visible. I could see their firm abs and belly buttons quite clearly.
Had their tops not been designed as though directly severed just below the nipples, they might have shown what lay above their chests. It appeared they wore those clothes not to cover, but to emphasize.
At least they wore proper underwear beneath, or else it would have been possible to see all the way to their nether regions.
I had no idea why they were still wearing those garter belts.
“I was starting to wonder when you would reveal yourselves. If you had left and they hadn’t vanished, I would’ve intended to cleave them.”
“Did you notice?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“That wasn’t my intention. If you felt that way, I apologize.”
While Selene and Iris exchanged pleasantries, the battle nuns that emerged from the shadows knelt before Selene and lowered their heads.
There were a total of twelve, all with a mix of gray in their dark silver hair and purple eyes. Given that the battle nuns under Stella were all blonde and had green eyes, there seemed to be some mystery at play.
Right now, however, my mind was too muddled from everything concerning the Emperor to delve deeper into those thoughts.
“My battle nuns will provide protection. They will watch over every moment, so you need not worry.”
As Selene snapped her fingers, the battle nuns bowed their heads and melted away into shadows. Aurora looked around with a sour expression.
“Thinking about being monitored all day doesn’t sit well with me.”
“The surveillance will only extend to outside the mansion. Unless something unusual occurs, there will be no intrusion inside.”
“……Well, that’s acceptable then. Anyway, understood.”
“Yes. I shall take my leave now.”
With those words, Selene flipped her robe over her head. Her dark silver ponytail disappeared into the robe, and her purple eyes vanished from sight.
Selene transformed back into the exact form she had when she first appeared, and offered a final departing salute.
“Rest well. I shall see you upon departure.”
Soon after, the figure cloaked in the robe dissipated as if shattered by moonlight.
With the moon gone, sunlight poured into the room once more.