NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 94
It was an undeniable fact that the monster was dead.
The Pope of the Sun was certain of it, and the Abyss and shadows that had filled the Barrier were gone. Denying that possibility would have been even more odd.
But no one knew how it had died.
Stella, Selene, and Floretta didn’t want to entertain such thoughts. Yet, the situation kept pushing them toward that direction.
The sound of a massive explosion that had been heard last. A monster that no one knew how it had been defeated. The pit of the Abyss that had completely vanished. That person, who had not shown their face for over an hour.
What if, just what if, it was merely a simple assumption, but that person had sacrificed their life to slay the monster? If they had met the same end as the monster, giving up their own life?
This was just a mere exchange of a victim from the monster to that person in the context of martyrdom.
Once those ominous thoughts began to creep in, they multiplied like rabbits. In Floretta’s mind, several scenarios of that glorious sacrifice began to pile up.
The person, who had done everything possible but instinctively felt they couldn’t win against the monster, sacrificing themselves to defeat it and being caught in the explosion, thereby becoming a martyr.
Or perhaps, at the moment they were about to return after defeating the monster, losing their life in the blast raised by that filthy, ugly being that proclaimed it wouldn’t die alone.
As Floretta imagined such things, her face began to turn pale. Seeing the Pope of the Sun’s unusual expression made the faces of the other two turn serious as well.
After a while of following those ominous thoughts, Floretta finally managed to speak.
“…What if that person has become a martyr?”
“Pardon?”
“Your Holiness, what do you mean…?”
The moment the word “martyr” escaped Floretta’s lips, both Stella and Selene gasped in shock.
“The explosion at the end that shook the Barrier. If it was caused intentionally or… if that person couldn’t escape the blast and was swept away… if they went to meet their end alongside the monster and sacrificed their life?”
“…”
“…”
The two wanted to say that was impossible to reassure her.
However, when it came down to it, there was no evidence to support that. There was no proof of death, but there was no proof of survival either. No, circumstantial evidence leaned closer to the side of death.
And in such times, negative thoughts tended to dominate over positive ones. Especially for someone as sensitive as Floretta.
“If that’s the case… if that is true…”
“Your Holiness, please calm down. There’s still no evidence that the distinguished guest is dead. We just need to wait here. I’m sure the distinguished guest will return.”
Seeing Floretta’s face turn white, almost blue with fear, Stella cautiously spoke up.
Stella didn’t believe that person was dead. She thought something must have happened, causing their return to be slightly delayed, and Selene shared the same sentiment.
The attitude that person showed when going into the Abyss was not that of someone going to die. Both were confident in their ability to read human emotions.
No matter how brightly they might try to seem on the outside, if faced with death, they would naturally show a dark side unless they had nothing to lose.
However, until they arrived at the Barrier, no signs of gloom could be found on that person.
‘The Inquisitor might think similarly, but for Your Holiness…’
The problem was that such certainty was merely a personal conjecture for the Pope of the Sun.
There wasn’t enough to convince someone already trapped in negative imagination. Just looking at their face was not a solid enough basis to bring forth a rebuttal.
Especially when the parties involved were in such a panicked state. Floretta had already concluded in her mind that the person was dead.
“Oh… how… how could this happen…”
As the situation unfolded this way, Stella and Selene felt uneasy as well. Floretta’s delusions weren’t entirely baseless either.
No one here knew the identity of the explosion that resounded from the Underground, and they couldn’t rule out the possibility that the person had been caught in it.
Moreover, the time that had passed so far added weight to the possibility that the person might be dead.
It had been just over an hour since the monster had died, and yet that person hadn’t appeared in the same amount of time? That meant something had gone terribly wrong.
Considering the time it must have taken to descend to where the monster was, it was a little strange for it to take this long to come back.
Unknown Whether Alive or Dead. The most horrific words.
Because Stella and Selene, who had experience sending numerous Battle Nuns into battle as an Inquisitor and an Inquisitor, knew well the terrible agony that those words carried.
Especially Stella, who had recently heard about Lucia. She had realized that there might still be a thread of hope left buried within those words.
“What do you mean by that?”
From behind, a cold but somehow anxious voice was heard.
Creek, creek. Turning her head, there stood the Pope of the Moon, her eyes red and swollen as if she had been crying.
Her slender fingers were trembling tightly as they grasped each other in front of her stomach, and her wide eyes trembled. She clearly could not believe what she had just heard.
Though she had to act cold and distant for the time being, the old Luna was deeply caring and gentle, resembling her younger sister. In some aspects, even more so than Floretta.
What kind of reaction would such a person have upon hearing someone had sacrificed themselves in her stead?
“What you just said… is it really true, Floretta?”
“Sister…”
Floretta unconsciously blurted out the word “sister” and then flinched in surprise. Every time she had called the Pope of the Moon “Luna” or “sister,” she had been met with verbal and physical abuse.
Having her body recall those previous memories, she trembled at the thought of the Pope of the Moon unleashing violence once again, even though she thought she could go back to how things were now.
Luna looked equally shocked. After hearing Floretta say “sister”, she paused for a moment before approaching her with a determined look.
The two Popes faced each other. Their gazes met. Luna hesitated for a while, due to her own actions, but finally took Floretta’s hands in her own.
“Yes. My sister.”
“…Sister.”
In that instant, Floretta’s eyes glistened with tears.
She tried to keep the tears from falling, but while lamenting the heartbreaking thought that the person might have become a martyr, hearing what she had longed to hear made it impossible to hold back the tears.
“Sniff… Sister, sister… Waaah…”
“Don’t cry. Just tell me. Okay? Floretta. That person has become a martyr?”
“Th-that… Waaah… person… i-is… Sniff…”
Despite Luna’s desperate attempts to comfort Floretta, the latter began to cry even harder. It became impossible for her to articulate anything at all.
“Sniff… the monster, that… monster… Waaah…”
“Inquisitor, you two. Explain what has happened here.”
Stella and Selene exchanged glances, and it appeared they thought it would be better to explain things formally at this moment. Selene took a step forward.
She recounted everything that had just happened.
The explosion that echoed and shook the Barrier, that nothing remained where the Barrier had been, and that over an hour had passed, yet that person still had not returned.
Finally, she shared the Pope of the Sun’s anxious speculation of whether that person had also been caught in the explosion and died. Luna remained stoically silent as she listened to Selene’s explanation.
“And then Your Holiness arrived here.”
“…I see.”
Luna bit her lips. A shiver ran down the spines of Stella and Selene, as they could see the Pope’s expression slowly changing.
‘Why didn’t I put in the inventory?’
I had gathered all the items from the new area in one spot, explored every nook and cranny, fought through all the monsters contained within, and then trudged back with those items to the Boss Room.
Though the package was a little shabby, there was no choice if I wanted to carry all the items. It would be madness to leave behind the items I had worked so hard to obtain just for appearances’ sake.
‘Still, well, I got lots of rewards, so it’s worth it.’
In addition to the colossal amount of experience points, there was the Sacred Catalyst for the Popes, as well as joyous news of slaying the boss. I could easily overlook the minor inconvenience given all I had gained.
Regardless, I must have leveled up by at least 10 levels. Just in that one hour, I had accomplished what would typically take a week’s worth of grinding.
Now, there was nothing left to gain here. I staggered while carrying a sizable load of items, craning my neck, and stepped onto the Magic Circle in the center of the Boss Room. The Magic Circle lit up.
Soon, a pillar of light shot up towards the ceiling, and I felt as if my body was being transported somewhere.
I closed my eyes, and after a short while, the cool breeze woke me up. The figures of the Pope of the Sun, the Pope of the Moon, the Inquisitor, and the Inquisitor flickered through the items.
Seeing the Popes embracing each other meant the Pope of the Moon had come here. I had expected the Pope of the Sun to come instead, which honestly surprised me a little.
I approached them while holding a hefty load of items.
“I’m a little late—”
But the moment I took in the scene unfolding ahead, I dropped everything in my hands, mirroring the same expression as a certain black man who had come back with pizza while the room was burning.