Until the second knock on the door outside, I didn’t walk out from the bathroom and opened the door to find a strange nun standing outside.
Margaret had instructed her to bring a bowl of warm vegetable porridge and a change of dress. I reached out to take it, my gaze sweeping behind the nun, but I did not see the Holy Princess or Angel. Only Carlos was standing far away at the corridor’s railing outside, seemingly feeling my gaze, he glanced over here faintly, his expression somewhat strange, but he made no move to come closer.
Since that was the case, I had no mind to bother with him either.
After the nun left, I closed the door again and turned back to the bed, throwing the clean dress onto it carelessly, not even bothering to look for a stool. I held the large bowl in both hands and stood there, slurping up the porridge, then licked the rim of the bowl with my little tongue, savoring the taste before placing the empty bowl on the bedside table. I changed into the clean dress and tried to tie my hair, but found there wasn’t even a dressing table… never mind, let’s go out first.
When I opened the door again, I noticed Carlos was gone. Instead, two robed monks were standing at the door. One of them respectfully asked me, “Miss Silvija, have you finished preparing?”
“What, finished preparing…?” I frowned slightly.
“If you have no further needs, His Holiness has requested your presence. We will lead the way.”
… Is Angel looking for me?
That’s perfect, I also have something to ask him.
“Where is he?”
“Please follow us, Miss.”
The monk bowed after speaking and led the way to the left along the wide corridor. I followed behind them, passing through the intricately decorated corridors, turning into a simple half-circular rest room, and finally arriving at the spiraling green rock staircase at the end.
The two monks continued their ascent without stopping. On both sides of the stairs, there were exquisite stained glass windows. Through the windows, one could vaguely see the solemn and familiar pointed top of the Grand Cathedral of Saint Zelie, as well as the bustling crowd in the central hall below.
I immediately understood my location.
“So… this is the back hall of the church?”
“Yes, Miss Silvija.”
Indeed…
I remember finding Elushi here. According to its position, the main altar should have been directly below me. It turns out there’s still space above… this must be a restricted area of the church, right?
And little Aili…
After that, was she safe?
The steep stone steps spiraled upwards, and the two monks walked silently ahead, bringing me to a gilded wooden door at the top of the stairs, where they stopped and gently knocked.
“…Who is it?”
A man’s lazy voice came from inside.
“Pope, Miss Silvija has arrived.”
“Oh… let her in.”
“Yes.”
With permission granted, the monk pushed open the wooden door.
I stepped inside, the faint scent of wood filling my nostrils, and bright light poured in from the arched window opposite. Angel stood upright by the window, looking out at the city skyscrapers, his wine glass in hand swaying slightly. The slightly disheveled figure shimmered in the sunlight pouring down.
“Click” went the sound as the door behind me shut.
“You’re recovering quickly, little charcoal.” Hearing my footsteps, Angel didn’t turn around, took a sip of wine, and said casually, “Won’t you rest a bit longer?”
I ignored his words, my eyes scanning the elaborately decorated room, not seeing anyone else. Frowning, I asked, “Where’s Carlos?”
Margaret isn’t here either. The whole room only has Angel. He seemed surprised when he heard me speak, his tone filled with teasing, “Oh? You’re already thinking about him after such a short time?”
“……”
I felt a bit angry inside.
But I didn’t want to talk too much nonsense with him, so I just considered it as someone farting.
”
“Angel, I have something to ask you.”
“Oh?”
The Pope finally turned around, blinking his emerald green eyes like a child, and looked at me with great interest. “Tell me, is it about some wonderful night?”
“…It’s about Father Li.”
What on earth is going on with this guy?
Is he really that annoying…
“The matter?” The annoying blonde man didn’t seem to care, as if he hadn’t heard my insults. He walked towards the mahogany long table by the window with a glass of wine in hand, pulled out a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and gestured to the seat opposite him. “Come on, sit down and talk.”
I hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down in front of him. I stared at the man’s beautiful face, waiting for him to continue. My mouth slightly opened—
Where should I start asking?
The Gate of Truth, blood beads, Sister Teresa, Cardinal Nero, divine relics… or perhaps that mysterious and terrifying experimental organization hidden beneath the snowy cliffs?
There were too many questions in my heart. I was uncertain how much the man in front of me knew and was willing to tell me, and I wasn’t sure whether I should ask these questions so directly. The conflicts within the Church seemed far more intense than I had imagined. The situation was complicated, but I knew almost nothing about it. Even if I asked, Angel could probably easily deceive me because I couldn’t verify anything.
Thinking this, I became even more troubled.
“What? Didn’t you want to ask me something? Hurry up and ask… what are you opening your mouth so wide for? Oh, do you want to eat this?”
Huh?
Following his finger, I suddenly saw several orange-yellow pies on the plate on the table. My eyes lit up.
How did I not see them before…
“What kind of filling?”
“Try it and find out.” Angel squinted his eyes.
Without waiting for him to finish, I quickly picked up a piece from the plate and took a big bite.
“Chew… chew…”
It was beef filling… so fragrant.
After waking up, I only had a bowl of porridge, which felt like I hadn’t eaten anything at all. Seeing food now, I naturally didn’t hold back from Angel. After swallowing hastily, I took another big bite and chewed quickly.
Seeing this, Angel laughed.
“Don’t rush. We might be talking for a while… By the way, would you like some wine?”
“Mmm…”
With food in my mouth, I couldn’t answer him, so I just shook my head.
Seeing my refusal, Angel stopped urging me and poured himself another glass. He placed the rim of the glass to his lips and took a sip, his smile becoming even more charming. “I learned the whole story from Margaret. I guess you must have a lot of questions right now… How about this, while you’re eating, let me tell you a few things first.”
“Mmm.”
I nodded.
“Firstly, the most important thing I think you need to know…”
Angel held the wine glass in his right hand, leaning lazily against the back of the chair. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“I’m sure you already know that behind the death of Sister Teresa, as well as the recent rebellion in the capital, there’s an evil cult that calls itself ‘Truth.’ This includes the impending war in the Valen Empire. Little Black Charcoal, these are things you’ve personally experienced…”
“And in places you don’t know, some border towns and small countries in the West Continent have been thrown into chaos by these heretics. The nobles’ regimes have been overturned, the foundations of church beliefs shaken, people are rampaging, raping women, and nearly driven mad… For so many years, the Gate of Truth has almost disappeared in the East Continent. I originally thought those lunatics would hide for another thirty to fifty years before daring to show their faces. But…”
At this point, Angel’s seemingly casual gaze suddenly flashed with a fierce light.
“They actually dared to openly come to the West Continent, openly challenging the authority of the Church…”
