Chapter 113 – 112화 -3P(2)
Hespole, the Holy City, the headquarters of the Universal Church, the center of the Order, the place where divinity resides, and a city that God is said to love.
The Holy City of Hespole was filled with a festive atmosphere. The reason this massive religious city was so excited was singular: it was the day their beloved young priest was to be appointed as a Cardinal.
It had been a long time since the Order had taken root in this world, but reaching the position of Cardinal at such a young age, barely in his twenties, was unprecedented in history.
Cardinals were the core of the Order, with no one to look up to except the Pope. In fact, the position of Cardinal was the pinnacle of this enormous religious power. It was an extraordinary feat, more than just a success story, for an orphaned boy, not of noble lineage, to become a Cardinal in his twenties.
The story of this young, orphaned priest who proclaimed the Holy War and became a Cardinal in his twenties swept across the entire continent.
And the residents of the Holy City of Hespole, who loved this young priest dearly, were happy to join in the celebration.
『The greatest one closest to God is called the Pope.
The one who has received the greatest love and blessing from God is called the Saintess.
But the human upon whom God bestows the greatest favor is the young priest, Yurian, whom the citizens of our Hespole love so dearly.』
Humming the lyrics that had spread like wildfire, the residents of Hespole accepted this joyous news.
The Pope and the Saintess were beings who were human yet not human.
But what about Yurian?
An orphaned boy who had wandered the back alleys of Hespole had devoted himself to the Order at a young age.
Through his unique kindness and gentleness, he comforted the poor, and through his humility and faithfulness, he served the Saintess, the daughter of God, without any shortcomings.
To the citizens of Hespole, the young priest Yurian, who was born and raised in the city’s back alleys and always cared for the city’s people, was a source of joy and glory simply by his success.
His mysterious silver hair, shimmering in the sunlight as if proving God’s favor. His sculpted, beautiful face, proving God’s favor. His powerful divine power, proving God’s favor.
All of this was the pride and joy of the citizens of Hespole.
For such a person to be appointed as a Cardinal at the young age of twenty, the first in history, was nothing short of a festival for the citizens of Hespole.
Of course, the citizens were unaware that the person in question was rather reluctant to accept it.
“Good grief.”
The procession of enthusiastic citizens could be seen through the window. The sight of them so excited and shouting, as if it were the best thing ever, made me click my tongue. I had just been doing some image management while following Diana around, and somehow, I had become the city’s idol without even realizing it.
A normal middle-aged man like me is reborn and becomes an idol in another world!?
…Good heavens. This is a situation that would only fit a light novel title. It’s not even a light novel, what an absurd situation.
In the first place, I don’t understand why these people are so happy about my success. What does it have to do with them?
Just because I’m from this city, does that make us all relatives? Anyway, people are so nosy. Well… I’ll be grateful if they congratulate me, but whether that will benefit them is another matter. I don’t have anything to give them. Rather, I’ll probably just be going around encouraging them to participate in the Holy War.
Besides, an orphaned boy from Hespole? My memories are hazy, but this body’s birthplace isn’t Hespole. Diana, on the other hand, is a native of this city. There are also strangely distorted stories circulating as if they were the truth, contributing to my popularity. What the heck is going on?
As I watched the enthusiastic response of the city’s people, who were endlessly singing songs that made me cringe, a blunt voice struck my ear.
“Why are you so twisted? You should just accept their pure congratulations as they are. Why do you always have to be so sarcastic?”
“…It’s strange to hear that from you.”
“What about me?”
I had a lot to say to Cha Hyewon, who was glaring at me, but I decided not to. What could I say to someone who treated the people of this world like NPCs, worse than stray dogs?
“By the way, you’re really popular. The whole city is in a festive mood. Is the Cardinal appointment ceremony usually like this?”
“That’s… probably not. Even when I looked at the records of past Cardinal appointments, there was no mention of the whole city being in a festive mood. It must have been quite solemn.”
“What the heck have you been doing for the whole city to be like this? Did you promise to give every person a gold coin if you became a Cardinal?”
“Are you crazy? How many people are there in Hespole? I just… pretended to volunteer at the orphanage with Diana, teased the kids a bit, did some cute things to make the old people laugh at the nursing home, purposely got blood on my clothes at the medical center to look like I was having a hard time, gave some fake smiles in front of the poor, and pretended to work among the laborers.”
“…You’re insane. You’re nothing but a fake.”
Why are you making that disgusted face? I’m wronged. Isn’t this how everyone is? I’m not the only one doing this, so why are people reacting so differently?
“You idiot. Do you think the nobles here are like 21st-century politicians? This is a world where magic, supernatural abilities, and superhumans roam around. And those with transcendent powers inherited through bloodlines, do you think they would care about what the lower classes think? In our world, a single spear could kill a noble, but here, superhumans with bloodlines are massacring hundreds, thousands of the poor. What’s the point of image management?”
“Even if that’s the case for nobles, there are also clergy who manage their image… no, there are people who genuinely act out of faith. Why am I being treated so specially?”
“Well…”
What? Why?
I touched my face, wondering if something was on it, as Cha Hyewon stared intently at me. There was nothing there? My skin was still smooth, my nose was sharp, my eyes were big, my lips were full and red, and my jawline was still sharp.
“Well… I guess your face is a big factor. People are greatly influenced by what they see, after all.”
“Oh. So, you’re saying I’m so handsome that it’s having a direct effect?”
“…You’re so annoying.”
I chuckled as I watched Cha Hyewon scoff, and she threw the gloves she was wearing at me. I easily caught them and threw them back, but she nonchalantly snatched them and threw them into the trash. That’s too much.
Knock. Knock.
“Your Eminence, Cardinal. The preparations for the appointment ceremony are complete. You must go out now.”
“Hmm. Hmm. I understand. I will prepare and go out.”
I cleared my throat and answered in an attractive husky voice, and Cha Hyewon looked at me as if I were unbelievable. Ahem, image management is something you have to do all the time.
“I’ll go first. You… make sure you leave without being noticed, just like when you came in. Got it? If they find out you’re here, there will be a lot of talk.”
“Yeah. I’ll leave without being noticed.”
I carefully walked so that my long ceremonial robes wouldn’t get wrinkled. The sparkling eyes of the novice priest who was guiding me made me wonder if this is how a sasaeng fan would look when they met an idol, so I gave him a small smile, and he was overjoyed. Wow, this popularity is something else.
Riding in an open carriage and waving to thousands upon thousands of people as I circled the city was quite tiring, but I didn’t show it. I maintained my smile and waved from the slowly moving carriage for a long time. I really felt like a celebrity.
After waving to the enthusiastic citizens for a couple of hours, the carriage finally headed to the center of the city, the heart of the Holy City of Hespole, the Central Order.
A massive white temple. In front of the temple, which was covered in expensive marble, was an open space, also paved with marble.
The open space, which would normally be filled with pilgrims from all over the world visiting the Central Order, was lined with priests of the Central Order, who were always busy with their own work and rarely seen.
As I got out of the carriage and walked through them, I slightly bowed my head and made the sign of the cross whenever I made eye contact, showing my respect.
Novice priests, regular priests, high-ranking priests, the Relief Knight Order, the Crusader Knight Order, the Inquisitors, the Exorcist Priests, the Holy Priests, and so on… After passing through all of them, I saw the five Cardinals waiting at the top of the high stairs, at the main gate of the temple.
I took a step forward.
As I climbed each step made of pure white marble, memories of the past came to mind.
The memory of when I first fell into this world.
The memory of when I first met Diana.
The memory of when I first stood in the square.
The memory of when I first met Irian.
The memory of when I first saw the sight of this temple.
And the memory of when I first climbed these stairs and made a resolution.
I faced the Cardinals who were waiting at the top of the stairs.
Above the five Cardinals, who had eyes as clear as glass, a magical mirror was floating in the high sky, created so that the entire Hespole could see the moment a new Cardinal was born.
The huge magic mirror was broadcasting my image in real-time, facing the five Cardinals.
This is like a live broadcast. I’d be in big trouble if I made a mistake. I wanted to check if I looked good on camera, but I couldn’t hold back for even a short moment, and the Cardinals began to move.
The chief Cardinal, who was located in the very center of the five Cardinals dressed in crimson robes, approached and took off the round purple hat, the Zucchetto, from my head.
“Priest Yurian.”
The Cardinal on the right took a step forward and presented a red velvet cushion. The chief Cardinal, who had taken off my purple Zucchetto, placed it there and picked up the crimson Zucchetto that was originally on the cushion and placed it on my head.
“This is the symbol of a bishop. Cast off all things of the secular world and be reborn in the embrace of God.”
The Cardinal on the left approached and presented another red velvet cushion. The chief Cardinal picked up the crimson square hat, the Biretta, that was on it and placed it on top of the Zucchetto.
“This is the symbol of a Cardinal. Uphold the Holy Blood and spread the will of God to the world through nobility, dignity, courage, and devotion.”
The Cardinal standing on the far right approached and presented a red velvet cushion. The chief Cardinal took the ring from it and placed it on my finger.
“This is the symbol of dignity. It signifies the bond with the Pope, the one closest to God.”
The Cardinal standing on the far left approached and presented a red velvet cushion. The chief Cardinal took the decree that was on it and handed it to me.
“Thus, the sixth seat, a new Cardinal, is born.”
The moment I received the decree of appointment from the chief Cardinal. The rolled-up white paper, the decree, stuck to my palm and heated up as if it were burning. The flickering white light was instantly absorbed into the Cardinal’s ring on my hand, and a translucent window appeared in front of my eyes.
【System Linking】
【Main System Connection Device Confirmed】
‘What is this!’
Why is a system message suddenly appearing here? Why?
In that very short moment when I was distracted by the system message.
“…Kuh!?”
The searing pain that started from my finger traveled up my arm and heated my head. The pain I felt from the ring on my hand. It was as if sharp thorns that had sprung from the ring were digging into my blood vessels and traveling up to my head. What is this? Was this ring not just a simple Cardinal’s ring?
【Connecting to the Main System.】
I was flustered by the sudden situation and pain, but the ceremony was proceeding smoothly.
The five Cardinals surrounded me, who was now wearing the crimson hat signifying a Cardinal, and had received the ring and the decree of appointment. And the moment I made eye contact with the chief Cardinal’s glass-like eyes.
“Cardinal Yurian. Connecting to the Main System.”
“…Your Eminence?”
“It is expected to take some time. I recommend you focus on the ceremony.”
“……”
