Yet this young man, who looked even younger than Hector, was the Pope?

And why did that voice sound familiar?

“Stop.”

Hector blocked Michael.

“It would be best if you stayed where you are, Pope.”

“Oh my…”

Seeing the red aura drawn like a boundary line before his feet, Michael shook his head.

“Your temperament is truly remarkable, it’s really great big¹he said ‘great big’ in english.”

“Huh…!”

Charlie’s widened eyes were filled with shock.

Air was sucked in through her mouth, which had opened without a chance to cover it.

Hector and Kaisis’s brows furrowed at the incomprehensible words.

“My, my, such murderous aura you’re all exuding.”

As if he couldn’t see it, Michael added with a good-natured smile.

“Won’t this suffocate our sister?”

Then, a powerful divine force emanated from Michael.

Instantly, the heavy surrounding air became refreshing.

“……!”

Indeed, he was the Pope chosen by God.

It was an overwhelming divine power, on a different level from the previous Popes.

The reason Kaisis couldn’t kill Michael,

And the reason why the Hunt family became a vassal state of the Graham Empire was because of this divine power that could even purify abilities.

“Sister.”

Step, step.

Michael, gently ignoring Hector and Kaisis, had already come right up to Charlie’s face.

“Now, breathe comfortably.”

Wink.

Michael’s long eyelashes fluttered lightly.

‘Great big’ was not a phrase used in this world.

In other words, it was a phrase only Charlie used.

Moreover, she usually used this phrase when muttering to herself.

It wasn’t a phrase meant to be said to others in the first place, and Charlie rarely went outside the mansion.

But there was one exception.

[Damn… Why can’t this damn great big thing work properly.]

Except for the day she had gone to confession at the temple with Emma.

“Oh my…”

Charlie’s mouth opened in shock.

No way, surely not.

She tried to deny reality, thinking that surely the priest who had cursed up a storm like shouting ‘The king has donkey ears’ couldn’t be the Pope.

But unfortunately, once the memory surfaced, it washed over Charlie like a wave.

[It’s really damn amazing. No, is only that amazing? Other things are f*cking amazing too. Anyway, that damn thing can’t function properly and has a shitty temper. I’m really feeling like sh*t…]

Charlie’s eyes trembled as she looked at Michael.

The curses she had spewed after that were too embarrassing to even recall.

“……”

Could something be this mortifying?

Charlie, her cheeks burning and even her ears turning bright red, eventually covered her face with both hands.

“Charlie?!”

Hector turned to look at Charlie at her sudden action.

Kaisis also watched the situation.

But Charlie had no time to care about such things.

‘What a f*cking embarrassment.’

Where can you find a mouse hole when you need one?

If she could, she just wanted to disappear from this world altogether.

She shuddered involuntarily at the overwhelming embarrassment and self-loathing.

‘Why live, why am I alive.’

How much time passed that felt like an eternity?

Suddenly, Charlie looked up at Michael.

‘Wait a minute, the Pope?’

In other words, the current situation was equivalent to her tattling to the Pope about Hector’s inability to ej*culate.

Charlie was well aware of the poor relationship between the Hunt family and the temple.

Of course, Hector could now ej*culate, but that was beside the point.

Anyway, Michael had specifically referred to Hector as ‘great big’.

‘I must be crazy!’

What on earth had she done?

Charlie covered her mouth to stifle the scream that was about to burst out.

“Are you alright, Sister?”

Michael examined Charlie with concern, wearing an utterly harmless expression.

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“……”

Charlie’s lips moved silently, like a mute who had eaten honey.

Mistaking her for being frightened, Michael looked at Charlie with sympathetic eyes.

[Will all prayers really be answered?]

Michael could remember.

The doubtful sister who had confessed to him with hesitant gestures.

[I grant permission for the contract and bestow my blessing.]

The contractor blessed by God.

[My child……]

And the little one the goddess had told him to protect was clearly Charlie.

‘I will certainly protect this lamb.’

Michael made such a promise to himself, steeling his resolve.

Then he glanced at Kaisis and Hector with anger-filled eyes.

“How can you emit such powerful magic with a fragile sister between you?”

“……?”

Hector and Kaisis were dumbfounded by his sudden rebuke.

Regardless of their reaction,

Michael swiftly pushed Hector aside and hurriedly reached out to Charlie.

“Come here quickly, Sister. I will purify you.”

Hector stepped aside to allow Michael to approach.

Normally, Hector would never back down, but Charlie was flushed red up to her neck.

Her pheromones, which reflected her emotions, were also very unstable.

As Michael said, the magical conflict might have affected Charlie, who was a Zero.

The Pope’s divine power should be able to heal her. Besides, unlike magic, divine power couldn’t be used to attack others.

And for reasons unknown, Michael was genuinely concerned about Charlie.

“I’m not trying to harm this sister. I’m only trying to heal her.”

Michael carefully touched Charlie’s forehead, like he was soothing a young beast with its fur on end.

Then, along with powerful divine power, a refreshing feeling unlike anything she had ever experienced washed over her.

It felt like lying in a vast field, breathing in fresh air, or like cutting through the wind while flying through the sky.

The heat that had flushed her face and her tangled emotions both calmed down.

Michael smiled benevolently at Charlie.

“Do you feel more comfortable now?”

Charlie looked up at the Pope, who was different from the original story.

His transparent gray eyes were filled with holiness.

The long lavender hair cascading over his pure white vestments created a mystical atmosphere.

If the word ‘holy’ were to become a person, would it look like this?

Michael’s overflowing divine power seemed to make even the surrounding scenery radiant.

[All confessions made here reach only God.]

[I have solemnly sworn before God, so that will never happen. Please don’t worry, sister.]

[I would receive a punishment worse than death from God.]

Charlie quietly took in Michael’s appearance.

* * *

“The holy power examination is under the jurisdiction of the temple. The corresponding procedures should also be handled by the temple.”

Michael broke the silence.

“The temple, you say.”

Kaisis’s agitated voice reverberated ominously off the walls of the audience hall.

However, Michael didn’t back down an inch.

Rather, he raised his voice in response.

“Since when did the authority of the Pope, God’s messenger, become the emperor’s?”

After the temple joined hands with the imperial family, it had only been corrupted due to some kind of deal.

Originally, the holy power examination was conducted by the temple.

The saintess, too, was not the emperor’s possession.

“And emperor,”

Michael stared directly at Kaisis.

“You’ve been quite short with your words.”

“What?”

“I’m telling you to show proper respect.”

A holy light enveloped Michael’s fingertips.

Then, the bishop’s staff appeared.

Tap–

The pastoral staff, symbolizing the authority as God’s representative, struck the marble floor.

The air in the hall twisted and resonated with a deep hum.

“If you want to keep sitting in that seat.”

Kaisis gritted his teeth at Michael’s provocation.

“Are you threatening me now?”

“Yes, I am.”

The Graham Kingdom was able to unify the empire because the temple, which received God’s revelation, helped.

Then surely the opposite was also possible.

The current temple didn’t have the same power as back then.

Even in the Grand Temple, those with divine power could be counted on one hand.

Even that was so weak it was embarrassing to call it divine power.

Divine power is not innate like magic.

It is literally power bestowed by God as God’s might.

It was only natural that divine power decreased as one became more corrupted by greed.

The previous Popes, who had lost their power, were busy trying to please the imperial family, and gradually turned into puppets of the emperor.

Thus, the temple came to serve the emperor instead of God.

But whether the temple had power or not, the Pope’s words were truly formidable.

Especially for Michael, who had enough divine power to nullify the ability of Kaisis, a Grand Master.

Michael turned his gaze to Hector.

Charlie’s hand, tightly gripping Hector, caught Michael’s eye.

‘How is it that the Grand Duke is the sister’s contractor?’

Faint but unmistakable, God’s protection could be felt from Hector as well.

Why was that?

Why on earth?

“Hmm……”

Hector frowned at the gaze scrutinizing him.

The relationship between Kaisis and Michael had become clear from observation.

It was also evident that Michael was different from the previous Popes, from his divine power to his beliefs.

But Hector had no intention whatsoever of sending Charlie to the temple.

As if reading his thoughts, Michael added,

“The sister’s residence is for the sister to decide. I won’t interfere with the imperial family bestowing a title, but you have no right to determine her whereabouts.”

“Pope!”

“Moreover, the saintess and saint are God’s children. Therefore, it is only right that they receive God’s protection.”

If anyone tries to harm Charlie, they would have to wage war against the temple.

Michael was warning Kaisis of this now.

“If you disregard God and commit atrocities, I will no longer stand by and watch.”

Michael’s eyes softened towards the startled Charlie, as if to reassure her.

“God has told me so.”