Chapter 115

“Yes. Leon Gryph. The most famous mercenary commander in Apennia these days. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yes, Your Holiness. It is also an eternal honor for me to meet Your Holiness—.”

“I heard that already. No need to say it again.”

Ugh.

Is it really okay for an employer to keep bringing up their employee's dark past like this?

Shouldn’t this be prohibited by some law?

As expected.

The way Pope Astro looked at me was a little strange.

“When I only heard the rumors, I thought a hero had appeared in Fasa, but now that I’ve met you in person, you’re more… a man with a human touch than I thought.”

Stop the verbal abuse. That's enough. STAY!

It’s more heartbreaking that she’s carefully choosing her words to avoid hurting my feelings.

I swallowed my tears inwardly and replied.

“I was just so nervous to meet Your Holiness, who is renowned throughout the world.”

“Yes, yes. That can happen. As long as you don't do it next time, right?”

“Yes. I will not make a mistake next time.”

“Good. Let's do well.”

I buried my face in my hands.

I was so embarrassed that I couldn't even touch the soft silk cushion I felt behind my back or the fragrant coffee Bishop Rosanka had brought out.

Me, the liberator of the Golden Sea and the hegemon of the Southern Alliance, couldn't even recognize the Pope and bowed to the wrong person.

How humiliating!

I just want to erase the memory right now.

No. I will master magic and make sure to erase today's memory.

“So, are you done being dejected? It's fun to watch your expression keep changing, but I'd like to have a constructive conversation soon.”

Beside me, Pope Astro, oblivious to my inner turmoil, was smelling the aroma of coffee with an elegant posture.

In fact, if you just looked at her attire, there was no priest more delinquent than Pope Astro. But from the Pope, there was an air of leisure and grace unique to someone who had lived a long time. Perhaps that was why Pope Astro was the Pope. Of course, that wasn't the only reason.

“Please forgive my rudeness, Your Holiness. But may I ask you one question?”

“Ask anything.”

“Has Your Holiness learned transformation magic? Or have you been cursed and changed into your current form?”

“No? I’ve always been like this.”

“I see. So you were originally an elf.”

“The bloodline of elves is long-lived. I do get misunderstood a lot because of my appearance, but it can’t be helped. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes, thank you, Your Holiness. I have made a grave misunderstanding based solely on Your Holiness' great name.”

Indeed.

This made it certain.

The information I knew could not be completely trusted, and the fluctuations of the Dynamic Interactive System had become severe.

In fact, I had been feeling a sense of unease since I met Petrarch.

Originally, the Dynamic Interactive System should only have interfered with personality or relationships, not changed appearance or race.

But Petrarch had appeared as a moon bear, not a tree spirit, and Pope Astro had changed from a human male to a female wood elf.

This meant that the information I had about Warlord Saga was becoming useless, and I would have to rely on a relatively uncertain information network.

It felt like I was being played by someone's trickery. It was a little unpleasant.

The only fortunate thing was that although her appearance had changed, Pope Astro's disposition remained the same.

Pope Astro wants to intervene in the power struggle in Apennia.

She wants to break down the boundaries of the world ruled by the Pope.

She wants to take revenge on Elance who invaded Ratio.

That was enough.

“Let’s get down to business now. Does Your Holiness know about the situation outside?”

“Of course. I do indeed. Just because I’ve lived a long time doesn’t mean I’m deaf. The pro-Elance faction has turned the tables and now they are at a loss, not knowing how to handle the situation.”

Pope Astro had a precise grasp of the situation.

This meant that despite the Holy See’s isolation, the Western Church’s intelligence-gathering activities were still functioning.

“But how did you get in here? The pro-Elance faction should be surrounding the outside.”

“To explain, I must introduce one person, but I fear Your Holiness might become angry.”

“I promise. I will not get angry.”

Pope Astro seemed genuinely curious. I hoped she would keep that promise even after hearing the story.

“I received the help of Sir Trevor of the Treno Family.”

“Sir Trevor?”

I explained what had happened on the way, from defeating the Treno Family's troops that blocked the road to infiltrating Ratio.

I had thought that Pope Astro might throw her coffee cup or pour it on someone's head in the middle of the story.

But after hearing the explanation, Pope Astro was impressed instead of angry.

“I know Sir Trevor as well. He’s the most stubborn of the stubborn, so a conversation would not have been possible.”

“After a sincere conversation, our hearts connected well. He decided to find the right faith.”

“It is truly the will of the Lord. But that alone is not enough to overcome the current situation.”

Pope Astro stared at me intently. The Pope's eyes were a fresh green.

But within them, a dangerous madness swirled. Gazes that would bite, devour, and destroy the opponent were exploding like fireworks.

“Leon Gryph. If you have come into Ratio at great risk, you must have a plan to resolve this. Do you have any good ideas?”

“The answer is simple.”

“Simple? How so?”

I smiled confidently at the Pope.

“Currently, the pro-Elance faction in Ratio has no central figure, and with Sir Trevor defeated, their morale is low.”

This was a fact that could be understood just by looking at how I had entered this far without much resistance.

“So?”

“The Black Company is surrounding the outskirts of Ratio, and I also selected a small elite force and brought them with me when I infiltrated Ratio.”

Now, Ratio was practically surrounded on both sides.

“If I create chaos from within and we launch an attack from both sides, the pro-Elance faction will fall into confusion and collapse in an instant. Then we can quickly retake Ratio.”

The way Pope Astro looked at me changed.

It was a disappointed look, as if she had witnessed someone rolling loaded dice in a gambling den.

Of course, I had anticipated all of that.

“You are full of confidence. The nobles of Ratio will also be desperate. They will not yield easily. Do you really think that plan has a chance?”

“Of course. But Your Holiness must help me.”

“What do you need?”

“Your Holiness' banner.”

At that, Pope Astro grinned.

It seemed her internal evaluation of me had risen a little.

“I’m starting to think that choosing you was a wise decision.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s no harm in testing your skills. Rosanka. Bring that.”

Pope Astro gestured to Bishop Rosanka with her head. Bishop Rosanka disappeared somewhere and soon returned with a banner.

It was a banner dyed with a red background and a golden border. A large key was embroidered in the center.

There was only one occasion when this banner was raised.

When the Pope personally went to war.

I recalled Pope Astro's nickname used in the user community.

「Warlord Pope.」

It was a nickname given to her because she loved war so much that she not only led armies on expeditions but also participated in battles herself. As such, the Pope was also an object of fear to her political enemies.

If my prediction was correct, the pro-Elance faction occupying Ratio would surrender on their own as soon as they saw this banner.

“I give this to you. If you raise this banner, it will be able to compensate for the shortcomings in your plan.”

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Holiness. I will fight under this banner.”

I gestured to Ceras. I was weak, and Theo had to guard me, so his hands couldn't be free.

Ceras took the banner from Bishop Rosanka on my behalf. And she held it in her arms as if she had received something very precious. It was indeed a precious item.

Pope Astro smiled with a scheming look on her face.

“Actually, if I had my way, I’d want to go myself.”

“Your Holiness!”

“I said I wanted to go, when did I say I would go? As you can see, Bishop Rosanka is stopping me, so it seems impossible.”

When Bishop Rosanka firmly stopped her, Pope Astro made a playful remark.

But her gaze was directed at the giant two-handed axe hanging on the wall.

No matter how you looked at it, it didn't seem like a decorative item, but something that had chopped up a few people.

To me, that was interpreted as her intention to step in herself if things went wrong.

No wonder her gaze was unusual earlier. This person. She was really planning to go out and fight herself if there was no plan.

Absolutely, absolutely not.

Where in chess does the king go out instead of the queen?

Pope Astro placed a small hand on my shoulder.

From a palm that wasn't even half the size of mine, I felt a strong heat. It felt like the smell of blood was spreading in the air.

“Leon Gryph. I appoint you as my representative. Go. Go and tear my enemies to shreds.”

It was a rather gruesome statement for a Pope responsible for the followers of the Western Church to make.

I suddenly felt like I understood why the pro-Elance faction in Ratio feared the Pope.

How scary must it have been to live next to someone who might turn the holy land into a sea of blood at any moment.

But that person was now my employer.

I put aside my thoughts for a moment and lowered my head.

“Yes. I will tear Your Holiness' enemies to shreds without leaving a single one.”

***

What is the value of fifty well-trained riders?

The answer was ‘limitless.’

Especially if they were heavily armed, their value increased severalfold.

The subordinates I brought with me when I infiltrated Ratio were just like that. They were veteran soldiers hardened by many battles.

Moreover, since not a single one was injured or fell behind during the infiltration process, their combat power was also intact.

As soon as I came out of the Remolan Palace, I immediately summoned my men.

“Rhom. Prepare to move out.”

“Understood.”

Rhom, who was usually the public enemy for his annoying antics, was a pretty reliable man in a combat situation. He moved in perfect order without a single word of backtalk.

It would be great if he was always like that. But no one can be perfect.

Beside me, Theo spoke.

“Are you going yourself, Young Master? I’m concerned for your safety. Please stay here.”

“If I don’t take command, who will? And if you were worried about that, you should have stopped me before I infiltrated Ratio.”

“I did stop you. I told you not to go! You were so stubborn.”

Theo was worried when I said I would go.

“I won’t get in the way, so don’t worry. Besides, I can use magic now, right? I should be able to protect myself without a problem.”

— Burn.

I raised a small magic flame on my palm.

The purple magic power, receiving my will, spread out on my palm like a planetarium and began to weave the stars of the night sky with lines.

Moving the magic power was very easy. It moved as if it were one with my body.

But even after showing him the magic, Theo’s expression was still grim, as if he wasn't reassured.

“It's not that I don't trust magic. It's just, you don't necessarily have to be the one to command, do you?”

“Just follow my words this one time. Now is the time to make an impression on the Pope.”

“But.”

“If I stay back and leave everything to my subordinates, the Pope will think I'm a coward. Then the new contract will be meaningless. We’ll just get trivial tasks.”

Considering the personality of the Warlord Pope Astro, she would do just that.

Pope Astro was a warrior. If she starts to look down on you as someone not worthy of respect, she will look down on you until the end.

It wasn't for nothing that I risked danger and personally infiltrated Ratio.

“Aigoo. Really. I understand. But please don’t suddenly rush forward.”

“Alright. I promise.”

After repeated persuasion, Theo reluctantly agreed and brought my horse. I stroked the mane of Tospol, which Theo had brought.

Tospol snorted as if displeased, but became quiet when Theo showed it his fist.

Anyway, getting close to this beast was a difficult task. Even if it had complaints, we couldn't communicate.

I had tried to see if I could get along with animals using magic or the ‘Trait: Descendant of a Demon,’ but that didn't work.

“Report. Preparations for departure are complete. Just give the order.”

“Good. Then, let’s go.”

With Theo's help, I got on Tospol. Tospol became as docile as if it had never acted up.

I’m sure there was a magic in the green magic skill tree for communicating with animals.

Sometime later, if I meet a green mage, I'll have to ask why Tospol has so many complaints.

And also why it becomes so docile as soon as I get on its back.

“Bishop Ceras. Show the banner.”

“Understood.”

As ordered, Ceras untied the golden cord that had bound the banner.

Swoosh.

The silk banner unfurled without a sound. The blowing wind lifted the banner high into the sky.

The Pope's banner, catching the wind, fluttered in the middle of the Holy See’s square.

The sun was just beginning to rise. In the faint light of dawn pouring through the clouds, the colors of the banner became vivid.

“That is…”

“It’s His Holiness' banner!”

The priests who discovered the Pope's banner began to murmur. Gazes of awe poured towards the banner from all directions.

The riders, surrounding me protectively, drove their horses towards the main gate of the Holy See. Ceras, serving as the standard-bearer, and Theo, in charge of my protection, flanked me.

“Rhom. Sound the charge.”

“Understood.”

Rhom took out a horn from his waist, took a deep breath, and blew.

Bwooooh—.

The wild cry born in a narrow cave echoed through the dark city sky and spread in all directions.

A flock of birds sitting on the roof of the Holy See was startled and flew up into the sky.

Eogwin unlatched the gate. Through the crack of the bronze gate, the dawn sunlight poured in a straight line towards me.

The moment the main gate of the Holy See was opened.

I became a group of cavalry and galloped forward.

“Let’s go!”