Alon knew about Cardinal Sergius.

In fact, not knowing Sergius was almost impossible.

He was one of the main villains that appeared when you entered the Holy Kingdom while playing Psychedelia and was also the first character to make the player aware of the kingdom’s corruption.

Alon was already aware of how strong his influence was within the Holy Kingdom of Rosario and how twisted his personality could be.

In Psychedelia, he had once executed dozens of innocent believers on the grounds that they “did not believe in God,” simply because they defied his word.

In short, Alon knew Sergius was a despicable person.

“Yes, so if you move here like this, yes, that’s right. You can proceed this way. Once the Chief Cardinal arrives—”

Seeing Sergius explain the situation carefully, glancing nervously at Alon, felt quite awkward for many reasons.

‘I thought he’d be troublesome to meet, so I tried to avoid it as much as possible.’

Surprised by this unexpected demeanor, Alon pondered the question that had been on his mind since earlier.

‘…What on earth happened to make him act like this?’

Alon, who was not foolish, realized that the reason Sergius was being so deferential was due to Yutia standing behind him.

However, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t understand why Sergius was being so overly cautious.

The Sergius Alon knew from Psychedelia was a corrupted villain who, even in his last moments, never abandoned his pride.

So,

He subtly glanced at Yutia, who was smiling brightly in the distance, though only for a moment.

“Um, did you understand everything…?”

In response to Cardinal Sergius’s hesitant question, Alon nodded.

“Yes, I understood everything, thanks to you.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“By the way, you don’t need to use formal language with me.”

Alon suggested.

Although he was a noble of Asteria, Sergius held one of the highest positions under the pope and the goddess, so there was no need for such formality.

Despite this, Alon gently proposed, but—

“No, no, no, no, no, no—how could I? I am merely a servant of God, how could I dare to do that?”

Sergius’s excessive refusals, to the point where he said “no” countless times, gave Alon an intense sense of incongruity.

‘…Is this really the same villain who showed disdain for humanity whenever I met him in the game?’

Alon awkwardly responded as he recalled Sergius’s line from the game:

[“I can never understand why I should show respect to lowly creatures who don’t even believe in God!”]

“Is that… so?”

“Of course, absolutely!”

Watching Sergius’s forced, awkward laugh, Alon cleared his throat and spoke.

“Anyway, thank you for going to such lengths to help. You really didn’t have to come out and explain this personally, Cardinal.”

“No, it’s fine. As the manager, this is something I’m expected to handle…!”

Alon knew that these minor explanations were usually not the manager’s responsibility, but he nodded without asking further.

“I see.”

“Yes, yes—”

Sergius lowered his head.

Watching him bow, Alon couldn’t help but wonder where the corrupt cardinal of the Holy Kingdom had gone.

A question arose in his mind as he watched Sergius act so deferentially.

“By the way, are you close with Cardinal Yutia?”

Alon asked, although he assumed they weren’t close—just in case.

However,

“Of course, sir. Cardinal Sergius and I often discuss Sironia,”

answered Yutia, not Sergius.

“Isn’t that right, Cardinal Sergius?”

Yutia asked with a bright smile, as if seeking confirmation, and Sergius nodded frantically, frozen in place.

“Yes, yes, yes!! Of course!”

“Why are you nodding so vigorously? If you do that, it might seem like I’m making things up, and it could give the wrong impression.”

“Hahaha! Am I being awkward? I just wanted to express how close I am with Cardinal Yutia. Perhaps I got a bit too enthusiastic…!”

Sergius desperately tried to explain himself.

“Yes, yes, just do it the way you normally would. You know, right?”

“Yes, I understand…!”

“Just be comfortable. Relax.”

“Yes!”

Yutia, satisfied with Sergius’s sharp, almost military response, turned to Alon with a smile.

“See? I told you we’re close.”

It was almost like witnessing a student claiming to be “friends” with someone they bullied, right in front of the teacher.

“I see…”

Alon could only nod silently.

…He was once again reminded that Yutia was one of the five deadly sins.

####

Right after meeting Sergius and getting a brief explanation about the ceremony,

Alon, talking with Yutia, asked the question he hadn’t managed to ask the day before.

“Abyssal Entities…?”

“Yes, do you know anything about them?”

He was seeking information about the Abyssal Entities brought by Evan.

Having heard that most of the Abyssal Entities on the market ended up in the Holy Kingdom, Alon thought Yutia might know something.

“Hm, I’ve heard about Abyssal Entities… but I don’t know much beyond that.”

Yutia seemed to ponder something deeply before finally answering.

“Do you know anything about Abyssal Entities?”

“Yes, it’s due to the effects of the objects.”

“Ah.”

Alon let out a quiet exclamation.

Indeed, the abyssal items would certainly be of interest to the Holy Kingdom.

This was because both Abyssal Entities and abyssal gems, though very weak, could bestow a divine status upon people.

To the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, abyssal items were practically heretical artifacts, so it wasn’t surprising that Yutia was aware of them.

“Well, as you mentioned, if someone in the Holy Kingdom is using Abyssal Entities, it could be a major issue, so I’ll investigate it.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“No, this is something that the Holy Kingdom absolutely needs to handle.”

Yutia, nodding, continued.

“Oh, and you should be able to enter the Chamber of the Holy Spirit tomorrow, sir.”

“…Tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Alon was greatly surprised inwardly at Yutia’s words.

‘…To be honest, I thought I’d have to wait over two weeks to get in.’

As far as he knew, it took a long time for priests below the rank of bishop to gain access to the Chamber of the Holy Spirit.

And for good reason.

The Chamber of the Holy Spirit was designated as a relic within the Holy Kingdom itself.

So, Alon had been prepared to wait quietly for about two weeks, making this unexpected news all the more surprising.

Though he didn’t show it on his face.

“It’s not too much trouble, is it?”

“Not at all.”

Seeing Yutia smiling as she spoke, Alon felt a vague sense of unease.

Remembering Sergius’s behavior from earlier, he asked again.

“Yutia.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Just out of curiosity, you didn’t use any… questionable methods on my behalf, did you?”

Alon subtly phrased his question to avoid sounding too direct about violence, and Yutia smiled faintly.

“Of course not. Why would I go out of my way to do something like that?”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, I just used a bit of ‘persuasion.’ There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“….”

Alon responded with a silent nod.

####

The next evening.

Following Yutia, Alon made his way to the Chamber of the Holy Spirit located deep within the Rosario Temple.

Inside the temple,

“Cardinal Yutia.”

“Hello, Yuman.”

They met a young man.

Though he wore the holy vestments, he still had a youthful appearance, not yet fully grown.

However, despite his youth, none of the paladins or priests guarding the temple dared to look down on him.

Standing before Yutia and Alon with a displeased expression was none other than the man known as the Saint in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario, chosen directly by the goddess Sironia.

Yuman’s gaze shifted to Count Palatio.

“Allowing a non-believer to enter the Chamber of the Holy Spirit—this is excessive.”

His tone was openly hostile.

Yet, Yutia maintained her smile.

“As I understand, the decision was already made.”

“Hah, wasn’t it you who pushed for this outcome, Cardinal Yutia?”

“I believe the Saint knows well that it was conducted transparently, through a vote.”

“But the vote itself…”

Yuman, about to protest further, closed his mouth.

On the surface, Yutia was correct. The proposal to allow Count Palatio access had been determined by a vote.

With a small sigh and a frown, Yuman spoke.

“Behaving in such a manner is improper, Cardinal Yutia.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

With that warning, Yuman glanced coldly at Count Palatio before walking past him.

‘…It seems he might dislike me now.’

Alon felt slightly uneasy about Yuman’s obvious hostility but shrugged it off.

In truth, he wasn’t particularly intimidated by Yuman’s animosity.

Or rather, he didn’t feel concerned, precisely because Yuman’s character wasn’t violent.

Despite being a strict principled man rooted in faith, Yuman’s nature was not malicious; had he been the protagonist, he’d be the type to be mocked by players for his overly righteous attitude fitting of a saint.

Thus, without much concern, Alon was able to reach the Chamber of the Saint alongside Yutia.

“Good luck, sir.”

As he stepped further into the Chamber of the Holy Spirit, he muttered, “…Oh,” gazing around in awe.

The room was as he remembered, entirely covered in pristine white marble.

But what truly captured his admiration was the statue of the goddess Sironia at the far end of the room.

The enormous statue, taking up more than half the space, was overwhelming in its grandeur.

‘Normally, that statue would emit a radiant light, allowing communication with the goddess.’

But that was something only the original protagonist, Eliban, the saints, or bishops with deep faith could do.

‘…Ah, come to think of it, I believe even the bishops and cardinals couldn’t make the statue shine.’

Alon recalled the setting that the stronger the statue’s light, the clearer the connection with the goddess, but that wasn’t something that particularly concerned him.

Sigh.

Alon gathered a small amount of magical energy, making a simple seal to obtain the item he sought.

“Perception.”

As he cast the spell, the moment the magic began to activate—

Woooooong~!!!

“Huh?”

A bright, white light started bursting forth from the statue of the goddess.

####

Yuman, one of the only two saints in the Holy Kingdom of Rosario and a man widely beloved by the people within the Holy Kingdom, did not like Count Palatio.

Or rather, to be precise, he had recently started to dislike him.

It was because, despite not being a follower of Sironia, he had used his connections to gain access to the Chamber of the Holy Spirit.

And he did so through Cardinal Yutia, who had been manipulating the kingdom by sweet-talking the other cardinals to her will.

However, despite knowing this, Yuman couldn’t do anything, as the goddess Sironia herself had remained silent about Yutia.

‘Why does the goddess continue to let her be?’

Yuman sighed briefly in frustration.

But it was only for a moment. Yuman then moved to a nearby room.

This was a small chamber next to the Chamber of the Holy Spirit.

A tiny confessional, large enough to fit only one person, permitted only for saints, where one could glimpse into the Chamber of the Holy Spirit.

He looked inside to keep an eye on Count Palatio, concerned he might steal something from the room filled with relics.

“…What?”

He could only utter that in stunned silence as he looked at Count Palatio standing in the center of the chamber.

And with good reason—the statue of the goddess Sironia was radiating a brilliant light.

An even more magnificent light than when he, a saint, listened to the goddess’s words.