TILPO 10

Chapter 10

The door to the reception room opened, and at the same time, a door inside Noah’s consciousness opened as well.

In other words, Noah’s soul had half left her body.

That was why she barely paid attention to the two people coming out of the Pope’s reception room.

One was an elegant noblewoman wearing a veil, and the other was a young boy.

Gabriel glanced at the woman and slightly bowed his head. Startled by Gabriel’s action, Noah hurriedly bowed as well.

The woman glanced at Gabriel and Noah, then bowed her head in return.

The boy behind her visibly brightened at the sight of Gabriel, but soon checked the noblewoman’s reaction.

There was an unspoken rule that people who met in front of the Pope’s reception room did not talk about one another.

The woman passed by as if she had no interest in them.

The boy gave a more polite greeting before running after the noblewoman.

“She’s beautiful.”

“She is Marquess Sylvia Knoller, His Holiness the Pope’s sister, and that is her son, Young Master Allen Knoller.”

“Oh.”

“She doesn’t come here often, but I suppose she’s worried now that preparations for the Demon Dragon subjugation are in full swing.”

“Ah, I suppose so.”

“Shall we go in?”

Gabriel seemed strangely reluctant to talk at length about Marquess Knoller.

“Yes.”

Noah followed Gabriel into the reception room. The tension that had briefly faded suddenly surged again.

“I come before the Hand of Grace.”

Gabriel bowed respectfully, and Noah hurriedly bowed as well.

“I come before the Hand of Grace.”

She was so nervous that she didn’t even have time to look around.

“May the blessings of Heaven be abundant upon you.”

The Pope’s voice filled the room.

Noah timidly straightened herself as she followed Gabriel.

She was curious about the inside of the Pope’s reception room, but she was afraid of making a bad impression, so she kept her eyes fixed on her toes.

“Come closer.”

Gabriel lightly tapped Noah’s shoulder.

Noah jumped and looked at Gabriel before forcing the corners of her lips upward.

“Go closer to His Holiness.”

“Yes.”

Her legs felt incredibly heavy, even though there was no weight tied to them.

“So, you’re the Saintess who will be going on this subjugation?”

At a glance, the Pope appeared quite old.

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“What is your name?”

“I’m Noah Kaplan.”

“Ah…”

Venier’s eyes subtly shifted toward Gabriel. Gabriel stood there with a formal public smile on his face.

Noah Kaplan.

The priest Dina Ehrenberg had wanted to keep out of the Urbas subjugation this time.

There was also one fact Venier had not told Gabriel.

Dina actually cared very much for Noah…

‘Isn’t she the priest Dina said would make a good match for Gabriel?’

One of the reasons Venier had brought up Noah despite knowing he would have to endure Gabriel’s fussy complaints was because of what Dina had said.

「After this subjugation is over, we have to get Gabriel married. Is he really going to grow old and die alone? What good is being a handsome and capable Cardinal if he misses his chance? If he keeps this up, he’ll just end up an old bachelor like Your Holiness.」

「Ho ho. Priests cannot marry in the first place.」

「Then we should obviously make him quit. Gabriel probably hasn’t given any thought to that sort of thing, so I’ll step in.」

Dina had boldly told Venier her plan.

Her plan to get Gabriel married!

「Noah is kind and gentle, so she’s perfect for someone as strict and stubborn as Gabriel! Gabriel is weak toward the weak, you know. He’ll treat her very kindly.」

Because of the influence of his position, the Pope had difficulty meeting young people around Gabriel’s age.

On the other hand, as a professor at the Divine Power Training Center who interacted with many students, Dina must have had plenty of opportunities to meet people Gabriel’s age.

Venier knew how much Dina cared for Gabriel, so he trusted her judgment as much as he trusted her.

That was why he carefully observed Noah standing before him.

“I hear you have an exceptional talent for manifesting abilities through prayers. To think the Church possesses such a precious talent. I can only thank Elohim.”

“T-Thank you!”

Noah Kaplan was a cute young lady. Her pink hair and innocent-looking eyes were charming.

Judging by the way she trembled and could barely make eye contact, she really seemed to be an introvert.

And on top of that, she possessed exceptional divine power.

‘When someone timid and introverted possesses an ability that is too powerful, there will be plenty of flies buzzing around them, and they can easily be broken by the people around them…’

Even if Gabriel went with her on the Urbas subjugation, he would take proper care of Noah.

Gabriel, a principled and upright man, liked supporting people who were inexperienced yet capable, like Noah.

He strongly believed that sincere, capable, and good-natured people should rise to positions of power.

He wasn’t pleased simply because his godfather was the Pope. Rather, he was satisfied that his godfather was someone who remained incorruptible and devoted himself to preserving the sanctity of the Church.

‘Noah Kaplan certainly has plenty of qualities that would attract Gabriel’s attention.’

The Pope smiled like a kindly grandfather.

“Saintess.”

“Yes.”

“I entrust the peace and safety of the Empire, and indeed the entire world, to you.”

For someone of such high standing to ask this of her…

“Uh, um… Y-Yes! Y-Yes, Your Holiness! I-I’ll, I’ll do my very best!”

Noah could only answer in a trembling voice.

After showing her face before the Pope and stepping outside the room, a sigh naturally escaped her lips.

People of such high standing really were intimidating.

Meanwhile, Gabriel heard something from an apprentice priest and then spoke to Noah.

“I have some business to attend to, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to escort you all the way to your room. Sir Stockwell, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes.”

The Holy Knight chosen as Noah’s escort led her toward her room.

Noah kept glancing at Heron, wondering when it would be natural to start a conversation.

“Is there something you would like to say?”

“I-I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, yes. I look forward to working with you as well, Saintess.”

Heron greeted her with a pleasant smile.

As they approached Noah’s room, a familiar figure came into view.

“Huh? Priest Rina?”

“Ah! You’re back.”

Rina gave Heron an awkward greeting when she saw him.

“Rina, what brings you here?”

“I asked His Eminence. I wanted to talk with Noah.”

“Yes. Come in.”

When Heron moved to enter the room as well, Rina looked at him with an awkward expression.

“Um, I’d like to talk with her privately. There might be… well, some personal things we need to discuss. If necessary, you can search me. I don’t have any weapons.”

Rina even spread her arms wide.

Perhaps the sight was a little ridiculous, because Heron burst into laughter.

“I have no intention of intruding on the two of you while you chat. I’m not ignorant enough to be unable to distinguish friend from foe.”

When Heron opened the door for them, Rina thanked him and gave a slight bow.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

The two young women timidly entered the room.

Noah placed some cookies she had brought from Soal onto a plate and handed Rina a cup of coffee.

“What brings you here?”

“Well… Priest, you don’t want to be the Saintess, right?”

“Huh?”

Noah closed her mouth, wondering whether it was really okay to say anything about something that had already been decided.

“His Eminence asked me about it. He asked whether I would be willing to take on the role of Saintess if you were really uncomfortable with it.”

“Oh.”

So she had really meant what she said back then.

“But… as you know, I can’t manifest abilities through prayers, either.”

Rina fiddled with her teacup as she spoke.

“Noah, actually, if I had manifested an ability, I wouldn’t have refused the offer to become the Saintess. It’s a position where I could make a spectacular entrance with a handsome Cardinal and a handsome Holy Knight by my side.”

“Um… Didn’t you say it was better to admire handsome men from a distance?”

Just a day ago, Rina had given a whole speech about handsome men, saying that the most comfortable and pleasant way to live was to observe them while keeping a proper distance.

“Forget the Rina of the past.”

There was something strange about Rina’s words, but Noah simply laughed.

“I felt it when you manifested your divine power, Noah.”

“Yes?”

What kind of feeling could she possibly have had?

“This is nothing less than the birth of a true Empress! The flower of the Church! The Ariel Empire now has a Saintess who possesses the ability, intelligence, and beauty to stand against Princess Kyria of Entria!”

Noah almost spilled the coffee she was drinking.

What on earth was she talking about?

“Ability, intelligence, and beauty?”

To be honest, Noah did think of herself as ‘a country priest who happens to be a small but precious beauty with a useful ability.’

But being an outstanding Saintess who could be compared to a princess…

‘Isn’t that going a little too far?’

“It’s hard to imagine anyone other than you as the Saintess.”

Rina took Noah’s hand, nodded, and looked at her with passionate eyes.

She hadn’t been like this yesterday.

Even when Noah had first manifested her prayer ability, Rina hadn’t been this intense.

Why had Rina suddenly become like this?

“Only you can represent our Church and defeat the dragon!”

That wasn’t true. Gabriel and the Holy Knights were supposed to take care of the dragon.

But Noah could only stare blankly because she couldn’t stop Rina, who was getting increasingly worked up.

“It’s really not because I don’t want to play the role of Saintess.”

“……”

“It’s simply because I think the role of Saintess suits you so well, Noah.”

That was what she said…

But something felt strange.

It almost seemed as though she was worried the role of Saintess might somehow be passed on to her.

“There are so many good things about you, Noah. First of all, just look at this adorable appearance! Pink hair as sweet as ice cream! Eyes like jewels! You probably haven’t even had many chances to dress up properly because you’re a priest!”

“Haha…”

“And once you become the Saintess, your beauty will shine even more, right? A more beautiful version of myself! Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“You’ve never wanted to try wearing a pretty dress?”

“I have, but wouldn’t fancy dresses be just as uncomfortable as they are beautiful…”

As soon as Noah said that, Rina quickly changed the subject.

“And that’s not all. You’ll be right beside His Eminence the Cardinal! A handsome man right next to you! Officially! A wonderful opportunity to look at him freely without having to hold back! You can’t pass that up!”

“Hmm…”

On that particular point, Noah couldn’t help but nod.

As someone from the countryside, Noah had never seen a man as handsome as Gabriel. The Holy Knights were all handsome too.

This place was full of handsome men who were rarely seen in the countryside.

Gabriel was unquestionably the best among them, though.

“If you’re proclaimed the Saintess, all those handsome men will be yours, Noah!”

“That can’t be right, can it? Just because I’m the Saintess, I can’t own people like they’re objects…”

“If you’re proclaimed the Saintess and participate in the Urbas subjugation, you’ll be able to temporarily wield His Holiness the Pope’s authority. It’ll be your world.”

Noah stared at Rina with her mouth hanging open.