The Holy Church was massive and extraordinarily extravagant, built entirely from rare marble stone—a material with a high defensive attribute, making the structure incredibly sturdy.
Even an attack from a senior Magic Knight wouldn't leave a dent, making the Holy Church a powerful fortress despite its luxurious appearance.
This was also why nobody had ever dared to attack the Holy Church until now—they weren't confident in their ability to penetrate its formidable defenses, leaving them powerless before the Church's might.
It would be pure suicide to even attempt an attack, considering the countless powerful Holy Knights guarding it. Defeating the Holy Knights alone would be an impossible task.
It was the first ti the summoned heroes had co to the Holy Church after being summoned to this magical world, and it would also be the first ti they would et the Pope.
The most powerful and influential figure in the entire Holy Light Empire—the one who controlled almost everything inside and even beyond the Empire. The Holy Church's influence was strong even outside the Holy Light Empire.
Most of the heroes were very excited to et the Pope, especially Hero Kael and Hero Zane. Both were hungry for power after witnessing the feats people of this world could achieve through strength.
As for Ayumi and her female friends, they didn't feel comfortable eting the Pope. Ayumi had shared her deep concerns regarding the people associated with the Holy Church.
'I hope this doesn't turn into so kind of disaster for us... We cannot trust anyone from this Empire—all of them are hypocrites,' Ayumi thought as she followed inside the Holy Church alongside her female friends.
Once they entered the church, they were amazed by the sheer size of the Cathedral. It was enormous, with a towering marble statue of a goddess at its center. The statue was magnificent and majestic, and everyone could feel a unique aura radiating from it.
At the heart of the Cathedral, there was a beautiful fountain with clear, flowing water. The calmness of the place enveloped them, and everything was wrapped in a profound silence.
Before the statue of the Goddess, a man was kneeling on the beautiful marble floor, praying silently—and that man was none other than the Pope himself.
As soon as the Pope sensed the presence of Conrad and the heroes entering the Cathedral, he slowly opened his eyes and bowed his head respectfully toward the statue of the Goddess before gracefully rising to his feet.
Turning his head with a serene smile on his face, he said, "You've returned, First Commander Conrad. I've been expecting your presence…"
Conrad stared at the Pope for a couple of seconds before bowing his head slightly—first toward the statue of the Goddess, then toward the Pope.
"From the looks of it, the Goddess has spoken to you, Your Eminence. I wonder what kind of oracle the Goddess has given you this ti," Conrad said in a curious tone, his blue eyes glowing brightly as he stared at the Pope.
"Curious, are we?" the Pope chuckled softly as he walked toward him, each step asured and graceful.
"Isn't it obvious that I'd be curious? So, what did the Goddess tell you? What is she planning this ti?"
"Hahaha! It seems that the Goddess is on our side and will offer her assistance to destroy the Lionheart Empire," the Pope answered with a wide grin on his face—one that almost looked vicious and dangerous, as though he harbored a terrible plan for the Lionheart Empire. "She will send two of her most capable battle angels to aid us in the battle against the Lionheart Empire."
"I see... This is quite good, actually. Once we destroy the Lionheart Empire, the other nations will surrender themselves to our will and beco vessels for the Holy Church," Conrad said, nodding his head with a wide grin, feeling excited at the thought of making the Lionheart Empire kneel before the might of the Holy Church.
The Pope nodded as well, his wide grin unwavering, and said, "Indeed, it is. How fortunate that we have the divine blessing of a goddess on our side. We must devote ourselves to the Goddess."
"However, there is so truly sad news I must share with you, Your Eminence," Conrad said without showing a hint of emotion in his voice, cold and serious.
"And what sad news would that be? Archbishop Gregor has already passed away from this world. What could be sadder than that?" the Pope sighed, an emotional look on his face.
"It's much more than that—so humiliating that it's difficult to even speak."
"Oh? What did the Lionheart Empire do this ti? And why isn't Arthur with you?" the Pope asked with a concerned look, his gaze locked on Conrad, awaiting an answer.
Conrad sighed before pulling out his magic pouch—a very special pouch bearing the crest of the Holy Church.
"See for yourself," Conrad said. With that, he pulled out two dead bodies from the magic pouch and placed them on the cold marble floor of the Cathedral.
"It's quite unexpected, but the Holy Son Arthur has also been killed. He, too, has left this world along with Archbishop Gregor," Conrad said with a heavy sigh in his voice, appearing emotional.
After all, Arthur had trained under him for a couple of years and had beco his disciple. Conrad was quite fond of Arthur, as the boy shared the sa confidence he himself once had during his training days. The death of his disciple deeply saddened Conrad, and knowing that he couldn't even manage to avenge his death made him furious. All his hatred was directed at the Lionheart Family.
They were the very reason why Archbishop Gregor and his only disciple had died. They must pay for such a huge cri. He would definitely bring the Lionheart Empire to its knees and slaughter the Imperial Family in public for all to see.
The Pope looked at the corpses with a disbelieving expression on his face. The sight of Archbishop Gregor and Arthur's lifeless bodies made a lump form in his throat, filling him with both sorrow and seething fury. His emotions beca imdiately chaotic upon witnessing the corpses, and he couldn't help but wonder who could have dared to kill the two most valuable mbers of the Holy Church.
"The Lionheart Family must pay for this sin! They will have to offer their lives as tribute for Archbishop Gregor and Arthur's deaths!" the Pope roared, his furious voice echoing through the grand cathedral, filled with a rage that seed capable of burning everything to ashes.
After a few monts spent calming his anger, the Pope turned his attention toward the Heroes. He stared at them for several monts, as if assessing their worth.
"So, these are the Heroes we summoned from another world. They look quite extraordinary," the Pope spoke, his voice filled with pride as he observed them carefully.
"It's a huge pleasure to finally et you, Your Eminence," Kael said with a confident smile on his face, looking as though he had been eagerly awaiting this mont.
"Quite the confidence you have there, young hero. I'm expecting much from you," the Pope nodded with a smile before turning his gaze to the other Heroes. "The sa goes for all of you. I have faith that you will defeat the Demon Emperor and rid this world of the demon scourge."
"Thank you for your kind words, Your Eminence! We won't disappoint you," Kael said, nodding confidently, looking as if he had already accomplished so great feat.
As for Ayumi, she rolled her eyes in annoyance after witnessing Kael's behavior. He was acting as though he were the most important person in the world and the world was depending solely on him.
'This idiot! What the hell is he thinking?! Why did he promise sothing without asking us? Has he gone mad after getting beaten up?' Ayumi stared at Kael with disdain in her eyes, as if she were looking at a fool who had no idea what was best for him.
'I can't stay here. If I stay here any longer, I don't think we'll be able to escape the fate of becoming puppets for the Holy Church,' Ayumi thought inwardly, feeling a growing sense of dread. There was sothing wrong with the Pope. He wasn't truly concerned about the death of Archbishop Gregor and Arthur at all. All he cared about was taking control of the world, expanding the influence of the Holy Church across the entire continent, as if it was his birthright to rule everything under the heavens.
Ayumi recalled the advice Yuan had given her before. His words echoed in her mind, and now she understood he had been telling the truth all along. She could feel it clearly—the Pope and Conrad were plotting sothing big, and it involved them.
Afterward, the Heroes began introducing themselves to the Pope one by one. Their introductions were brief, yet the Pope seed pleased with their unwavering confidence and bold words.
Once the introductions were over, the Pope looked at the Heroes and asked, "Did you witness the person who killed Archbishop Gregor and Holy Son Arthur? Did you see their faces?"
"Indeed, we did! I even fought one of them. Unfortunately, I was very weak and couldn't prevent them from killing Archbishop Gregor," Kael imdiately responded with a serious look, his anger evident as he clenched his fists tightly.
" too. I fought the sa guy, but he was too overpowered. I couldn't even see him move, and he wasn't even using his mana," Zane added with a furious expression.
"Is that so? What was his na?" Conrad asked, his blue eyes glowing brightly with intensity.
"I think his na was 'Yuan,' that's what the Emperor called him. And the one who killed Archbishop Gregor was called Valeria. She was ruthless!" Kael quickly answered, his voice filled with hatred as he recalled the faces of the two responsible for their loss.
"Yuan, huh? I think I've heard that na before… but I can't recall exactly where," Conrad muttered, a puzzled look flashing across his face as he tried to rember.
"Yuan… That's the leader of the Hunter Party known as the 'Celestial Blades.' They have quite the reputation as the most powerful Hunter Party on the continent. And as for Valeria, she is the elder sister of Emperor Philip himself!" the Pope growled through gritted teeth, his face twisted in barely controlled rage.
He continued in a heavy tone, "That woman has always been ruthless and hot-headed. No wonder she dared to kill Archbishop Gregor. She is strong—extrely strong."
"As for Yuan… I don't know why he decided to side with the Imperial Family. He's just a Hunter. What could he possibly gain? Wealth? We could have offered him that too. But it's too late for that now," the Pope said coldly, his voice as frigid as ice, radiating murderous intent.
The Pope then turned his attention back to the Heroes and asked, "What about Princess Livia? Where is she now?"
"She's with the sa guy who killed our Holy Son Arthur—Yuan!" Kael responded bitterly, his voice dripping with disdain.
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