Pope Beatrice I was the pontiff of the Holy Kingdom.
It was Zeke's first time seeing the Pope in person, so his feelings were mixed.
Even so, he knelt reverently before Beatrice.
"I come to pay my respects to Your Holiness. I am Zeke Draker, knight of the Draker
Family and heir to the Agamemnon Family, bearer of the ducal title of the Kingdom of
Cusco. I have come to you in the hope of becoming the sword that guards the Principality of Vadoka."
Beatrice approached Zeke with a warm smile.
"Sir Zeke. May the blessing of the Sun God be with you."
She took his hand herself and helped him to his feet as she spoke.
"I am truly grateful that you brought Roban back safely, Sir Zeke. I prayed to the Lord every day for that child to return unharmed to Vadoka, and it seems my prayers have been answered by sending you here."
Zeke looked at Beatrice and said,
"I am merely fulfilling my duty."
She gazed at him with a benevolent smile, a halo of light that shone around her, and said,
"I would like to treat my esteemed guests to a meal. It will be ready soon, so please join me."
"If I may share a meal with Your Holiness, there could be no greater honor."
Zeke and his companions moved to the dining hall with Beatrice.
But upon arriving at the dining hall, they were taken aback by the sight: the mana lamps hadnʼt worked properly, so candles were lit here and there, and even the heating hadnʼt functioned right.
Beatrice had prepared a seat at the worn round table and invited Zeke and his group to sit.
"Please wait just a moment."
Zeke wondered why she had left instead of sitting down, but he was soon astonished to see Beatrice return with Roban, personally carrying bread and other foods.
"How can Your Holiness prepare the meal herself? What are the other servants doing?"
Beatrice, who had skillfully placed the bread and soup on the table, smiled and said,
"Itʼs fine. This is just what I usually do."
She even brought boiled potatoes and a salad made from vegetables she had grown herself.
Then she sat down and offered a prayer.
"I give thanks to the Sun God who has provided our daily bread today..."
Among past popes, there had surely been those more frugal than Beatrice.
But unlike her situation at that time, they had maintained their simple lifestyles out of personal conviction, even while they held the authority of the Pope.
Moreover, even if they lived modestly in private, it was customary to provide meals befitting the status of visiting envoys or guests.
In Beatriceʼs case, however, there simply was no budget allocated to the Papal Palace from the start, so she grew her own vegetables for self-sufficiency and baked the bread herself.
This meant that the other bishops and cardinals did not treat Beatrice as the Pope.
Felix, a descendant of the Arch Paladin, wore an expression of grave concern that words could not describe.
It was unbelievable that the Pope, the very symbol of the Order, was being treated this way.
Zeke looked at the table and began eating the bread and soup in silence.
He chewed each bite thoroughly, savoring the taste, and finished the meal with care.
Seeing him like that, Felix and Decker also ate calmly, following Zekeʼs example.
After the meal, Zeke wiped his mouth with a napkin and said to Beatrice,
"Your Holiness, it was truly a precious meal."
Beatrice smiled happily at Zekeʼs sincere words.
"Really? Iʼm glad you enjoyed it, Sir Zeke."
Zeke said to her,
"May I offer Your Holiness a cup of tea in return?" She nodded with a clear smile.
"Of course. Ah, the weather is nice today, so shall we have tea in the garden?" The group went out to the back of the Papal Palace.
And once again, they were astonished.
What was called a garden was actually a vegetable patch that Beatrice had cultivated herself on what had been abandoned land.
Zeke looked at the garden and said,
"The crops look fresh and healthy. Your Holiness must have tended them with great care. That particular one is especially prone to pests."
At his words, Beatrice asked in surprise,
"Have you grown crops yourself, Sir Zeke?"
Zeke smiled and replied,
"Yes, in the past, I used to grow and harvest them personally." Strictly speaking, it had been in his previous life, not this one.
Zeke prepared tea and refreshments from his inventory on the makeshift table.
In an instant, a proper tea table was set, and Beatriceʼs eyes sparkled with admiration.
"How wonderful. You have so many mysterious talents, Sir Zeke. Itʼs truly impressive." From her words alone, she sounded just like an innocent country girl.
Her purity and lack of pretense made Zeke wonder how she managed to endure in a place like Vadoka, which was akin to a demonʼs lair.
Zeke poured her tea from Ishtar.
She closed her eyes and savored the fragrant aroma.
"Itʼs a scent that brings peace to the mind."
They drank in silence for a while before Zeke slowly spoke.
"Your Holiness, do you know why I came here?"
At Zekeʼs question, Beatriceʼs innocent, country-girl smile faded, replaced by a tense expression as she nodded.
"I am not well-versed, so I donʼt know exactly how the affairs of the Principality operate... but Iʼve heard that a terrifying monster legion is heading toward Vadoka."
She set down her teacup and continued.
"Sir Zeke, as an honorable knight, you must have come here to save the Principality of Vadoka. Am I right?"
Zeke nodded and replied,
"Yes. I have come to protect Vadoka and Your Holiness from the Ork Iron Legion." Beatrice looked at Zeke and bowed her head demurely.
"I thank you once more, Sir Zeke, for coming here without regard for the long and perilous journey to protect the faithful of the Principality."
At that moment, Zeke stared intently at Beatrice and spoke, slightly altering his tone.
"Your Holiness, forgive me, but in this state, it is impossible to protect the Principality of Vadoka and the Holy Kingdom."
Beatrice was startled by Zekeʼs words.
"Wh-what do you mean? Does that mean even your power cannot stop that monster horde?"
Zeke shook his head.
"The walls of the Principality of Vadoka are sturdy and high. In truth, the forces here could sufficiently repel the Ork legion. What I mean is not about the monster horde." He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Those rotten priests who are gnawing away at the Holy Kingdom. It is they who will destroy Vadoka."
At Zekeʼs words, Beatriceʼs face paled.
The ones who effectively ruled Vadoka were the councilors, including Chairman Pierre, who held the key positions.
Beatrice knew that they had usurped the Popeʼs authority and were manipulating the Principality for their own gain, fattening their pockets.
But as someone who had risen from an ordinary nun to Pope solely because of the sun emblem, there was nothing she could do beyond playing the role of a figurehead.
Zeke looked at Beatrice and said,
"Your Holiness, they possess enough forces to repel the monsters, yet they allow the faithful to die to preserve their own interests. How can such impure men be called priests appointed by the Lord? Your Holiness must rise and judge them yourself."
Then Anthony, who stood behind Beatrice, could no longer hold back and spoke to Zeke.
"Sir Zeke, Your Holiness cannot sleep properly at night due to worry for the faithful. She knows of these issues, but Vadoka is not a place where one can act recklessly!"
Anthony was a member of the Popeʼs guard and harbored secret affection for the beautiful and pure Beatrice.
He was prepared to give everything for her.
In his heart, he wanted to whisk her away from this demonʼs lair right then and take her somewhere she could live in peace.
But Vadoka would never let go of her, the bearer of the sun emblem, and knowing that, he held his breath and did his utmost to protect her.
At that moment, Beatrice slowly raised her head and spoke.
"Sir Zeke."
Her voice was solemn; in an instant, she was no longer the simple country girl baking bread but the leader of an order bearing the weight of millions of faithful.
Beatrice asked Zeke,
"You bring this up because you have a plan to punish those wicked ones and reclaim the ecclesiastical authority, donʼt you?"
Zeke slowly rose from his seat.
He drew the Jeweled Sword Roland from his inventory and gripped it.
Anthony, startled by Zeke suddenly drawing his sword, moved to shield Beatrice and reached for his own.
But Beatrice raised her hand to stop Anthony.
Zeke held the Jeweled Sword Roland with both hands at chest level and infused it with power, unfolding a veil of light.
Woooong—
As the halo of light spread, those nearby felt a warmth in their bodies.
Roban stared at Zeke in a daze and murmured,
"The return of the first Holy King..."
Zeke, wielding the splendid sword and emanating light, resembled the Holy King Gio Rubern as depicted in the records.
With the halo fluttering around him, Zeke said,
"This sword was forged fifty years ago by melting down the hammer of Sir Pab Valencia, who relinquished his status as Arch Paladin to restore the Holy Kingdom." Beatriceʼs eyes widened at the mention of Pab.
"Sir Pab?"
Zeke nodded and pointed to Felix.
"The Felix here is Sir Pabʼs grandson and has inherited his legacy." At Zekeʼs words, Beatriceʼs eyes wavered.
She looked at Felix and asked,
"Sir Felix. May I verify if you have truly inherited Sir Pabʼs legacy?"
Suddenly the center of attention, Felix stammered in surprise.
"O-of course, Y-Your Holiness! It is an h-honor! N-no, I mean... how should I proceed?" Beatrice took Felixʼs wrist.
A warm energy flowed from her hand through his wrist and coursed through his body.
Beatrice could sense the dormant energy of the Arch Paladin within him.
"You have indeed inherited Sir Pabʼs legacy."
From her reaction, it seemed Beatrice already knew who Pab was.
At that moment, a voice echoed in Zekeʼs ear.
—Sir Zeke, there is something I wish to show you privately.
Through the message she sent, Zeke realized that Beatrice was concealing her magical abilities.
Zeke nodded silently, and Beatrice dismissed everyone around them before descending to the underground of the Papal Palace with Zeke.
The underground stone chamber was filled with unused furnishings and chapel tools, apparently used as storage.
Beatrice navigated through the stored items and lifted a section of the floor in the corner.
A staircase leading downward appeared beneath.
"This way."
Following Beatrice down the underground stairs, Zeke was surprised to find a catacomb below, where the remains of adults were interred.
The underground catacomb, with coffins embedded in the walls, resembled the hidden tomb Pab had once used.
Beatrice led him deeper and deeper into the underground tomb.
At the very bottom lay a single coffin.
Beatrice looked at the coffin with a sorrowful gaze.
"This is the remains of the previous Pope." Zeke was shocked by her words.
"Why is His late Holiness Baorʼs remains here? I understood that a state funeral would place him in the designated site." Beatrice nodded.
"That would be the proper procedure. But the late Pope, like Sir Pab, fought a fierce battle for a long time to change the Holy Kingdom." Zeke realized what she meant.
"They didnʼt even hold a proper funeral for him." Beatrice nodded.
"I repeatedly said that no luxuries were needed, just cremate the remains and inter the ashes, but they kept saying to wait, leaving me no choice."
To those seeking personal gain, a steadfast and incorruptible Pope was nothing but a thorn in their side.
At that moment, Beatrice placed her palm on the sun emblem carved in the center of the stone coffin and infused it with mana.
Woooong—
The coffin vibrated and slid aside.
Beneath it was a staircase leading further down.
"Your Holiness, this place...?"
"Sir Zeke, I am the Pope of the Principality of Vadoka, but I also hold another title." She slowly opened her mouth.
"I am Beatrice Valencia, Grand Master of the Golden Dawn Society."