Her blond hair, a color worthy of being called the sun itself, stretched down and was so abundant that it covered her entire body, showing off its abundance in all directions.
The ends of her hair were long enough to almost touch the floor, and the neatly trimmed bangs on either side revealed her forehead.
Her green eyes sparkled as if they contained the fresh greenery between her eyelids. Around her neck hung an ornament with a green gem set in it, just like her eyes.
It was her appearance, but what left me speechless more than anything else was her clothing.
A dress that was almost see-through, revealing the skin entirely. It was a dress that made it difficult to find a part that was covered from the shoulders to the toes. The nun's habit that Stella was wearing was also quite revealing, but the woman in front of her was even more so.
Collarbone, forearms, sternum, chest, abdomen, sides, navel, pelvis, lower abdomen, thighs. Every part of her body that the eye could see was practically naked.
No, I thought it would be less obscene to just take off all my clothes and stand naked.
Her chest, which was almost exposed, was large enough to rival Lize's. It was so large that the area above her elbows could not be seen properly because it was covered by her side chest.
The only clothing that covered her private parts was a single piece of thin cloth. It was a single piece of cloth that went around the back of her neck, slightly covering her chest, and then joined together in front of her lower abdomen to cover her private parts.
Even the thickness of the fabric itself was seriously thin. It was so thin that the flesh under her buttocks was slightly visible between her thighs.
With clothes like that, there's no way she was wearing underwear.
There was nothing that could be considered underwear visible on the sternum that was exposed just before the nipples were visible, and there was no underwear between the garter belt that wrapped around the pelvis and hip bone.
That means that the only clothes that the woman was wearing were a see-through garment that was almost transparent, a piece of opaque fabric that was not even as wide as her forearm, a garter belt, and stockings.
Even I, who thought I had seen all sorts of amazing outfits, was left speechless by this outfit.
Even the see-through dresses that the Knight Commanders wore during banquets didn't reveal such important parts, and neither did Aurora's dress.
"I wanted to see you so badly."
The Pope smiled and greeted me.
I was speechless and couldn't say anything because of the unique elegance and atmosphere that emanated from the woman, as well as the presence of the holy attire that was too embarrassing to even call clothing.
Appearance didn't really matter. If you just went out on the street, you'd be met with a pretty woman. Even the important NPCs were so out of standard that even the adjective "beauty" was not enough to describe their appearance.
But such an absurd outfit was something I couldn't even dare to think about.
If we recall that these were also costumes handcrafted by mod creators, it is clear that human talent has always surpassed people's imagination.
"Delta? We'll go in too."
The knight commanders also reacted similarly to me.
Iris came in, glanced at the Pope, and froze in place. Claudia, Lize, and Erica, who had come in one after another, also found themselves in a similar situation.
Since he wasn't wearing armor, I could clearly see his expression. According to Stella, wearing armor in front of the Pope was considered blasphemous.
But it seemed like it was a completely different kind of emotion from what I felt.
If I was shocked by the ridiculous exposure of the Pope's vestments, the Knights Templar were more shocked by the elegance and holiness that emanated from the Pope.
"Welcome, Commander of the Knights of the Silver Dawn. You too, are welcome in the name of the sun."
The Pope took a light step. The hem of his vestment fluttered in time with him, his chest heaved greatly, and the cloth covering his vital parts swayed across his body.
Judging by the way it was shaking like that, it was clear that the cloth wasn't fixed anywhere, but the Pope's secret was never exposed.
"First, I should introduce myself."
The Pope stopped about ten paces away from us, spread his arms wide to the left and right, folded them in front of his lower abdomen, and smiled broadly. It was a contradictory smile that was cute and yet felt mature.
"My name is Floretta Evangelina."
The halo bursting out from behind my back became even stronger. It was so strong that I had to raise my hand to block my eyes. I squinted my eyes and looked through my fingers at the woman called Floretta.
"He is called the Pope of the Sun in the Holy Land of Raphael."
The Pope of the Sun, who is the very heart of the Holy Nation and the representative of God, stood right before us.
"Are you feeling a little better now?"
Floretta looked at us with a kind smile. The knight commanders looked moved just by seeing that smile. They didn't seem to care at all about their attire.
I wanted to ask him what he thought of the clothes, but I held back because it was obvious that it would be rude to engage in petty talk among ourselves in front of the Pope.
"You are the person Stella spoke of."
Green eyes turned to me.
"...Did you know?"
"It's something I can't help but know."
The Pope gave a short, "Hehehe." Even his every action was full of elegance. If it weren't for that crazy outfit, he would have been perfectly suited to the title of Pope of the Sun.
"I, Floretta Evangelina, would like to apologize on behalf of the Inquisitor for his rudeness."
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The head tilted forward slightly. Before we could even startle and try to stop Floretta, the head that had been offering the apple had already returned to its original position.
Erica opened her mouth with a stammering voice.
"Your Holiness, there is no need for you to bow your head to us...."
"It is not your rank that matters, Grand Master of the Knights of the Silver Dawn. It is who is at fault. I have wronged you as well, and it is only right that I ask for your forgiveness."
"If you say it's wrong…?"
"Do you remember what Judge Stella did?"
Claudia, Lize, and Erica flinched at the same time. I did too. Of course I remembered it. It was a memory that, unless it was really something, would never be forgotten for the rest of my life.
The combat nuns took off their clothes in front of me in a group to determine heresy, and as if that wasn't enough, they even fondled my breasts with their own hands. How could I forget?
"I was the one who told the Inquisitor that you had released the devil. And I was the one who requested the Inquisitor to start a holy war even after realizing that the devil had disappeared. Do you now know my sins?"
I kind of expected it to be like that.
In the game, the Inquisitor was a human who only obeyed the orders of the Sun Pope. Conversely, the Inquisitor was a human who only obeyed the orders of the Moon Pope.
The Inquisitor had not only left the Vatican, but had also invaded Imperial territory? There was only one person on the entire continent who could have ordered such an action.
"I won't deny my wrongdoings, but can you please understand that it was an inevitable choice?"
"...It was an inevitable choice?"
"It was essential to completely remove the Inquisitor's suspicions toward you."
The smile on Floretta's lips faded slightly.
"What a poor child. His parents were sacrificed to a devil worshipper right before his eyes, and he was the only one who was barely saved and has been following God's will ever since. Can someone like me even imagine how much hatred and resentment that child must have for the devil?"
It's a story I've heard before. The game and the settings are exactly the same.
The reason the Inquisitor enjoys torturing devil worshippers is partly a personal preference, but it is also a way of seeking revenge on his parents due to trauma from his childhood.
Of course, since he was an NPC who treated players quite rudely if their faith or divine power stats were below a certain level, there were also a considerable number of users who disliked him, regardless of whether he had a pitiful past or not.
"Not long ago, you all must have had some connection with the devil."
I had no intention of denying it, so I nodded obediently. The Knight Commanders nodded even more timidly, blushing as if they were embarrassed to admit to the Pope that they were connected to the devil.
"Although the scent is very faint, you still have the smell of the devil. Ordinary believers may not notice it, but the combat nuns and inquisitors of our cathedral must have noticed it."
"And now it has been purified and is gone, because I have met His Holiness the Pope."
"Did you know? This is quite a surprise."
Floretta smiled at me with a compassionate smile. It was something that was mentioned so many times when you killed a demon boss and spoke to the Pope, so I couldn't help but know.
Actually, I was just going to keep my mouth shut until the Pope spoke, but the Knight Commanders' expressions darkened so quickly that I took the initiative.
Even though it didn't affect him at all, it's not a good thing to have the smell of the devil on your body. It must have been very uncomfortable.
"If you had first encountered the Heresy Inquisitor within the Holy Nation, the repercussions would have been much greater. Rather than first carrying out a heresy judgment, they would have rushed to purify you without any consideration of the consequences, thinking that a devil worshipper had entered the Holy Nation."
It certainly was. The reason we were trying to determine heresy was because we met outside the Holy Land. If we had met inside the Holy Land, there would have been no determination or anything.
We would have had to fight until either the Holy Nation side was completely destroyed, or we were all killed.
"That is why I needed to clear up the misunderstanding before you entered the Holy Land, and I ordered the temple to meet you in person. I could have told you personally that you are not a heretic, but if you want to meet me, you will have to meet that child, so it would be a bad idea."
'...huh?'
Wait a minute. Something seems off.
"Your Holiness, may I ask you one question?"
"Please do so. What are you curious about?"
"Why is it a prerequisite that we come to the Holy Land?"
I almost let it slide because it seemed so obvious. The Pope was speaking on the premise that we were coming to the Holy Land.
It will be heard. It will be heard, but it was planned to happen at least after the main story progressed to the latter half.
The only things you need to get from the Holy Land are the enchanted divine spells that you can get from the quests related to the Pope of the Sun and Moon. The rest are all meaningless.
It's not like I'm going to level up like a priest.
"Did you notice?"
The smile on Floretta's face grew even brighter. The Pope began to walk toward us. The click, click of his high heels echoed through the room. My heart swayed gently in time with his steps.
Floretta walked up to me, smiled gently, and held my hand tightly.
"That's right, because I wanted to meet you."