Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 103

103.

After the initial commotion, the High Priest quickly restored order and dismissed everyone. We then moved to his private office. To prevent any leaks, only Isana and Kaitain were allowed to accompany us.

“So, this is Lady Ly. I didn’t recognize you at all.”

Kaitain, belatedly realizing Isana’s identity, looked genuinely surprised. He only remembered her hooded figure and was taken aback by her actual appearance, which was quite different from what he had expected.

“Excuse me, but wasn’t Lady Ly supposed to have blonde hair and blue eyes?”

“Huh? How did you know that…?”

Isana, assuming her identity was a secret, looked utterly astonished. Seeing her flustered, I quickly explained the situation.

“Ly, Kaitain knows everything about us.”

“What? Really?”

“He suspected it for a while and agreed to keep it a secret for us. Sorry for not telling you sooner.”

“Ah, no. I see.”

Having already experienced the Champagne Mercenary incident, Isana was calmer than expected. After a moment’s hesitation, she bowed politely to Kaitain, who responded with a gentle smile and a nod. Though unspoken, their mutual understanding was clear.

Kaitain then turned to me with a serious expression. I reflexively swallowed hard. It was time for the main topic.

“Anyway, El, as you might have guessed, things seem to have gotten bigger than expected.”

“Is it because of where I received the mark?”

As expected, he slowly nodded.

The fate of a priest is usually decided around the age of five. Whether their parents are noble or not, even if they are the children of criminals, any child born with a divine mark is ordained as a priest and given a position in the temple.

Otherwise, people either aspire to become priests themselves or are forced into it by external pressures. However, these individuals often fail to receive a mark, and even if they do, their position is usually insignificant, preventing them from becoming high-ranking priests. This is true for all orders, not just the Order of Ellyuen.

A person receiving a high-ranking mark after childhood was already a shocking event. But what was even more astonishing was that the mark was on the face.

I later learned that having a mark on the face wasn’t just about holding a high position. In every order, a priest with a mark on their face only appears under one very special condition.

“A special condition…?”

“When a nation is founded that worships that god as its supreme deity.”

The High Priest Ruyan answered this question. Ever since entering the office (no, actually, from the moment I received the mark), he had been looking at me with strangely wavering eyes. I tried to avoid his gaze but, feeling puzzled, asked him.

“Supreme deity? Is there a nation on this continent that worships Ellyuen as its supreme deity?”

“Until now, there wasn’t. But now that El has received the mark, there is. This mountain where our temple is located has essentially become a holy kingdom.”

“…Is that even recognized?”

“It’s the work of a god. Orders generally follow national laws, but when a god intervenes so strongly, the state recognizes the order’s independent sovereignty. Especially here in Swalt, which is already a holy empire with separated ecclesiastical and imperial powers.”

That was only natural. In lands like Arkadon, where divine intervention was frequent, anything could happen at any time. From the humans’ perspective, they had to be prepared for any exceptions. Moreover, different rules applied in the territories of other races, making it a unique world in many ways.

“Hmm, I see. So, when the condition is met, people are born with marks on their faces?”

“Not people.”

“…?”

“Only one person can possess such a mark. It’s the position of the highest priest who governs all priests and the holy kingdom.”

“That means…?”

“In other words, El, you are our Pope.”

‘Ellyuen!’

I don’t know how many times I’ve called his name today. Fighting the urge to collapse, I frantically ran my hands through my hair.

“Are you alright?”

No, I’m not alright at all.

Suppressing the urge to say that to Kaitain, I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth. The High Priest nodded calmly, as if understanding my feelings.

“I understand the shock you must be feeling. But Your Holiness, you must strengthen your heart and mind.”

“…Excuse me, what’s with the ‘Your Holiness’ thing?”

“Since you are the Pope, it is only proper to address you with your formal title from now on.”

“Ugh, please don’t! Something seems to have gone wrong. I have no intention of becoming the Pope!”

The idea of a Spirit King becoming the Pope was absurd. Aside from the issue of species, I didn’t even possess a speck of divine power. But the High Priest, unaware of this fact, was resolute.

“No one can defy the destiny set by God. From now on, Your Holiness must walk the path of the Pope as the first ruler of this holy kingdom.”

“That’s…”

“Even if you find it hard to accept, there is no choice. Please, quickly accept your given destiny. In that sense, I will inform you of the precautions you should take from now on. In the future, Your Holiness should not show yourself to people carelessly. Leaving this place or traveling far is also not permitted.”

“What, what did you say? Why would that be…!”

Was he telling me to become a stone statue, stuck in this remote temple? Realizing I couldn’t take it anymore, I steeled my resolve. I was going to confess everything in detail before things got any bigger. I felt sorry for Ellyuen, who had taken special care of me (though his care was a bit excessive), and for the High Priest, who was delighted by the fact that a Pope had been born, but I couldn’t change my plans because of them. Even if it meant returning the mark on my forehead, I had to escape this situation. However, the High Priest spoke faster than I could open my mouth.

“…That’s what I would like to say, but in reality, you are free to do as you please.”

“…Pardon?”

Puzzled, I stared at the High Priest. As if amused by my expression, he replied with a light smile.

“Frankly speaking, the role of the Pope is not that significant in such a small order. Especially for the first Pope, their existence is more about being the cornerstone that signifies God’s intention to establish a holy kingdom. It will take several generations before the Pope truly fulfills their role. Therefore, the first Pope usually travels freely around the continent, spreading the teachings of God to more people.”

“So… you’re saying it’s an honorary position right now?”

“You could say that. Of course, you still possess all the rights of the Pope.”

In short, it was a comfortable position with rights but no obligations. What? Then there was no need to make such a fuss at all? I felt like I had been rescued from the edge of a cliff. Isana, who seemed to already know this, kept smiling.

Come to think of it, I should have realized it from the beginning. Why would Ellyuen do something that would put me in trouble? I felt so sorry for blaming him, even slightly, without properly understanding the situation. Unable to lift my head in embarrassment, the High Priest calmly continued.

“We will respect Your Holiness’s wishes in whatever you choose to do. However, please send someone to check in on us occasionally. It would be problematic if the main order couldn’t even ascertain Your Holiness’s well-being, wouldn’t it?”

“Ahaha, y-yes, I will.”

“Oh, and it would be best to cover the mark on your forehead as much as possible. It could lead to unwanted conflicts.”

“Conflicts?”

Puzzled, I looked at him, and the High Priest nodded, continuing his explanation.

“Actually, I spoke as if it were a matter of course earlier, but just because the conditions are met doesn’t necessarily mean that someone with the destiny of the Pope will be born in that order. It hasn’t happened that often in actual history. Even the Order of the Demon God, which holds the greatest power and reigns as the supreme deity of this holy empire of Swalt, is like that. They have only had the mark of the Pope appear on one or two people since the first election, and since then, they have been using a method of electing one person from among the High Priests. Sometimes, there are cases where someone becomes the Pope without a mark.”

“Someone becomes the Pope without a mark?”

“It’s quite rare, but it’s the case where a priest from the imperial family is elected as the Pope. As you may know, the Swalt imperial family has a custom of sending one of the newborn imperial grandchildren to the order to be raised as a priest. That imperial family member is granted the qualifications of a High Priest from the beginning, even without a mark. The bloodline of the imperial family is considered to have received the blessing of the Demon God itself. Therefore, they also have the qualifications to be a candidate for Pope.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of that. There was a Pope who came from the imperial family, and thanks to that, the imperial family and the Demon God’s Church coexist peacefully. So that’s how it was possible.”

Ruyan nodded with satisfaction at my answer.

“Generally, the mark of the formal Pope appears when the intervention of God is strongest. That means they are receiving a lot of attention from God. Therefore, it becomes a great source of pride for the priests of the same order, but it can also cause unnecessary envy from those who are not.”

In severe cases, they may even face the threat of kidnapping or assassination, the High Priest added. Even if that weren’t the case, Popes tend to possess strong divine power, so there are many who covet that ability itself.

In particular, priests with healing abilities are often targeted, he said. Therefore, they usually don’t leave the temple, or if they have to move, they are accompanied by priest knights. The Order of Punishment—that is, the priests of Ellyuen—were a unique case, as they possessed healing abilities but freely went on pilgrimages alone. This was because they learned martial arts from a young age to protect themselves.

However, as a representative of an entire organization, the Pope is inevitably more exposed to danger. The High Priest looked at me with a serious expression and said.

“Many people witnessed Your Holiness’s mark today, so rumors will spread quickly. If that happens, I believe there will be those who will try to keep an eye on you.”

“Hmm, I suppose so. I’ll have to try to cover it up as much as possible.”

I frowned, trying to cover my forehead with my hair. The mark wasn’t that big, but I wasn’t sure if it would be properly concealed. Should I wear a hood? If all else fails, that’s the only option, but it might make me stand out even more.

I wondered if I would have to cover my entire face again. Recalling the past few months of wearing a hood, I couldn’t help but sigh. It felt like one problem was solved, and another one arose.

* * *

Contrary to our original plan to leave immediately, we stayed at the temple for a few more days. Lapis’s consciousness had not returned. The external wounds had completely disappeared, but for some reason, he couldn’t open his eyes. I couldn’t just leave him behind, so I spent my days checking on him and using healing magic.

This caused an emergency for the ordinary priests. I told them they didn’t need to worry about me, but they kept coming to check if I needed anything. From their perspective, a Pope had suddenly fallen from the sky, so it must have been difficult for them to deal with me.

“Your Holiness.”

I had initially hated the term, but after hearing it so often, I gradually gave up. Of course, I still wasn’t used to it. Reluctantly turning around, I sighed when I saw that it was Kaitain.

“Kaitain, I told you to just call me El.”

“Please bear with me while we’re inside the temple. There are people watching, so I can’t help it.”

Seeing him smile playfully, I couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

“By the way, how is Lapis? Has the other member of your party still not woken up?”

“Yeah, he’s about to become Sleeping Beauty.”

“Beauty? Excuse me, but wasn’t he a man?”

“Ahaha, there’s a fairy tale like that.”

“Ah, you’re comparing him to a fairy tale. But was there a fairy tale with that kind of story? I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s probably because it’s a fairy tale from a very distant land.”

There are times when I miss my life on Earth, and this is one of those times. Because the environments we’ve experienced are so different, it’s hard to find common ground in casual conversation. I’m used to it now, but even simple jokes and words I used to enjoy don’t work here. I’m glad that the only pleasant memories I have are the fragmented memories of my school friends. Otherwise, I would have been really lonely.

‘I wonder how Taejin is doing.’

I smiled bitterly, thinking of my old friend, whom I had been consciously trying not to think about. I had been so busy with my schedule that I didn’t have the mental space to relax, but now that I had some free time, I kept having random thoughts.

Lapis needs to wake up soon. Listening to his nonsense might help me shake off this gloomy mood. Of course, I’ll have to endure other forms of mental damage, though.