I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 87

Chapter 87

“You can wait here, honored guest.”

I arrived at the place the battle nun guided me to and sat on the sofa. Soon, steaming tea and strangely shaped cookies that looked like bread were served.

I thought that serving refreshments while waiting for someone was common in both the empire and the Holy Kingdom.

“The Inquisitor will be here soon.”

The nun who brought the refreshments flinched when she saw me, then stuttered through her words and quickly disappeared.

The nuns I encountered on my way here were all faces I had seen before. I couldn’t forget them since they had performed a strip show in front of me to determine whether I was a heretic or not.

It seemed that the memory of that time was firmly etched in the minds of the nuns who had exposed themselves, as they were flustered and couldn’t even make eye contact with me.

Whenever our eyes met, they would quickly run away. It was unclear whether they were acting like this because of the memory of the strip show in front of me or because they had tried to accuse me of being a heretic.

Ignoring the battle nuns who had disappeared from my surroundings, I took a sip of the tea.

‘Ugh. Not my taste.’

And I shuddered at the taste.

It was incredibly bitter. It was a bitterness that would make arrowroot juice or red ginseng, which my parents used to make me drink sometimes before I was possessed, seem like nothing. The moment the tea touched my tongue, I frowned.

Trying to manage my expression, I picked up a cookie that looked like bread to cleanse my palate.

‘…’

It didn’t really cleanse my palate.

It was extremely dry. I wondered if this is what a boiled sweet potato would feel like if left at room temperature for three days. It felt like the moisture in my mouth was being sucked into the cookie.

Giving up on the refreshments, I glanced to the side. Selene was staring blankly ahead, literally looking like her soul had left her body, without moving a muscle.

It seemed like she was in shock.

I didn’t want to disturb Selene either, so I kept my mouth shut. Only silence filled the air. Very occasionally, the only sounds were me shuddering after sipping the tea or chewing on the dry cookie.

“I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”

After about three sips of tea, Stella burst through the door and entered. Her green eyes lingered on me for a moment before turning to Selene, who was sitting on the left.

Then, seeing her frozen and dazed, she tilted her head.

“Why is the Inquisitor like that?”

“Well, something happened.”

“It must have been a pretty big deal for her to be so out of it.”

Stella sat on the sofa opposite me. Her breasts bounced vigorously with the movement. The chest cover that concealed her nipples and areolas also fluttered up and down, creating a precarious sight.

“Why are you here, honored guest?”

“I have a favor to ask of the Inquisitor.”

“A favor that you can’t tell the battle nuns and must be known only to me, but also requires the presence of the dazed Inquisitor?”

“That’s right.”

“What kind of favor is it?”

Her green eyes gleamed faintly. It seemed like they were filled with curiosity. I wondered if she could maintain that smile and gaze after hearing what I was about to say.

“Inquisitor Stella.”

I made my expression as serious as possible. The curiosity that had been twinkling in her green eyes faded a little.

“Could you please persuade Her Holiness the Sun Pope, along with us, to open the path to the Holy Kingdom Underground?”

“…”

As soon as she heard my words, Stella froze, her smile still plastered on her face. Her eyes trembled incessantly. It was the exact same reaction Selene had when she first heard me.

Stella, who had been stammering and blinking for a while, finally answered hesitantly after a long time.

“Ahem, ahem. You’re a good joker, honored guest. The Underground? There’s no such place in the Holy Kingdomㅡ”

“It’s already been discussed with the Inquisitor.”

“…”

Hearing those words, the smile finally disappeared from Stella’s face. She looked at me with an expression that could be described as complicated or bewildered, and then let out a deep sigh.

It was a sigh filled with worry and anxiety.

“How much do you know, honored guest?”

“That a monster that even Her Holiness the Popes couldn’t handle is slumbering in the Holy Kingdom Underground. And that the Moon Pope is trying to sacrifice herself for Her Holiness the Sun Pope. Do you need more?”

“No, no. That’s enough.”

Stella leaned back on the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling. It was a posture that naturally emphasized her already ample bosom.

The underside and sides of her breasts were fully visible, but Stella seemed unconcerned about the state of her chest as she pondered for a long time, then sat up straight and met my eyes.

“Honored guest. Since you seem to know everything, I won’t beat around the bush. The monster in the Holy Kingdom Underground is one that even Her Holiness the Pope failed to subdue. It’s an existence that we can’t do anything about.”

“Didn’t the rune dungeon that was recently conquered receive the same assessment? It was a dungeon that the Holy Kingdom failed to conquer several times and was sealed off with a barrier because it was impossible to deal with.”

“It seems similar at first glance. I admit that. But it’s completely different.”

“How is it different?”

“The rune dungeon was a place that was considered to be no problem if Her Holiness the Pope had personally intervened. It was simply left unattended because he couldn’t reveal himself carelessly because of the monster in the Holy Kingdom Underground.”

Ah, so that’s why it was left alone.

In the game, quite a few people wondered why the rune dungeon near the Grand Cathedral was left unattended, and why the Pope didn’t just go and conquer it himself. Now that question was answered.

“But the monster isn’t like that. Even the divine power that Her Holiness the Pope personally wields was barely enough to prevent the overflowing evil energy… How can the rune dungeon and that monster be the same?”

After finishing her words, Stella stood up. Then she walked around the table and sat down next to me, gently clasping my hand.

“Honored guest. I don’t know how you obtained the information about that monster, but thank you for thinking of us. Still, this is the Holy Kingdom’s business, and it’s something we have to deal with. The Moon Pope has already made up her mind.”

“It seems like the Sun Pope hasn’t given up yet.”

“She…”

Stella trailed off. It seemed like she was at a loss for words. I don’t know if she knows what happened inside the Grand Cathedral, but if she does, she’ll have even less to say.

“…Anyway, I’ll just accept your concern. Please forget about it. I won’t mention what you said just now, so you can forget about it too, honored guest. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

Why, indeed.

The answer was already decided. It was a very simple and clear reason.

That the Moon Pope’s sacrifice was meaningless, and if left alone, not only would the Sun Pope die tragically, but the monster would awaken and destroy the Holy Kingdom as a result, so I had to defeat it.

It was a bit harsh, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. The Abyss Within Peace rune was already bound to me. No one but the person with this rune could even enter the Abyss.

But how could I say this outright? Saying that the Pope’s sacrifice was useless and that the Holy Kingdom would be destroyed without me would be considered blasphemy due to narcissism, if I was lucky.

Especially since it was said that the Moon Pope was someone who had tried countless times to twist the Revelation, only to face failure and frustration, and had finally accepted her fate and closed her heart.

“Well, why do you think?”

But it was also true that I had no other reason to offer.

I just vaguely answered, glossing over the question. It’s best to just let them imagine whatever they want.

“…”

Stella remained silent, still holding my hand. It seemed like she was imagining the reason. I don’t know what she was imagining, but her cheeks flushed slightly and then returned to normal repeatedly.

It was quite some time before she opened her mouth again.

“…Method.”

“Huh?”

“Since you’re speaking so confidently, you must know how to defeat the monster. Tell me. How are you going to defeat it?”

I glanced at Selene. She seemed to have regained her composure. I had already told Selene this once to persuade her, but it wouldn’t hurt to say it again.

“First, we need to receive the ‘Solar Eclipse’ divine spell from Her Holiness the Sun Pope. It would be nice to receive the ‘Lunar Eclipse’ as well, but the Moon Pope is unlikely to cooperate with this, so we’ll have to try that later.”

“Where did you get information about the Solar Eclipse… No, never mind. Please continue.”

Stella was about to say something but closed her mouth as if giving up. It seemed like she assumed I had acquired the information myself.

“And with this rune I obtained from the dungeon, I can walk safely through the Abyss. Even without divine power.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes. The attempt to push back the Abyss with divine power and enter was the wrong first step. No matter how powerful the divine power that Her Holiness the Popes can wield, that place is like the monster’s home.”

“What next? What are you going to do when you face the monster?”

I grinned at the question that asked about the most important part.

“It’s simple. I’ll land all my attacks, and dodge all the monster’s attacks.”

“…Huh?”

Stella stopped dead in her tracks as if she had paused a video. I deliberately repeated what I had said.

“I’ll land all my attacks, and dodge all the monster’s attacksㅡ”

“That’s not what I meant, honored guest.”

Squeeze, her grip on my hand tightened.

“If you’re trying to joke, it’s not funny at all. Please be serious.”

“I’m being serious. It’s a strategy that always works. If I land all my attacks and dodge all the opponent’s attacks, I can win any fight.”

I had told Selene that I would explain it in detail and complexity, but in reality, this was all there was to it. Of course, Selene was dumbfounded when she heard that.

So I proved it myself.

The reason why she still hadn’t fully recovered was also because of that.

As Stella, who couldn’t accept it at all, seemed about to open her mouth again, I spoke first.

“Don’t you remember our one-on-one spar where you couldn’t land a single hit and were unilaterally defeated? Consider it the same as that. The only difference is that the opponent changes from you to that monster.”

“…”

Stella became speechless when I mentioned our previous spar. Because the fact that she was completely overwhelmed by me in a one-on-one spar could also serve as a great example.

“I don’t lie or boast. Both the one-on-one spar with you and the rune dungeon conquest. I said I could do both, and I succeeded. Isn’t that enough to trust me one more time?”

“…”

Stella was silent for a moment, then sighed, “Phew.”

“Honored guest. Are you sure you won’t regret it? Really?”

Regret? How could there be any?

The story of the Awakening Evil DLC was a choice between me defeating the monster in time or letting it awaken and destroy the world. Who would choose the latter here?

“Do I look like I would?”

“…Alright. I’ll help you.”

Permission was granted unexpectedly easily. What I was trying to do now was pure coercion, so if permission was granted with just a few words, the situation was incredibly easy.

I had already prepared for the case like Selene, who was full of distrust, from the moment I made the plan. Rather, considering the special nature of the Inquisitor’s position, it could be said that Selene was easily persuaded.

It seemed that not only conquering the rune dungeon alone, but also bringing Lucia’s Divine Catalyst played a significant role in the trust placed in me.

Suddenly, Stella stroked the back of my hand.

“It’s an absurd and preposterous claim, but you’ve already shown us miracles several times, honored guest. I also have a personal debt to you, and a favor to repay. So I believe. I believe in the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you can do it.”

Her hand fell away. Stella rose from the sofa.

“What can I do to help you?”

“First, we need to have an audience with Her Holiness the Sun Pope. Would that be alright?”

“I’ll let her know in advance. Will you be leaving right away?”

“Not yet.”

There was one place I had to stop by before that.