I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 74

Chapter 74
“…”

We, who had witnessed the unprecedented event of the Moon Pope resorting to violence against the Sun Pope, were speechless.

My mind raced. The situation of the two Popes being in the same place was something I had never seen in the game, and for them to act like this was even more unexpected.

I calmly retraced their conversation.

The Moon Pope rebuked the Sun Pope for not abandoning her meaningless hope. That hope must be related to the destiny and predetermined path she herself mentioned.

When told that fate cannot be changed, that even the sun and moon must follow their predetermined paths, Floreta tried to argue that she could not give up on her sister, only to be slapped.

‘I guess the Popes are blood-related here as well.’

The fact that they were sisters wasn’t surprising at all. In the game, the Sun Pope and Moon Pope were brothers. If their genders were changed with a mod, it was natural for them to become sisters.

What I really needed to consider was how they thought of each other. First of all, it didn’t seem like they treated each other like strangers, as they did in the game.

If that had been the case, the Moon Pope wouldn’t have come here, and the Sun Pope wouldn’t have looked so gloomy.

“…Yes, I apologize. Moon Pope-nim.”

The smile completely disappeared from Floreta’s face. Looking at the Moon Pope with sorrowful eyes, Floreta bowed her head and apologized.

“If you understand, then it’s fine.”

The Moon Pope withdrew her hand. As if she had received the answer she wanted, she turned around with a cold demeanor and started walking again, her high heels clicking.

The clicking sound stopped right next to me.

Purple eyes, emitting an eerie aura, turned towards me. Overall, her appearance was quite similar to Selene, the Inquisitor, but the Moon Pope had a much more mature feel.

“I will warn you in the name of the Moon Pope. Outsider.”

Beautiful purple eyes, that wouldn’t lose to any jewel, were opened wide in a chilling manner. Her gaze towards me was filled with clear hostility.

Contrary to the Sun Pope, who had never met me but showed an unusual amount of favor, saying she really wanted to meet me, the Moon Pope showed an unusual amount of hostility despite never having met me.

Do they really need to be polar opposites in every aspect?

“If you interfere in our sisters’ affairs, I will not stand idly by. This is a warning to stop your futile delusions.”

‘…Futile delusions?’

I hadn’t done anything yet, so I couldn’t understand what she meant by futile delusions.

“Do you understand?”

When my answer was late, a chilling warning immediately followed. I felt an unknown power in her voice. It felt like something was tightly constricting my throat.

Since there was no benefit in making an enemy of the Moon Pope here, I obediently nodded and answered.

“Yes. I understand, Your Holiness.”

After hearing my answer, the Pope started walking again with an expressionless face. No one dared to speak. Only the clicking sound of her high heels echoed through the hall.

The gray figure disappeared at some point, as if melting into the light.

It happened in the blink of an eye. I was clearly looking at her back, but only after the sunlight shone on the empty space did I realize that the Moon Pope was gone.

As the moon disappeared, the moonlight gradually faded. The warm sunlight filled the space where the darkness and white light had disappeared. We stared at Floreta, dumbfounded.

Floreta stood still, holding the cheek that had been slapped by the Moon Pope with one hand. Despite being subjected to unilateral verbal and physical abuse, her face showed no sign of anger.

Instead, it was filled with sadness and compassion, emotions that were very contradictory for a victim of violence.

Noticing the gazes fixed on her, Floreta quickly composed herself. Her slightly red and swollen cheek subsided. A bright smile returned to her face.

However, because of the sadness-filled face she had shown just moments before, it only made her look more pitiful.

“I have shown you a disgraceful sight.”

“…Your Holiness, what happened just now?”

“It’s nothing. It was just a simple difference of opinion. Would you please forget what just happened? It is a shameful secret.”

It was said with a benevolent smile, but at the same time, there was an unknown power in her words. Even the Knight Commanders, who seemed to have many questions, could not disobey her words.

Of course, it’s not a memory that can be easily forgotten just because she asked us to. Realizing this, Floreta’s smile turned slightly self-deprecating.

“It seems our meeting today ends here. If it’s not a rude request, could you stay in the Holy Kingdom for a few more days? I promise you the best hospitality.”

We exchanged glances. Staying here longer wasn’t a problem in itself. But after witnessing such a scene, it was questionable whether we could rest comfortably.

Silver and pink eyes glanced at me. It felt strange to see the de facto leader and the nominal leader naturally seeking my opinion.

Since it seemed like I had to give the answer, I stepped forward.

“Then, we will shamelessly impose on you for a while, Your Holiness.”

“Thank you for your difficult decision.”

Sunlight emanated from her body.

ㅡInquisitor.

Floreta’s voice spread out, drawing gentle circular waves. It seemed to be a kind of divine decree containing holy power. As the waves swept over us, a warm sensation enveloped our entire bodies.

The doors of the hall burst open. Stella walked in with a bright smile.

“Yes. You called, Your Holiness?”

“Please provide accommodations for our honored guests.”

“Understood. Now, honored guests? Follow me. Since Your Holiness has spoken like this, it seems you’ll have to stay here for a few days. You don’t have to worry. I’ll give you the best place.”

We carefully bowed our heads in respect and left the Grand Cathedral.

Green eyes watched our retreating figures for a long time.

The building Stella guided us to was incredibly luxurious. According to the Knight Commanders, it was a place that wouldn’t be outshone even compared to the Imperial Palace.

Lying on a bed so soft that it felt like I was sinking into liquid, I spent the night pondering what to do next. By the time I barely managed to organize my thoughts, the morning sun was already rising.

No, actually, there was nothing to ponder. What I had to do from now on was already decided.

Defeating the final boss of the DLC. That was the absolute top priority. If left unattended, the Holy Kingdom would be destroyed and even the Empire would suffer tremendous damage, so how could I leave it alone?

Since the story had already been completely twisted, there was no guarantee that the DLC’s story would unfold exactly as it did in the game, but if the consequence of neglect was the destruction of the world, it was always right to assume the worst-case scenario.

And the first quest of the ‘Awakening Evil’ DLC was this.

“You want to spar with me?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

To have a mock boss fight with Stella, the Sun Pope’s direct Inquisitor.

Having stayed up all night, I moved at dawn to the training grounds where the Inquisitor and Battle Nuns were training. There was nothing I could do lying in bed anyway.

Stella stopped swinging her weapon when she saw me entering the training grounds, where she was sparring with the Battle Nuns in the same place as in the game.

“What’s the reason?”

“Do we really need a reason to have a match?”

I returned the words the Inquisitor had said to the player when requesting a spar in the game. Hearing my words, Stella’s face showed a look that said, “See?”

But the answer that came out of her mouth was far from what I expected.

“As you can see, my weapon is like this. I might not be able to control my strength as precisely as with a sword. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to take that risk. Your Holiness also told me to treat you as honored guests.”

Stella tapped the mace she had placed vertically on the ground. If it were the game, she would have jumped at my words and agreed to the spar. It seemed like her personality had become quite cautious.

Although it might not be something she was particularly keen on, I needed to spar with Stella. I had to win here to unlock the next quest.

“If you, our honored guest, were to die during a spar with me, I don’t even want to think about what would happen next. So, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

“…”

I hadn’t thought of this situation. I stood there dumbfounded after hearing Stella’s refusal. What should I do now? Do I really have to wait for Stella to request a spar with me?

“Then, I will help you.”

At that moment, someone appeared as the moon descended. Stella’s expression crumpled as she confirmed the woman’s identity.

“…Inquisitor. What brings you here?”

It was Selene.