Chapter 257: The Holy Sanctum

“Gabrielle, my daughter, I’m fine.”

Cress’s voice was calm, yet she sounded exactly like a little girl who had done something naughty and was now stammering in front of her friends.

This was not the first time Gabrielle had found Cress adorable.

She simply never expected Cress to be “defeated” by Olivia so quickly. The way she looked right now was as if she had been thoroughly enjoyed—only a little short of deeper intimacy. Anyone could see that full contact between the two of them was only a matter of time.

The usually emotionless face was now veiled in a soft haze of shyness. Cress did not want Gabrielle to see her expression and covered her cheeks with both hands, which only made her look even more embarrassed.

Isabella chose that moment to ask with a smile, “Miss Olivia, what exactly did you do to Cress?”

Olivia of course knew Isabella was asking while already knowing the answer. For Cress’s dignity, however, she only shook her head.

“We didn’t do anything.”

“What…”

Cress wanted to repeat Olivia’s words, but she did not want to lie. She had never believed lying solved anything.

She also could not simply tell her daughter that Olivia had (meow-meow~) her!

The words stayed trapped in her chest. The lingering sensation Olivia had left on her body left Cress caught between two difficult choices. The aftershocks still rippled through her, making her head soft and tingly.

“I’m fine.”

Cress forced the flush on her face under control. If Gabrielle had arrived even a few minutes earlier, she would almost certainly have heard the sounds.

“Mother… did you and Mom do that kind of thing?” Gabrielle asked curiously.

“I—”

Before Cress could finish, Olivia turned and gently stroked Gabrielle’s head.

“Yes. Cress was really wonderful just now.”

The red on Cress’s face deepened at once, like a pure white cake suddenly dusted with a layer of red frosting.

“It was only… so that I could understand Olivia better,” Cress said, head lowered.

Everyone present nodded in perfect understanding, happily playing along with Cress’s adorable excuse.

Isabella in particular studied the thoroughly “tamed” and adorable Cress with open interest. For a moment her opinion of the Heavenly God seemed to improve.

“No wonder Miss Cress is so cute today. I always knew you were a kind-hearted girl deep down.”

“Thank you…”

Realizing she had been accepted, Cress finally managed a small smile.

“Mother, do you need to rest?”

“I’m fine. Your body is more important, daughter. I can take a few days off if necessary. I was just… a little out of sorts earlier.”

Several minutes passed before Cress fully recovered. When she raised her head and looked at Gabrielle, she almost seemed ready to return to her usual decisive self. Yet the eyes that had been personally “educated” by Olivia now held a new light—anyone could see the difference at a glance.

Gabrielle felt genuine happiness at the change.

“Gabrielle, what did you need us for?” Olivia asked. “We only just parted. Did Hertitz say something to you?”

“Tomorrow Letitia has been invited to the Church. Miss Simona and I were invited as well.”

“Invited? What do they want with you?”

Olivia stepped down from the bed and sat on the chair against the wall, a cup of tea in her hands.

There were four active bishops in the Church, plus a Pope. They rarely interfered in the affairs of the Knight Order and usually kept to themselves, preserving an air of mystery. Now they were actively requesting an audience with both her and Her Majesty the Saint King. Clearly Letitia’s existence had touched their interests… or perhaps…

Olivia’s voice carried a faint hesitation.

Cress began thinking along with her, still sitting in that cute duck-sit posture.

“I investigated the Church twice before. I sensed traces of Apostles. They’re hidden somewhere inside. We need to find out the truth.”

Everyone nodded. They all agreed with Cress’s assessment to varying degrees.

The Saint King herself did not believe in gods. Strictly speaking, both the Church’s clergy order and the Saint King’s knight order were the Saint King’s armies.

The only real difference was that the clergy spread faith, while the vast majority of the knights did not believe in gods and followed the Saint King’s will alone. Even the Saintesses of the clergy answered to the Saint King. In recent years the Pope’s authority had plummeted.

Because of this the bishops had taken on more of the nation’s security duties. That was also one of the origins of the Saint Son. Before Olivia awakened her memories, she had been the Church’s most powerful secret weapon.

Yet even Olivia, the Saint Son herself, had almost never met the Pope or the bishops. If Apostles were truly hiding among such seemingly insignificant figures, it was certainly intriguing.

The next day everyone accompanied Saint King Simona into the heart of the Holy Capital.

The Saint King’s residence was a luxurious mansion reserved for high clergy. From there she only needed to walk a few hundred meters to reach the Saint King’s Palace.

The place arranged by the bishops, however, was the much more distant Holy Sanctum.

The entire Holy Capital was divided by an artificial river. A broad bridge connected the two banks over clear water. The side that held the Saint King’s Palace was called the North Capital, while the Holy Sanctum stood in the South Capital.

Right now the North Capital felt like the true place of peaceful living. The South Capital, perhaps influenced by culture and commerce, had streets that were usually quiet despite their lively appearance. If not for the occasional pedestrians visible through the carriage windows, one might have thought they were traveling through a silent forest. There was no essential difference between the two districts, yet somehow…

After passing several streets and traveling for a few hours, the mechanical horses finally came to a stop. When the doors opened and everyone stepped down, a magnificent building rose before their eyes.

It was a palace that seemed to rise straight from the earth. The roof resembled a square teapot lid. Sharp-edged, milky-white stone pillars stood tall, and glass walls reflected the dazzling sunlight. From a distance the entire structure looked like a giant lantern.

“Lantern.”

The Holy Sanctum was guarded by several battle nuns. They formed a combat unit that answered directly to the Pope and were also responsible for the Sanctum’s security.

The leading nun stepped forward and gave the group a slight nod.

Her full figure was wrapped in a black-and-white robe. Long, slender legs peeked from the slits of the garment, revealing the absolute territory above gold-trimmed white thigh-high stockings. Both the robe and the black cape bore wing emblems. Her beautiful face was strangely bloodless, like a vampire standing in sunlight. The natural smile that spread across her features was enough to dissolve any suspicion at any moment.

“The Pope has been waiting for quite some time. Please come in.”

“Thank you very much for your trust, Lady Silver-White Sword Emperor.”

“Excuse me—where is Her Majesty the Saint King?” Gabrielle suddenly asked.

“She is already inside the Sanctum, discussing matters with the Pope.”

Whether it was her imagination or not, Gabrielle felt this nun was particularly attentive toward her. From beginning to end the woman faced her and nodded slightly, as if Gabrielle really was as famous as the newspapers claimed.

Just then another carriage approached from behind them.