Volume 6, Chapter 67 – The Sudden Proclamation

It took a full half hour for Yisi to finally get Evelyn to sit down and listen to her explanation. Tiffany taking on Evelyn’s appearance was entirely her own idea. The [Mimicry] magic could only imitate things Tiffany had seen. As for why Tiffany, who had always lived near the city of Antonio, would have seen Evelyn, Yisi didn’t know the reason either.

Now, Yisi, Evelyn, and the elderly nun Evelyn had brought with her were on their way to the central temple. Yisi and Evelyn walked side by side in front, while the elderly nun, with the self-awareness of a subordinate, fell behind.

Originally, Camilla, Mary, and Tiffany, who had participated in that night’s operation, should have come along as well. But Julius had seen Mary’s half-elf appearance, Tiffany’s slime identity might be discovered after touching the holy water, and as for Pepe and Refina of the Blood Clan, there was even less need to say. The only safe one was Camilla, who was human. However, because she said she wanted to tidy Yisi’s room, she didn’t come along. Recently, Camilla and Mary had reached a reconciliation. The two of them took turns being responsible for Yisi’s three meals a day and laundry. Although Yisi felt it was unnecessary, the two of them were very serious about being able to help her, and it was useless even if Yisi tried to stop them.

“So, that little one named Tiffany took my form out of her own will, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Mmm…” Evelyn looked troubled, then apologized frankly. “I’m sorry for thinking of you as that kind of person. I thought you were fantasizing about my appearance every night…”

“How could that be?”

Just as Evelyn had always treated her as a friend, she had also always treated Evelyn as a good friend. For some reason, although Evelyn was the big sister type, she unexpectedly had no romantic interest in her. Perhaps their personalities were naturally only suitable for being friends, the kind of relationship where they could joke around and tease each other freely.

Yisi’s words made Evelyn’s brows knit slightly.

“Impossible?”

“Do you wish it were possible, Evelyn? To hold Tiffany as if she were you in bed every night, fantasizing about things and rolling around.”

“…I don’t wish that.” Evelyn bit her lip lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, looking a little bashful. “But if it’s completely impossible… I’m not that happy either.”

“Huh?”

Evelyn, no matter how you looked at it, should be the normal type. If Yisi weren’t so self-aware, she would be suspecting now if Evelyn, like Andrea back then, had come to like beautiful girls after spending some time together—she could be considered a beautiful girl, for the time being.

But Evelyn and Andrea were two completely different people.

She had accidentally invaded Andrea’s life when her views on various aspects had not yet matured, while Evelyn already had a very mature outlook on life and values, and could not be easily changed.

As if she knew that her words just now could be easily misunderstood, Evelyn hurriedly added.

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“I’m talking about my charm as a woman. Although I am one who serves God and can never marry or return to the secular world, I still have my dignity as a woman. To be told that someone is not moved at all, no matter what, I would feel that my self-esteem has been hurt, as if I have no redeeming qualities at all.”

“If you said that to a man, they would be very happy to use you as a side dish. But I’m a girl just like you, Evelyn. Don’t you think that’s impure?”

“Those are two different things. Don’t you care about what other girls think of you just because they’re of the same sex?”

After thinking for a short while, although she didn’t want to admit it, Yisi still shook her head.

“…I do.”

Since she had still chosen Pepe as her model after getting the tool that could shape her body, it meant that she still had a desire for her appearance, which meant she cared about what others thought.

“See? It’s not that I’m interested in you that I hope you’re moved. It’s my pride as a woman that makes me think that way.”

What a troublesome person.

Yisi couldn’t help but glance at the elderly nun following closely behind. It was a good thing she hadn’t heard their conversation. Otherwise, she would have suspected that she was a suspicious person who had come to lure away their next Pope.

“Look, it’s Lady Evelyn!”

As the three of them walked onto the exceptionally wide main street of the city, people on the side of the street began to point at Evelyn and Yisi. Some residents, upon hearing the voices, quickly opened their windows and peeked out from their houses.

Of course, there was no malice in their words, only respect and awe.

“And the girl who annihilated the monsters with Lady Evelyn.”

“Monsters? Are you talking about the monsters that caused such a stir before?”

“That’s right. Didn’t you know about what happened the night before last? Lady Evelyn recreated the divine-era magic used by the Goddess, turning the night as bright as day. I almost thought the sun had fallen to the ground.”

“The west side of the temple was also blown up by Lady Evelyn.”

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“That couldn’t be helped. According to my cousin who works in the temple, the monsters that night were so strong that even the Inquisitor General might not have been able to beat them. You know about the hunters, right?”

“The hunters who only appear in songs? The ones who repelled the dragon?”

“That’s right. At that time, there were more than a dozen hunters besieging the monster together, but they were defeated by the monster in one move. Later, it was Lady Evelyn and the young lady beside her who arrived in time to save the hunters. That shorter, silver-haired young lady bought time for Lady Evelyn and held off the monster, and Lady Evelyn desperately used a divine-era magic that hadn’t been seen in a thousand years to finally purify the monster.”

A look of regret appeared on the faces of the gathered crowd.

“Just listening to it sounds so exciting. It’s a pity I didn’t see it. By the time I noticed the ground starting to shake, Lady Evelyn’s magic was already over.”

“That was a pillar of light as tall as the Tower of Ymir! I swear, I’ve never seen such a powerful spell in my life. It’s almost comparable to the divine punishment that was rumored to have happened in the Niru Diocese some time ago!”

“Lady Evelyn is stronger than more than a dozen hunters…”

“Of course. Otherwise, how could she have been bestowed with divine power by the Goddess?”

For a time, the crowd was filled with words of praise for Evelyn.

Shifting her attention from the gathered crowd, Yisi cast a teasing smile at Evelyn.

“Lady Evelyn is stronger than more than a dozen hunters~”

As if she had felt something chilling, Evelyn’s whole body stiffened, and she turned her head with an expression as if she were about to beat someone up.

“Do you want to get hit? That’s too much of an exaggeration. How could I be stronger than more than a dozen hunters? Honestly, the rumor was still very normal at the beginning. I don’t know why, but it turned into this overnight.”

Of course, she couldn’t let Evelyn know the reason, because she was actually the one who had done it.

In order to build up momentum for Evelyn, besides the necessary facts, it was also necessary to publicize them. And those vagrants, merchants, and local ruffians who would say anything for money were naturally the most suitable. She had spent about fifty gold coins to get it done. The things she had them publicize were not negative information about the church, so they were very happy to take the money.

“If I find out who’s spreading these lies, I’ll definitely have them arrested—”

Evelyn stopped at a key point, piquing Yisi’s curiosity.

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“Arrested and then?”

“—and reward them handsomely.”

“Pfft.”

She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Evelyn raised her eyebrows in a matter-of-fact way.

“What are you laughing at? Isn’t this very normal? Although the rumor is indeed a bit exaggerated, it’s only beneficial to me. Shouldn’t a reward be expected? Also, you looked so nervous just now. It couldn’t have been you, could it?”

“Of course not. If it were me, I would have definitely asked for a lap pillow as a reward from you.”

Although Evelyn’s thighs were always hidden under her platinum-gold priestess’s dress, Yisi had seen them occasionally—a very perfect curve, round and well-proportioned, making one want to pinch them.

Evelyn subconsciously covered her thighs.

“I hope from the bottom of my heart that it wasn’t you.”

“Ah~ ah~ what a pity.”

Drawing out a long, exaggerated note, Yisi shook her head in regret.

“Right, I still haven’t explained to you why I brought you to the temple.”

“Because you’re going to reward me? Also, has Julius finally come out of the tower?”

Because of Yisi’s question, Evelyn slowly stopped. Very seriously, she faced Yisi and said, one word at a time.

“Yes. And he summoned me in private this morning and told me something that I couldn’t make heads or tails of.”

“Couldn’t make heads or tails of, you mean…?”

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Although she had been monitoring Julius’s movements and had noticed that he had met with Evelyn in private, she didn’t know what they had talked about.

As if she were very conflicted, Evelyn fidgeted, bit her lip lightly, and her fingers couldn’t help but play with the ends of her silver pigtails. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her slow tone made it impossible to tell if she was happy or worried.

“He said… he will announce at noon today that I will take over his authority as the Pope and officially become the 24th Pope.”

“What?”

For a moment, Yisi thought there was something wrong with her ears.

Evelyn repeated it again. After the initial hesitation, her tone became more formal.

“I said, Julius will announce at the prayer ceremony at noon today to all the bishops, the administrators of the various dioceses, and all the general believers that I will take over his authority as the Pope and officially become the 24th Pope of the Ymir Church. In other words, he is voluntarily giving up his power.”

“How is that possible?”

Anyone who knew a little about what Julius had done would know that it was simply impossible for him to give up his power and let Evelyn become the Pope. Julius had a devout, almost twisted faith in the Goddess, and he was completely focused on unifying humanity and taking back the land occupied by the Blood Clan. With this grand goal, and his own immortality, there was simply no reason for him to voluntarily give up his power before he had unified humanity.

Yisi’s doubt did not displease Evelyn. On the contrary, as if she had already guessed that Yisi would say this, her eyes had a look of ‘as expected’. However, there was more relief on her face, mixed with feelings of happiness and joy.

“I also suspected that Julius had other motives, but I couldn’t find a decisive reason. Maybe it’s because I used the divine-era magic that was beyond my rank. That guy’s obsession with the Goddess is not just a little bit. Of course, it’s also possible that he feels he’s old and useless, so he’s letting the younger generation take over. In short, he told me so himself. There were also several cardinals there at the time, taking notes. That guy has never joked around.”

Silence.

Yisi took a deep breath.

“…Let’s go to the temple and see first.”

“Mm.”

The three of them walked quickly towards the central temple.