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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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Chapter 133
…What the. What is this? Why is this happening? What is this, seriously? Go away?!
The light is following me. Am I drunk and spouting nonsense? I wish I were, but unfortunately, I’m completely sober. I haven’t even smelled alcohol, let alone drank any.
“Karl. You look like you’re in a light.”
What are you talking about, Selena? Please don’t say things like that. It makes me sound incredibly amazing.
Being in the light? What kind of nonsense is that? But if it’s actually true, it’s the kind of thing that would earn me an absurd amount of medals!
“Hmmm.”
Your Holiness. Please stop saying ‘Hmmm’ like that. It’s getting more and more ominous. Please stop it!
Is this a hidden camera prank? Are the four of them somewhere, shining a spotlight at me and laughing, ‘Hehehe! The light will consume you!’? Is that it?!
“Brother Karl, your current appearance is quite… impressive.”
“Your Holiness? Wait… this is, I mean, it’s not what you think!”
“What does this old man think it is? Hahaha.”
Oh, come on! Please! Stop it! I just want to quietly leave. I don’t want any more attention!
Oh Goddess, please. I know you favor me, but this is too much! So—
“Oh, Karl. It disappeared.”
“Ah.”
As Selena said, the light that had been lingering around me changed direction. Then, it returned to where it should be.
“Ahem. Ahem. Well then, Your Holiness, shall we continue our walk?”
Let’s just move on. Yes? Let’s pretend this was just a coincidence and move on! Please!
If the next thing I hear when I return home is, ‘We must create the Karl Adelheit Medal after all!’, I might die of embarrassment. I’ll donate a lot of money, so please!
“Very well.”
Thankfully, the Pope readily agreed to my suggestion.
As expected of His Holiness! He’s as benevolent as the head of the Church should be! I won’t forget this kindness!
“Brother Karl.”
As we were walking around the garden, chatting about various things, the Pope subtly brought up a topic.
“The Goddess loves all humans.”
“Ah, yes. I know. According to the teachings—”
“But there are some She loves a little more. It can’t be helped. It’s like how there are beautiful flowers and even more beautiful flowers.”
“…”
Oh, um. I think I know what you’re getting at, Your Holiness. So, right now…
“During the Feast of All Saints, when everyone gathers to pray to the Goddess, would you like to step forward as a representative and ask Her for what you dare to wish for?”
“Your Holiness? How could I… As far as I know, you are in charge of everything.”
“That’s right. I am in charge. So, it’s at my discretion to decide who to entrust it to.”
The Feast of All Saints.
The feast day honoring all the saints who have lived on this earth. The prayer on that day is undoubtedly an important event. The fact that the Pope himself officiates it makes that immediately clear.
But to entrust it to me? Not a member of the Church, not even particularly devout. To give an ordinary believer the Pope’s prayer meeting?
This is a bit too much. I must decline. Even if it’s the Pope’s request, this is—
“Just offer a prayer to the Goddess. That the Crown Princess’s child, the heir to the Empire, may be born healthy.”
The words the Crown Prince said to me suddenly came to mind. And the request he made also came to mind.
My sister is pregnant. My niece or nephew is inside her. And next year, when spring is in full bloom, they will come to me, my brother-in-law, and my sister.
I hope that warm day will not be filled with anyone’s cries. I hope it will be filled with blessings and happiness.
The Crown Prince asked me, not as a request but as a plea, for it to be so.
My sister. My brother-in-law. No, even though I’m not as important as His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess, I also hope that our niece or nephew, the heir, the future emperor, will be born healthy.
I want to give back even a fraction of the love I’ve received.
And one more thing. If the Goddess is truly listening to my prayers, there’s something I want to say.
Please be at peace. I hope you’ll be born again later, as someone even greater and more amazing. I want to tell them that I lived because of them, became a hero because of them, and could become a better person because of them.
“Judging by your expression, it seems you’ve thought of a reason to pray to the Goddess.”
“Th-that… Yes, Your Holiness. Hearing your words, I remembered why I should pray.”
“What greater joy is there than knowing the path you must take?”
The Pope smiled and patted my shoulder.
His gesture seemed to suggest that he had a good idea of what I wanted to pray for.
* * *
For Wilhelm, this invitation to the Holy See was not just a simple trip or vacation.
The Marquisate of Gramstad, where his family was located, was the land of blacksmiths.
And by utilizing the excellent goods produced by those blacksmiths, they were able to exert a great influence in commercial and diplomatic fields.
This was also the reason why he, among the four, was able to receive news faster than anyone else in the diplomatic field.
Therefore, this invitation to the Holy See was an opportunity to further solidify Wilhelm’s position as the next Marquis of Gramstad.
“There he is.”
A full day had passed since they arrived in the Holy See.
Shulifen, Alexander, and Joachim, who had been discussing important matters since yesterday and then came out to chat amongst themselves, greeted Wilhelm.
“What serious matters did you discuss for so long?”
“It’s always the same. If there’s something to gain, there’s something to lose, and if there’s something to lose, there’s something to gain.”
“You’re speaking so casually in the Holy See.”
“The Holy See is still a place where people gather, so there’s bound to be some casualness.”
Fortunately, the business part was over. All that was left was the Feast of All Saints.
“This is my first Feast of All Saints. We don’t have anything to do, do we?”
“If Karl were here, he’d tell us not to cause any trouble.”
“You’ve become quite the Karl expert.”
The four of them chuckled and began to wait for the Feast of All Saints, which would start in an hour.
The Feast of All Saints lasts for two days. Since we’ve already been in the Holy See for a day, we’ll be staying here for three or four days.
“Speaking of which, has anyone seen Karl?”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen him since yesterday.”
“Did something happen? I heard he took a walk with His Holiness.”
“Who knows? He might be up to something incredible again.”
He’s a strange one. He calls himself an ordinary returning student, but his actions are anything but ordinary.
What kind of ordinary person receives the Medal of Honor twice, the highest Elven honor, the treasure of the Kingdom of Knights, and finds the Church’s sacred relic on top of that?
The four of them whispered among themselves, saying things like, ‘Karl must be up to something again,’ or ‘Does the Church have any medals? I bet he’ll get one.’
Their conversation continued until the Feast of All Saints, the main event, began, led by the priests.
“Our Holy Mother in Heaven, may the children of light receive your blessings…”
All four of them came from prominent noble families in the Empire. They were the heirs.
Therefore, they had a close relationship with the Church and had attended large prayer meetings several times.
But this prayer meeting was different. The Feast of All Saints, held in the heart of the Church, the Holy See.
The scene of the Pope himself offering prayers and numerous cardinals making the sign of the cross was overwhelming even for the four of them.
“Give us the courage and wisdom to lead even one lost soul to the bright path—”
“Grant us the compassion and understanding to have mercy on them, even in the midst of any hardship—”
Suddenly, Alexander let out a gasp, ‘Huh?’
Joachim, wondering why he was acting like this in the middle of the prayer meeting, looked up.
“…Karl?”
He murmured someone’s name in a barely audible voice. Schlieffen and Wilhelm also raised their heads, wondering what was going on.
Karl was indeed carefully making his way through the Church officials.
I wondered why he was doing this during such a solemn ceremony, but it seemed he wasn’t moving for personal reasons.
If that were the case, he wouldn’t be escorted by high-ranking priests and even Cardinal Ignacio, the Grand Inquisitor.
What could it be? Why is Karl moving during a prayer meeting led by the Pope himself?
As the four of them racked their brains, Karl reached the Pope’s side. The Pope smiled slightly and led him to the grand altar, where the statue of the Goddess stood.
“….”
“….”
Karl, after conversing with the Pope, made the sign of the cross and knelt.
Only then did the four of them understand what was happening.
The Pope stepped back, and Karl took his place.
In the Holy See, on the Feast of All Saints, a completely different person was leading the prayer!
‘What the hell is this?’
‘Karl, you crazy bastard! You said you didn’t want this!’
‘That lunatic! If the Empire finds out about this…’
‘This is bad. He’s going to be showered with medals.’
As the four of them screamed inwardly, they tried to focus on the prayer again.
“Ahh…!”
“Ah!”
Gasps erupted from all around.
People expressed their admiration as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
And soon, the four of them, who had witnessed the same scene, did the same.
“…Wow.”
“Whoa.”
“Crazy bastard.”
“He’s insane.”
The moment Karl knelt to pray, a pure white light suddenly shone directly towards him.
Even though the light should have been shining in a different direction, that radiant light remained fixed on Karl, only growing brighter.
If the four of them remembered their past lives like someone else did, they might have shouted—
The Second Coming of Karl! All Hail Karl Adelheit!
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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