“Perfect timing. Thanks.”

“For what?”

Leo replied with a smile.

Elias gestured towards Leo and asked,

“Aren’t you curious how it all happened? I was having a perfectly logical conversation with Pleroma, just like a refined intellectual would, and then suddenly *this guy* starts throwing punches.”

“…An intellectual…?”

Leo responded, sounding incredulous.

“I didn’t start with punches. First, I asked if they had any similar cases in the Papal State.”

‘Whether it was right away or after a few words…’

I chuckled softly and said,

“Surprising. I didn’t think you’d do something like that.”

“Well, we can’t use mental magic. If we’re going to help in any way, we have to rely on force.”

Leo replied with a calm tone.

That much was true. Even in the novel, the mages were constantly getting into brawls.

As Elias listened, smiling, he clapped his hands together.

“You made a good friend, after all. Isn’t it impressive how he managed to consider adding to Adrian Askanian’s workload in a situation like that, Luca?”

“Are you my teacher or something? Impressive?”

“Exactly.”

“……”

Leo was at a loss for words now that I was siding with Elias.

It seemed like Elias kept teasing him because he got such immediate reactions.

After glaring at Elias for a while, Leo finally sighed and handed me a newspaper.

“Come to think of it, you’re probably wondering how things turned out. Read the paper.”

I took the newspaper from him, and as I saw the headline in bold letters, I froze.

Is Nicolaus Ernst Becoming the Next Adrian Askanian?

“……”

Right from the start, it’s already incredibly irritating.

Of course, from an outsider’s perspective, it looked like success.

There would be no disagreements regarding support, and as I was following a path similar to my brother’s, the results were bound to be solid as well.

‘Now that I think of it, let’s see how things stand.’

Lucas Rene Askanian

Title: Sir Nicolaus

– Health: +2.5 (+0.3)

– Mental Power: +0.9 (+1.0)

– Magic Power: ?

– Skill: +4.1 (+0.1)

– Impression: -9.9 [-6.8] [+7.50587849]

– Luck: +2.25 (+0.5)

– Traits: Dawn 777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv. 2), Retry (Lv. 1)

‘7.5.’

I couldn’t help but smile.

I was steadily closing in on my minimum goal of 8 points.

Besides, all my scores had finally gone into the positive range, except for Impression.

‘Thanks to Leo holding my brother back, if I just have enough time, 10 points might actually be possible.’

But there was one thing that worried me.

In the original story, it was Elias who had handled this issue.

Although the incident didn’t blow up nationwide like it had now, this was the point when Elias started to rise in influence.

‘Sure, the response has been stronger than in the novel ever since the insect announcement, but this incident was supposed to be his big breakthrough.’

I was worried the plot might be deviating.

Then, in just five seconds, I realized my worry was unfounded.

Elias Hohenzollern and Nicolaus Ernst: Consecutive Victories

“True Noblesse Oblige” Elias Hohenzollern and Nicolaus Ernst enter Pleroma to address the rapid surge in missing persons cases.

Breaking News: 10 orphanages, shelters, and senior care centers nationwide confirmed to be established by Pleroma.

“Pleroma Facilities” Quietly Evading Federal Government Scrutiny Since Two Years Ago

No matter which paper I looked at, Elias and I were mentioned together.

And… none of the information in the last two stories had come from me.

‘Elias and Leo must have been the ones who found those.’

I kept reading the articles with a satisfied smile.

As expected, there’s no way the protagonist would sit idly by. With this, Elias’s support should be developing along similar lines to the novel.

Watching Elias’s press conference video, I muttered,

“So that’s why you showed up in uniform.”

“Aha, you noticed~. I don’t wear this often, so make sure you remember it well.”

“Ugh…”

Leo shook his head, looking genuinely disgusted.

Elias laughed at his reaction and then looked at me, saying,

“To be honest, I was planning on saving this for later, but the response was so explosive that I couldn’t just embargo only the things I found. It wasn’t a situation strict enough for that.”

When we first met, we had talked about why each of us was pursuing Pleroma.

Elias knew that I was in the process of making a name for myself in public to compete with my brother. He didn’t really have to hold back on announcing what he’d discovered for my sake, but maybe he felt a bit guilty about it.

“It’s fine. This way, people will think we’re continuing to work together.”

BANG―

Just then, the door burst open.

Leo stood up, ready to respond, as if he had taken measures to keep people from barging in.

“Who dares…!”

“Sorry, Leo. I should have told you I was coming, but it was urgent.”

Narce, dressed in a bishop’s robe, entered, took off his mask, and sat down in a chair.

“You’re awake, Lucas. How are you feeling?”

“Perfectly fine.”

“Perfectly~? Is my definition of fine somehow wrong?”

Elias muttered beside me, saying something about my arm being blue, poking fun at me.

Since it was only a simple bruise, I quickly spoke up before Narce could start worrying again.

“I really am fine. By the way, weren’t you in the Papal State?”

“Up until just now, yes. I thought I’d be back later, but there’s something I needed to discuss with you today. Have you thought about what we talked about before?”

Considering all the things we’d discussed, that could be anything.

“What are you referring to?”

“The honorary priesthood. With the portal open, isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”

***

Despite Leo’s strong opposition, I had enough strength to walk.

The only issues I had to recover from were blood loss and a few days without food, which wasn’t hard to bounce back from.

Compared to the concussion Strauch gave me, this was manageable.

‘Timing couldn’t have been better.’

I hadn’t expected to use the portal this way, but it was a stroke of luck.

Since it would take days by train, traveling directly to the Papal State for ordination wasn’t practical.

―“Sorry to call you out so suddenly. Doesn’t look like you’re in the best condition just yet.”

Narce mumbled as he eyed my bruised arm.

―“Don’t worry. It just looks worse than it is.”

―“Actually, the portal will close in five hours. The only reason it’s open this long is because your situation was discussed at the Papal State, so I needed to tell you today.”

I nodded as I adjusted my mask.

Gaining a priestly status could be beneficial in terms of survival and several other aspects.

Now that I knew Pleroma could use Divine Power, having an official acknowledgment of purity from the Papal State could be critical.

However, I still had to consider if I was truly suited for the role.

―“Let me ask you just one thing. As you know, I don’t have any particular faith.”

―“Right, you’re an atheist.”

Narce replied with a smile.

―“…”

He’d labeled me an atheist before too. While I had outwardly followed religion as a child, it was mostly because of my parents, so I guess he wasn’t wrong.

―“But no need to worry. All mages who are honorary clergy are there in a purely ceremonial capacity. The only criterion is Divine Power.”

I understood his point.

Without asking further, I followed him in silence.

Then, Narce changed the subject.

―“Lucas, have you ever been to Rome?”

―“No.”

I’d visited as a tourist in the 21st century.

But here, while the geography and names were the same, it was hardly the same world, not with magic involved.

For example, you could find the Korean Empire on this world’s map, but after looking up information, I found it was quite different from the empire I knew.

The Papal State was also much larger than I remembered.

―“Really? I was looking forward to showing you around the city when we’re done, but it’s a shame we won’t have time.”

―“That’s fine. If I wander around, my brother will probably come to find me.”

―“…Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that. You’re right.”

Narce gave a dry chuckle as he shook his head.

After receiving clearance from the Imperial Palace, we teleported to a garden roughly 10 kilometers from the main palace.

As we neared the portal, set up underground, I saw armed guards stationed around it.

A priest spotted Narce from a distance and approached us.

“Your Eminence, welcome.”

The priest then turned to greet me.

“Pleased to meet you, Sir Ernst. I am Facondo Palermo. I’ll cross over now, and please follow right after.”

He gestured toward us, then stepped through the portal.

The portal looked like a simple stone wall, designed to blend in when not in use.

When I touched it, the wall rippled like the surface of water.

―“First time seeing this, right? Isn’t it unsettling, putting your face up to what looks like a solid wall?”

―“I’d say so.”

Even knowing it wouldn’t actually hurt, the visual was jarring enough to make it feel like I’d hit my head.

―“Everyone feels that way at first. Here, let me help.”

Before I could react, Narce gave me a firm push on the back.

“…!”

This guy is almost as bad as Elias.

I cautiously opened my eyes.

The space was a dimly lit underground corridor, similar to the one we’d just left.

“You’ve arrived at the western edge of the Vatican Gardens. Welcome to the Papal State.”

The priest gave a brief welcome before leading us forward.

Narce matched my pace and spoke.

“I’ve recommended you for the honorary priesthood.”

“I see.”

Narce, now speaking to me directly without using Divine Power, had switched to polite language.

An “honorary” title, unlike regular clergy positions, indicated a priesthood based on Divine Power alone.

Originally, honorary positions were part of the Papal military, and even now they served more as symbolic roles to enhance the Papal State’s mystical authority, allowing more freedom with qualifications compared to something like a degree in theology.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean just anyone can take on the role.’

Almost as if reading my thoughts, Narce brought up the matter of qualifications.

“There’s only one problem. There are four basic requirements, and Sir Nicolaus lacks one of them: you haven’t received confirmation, let alone baptism.”

Naturally, Nicolaus, being a fake identity created this year, wasn’t registered with the Church.

“The others are straightforward. It’s just a question of whether you have a sincere willingness to evangelize and serve, a recommendation from a bishop or cardinal, and acknowledgment of your Divine Power by the Papal State. Those are the only three. After that, you’ll need the approval of the bishopric here to finalize the ordination.”

“So the approval is the tricky part.”

“Correct. I’ll try to secure as many votes in favor as possible, but the lack of a baptism certificate will be a significant hurdle.”

“Understood.”

After walking a while, Narce turned to the priest.

“How much farther?”

“We’re about to enter the underground area of St. Peter’s Basilica, Your Eminence.”

“We’re almost there.”

Narce smiled as he communicated telepathically.

―“It may feel a bit intense, but don’t be nervous, alright?”

―“Now that you say that, it’s impossible not to be nervous.”

―“Haha, true enough. Still… Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to do anything here. This time, just leave it to me.”

So he had a plan in mind.

Noting his eager tone, I nodded.

Light from the surface soon became visible ahead.

We climbed the stairs, passing through numerous hallways and buildings until we stood before the most central door.

As we approached, the waiting guards opened it and announced in a loud voice,

“His Eminence, Cardinal Farnese, has arrived!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep