An indescribable, heavy silence filled the office within the Hydra Kingdom’s royal castle. The reason was as clear as it was jarring: the sudden, unexpected presence of Pope Olivia.
Under normal circumstances, the castle was shielded by formidable teleportation interference magic, making her direct arrival a feat of near-impossible proportions. But more than that, looking back through the annals of the Human Realm, this marked the first time in history a Pope had ever visited a specific nation’s seat of power. Quite frankly, neither the King nor the Duchess knew how to even begin the conversation.
In the midst of this, Olivia calmly surveyed her surroundings. She gave a slight nod before turning her gaze toward Laguna.
"Forgive the sudden intrusion," Olivia said. "It has been some time since the Hero Festival, Laguna Dia Hydra."
"Y-yes, indeed. It has been a while. If I may ask… how exactly did you teleport inside?"
"I was sent here by the grace of Shallow Vernal-sama. Given that the Founding Anniversary Festival is underway, I believe she intended for me to conclude my formal greetings with haste."
"I-I see. If it was Shallow Vernal-sama’s doing, then it is only natural that the teleportation interference magic would be ignored."
Laguna chose her words with agonizing care, her tension palpable given Olivia’s incredibly delicate political standing. Internally, the King was reeling. She had never imagined that the Pope would go out of her way just to pay her respects.
"I apologize once more for the surprise visit today."
"Ah, no, please..."
"..."
"Um..."
"Now that my greetings to Laguna Dia Hydra are finished," Olivia announced tonelessly, "I shall proceed to greet Lilia Albert."
"Hwah?!"
Lilia let out a strangled squeak, her face practically screaming, Why me?! As she stood there in a state of sheer bewilderment, Olivia approached her.
"It has been since the previous White God Festival. I was unable to greet you directly at that time, but since you are someone deeply connected to the God Realm and highly regarded by Shallow Vernal-sama—to the point of receiving a special bestowal—I felt I must offer you my greetings."
"A-ah, yes. Um… if I may be so bold, what exactly is this 'special bestowal' from Shallow Vernal-sama?"
"You were granted a castle floating in the sky by Shallow Vernal-sama, were you not? While it is an extreme honor, you must also be deeply grateful for the Goddess’s kindness."
"..................Yes."
Lilia bit back a thousand different thoughts. While technically true that the castle was a gift from Shallow Vernal, in reality, it was just the leftovers from Kaito’s birthday celebration. Kaito hadn't wanted it, so it had fallen into Lilia’s lap by chance. It certainly hadn't been some grand reward for her own merit.
But she couldn't breathe a word of that. Before her stood not just the leader of the Friendly City, but the head of the world's sole absolute religion—the very woman who spoke for the Goddess herself. A single careless remark could be disastrous.
Furthermore, this was the first time Lilia had ever spoken with Olivia, and she knew nothing of the woman's character. All she knew was that the Pope possessed a terrifyingly powerful faith in Shallow Vernal. Lilia judged that she must avoid any remark that might even remotely incur her displeasure.
Clutching her throbbing stomach, Lilia prayed for the audience to end. She took small comfort in Olivia’s detached demeanor, assuming the woman wasn't one for small talk. She hoped it would be over soon... but such prayers were rarely answered where the Gods were involved.
"I have heard of you from Miyama Kaito-sama as well," Olivia continued. "I understand you are his lover?"
"Ah, yes. That is correct."
"That is wonderful... Hmm..."
Seeing Olivia fall into a pensive silence, Lilia’s anxiety spiked. The conversation had shifted toward Kaito, and once that happened, there was no telling what chaos might follow.
While Lilia panicked, Olivia was preoccupied with her own secret mission: Shallow Vernal’s command to invite Kaito on a date. She was supposed to devise the plan herself. While she had considered consulting books or her friend Kaori, she realized she was looking at an even better resource. This was Lilia, Kaito’s lover. There could be no better person to consult regarding a date with the man.
(Could it be that Shallow Vernal-sama foresaw even this?) Olivia wondered. (As expected of the Great God of the World. Her eyes truly see far into the future.)
Olivia concluded that meeting Lilia today was surely part of the Goddess's divine plan. Of course, it was a mere coincidence, and Shallow Vernal hadn't actually thought that far ahead.
"Lilia Albert. I would like to speak with you privately about various matters. Could you spare some time once the Founding Anniversary Festival has concluded?"
"Ha-heh? Ah, ha-ha, yes! O-of course!"
"My thanks..."
Naturally, Lilia had no way of knowing Olivia's inner motives. Faced with a Pope who was suddenly and aggressively trying to establish a personal connection, Lilia's heart was filled with a single, pained scream: Whhyyyyyyy?!
The fire in her stomach showed no sign of dying down anytime soon.
Serious-senpai: "As expected, that stomach-pain black hole makes it feel like she's just cursed... Casually, it feels like a stomach-pain flag is being planted on Kaori too, but the Strongest Stomach Pain Warrior really is on a different level."