Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Bethlehem, the holy city, a place filled with hope and light, a pure white city built of chalk, the place where angels descended in the Third Age, and where angels continued to linger in later ages, was the supreme holy place in the hearts of all believers.
No matter the season, you could always see pilgrims coming to Bethlehem, with devout expressions, simple clothes, walking on foot, and sometimes kneeling down to kowtow after taking just a few steps.
The Vatican had set up rest areas outside the holy city, providing believers with water or bread.
Luo Mi stood at a rest stop, looked up at the pure white, towering holy city of Bethlehem, and asked the priest at the rest stop with a skillful, innocent smile, “This is my first time in the holy city. I wonder if I will be able to see His Holiness the Pope?”
After several “growths,” Luo Mi had reached a height of 1.7 meters, but his face was still round and slightly chubby, making him look very cute and easy to approach.
The pastor smiled and said, “You can see His Majesty by attending the monthly Mass at St. Paul’s Cathedral. However, His Majesty did not attend last month’s Mass, but you can attend this month’s, which happens to be tomorrow.”
The Great Mass was a monthly ceremony held in the Holy City, in which the Pope personally attended to demonstrate mercy and love, and it was always held on the first Sunday of each month.
Luo Mi’s original intention was to inquire whether the Holy City had any radical reaction to Anos’s arrival— after leaving the Sig Palace, they had entered the Pope’s surveillance range. If the Pope was watching Anos, he would certainly know that Anos was on his way to the Holy City to question him.
As this “pawn” began to slip out of control of the power-hungry Saint Gregory III, it was hard to say whether he would harbor thoughts of destruction.
From Luo Mi’s observation, the mysterious weapons hidden behind the chalk walls of the Holy City seemed unchanged, and pilgrims continued to arrive in droves; there was nothing unusual.
However, the pastor’s words revealed a clue: the Pope did not attend the Grand Mass this month.
Was he busy with something? Or…?
Luo Mi had many thoughts running through her mind, but he didn’t say much. He quickly left the rest stop and came to the vicinity of the road, where he found Anos behind a bush.
Anos was still wearing his black and white priest’s robes. Seeing that Luo Mi had arrived safely, he breathed a slight sigh of relief: “I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
Luo Mi waved his hand: “Your appearance is too obvious.”
At this point, he suddenly remembered that after he first met Anos, when Anos went to investigate the witch trial incident alone, he also went with him.
Back when they were investigating the town of Larry, it was still Luo Mi who used his advantages to sneak into the town to investigate the situation and then report back to Anos.
Luo Mi glanced at Anos, and just then Anos looked over as well.
As they looked at each other, they realized they were both reminded of the past and burst into laughter at the same time.
Despite the many barriers and pitfalls that still stood between them, they felt as if they had stood together again with a smile on their faces.
Luo Mi quickly explained the information he had gathered to Anos.
Anos frowned slightly: “The Grand Mass is an important event to showcase the glory of the Papacy, and also an important occasion to show the Pope’s health and activity to the College of Cardinals and special envoys from various countries. Unless there is something important, His Majesty will not be absent.”
Luo Mi guessed, “Are they preparing to deal with you?”
Anos paused for a moment before saying, “The Papacy possesses three divine artifacts, two of which are under Your Majesty’s control… I—”
He paused, then continued, “If our guess is correct, I am afraid that I am no match for Your Majesty, as I have only fused with half a vial of ‘divine blood’ through alchemy.”
Luo Mi asked curiously, “What kind of divine artifact?”
“The popes throughout history have directly wielded the ‘Scepter of Glory,’ commonly known as the ‘Papal Scepter,’ which is a symbol of the ‘Shepherd of God.’ The Papal Scepter strengthens the concept of the ‘Pope,’ directly mobilizing the power of all clergy, believers, and even churches in the world.” Anos pondered for a moment, “This includes the holy city of Bethlehem— a war fortress built to fight against the Demon Realm. In the Third and Fourth Ages, there were not only demon lords, but also even more powerful demon kings, all of whom perished in the attack on Bethlehem.”
Luo Mi recalled Reinhardt saying that the Pope could see the entire light domain and guessed that it was by using the papal scepter.
“The second thing you should have heard of is called the ‘Book of the Lambs,’ which records the names of the innocent who are qualified to enter God’s paradise. But I don’t know exactly what the Book of the Lambs is for; it will only be revealed to you by the previous pope after you ascend to the throne.”
It was related to the Chosen Ones… Luo Mi made a connection: “What if the Pope died before he could announce his successor?”
Anos shook his head: “The Pope doesn’t die so easily… Even if that were to happen, there would be divine revelation.”
Luo Mi nodded thoughtfully: “What about the divine artifacts that weren’t controlled by the Pope?”
If Anos possessed a divine artifact, perhaps he could challenge the Pope?
Anos’s expression became much more serious: “The last one is called the ‘Eternal Fence,’ which is the original body of the Light Domain barrier that now isolates the Demon Realm. It is thanks to the Eternal Fence that the civilians of the Light Domain can live relatively peacefully— this artifact must not be touched under any circumstances.”
There’s nothing we can do about that.
Luo Mi pondered for a moment: “The Scepter of Glory, the Book of the Lamb, and the Eternal Fence— it sounds like a shepherd’s setup.”
Anos smiled and said, “In God’s teachings, people are like lambs being shepherded. Only through devout prayer and atonement can they escape this world and enter a blissful land flowing with milk and honey, where they can live in eternal happiness.”
Luo Mi naturally didn’t believe in this and had already attributed a whole bunch of conspiracy theories to the God who had remained hidden behind everything until now.
Anos glanced at the sky: “Judging from the Holy City’s reaction, even if Your Majesty intends to deal with me, he won’t make a big fuss about it, and not many people will even know about it. Before we meet Your Majesty, we are still relatively safe— but after that, it will be very dangerous.”
He glanced at Luo Mi, his light golden eyebrows unconsciously furrowing. “Lian, you don’t have to go. This is my business, and it’s too dangerous for you.”
Luo Mi scratched his head: “To be honest, I’m a little scared, but I now have some fighting and self-defense capabilities. It would be really unwilling to back down now that I’m here.”
As if to prove it, flames rose up around him, coalescing into a whip that scorched the weeds on the ground.
Anos’s lips curved into a smile, then quickly smoothed out, and he sighed softly, “Alright, I’ll find a way to protect you.”
Luo Mi nodded, and said just as seriously, “I will protect you too.”
Anos couldn’t help but laugh, and as usual, he touched his hair: “You look much more handsome now that your hair is red.”
“I think so too.” Luo Mi was indeed quite satisfied with his red hair when he used the Flame Demon’s abilities, finding it both chuunibyou and cool. He even wanted to say, “If the two of us combine, we’ll become a Seraph,” but remembering that Anos’s angelic identity was faked, he swallowed the thought.
“Let’s go.” Anos put his hand down. “Let’s go straight in through the side door.”
….
As Anos had predicted, the side door opened immediately upon seeing His Highness the Holy Son return, letting him in. After Anos emphasized that it was a secret return to the city and should not be publicized, they didn’t even send anyone to inform St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Returning to the familiar holy city, Anos paused for a moment, pulled the hood of his priest’s robe over his head, and quickly walked toward St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The holy city of Bethlehem covered a vast area; it might take a whole day to walk there. Luo Mi hailed a carriage, and Anos got in with his head down.
After getting into the carriage, Anos took off his hood, his azure eyes filled with a deep concentration.
Luo Mi opened his mouth, about to say something, when he saw Anos pause and take out a communicator from his pocket.
Anos glanced at it: “It’s from Reinhardt.”
After saying that, he silently tightened his grip, squeezing the metal communicator into a lump of iron.
Luo Mi: “…Aren’t you going to listen to what Reinhard has to say?”
Anos shook his head, said nothing, and looked out at the street.
The people living in the holy city led a peaceful and tranquil life. Children carrying bread bags, women carrying vegetable baskets, and craftsmen carrying planks walked through the streets, each with a face full of anticipation for the next meal and hope for the future.
Anos gazed at the expressions on those people’s faces, his azure eyes slowly softening.
….
When the carriage arrived at the back door of St. Paul’s Cathedral, Luo Mi tensed up, mentally prepared to be met with a beam of holy light.
Fortunately, there was nothing unusual at the back door except for the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper naturally recognized Anos, and after bowing respectfully, he opened the door and let him in.
Anos casually asked, “Is there anything unusual about the church?”
The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment: “The order from inside the church is for us to temporarily close all the doors and not allow anyone to enter or leave.”
Anos’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
The gatekeeper made a cross on his chest. “Of course, Your Highness and the Cardinals have always been the exceptions.”
Anos and Luo Mi exchanged a glance, sensing something amiss.
If Saint Gregory III intended to target Anos, the most covert methods would be either to kill Anos directly in a corner outside the holy city, or to let Anos enter the cathedral unnoticed and then eliminate him quietly.
Of course, if the Pope was innocent, or if he was confident enough to persuade Anos, then there was no need for all this fancy stuff; he could simply welcome Anos in openly and honestly.
Anos pursed his lips, glanced at Luo Mi, saw the determination in her eyes, let out a soft breath, and stepped into St. Paul’s Cathedral.
His brows furrowed immediately.
Luo Mi asked softly, “What’s wrong?”
Anos whispered, “There are far fewer magical arrays in St. Paul’s Cathedral.”
As the core of the Papacy, St. Paul’s Cathedral was continuously equipped with a dense array of magical arrays to ensure the church’s safety, secrecy, and various other functions.
But now Anos felt that almost half of those magic circles were gone!
Moreover, it didn’t feel like a normal shutdown; it felt more like it was destroyed by some kind of force… But if there was such a level of power inside St. Paul’s Cathedral, why didn’t the Holy City and the Vatican notice it at all?
Anos frowned and quickened his pace with Luo Mi.
As they walked across the central square and entered the church, they bumped into a cardinal wearing a red robe.
The cardinal paused for a moment when he saw Anos, his eyes flashing with a mix of emotions: surprise, wariness, hesitation, and relief.
Finally, he strode over, bowed, and said, “Your Highness, you’ve returned just in time.”
Anos’s eyes flickered, and he calmly asked, “What happened?”
The cardinal hesitated for a moment, but still replied, “Your Majesty is seriously ill and on the verge of death.”
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