“– Delamis Palace
“Hmm. Iris, huh…”
“It’s a serious matter, Your Holiness!”
“Just call me ‘Dad’ for now. There’s no need to worry about formalities here, right? No one else is around.”
“Melfina is here!”
The boy was cheerfully scolded by Colette while laughing. That’s strange. The person standing there should be the Pope, the most powerful figure in Delamis, but it looks just like an older sister scolding her mischievous younger brother.
“My Lord. It’s understandable that you think so, but that boy is truly Pope Philip.”
“I knew it?”
That’s good. My eyes aren’t corrupted. I’ve had too many moments today where I’ve had to question my own perspective.
“Philip, Colette. Let’s have enough of this parent-child bonding for now.”
“M-my apologies! Melfina!”
“Yes, yes, I understand. I’m sorry for being an inadequate daughter, Melfina.”
Colette apologized excessively, while Pope Philip appeared cheerful. Their completely opposite reactions made it difficult to respond.
“Well then, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Philip Delamilus. Despite my appearance, I am the Pope of Delamis. Ah, and this form is a secret, okay?”
The Pope brought a raised index finger to his mouth. What is it about him? He exudes a very calculated charm. The Pope wore vestments similar to those of a Cardinal, and the stole draped over his shoulders shone silver. He is a beautiful boy, but perhaps due to that radiance, he gives an impression of divinity that surpasses his physical appearance. But setting that aside, if he is indeed Colette’s father, the possibilities are limited. For example—
“Excuse me. This might be a wild guess, but has Your Holiness evolved from a human to some other race?”
“…Sharp.”
Oh, I hit the mark on the first try. Even with ‘Appraisal Eye,’ I couldn’t read his Status because it was hidden by S-Rank ‘Concealment.’ There’s also the falsification of Status through ‘Disguise’ that Ange mentioned, so at this level, the information from Appraisal Eye isn’t very reliable anymore.
“Yes. Let me be direct regarding my position. …Iris is my sister.”
“…”
All of us, except Melfina, were utterly shocked. Wait, wait, wait. Did Iris, who oversees the Apostles, just say she’s his sister? That means he’s Iris’s brother, right? And Iris existed in ancient times. This was during the era when Demon King Gustav Baal, Sera’s father, fought Hero Serge Floa. It was even before the great upheaval on the Eastern Continent. Age-wise, let’s see… he’d be about the same age as Victor, the demon? I think he was around 600 or 700 years old— Woah.
“Your Holiness, just how old are you…?”
“Ahaha. I’ve been alive for so long, I stopped counting.”
Please check your own Status right now.
“Do you know about Serge, the Hero before Touya and his party? You do, right? Based on what you said earlier, Serge is also part of that organization of Apostles. Actually, my sister Iris was the Shrine Maiden of Delamis who summoned Serge, and I was a member of the party that accompanied Serge. Serge had beautiful black hair, and honestly, I was completely smitten. But alas, the party Serge brought together was full of handsome men. A wandering Elf, a prince from a fallen kingdom, me, a Holy Knight— But the oblivious Serge remained oblivious until the end. In the end, he returned to his original world without getting involved with anyone.”
Pope Philip was a member of the Hero Party… I’m lucky. If so, he might know the information we need. —And what a reverse harem. Is this also Serge’s protagonist privilege? The fact that he casually included himself among the handsome men reveals the Pope’s personality.
“…”
“Sera, I know you understand, but…”
“It’s okay. I’ve already processed it in my heart.”
“Is that so?”
For a moment, Sera seemed to glare at Pope Philip, so I sent her a telepathic message. She probably only processed Melfina. Well, I’m not too worried about Sera. She’s been with me all this time. I understand that much.
“Your Holiness, there are some unnecessary details mixed in.”
“It’s fine if you call me ‘Dad.’ Colette, you have to live life joyfully, or your heart will grow old first… Well, in that regard, Colette, I don’t have to worry. But I am worried about whether you, Colette, will have children.”
“I have Melfina and Kelvin and Rion-sama, so it’s fine!”
“That’s right~. Yes, I understand— Wait?”
“Both of you, let’s get back on track now.”
Melfina intervened again in the conversation between the parent and child. I can’t afford any misunderstandings. However, it’s amazing how she can dedicate herself to correcting them.
“Sorry, sorry. It’s been a while since I spoke to anyone other than Colette and Sai, so I got carried away… Anyway, let’s get back to the topic. As Kelvin-kun pointed out, I evolved from human to saint when I defeated Demon King Gustav with Serge. Um, do you know about the lifespan change that comes with evolution?”
“Yes, I heard it from the Beast King Leonhart.”
“Oh, that, the Beast King? He must have really taken a liking to you, Kelvin-kun. Well, as a saint, I’ve been living on without much growth from that form.”
Like Rion, Pope Philip is also a saint. What interests me are the Elf and the Prince who were Serge’s companions…
“Are your companions from that time also around somewhere now?”
“Unfortunately, not everyone evolved at that time. The Elf, who should have had the longest lifespan, died of old age, and the Holy Knight… in a battle against an S-Rank Monster… Life doesn’t go perfectly smoothly.”
“I’m sorry. To bring up unpleasant things…”
“No, it’s fine. It’s a lesson from the past. Please be careful. Besides, he’s still here.”
“He?”
The Pope clapped his hands together with a proud expression, giving some kind of signal. Then, I sensed someone’s presence from the door of the room we entered— this is—
“Excuse me.”
“Cardinal Sai?”
Cardinal Sai, whom we had just parted ways with, appeared.
“Ah, Sai is also of my kind. One of the companions of the prince from the fallen kingdom, Serge.”
~~~~~~
– Delamis Palace – Guest Room
“Haa…”
“My Lord, you must be tired.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Melfina handed me a glass of water. It was well-chilled and refreshing.
“I was surprised by so much today. Did you know about this, Mel?”
“Yes, mostly. Knowing something and being able to talk about it are different things, though…”
“It can’t be helped since you’re a golem.”
I invited Melfina to sit beside me on the bed. I was tired from being revered in town and from the fact that one of the Pope or Cardinals was a companion of the previous Hero. We’ve rented several guest rooms in the palace now, and everyone is taking a break.
“It seems like the timing when Mel and Elearis switched gods is the key.”
The reason for the switch is still unknown. Melfina cannot speak due to the restrictions of her golem body, and Pope Philip didn’t know the details either, only seeing it as a change in roles among the gods. However, Iris, who was the Shrine Maiden of Delamis at that time, was different. She opposed it, stating that she only believed in Elearis, and split the Rinne Church’s sentiment in two. The Pope said this:
“What I don’t understand is that Serge is still in this world, and that Iris is alive. It’s strange that Serge, who returned to his original world, is here again. And if my memory is correct, Iris died after Serge returned to his original world. When the seat of the Reincarnated Goddess was transferred from Elearis-sama to Melfina-sama, she incited a rebellion with her ardent followers.”
Iris Delamilus was eventually executed. The records of this are still a state secret. Although ostensibly the Rinne Church worships Melfina, it is not monolithic, and rumors suggest that remnants of that time are still lurking in the shadows.
“What did Elearis want? Even by using her trusted Iris?”
“…”
I know I won’t get an answer. To find that out, we’ll need to lift the restrictions on Mel’s golem body or ask Elearis directly.
“At least we have to make sure Colette doesn’t walk the same path.”
“…Yes!”
By nature, she’s a good girl. I don’t want her to go in the wrong direction. We renewed our resolve—
“Haa, haa… The sublime scent of Mel-sama and Kelvin-sama fills the room… The fragrant and sweet aroma, even detectable through the keyhole, shakes my entire body…! Ah, I’ve endured and endured, but my limit circuits are already on the verge of breaking… I’ve already made arrangements to clear the surroundings, so I’ll just savor a little, just a little of the divine energy…! *Sluuurp*—”
My ears, which had become capable of perceiving fine sounds after my evolution, heard things I didn’t want to hear. Well, she’s a good girl by nature, but she’s still a pervert.
