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~Chapter 55~
“I know.”
Dad said, still holding me.
The Holy Knights looked wary, but none dared pick a fight.
“…She’ll be someone trustworthy.”
Those words gave me a strange feeling.
On one hand, frustration that I’d have to be separated from Dad, even if it was a tactical retreat.
On the other, reassurance that he already had a backup plan.
…So this is what it feels like to have a protector?
For a fleeting moment, I remembered my parents who never loved me, and my grandmother who treated me like baggage—
then erased the thought.
“I know you’re aware of a lot. But… you’re still young.”
Dad hesitated.
“Protecting my daughter… is my duty.”
I beamed.
“Mm-hm!”
After that, he briefly told me what little he could about the person who’d be coming today,
and roughly when she might arrive.
When his holy power faded, the tense Holy Knights instantly stepped closer.
“I’ll cooperate. But only after I escort the Pope candidate back to her room.”
“That’s not acceptable.”
The knight with the broken arm glared, face twisted with rage.
“She must come with us now. That’s the rule.”
“Are you serious? What’s more important to the Church than a Pope candidate’s safety?”
“Let’s be honest. The important one is the Pope. She’s just a candidate.”
The knight smirked.
“If you’re so worried, we’ll escort her ourselves.”
He grinned wider.
“Or perhaps the candidate would like to accompany us to the Inquisition?”
Dad’s expression warped with fury.
“…Are you insane?”
Oh no, not good.
The moment I felt that dangerous aura from Dad again—
“We’ll take her safely, so please just—”
“No. I’ll escort her!”
The voice cut in suddenly.
It was Laura.
‘Wait—didn’t she just leave?’
As she entered, the knights quickly stepped aside, visibly uneasy.
Laura was holding the hand of her own Pope candidate, Mel.
“As a guardian, I’ll take responsibility. There shouldn’t be an issue, right, Sir Joshua?”
“…What.”
So that was his name. Joshua.
And he looked like a damn Yoda.
“Or shall I testify to what I saw just now, from a distance?”
“….”
Joshua opened his mouth to retort, but clamped it shut.
He’d been about to refuse.
“…Fine. Do it your way.”
At his signal, the knights retreated further.
When Dad finally set me down, I took Laura’s hand.
“…We’ll see each other again.”
Dad’s hand hovered near my head for a moment,
then dropped.
‘…You could’ve patted me, you know.’
Maybe he thought it was irreverent.
Soon, they bound him in a special rope and led him away.
Watching his back, I felt a mix of turmoil… and rising fury.
My eyes sank cold.
‘Usher… you damn bastard.’
A little later, I reached my room.
I sent Laura back right away.
“…If you’d allow it, my candidate and I could stay here as temporary guardians.”
I was deeply grateful, but shook my head.
‘If they stay too close, Usher might target them.’
I couldn’t risk that.
“I’ll be fine. It’s safe here…!”
Laura looked around the room, then nodded in amazement.
“Wow… I get it now. My goodness, this room’s like a fortress.”
This was the new room I’d been given after Usher’s intrusion.
Dad had furiously protested to the papal palace’s management committee.
“A candidate’s room, destroyed by the strength of a so-called ‘washed-up’ man like me? How can that be secure?”
‘Washed-up? You’re not, Dad…’
He had no sense of his own worth. But still—
nice job, Dad.
“Ahem, apologies. This time we’ve given you a proper room!”
Though Dad’s influence wasn’t great,
the safety of a Pope candidate was a serious matter.
The new room’s holy protection barrier was exceptionally strong.
Even Dad seemed satisfied.
“This is… adequate.”
“Just adequate? Looks perfect to me.”
“It should withstand at least a Keter-class monster.”
“Yikes.”
That level of defense existed in only a handful of places in the Church.
I shook my head, but Dad had already layered his own holy power over it.
A barrier meant to protect me no matter what happened.
‘Even if he’s forced away, like now.’
And not just that—it had other, highly useful functions.
That’s why I felt confident.
Fanatics couldn’t use much power within the Church itself.
There was no way they could break this barrier.
Calling it a fortress wasn’t an exaggeration.
“…As expected of a former hero. With this, even the Blue Holy Knight Order at their prime could hold for a few minutes… Ah, sorry.”
Laura cut herself off, embarrassed.
The Blue Holy Knights had been Dad’s direct order back in his heroic days.
After he became a contaminated knight, the order disbanded and scattered.
‘I don’t mind.’
Even Laura, a knight herself, seemed awed by the room.
She still worried, but eventually left,
telling me to call her right away if anything happened.
‘She’s a good person.’
Click!
The door shut.
I sat on the bed, eyes fixed on it.
No need to act anymore.
‘Damn fanatics.’
Anyone who picked a fight with us deserved payback.
‘Dad will keep his promise.’
They had no real grounds for accusing him of berserk.
So it’d just be temporary confinement.
The fanatics’ true goal was separating us,
even for a little while.
‘Maybe they even planned for this.’
The only real worry was if they dared touch Dad.
But the real target was me,
so that chance was low.
I slowly recalled Dad’s words.
“The person I’ll send is a woman.
Her personality’s… a bit unusual, but she’s reliable.
I’ll give you some clues so you’ll recognize her.”
I hadn’t had time to hear much more,
but from those hints I could think of three possible candidates.
All major figures in the story’s chapters.
‘Who will it be this time? …Kind of exciting.’
And sure enough—
Knock, knock, knock.
Just ten minutes after Laura left.
A knock echoed through the room.
But—
‘…Not the person Dad sent.’
Because—
“…It’ll take at least an hour.
Stay in your room until then.”
It was far too early.
Which meant the one seeking me out now,
alone in this room—
who else could it be?
Knock, knock, knock.
“Pope candidate~”
A beautiful voice, playful yet enthralling.
The voice of a damn fanatic.
“It’s me.”
Usher.
The very one who’d torn us apart.
“Would you open the door?”
I gave no reply.
The knocking stopped.
“…Or should I just break it down?”
The intruder’s cheerful voice rang out.
