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Chapter 16
So reassuring.
Guardians can sense where their contracted pope candidates are.
‘He probably couldn’t sense me while I was inside the monster.’
I glanced around.
Now that I knew Dad was nearby, I wanted to try summoning him. But… unfortunately, the space was far too cramped for him to appear.
‘Good thing I’m not claustrophobic.’
Bennett, who had shrunk into himself for some reason, cautiously spoke.
“…The remaining cultists ran away.”
He looked like a child confessing a mistake—well, he was a child.
“That’s fine. You’re alive, and that’s what matters.”
At my calm reply, Bennett’s eyes widened in surprise.
‘I mean, this whole mess was to save him and the other kids. Glad it worked out.’
As a bonus, I even earned some affection points from the protagonist’s future companion—a rising stock if I ever saw one.
Yeah. My portfolio’s looking good.
“Now that the other kids are safe, we just need to get out of here.”
Closed spaces are never great.
The oxygen runs out quickly.
I approached the stone wall and peeked through a gap to the outside.
‘Oh? Isn’t that… a portal artifact?’
Looks like the Holy Knights that came here weren’t completely ignoring Bennett—there it was, a familiar object.
A flat, round stone with a shimmering, aurora-like ring hovering above it. Through the ring, I could glimpse the outside world.
It was a device used to escape dungeons.
In simple terms: an emergency escape button.
‘If we can just get to that…’
The problem was the massive pile of rubble in the way.
Was there a way to clear it?
“Um…”
Bennett spoke up behind me.
“…Are you… an enemy? Or are you a pope candidate…?”
I turned around.
Droopy eyes, filled with hesitation and determination.
“You joined as a seed agent and didn’t even learn this?”
“…Huh?”
“The first rule in dealing with cultists.”
Bennett went silent for a moment.
“Keep doubting…”
“And trust only…”
“Your own judgment.”
“Exactly.”
I smiled, and his big eyes trembled.
He looked like a puppy who’d mistaken someone else for their owner—pure confusion.
“Then… I’ll believe what I want to believe.”
I didn’t question his judgment.
‘I’ll tell Dad everything once we’re out anyway.’
No matter what Bennett thinks, I need to make sure he doesn’t talk.
I already had a plan to win him over.
“Anyway, we need to get past that wall of rubble. Got any ideas?”
Bennett had been stuck in this space longer—he should know something.
The blocked area was narrow, but there was more room behind us.
Just low in height.
“Actually… I saw a bomb back there. I think the cultists planned to use it…”
His tail perked up like a puppy’s, as he quickly added the info.
Still glancing around nervously, his eyes filled with lingering doubt and confusion.
Whatever. I turned toward the direction of the supposed bomb.
So they were planning to self-destruct if discovered, huh?
‘Wait, maybe I can use that…’
The ceiling could collapse at any time. Plus, Bennett—the plot-critical character—is still with me.
“Let’s use it.”
“…What?”
“I said, let’s use it.”
“W-What?!”
A little while later, I was holding the small bomb Bennett had brought over.
It looked like a gem, but worked like a stick of dynamite—light the fuse, then boom.
“Got it? As soon as you see an opening, grab me and run for it.”
“Y-Yes. But… are you sure this’ll work? If we hesitate even a little, the ceiling could bury us…”
“I believe in you. You look fast.”
I almost said I know you’re fast.
Bennett’s eyes widened, then his face turned determined.
“Understood… I’ll do my best to survive!”
He lit the fuse with his flint.
A bomb this small would only scatter stones—it wouldn’t collapse the entire place.
Still, it was all about how fast we could move in those crucial moments.
I sat and covered my ears.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave rattled through me.
‘Is this when I move?’
Just as I thought it—
Woosh!
My body was lifted.
“Aaaaah! Please let me become a Holy Knight if I survive this!!”
“…Whaaat?”
Bennett was yelling something, but I couldn’t make it out.
Dust filled the air, but I could only hope his sharper eyes would guide him through it.
“There!”
The moment I saw the aurora-colored ring, I also noticed a stone falling from above.
One second of delay—and we’d be crushed.
I grabbed Bennett’s hand and jumped straight into the portal.
“Jump!”
Our bodies were swallowed by the void.
The sensation of moving through the portal—
‘Ugh, I’m gonna be sick…!’
It was like being on a boat during a storm.
When I opened my eyes—
‘Did it work?’
The sight of green grass gave me a moment of relief.
Just for a moment.
‘…Oh wow.’
Then I looked around—specifically, at the people surrounding us—and I was stunned.
‘This is what people mean when they say “out of the frying pan and into the fire.”’
We had made it outside—looked like a garden, actually.
The problem? We had landed right next to a whole squad of Holy Knights.
They stood in formation around the portal artifact—guarding it, it seemed.
Judging by their spacing and posture, this was the Portal Watch Unit.
But the bigger issue was who they were…
“…No way.”
“Candidate? Milk?”
I shoved the dazed Bennett behind me.
The knights surrounding us were from the White Knights Order.
And their vice-captain—
“Well, well. Isn’t this our lovely candidate!”
—was Usher.
[Faction: Cult of the Evil God – Fanatic]
I saw the faction tag before I even saw his face.
The ridiculous part?
‘What the hell—this is supposed to be the Holy Knights?!’
Among the knights around us, several were clearly cultists in disguise.
“Candidate? Are you the one Pope Candidate Derek’s been searching for?”
“Yes, yes. Our precious young candidate—Sir Hella, wasn’t it?”
Usher took a step forward.
“Welcome, Candidate. You’ve been through so much. That sudden teleport must’ve startled you, huh? Old temples tend to be like that. Haha!”
This bastard. Making light of sacred ground like it’s no big deal, and he’s the vice-captain of the Holy Knights?
He smiled sweetly and held out his hand.
In that moment, I caught a glint of greed flash through his eyes.
“From now on, our White Knights will protect you.”
“Thank goodness, Candidate…! The Holy Knights are here!”
Bennett tried to get up, hopeful.
I grabbed his sleeve and yanked him back down.
“…Candidate?”
He looked confused.
But I didn’t panic.
‘You think I’d go with him after what I saw last time?’
For lunatic cultists, you call in the appropriate baseball bat.
In this case… a certain former hero who’s already whacked this guy once.
I called out the name I longed to say.
[Danger detected! Try summoning “Dad”!]
I tried to call him—
[Go ahead and say it!]
[Heehee! Daddyyy (Big Heart♡) I’m scared! Magical Summon~!]
‘What’s with these cringe instructions trying to embarrass me?!’
“Daaad!”
[Oops! Inaccurate summon phrase!]
[But “Dad” has answered the call anyway!]
[Tip: Inaccurate commands may trigger random penalties—be careful!]
I ignored the increasingly unhinged instructions.
All my focus went to the light gathering around me from the summon.
A hand reached out, parting the light.
And somehow—I felt safe.
The moment I saw the black glove, my chest tightened, and the tension drained from my fingers.
It felt… like coming home.
‘Even though I haven’t seen him that much.’
But my body reacted first.
Before I even fully saw him, I jumped forward into his arms.
It was awkward—but warm.
“Dad…”
“……”
He didn’t reply.
But the solid presence of him standing there calmed my heart.
‘Wait… what happened to his face?’
One side of his cheek was red.
Like someone had slapped him.
