NOVEL NEXT It has been four months since the Goddess descended to the ground.
During this time, I was constantly ill from the aftermath of Sacred Power exhaustion, but I recently managed to regain my strength.
However, the pain in my body still lingers. The pain in my right leg is particularly severe, causing me to walk with a limp.
I guess I’ll have to keep moving like this for a while.
There’s a chance that this pain may last a lifetime.
It’s an injury that cannot be healed by Sacred Spells or blessings, so all I can do is pray for a safe recovery.
“…Oh Sun, couldn’t you have helped a little?”
I firmly decided that I would never again try to gather Sacred Power for the descent by myself.
Having reached the level of a demigod, I thought I could manage it, but…
In reality, it was too much. Ultimately, it was a reckless attempt, even for a demigod.
Anyway, aside from my leg, there were no other painful areas, so I decided to resume my duties as the Archbishop starting today.
“Finally back.”
Yao, who came to escort me since morning, smiled and handed me an iced Americano.
I accepted the coffee and smiled back.
“To be honest, I would like to rest for at least another year.”
“Why don’t you tell that to the Archbishop instead?”
“Am I crazy?”
“I sometimes wonder if you might be. A sane person wouldn’t think about gathering Sacred Power for the Goddess’s descent alone.”
“……”
Speaking in fluent Korean now, delivering facts left me with no rebuttal. Instead of arguing, I just sipped my Americano and hobbled along.
Limping.
Walking was uncomfortable, so Yao helped support me.
When we arrived at the Pope’s Chamber, a humanoid with a talisman on its forehead waved to greet me.
[^ㅁ^/]
My secretary, Kim Ji-yeon, changed the talisman designs into a bright smiley face emoji. In contrast, her expression remained blank, but the corners of her mouth subtly lifted.
“Oh Archbishop. Finally returned? A warm welcome!”
“…Looks like the character limit has increased a bit.”
“Hahaha, did you notice? It’s now six characters. I speak in units.”
A slightly improved bizarre way of speaking compared to before, when she used to break it down into four-character segments.
They said she had been repaired gradually after being crafted with highly advanced technology.
It was a bit disappointing, but at least she could be fixed, which was a relief.
“Let’s keep working hard together.”
I slapped Kim Ji-yeon on the back and sat down.
After taking a moment to drink my coffee, I tilted my head.
“But where is the Archbishop?”
“He’ll probably be late today.”
Yao replied while taking out a mango-flavored zero cola from the fridge.
“He went to Seoul with his new disciple Han Hee-jun. There’s a meeting scheduled with government officials regarding the Grand Temple.”
“Aha….”
Lately, they’ve been constructing our church’s Grand Temple in Incheon Seo-gu, which has been treated as a holy land since the Goddess descended there.
This was initiated not by our request, but by the government’s initiative.
Apparently, they decided to actively incorporate Kelaout’s opinions regarding its size and appearance.
So it seems the building will emphasize simplicity rather than grandeur, since the Goddess dislikes extravagance.
“When will he be back?”
“Probably around 5 PM? But he told me to complete any tasks without him. He’ll check on things when he returns.”
“…I see.”
The Archbishop was as thorough as ever. Since I’m still in pain, I wish he’d let it slide just this once.
I sipped my coffee and leaned back in my chair.
After zoning out for a while, I tentatively suggested, “How about we take a little picnic?”
“…Suddenly?”
“I guess waking up early for the first time in a while makes me really sleepy and tired. If we enjoy the fragrance of nature right now, it will surely boost our work efficiency.”
I didn’t really know if this was true, but I just rambled on. Trying to hide my true intention of ‘not wanting to work’.
“That’s not allowed.”
“Come on, let’s just rest for a bit.”
“If we get caught, I’ll get scolded too…”
Now the Holy Knight, who had become somewhat seasoned, awkwardly refused, but couldn’t resist my persistent pleading and finally agreed.
“Okay, but just for 30 minutes?”
“Thank you.”
I clapped my hands lightly with a smile from my heart. Then, from the shadows, a sturdy tiger popped out.
“Did you call for me?”
The once massive Void Monster, White Tiger, approached and rubbed its face against mine.
Sweeping its head gently, I locked eyes with it.
“I’m planning to visit the beautiful spot we went to last time. Please take me there.”
“Understood.”
With a polite nod, White Tiger lowered itself, making it easy for me to climb on.
Then it glanced at the other two and growled, showcasing the horns that had grown between its eyebrows.
Specifically, it was baring its teeth toward Yao.
“Apologies, but I cannot allow a non-virgin to ride!”
…Yao is not a virgin?
My eyes widened in surprise.
“Since when have you been dating someone?!”
“……”
Yao avoided my curious gaze and muttered softly, “I’ve been dating Hain since a month ago. I confessed first, and he was flustered but accepted.”
Thinking back, she did mention that a muscular guy like Jo Ha-jin was her ideal type. I never imagined she would actually become a couple.
“Congratulations! But now that you’ve won Jo Ha-jin’s heart, you can’t get close to White Tiger anymore.”
“Ugh…”
Our Void Monster, who has fully activated the traits of a ‘Unicorn’ absorbed from the Demon World, has now become a living virgin detector.
A twisted tendency that brings unnecessary shame to women.
Thus, even while our Guardian Dragon Hekatrith received immense love, White Tiger had remained low-key, not showing off to the public.
Instead, they had been working diligently as both my pet and bodyguard. Occasionally, they also served as a means of transportation.
“White Tiger, please use shadow movement.”
“Understood.”
Politely responding, White Tiger stood up and released shadows that enveloped Yao, Kim Ji-yeon, and me.
In an instant, my vision turned dark.
Although the darkness was a bit suffocating, it didn’t take long for the shadows to dissolve.
Soon, the scenery before me wasn’t the interior of the Pope’s Chamber, but the vast landscape of a mountain glade.
‘This is it….’
As I breathed in the fresh air and admired the stunning view, energy surged in my head, which had been plagued by drowsiness and lethargy.
I knew it would be like this.
This place was a perfect spot for modern people who had lost their peace of mind. It was suitable for anyone, even those like me who lacked motivation.
“Please drop me off there.”
I asked White Tiger to let me sit on a rock shaded by a tree. Kim Ji-yeon and the top Holy Knight took their seats beside me.
Then, there was a moment of silence.
Even without saying a word, it wasn’t boring.
The scent of wild herbs from the trees, the lively chirping of birds, and the cool breeze blowing.
Just sitting still felt as if I had become one with nature.
No, it wasn’t just a feeling. Having become a demigod, the boundary between the world and ‘me’ as an individual had collapsed.
At that moment, I was literally a part of nature. Just like the trees and rocks scattered around.
So I could sit here all day without getting bored.
“Ahhhh….”
However, unlike me, the superhuman Yao seemed bored, yawning widely with her half-open eyes.
“Are you sleepy?”
“If I close my eyes, I think I’ll fall asleep immediately.”
“In that case, I’ll have a quick look and listen first. That way I can start work promptly afterward.”
Originally, this was something Kelaout did for me every morning, but since he was away now, I had to rely on the other two to convey the information instead.
“That sounds better. Hey, Robot. Let’s hear what’s going on.”
Yao nudged Kim Ji-yeon with her elbow. The dazed humanoid quickly snapped to attention and began reporting.
“The first issue is the volunteer group.”
“Oh, right. There’s a group doing service activities led by the Saint, Reeve. The members are Reeve, Icle, Rema, Koruaegenin, and Jun-seok Hwang.”
“…Quite an unusual combination.”
Since the Saint normally worked in the field, I could understand Reeve’s inclusion. But bringing along the Evil God, Great Demon, the Great Demon’s minions, and even Jun-seok, who secretly stirred up trouble with the nickname ‘I Want to Get a Job’?
It was easy to deduce that someone had gathered this troublemaker group.
“Did the Archbishop send them?”
“Yep. She told Reeve to take them to help people in need. Thanks to consistent character education, they all seem to listen well. Sometimes they rebel, though.”
“Good. Please tell Reeve that we appreciate her continued efforts.”
As I spoke and gestured, Kim Ji-yeon produced the second matter. It wasn’t particularly significant.
“Wip is writing.”
“Finally getting to it? It took a while.”
Wip had a meeting with Kelaout and his sister three months back after my request.
As I expected, she recognized Wip immediately despite being reincarnated as a Dark Elf and cried profusely.
It was surely an emotional reunion.
The issue was that after that, the two of them traveled together, deepening their sibling bond. Because of that, the promised re-serialization kept getting postponed.
It seems they have finally resumed writing after all this time.
“Please tell Wip that if he stops serialization again, it will mean excommunication.”
I had read Wip’s writing while resting, and it was indeed entertaining. So I planned to personally oversee it this time to ensure he wouldn’t stop again.
“Understood. Robot, next topic.”
“Okay, thinking.”
The humanoid secretary tapped her temple for a moment, then continued reporting.
But perhaps because we had taken a long break, each matter turned out to be special.
First, the hero duo Psycheless and Lilith were learning Sacred Spells from Kelaout. This was to thoroughly undo the brainwashing that Cubica had fallen under.
They reported some progress lately, so we might soon hear some good news.
Meanwhile, Guardian Dragon Hekatrith was acting as Erin on ‘Wise Erin TV’ in my absence.
It seems she mostly patrols and coaches the returnees in China who the Chinese government couldn’t handle, and she has gained immense popularity on iTube due to her straightforward remarks.
She even surpassed a million subscribers in just three months.
“When she sought my permission, she clearly said she’d only do it lightly…”
Thanks to our Guardian Dragon’s activities, Erin had become a nice but aggressive “Cider Path.”
Is this really okay?
I felt a bit worried, but for now, I decided to let it be. Erin, who was overloaded with work as the Tower Master, probably wouldn’t come over to this world anyway.
Still,
I was pleased to hear that she was successfully guiding irredeemable villains onto the right path.
“And additionally, a few days ago, Hekatrith discovered other-dimensional villains that Sister Cat had lured into this world for the purpose of collecting evil.”
“…I see.”
Abigail, who devised a plan to eliminate all villains on Earth, was currently imprisoned in a returnee jail in the United States.
According to Quick Eagle, who visits her daily, she has been thoroughly reflecting on her misguided beliefs, especially after witnessing the Goddess with her own eyes.
Because of that, she had also revealed the rough locations of dangerous villains who had been hiding until now.
“When are we planning to catch them?”
“They’ve already been captured.”
“…So soon?”
“They teamed up with Liam for a covert operation. For now, they’ve been locked up in the Void Prison.”
“Excellent.”
While I was away, everyone seemed to carry on and finish their tasks seamlessly.
So maybe it’s alright for me to rest like this? That was a thought I couldn’t bear to voice in front of Kelaout.
“Looks like that’s all for the report.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After smiling at Kim Ji-yeon and Yao, I called White Tiger and laid myself comfortably on its back. I leaned back completely.
The soft fluff of its fur was softer than any sofa.
While it was originally tough as steel, it had been intentionally softened for my comfort. A considerate act from the wise Void Monster.
“Thank you.”
In the midst of petting White Tiger’s remarkable head, a translucent humanoid resembling Kim Ji-yeon, Witness, appeared and waved at me.
– Archbishop, there’s a call for you.
-Hainha here. Shall I connect you?
“Please do.”
As I gazed at the clear sky and replied, a polite voice soon rang in my ears.
– Hello, Archbishop. How’s your health?
“I’m doing fine.”
– That’s a relief. I was worried.
“But why are you calling me?”
– I have something to discuss.
Being the quick-witted agent that she was, Hainha quickly got to the point.
– The mansion promised to you as a returnee benefit is almost complete.
This news was more delightful since I hadn’t expected it at all.
– I asked for help from the returnees, including Psycheless, and they all gladly assisted, allowing us to build it faster than planned. You should be able to move in soon.
“Thank you for your effort.”
I smiled as I rubbed my lower belly.
‘Perfect timing.’
A sanctuary for our family has been created.
It was a much-needed gift for me, who was pregnant with our fourth child.