I Obtained Sword God Level Talent

32 – 032. Blessing (2)

The Vatican’s morning starts at a very early hour.

“Haaam…… Already bored to death.”

*Flap!*

Bishop Cleo muttered as he checked the Vatican’s entry log.

Truthfully, there was nothing to check. From the beginning, the number of priests able to enter the Vatican was not that high. And it was impossible for there to have been any guests last night.

Unless there was a special religious ceremony, entry for outsiders was strictly prohibited.

“Were there any abnormalities last night?”

“No, sir. Not even an ant dared to stir.”

“Hmm.”

Cleo stroked his chin at the answer of the Holy Knight commanding the main gate guards.

Now, he had nothing left to do. There were no special visitors scheduled for today, so he was just going to disappear for a while to kill time.

Just as he was thinking this and turning around, a strange sight caught the edge of his vision.

“…Huh?”

It was a carriage pulled by four massive, powerful steeds.

Judging by the horses’ impeccable condition and the carriage’s lavish ornamentation, it was clear a guest of exceptional status had arrived.

‘That flag…’

*Gulp!*

Gleo’s eyes, which had been lazily surveying the carriage, widened in shock.

The Northern Grand Duchy.

What he saw was the flag of that very Grand Duchy. A black eagle on a stark white background. The only family in his memory to use the symbol of the black eagle, ruler of the desolate north, was that one.

*Clack!*

The carriage came to a halt in front of the Papal Palace’s main gate. The door then opened, and three figures emerged from within.

Two men and a woman.

First, Gleo’s gaze was captured by the woman’s appearance.

Platinum blonde hair, gleaming brilliantly, and piercing blue eyes. The sword hilt at her waist and the emotionless expression that revealed not a hint of feeling spoke to her identity.

“The envoy of the North has arrived, I see. Welcome. I am Bishop Gleo, in charge of access control for the Papal Palace. What brings you to the Papal Palace?”

Gleo bowed deeply, doing his best not to appear surprised.

Even a priest of the Papal Palace, the center of the church’s power, couldn’t act carelessly before a member of the Imperial Northern Grand Duchy.

Gleo wasn’t an oblivious priest who’d dare to treat a guest of Britzharte thoughtlessly.

“We’ve come for a visitation.”

“A visitation, you say…?”

The reply that immediately came back was rather unexpected.

‘Does someone at the Papal Palace have ties to the Grand Duchy?’

Of course, there would be. But what puzzled Gleo was whether someone had such a close relationship that the ‘Grand Duchess’ would come to see them in person.

“Was an appointment made, perhaps? If not, did you declare your visit and obtain permission?”

Gleo asked, using the kindest tone he could manage.

The Papal Palace wasn’t a place anyone could enter as if it were their own house. That was why he was in charge of access control.

“No.”

“……?”

“We did not make an appointment, nor did we obtain permission.”

“What in the—”

Gleo cocked his head in confusion.

That question was directed at the Grand Duchess.

But then, one of the men beside her suddenly jutted out, answering instead.

“Hey there. Can’t you see we were in the middle of a conversation?”

Bishop Cleo didn’t bother hiding his displeasure.

Judging by the man’s pale complexion, he, too, seemed like some nobleman’s son. But that didn’t give him the right to interrupt Maria the Grand Duchess and his conversation.

…At least not unless he was of royal blood or something.

“I’m just here as someone who wants a meeting.”

“Hmm?”

Cleo’s gaze shifted back to the man.

He didn’t recognize the face. Which meant, considering he managed access to the Vatican, that he was someone quite removed from the center of power.

“…Please go back. The Vatican isn’t a place anyone can just walk into.”

Cleo waved him off, politely.

Even if he was a guest of the Northern Grand Duke, that was their problem. In the end, they needed the authorization of Cleo, who managed entry, to get inside the Vatican.

“If my memory serves, there should be a new ‘blessing’ holder here. Isn’t that right?”

“…What did you say?”

“I’ve come to meet her.”

At the man’s continued words, Cleo’s expression hardened.

That was ‘top secret’ information, the access to which even Bishop Cleo had barely managed to secure.

He’d only figured out the truth because of the rumors lately circulating, so how could this outsider know about it!

“A blessing is a grace from the gods that many receive, surely there are more than one blessed by the gods in the Vatican? This unannounced visit is an insult to the Vatican, please, go back. Come back with permission next time.”

Bishop Cleo uttered curtly and turned away.

His mind was a mess. The sudden appearance of Grand Duchess Maria at the Vatican and the weight of her guest’s words was far greater than he anticipated.

“Ariel.”

“…!”

“Ariel la Helios. A mage from Helios, who was transported here to the Vatican about ten days ago… the owner of the [Divine] blessing.”

Cleo’s eyes widened, as if they might tear.

“H, how do you know that…!”

“If her mind is clear, please tell her. Frey has come.”

“F, Frey?!”

At the unexpected name, Cleo’s mouth fell open.

That man, that was him.

A new Saintess candidate, Ariel la Helios, and the man who’d been with her at the scene had come to the Vatican!

“B-But! I can’t just grant access to the Vatican as I please! It’s against regulations!”

Gleio was being unusually stubborn.

From his first impression, the man hadn’t sat well with him, which was why his voice had come out so abruptly.

“Is that so?”

The man, Frey, unexpectedly conceded. Gleio, emboldened by this, was about to add another comment.

“What if I told you I’m chosen by God?”

“……What is that?”

It was too sudden, an absurd and preposterous story.

No. He was a chosen one of God? If a high-ranking priest, maybe a cardinal with a fiery temper, had heard that, he would have cursed him out immediately.

How dare someone utter such nonsense in the Vatican, the very pinnacle of faith!

“Can you take responsibility for that claim?”

Gleio asked, his face as cold as ice. Even to such a question, Frey just shrugged and replied.

“Yes. Go ahead and confirm. Bring the best means, the Holy Grail, if you like.”

“……!”

He even knew the secret of the Holy Grail!

Gleio was shocked once more. Frey, what on earth was the identity of this man? He was growing curious.

* * *

Wooong——!

“……”

The Vatican.

The bastion of faith where the Pope of the Sacred Order and numerous cardinals resided.

“Umm……!”

In a large room deep within, an unusual golden light shone down.

It wasn’t sunlight streaming through a window. It was the ‘holy power’ generated by high priests surrounding a woman that was the source of the light.

“Your Holiness. Her condition is not improving.”

“……Things are taking a difficult turn.”

Five high priests were desperately chanting healing spells, but there was no noticeable reaction.

The Pope gazed at the unconscious woman with heavy eyes.

Ariel la Helios.

The rising star of Helios, a woman who’d become the youngest senior mage of the Magic Tower, lay pale as death.

“Why… why does the Lord test us so?”

It had only been days since the Pope received the shocking voice of the divine.

The Goddess of life and death spoke to him. The death of the child who would become a great apostle of the gods was imminent, he must hasten to save her.

‘Apostle.’

The apostle mentioned by the gods was still a woman with the last vestiges of youth. Her affiliation was ludicrous. How could someone destined to be an apostle be living as a mage?

“Ughh…”

Pope Sullivan’s expression grew even heavier.

Helios’s Magic Tower handing over her custody wasn’t the real problem. Rather, it was the man found at the scene with her that troubled him.

According to reports from the Holy Knights, this new apostle had reached death’s door trying to save that man.

There was also the report that traces of a powerful, high-ranking miracle were found. It was likely that their assessment of the situation was correct.

“Why did you throw away your life so recklessly?”

Pope Sullivan had so much he wanted to ask Ariel. If possible, he wanted to ask the man who was there with her too.

But things had gone awry. At the accident site, ＜The Gleaming Sword Slaughterer＞ had appeared out of nowhere and taken the two men away.

“Everyone, rest now. I will personally perform divine magic.”

The Pope, having gone back over the events of the last few days, spoke slowly.

“…Understood.”

The priests, drenched in sweat, bowed their heads. Then, one by one, they left the room.

“Child.”

Sullivan’s deep eyes turned towards Ariel.

His gaze was filled with pity. How did this young girl receive the grace of the gods? And where had she been, what had she been doing to appear before them dying?

*Swish…*

He slowly, then, raised both hands.

A child who has lost the source of life.

Even the healing spells of all the high priests had not shown a single sign of restoring her vitality. It was time for the head of the Church himself to add his aged strength.

But then.

“Your… Your Holiness!”

“Hmm?”

The Pope’s brow twitched as he was about to unleash his divine magic.

Predictable though it was, hearing such an urgent voice in the quiet Papal residence was not a pleasant thing.

About ten days ago, that same voice was heard when God delivered the new oracle.

Remembering that, Sullivan flicked his hand. The closed door of the secret chamber instantly flew open.

“Forgive my impertinence. Y-you see, there’s something massive happening outside!”

“…Hoh! Massive, is it?”

Pope Sullivan, a living ‘saint’ of the Church, waited patiently for the priest to continue.

“I-it’s! That man has appeared! The Holy Grail! The one chosen by the Holy Grail has appeared…!”

“W-what?!”

The Pope couldn’t believe his ears. Sullivan’s knees buckled at the news, which was far more shocking than he’d anticipated.

He quickly forgot the words ‘that man.’ What mattered now was the sentence that followed.

The Holy Grail? The one chosen by the Holy Grail had appeared?

“H-hahahaha!”

A laugh, thick with disbelief, burst from his beard.

The master of the Holy Grail.

What that meant was simple.

Pope Sullivan.

Ariel, the new saint candidate.

And with them… another possessor of [Divinity], that most sacred blessing from God, had appeared.

“Is this even possible!”

The Pope muttered to himself as he hurried out of the secret chamber.

He had to see it with his own eyes.

The fact that two more masters of the Holy Grail could exist in the same era was a precedent-setting event, not recorded in any history book!

“Where is this person?”

“He’s in the chapel! It was Bishop Cleo who presided over the Grail’s recognition!”

The Pope’s pace quickened as he walked. The priest, trailing beside him, didn’t stop talking.

“Hoh! If that blockhead acknowledged it, then it must be true!”

Tap.

Walking hurriedly, Pope Sullivan soon arrived at the chapel.

Had the rumors already spread like wildfire throughout the Vatican?

Already, the area in front of the chapel was teeming with high-ranking priests, a sea of faces.

“Your Holiness!”

A priest squeezed through the crowd.

It was Bishop Cleo, the one who managed access to the Papal Palace. He looked as if he’d seen a ghost, his face drained white.

“…Is, is he inside, with him?”

“Y-yes, he is!”

“Hmm!”

The Pope shifted his weight, taking a heavy step.

At the same moment, the eyes of all those gathered in front of the chapel turned to him. They were filled with a strange yearning, as if desperate to know the truth of what had just transpired.

*Kreeeeeeak—!*

The massive chapel door began to open, slowly. Very slowly.

“…!”

“Gulp!”

“W, wha…what?!”

Simultaneously, stunned gasps escaped the mouths of the priests.

The chapel, wide open.

At the far end, a man was kneeling before the altar, his hands clasped in prayer.

*Shhhrrrrk…!*

Rippling light swirled, like a blessing on the birth of a new saint, or a Holy Grail Knight. It danced beautifully above his head.

“Hoooh!”

The Pope, letting out a gasp, slowly approached him. Indeed, Bishop Cleo’s words had been true.

Before the kneeling man was a large, clear golden chalice.

The Holy Grail.

Inside that chalice, which would normally be empty… clear water was springing forth.

“……”

Meanwhile.

Frey was experiencing something absurd.

*‘Can you hear my voice?’*

At first, he’d simply been following the epilogue scene of the ＜Divine Order＞ route out of curiosity.

But now, someone whose identity was unknown had a voice echoing in his ears.