"Pardon me, Mr. Diomedes."
After dealing with Lia's matter, Iver, who had suddenly gained a daughter, seemed somewhat reserved.
He gave Mr. Diomedes, whom he had left hanging for quite some time, a slight nod and apologized softly. "I was a little busy with my own affairs..."
He did not treat him as coldly as Minister Drost had, simply because Diomedes had been "transferred" to him.
Diomedes, for his part, had not paid attention to Iver's earlier muttering. Although Iver could converse with Lia in his mind, some things had to be spoken aloud to be sincere.
Texting "I love you" and embracing someone while whispering "I love you" conveyed entirely different emotions and messages.
Yet the guardian spirit with the square face now looked at Iver with a complicated expression.
"Bishop, you... who exactly are you?"
He finally could not hold back the question any longer.
He could clearly sense the Dedication Path within Iver. Iver truly was a genuine Bishop. That was precisely why he remained loyal to and obeyed Iver.
However, after pausing briefly, Diomedes added, "Of course, if it is inconvenient for you..."
"I am one hundred percent Iver. I simply knew Miss Bayard in the past. But regardless of my identity, that does not affect my respect for a Pope Guard. Thank you very much for standing with me just now."
Before this trustworthy guardian spirit, Iver offered a somewhat more honest answer.
He truly could not say anything more... It was not that he did not trust Diomedes, but that he would not be able to keep his story straight if he continued. After all, the Iver of this world line had no aptitude for the Path of Transcendence.
"...That is not entirely impossible to understand."
Diomedes fell silent for a moment before sighing.