After everyone had left,
the Saintess stayed behind to speak with the Pope alone.
The elderly Pope had weathered countless hardships, yet he still stood straight and looked full of energy.
"Your Eminence, you know everything that's happened recently."
"So I'll get straight to the point."
"The future of the Church rests with you."
The Old Pope spoke earnestly.
"Ancient things are destined to perish."
"The Demon King and the Hero have long since become legends."
"The evil dragons have disappeared, and the Alpha bloodline that has returned is completely different from what it was before."
"Even though the Seed of Desire still remains in the Seven Sins' court, it's no longer the Seven Deadly Sins of old."
"The same goes for the Church."
"Decades ago, I advocated reforming the Church. That was what restored its reputation."
"Decades of effort have been undone somewhat by the deaths of the previous two Saintesses."
"I'm old now. I can't lead another reform."
"You're still young. Don't be so rash. Take your time and gain experience. The two Saintesses before you were good girls, too."
"They were just too young."
Ria furrowed her brows. "Your Eminence, what do you mean?"
The Pope made it sound like he was delivering his last words.
"Nothing. I'm just saying some things that shouldn't be said." The Pope reached beneath the meeting room table and tapped lightly. The tabletop opened, revealing a safe inside.
He opened the cross around his neck and revealed a key.
Inside lay a pristine white sword hilt, a battered black crown,
and a notebook.
"What's this?" Ria asked.
The Pope carefully took out the white sword hilt and gently wiped it clean. "That girl named Leticia collected several so-called holy relics, didn't she?"
"Think about it."
The image of the fragments flashed