PASP Chapter 15

“…That’s a more difficult question than I expected.”

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“It’s no problem, Your Holiness. Please don’t worry.”

D’Élysée responded with a smile. His expression genuinely showed that he didn’t mind at all.

“I just…”

D’Élysée closed his mouth after opening it. He lightly lifted the handle of the teacup. The cup that had paused for a moment approached his lips. It was such a brief moment that even he couldn’t have noticed it.

“I only pray that positive changes will occur under the guidance of the Lord.”

“I see.”

D’Élysée swallowed the bitter tea. It meant that he hadn’t forgiven yet. Even he wasn’t sure when that time would come. His brother probably wouldn’t have caught the hidden meaning.

“Thank you for your honest answer. Someday, your wish will come to light.”

For some reason, a smile appeared on the Pope’s lips as he looked back and forth between D’Élysée and Egru. The sound of the ongoing banquet late into the night seeped through the window crack.

“Despite countless hardships, you’ve grown up so admirably. I’ve heard much about the Commander’s capabilities. I heard your academy grades were the highest among all past commanders.”

“You flatter me. I’m merely grateful for the Lord’s grace.”

“It truly fills me with emotion to be here with you like this. From now on, indescribably joyful days will unfold for you. Please lend me your strength by my side, Commander.”

“There’s nothing I can’t do for the honor of the church.”

The atmosphere in the space where the Pope and the Commander were chatting was warm and friendly. Gentle laughter never ceased, accompanied by warm black tea and chocolate cookies. Refreshments that hadn’t been offered to Egru appeared readily from somewhere.

‘I wonder what those taste like?’

Egru unconsciously licked his lips. He tried to imagine, but having never tasted them, he had no way of knowing.

‘Maybe they’re salty?’

Yes, like delicious cheese.

Egru was settled alone in a corner behind the sofa. Like a dust-covered sculpture, no one disturbed him. He appreciated the happy scene of the two people at a distance, as if looking at a picture.

He didn’t feel left out at all. It was a very familiar situation. A life of solitude was nothing out of the ordinary for Egru.

Recently, he had been working part-time cleaning carriage windows. Even cutting into his sleeping time at night, he headed to the central square where the grand fountain was located.

It was the central axis of the system and a traffic-heavy route. It was a passageway leading to various parts of the island, where all busy carriages would pass through at least once.

There, Egru held a bucket in one hand and a mop in the other. He approached the driver’s seat of carriages caught in traffic jams with quick steps.

“Sh-shall I clean your carriage window, sir?”

“…You’re covered in soot. Did you just come from chimney cleaning?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I can tell by looking. You look naive, it’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

The driver said, calming the old horse that was shaking its head.

“Give it a try. Be careful not to disturb the madam sleeping inside the carriage.”

“Th-thank you, sir! I’ll finish in the blink of an eye!”

“…Work with your wits about you.”

“Huh? Yes! I understand!”

“No, I mean your main job. The guy next door to me was also a chimney sweep, but he died getting stuck in a flue. And the guy next door to him died suffering from tuberculosis. Damn, those jobs should be given to mixed breeds. They weren’t the kind of people who should have died like that.”

The driver seemed to mistake the soot-covered Egru for a human. Egru could only smile awkwardly and pull his hooded robe down further to cover his pointed ears.

In any case, it was quite a profitable job. Above all, since it was a job he had come up with on his own, he liked that he didn’t have to give a cut of his earnings to the guild.

On days when he had some financial leeway, he would pack a meal and go to work. If he could fill his hunger even once a day, he could work all night long.

Egru’s designated spot was under a street sign. A place where dust swirled thickly among the clattering hooves. The area was always accompanied by the stench of horse dung.

He couldn’t go near the meticulously maintained grand fountain. That was no place for a demon-human hybrid. He had to keep his distance out of obligation.

Nevertheless, Egru liked the central square. It was always full of delicious smells. While seeing often required payment, at least smelling was free.

He diligently stuffed dry flour bread into his mouth, parched from hard labor. At the same time, he imagined the taste of food sold at the restaurant across the street. Even though he knew the taste wouldn’t change just by imagining.

Grumble.

It was then that an embarrassing stomach growl sounded.

“Ah…!”

Egru’s face turned red at D’Élysée’s disapproving gaze. The Pope covered his mouth with his neatly folded hands.

“Oh my, I’ve talked too much while we have a guest.”

“Not at all, Your Holiness. Please feel free to stay longer.”

“No, I should get going now. Once again, congratulations on your inauguration, Commander.”

D’Élysée stood up together to see the Pope off. As the Pope received a kiss on the back of his hand from the Commander, he approached Egru for some reason. D’Élysée frowned as if he was somewhat uneasy.

“You said you like cheese, little believer?”

“Y-yes, that’s right…”

Egru glanced at D’Élysée. His brother’s expression behind the Pope looked very uncomfortable.

‘You don’t need to be jealous of me…’

He must really like the Pope.

A contented look spread across Egru’s face. As a brother, he felt somewhat emotional.

‘When did he grow up like this…’

To be able to harbor such passionate emotions. Even his clumsy expression of affection was pleasant to see.

“Then you’ll surely like cheesecake too. It’s especially soft and delicious, filled with cream cheese.”

“C-cream cheese?”

Egru’s eyes widened at the Pope’s words.

‘I’ve never even tasted cake…’

Let alone a cake made of cheese. He couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

“It should be enough for you to eat your fill. I do hope you’ll like it.”

A benevolent hand stroked the dark brown hair. Though startled at first, Egru quietly received the Pope’s touch. A small smile bloomed on his face as he tightly closed his eyes.

“I hope we can talk again next time. As I said before, I have many questions for you, little believer.”

“Oh, th-thank you so much for today, Your Holiness. And, and no one has ever been curious about me before, so thank you for asking me so many things…”

“That’s strange. You’re a very interesting and fun person.”

Even at these formally polite words, Egru’s heart soared. As Egru’s cheeks reddened, D’Élysée’s eyelids trembled slightly. The Pope, gently bowing, whispered into the pale green earlobe.

“We have a lot in common, you know.”

“Wh-what kind of…”

“To name one.”

The purple eyes that turned bashfully landed on D’Élysée. D’Élysée was suddenly smiling, as if he had never frowned.

“Don’t we adore the same person?”

“Yes! Yes!”

Egru agreed, hopping up and down on the spot.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about, little believer?”

“Ah…”

The Pope’s figure was reflected like a mirror in the amber eyes. The snow-white hair flowed down softly. It sparkled as if light was caught in each fine strand.

“Um…”

Egru cupped his hands around his mouth. The Pope willingly offered his ear.

“Did you hurt your ear, Your Holiness?”

“!”

The Pope was momentarily surprised at the small whisper, but soon smiled.

“Does it look that way?”

“W-well, I hurt my ear before too, so… You looked somewhat different…”

“Hmm.”

The Pope, stepping back, quietly placed Egru’s blood vial in a special box.

“I’ll tell you next time we meet.”

“Ah…”

“Then, I hope you two have a pleasant conversation.”

As the Pope held the blood box to his chest, D’Élysée opened the office door. The two parted with a nod to each other.

“Ah, um…”

The farewell was so sudden that Egru couldn’t catch the Pope in time. As the door closed, a layer of tears welled up in the amber eyes. Egru bit his nails hard.

“Oh no. It seems His Holiness doesn’t like mentioning his ears.”

“……”

“D’Élysée, did I perhaps ask something rude?”

“Well, I didn’t know he was injured.”

D’Élysée sat comfortably on the sofa.

“But who is this Salbarnel?”

“Oh, the, the Pope…”

“Have you fallen for him so hard that you’ve already made up a nickname? You approach anyone so easily without hesitation.”

“Huh? No, that’s not…”

“Not what? His Holiness doesn’t have a separate name. He only has a title as the highest authority of the church.”

D’Élysée spoke in a mocking tone.

“It’s been that way for hundreds of years. When even his exact age is unknown, how could his name be public? If you had the mind to spout nonsense, you should have paid attention to His Holiness’s reactions first.”

“Ah…”

Egru became dejected. He wondered if he had incurred the Pope’s dislike.

“Speaking of names…”

D’Élysée asked, reheating the cooled black tea.

“How did you know the name of the first hero? It’s information that’s strictly confidential in ancient documents.”

“Huh?”

“D’Élysée Belered. My name is exactly the same as the first hero’s, down to the last letter.”