Chapter 10

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TL: LILY PR: BELLIS

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I stared at him dumbfoundedly. Zahid asked as he impishly laughed.

“What, should I do it for you?”

“…”

I had a feeling that if I left it up to him, he would blow off her head instead of her cheek.

I shook my head slowly.

“We’re in front of my siblings. I want it to pass without creating a scene.”

“You’re too kind, with great patience. Good at restraining yourself.”

“Can you just call me a sane intellectual?”

Who would take care of my siblings’ education if I lose my temper and slap her cheek? Because Countess Mazelyn was a renowned tutor, I planned to restrain myself a little.

Even if it meant upset feelings, I wanted to give Charles and Ethan the very best. Since Zahid and I were whispering closely for a while, Countess Mazelyn lightly coughed. She must have been quite offended by the insult to her face, but her irritation visibly disappeared when hit by Zahid’s exquisite beam.

As if he had just noticed her, Zahid acknowledged her.

“Ah, Countess. My greetings were late.”

He was still tightly hugging me. Leaning his face towards mine, he spoke.

“We’re still newlyweds, so I can’t take my eyes off my wife.”

“You’ll excuse us?”

When Zahid asked this with a gentle smile, Countess Mazelyn nodded, bewitched. After a few more exchanges, she left in a daze. With both cheeks blushed, it seemed like she completely forgot the foolishness from before. This moment clearly displayed the way he had lived his life thus far.

This was the problem.

No one can handle Zahid’s face.

His appearance could make even shit sound plausible. He had the nerve to tell lies as if they were the truth, so Zahid must have toyed with people like this up to now.

Unbelievably, I stared at him. Zahid arched his eyebrow, as if he did nothing wrong.

“You are really something…”

He questioned after hearing my tired voice.

“Like what?”

“In many ways.”

“It’s too early for praise.”

He laughed lowly.

“I’ll show you more astonishing things from now on.”

“…”

As I was at a loss for words, Zahid laughed slyly and asked.

“Shall we go, madame?”

A thought suddenly popped up. I’m definitely the wife of a protagonist, but it felt like I married the villain instead.

***

remember to wash your hands or you’ll catch these hands

The Vatican wasn’t very far from the empire. It was about the size of a small city and was extraterritorial, which meant that the pope ruled over the country. Esis was the only god every country in the continent worshipped, and the leader of the religious groups obeying Esis was the pope.

The pope was in a position where even the emperor had to treat him with care, and the Vatican was his palace.

“We have to walk from here.”

Zahid said this as he stopped the carriage by the Vatican’s square. This was where even the emperor must cross through on his own two feet. It’s said that the emperor actually walked through the square.

Zahid descended from the carriage first, and I held his hand as he escorted me off. I awed at the view unfolding before me.

When I was young, I visited the Vatican with my parents and siblings. However, I couldn’t remember much as I was unaware of anything at the time. I now stared at the Vatican with new emotions.

In order to emphasize God’s importance, the Vatican was more extravagant and ethereal than any other building. It was the pinnacle of architectural beauty where the souls of artists took root in. A white marble building was centered where the open square unfolded.

The air around the structures of dazzlingly white marble and fold were enough to overwhelm anyone. On the roof, there were statues of Esis and twelve angels. All thirteen stared down to the core of the square, where there was a sculpture of the traitor Aurantium moaning as she was pierced by the holy sword.

The scene depicted Aurantium, the leader of the devils, suffering from the god’s punishment. The view was a definite pressure on anyone entering the square. Ironically enough, Aurantium’s womanly form as she screamed from the holy sword piercing her heart was quite desirous.

Slim thighs, curved breasts and hips, they were all well defined under the tattered fabric. It was as if they wanted to elicit a sexual desire for Aurantium. Surrounded by unknown emotions, I was unable to take my eyes off the sculpture.

Zahid nodded as he slowly walked besides me.

“Shall we take a look at it for a second?”

“Would that be ok? His Holiness is waiting.”

“So what. Someone longing for something should wait.”

I slowly wandered towards the statue. Her fingertips reaching to Esis were delicate and deplorable. The ruby eyes seemed as if they were filled with blood. The sole god Esis, twelve angels, and the traitor Aurantium were all important factors in the original story. It describes the origins of wizards and the religious bodies of Esis, but the details were more specified in the second half of the story. As someone who dropped the novel midway, I didn’t know anything about it.

So this was Aurantium…

As I thoroughly examined it, Zahid asked me a question.

“Do you like it? Should we have something like this in our house?”

“…Even if that was a joke, no.”

I’d have nightmares if I had something like this. We proceeded to cross the square. As Aurantium’s statue is left behind us, Zahid spoke.

“The pope of this era, Zenosius, is a dangerous man”

“I see.”

“He’s a little mentally ill, so we don’t know what he’ll do.”

I was about to reply ‘like you?‘ but held myself back just in time. I asked another question instead.

“His Holiness knows you’re a wizard. Maybe that’s why he invited me over?”

Zahid suddenly grew quiet. The bustling sounds of the square settled down between us for a long moment.

I unconsciously held my breath.

He was expressionless.

The cold look shredded my heart to pieces. Underneath the cool stare, laid a cruel curiosity. An interest that wanted to shatter me apart to learn what was inside. My heart tensed. I didn’t want my last breath to be within the Vatican’s square.

My eyes darkened.

However, the terrifying moment was short-lived. Zahid suddenly sighed, brushing back his hair as he murmured.

“Ah, I should be careful. My wife knows so much.”

The sharp tension that was on the knife’s edge visibly disappeared. He kissed my frozen forehead and spoke.

“There’s nothing you don’t know. I would actually believe you’re a prophet.”

Quickly hiding the fear tightening my chest, I went with his joke.

“I heard it’s important for couples to trust one another. Why don’t you believe me now?”

Zahid laughed loudly when he heard my words. The people wandering around the Vatican glanced towards us. While they had looked over without much thought, their jaws dropped as soon as they caught sight of Zahid. I blushed slightly out of embarrassment when people stared dazedly.

Even so, the center of attention paid no mind to it. Instead, he started teasing me with drivel, like how they were all staring at me because of my beauty.

“Stop talking nonsense and answer me.”

Zahid started speaking more seriously when I started scolding him.

“If I break the seal and start using magic, then it’ll be widely known… But as of this moment, there are only three people under the heavens who know that I am a wizard.”

Me, you, and His Holiness.

After listing them out one by one, he nodded.

“I can control all four elements, so His Holiness thinks greatly of me. Naturally, he would wonder about the duchess…”

He smiled winsomely.

“You’re probably right, Ertha.”

His Holiness ‘thinking greatly’ of Zahid was clearly not good. I recalled the first meeting between the two from the book.

A pope who loathed wizards, and the first wizard to manipulate all four elements. It was not a good start to a positive relationship. The pope held great holy powers, which enabled him to recognize active wizards. This meant that right from the start, the pope and Zahid revealed their true intentions without hiding a thing. They were on opposing sides and, as they were so similar to each other, felt hatred for their own kind. Now, the people willing to kill the other were in the same place. I prayed for a safe return home.

Frowning at the Vatican that beautifully gleamed under the sun, Zahid spoke.

“Anyways, you don’t need to be worried. I’ll protect you no matter what happens.”

The paladins and priests greeted us once we arrived at the Vatican building. They led us to a different place, separate from the normal visitors. While walking along the corridors lined with marble pillars, I stared at the paladins. A harsh memory resurfaced when I gazed upon their white armor. I smiled bitterly as I remembered the unforgettable day when I was fifteen.

Zahid glanced quickly at my face, but said nothing. Due to his background checks, he knew how I felt seeing paladins. Instead of comforting me with meaningless words, he held my hand tightly. While I received a small bit of comfort from the intertwined hands, I did not lean on the warmth emitting from it.

I knew how useless that warmth would be.

It took us a long time to arrive at the main hall with the paladins and priests. This place was mainly used for Esis’s birthdays or other important events.

In front of the large doors, Zahid naturally tried to follow me. However, the paladins stopped him. The ones clad in white armor announced politely.

“Duke Carnor needs to wait here.”

The pope wanted a private conversation with me. A normal person would be moved to tears if this happened to them.

However, neither I nor Zahid were normal.

“A private conversation…”

Zahid’s eyes narrowed.

“I am honestly offended.”

With a smiling expression, he stabbed at them.

“Telling me to leave my wife with a man alone.”

A priest behind him grew flustered and shouted.

“Duke Carnor, Sir!”

Zahid casually glossed over it.

“I apologize. My obsession with my wife is quite extreme.”

It was quite offensive of him, unconsidering of status. The priests and paladins reddened at the vulgar insult. Inwardly, I clapped as Zahid still smiled charmingly at the incensed crowd. Zahid must have outstanding power, given how he hasn’t been killed by a sword by now and was still completely fine. A short catfight occurred, but it was ultimately decided for me to enter the hall by myself. Kissing my hand, Zahid spoke.

“If anything happens, call my name as loudly as possible.”

I wanted to reassure him that nothing major would happen, so he shouldn’t worry about it. Nonetheless, I quietly nodded. Even I felt like something might blow up.

The door opened, before immediately closing as soon as I entered. Silence fell and I carefully looked forward. Red velvet, symbolizing the blood of martyrs, was draped on the floor, and three columns were stacked together at the end. There, a golden throne was placed on top.

The man sitting atop the throne wore an ivory silk robe, sewn with golden thread. With long dangling silver hair and an ethereal appearance, he was the Holy Pope Zenosius. I curtsied slightly as I greeted him.

“I am Ertha Arles Carnor, and I pay my respects to the one who looks up to God and sees all mighty things..”

The pope motioned silently with his hand.

Grabbing the ends of my dress, I continued forward, stopping at the proper distance. However, the pope beckoned me forward again. After several repeats of the stopping and beckoning, I went up the columns, arriving uncomfortably close to the throne.

It must be unusual to privately converse with the pope this close. While I was tense with nervousness, he looked up at me without speaking. Black doe-like eyes silently gazed at me. His face was so beautiful, it was easy to mistake it for a girl’s. The thin facial features and downward sloping eye added to his pure appearance. However, I broke out in a cold sweat the moment he smiled. As I had predicted previously, this person was on the same level as Zahid.

He was definitely dangerous and batshit insane. I felt like a pinned butterfly under his observations. Parting his full lips, the pope spoke.

“You’re Ertha Arles.”

He chuckled as he omitted the ‘Carnor’ surname. Unrestrained laughter filled the empty hall.

“Had I known you were this beautiful, I would have called you earlier.”

I couldn’t understand his words in my distress. As my head filled with questions, the pope sighed.

“I should have laid out a net when there were still debts… How pitiful.”

I couldn’t keep up with the conversation. The pope smiled as he continued and questioned me.

“Ertha Arles, are you the purifier?”

My mind blanked, and I feigned ignorance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Holiness.”

“It’s ok if you don’t. We can find out now.”

Rolling up his long sleeves, the pope motioned with his hand. The previously calm air inside the hall started distorting.When light started shining brightly above me, I focused on the ceiling, where a large magic circle was inscribed. Strange shapes and mysterious letters combined in a complex form within the circle, where light started to gleam. As soon as it was illuminated, the runes interlocked with each other and finally glowed white. The interlocking process spread through everything in an organized manner, finally reaching the door. The runes there also followed suit and glowed white.

The situation was turning strange, and so I called out a name.

“Za-Zahid…”

My uselessly small voice trembled in fear. The pope smiled softly as he chided me.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no use. Your husband cannot set foot in here.”

However, I didn’t care. Grabbing the ends of my dress, I screamed as loudly as I could.

“Zahid!!!”

A moment of silence. A dull thud echoed through everything, and with a bang, the building shook. The pope snatched my wrist and I fell into his embrace as the blows continued. He laughed loudly.

The moment the fourth blow arrived, the tightly shut doors ripped apart like fragile wood. Splintered fragments spilled across the hall. As the smoke billowed out, a slim figure appeared, a long cape flowing from his back. The culprit responsible for bringing the beautiful halls to ruin elegantly stepped onto red velvet.

“Is the conversation over, Ertha?”

Zahid languidly smiled as he asked.

“Shall we go home?”

wear a mask or I’ll take you to task

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