Chapter 376: Meeting The Pope
While eating, one Holy Knight approached our table. He was stopped by Adeline who had recovered and was back to being Saintess Amelia's maid.
It seems that he was there to pass on some message and after having talked to Adeline, he went back.
Adeline then approached us.
"Saintess Amelia, Holy Knight, wants to pass on the message to Saintess Amelia and Sir Jester."
???
Zero was confused. It was okay if the message was for Saintess Amelia, but for him?
"Adeline, what was the Holy Knight saying?"
"Saintess Amelia, the Holy Knight was carrying a message from the pope. He sent a message requesting your and Sir Jester's presence."
"Pope!"
The Saintess was startled and thought about the conversation that they had yesterday where the Pope talked about wanting to see Zero. She thought that might be the reason for calling them.
Zero had also listened to the message and quickly lost interest. He thought that it might be some information that might help with finding out who is the traitor from the church, but it was just someone calling him.
Though he knew that the Pope was the head of one of the strongest and most influential organizations, he didn't have much interest.
He shifted his focus back to food and continued eating.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
Saintess Amelia asked. Both are confused and surprised by Zero's behavior.
Zero looked up from his food, his expression unchanged.
"I'm eating."
He replied casually.
Saintess Amelia was clearly taken aback by Zero's indifference. Many people want to meet with the Pope and don't get the opportunity, and here was Zero who found the food to be more important than going to meet the Pope.
"The Pope specifically requested your presence, Sir Jester!"
Adeline said, her voice tinged with concern. She was afraid that Jester/Zero was ignorant of church power.
"Yes, we should probably go meet him!"
Saintess Amelia said.
"Just eat! If it was urgent, he should have come to me. Since he had called me when I was eating, I will go meet him after breakfast."
Zero said, not showing any will to move unless he finished eating.
Saintess Amelia also had no choice and sat down and continued eating breakfast. Anyway, even if she goes, she knows that it would not be good as the Pope probably wants to meet Zero.
…..
"I'm stuffed! It seems that my appetite has increased a bit"
Zero finally pushed his empty plate away and stood up, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"..."
Saintess Amelia and Adeline didn't know how to react. He first ignored the message from the Pope and continued eating. After eating around 10 servings, he said that his appetite had increased by only a bit.
They didn't know what to say to Zero. It even occurred to Saintess Amelia that Zero might have forgotten that they were ordered to meet him by the Pope.
"Alright, let's go meet the Pope."
He said, with a hint of annoyance at the interruption of his meal. Zero was not really interested in meeting the Pope but knew that he couldn't ignore orders. And he thought that it might be his chance to also see whether the Pope was a good man or similar to the Pope of his world.
Saintess Amelia and Adeline were relieved after hearing that. Judging by Zero's act, they thought that he might just ignore the order.
They were escorted inside by the Holy Knight, and after going through a series of corridors and chambers, they finally reached the Pope's private audience chamber. The Pope was seated on a throne-like chair, his regal robes and imposing demeanor commanding respect.
Along with him, there was also a woman called Hildred who is a cardinal. Saintess Amelia was not very happy to see her but didn't show it on her face. As for Zero, he was rather excited to see Cardinal Hildred.
He thought that maybe if she was the traitor, she would show something that he could investigate. It was much easier to know one's enemy when he/she picked the fight first. If the traitor stayed hidden without doing anything, there was not much Zero could do.
With them, there were also many Holy Knights of high rank and one of them even seemed to be Rank-S.
"Your Holiness!"
Saintess Amelia greeted respectfully, bowing before the Pope. However, Zero didn't bow and stood while staring at the pope.
Saintess Amelia also noticed that and tried to urge Zero to bow with her stare. However, Zero ignored all the states even though he saw them.
The Pope acknowledged Saintess Amelia's greeting with a nod and then turned his attention towards Zero, noticing his lack of respect. However, he didn't say anything and had a smile on his face.
"Jester, show some respect in the presence of the Pope. Saintess Amelia, is this how you teach your servant?"
Cardinal Hildred interjected, her voice sharp with disapproval. She was indirectly attacking Saintess Amelia.
Zero raised an eyebrow, looking unimpressed.
"I think I have already shown respect by responding to the Pope's request."
He said, his tone neutral but his eyes locked onto the Cardinal Hildred.
Zero's words seemed to catch Cardinal Hildred off guard, and her expression faltered for a moment before she regained her composure.
She never expected that a mere commoner would actually dare to speak that way to her and that also in the church where they had all the forces ready.
"Respect goes beyond mere responses."
She retorted, her voice tinged with annoyance.
"It includes showing proper reverence for the Pope, the leader of our faith, and not standing defiantly before him. How can you show such behavior to the Pope who is working for the Goddess?"
Zero smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You don't need to teach me who I should respect and who not to. I show respect to those who deserve it!"
He replied, his tone challenging.
"And as for the Pope, I will judge for myself whether he is worthy of my respect."
The Holy Knights were frowning, however, they didn't overstep their boundaries. As long as the Pope doesn't give the command, they would take no action. However, they felt anger and didn't like Zero.
Saintess Amelia worriedly glanced at Zero and then the Pope. She never expected that Zero would behave in such a way. However, she didn't intend to blame Zero for anything, rather she was thinking of how to mend the situation so that he doesn't get affected by today's event.
"YOU! Do you know where you are? Who am I?"
Cardinal Hildred burst into anger. She was never treated like this. She was the second most powerful person after the Pope and every person had to show respect to her, even if that person was a Saintess or a powerful person.
She wants to order the guard to capture Zero and teach him a lesson. However, before she could, the Pope raised his hand to command the Cardinal to stop speaking.
Cardinal Hildred unwillingly stood down and kept quiet. However, inside she was burning with anger and her eyes were glaring at Zero with hatred.
The Pope remained calm and composed. There was still a smile on his face and he didn't seem to be affected by what Zero said.
The Pope looked at Zero with a keen gaze.
"Sir Jester, I have been wanting to speak with you."