Chapter 923. Gen (2)
“I’d like to thank you first for helping me,” I said.
“It’s fine. Like I said before, I was simply doing my job,” Gen said.
“If you hadn’t been there during that time, I don’t know what would’ve happened...” I told him.
“I’m sure someone else would appear if I weren't there,” Gen said.
‘Why is he so humble?’
'I’m telling you that I’m thankful.'
“You’re always humble... Mr. Gen... does my word make you uncomfortable?” I asked.
'Do you feel uncomfortable by the fact that I'm constantly thanking you? Did I do something wrong?'
“No, it’s nothing like that... It's just...” Gen paused.
“I was simply thanking you from the bottom of my heart. If that bothers you...” I said.
'So you're trying to say that I did something wrong...'
The honorary cardinal had made a mistake.
The innocent honorary cardinal had made a big mistake.
I looked down quietly to thank him from the bottom of my heart, but my actions were making him uncomfortable. I understood why he was uncomfortable, and it was probably because the Templars were ignorant of the outside world.
In other words, they had no idea that I was the type to express my gratitude to my benefactor.
It seemed that Gen's mind had gone blank in the face of my aggressive expression of gratitude. He didn't have the luxury of time to think about his next course of action. In the end, he did something surprising by kneeling down and getting on one knee.
“I was out of line, Father Lee Ki-Young. I didn’t think that you'd feel that way...”
‘What’s wrong with him?’
'He’s acting like he's some medieval knight.'
“Please stand up. It’s unlike you to act like this. I feel like I made things uncomfortable between us, and I feel bad about it. How about we sit down?” I suggested.
“...”
“Please sit, Mr. Gen,” I said.
“Yes, sir.”
He seemed more tense than the first time we met, and it was understandable.
He wasn’t used to situations like this, and it was also... pretty rude of him to summon me to this room.
Not only was he not the right candidate for this task, but he didn’t want to do it in the first place. However, there had to be something going on behind the scenes, as his actions were bothering me.
An example of this was the way he suddenly got down on one knee.
Of course, this was just my assumption, but...
‘You’ve completely fallen for the God of Sacrifice and Revival, haven’t you?’
I wasn’t sure whether he was aware of that or not.
I wasn’t sure whether our previous conversation was effective or if it was because of my actions during the previous prayer service, but I was probably acting like the honorary cardinal he had imagined.
I was acting like the saint who had sacrificed everything for the continent. He probably thought of me as some kind of great holy man. It was possible that a recent event had changed his thoughts or made me look holier in his eyes.
Gen was acting like he was serving a higher figure or someone who had to be worshiped.
“How about a cup of coffee? If you’re okay with that, I’ll—”
“I-I’ll do it, Father Lee Ki-Young,” Gen interrupted me.
“Please stay seated. I apologize for saying this... but I can’t imagine you making coffee,” I told him.
'His coffee probably doesn’t taste good.'
“I’m... sorry about that," Gen said.
“Hahaha, it’s fine. The Holy Knights seem kind of unfamiliar with things like this. It's actually surprising. Anyway, excuse me,” I said.
But there wasn’t any coffee, damn it.
I thought there'd be some coffee in the cabinet, but there wasn't any coffee in the cabinet.
‘Who treats a guest like this?’
However, there was some wine.
“There’s no... coffee,” I told him.
“I’ll ask them to bring some,” Gen suggested.
“No, it’s fine, Mr. Gen. It’ll make the other priests uncomfortable... I think it’s best if we talk over a glass of wine,” I suggested.
'It’s wine that I’m pouring for him on my own.'
“I honestly don’t like discussing Goddess Benigoa while drinking wine...” I confessed.
“...”
“But I enjoy drinking wine from time to time. Have you heard of people saying I enjoy drinking wine?” I asked.
I was trying to tell him that I wasn't that narrow-minded.
My words just now were pretty good.
“I haven’t...” Gen replied.
“I don’t enjoy getting drunk, but I do enjoy drinking with people I like. Like today,” I said.
“Thank you...” Gen mumbled.
“Is this... where you normally spend your time?” I asked.
“Not really...” Gen answered.
“I see. Then where do you...” I paused.
“It probably won’t be fun to hear it. All I have in my room is a desk, books I read, and weapons. I rarely spend time in my room. I spend... most of my time outside. I carry out missions, train, or pray... I’m sure it’s kind of boring for you...” Gen replied.
“Not at all. You’re part of the Vatican’s secret group, so there’s no way I'll be bored by your stories. Actually, I’d like to hear more,” I told him.
I honestly wasn’t all that interested, as their routine was pretty obvious.
Still, behaving like this was helpful.
A secret group within the temple...
The honorary cardinal, who loved every single part of the world, would definitely go crazy over such a story.
I made sure that my eyes would sparkle, and I also had to look excited about it. I had to make it enjoyable for him to talk about it. I was sure there were some things he couldn't tell me about, but there was still a high chance that he'd give me a useful piece of information.
Gen’s mission was receiving my approval.
If he wanted to fulfill his mission, he needed to give me information that was helpful but wasn't classified.
“Of course, if you’re uncomfortable about telling me...”
“It’s fine. I just... don’t know where to start...” Gen said.
“Then, can I ask how you became a Templar?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you the details, but I didn’t train with the Order of the Holy Knights,” Gen answered.
“Ah...”
“I remember training at a young age to do this kind of job. I had been spending my days at an orphanage managed by the Order until one day...” Gen paused.
“I see. I’m sure the training was tough,” I commented.
“There were times when I felt physically tired, but I was never mentally tired. Perhaps it’s because of the thought that I'll be able to serve Goddess Benigoa if I just persevere, but my mind was always filled with the holy spirit.
"Of course, I was different from the other children living an ordinary life, but I considered the fact that I was chosen to be an honor, and I remember being thankful for everything when I was chosen,” Gen continued.
“Goddess Benigoa is always with us,” I said.
“That’s right.”
“However, I’m sure all of that wasn’t because of her grace. You’re the person you are today because of your thoughts, your attitude toward life, your gratitude toward her, and your hard work,” I told him.
“Ah...”
“I’m sure Goddess Benigoa, who has been watching over you, will agree with me. That’s why you became an amazing Templar, and that's why you were given the role to praise her and make her shine even brighter,” I added.
‘It’s like he’s been living under a rock.’
“I see...”
“Of course, I can't speak for Goddess Benigoa. I'm simply telling you my thoughts...” I told him.
“That’s more than enough, Father Lee Ki-Young,” Gen said.
I just told him that all the time he had spent to become a butterfly was worth it.
It was possible that he was already feeling that way, but I was sure it felt different hearing it from the Son of Benigoa. As expected, Gen looked like he was feeling better.
We drank two glasses of wine, and the mood became better than I thought.
The fact that I didn’t ask any questions about why he had decided to request a meeting out of the blue was pretty effective.
Rather than urging him to tell me the reason behind it, it was better to listen to his story, exaggerate my reaction, and look at him with sparkling eyes. He looked like he had completely forgotten his mission.
Perhaps it was because he genuinely enjoyed spending time with me.
“I see. Did you receive that kind of training as well?” I asked.
“Yes,” Gen replied.
That was easy.
“I expected it, but it’s kind of interesting. I met Goddess Benigoa after crossing over to the continent... I’m curious about what it feels like to be with her the moment you’re born,” I commented.
I needed to be careful because I didn’t want him to know that I was trying to extract information from him.
“Amazing, haha,” I laughed and clapped my hands exaggeratedly.
I was actually acting a bit too relaxed. I was always tidy and quiet. Naturally, the people respected me a lot. In other words, laughing and clapping like a child would make me look out of place. Showing my drunk side as an honorary cardinal could disappoint some people, but at least Gen wasn’t disappointed.
I was actually showing my true self.
Although I had heavy responsibilities and burdens, I enjoyed worldly things and was no different from other people. This setup was working on him. I felt like I finally knew why those jerks brought some wine here, but their move was great for me as well.
I was laughing in a comfortable manner, which I only showed when I was around people I really liked. In order to show I was slightly intoxicated, I fanned myself with my hand and placed my chin on my hand.
“Are you okay?” Gen asked.
He obviously worried about me. He looked so worried about me that I felt like my worry about getting kidnapped by him was pointless. It didn’t make sense from the start, but I felt stupid for even considering the possibility.
‘It’ll hurt them more.’
Things would become really chaotic if I were to suddenly disappear from the Vatican. In addition to giving Father Basel the justification to execute his plan, the believers would go crazy as well.
To make matters worse, Ji-Hye noona had already spread the rumor that Father Yohan and the Templars were the culprits behind the recent incident, so if I were to go missing, all hell would surely break loose.
The Holy Knights and the Heretic Inquisitors would barge into Father Yohan’s room.
He’d be questioned, and he'd end up getting hanged.
‘Huh?’
The nation would annihilate the remaining Templars as well.
‘Huuuh?’
The Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary would be immediately revealed, and they’d be able to skip the complicated parts that were supposed to be unskippable before one could reach the dungeon.
‘Huuuuh?’
I glanced over at Templar Gen and saw that he was still staring at me with a worried face. He seemed to have completely forgotten about his mission, and it seemed like he didn't have to complete his mission tonight.
‘I wonder how long it’ll take to win him over.’
One month? One week?
Perhaps that would be enough for Ji-Hye noona to take care of all of it.
“It’s really late, Father Lee Ki-Young. You should return...”
I was sure we’d have more meetings like this.
Moreover, only a few peopl were aware of this secret meeting of ours.
‘Should I use my charm on him?’
It would be kind of random, but I appeared to be really drunk.
I was filled with holy power, but I couldn’t hold my liquor.
I decided to talk in a sad way.
“Mr. Gen.”
“Yes?”
“H-Have you...” I stuttered.
“Yes?”
“Traveled the world... have you explored the continent?” I asked.
I was a saint trapped in responsibilities and burdens.
And the knight who would kidnap—no, set me free was right in front of me.