Upon hearing my question, the Pope showed an inscrutable smile.

Then he slowly walked over and sat down on a pew in the chapel.

“Long ago, when I had just ascended to the papacy, a prophecy came down. It was a terrible prophecy that would shock all the faithful.”

“…What kind of prophecy was it?”

Once again, the Pope smiled.

However, the words he uttered along with his smile were not something one could listen to while smiling.

“It was a prophecy that our world would be destroyed by monsters born from human hands.”

“…What? Monsters born from human hands… Are you saying you received such a prophecy? Why didn’t you announce it?”

According to doctrine, the ability to foresee the future was a gift bestowed by God upon His most beloved servants.

Therefore, only those with this ability could ascend to the papacy.

In other words, a prophecy referred to ‘information about the future discovered through ability’ by those awakened ones who had ascended to the papacy.

Because it was seeing and revealing the future through a special ability granted by God, prophecies never went astray.

For this reason, when a Pope received a prophecy, he had to announce it to everyone.

Whether it was a negative prophecy or a positive one.

But to receive a prophecy about nothing less than the end of the world and not announce it until now.

The Pope let out a faint sigh and resolved my curiosity.

“It’s not that I didn’t announce it, but that I couldn’t announce it. According to the prophecy, the one who would bring about that destruction was… none other than His Majesty the Emperor.”

“…Ah.”

“How could I announce a prophecy that the Sun of the Empire would bring about destruction? Even a newborn child could predict what kind of ruin would befall the Church if that were announced.”

Only then could I understand.

Although the imperial power has weakened considerably now, it wasn’t so when the Pope had just received the prophecy.

At that time, the previous Emperor was still alive, and he cherished Ernant dearly.

If he had heard a prophecy that his own son would bring about destruction in the future, he probably wouldn’t have stood idly by.

He might have taken it as an insult to the imperial family and used his mighty authority to oppress the faithful.

Meanwhile, the Pope continued speaking.

“So after the prophecy came down, we trembled in fear every single day. We prayed to the Lord every single day. Please have mercy on Your creatures and grant us salvation, we begged.”

“…”

“And seeing the faithful praying so desperately, I—”

The Pope bit his lip and with difficulty continued his words.

“Felt as if my heart was being seared with fire.”

“…”

“Because of the prophecy I had conveyed… because of that terribly unfortunate prophecy, everyone was trembling in fear.”

After finishing those words, he closed his eyes for a moment as if in prayer.

His eyes wrinkled slightly as if holding pain in his mouth.

Probably recalling the painful past, he continued speaking to me with a still sorrowful face.

“It felt like everything was my fault. If my faith had been deeper, if I had been more devout, could I have avoided such a prophecy… Such thoughts kept coming to mind.”

“…”

“But my child. The Lord is merciful.”

Smoothing out his furrowed face, he smiled again.

Without needing help to stand, the Pope got up from his seat and slowly approached me.

“Exactly 10 years after receiving that prophecy, I received another prophecy.”

“…?”

“It was a prophecy that a silver knight protecting the Empire would travel back in time and defeat the destruction that would befall our world. Do you know who that silver knight is?”

Unable to answer due to the confusion in my mind, he provided the answer for me.

“It’s you, Yulia.”

His fingertips, white as marble sculpture, touched my cheek.

He caressed my cheek with a careful touch as if I were a fragile glass ornament.

“The merciful Lord gave us salvation along with despair. Salvation in the form of you.”

“…”

“You wondered why I adore you when I’ve barely even had a proper conversation with you? How could I not adore you? You who are the salvation of the Empire, and my salvation as well.”

Salvation? I thought it was nonsense.

“I’m not such a grand pers—”

“Thanks to you, I was freed from guilt. I, who felt my heart tearing apart watching the faithful tremble in fear, was finally liberated from that pain thanks to you.”

“…”

“Since the prophecy came down, your very existence is already salvation. Now the faithful no longer fear. They only believe in and are grateful for the salvation the Lord has given us, which is you.”

Somehow I felt my shoulders grow heavy.

Prophecies and salvation, I had never thought about such grand things.

I had only been desperately fighting to overcome the obstacles that came before me.

“The prophecy you received, Your Holiness… Are you certain that the ‘silver knight’ in that prophecy refers to me?”

“You are quite doubtful, aren’t you?”

“I’m not doubting that the prophecy is wrong. It’s just that I thought maybe… maybe the silver knight could be someone else—”

“No, I can know for certain. The silver knight refers to you. I can truly be sure of it.”

Saying he could be sure, the Pope gently caressed my cheek once more.

As that touch felt strangely ticklish, I tried to step back slightly in a manner that wouldn’t be rude, but before I could, he withdrew his hand first.

Looking at me, who was probably wearing a slightly tense expression, he showed his usual clear smile.

“You must be tired today, so please rest well.”

“Thank you, Your Holiness. I will depart as soon as I recover. I don’t know how I can repay this kindness…”

“No, there’s no need to feel burdened.”

The Pope bowed his head slightly and extended his hand to me.

When I reflexively placed my hand on top of his outstretched hand, he left a kiss on the back of my hand with his soft lips.

“I hope you will use me as much as you wish.”

Afterwards, the Pope prepared a place for me to rest.

Treating me with an extremely attentive attitude, as if he had become my personal servant.

Even when I declined, saying there was no need to go this far, he wouldn’t listen and only asked if there was anything else I needed.

Does he truly consider me a savior?

Anyway, now that it had become a dark night, I was resting my body in a guest bedroom located in the main building of the Grand Cathedral.

“…”

I couldn’t quite feel at ease.

It would have been more comfortable if he had given me somewhere like a stable, but the room the Pope provided was far from a stable.

It was a large and luxurious room almost on par with the Emperor’s bedroom.

“…”

As I lay on the bed, quietly looking up at the ceiling densely painted with frescoes, I suddenly felt bitter.

If the silver knight mentioned in the prophecy wasn’t me, if it turned out not to be me, would the Pope still show such kindness then?

The reason he said he adored me and provided such attentive treatment was all because he believed me to be the savior.

In other words, what he adored was the ‘silver savior’, not ‘Yulia’.

But I couldn’t be certain if I was really the savior in the prophecy.

While a ‘silver knight who traveled back in time’ certainly wouldn’t be common, you never know.

Since ‘silver knight’ is quite a common title in the Empire, there might be another silver knight who traveled through time.

So what if another silver knight who seems more like a savior appears?

The Pope would instantly withdraw the warm attention he had been showing me.

What would happen to me after that?

As my thoughts reached that point, I unconsciously frowned.

“…It’s dangerous.”

I felt sorry towards the Pope, and his attention was very burdensome, but for now it seemed I would have to pretend to be the savior and take maximum advantage of his favor.

If I didn’t, I would end up captured by Ernant.

Perhaps even now, Ernant might be searching for me.

Because he was a man with an extreme obsession over his possessions.

To survive, it seemed I had no choice but to rely on the Pope’s favor for now.

Suddenly, the words he had said to me flashed through my mind.

−”How could I not adore you? You who are the salvation of the Empire, and my salvation as well.”

The image of the Pope smiling at me with infinite benevolence as he said he adored me came to mind.

That thing called guilt began to scratch at the corner of my heart again.

“…”

To erase the Pope’s face that kept appearing in my mind, I forcibly closed my eyes and tried to sleep.