I Became The Pope, Now What?

"That's the Burning Mountain. Home of what used to be the Wild Forge," Sylvester pointed at the distant shining peak of a mountain. Normally, they'd have seen it from up close, but as they were traveling on the Desert Road, the mountain was some distance away. 

"Woah! I read about it in books. Can't you stop that fire and start the Forge again, Godfather?" Rex asked with intrigue. "I want a legendary sword too." 

Sylvester hummed and looked, remembering the frightening experience he had when he tried to explore the ruins. Although Nehlius had told him there was an entrance to his realm, he still believed there was some other creature living there since he had sensed life. 

"Why do you want a legendary sword?" Sylvester turned the little slip of the tongue from the boy into a full-fledged lecture about duty, honor, and kindness, a true signature move from someone as old as him. 

Boom!

"Godfather! Look above!" 

Sylvester looked up and noticed a few boulders falling down from the Wall of Void adjacent to which the Desert Road ran. However, since the boulders were further in the distance ahead, he didn't react other than stopping. 

"My students, today you will see how non-violence can solve anything as long as you have absolute strength," Sylvester announced all of a sudden and waited a few seconds. "There they are." 

From a distance on the left, behind the various dead trees, thirteen men came running, some of them on horses. They looked like crooks with bald heads, well-proportioned muscular bodies, and skin filled with scars. 

"Hehe… Who would have thought it'd be our lucky day? Hand over all you have, Clergyman, or we will kill you!" 

Sylvester smiled and waved his hand. The thirteen men were instantly affected as if they were ragdolls and got thrown into a hole at the side of the road that Sylvester made with simple Earth magic. Then, he filled the hole so that only their heads were visible while they struggled to free themselves. 

"Do you regret it now, bandits?" Sylvester asked the thirteen men. 

"Y-Yes… M-Mercy please… Lord…?" 

"The Pope." 

"..."

Sylvester didn't bother anymore and moved the carriage, "By the evening, the sun will be directly hitting them. If they can't get out, they shall be cooked." 

"But… That's not non-violence," Rex pointed out. 

"I wasn't violent. It's the sun that will be taking care of them. I left them a chance to leave if they can, so if it's in their fate to live, they shall be safe," Sylvester replied and continued towards their destination. 

Much different from the past, Sylvester noticed the land didn't look as barren as before. Instead, there appeared to be crops starting to grow on a vast field of land. But, the real shock came when they had to cross a bridge over a wide canal. 

Slowly, but eventually, the distant massive castle came into their view. Standing upon a higher land than the rest of the city around it. 

"That is Castle Ashstone, and the city around it is called Ebony City," Sylvester introduced the five to this place. "A few years ago, when I fought against the Grand Duke of the Path, this castle was destroyed. But Lord Einarr did a great job and rebuilt it in preparation for the rightful heir, Queen Xylena, whom I saved from the Divine Desert." 

"I wanna save a princess too!" Rex chirped and looked at the massive castle with expectations. "Is it surrounded by lava like the books say?"

"Of course. That is one of the reasons why this castle was the last stronghold against the tyrannical Grand Duke," Sylvester added and finally entered the city. Since he was wearing the Clergyman's robes, flying the Pope's flag, the guards didn't stop him. 

Unlike other cities, Ebony City didn't need to worry about protecting the royal castle as the natural lava moat protected it. So, the city guards were more laid-back. Traders were pouring in and out; the crowd was bustling as the refugees that ran away had returned. 

"Business seems to be booming," Sylvester muttered, seeing the various shops as he made his way to the drawbridge over the lava moat. 

Of course, this time, they were stopped. But Sylvester simply raised his hand and made light come out of his palm while illuminating the back of his head with a halo. "My brothers in faith, your Pope has come to meet with your young Queen." 

With widened eyes, the four Royal guards frantically fumbled with their spears and shouted around to lower the drawbridge for the Pope to pass. They didn't know if they should let the Pope in first or kneel first. 

Thud!

"Welcome back, Your Holiness—I… I was with you in the peasant army against the Grand Duke years ago," one of the guards voiced excitedly. 

Sylvester felt amused. 'I only gave them a few days of training at best. It seems Einarr didn't disband the peasant army after I left.' 

"May you be blessed and rise in the ranks, young man," Sylvester waved and moved the carriage over the moat that was spewing hot air, trying to burn their breaths. Magical runes were inscribed on the bridge to keep it from collapsing under that incredible heat. 

It was over fifty meters wide, and another gate waited for them on the other side. However, it was already open, so Sylvester picked up the pace and quickly went in. Soon, the scenery changed around them as lush trees appeared on the sides of the road. Though they weren't green, they held vibrant yellow or orange colors. 

Thud! Thud!

Just as he came closer to Castle Ashstone, he noticed various horses coming towards them from the front. They were galloping towards them. At the front was the largest stallion with an even more excited person sitting on its back. 

"That's Queen Xylena Blackhart," Sylvester pointed, teaching the five. "Be at ease. You all are Bishops and members of the higher Clergy. You represent me."

Woosh!

"Father!"

Xylena brought her horse to the side of his carriage and masterfully leaped out right on top of him. She grabbed him by his neck, embracing him in a tight hug. Wearing leather pants, robust boots, and a tunic with light chainmail above, she looked more like a warrior than a Queen. But her cute, innocent face had slowly turned into a charming beauty by now, with her ashen black hair contrasting her ivory skin. 

"Father?" Rex, Ella, Emara, and the rest exclaimed. 

Sylvester laughed and patted his adopted daughter's head, "Well, I saved her from desert cannibals and adopted her. Xye, meet this little one. Her name is Ella, and she is your sister—my new adopted daughter." 

Xylena left Sylvester's embrace and looked at the little girl sitting beside him. Her short blonde hair and little baby face were all that Xylena needed to invoke her big sister persona. She grabbed Ella quickly and hugged her. "My little sister? Hehe… So cute!"

'She's still as cheerful as ever,' Sylvester at least felt calm, knowing things were going well for the Blackhart kingdom. 

The rest of the way, Xylena didn't leave his carriage and doted on Ella, while playfully teasing Rex as she knew him already as the Prince of Highland. 

Eventually, they stopped at the huge castle's entrance and got down. Once again, Xylena jumped and hugged Sylvester for a longer while. "Woah… your body feels as solid as rocks." 

Sylvester patted her head and walked in with her, "I became a Supreme Wizard." 

"I know, and I have much to thank you for," Xylena said and pointed at the stacks of wooden crates sitting near the wall of the castle's entrance. "As you ended the war with Beastaria, the elves, dwarves, and dragons have begun ordering our spice wine in massive amounts. I had to hire another person to do accounting for the money."

"Your Holiness," Lord Einarr, the time-stopping Grand Wizard, arrived just then and knelt. "May the Holy Light enlighten us." 

"You got better?" Sylvester amusedly asked, sensing a higher concentration of solarium in the man's body. 

The black-haired, short-bearded man bowed his head in respect, "All because of your blessings, Your Holiness. Without your financial support, the Blackhart kingdom would still be in ruins." 

Sylvester went ahead and gently gave the man a brotherly hug since they had previously battled for life, "Forget what has passed, my friend. Since I came here for a much more important matter." 

"What is it? Another war? Can I fight, too?" Xylena excitedly asked. 

Sylvester shook his head and stared at his adopted daughter to give her a scare, "I'm here to talk about your marriage."

"What? Fuck no!" 

"..."

Sylvester's brows furrowed, "Felix… That scoundrel. He's been a bad influence on you." 

Xylena scoffed and folded her arms. She had an utterly beautiful face, but her mannerisms were of a warrior, proud and wild, "I will only marry when I find a strong man as smart as you, Father—none other can ever interest me." 

"Ehm!" Right away, Noah, the black-haired middle-aged member of the Hive Project with the third rank, stepped forward cheekily. "Allow me to introduce myself, Your Majesty. I am Bishop Noah, with wits that rank third in the entire So—"

Bam!

Noah suddenly found himself lifted off the ground as someone caught his collar from behind. He couldn't see but heard the voice and felt shivers. 

"Hands off my daughter—I didn't bring you here to flirt." 

"..."

"U-Understood, Your Holiness. I was merely joking." 

Sylvester turned the man around while dangling in the air and brought his spine-chilling face close to him. "Is that so? They why do I smell the aroma of rose and sweat?"

"I-It's natural… Even my blood smells of roses… Your Holiness."

"Should we check it then?" 

Noah gulped. 

"Become a Grand Wizard first, then I might consider marrying you to her," Sylvester suddenly placed him on the ground and grabbed Xylena's hand to lead her away. "Lord Einarr, please bring these five to their rooms. I must discuss something important with Xylena first." 

"Understood." 

With that, Sylvester and Xylena left swiftly. However, amidst all that, they failed to realize that the one who should be making the most noise at that moment was too silent. 

Rex, just a little over ten years of age, stared at Xylena's leaving figure, his eyes shining with a strange hue at the same time. For no reason, he felt his heart race a little, his face warm, but he didn't understand why. 

'Then… If I become a Grand Wizard… I can marry the pretty big sister?'

_________________

Thank you for reading. Gifts and GT votes are highly appreciated.