First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 35

 

Passing through the wooden sliding door about three meters high, the first thing that came into view was a massive statue hanging on the front wall.

 

The statue was looking down at the earth with a benevolent smile.

 

‘Could that possibly be me?’

 

Though it looked completely different.

 

Well, when would humans have had a chance to see my true form?

 

I’ll just have to accept it as it is.

 

“It’s the Statue of Horus.”

 

Kise added from beside me.

 

…Right. It’s not me, it’s this.

 

Below the statue was a rectangular altar.

 

Blue flames burned from six candles placed on the altar.

 

The multicolored light streaming through the stained glass settled into the dark sanctuary, creating an eerie atmosphere.

 

And in front of the altar.

 

-…

 

Someone in gray priestly robes was kneeling with hands clasped together, fervently reciting something.

 

It was an elderly man with graying hair.

 

Was he praying?

 

I listened carefully to the old man’s voice.

 

-…grant this. So please let your servant find eternal rest in your embrace. Amen.

 

After finishing his prayer, the old man rose and extinguished the candles on the altar.

 

Though the only light source in this space had disappeared, it wasn’t dark enough to prevent distinguishing objects.

 

Moonlight still provided dim illumination to the sanctuary, filtering through the stained glass.

 

“Your Holiness.”

 

Merry’s voice echoed hollowly.

 

“I have returned after completing the mission.”

 

“…Yes, you’ve worked hard.”

 

The Pope slowly turned around.

 

I faced him directly.

 

He had an ordinary appearance, like a neighborhood grandfather.

 

The Pope looked into my eyes and smiled kindly.

 

“It’s my first time meeting you, Your Highness the Prince. I am a faithful servant who serves Pluton, the Eighth Seat of the Demon Realm. My name is Nicola Grayman.”

 

“I’m Cael de Argent. Please feel free to call me Cael.”

 

“I couldn’t possibly do that to Your Highness the Prince of such high status. Your Highness may also speak comfortably.”

 

“That’s fine. I’m more comfortable this way too.”

 

After pondering whether to use formal or informal speech, I just went with formal speech.

 

No matter how small a sect it might be, even royalty shows appropriate respect to someone who’s a pope of a religious order.

 

There was also the visible age difference.

 

Using formal speech felt natural here.

 

“Your Holiness Nicolaus… would it be appropriate to address you this way?”

 

“Such an expression is too grandiose. However, if Your Highness finds it comfortable to address me that way, please do so.”

 

“Then, Your Holiness Nicolaus.”

 

I’ll pass on the tedious probing.

 

There’s only one thing I’m curious about.

 

“I must ask why Your Holiness gave the order to bring me to this place.”

 

I got straight to the point.

 

Nicolaus chuckled and answered.

 

“It’s natural for you to be curious. The fact that you’re not panicking is already quite admirable. However, let me say one thing: I had no intention of harming Your Highness or causing you any damage.”

 

“Merry said the same thing. Then please tell me quickly. What’s the reason?”

 

“Heh heh heh, will you keep standing there? You must be tired from the long journey, so please sit down first.”

 

The cathedral had long wooden benches for the faithful.

 

Nicolaus gestured toward one of them.

 

I sat on the bench with the three intruders.

 

Nicolaus remained standing in front of the altar.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

He spoke with a caring smile.

 

“Merry told me that despite being human, Your Highness can handle demonic energy. Is this true?”

 

“It is true, but what does that have to do with this?”

 

“I’m about to tell you about that. It seems… it will be quite a long story.”

 

Nicolaus looked at the Statue of Horus with distant eyes.

 

That’s not me.

 

It’s just a statue of another deity created for disguise.

 

However, Nicolaus seemed to be projecting me in the Statue of Horus.

 

Pluton’s existence.

 

“Originally, it’s customary for the papal position to be held by a deity’s representative for generations. Only for some deities who don’t appoint representatives, like Esnia the Star Deity, is a pope elected from among the cardinals.”

 

A deity’s representative.

 

An apostle appointed directly by a deity among their believers.

 

“Your Highness the Prince. Let me ask you. In Your Highness’s view, do I appear to be Pluton’s representative?”

 

I didn’t know the intent behind the question, but I answered immediately without hesitation.

 

“No.”

 

Nicolaus is not my representative.

 

I don’t remember ever choosing a representative in the first place.

 

He was an elected pope.

 

“Heh heh, you got it exactly right. I am not Pluton’s representative. Strictly speaking, I’m not even an elected pope.”

 

Nicolaus took a breath.

 

As if recalling something painful to speak about.

 

“Originally, our sect also had a representative directly appointed by Pluton. It was already more than 20 years ago. That was my predecessor pope.”

 

What kind of nonsense is that?

 

A representative directly appointed by Pluton?

 

‘I never appointed anything like that.’

 

I wanted to interrupt and shout, but I held back.

 

Thinking about it, it seemed like nothing special.

 

Divine representatives, as much as they possess overwhelming power, also have their share of impostors.

 

Of course, most are caught beforehand, and if discovered by the deity, they face divine punishment.

 

But occasionally there are cases where someone succeeds in impersonation through luck.

 

Moreover, since I didn’t pay attention to the sect in my previous life, that fraud could have impersonated my representative for quite a long time.

 

“Before becoming pope, he was a fairly devout believer. However, after becoming pope and tasting power, he changed. He began coveting wealth, treasures, and women. While avoiding duties and responsibilities, he started pursuing only pleasure and debauchery.”

 

“…”

 

“He naturally extorted money and goods from believers under the pretext of offerings, and the number of female believers he forcibly violated easily exceeded a hundred. The few priests and bishops all left the sect, and our already small religious influence became even more pitiful.”

 

“…”

 

“I thought this couldn’t continue.”

 

I listened quietly to Nicolaus’s words.

 

That bastard didn’t change after tasting power.

 

He was originally that kind of scum, and probably impersonated a representative for that very purpose.

 

“As a cardinal at the time, I gathered like-minded believers and drove him from the papal position. Looking back, it’s the most regrettable thing in my life. For a mere mortal like me to dare deny the deity’s will and kill a representative, I have no excuse even if I receive divine punishment.”

 

The deity’s will, my ass.

 

I wanted to praise him right now, saying he did absolutely well.

 

If I had shown even the slightest interest in managing the sect in my previous life.

 

If I had noticed the situation Nicolaus was in.

 

I might have actually appointed Nicolaus as my representative.

 

“The people who helped me at that time are these children sitting beside Your Highness now. As a result, we managed to stop that bastard’s rampage, but it was already far too late. Not only were there no high priests left, but only these three ordinary priests remained.”

 

“….”

 

“As the only remaining high priest in the sect, I had no choice but to walk the path of the Pope, regardless of my own will. And after I became Pope, Pluton’s presence disappeared as if it were a lie.”

 

If you kill an agent, you incur the wrath of a deity.

 

Generally speaking, this is true.

 

A deity can bestow their divine authority upon an agent.

 

However, unlike lending power to priests in the form of ‘holy power,’ when bestowing ‘divine authority,’ the deity also bears a penalty.

 

When an agent who has received divine authority dies, the deity suffers permanent loss of power.

 

That’s why deities usually cherish their agents terribly.

 

But as with all things in the world, exceptions exist.

 

‘I had no need to appoint an agent.’

 

A deity’s power is proportional to the number of believers and the quality of their faith.

 

That’s why most deities appoint agents and bestow divine authority for effective expansion of their religious influence.

 

Even bearing the risk, it’s several times more efficient that way.

 

However, there are deities who don’t need to do so.

 

Those who were already too powerful when they ascended to godhood, whose own divine power is so immense that they remain strong even without believers to serve them.

 

I was one of them.

 

‘I feel a bit sorry. If I had paid just a little more attention…’

 

In short, Nicolaus was currently misunderstanding.

 

Far from being enraged at killing the fraud who impersonated my agent, I was feeling quite satisfied.

 

“Pluton no longer lends us power. Furthermore, He is not watching over His servants. Our connection with the deity has been severed. Because of the sin I committed.”

 

Nicolaus concluded his words in a gloomy tone.

 

“That was thirteen years ago.”

 

His expression looked as if he wished he could turn back time to that moment, again and again.

 

That’s not it.

 

I wanted to tell him it wasn’t because of him.

 

‘Thirteen years ago.’

 

The day I was born.

 

The day Cael de Argent came into this world.

 

And.

 

‘The day Pluton died.’

 

I lost my life to six Demon Lords led by Vergil.

 

The deity no longer lends power?

 

The connection with the deity seems severed?

 

Of course it does.

 

‘The deity who would lend you power is already dead and gone.’

 

This had absolutely nothing to do with Nicolaus killing that fraud—it was a completely separate phenomenon.

 

It was merely the result of a terrible coincidence in timing.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“About what?”

 

“Do you think I was foolish? For abandoning the deity’s will and killing the agent?”

 

I answered honestly.

 

“I think it was justified. From what I can see, he was a bastard who only did the most despicable things.”

 

“Heh heh heh, thank you for saying so, even if it’s just words.”

 

Nicolaus laughed heartily as if genuinely grateful.

 

“Your Highness the Prince. You asked why I commanded that you be brought here.”

 

Nicolaus, who had been speaking while looking at the Statue of Horus, turned his gaze to me.

 

“Your Highness, do you know what the power called ‘magi’ means?”

 

“Well. Only that it’s the power used by demons and devils.”

 

“That much is sufficient. Then, Your Highness, who was born possessing magi—are you a demon? Or a devil?”

 

Originally, I was a demon.

 

“Don’t you consider me human?”

 

“That’s not it. Your Highness is certainly human.”

 

“…How can you be so certain? I might be a demon or devil disguised as a human.”

 

“I am a priest of a Demon Lord, after all. I can tell that much at a glance.”

 

Right. For now, I am biologically human.

 

Nicolaus laughed heartily.

 

In his benevolent expression as he gazed at me, I could glimpse an intense obsession.

 

“The first human in history born with magi. When I first heard this news through Merry, I felt something like fate.”

 

“…Fate?”

 

“Your Highness is fascinating by your very existence. To humans, demons, and devils alike. Anyone who knew of Your Highness’s existence would surely harbor interest and curiosity toward you.”

 

Nicolaus paused briefly before continuing.

 

“Even if that someone were a deity.”

 

No way.

 

I thought I knew what he was trying to say.

 

“Though Pluton has temporarily turned His back on us due to the sins committed by this lowly old body, if Your Highness were to remain here, He might take interest in us once again.”

 

And I also understood the purpose for which he had summoned me here.

 

“Of course, merely being present would not be sufficient. The highest position that represents the deity’s will. A position that receives reverence from all people. Only that place would be the position prepared for Your Highness.”

 

Because only by standing at the highest place can one be most easily seen.

 

“Your Highness.”

 

Nicola Grayman.

 

This most devout and pure believer of all.

 

“Please, become the Pope of our Pluton Sect.”

 

Was asking me to become the Pope of the religion that served me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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