NOVPUBMore like it.
Just their meal as old friends.
After a moment,
"Your Majesty, are you hungry now?"
Lanci’s sudden question broke the silence, and both the Empress and the Cat Boss cradled in his arms were stunned.
The Cat Boss faintly remembered that Lanci had asked the same question when he first met Empress Kexiya in the Shadow World’s Shalem Palace.
Have you grown too accustomed to Tata? Do you greet everyone as if they were Tata?!
The Cat Boss suspected that Lanci’s database had been contaminated since his several dates with Tata, and now, even when meeting a normal girl, he would subconsciously consider the law of "inviting for a meal equals eating."
"Hmm."
The Empress chuckled without saying a word.
Last time they were silent because they were unfamiliar; this time, they were silent because they were too familiar.
But his opening line was still the same.
"His Holiness the Pope seems to have a good appetite?"
The Empress pondered for a moment before returning the question in kind.
A playful expression appeared on her beautiful face.
"On the contrary, I had a good breakfast, and before I knew it, it was noon. Rather than having a meal, I think it’s more important to have a good chat with Empress Kexiya."
Lanci shook his head and lifted the corners of his mouth into a weary smile.
He had almost figured it out; the painted figure of the Pope in a white robe and a mask was indeed himself in that outfit.
It was the Cat Boss that jumped in fright.
It looked up at the white-robed Lanci, and the silver mask on his face.
The actual Pope?!
This guy as a religious charlatan would be something to behold.
"You are exceptionally polite today, just like the Prime Minister I first met, and it makes me nostalgic."
The Empress answered, bowing her head,
"Well, have you come to terms with it, or do you really intend to retire this time?"
Her expression cleared slightly, and she asked Lanci in a sincere tone.
"..."
Lanci was silent, temporarily not understanding the meaning of Empress Kexiya.
Empress Kexiya kept her piercing gaze on the man in front of her, a man she had known for over a decade yet still found as enigmatic as ever.
"Lankros, I’m glad I can still see you; every day, I worry I’ll hear some tragic news about you."
Empress Kexiya finally lowered her eyes and spoke again,
"You’re harboring too many secrets, from your alias as Wilford, where you spent nearly twenty years climbing to the pinnacle of the Polante Empire’s political sphere... to the point where I never thought you were actually from the Huo Ning Empire."
As one of the Pope’s few friends, or rather one of the few still alive, she knew of the Pope’s secrets and his past.
Since undergoing the transformation at the Huo Ning Empire’s experimental facility, his time had stopped at that moment.
Strictly speaking, this kind of postnatal taboo product should be called a Demon People.
Neither of the Demon Race nor human.
The death rate from the Demon People’s transformation surgery was extremely high; one had to undergo countless torments to have a sliver of hope for success, and in some way, it was equivalent to abandoning one’s own race and turning oneself into a freak.
As a side effect, instead of the true longevity of the Demon Race, it significantly shortened one’s lifespan compared to humans.
For Lankros, being able to live into his forties was already a miracle. Every moment, he might be enduring unimaginable pain, resisting the Death God with the tenacity of his soul, carrying his body that could collapse at any time, doing his last deeds.
"..."
The white-robed man sitting opposite remained silent.
"Lankros, if you don’t want to talk, then you don’t have to speak, just listen to me."
Empress Kexiya continued in a gentle voice.
The Empress had thought this lunch would be a trying ordeal, but Lanci’s earlier words had eased it.
Lankros was always changing, but his green eyes always revealed sincerity and humility.
She could see that, unlike most people of power, this man had a sense of responsibility but no lust for power.
That’s why, no matter how inscrutable he was, she was willing to treat him with true sincerity.
"To be honest, the more I understand you over the years, the more alien you seem."
She fixed her gaze on Lanci,
"Anyway, I will help you. After your death, I will keep your secrets safe, leaving a legacy worthy of your accomplishments."
Empress Kexiya assured him.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Lanci replied.
Because the country revered the Holy Spirit Lante Church, the Pope held a very high level of authority in this country, even exceeding that of the Emperor in practical terms. In many aspects of decision-making, the reigning Emperor needed to heed the Pope’s opinion.
By now, Lanci roughly understood the story of the past twelve years.
During the initial nine years of warfare, his Church made outstanding contributions in resisting the Huo Ning Empire, and its ecclesiastical authority grew larger and larger. On the surface, Prime Minister Wilford seemed to be in opposition to Pope Lankros in terms of power; however, no one expected that Prime Minister Wilford’s other identity was actually the leader of the Church.
He subtly transferred political power to ecclesiastical authority, ultimately orchestrating a perfect finale for himself, declaring the downfall of political power and the rise of the Church.
Thus in the following three years, Prime Minister Wilford became history, and a Pope above imperial authority was born.
Now.
Perhaps it was time for the Pope’s end, and as an old friend, the Empress wanted to see him through his last journey.
"May I never need to exercise my talents; a Holy Polante Theocracy that does not need me is a truly beautiful place."
Lanci replied openly and relaxed, his tone free of any pretense.
The Shadow World seemed to represent the final part of Black Sun Lankros’s life.
