^^ Pope Giovanni XV ^^

— James —

My students evolved, at dawn, as I did. My title, curiously, didn't change from 'Monarch'. I suppose it couldn't get any higher than that without getting pretentious.

But still, looking at their statuses, they wouldn't be able to hunt a Demon King like this... I shouldn't interfere, though...

I was having a bit of an existential crisis, and then I realized; I could train The Templar Heroes!!! Obviously Waylon's brother wasn't doing a very good job, so I would step in. That sounded both rather fun and productive, my favorite type of activity!!!

I stayed for a bit longer, watching the changes in my students take place, and then once they were done and asleep, I used the teleportation spell Jerrod had taught me, using my Legendary White Mage Class as a medium.

—

The Vatican was an intimidating, yet beautiful town/complex, as I strode towards it. The front gates were guarded, of course, but they didn't even notice me walk by, I had erased my presence so thoroughly.

The interior was much cleaner, physically, but I could feel the presence of monsters and demons randomly dispersed within the various buildings. I noted their names and locations, and continued on towards the human labeled 'Pope'.

The hero's party was with him, as well as Benjamin, so I smiled, happy that part of my job was taken care of; finding the students.

"Why are you smiling? Are you happy?" A young boy, perhaps a little less than 10, was standing to my left, holding a jug of wine.

I paused, looking at him slowly. "You can see me, Little one? How strange..."

"I see everything. The priests say that it means I'm going to be an Oracle or a Sage when I get my Classes." He nodded calmly.

I smiled, and knelt in front of him, and thus equalizing our heights, as I was as tall as Waylon right now. "Is that so? I'm a Sage, did you know? My name is James, I am the Sage of the Mountain. And you?"

"I am Gabriel Rosanna! My sister is a Saint!" He grinned proudly.

"I know her, yes, Maria is a nice girl, very sweet. Tell you what... I owe your sister a lot. You should get really strong and protect her, okay?" I patted his head, whilst gifting him the Holy Affinity I'd gotten from Maria. It seemed the proper thing to do.

He giggled, and bowed politely as his Aura made itself known, a small golden flame around his brilliantly blue eyes. "Thank you, mister James! I will!"

'That's not gonna hurt him... right?'

<No... you just Created the next Emperor.>

I blinked and watched as the little boy ran off, checking his status swiftly.

<Individual: Gabriel Rosanna III
Race: Human (Un-evolved, Female)
Holy Affinity: 8th Form (Pious Queen)
-
Combat Level: 0
-
Status: Silver Titan's Blessing
Effect: Immune to Disease
Effect: Immune to Mind-Influencing Effects
Effect: Immune to Slave Contacts
Effect: High-Grade Evolution Paths
Effect: Level Cap raised by 400
Effect: Your Land's Crops' Bounty Increases
Effect: Your Land's Quality of Crafts Increases
Effect: Immunity to Fire & Ice.
Effect: Guidance during Righteous Conflict
Effect: Evil Actions Counteract Blessing
Effect: Legendary Healing Buff.
Effect: Legendary Increased Growth.
Effect: Legendary Increased Durability.
Effect: Legendary Increased Virility.
Effect: XP Gained x2
Legendary Effect: XP Reward x5 once a day
-
Blessed by the Silver Titan, Blessed by the Sage, Innocent, All-Seeing Eyes, Choir Girl, Soothsayer, Vocalist, Possible Hero Seed.>

'Oh fuck.' I covered my eyes slowly.

<Yeah.> a single word answer conveyed Thoth's annoyance.

I sighed and continued my way towards the Pope's location, erasing my presence once more. The child was easily traceable, considering the veritable Beacon her Aura was, now. I wondered briefly why I'd thought she was male, given her female status.

<Bodies do not always match Souls, James. You smelled her Pheromones, which are indeed Masculine in nature.> Thoth responded after a moment of deliberation, stopping me in my tracks.

'Well... it's good I gave her my blessings, then; she'll need all the help she can get, growing up like that in a place like this.' I shook my head sadly and continued onwards.

I found the group I was looking for in an interior office, sitting around a table with two men I didn't recognize. One was labeled Cardinal Kenneth Rosanna, and the other Pope Giovanni XV.

No one noticed my entry, besides shivering at the draft I brought in with me, and I leaned against a wall, listening in for now.

"Saint Rosanna, I'd like to be clear; you're asking us to dissolve your engagement with the Hero?" The Pope, (an older man with a large belly,) asked Maria curiously.

"Yes, Your Holiness." She nodded.

"This is ridiculous!!! Why would you renege on our Marriage Contract? Is it that Ogre Hero? It is, isn't it?!?" Matthias stood up, slamming his hands against the table angrily.

She frowned at him. "No. The problem is you." She said succinctly.

Her father rubbed his eyebrows slowly. "I am sorry, Your Holiness, she didn't ask me before wasting your time-"

"What waste? I see her point, and it's definitely true that the Hero needs to learn to control his temper; his rude and callous nature is entirely unfitting of a Hero, and I regret having given the Seed to him, but it is too late now, after all." The Pope shrugged, and glared at Matthias when his mouth opened defiantly. "Sit down." He commanded, and the boy sat swiftly, instantly cowed.

'He gave the Seed to Matthias? How?' I frowned.

<When a Hero Dies, the Seed is a physical object that is given to another, usually a child. However, the accompanying boost of power can sometimes lead to superiority issues, such as with young Matthias; you wouldn't guess, he used to be rather kind, before his father was killed by a Demon in a Dungeon... when he received the Seed, though, his first thoughts were revenge.>

'Against anything and everything, I bet...'

"Anyway, I understand your point, yes... to be clear, I hated the idea of using you like some Baby Factory from the beginning, but the solid truth is that your children will be far more powerful than normal humans, and they will be needed in the coming wars. Holy Wars last for Generations, after all." The Pope explained.

She nodded. "I am aware. And I will have children, but not with someone whose seed is more likely to produce a Blank than anything Useful. I also don't want to catch whatever he's caught from all the whores he fucks for free by saying 'I'm the Hero'. He disgusts me, simply put, and I'll have no part of him." She waved a hand dismissively at Matthias.

He growled, standing up and raising a hand to slap her, then froze when an armored hand wrapped his wrist slowly.

"If you strike her, or even attempt to, I will kill you, and find a new hero myself." Benjamin spoke softly, but the entire room felt chills from the sheer finality of his tone. Then he slowly released the 'hero's hand, and returned to his seat in a blurred movement, which the others were too low-level to even sense.

Matthias's knees trembled, and he sat down heavily, his face ghost white.

The Pope hummed. "Yes, I imagine that would be the best option... he has disgraced us so many times... ah well. We should-"

The door opened slowly, admitting little Gabriel, who snuck around the table and hid behind her sisters chair. "Sissa! Guess who I met?!?" She whispered loudly.

Maria smiled and patted her hair gently. "Little One, you know you can't be in here!" Her tone didn't hold even a touch of reproach, however, and the girl simply grinned. "Who did you meet, then?"

"He said his name was James, and he's the Sage of the Mountain! He patted my head!" She giggled, showing her sister the invisible placement of my hand.

Benjamin stilled, glancing at the little girl and looking at her status. "Sweet Mother of God..." he cleared his throat, and looked at the Pope, motioning towards the girl.

The Pope looked, and his eyes widened a hair. "Oh... little one, where did you meet him? I would very much like to speak to him."

She blinked at him, confused, and then pointed directly at me. "He's right there, though?"

I couldn't hold in a laugh at her innocent expression, and the entire table flinched at my sudden appearance. "Hello again, Gabriel." I smiled at her.

She waved happily, and poked her sister. "See? I'm not lying! I told you!!!"

"Do you usually ignore the visions of a child with the All-Seeing Eyes?" I asked Maria, incredulous.

"He's just a little imaginative, that's all, nothing more; I apologize for his misconduct, Sage, I am-" Cardinal Kenneth began.

"I'm aware who you are, Cardinal Kenneth, and be advised I do not approve of you or your treatment of your children." I cut him off clearly. "Also, she has the All-Seeing Eyes, it's a Skill that cuts through glamours, hidings, and illusions of all kinds. She's also a Hero Seed, perfect to replace this Garbage Fire of a Brat." I nudged Matthias out of his chair simply, and sat down, kicking my feet up onto the table.

Gabriel swatted my leg swiftly. "Hey, you shouldn't put your feet on the table! It's bad manners!" She said very clearly, holding a finger up as she lectured me.

I smiled indulgently, and picked her up with my aura, levitating us both easily. "How about this, then?" I asked as she gasped.

"Whoa!!! How are you doing that?!? Is it magic?!?" She laughed giddily.

"No, actually, it is simply a control of my Aura. You can do it as well, if you try hard enough." I explained, showing her the silver underneath our legs.

"Whoa..." she nodded slowly.

"Right? Now, I think your sister would like to show you some of the presents I brought you both, yes?" I glanced at Maria, and handed her the little girl, then a sack off my waist, which was filled with various sweets and candies I'd pulled from my own cache in the Hidden Pocket. (I had an incorrigible sweet tooth.) As an afterthought, I added in a pair of silver wood weapons and robes, because who knows?

"Thank you... let's go look at these, hmm?" She smiled and led the girl out with a thankful nod.

Once they were gone, I sat down again, placing my feet back on the table. "Now! Let's get down to business! There's two Demon Kings, and two sets of Demon Lords. Two of them are dead on the side of Calais; Ira and Tikal. My apprentice Hallox Mars has killed them both, and become their Successor. He has raised the Banner of Silver, the Banner of Warnings, and has no ill-will towards Humans, not even Templar's, no more than a general dislike of you that I'm sure you know you've earned." I raised an eyebrow and waited for their response.

Benjamin nodded, speaking into the silence. "I can vouch for the veracity of that statement, Your Holiness. Even I was revived after attacking his students."

"Yes, after you were murdered!!!" The priest, sitting to my right, growled.

I frowned slowly. "He was killed by my apprentices while attempting to kill one of their Allies, and then revived by the very person he tried to kill, as an expression of good will towards Wyatt Waylon, a close friend to our Clan and Benjamin's brother. You, also, have no room to speak, after publicly discussing Assassinating my apprentice Zoken, the Hero, and his sister Mika, the Saint."

Benjamin cleared his throat when the other men angrily opened their mouths to respond. "Enough."

"Indeed... I hope to call that matter over and done, and the slate wiped clean, as it were." The Pope sighed, looking at me directly.

I shrugged. "If I held a serious grudge, they'd be dead. They breathe, for now, because the Saint is actually a good person, and that girl Gabriel is the most adorable thing I've ever seen." I chuckled.

He smiled. "Isn't she? But still, a Hero... that changes things."

"I'm sure. But, next on the agenda, Slavery is Illegal on our Continent, and any Slaves who are on our land are Free, while any owners will be executed. Anyone who attempts to take slaves will be executed. Anyone who attempts to otherwise tempt or manipulate anyone out of the country to enslave them will be likewise executed. Rape is now a Capital Crime, as is kidnapping. Those who make unwanted advances upon others are to be castrated and cast out of their communities after their guilt is verified by Mind Magic. You will follow these laws while inside our country, or you will not leave. Clear? There's a paper version of the new laws, somewhere... Aha!" I pulled out the scroll the Holy City had sent me, and tossed it to Benjamin.

He opened it, reading swiftly, then passed it to the Pope. "It's a Decree from the Holy City's Council, signed by the High Priests or Authorities from every single temple, and the Furies, as well. There's close to 7,000 signatures, it looks like." He spoke softly.

The Pope nodded. "Alright, I suppose you're also demanding the release of all our slaves?"

"No, I simply bought all of the ones in your Market, and I'm maneuvering to buy all the privately owned ones as well. I know better than to demand rich people give up money. Of course, I hope you will pass a law that says no new slaves can be bought, and especially not Illegal Slaves from the Monster Continent; of course, that does not mean the currently owned slaves are illegal. A step, you might say, towards the eventual goal of the Absolute Abolishment of Slavery. I'm actually quite disgusted to know that while I meditated for Ten Eons, slavery returned; I'd hoped that the world had throughly learned its lesson." I shook my head sadly.

"Here's what I want to know?!? Why are we listening to this Beast?!? Why haven't you killed him, Your Holiness?" Matthias growled at me, and my casual glance in his direction had him stepping back swiftly.

"I agree that slavery is a terrible thing, but it has lessened the impact on our economy from all the lost Land we suffered during the last Holy War... it is no longer necessary, nor was it ever; I'm sure there were other, more difficult options. I like the plan to criminalize new Sales, and that will be implemented immediately. In fact, I shall spread the word that it was My idea, not the Holy City's, to ban slavery, starting from the Monster Continent and ours, and expanding outwards from there. That will lend you quite a bit of weight to throw around as you deal with these Slave Traders." The Pope nodded seriously.

"Much obliged." I smiled. "Now as to the matter of Maria and Gabriel, I'll be taking them, and training them as a proper Hero and Hero's Companion. Your training is obviously not fast enough, and the results are... SubPar." I gazed distastefully at the Hero and his two equally irritating and honorless sidekicks.

"I agree, their creation was quite rushed, and altogether unsuccessful, but for Maria's case." The Pope agreed, and began to read the scroll Ben had handed him.

Matthias growled, irritated at being ignored, it seemed, and then lashed out verbally. "You know what? You can keep that Monster-Loving whore and her used-"

I caught the dagger which the Cardinal had thrown at his throat, and knocked him out with a targeted blast of my Aura, sighing in annoyance. "Totally Useless..." As he fell, I stabbed his cheek with my claw, and took some of his blood. With that, I extracted the Hero's Seed from him, as well as all his classes and abilities, sending him back to Level 1. 'Oh? Very cool.' I grinned, realizing it had worked.

<Hero Seed Acquired! Ingest? Y/N?>

'No, I don't want it. Give it to The Little One, Gabriel, when she Evolves.'

<Understood. Abilities acquired, but they weren't even able to raise your level by one, so it isn't very important.>

"Well, now; that went badly... the Cardinal and I will make it up to you, and build you a new Hero's Party, a properly powerful one, without all the extra issues this one had." I sighed.

The Pope hummed, nodding slowly as the two men beside me, the Assassin and Priest, began to throw attacks towards me. "Yes, Or I can show you my best soldiers and you can use their backgrounds?"

"Ehhh, ArchMages aren't that easy to make... the Assassin I could replicate in moments, but the ArchMage required years of study... send a few of your young priests to me for training with Gabriel and Maria, and I'll make of them all Holy Mages, not just One Sage. I have a few ArchMages amongst the Dragons who can teach their minds properly, whilst I train their bodies and spirits. I'll make do with-" a blast of holy white flames struck my side, singing the table, and I continued, unaffected. "-that priest, for now."

He smiled. "Done! I will begin the campaign to make Monsters more favored in my peoples' eyes, as a few hundred years of feuds have soured relations noticeably. Also-" he paused, catching an arrow in front of his throat that had ricocheted off of my chest.

All sound in the room stopped, and he slowly frowned. "On second thought... Start over entirely, Benjamin. This crop is Rotten."

I stepped behind the Priest/ArchMage, and stabbed his neck gently, taking a bit of his blood stealthily followed by his abilities and knowledge, and he fell unconscious with a strangled scream. The Assassin followed, not even able to blink before I was behind him and he was parted from his previous abilities.

<Assassin Seed Acquired! Ingest? Y/N?>

'No, I'll give it to one of the-... wait, so one person can have all four Seeds? Hero, Sage, Saint, Assassin?' I asked incredulously.

<There is precedent, yes.>

'Huh... no, I don't want to ingest it. Save it for now.'

"Well, that takes care of that... I suppose you don't need anything further from me, so I'll go get started on those laws and proclamations and all..." the Pope sighed and stood up slowly, cracking his back.

"It makes me suspicious that you agreed so easily... your church preaches the deaths of my people." I hummed, looking at the Pope cautiously.

He smirked, his old, wrinkled face gaining a few wrinkles from the movement. "No, it doesn't; the Templar's do. The Templar's are Knights of the Church whose main job is the extermination of Demons, but nowhere in the Scripture does it include Monsters in that; their personal Biases did that for them. Also, to be quite honest, we need your help, and even if you have a Demon Lord as your Apprentice, no, even if you were a Demon King, you're still the lesser of two evils, currently. This is because you're attempting a peace of sorts, and the scripture is clear about how it feels about Peace; it is to be sought after, by all means. If this is as far as I have to go to create peace, I am a lucky Pope." He chuckled and shuffled out of the room, hands hidden in the long sleeves of his robe.

The Cardinal followed him, after retrieving his dagger and awkwardly bowing his head to me in thanks; I'd stopped him from straight-up murdering the Idiot, after all.

Benjamin looked at the three unconscious people, and sighed. "You don't know how not to make a scene, do you?"

I shrugged. "It's a gift."