TLS 03

Chapter 3

“Please have some refreshments as well.”

The finger food decorated with fruit and chocolate was not something normally served by the religious order.

Gabriel hid his face behind his long sleeve and teacup, pretending to drink the tea. There was always a chance that something had been added to the food or tea.

“It’s a pleasant tea, both in aroma and taste.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“What was the problem with your room?”

There was no point in dragging the situation out, so he asked directly.

But suddenly, Anat reached out with both hands and grabbed Gabriel’s left hand resting on the table.

“Gabriel.”

Gabriel’s eyebrow rose strangely.

Anat’s palm was soft and smooth.

‘Not the hand of someone who handles a sword.’

Then she was not planning an assassination. Of course, there was no reason for the Dubinchik family to assassinate him anyway.

As Gabriel’s raised eyebrow slowly settled back into place, Anat leaned closer and said,

“You’ve risen all the way to the position of cardinal, so I’m sure I understand your political ambitions, Gabriel, but……”

Political ambitions?

‘I have political ambitions?’

Gabriel stared at Anat, who was talking about something he could not understand. The situation was unfolding in a strangely familiar way.

“Even if you rise to the highest places, how lonely would you be if you had to stand there alone?”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Gabriel, I will become your family.”

“……”

Gabriel’s eyebrow rose once again.

One of his guesses had been correct.

There was nothing wrong with the room. The only problem was Anat Dubinchik herself.

“I love you, Gabriel.”

“……”

Gabriel composed his lips before they could twist into a grimace.

“You may not believe me, but I thought about this very carefully. I spent a long time thinking before finally saying this to you.”

It was something Gabriel had absolutely no interest in hearing.

“Lady Dubinchik.”

Gabriel calmly pulled his left hand free from her grasp.

“How many confessions from female believers do you think I have received on my way to becoming a cardinal?”

Ever since his days as an apprentice priest, people had talked about him as the handsome silver-haired priest. Naturally, there had been plenty of people who approached him in strange ways.

Considering that he was the Pope’s godson and that this had at least discouraged some of the more shameless ones, there had still been plenty of crazy people.

The religious order often allowed priests to give up their positions and marry, so people would constantly pester Gabriel, asking why someone with his face was wasting his time being a priest.

“Gabriel, I know what you’re trying to say. But I’m different.”

Anat’s eyes shone with determination.

“I’m not asking you to give up your position as cardinal and marry me.”

“Then?”

“Make me your mistress.”

‘Insane…….’

Gabriel bit the inside of his cheek.

“I’ve already persuaded my father. I’m willing to live as your woman in the shadows. Take me when you need me, and abandon me when I become a burden.”

As she said that, Anat grabbed Gabriel’s hand again.

It was unbelievable.

“My love can accept living in the shadows. And I can even give you a child, Gabriel.”

Gabriel could not say anything.

No, he chose not to.

Even if he cooled his head with cold water, he doubted it could become this cold.

“Of course, the child would be registered under my father’s family…… but they would carry your blood……”

At that moment, Gabriel roughly pulled his hand away and shot to his feet.

“There is one thing missing from everything you have said.”

“Gabriel?”

“Lady Dubinchik is simply not my type.”

Anat froze.

Anat was a beautiful woman with attractive blonde hair and blue eyes, and she was the daughter of the prestigious Dubinchik family, which had produced the Crown Princess.

She had never heard anything like this from anyone before.

“Then what kind of woman is your type?”

Anat asked while grabbing the sleeve of Gabriel’s robe as he was about to leave.

The sudden tug made Gabriel stop for a moment, and he answered,

“A gentle young lady with pink hair like spring flowers and turquoise eyes like fresh blades of grass. Someone so shy and reserved that she can hardly bring herself to speak to me casually.”

Gabriel smiled beautifully and forcefully pulled his sleeve free.

“There does not seem to be anything particularly wrong with the room. Still, if you are uncomfortable, I think it would be better for you to return home.”

The moment he finished speaking, Gabriel left the room and immediately headed toward the prayer room with the Holy Knight.

If he returned to his quarters like this, he felt that his unpleasant emotions would not settle down all night.

The weather was quite pleasant from early morning.

The last Controller, Noah Kaplan, had arrived the previous day, so it was finally time to have a proper discussion.

After lunch, Gabriel invited the Controllers to the cardinal’s office, saying that they needed to discuss the Demon Dragon subjugation.

However, just before the meeting was about to begin, the Pope suddenly summoned him.

Gabriel apologized to the Controllers and hurried to meet the Pope.

“I touch the hand of grace.”

“Stop that. I did not call you here today because I wanted to see the cardinal.”

At the Pope’s gesture, Gabriel straightened and gave a slight bow.

There was no one around the Pope today.

Even the Holy Knight assigned to guard him was standing far away.

It was a sign of the Pope’s trust in Gabriel.

“I heard all the Controllers have gathered.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“So, have you found anyone useful?”

“I have barely had a chance to see their faces yet.”

“Are your eyes really that ordinary?”

Pope Bennie narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel simply wore a gentle smile, as though he had no idea what the Pope meant.

“I still wish you would not participate in this Urbas subjugation.”

“Even though you gave me the position of cardinal for this very purpose?”

“The other cardinals felt the same way, and honestly, there is no one more suitable than you…… But it is dangerous. If there is someone among the Controllers gathered this time who has outstanding potential……”

“Even if they have great potential, they could not have trained as much as I have.”

“You are too straightforward and self-sacrificing.”

“You cherish those qualities in me, don’t you?”

“……”

Bennie stared at Gabriel for a long while before motioning for him to come closer.

When the distance between them narrowed to barely a hand’s breadth, Bennie whispered,

“I heard there is a child among the Controllers whom Dina cares about very much.”

“Your Holiness.”

Gabriel barely swallowed a sigh.

“I know what you are about to say.”

“Why can you never refuse Lady Dina’s requests? Interfering with the members of the subjugation force…… Lady Dina has gone too far this time.”

“Don’t say that. Apparently, the child is like a daughter to her, and she is a Controller.”

“You also said I was like a son to you when you pushed me toward Her Holiness.”

Professor Dina Ehrenberg was a female priest whom Bennie cherished greatly, and he had never refused her whenever she asked him for something.

He had even accepted Gabriel as his godson at her request.

“I have never once regretted making you my son. You are an incredibly intelligent and wonderful child.”

“If I had lived recklessly and done whatever I wanted, would you have been a little more reluctant to accept Lady Dina’s one-sided requests?”

“What? Hahaha.”

Bennie laughed aloud before leaning toward Gabriel’s ear and whispering,

“Noah Kaplan.”

For a moment, Gabriel’s brow twitched.

“She asked me to remove that priest from this subjugation.”

“Isn’t Lady Dina the same person who asked you to remove me from the subjugation?”

“I am only passing on her request.”

“Noah Kaplan is the priest among the Controllers who have arrived this time with the widest variety of abilities.”

“Oh?”

Gabriel’s expression noticeably turned colder.

“She is someone who absolutely must not be left out of this subjugation, yet you want me to remove her? Please stop granting Lady Dina’s requests. Is this subjugation some kind of children’s game?”

“She is worried because the child is young. She does not have many people she holds dear, so she does not want to send someone precious to her into danger.”

“……”

“If she could, she would probably go in her place. If her physical condition allowed her to make such a long journey, she would have taken the lead herself. Imagine how worried she must be. She has nowhere else to complain, so she comes to me.”

“If it is merely complaining, couldn’t you listen with one ear and let it go out the other?”

“But I already promised her that I would pass on her request.”

Gabriel answered firmly, unable to hide his irritated expression.

“I will refuse her directly and make it clear.”

“Do not be too harsh with her.”

“Your Holiness is too soft.”

Bennie only smiled.

That strange attitude kept making Gabriel curious.

‘What exactly is the relationship between those two?’

But he had never asked even once. Somehow, he felt that it was something he should not ask.

The only thing he could do was suppress his questions and speak even more coldly.

“Next time, I will make it clear enough that Your Holiness will not have to summon me for matters like this again.”

There were four Controllers gathered in the reception room.

As soon as the order to gather Controllers had been issued throughout the country, everyone who was still young enough to work had come to the capital, except for those who had grown too old to continue working.

Sitting together for the first time was incredibly awkward.

To make matters worse, the cardinal who had summoned the Controllers had suddenly left to meet the Pope, saying that it was urgent.

None of them could exactly complain when he had gone to see His Holiness.

The Controllers spent a long time stealing glances at one another.

An awkward silence descended over the room, so strange that even sipping the cookies and tea brought by the apprentice priests felt uncomfortable.

Perhaps deciding that this atmosphere was unbearable, a brown-haired female priest cautiously opened her mouth.

“Um…… Before Your Eminence comes back, perhaps we should introduce ourselves to each other and…… talk about our abilities as well?”

Her voice was very small, but the room was so quiet that everyone heard her clearly.

Everyone gave a small nod.

“Yes. Let’s introduce ourselves first.”

“Since I was the one who brought it up, I’ll introduce myself first. I’m Rina. I worked as a teacher at an academy in the capital before coming here. My ability makes the other person speak kindly.”

The introductions began clockwise from Priest Rina.

“I’m Noah. I worked as a teacher at an academy in a small city called Soal. My abilities can make people feel comfortable, help them sleep, and make them less angry.”

After Noah finished introducing herself, a young man with wheat-colored hair and glasses spoke.

“I’m Will. I came here with one year left before graduating from the Divine Power Training Center. My ability makes people speak without worrying about how they might be judged.”

The last person was a thin, hunched man whose long bangs almost completely hid his face.

“I am Anas, a pilgrim who was traveling to the holy sites. My ability can turn large movements into small movements.”

Once the introductions were over, everyone’s expressions became a little more relaxed.

Noah thought,

‘Thank goodness. All of our abilities are insignificant. It looks like we won’t be dragged into killing a dragon after all…….’