[Vol. 8] Chapter 87: Holy Pope Edwina
Very soon, under the personal guidance of the disguised Pope Edwina, the group of three quietly slipped into the Grand Church through a small side door.
As soon as they stepped inside and closed the door, the noise from outside disappeared, and everything became quiet. Violet looked around and saw that the main hall was spotless, cleaned to perfection.
Only a few core believers sat quietly on benches, praying and worshiping under the guidance of senior priests. Occasionally, some white-robed nuns passed by in pairs, their expressions very serious and calm. No one dared to joke or whisper in this sacred space.
Compared to the lively and almost tourist-like atmosphere just outside, this headquarters of the Goddess Church, separated by just one door, felt much more solemn and peaceful. The contrast was so strong it left a deep impression, it made one feel emotional.
This is what a church is supposed to be like.
Edwina was indeed kind and fair, but that didn’t mean she was foolish. The Holy Empire stood at the center of the world, surrounded by enemies. Anyone could imagine that many forces and nations would do everything they could to plant spies and secret agents inside the Church to steal important information. So, even if the Church was open, it had to have limits. Otherwise, it would be like inviting wolves into your home.
Just as she had confidently promised, Edwina seemed to have already given clear instructions to her close aides. Their route started from the side door of the Church, and they moved forward smoothly, without running into any guards or being stopped. A few sharp-eyed senior Holy Knights did pass by from time to time, and even when they noticed their Pope sneaking around suspiciously, they all quickly turned their heads away as if saying, “I didn’t see anything.”
And with their tall builds and majestic white armor, the whole act somehow looked... a bit silly?
Still, this also showed how much control Edwina had over the Church. Her authority was clearly at a shocking level. If she wanted to, she might even be able to convince people that a deer was actually a horse, and people would believe her. It was hard to believe she had only been in power for just over a year.
Of course, these thoughts inside the priestess’s head weren’t something the Pope could hear.
Edwina led the two guests through the maze-like hallways of the Church for quite some time. Eventually, they climbed to a higher level. A place clearly protected by powerful divine magic and barriers.
Violet had never visited the upper floors of the Church. Even the last time she had stormed in angrily to demand someone from the former Pope, she had only been taken around the main hall on the lower floor. As for the structure of the upper levels of this grand and sacred building, she really had no idea.
But after seeing it for herself, she realized it wasn’t anything that special. After all, the Church was still just a man-made building. Its layout and design still followed human needs, only wrapped in a layer of what people called "sacred."
To put it simply, it was like a religious version of a government office building, just with some added places like a dining hall, rest rooms, and even a training room. By rough estimate, it could easily support more than a thousand people living and working there.
Along the way, Edwina didn’t talk much with Violet or the dragon girl. Thanks to this efficient pace, they soon reached near the very top of the Church. Because the building was wider at the base and narrower at the top, this upper area seemed to have only one room left in view.
On either side of this door stood two Holy Knights, each holding a sword as they guarded the entrance. Compared to the already elite knights on the lower floors, these two were in a whole different league. From their armor and weapons to the sheer pressure of their presence, everything about them was much stronger.
These two were legendary-level warriors!
Of course, considering the strength and background of the Goddess Church, having two Holy Knights at their headquarters wasn’t surprising. But the fact that these two were standing guard duty said a lot.
Just how important must this room be to require two legendary Holy Knights to protect it themselves?
Under the curious gaze of the black-haired girl and the emotionless look of the dragon girl, Edwina pulled back the hood covering her face. She gave a small respectful nod to the two tall Holy Knights, whose bodies were fully covered in thick armor, even their heads hidden inside heavy helmets. The knights silently returned the gesture and stepped aside to let her pass.
Edwina then stepped forward and took out her personal Divine Emblem, pressing it onto the large door carved with complex holy symbols.
Rumble rumble rumble...
A soft light flowed along the patterns as the heavy holy door slowly opened with a humming sound. The Pope still didn’t say anything. She simply gave the two girls a look that clearly meant “come in,” then walked inside first. Violet glanced at the two silent knights again, shook her head helplessly for some reason, and gently pulled the dragon girl along to follow.
Boom.
With a deep clunk, the holy door slowly closed behind them again.
From beginning to end, the two Holy Knights guarding the door didn’t make a single sound.
As soon as they entered, Violet started looking around curiously.
At first glance, this room didn’t seem very special. The setup was very normal, simple furniture and decorations, making it look like some sort of reception room. The only thing that really stood out was the huge floor-to-ceiling window on one side. It was so large it nearly covered the entire wall facing the plaza.
Whether by design or coincidence, through this massive window, anyone in the room could clearly see the back of the goddess statue’s head that stood in the plaza outside. And if one walked closer to the window, they could see almost the entire Church square in full view, like a god looking down at the world from the sky.
Edwina smiled and said, “Sorry to surprise you both. This place is called the [Hall of Divine Audience]. In the past, Popes used it during big ceremonies to show the people the so-called ‘divine power’ given by the goddess, mostly to unite hearts and gather support.”
She turned to Violet and continued, “Miss Violet, you see this window? It used to be open and connected to a balcony. The Pope would stand there and speak to the people of the Angel City, announcing important matters or giving speeches. The people below could only look up at the Pope, just like they were looking up at a goddess.”
Violet turned her head and saw that Edwina had already taken off her cloak and hung it up. She also removed a glowing jade token from her waist, which caused the invisible light barrier that had been hiding her presence to fade away. Edwina let out a small breath, gently tugged at the collar of her casual clothes, which were tight around her chest, and slowly walked toward them from the window.
“The Church is only a servant of the gods, a representative at best. At its core, it is still made up of regular people. What right do we have to stand so high and act so proud?”
“I don’t like that kind of attitude. So after I became Pope, I ordered this room to be changed. We removed the raised platform and replaced it with a proper statue of the goddess, one that’s truly worthy of worship from the believers.”