The Water Magician

Chapter 5: The Holy See

The next day.

Hugh McGrath, Head of the Kingdom Delegation, set out for the Holy See accompanied by his entourage.

The entourage consisted of Nils, Eto, Amon, Ryo, Harold, Gowan, and Zeek.

"I am Hugh McGrath, the head of the Naitorei Kingdom delegation. I have come to convey my congratulations to Cardinal Graham. This was agreed upon."

The group was immediately escorted deep into the Holy See.

They were not taken to a room near the front where they would usually meet Cardinal Oskar, but much further inside...

It was likely a place that outsiders rarely entered.

The only people passing by were those cloaked in the robes of the church.

"If we were suddenly ambushed, that would be pretty bad!"

Ryo, for some reason, joyfully spoke about the crisis.

"Why do you sound so happy?"

Nils chimed in, keeping him in check.

Recently, Ryo had come to highly appreciate Nils's sharp retorts, which rivaled even Abel's.

Eto stifled a laugh, while Amon smiled wryly.

The three from room 11 wisely kept their expressions unchanged and listened quietly...

"Ryo, don't say such ominous things."

It was Hugh who admonished him with a very sensible remark.

Among the eight, the most rational individual was the strong-looking giant of a leader...

He might appear muscle-headed at first glance, but he was sensible and had a sharp mind...

The room they were taken to was surprisingly spacious.

Would it be understood if I compared it to the size of a school gymnasium?

It was as large as two basketball courts.

Inside were conference tables that could seat twenty and a reception set that could accommodate more than ten.

And at the very back, there was a desk with one person sitting at it...

It was Cardinal Graham.

"Thank you for coming, Master McGrath, and everyone else... Hm?"

Having said that, Graham looked at the group with suspicion.

He then continued speaking.

"I apologize for the imposition, but... have you encountered any anomalies again?"

"Yes..."

Eto answered Graham's question.

The other five nodded in agreement.

Hugh's eyes widened in surprise.

Of course, he had heard reports that the group had encountered something supernatural, but he couldn’t understand why Graham had noticed it.

"Excuse me for a moment. [Evil Search]."

Graham chanted, and after a while, he nodded several times.

"Indeed, it is the same as before. Let's cleanse it with holy smoke. There's some burning right there."

Although they didn't know why it was burning, it was fortunate for the group.

There seemed to be some deeper reason that they didn't know about, but for some reason, it felt like now wasn't the right time to ask, so even Ryo decided to stay silent.

However...

"This holy smoke can also purify poison. There’s always a possibility of poison being released while you're in this room. Considering the possibility of invisible poison, we always keep it burning. Additionally, this holy smoke can prevent eavesdropping through magic. It's quite a versatile smoke, you see."

Graham explained, still smiling.

Even though his life might be in danger...

"Is that... really alright?"

Hugh asked with concern.

"Well, it can't be helped. This is such a place."

Graham's smile transformed into a wry grin.

"We have strayed far from what Lord Nyu desired."

With that, Graham shook his head slightly.

"Especially since I'm a newcomer, my power base is weak compared to the other cardinals. I don't even have an assassination squad, so to speak."

"A priest having an assassination squad..."

Hugh muttered, shaking his head at Graham's explanation.

Of course, he wasn't criticizing.

He was lamenting the gulf between ideals and reality while accepting that distance to the ideal.

"Between individuals, laws, contracts, and agreements can help uphold trust. However, between those in power, trust can only be maintained by strength..."

At Ryo's muttering, Graham looked a bit surprised and widened his eyes.

"Indeed, as Ryo-san said. Have you learned about the grasp of power somewhere?"

"No... I just read about it in a book in my hometown library long ago."