There exist two gods in this world.
The goddess El, often revered as the deity of humans, and the demon god Esheb, worshiped by the demons.
These two gods, who ruled over the world’s day and night respectively, were sisters—but also eternal rivals.
As they continuously vied for dominance over the lower realm, their conflict naturally extended to those who worshiped them: humans and demons alike.
Since divine influence over the mortal world was inherently limited, it was only natural for the gods to extend their reach through their followers.
Among those followers was the Holy Kingdom of Eden, a nation devoted to the goddess El.
At the heart of its capital, Elia, within the grand and solemn halls of the Papal Palace, a dignified elderly woman sat upon the throne that only the Pope could occupy.
“…So, you still haven’t found Hero Ain?”
“No, Your Holiness.”
A young nun with radiant platinum-blonde hair stood before her, delivering the report.
The elderly woman—the Pope—pressed a hand to her forehead.
“This is troubling. He has been missing for some time now, yet there is still no news.”
“I apologize.”
“Yes, you should apologize—to the goddess. Failing to properly oversee the hero chosen by the goddess is the same as neglecting your duty as the Saintess.”
The platinum-haired woman closed her mouth at the Pope’s direct reproach.
The Pope gazed at her in silence before speaking again.
“I have heard that Hero Ain was separated from his companions this time as well. And as if they had been waiting for this, the other heroes quickly took his former allies into their own ranks.”
She sighed.
“This is not the first time. Though Hero Ain was lacking in some areas, he was not the incompetent fool that rumors make him out to be. He, too, was a hero chosen by the goddess, and he had achieved his own merits and accomplishments.
It was merely due to his unfortunate luck, his commoner origins, and the lack of support or backing that he was never properly acknowledged.
In fact, his character was superior to that of the other heroes.”
The Pope’s sharp eyes turned to the platinum-haired woman—Saintess Ellen Silvenia.
“And knowing all of this, our Holy Kingdom, at the very least, should have treated him properly.
The responsibility of overseeing the heroes was entrusted to you, Ellen.”
The Saintess clenched her hands.
“This is not the first time I have spoken of this. I may be old, but I still have eyes and ears. I am well aware that Hero Ain has not been receiving the proper treatment. That is why I have repeatedly instructed you to look after him more carefully.”
“…I have no excuses, Your Holiness.”
Ellen bowed her head even deeper as she spoke.
The Pope let out a tired sigh.
“Ellen, I am an old woman now. And yet, I am still unable to step away from my duties.”
She exhaled heavily and continued.
“Since the end of the struggle among the Demon King’s candidates twenty years ago, the Demon King’s rise, chosen by Esheb, has strengthened the demons’ forces day by day. You must also be aware that I have been personally going to the frontlines more frequently.”
“…Yes.”
Indeed, the Pope was one of the strongest individuals alive, blessed with immense divine power by the goddess herself. For someone like her to be confined solely to administrative duties would be a great loss of military strength.
Thus, even while managing the kingdom’s affairs, she occasionally left for the battlefield.
“I am already burdened with overseeing the governance of this nation. Now, on top of that, I must also tend to the wounded on the frontlines. If even the heroes, whom I entrusted to you, are being neglected… when will I ever find peace?”
“I… deeply apologize.”
“Do not seek my forgiveness. Seek the forgiveness of the goddess. Failing to properly care for the hero she has chosen is a failure on our part.”
Ellen remained silent once more.
The Pope, seeing this, dismissed her.
“You may leave now. Continue the search for Hero Ain.”
“…Understood, Your Holiness.”
Ellen bowed and exited the audience chamber.
***
As soon as the Saintess left, the Pope let out a weary sigh.
Shaking her head, she rose from the throne and made her way to a door on the right side of the chamber.
Beyond the door lay a small, empty room—no more than four pyeong in size.
At its center, a large circular magic circle glowed with flowing blue mana.
It was a teleportation magic circle, prepared for her personal use.
Stepping onto the circle, she activated the spell.
Wooooong!
A brilliant light engulfed her, and in the next moment, she vanished.
When she reappeared, she stood in the middle of a vast field of white flowers.
Surrounded by the pure white blossoms, a large mansion stood in the center of the field.
She took careful steps toward the building.
But then—
“Waaahhh! Ahahaha!”
“Sister! Show us one more time!”
“Me too! Show me the sparkly magic!”
The laughter of children came, not from the mansion, but from beyond the flower field.
The Pope paused her steps, then changed direction toward the voices.
As she walked past the mansion and entered the flower field beyond—
“Mm~ I’d love to, but I can only show more magic to good children.”
“But I am a good child!”
“Me too! I’m a good child too!”
“We’re all good! Right?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
***
Amidst the excited children, a woman dressed in pure white was laughing gently.
“Really? But Tom, I know you played a prank on Amy the other day.”
“Ah—!”
“And Mary, didn’t you leave your vegetables because you didn’t want to eat them?”
“Eh—”
“And Hans, you…”
With each child’s misdeed being listed, their faces turned red with embarrassment.
The woman before them was an image of purity.
Her hair, white as sunlight reflecting off snow, shimmered in the light.
Her mystically glowing white eyes held a gentle, otherworldly beauty.
Her appearance was almost divine, far more akin to a goddess or an angel than a mere human.
As she chatted with the children, one particular boy hesitantly approached her, his hands hidden behind his back.
“Uh, um… Sister…”
“Yes? What is it, Norman?”
“T-That is…”
The boy—Norman—fidgeted, his face flushed, before suddenly squeezing his eyes shut and thrusting his hands forward.
“I-I found this flower deep in the forest! I brought it to show you!”
“Oh?”
In his hands was a delicate white flower.
The woman examined it with interest.
“A moonflower… And judging by its color, it must be a rare subspecies.”
“Ah… You already knew about it?”
“A little? But I’ve never seen a white one before.”
She smiled and patted the boy’s head.
“You brought it just for me? How sweet~”
“Uh… Uhh…”
“But that’s a shame. Moonflowers only bloom at night.”
“…T-They do?”
Upon hearing that the flower only bloomed at night, Norman’s expression stiffened slightly.
After all, night was a concept governed by Esheb, the Demon God.
If the woman realized that he had brought her something connected to the night, she might get angry.
“Yes, and it’s also a shame that you picked it. It would have been much more beautiful to see it bloom at night, don’t you think?”
“Ah…”
But the woman didn’t get angry.
Instead, she only expressed disappointment that the flower had been picked and that they couldn’t see it in full bloom.
Then, with a gentle smile, she spoke to the boy.
“Norman, can you hand it to me for a moment?”
“…O-Okay!”
At her request, Norman hesitantly passed the flower to her.
Taking it into her hands, she bent down and planted it back into the ground.
Normally, such an action would be meaningless.
But for her, it was different.
Hwaaah…
A soft white glow gathered in her hands, and the moonflower, which had been plucked, began to regrow—its delicate stem stretching, its roots embedding themselves back into the soil.
“Wow!”
“It’s so pretty!”
The children gasped in awe.
To their innocent eyes, the radiant energy flowing from her hands was nothing short of magical.
It would be many years later before they would truly understand just how miraculous this act was.
“There. Now, we can all come back at night to see it bloom together.”
“I want to see it!”
“Me too!”
“Ahaha~ Alright, let’s do that.”
The woman laughed, responding warmly to the chattering children.
Then, she turned to Norman with a soft gaze.
“Thank you, Norman.”
“U-Um…!”
As she playfully winked at him, Norman’s face flushed red, and he quickly lowered his head in embarrassment.
Watching over the peaceful scene, the Pope finally stepped forward, a gentle smile on her face.
***
“Everyone, were you having fun?”
“Grandma! Grandma!”
“Grandma Celia!”
The children cheerfully ran toward the Pope, calling out to her in excitement.
“Grandma Celia~ Come over here!”
The Pope—Celia Erciel—gently patted the heads of the children, soothing their excitement.
Then, she turned her gaze toward the woman, who was smiling just as brightly and warmly as the children.
The woman spoke.
“Thank you all for the warm welcome. But I hope I didn’t interrupt your fun?”
“Not really~ Do you want to play with us, Grandma?”
“Haha, I must decline. I’m too old for that now.”
Shaking her head with a chuckle, the Pope turned back to the woman.
“That aside, what brings you here? Did you come because you missed us?”
“Of course, that’s part of it…”
Then, the Pope turned to the children and gently asked, “Everyone, would you mind heading inside the mansion for a little while? I have something to discuss privately.”
The children exchanged glances before nodding.
“Okay!”
“But come back soon!”
“Oh! And I want cookies!”
“Haha, alright, I promise.”
Laughing and chattering, the children headed toward the mansion.
The Pope watched them for a moment before turning her gaze back to the woman.
“…Serentia, may I speak with you?”
“Of course~ Go ahead~”
Serentia—the white-haired woman—smiled brightly.
Seeing her relaxed demeanor, the Pope hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“…Would you consider helping the Holy Kingdom?”
“Aah~ I knew you were going to say that. Never mind, I don’t want to listen~”
The moment the Holy Kingdom was mentioned, Serentia playfully turned her head away, directing her gaze toward the flower field instead.
The Pope, unfazed, simply watched her in silence.
Then, Serentia pouted slightly and spoke.
“But you see, I think it’s a huge loss for humanity to tie down a beautiful and free-spirited girl like me to such a rigid place. Besides, if I become part of the Holy Kingdom, you’ll make me a ‘Saintess,’ won’t you? I heard it’s such a stiff and formal position… I really don’t want that~”
“…The Holy Kingdom is facing difficult times.”
The Pope let out a deep sigh before continuing.
“One of our heroes has gone missing. The demons, who once struggled with internal conflicts, have now united under the Demon King and are growing stronger by the day. We need the power of heroes.”
“The power to fight a war, you mean?”
“…”
“Sorry, Grandma, but I don’t want to be involved in that.”
Serentia turned her back to the Pope and started walking through the flower field.
The gentle breeze made her white dress and silver hair flutter, giving her an ethereal, almost otherworldly presence.
She closed her eyes, a soft smile on her lips, as if savoring the beauty of the moment.
“I have no intention of making choices that lead to more death and suffering.”
“…But someone must put an end to this conflict.”
“By ensuring that one side wins?”
“…”
“From my perspective, such a victory is no different from failure.”
“Then what do you consider a success?”
“Hmm… Who knows?”
The Pope’s expression momentarily stiffened at Serentia’s carefree response.
Serentia turned around, her white hair swaying gently, and smiled mischievously.
“But I believe that there must be another way.”
“…And why are you so certain of that?”
“Certain? Not at all. I never said I was certain.”
“…”
“I’m just choosing to believe. The same way we believe in the existence of gods, The same way we believe in the paradise they created.”
“…Then, why do you believe in him?”
“Hmm~ Well…”
Serentia paused for a moment, then turned to the Pope with a bright, knowing smile.
“Because… it’s much more romantic that way.”