Chapter 66: 66
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Croix - Yaaay, I'm so glad I finally get to see the children!
At the building, they met up with the ecstatic princess.
Gurigura - Croix-nee seems so happy.
Issei - Getting to see these kids must be very exciting for her.
Riche - Probably. Unlike me, she was never allowed to leave the castle much.
As if worried about Croix's behavior, Towa gave everyone some warnings to follow during the visit.
Towa - You can touch the children, but if you do, be careful not to touch anything else until you wash your hands.
Croix - What about kissing?
Towa - K-Kissing?! I think it might be best if you don't do too much in general. Also, this may be a lot to ask, but if you don't mind at least letting the more isolated children see you through the window, that would be nice.
Croix - I'd be more than happy to! Let's go visit everyone!
Towa - Okay, thank you very much.
As someone who volunteers to visit the children on a regular basis, Towa was overjoyed to see Croix's enthusiasm.
Barro - Hi. It looks like you're finally here. I'm done surveying the hospital.
Ramius - I'm sorry we weren't around to help.
Barro - I don't mind. I love any chance to see children's smiling faces, so don't feel bad.
Gurigura - What should we do?
Barro - Could you stay with Princess Croix in case anything happens?
Kathryn - What'll you be doing? Hitting on some nurses?
Barro - I'll work with Central's Knights to keep guard outside. Hamlet's Knights are still tired after that zombie business.
Issei - Got it.
Barro - We don't want to stress out the kids, that's why we're keeping the Knights outside, after all. Remember to smile.
Issei - Ah.
Towa - Issei-san, it's about to start. We need to go.
Kyou - See you soon, Ise. We'll go help get the salted caramels ready.
Issei - Okay, see you in a bit.
The party chased after the impatient princess to the site of her visit.
...
After a nice, simple ceremony in the lobby, Croix ran straight to the pajama-clad children.
Croix - Hello, everyone! (AN: https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1009276993136995780/E72E957CFDBEB6C5EB5E5CC4D6B29EC046B66206/ Croix Image with the kids).
Sickly Girl - H-Hello.
Bewildered Boy - I-It's the princess... She's right here in real life...
Even the children that were shyly hiding behind the nurses at first were drawn out by Croix's gentle smile.
Croix - Have you been in the hospital for long?
Sickly Girl - I've been here forever... Um, they say they don't know what I'm sick from.
Croix - Really? You should never stop fighting the sickness, though. Your parents, your doctor and I will be rooting for you.
Croix dotingly patted the girl's head.
Sickly Girl - Ah, don't... You're gonna get sick. And I haven't taken a bath, so I'm all dirty...
Croix - It's okay, you're not dirty at all. Also... You're so warm.
Croix hugged the reluctant girl, covering her face with her bountiful chest.
Sickly Girl - Mggggh... I-It hurts...
Croix - Oh, sorry about that. But remember, you're warm because you're alive and well. I'm sure you'll get better in no time.
Sickly Girl - Really?
Croix - Yes, so try thinking about what you'll do after that.
Sickly Girl - Oh, um... I wanna get married like you.
Croix - Heheheh, you're so cute that you could get married in no time.
Sickly Girl - O-Okay, I'm gonna try to get better.
Croix took her time speaking with each of the kids and went around to all the hospital rooms.
As though her smile put the children at east, she effortlessly connected with all of them.
Towa - These kids are usually in low spirits, but they're having so much fun... Princess Croix really is an incredible Saint.
Following behind Croix with the rest of the group, Towa found herself thinking out loud.
Issei - That might just be thanks to all the work you normally do, Towa. And even Princess Croix's visit wouldn't be happening without your help.
Towa - E-Eh?! N-No I think it's because of you Issei-san because you purified all those zombies and solved the mystery behind it as well.
Issei - Perhaps, but without the letters from the kids that you deliver to Croix then she won't be visiting the hospital now right?
Towa - I-I suppose so... I'm glad I was able to do something. 'Nobody's ever told me that before... What do I do? I'm gonna blush... Geez, Issei-san...'.
While Towa was frantically trying to hide her red face, Croix's hospital visit continued.
Croix - Do you ever get bored being stuck in the hospital? Is there anything you want?
Bandaged Girl - Yeah... But Towa-onee-chan teaches me stuff and tells me stories about all kinds of places.
Croix - I've watched one of her stories too. Isn't it fun to learn things?
Bandaged Girl - Yeah, I love her stories! I wanna watch one with you, Princess.
Croix - Maybe we can ask her next time. Are you tired? You can lie down if you like.
Bandaged Girl - I'm okay. Also... We made this for you.
Croix carefully took the girl's origami gift, then gave her a soft hug and expressed her appreciation.
Croix - Thanks, I'll treasure it always.
IV Drip Girl - I drew a picture!
Croix - Oh, you're quite the artist, I'll treasure this too. Heheheh... I'll need to buy a frame for this.
Starting with one gift, the children gave Croix one present after another, until her hands were full.
Ramius - They're suffering from illness, but they still took the trouble to make gifts...
Kathryn - Like the total opposite of the selfish jackasses from .
The party felt as though their hearts, weary from all the unrestrained desire they'd seen in their fights with the enemy were being cleansed.
Issei smiled seeing Croix being surrounded by children. Then he saw a little girl coming his way, she just stands in front of him and looks up at him silently.
Issei felt confused seeing her gazing at him like this. So he lowers his body to match the girl height.
Issei - What's wrong?
Finally, after hearing Issei's question the girl says something.
Girl - Who are you, onii-chan?
Issei - Hm? Oh, I'm Princess Croix family member.
Girl - Why do you cover your head with your hood? Are you shy?
Issei smiled at the girl after hearing her question so he uncovers his hood.
Issei - No, it's just a habit of mine you see.
When Issei's face is shown, the girl nurses and the children moms blushed deeply seeing his face. They've never seen someone this handsome before, even sir Barro lose against Issei they thought.
The moms' husbands sent Issei a begrudging stare because of it though. Issei could only smile bitterly to himself after feeling their stares.
The little girl eyes went wide after seeing his face and she asked him a question.
Girl - Onii-chan, are you a prince? Because you're so handsome and cool.
Riche who heard her words grinned and respond to the girl question even before Issei could respond to it.
Riche - Yes, this onii-chan is a prince. The prince for all of us.
Ramius - Umu. Our own Prince charming.
Gurigura - Eheheh, yep. Ise-nii is our prince.
Kathryn - Mhm, you could say that.
Issei smiled wryly hearing Riche and co. words.
Girl - Woow, amazing... Hey, everyone! There's a prince here!
The girl instantly called her friends to come over and they all look towards her direction straight away. Even the children who surrounded Croix looked over along with Croix herself.
Sickly Boy - Eh, really?!
Sickly Girl - We have both the prince and the princess here?
Then some of them swarmed Issei this time around. They keep asking him a question and Issei answered them all patiently and gently.
Sickly Girl - Onii-chan, are you the Princess fiancee?
Issei becomes a bit taken aback by her sudden question but he answered her regardless.
Issei - Err, no, I'm not.
Sickly Girl - But aren't you the prince?
Sickly Boy - Yeah, yeah.
They all felt a little disappointed that he's not Croix fiancee but soon they asked him another question. Issei childish smile also reappears once again when he's interacting with the children. After all, even in his original world, he's quite popular with the children as well.
This time it's the Riche and co. turn to smile at him along with Croix herself. They all felt like he's gonna be a great father as well on top of being a great husband already.
The nurses blushed even more after seeing his dazzling smile and they envy Riche and co for having a husband like him.
Issei patted each of the children head and they all giggled after being patted by him. Unknown to everyone nearby, every child that came into contact with him will be cured soon. Issei knows it but he keeps silent about it.
He releases his blessing light to the whole hospital to cure the rest of the patients here. Later on, people started thinking a miracle happened because every single patient who was hospitalized here got cured on the same day. And the hospital got even more famous because of it.
Bandaged Girl - Ne, princess. Who is that onii-chan to you?
One of the girls who are still with Croix asked.
Croix - Eh? Ohh, he's my great Otouto... Only my Otouto...
She flashed a brief of sad and longing smile but soon her cheerful smile is back once again.
Riche and co. also participate in the patting session soon after. They all enjoyed their time playing with the children until the visiting time is over.
All of the children said their goodbye to Croix and Issei and told them to come to visit them again later. Both Issei and Croix promised the children that they will come to visit again later with a pinky promise.
Then they head back to Hamlet.
...
The party returned to Hamlet, where they were met by Pope Norshin and Silent. But when the party approached Pope Norshin, he promptly kneeled and bowed his head.
Norshin - Thank you so much. Issei-san, you're a hero to this country.
Issei - ...Don't mind it, we just did what we could do, that's all.
Silent - Don't be so humble, you all saved this country from the impending doom of the zombie horde and from the evil hands as well. And for that, we can't thank you enough.
Silent also bowed her head towards Issei.
Norshin - With that said, Issei-san... I was wondering, are you willing to take my place as the pope?
Everyone who heard Norshin words becomes surprised except Silent and Laertes. They apparently already discussed this beforehand.
Laertes - Um, I totally approve of Issei-dono becoming the pope as well.
Silent - Likewise.
But Issei refuses it straight away.
Issei - I'm sorry but I don't want to.
Weirdly enough, Norshin and co only smile bitterly after hearing his answer.
Norshin - I see... Just like King Louin said, you're not interested in things like this, huh...
Riche - Eh? How did you know?
Norshin - You see, we asked King Louin when you're visiting the hospital before. When we asked King Louin if it's okay to have Issei-san to become the new pope he just said: "If he agrees to it then sure, but I doubt he will agree because he's not a person who's interested in authority." So we're not too surprised hearing that Issei-san rejected our proposal...
Barro - That does sound like what the King would say.
Laertes - *Sigh* It's too bad we couldn't make him as the new pope.
Silent - But we have another solution for this. Please don't reject this as well, Issei-sama.
Silent comes close to Issei and stares at him with a serious gaze that said she won't allow him to reject this one.
Issei - O-Ou, but I need to know what is it first.
Silent - Um, good enough. The Church of Mother Eve would like to bestow you with the rank of .
Riche - Wow, that's awesome!
Ramius - A ... It's on the same level of a but even more special than the latter.
Issei - Is that so?
Kathryn - Yeah, I'm a , but I was never a . Neither were Acheval and Barro.
Barro - Indeed.
Ramius - Meaning that as far as the Church of Mother Eve is concerned, you have greater influence. Your influence is about the same as the pope basically.
Issei - Hmm, that indeed sounds important... But-
Silent - Issei-sama.
Issei - Err... Fine. I accept it...
Silent smiled at Issei but her eyes are not smiling at all so he decided to accept it after seeing her chilling smile. After he accepts it, Silent smirked slyly inside her mind.
Croix - Ehehe~ My Otouto got promoted again, yaay~.
Croix feels really happy that Issei got to be the church fabled it's been a long time ago ever since there was a present in the church. But there's a secret about this rank that nobody outside the church higher-up knows.
There can only be one at one time and they have the same influence just like the pope himself just like the public knows. But the most important of all is that whoever becomes the automatically able to claim the Saints to be his spouse as long as they're willing to be one of his spouses and they can also have an unlimited amount of spouse. Of course, Croix is a special case so she can't be Issei's spouse because of it. (AN: As in because she's already engaged with the Prince of Central).
So they're not limited to only able to have 10 spouses like the rank. In other words, rank surpasses the rank by a milestone. But these facts are only known to the church higher-up such as the Pope and the Saints only.
To become a the candidates are not only needed to be strong but they also needed to be kind and noble-hearted, possess a magic as powerful as one of the Saints at the very least, and also have done special services to the church.
Unfortunately, it is hard to do a special service to the church without living full-time in the Hamlet Region, and hard to be a without working internationally. As a result, a certain church rite, allowed only to who are also , has all but died off, due to the international level of experience required of Zero Knights.
It may be assumed that the only holy artifact capable of creating a Holy Knight is the Pope's own artifact, the itself.
Norshin - Then... We need the Holy Swo-
Silent - Pope, the would work better. All you have to do is fetch it from the storage room.
Norshin - Alright...
Issei felt like Norshin sure has things hard.
Thus, with Issei's promotion swiftly settled on, the ritual was held.
Silent - This is our holy scripture, the .
Surrounded by several Knights, Norshin brought in a decorated book.
Silent - It chronicles everything from Mother Eve's birth to the time she went into hiding.
Norshin - It's written in an ancient language, however, so only a portion has been translated thus far.
Silent - We only recently reached the end of the events involved in the wedding ritual.
Norshin - Now, allow us to use this to appoint you as a .
Issei - Sure.
When Norshin chanted some sort of prayer, the room was filled with Mother Eve's power.
Issei - This light... It's like the miracle light from Croix's ritual...
Norshin - O Eve, mother of all... Accept our brother as the .
When the miracle power reached its peak, Norshin placed a fingertip on Issei's forehead. Then the miracle light was absorbed into him.
Norshin - The ritual is over. You now have every church in the world on your side.
Issei - Ah, thank you.
Kathryn - The Evenicle, though...
With the solemn mood over with, Kathryn stared at the book in Norshin's hand.
Issei - By the way, is there another out there? There's Somebody I know seems to have knowledge about it after all and he's not from the church I can assure you that.
Norshin - W-Well...
Silent - I would guess that during the Arthur Tragedy, someone took advantage of the chaos to take a peek at it.
Kathryn - Oh yeah, had members in the church back then, huh?
Norshin - ...Yes.
Kathryn - Anyway, you're a now, Ise. I wonder what will the King reward you this time.
Issei - I won't ask for anything though.
Croix - Hmm, how about I reward you with another kiss. Of course, it will only on the cheek though~
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Croix - Yaaay, I'm so glad I finally get to see the children!
At the building, they met up with the ecstatic princess.
Gurigura - Croix-nee seems so happy.
Issei - Getting to see these kids must be very exciting for her.
Riche - Probably. Unlike me, she was never allowed to leave the castle much.
As if worried about Croix's behavior, Towa gave everyone some warnings to follow during the visit.
Towa - You can touch the children, but if you do, be careful not to touch anything else until you wash your hands.
Croix - What about kissing?
Towa - K-Kissing?! I think it might be best if you don't do too much in general. Also, this may be a lot to ask, but if you don't mind at least letting the more isolated children see you through the window, that would be nice.
Croix - I'd be more than happy to! Let's go visit everyone!
Towa - Okay, thank you very much.
As someone who volunteers to visit the children on a regular basis, Towa was overjoyed to see Croix's enthusiasm.
Barro - Hi. It looks like you're finally here. I'm done surveying the hospital.
Ramius - I'm sorry we weren't around to help.
Barro - I don't mind. I love any chance to see children's smiling faces, so don't feel bad.
Gurigura - What should we do?
Barro - Could you stay with Princess Croix in case anything happens?
Kathryn - What'll you be doing? Hitting on some nurses?
Barro - I'll work with Central's Knights to keep guard outside. Hamlet's Knights are still tired after that zombie business.
Issei - Got it.
Barro - We don't want to stress out the kids, that's why we're keeping the Knights outside, after all. Remember to smile.
Issei - Ah.
Towa - Issei-san, it's about to start. We need to go.
Kyou - See you soon, Ise. We'll go help get the salted caramels ready.
Issei - Okay, see you in a bit.
The party chased after the impatient princess to the site of her visit.
...
After a nice, simple ceremony in the lobby, Croix ran straight to the pajama-clad children.
Croix - Hello, everyone! (AN: https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1009276993136995780/E72E957CFDBEB6C5EB5E5CC4D6B29EC046B66206/ Croix Image with the kids).
Sickly Girl - H-Hello.
Bewildered Boy - I-It's the princess... She's right here in real life...
Even the children that were shyly hiding behind the nurses at first were drawn out by Croix's gentle smile.
Croix - Have you been in the hospital for long?
Sickly Girl - I've been here forever... Um, they say they don't know what I'm sick from.
Croix - Really? You should never stop fighting the sickness, though. Your parents, your doctor and I will be rooting for you.
Croix dotingly patted the girl's head.
Sickly Girl - Ah, don't... You're gonna get sick. And I haven't taken a bath, so I'm all dirty...
Croix - It's okay, you're not dirty at all. Also... You're so warm.
Croix hugged the reluctant girl, covering her face with her bountiful chest.
Sickly Girl - Mggggh... I-It hurts...
Croix - Oh, sorry about that. But remember, you're warm because you're alive and well. I'm sure you'll get better in no time.
Sickly Girl - Really?
Croix - Yes, so try thinking about what you'll do after that.
Sickly Girl - Oh, um... I wanna get married like you.
Croix - Heheheh, you're so cute that you could get married in no time.
Sickly Girl - O-Okay, I'm gonna try to get better.
Croix took her time speaking with each of the kids and went around to all the hospital rooms.
As though her smile put the children at east, she effortlessly connected with all of them.
Towa - These kids are usually in low spirits, but they're having so much fun... Princess Croix really is an incredible Saint.
Following behind Croix with the rest of the group, Towa found herself thinking out loud.
Issei - That might just be thanks to all the work you normally do, Towa. And even Princess Croix's visit wouldn't be happening without your help.
Towa - E-Eh?! N-No I think it's because of you Issei-san because you purified all those zombies and solved the mystery behind it as well.
Issei - Perhaps, but without the letters from the kids that you deliver to Croix then she won't be visiting the hospital now right?
Towa - I-I suppose so... I'm glad I was able to do something. 'Nobody's ever told me that before... What do I do? I'm gonna blush... Geez, Issei-san...'.
While Towa was frantically trying to hide her red face, Croix's hospital visit continued.
Croix - Do you ever get bored being stuck in the hospital? Is there anything you want?
Bandaged Girl - Yeah... But Towa-onee-chan teaches me stuff and tells me stories about all kinds of places.
Croix - I've watched one of her stories too. Isn't it fun to learn things?
Bandaged Girl - Yeah, I love her stories! I wanna watch one with you, Princess.
Croix - Maybe we can ask her next time. Are you tired? You can lie down if you like.
Bandaged Girl - I'm okay. Also... We made this for you.
Croix carefully took the girl's origami gift, then gave her a soft hug and expressed her appreciation.
Croix - Thanks, I'll treasure it always.
IV Drip Girl - I drew a picture!
Croix - Oh, you're quite the artist, I'll treasure this too. Heheheh... I'll need to buy a frame for this.
Starting with one gift, the children gave Croix one present after another, until her hands were full.
Ramius - They're suffering from illness, but they still took the trouble to make gifts...
Kathryn - Like the total opposite of the selfish jackasses from .
The party felt as though their hearts, weary from all the unrestrained desire they'd seen in their fights with the enemy were being cleansed.
Issei smiled seeing Croix being surrounded by children. Then he saw a little girl coming his way, she just stands in front of him and looks up at him silently.
Issei felt confused seeing her gazing at him like this. So he lowers his body to match the girl height.
Issei - What's wrong?
Finally, after hearing Issei's question the girl says something.
Girl - Who are you, onii-chan?
Issei - Hm? Oh, I'm Princess Croix family member.
Girl - Why do you cover your head with your hood? Are you shy?
Issei smiled at the girl after hearing her question so he uncovers his hood.
Issei - No, it's just a habit of mine you see.
When Issei's face is shown, the girl nurses and the children moms blushed deeply seeing his face. They've never seen someone this handsome before, even sir Barro lose against Issei they thought.
The moms' husbands sent Issei a begrudging stare because of it though. Issei could only smile bitterly to himself after feeling their stares.
The little girl eyes went wide after seeing his face and she asked him a question.
Girl - Onii-chan, are you a prince? Because you're so handsome and cool.
Riche who heard her words grinned and respond to the girl question even before Issei could respond to it.
Riche - Yes, this onii-chan is a prince. The prince for all of us.
Ramius - Umu. Our own Prince charming.
Gurigura - Eheheh, yep. Ise-nii is our prince.
Kathryn - Mhm, you could say that.
Issei smiled wryly hearing Riche and co. words.
Girl - Woow, amazing... Hey, everyone! There's a prince here!
The girl instantly called her friends to come over and they all look towards her direction straight away. Even the children who surrounded Croix looked over along with Croix herself.
Sickly Boy - Eh, really?!
Sickly Girl - We have both the prince and the princess here?
Then some of them swarmed Issei this time around. They keep asking him a question and Issei answered them all patiently and gently.
Sickly Girl - Onii-chan, are you the Princess fiancee?
Issei becomes a bit taken aback by her sudden question but he answered her regardless.
Issei - Err, no, I'm not.
Sickly Girl - But aren't you the prince?
Sickly Boy - Yeah, yeah.
They all felt a little disappointed that he's not Croix fiancee but soon they asked him another question. Issei childish smile also reappears once again when he's interacting with the children. After all, even in his original world, he's quite popular with the children as well.
This time it's the Riche and co. turn to smile at him along with Croix herself. They all felt like he's gonna be a great father as well on top of being a great husband already.
The nurses blushed even more after seeing his dazzling smile and they envy Riche and co for having a husband like him.
Issei patted each of the children head and they all giggled after being patted by him. Unknown to everyone nearby, every child that came into contact with him will be cured soon. Issei knows it but he keeps silent about it.
He releases his blessing light to the whole hospital to cure the rest of the patients here. Later on, people started thinking a miracle happened because every single patient who was hospitalized here got cured on the same day. And the hospital got even more famous because of it.
Bandaged Girl - Ne, princess. Who is that onii-chan to you?
One of the girls who are still with Croix asked.
Croix - Eh? Ohh, he's my great Otouto... Only my Otouto...
She flashed a brief of sad and longing smile but soon her cheerful smile is back once again.
Riche and co. also participate in the patting session soon after. They all enjoyed their time playing with the children until the visiting time is over.
All of the children said their goodbye to Croix and Issei and told them to come to visit them again later. Both Issei and Croix promised the children that they will come to visit again later with a pinky promise.
Then they head back to Hamlet.
...
The party returned to Hamlet, where they were met by Pope Norshin and Silent. But when the party approached Pope Norshin, he promptly kneeled and bowed his head.
Norshin - Thank you so much. Issei-san, you're a hero to this country.
Issei - ...Don't mind it, we just did what we could do, that's all.
Silent - Don't be so humble, you all saved this country from the impending doom of the zombie horde and from the evil hands as well. And for that, we can't thank you enough.
Silent also bowed her head towards Issei.
Norshin - With that said, Issei-san... I was wondering, are you willing to take my place as the pope?
Everyone who heard Norshin words becomes surprised except Silent and Laertes. They apparently already discussed this beforehand.
Laertes - Um, I totally approve of Issei-dono becoming the pope as well.
Silent - Likewise.
But Issei refuses it straight away.
Issei - I'm sorry but I don't want to.
Weirdly enough, Norshin and co only smile bitterly after hearing his answer.
Norshin - I see... Just like King Louin said, you're not interested in things like this, huh...
Riche - Eh? How did you know?
Norshin - You see, we asked King Louin when you're visiting the hospital before. When we asked King Louin if it's okay to have Issei-san to become the new pope he just said: "If he agrees to it then sure, but I doubt he will agree because he's not a person who's interested in authority." So we're not too surprised hearing that Issei-san rejected our proposal...
Barro - That does sound like what the King would say.
Laertes - *Sigh* It's too bad we couldn't make him as the new pope.
Silent - But we have another solution for this. Please don't reject this as well, Issei-sama.
Silent comes close to Issei and stares at him with a serious gaze that said she won't allow him to reject this one.
Issei - O-Ou, but I need to know what is it first.
Silent - Um, good enough. The Church of Mother Eve would like to bestow you with the rank of .
Riche - Wow, that's awesome!
Ramius - A ... It's on the same level of a but even more special than the latter.
Issei - Is that so?
Kathryn - Yeah, I'm a , but I was never a . Neither were Acheval and Barro.
Barro - Indeed.
Ramius - Meaning that as far as the Church of Mother Eve is concerned, you have greater influence. Your influence is about the same as the pope basically.
Issei - Hmm, that indeed sounds important... But-
Silent - Issei-sama.
Issei - Err... Fine. I accept it...
Silent smiled at Issei but her eyes are not smiling at all so he decided to accept it after seeing her chilling smile. After he accepts it, Silent smirked slyly inside her mind.
Croix - Ehehe~ My Otouto got promoted again, yaay~.
Croix feels really happy that Issei got to be the church fabled it's been a long time ago ever since there was a present in the church. But there's a secret about this rank that nobody outside the church higher-up knows.
There can only be one at one time and they have the same influence just like the pope himself just like the public knows. But the most important of all is that whoever becomes the automatically able to claim the Saints to be his spouse as long as they're willing to be one of his spouses and they can also have an unlimited amount of spouse. Of course, Croix is a special case so she can't be Issei's spouse because of it. (AN: As in because she's already engaged with the Prince of Central).
So they're not limited to only able to have 10 spouses like the rank. In other words, rank surpasses the rank by a milestone. But these facts are only known to the church higher-up such as the Pope and the Saints only.
To become a the candidates are not only needed to be strong but they also needed to be kind and noble-hearted, possess a magic as powerful as one of the Saints at the very least, and also have done special services to the church.
Unfortunately, it is hard to do a special service to the church without living full-time in the Hamlet Region, and hard to be a without working internationally. As a result, a certain church rite, allowed only to who are also , has all but died off, due to the international level of experience required of Zero Knights.
It may be assumed that the only holy artifact capable of creating a Holy Knight is the Pope's own artifact, the itself.
Norshin - Then... We need the Holy Swo-
Silent - Pope, the would work better. All you have to do is fetch it from the storage room.
Norshin - Alright...
Issei felt like Norshin sure has things hard.
Thus, with Issei's promotion swiftly settled on, the ritual was held.
Silent - This is our holy scripture, the .
Surrounded by several Knights, Norshin brought in a decorated book.
Silent - It chronicles everything from Mother Eve's birth to the time she went into hiding.
Norshin - It's written in an ancient language, however, so only a portion has been translated thus far.
Silent - We only recently reached the end of the events involved in the wedding ritual.
Norshin - Now, allow us to use this to appoint you as a .
Issei - Sure.
When Norshin chanted some sort of prayer, the room was filled with Mother Eve's power.
Issei - This light... It's like the miracle light from Croix's ritual...
Norshin - O Eve, mother of all... Accept our brother as the .
When the miracle power reached its peak, Norshin placed a fingertip on Issei's forehead. Then the miracle light was absorbed into him.
Norshin - The ritual is over. You now have every church in the world on your side.
Issei - Ah, thank you.
Kathryn - The Evenicle, though...
With the solemn mood over with, Kathryn stared at the book in Norshin's hand.
Issei - By the way, is there another out there? There's Somebody I know seems to have knowledge about it after all and he's not from the church I can assure you that.
Norshin - W-Well...
Silent - I would guess that during the Arthur Tragedy, someone took advantage of the chaos to take a peek at it.
Kathryn - Oh yeah, had members in the church back then, huh?
Norshin - ...Yes.
Kathryn - Anyway, you're a now, Ise. I wonder what will the King reward you this time.
Issei - I won't ask for anything though.
Croix - Hmm, how about I reward you with another kiss. Of course, it will only on the cheek though~
Croix - Yaaay, I'm so glad I finally get to see the children!At the building, they met up with the ecstatic princess.Gurigura - Croix-nee seems so happy.Issei - Getting to see these kids must be very exciting for her.Riche - Probably. Unlike me, she was never allowed to leave the castle much.As if worried about Croix's behavior, Towa gave everyone some warnings to follow during the visit.Towa - You can touch the children, but if you do, be careful not to touch anything else until you wash your hands.Croix - What about kissing?Towa - K-Kissing?! I think it might be best if you don't do too much in general. Also, this may be a lot to ask, but if you don't mind at least letting the more isolated children see you through the window, that would be nice.Croix - I'd be more than happy to! Let's go visit everyone!Towa - Okay, thank you very much.As someone who volunteers to visit the children on a regular basis, Towa was overjoyed to see Croix's enthusiasm.Barro - Hi. It looks like you're finally here. I'm done surveying the hospital.Ramius - I'm sorry we weren't around to help.Barro - I don't mind. I love any chance to see children's smiling faces, so don't feel bad.Gurigura - What should we do?Barro - Could you stay with Princess Croix in case anything happens?Kathryn - What'll you be doing? Hitting on some nurses?Barro - I'll work with Central's Knights to keep guard outside. Hamlet's Knights are still tired after that zombie business.Issei - Got it.Barro - We don't want to stress out the kids, that's why we're keeping the Knights outside, after all. Remember to smile.Issei - Ah.Towa - Issei-san, it's about to start. We need to go.Kyou - See you soon, Ise. We'll go help get the salted caramels ready.Issei - Okay, see you in a bit.The party chased after the impatient princess to the site of her visit....After a nice, simple ceremony in the lobby, Croix ran straight to the pajama-clad children.Croix - Hello, everyone! AN: https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/1009276993136995780/E72E957CFDBEB6C5EB5E5CC4D6B29EC046B66206/ Croix Image with the kids.Sickly Girl - H-Hello.Bewildered Boy - I-It's the princess... She's right here in real life...Even the children that were shyly hiding behind the nurses at first were drawn out by Croix's gentle smile.Croix - Have you been in the hospital for long?Sickly Girl - I've been here forever... Um, they say they don't know what I'm sick from.Croix - Really? You should never stop fighting the sickness, though. Your parents, your doctor and I will be rooting for you.Croix dotingly patted the girl's head.Sickly Girl - Ah, don't... You're gonna get sick. And I haven't taken a bath, so I'm all dirty...Croix - It's okay, you're not dirty at all. Also... You're so warm.Croix hugged the reluctant girl, covering her face with her bountiful chest.Sickly Girl - Mggggh... I-It hurts...Croix - Oh, sorry about that. But remember, you're warm because you're alive and well. I'm sure you'll get better in no time.Sickly Girl - Really?Croix - Yes, so try thinking about what you'll do after that.Sickly Girl - Oh, um... I wanna get married like you.Croix - Heheheh, you're so cute that you could get married in no time.Sickly Girl - O-Okay, I'm gonna try to get better.Croix took her time speaking with each of the kids and went around to all the hospital rooms.As though her smile put the children at east, she effortlessly connected with all of them.Towa - These kids are usually in low spirits, but they're having so much fun... Princess Croix really is an incredible Saint.Following behind Croix with the rest of the group, Towa found herself thinking out loud.Issei - That might just be thanks to all the work you normally do, Towa. And even Princess Croix's visit wouldn't be happening without your help.Towa - E-Eh?! N-No I think it's because of you Issei-san because you purified all those zombies and solved the mystery behind it as well.Issei - Perhaps, but without the letters from the kids that you deliver to Croix then she won't be visiting the hospital now right?Towa - I-I suppose so... I'm glad I was able to do something. 'Nobody's ever told me that before... What do I do? I'm gonna blush... Geez, Issei-san...'.While Towa was frantically trying to hide her red face, Croix's hospital visit continued.Croix - Do you ever get bored being stuck in the hospital? Is there anything you want?Bandaged Girl - Yeah... But Towa-onee-chan teaches me stuff and tells me stories about all kinds of places.Croix - I've watched one of her stories too. Isn't it fun to learn things?Bandaged Girl - Yeah, I love her stories! I wanna watch one with you, Princess.Croix - Maybe we can ask her next time. Are you tired? You can lie down if you like.Bandaged Girl - I'm okay. Also... We made this for you.Croix carefully took the girl's origami gift, then gave her a soft hug and expressed her appreciation.Croix - Thanks, I'll treasure it always.IV Drip Girl - I drew a picture!Croix - Oh, you're quite the artist, I'll treasure this too. Heheheh... I'll need to buy a frame for this.Starting with one gift, the children gave Croix one present after another, until her hands were full.Ramius - They're suffering from illness, but they still took the trouble to make gifts...Kathryn - Like the total opposite of the selfish jackasses from .The party felt as though their hearts, weary from all the unrestrained desire they'd seen in their fights with the enemy were being cleansed.Issei smiled seeing Croix being surrounded by children. Then he saw a little girl coming his way, she just stands in front of him and looks up at him silently.Issei felt confused seeing her gazing at him like this. So he lowers his body to match the girl height.Issei - What's wrong?Finally, after hearing Issei's question the girl says something.Girl - Who are you, onii-chan?Issei - Hm? Oh, I'm Princess Croix family member.Girl - Why do you cover your head with your hood? Are you shy?Issei smiled at the girl after hearing her question so he uncovers his hood.Issei - No, it's just a habit of mine you see.When Issei's face is shown, the girl nurses and the children moms blushed deeply seeing his face. They've never seen someone this handsome before, even sir Barro lose against Issei they thought.The moms' husbands sent Issei a begrudging stare because of it though. Issei could only smile bitterly to himself after feeling their stares.The little girl eyes went wide after seeing his face and she asked him a question.Girl - Onii-chan, are you a prince? Because you're so handsome and cool.Riche who heard her words grinned and respond to the girl question even before Issei could respond to it.Riche - Yes, this onii-chan is a prince. The prince for all of us.Ramius - Umu. Our own Prince charming.Gurigura - Eheheh, yep. Ise-nii is our prince.Kathryn - Mhm, you could say that.Issei smiled wryly hearing Riche and co. words.Girl - Woow, amazing... Hey, everyone! There's a prince here!The girl instantly called her friends to come over and they all look towards her direction straight away. Even the children who surrounded Croix looked over along with Croix herself.Sickly Boy - Eh, really?!Sickly Girl - We have both the prince and the princess here?Then some of them swarmed Issei this time around. They keep asking him a question and Issei answered them all patiently and gently.Sickly Girl - Onii-chan, are you the Princess fiancee?Issei becomes a bit taken aback by her sudden question but he answered her regardless.Issei - Err, no, I'm not.Sickly Girl - But aren't you the prince?Sickly Boy - Yeah, yeah.They all felt a little disappointed that he's not Croix fiancee but soon they asked him another question. Issei childish smile also reappears once again when he's interacting with the children. After all, even in his original world, he's quite popular with the children as well.This time it's the Riche and co. turn to smile at him along with Croix herself. They all felt like he's gonna be a great father as well on top of being a great husband already.The nurses blushed even more after seeing his dazzling smile and they envy Riche and co for having a husband like him.Issei patted each of the children head and they all giggled after being patted by him. Unknown to everyone nearby, every child that came into contact with him will be cured soon. Issei knows it but he keeps silent about it.He releases his blessing light to the whole hospital to cure the rest of the patients here. Later on, people started thinking a miracle happened because every single patient who was hospitalized here got cured on the same day. And the hospital got even more famous because of it.Bandaged Girl - Ne, princess. Who is that onii-chan to you?One of the girls who are still with Croix asked.Croix - Eh? Ohh, he's my great Otouto... Only my Otouto...She flashed a brief of sad and longing smile but soon her cheerful smile is back once again.Riche and co. also participate in the patting session soon after. They all enjoyed their time playing with the children until the visiting time is over.All of the children said their goodbye to Croix and Issei and told them to come to visit them again later. Both Issei and Croix promised the children that they will come to visit again later with a pinky promise.Then they head back to Hamlet....The party returned to Hamlet, where they were met by Pope Norshin and Silent. But when the party approached Pope Norshin, he promptly kneeled and bowed his head.Norshin - Thank you so much. Issei-san, you're a hero to this country.Issei - ...Don't mind it, we just did what we could do, that's all.Silent - Don't be so humble, you all saved this country from the impending doom of the zombie horde and from the evil hands as well. And for that, we can't thank you enough.Silent also bowed her head towards Issei.Norshin - With that said, Issei-san... I was wondering, are you willing to take my place as the pope?Everyone who heard Norshin words becomes surprised except Silent and Laertes. They apparently already discussed this beforehand.Laertes - Um, I totally approve of Issei-dono becoming the pope as well.Silent - Likewise.But Issei refuses it straight away.Issei - I'm sorry but I don't want to.Weirdly enough, Norshin and co only smile bitterly after hearing his answer.Norshin - I see... Just like King Louin said, you're not interested in things like this, huh...Riche - Eh? How did you know?Norshin - You see, we asked King Louin when you're visiting the hospital before. When we asked King Louin if it's okay to have Issei-san to become the new pope he just said: "If he agrees to it then sure, but I doubt he will agree because he's not a person who's interested in authority." So we're not too surprised hearing that Issei-san rejected our proposal...Barro - That does sound like what the King would say.Laertes - *Sigh* It's too bad we couldn't make him as the new pope.Silent - But we have another solution for this. Please don't reject this as well, Issei-sama.Silent comes close to Issei and stares at him with a serious gaze that said she won't allow him to reject this one.Issei - O-Ou, but I need to know what is it first.Silent - Um, good enough. The Church of Mother Eve would like to bestow you with the rank of .Riche - Wow, that's awesome!Ramius - A ... It's on the same level of a but even more special than the latter.Issei - Is that so?Kathryn - Yeah, I'm a , but I was never a . Neither were Acheval and Barro.Barro - Indeed.Ramius - Meaning that as far as the Church of Mother Eve is concerned, you have greater influence. Your influence is about the same as the pope basically.Issei - Hmm, that indeed sounds important... But-Silent - Issei-sama.Issei - Err... Fine. I accept it...Silent smiled at Issei but her eyes are not smiling at all so he decided to accept it after seeing her chilling smile. After he accepts it, Silent smirked slyly inside her mind.Croix - Ehehe~ My Otouto got promoted again, yaay~.Croix feels really happy that Issei got to be the church fabled it's been a long time ago ever since there was a present in the church. But there's a secret about this rank that nobody outside the church higher-up knows.There can only be one at one time and they have the same influence just like the pope himself just like the public knows. But the most important of all is that whoever becomes the automatically able to claim the Saints to be his spouse as long as they're willing to be one of his spouses and they can also have an unlimited amount of spouse. Of course, Croix is a special case so she can't be Issei's spouse because of it. AN: As in because she's already engaged with the Prince of Central.So they're not limited to only able to have 10 spouses like the rank. In other words, rank surpasses the rank by a milestone. But these facts are only known to the church higher-up such as the Pope and the Saints only.To become a the candidates are not only needed to be strong but they also needed to be kind and noble-hearted, possess a magic as powerful as one of the Saints at the very least, and also have done special services to the church.Unfortunately, it is hard to do a special service to the church without living full-time in the Hamlet Region, and hard to be a without working internationally. As a result, a certain church rite, allowed only to who are also , has all but died off, due to the international level of experience required of Zero Knights.It may be assumed that the only holy artifact capable of creating a Holy Knight is the Pope's own artifact, the itself.Norshin - Then... We need the Holy Swo-Silent - Pope, the would work better. All you have to do is fetch it from the storage room.Norshin - Alright...Issei felt like Norshin sure has things hard.Thus, with Issei's promotion swiftly settled on, the ritual was held.Silent - This is our holy scripture, the .Surrounded by several Knights, Norshin brought in a decorated book.Silent - It chronicles everything from Mother Eve's birth to the time she went into hiding.Norshin - It's written in an ancient language, however, so only a portion has been translated thus far.Silent - We only recently reached the end of the events involved in the wedding ritual.Norshin - Now, allow us to use this to appoint you as a .Issei - Sure.When Norshin chanted some sort of prayer, the room was filled with Mother Eve's power.Issei - This light... It's like the miracle light from Croix's ritual...Norshin - O Eve, mother of all... Accept our brother as the .When the miracle power reached its peak, Norshin placed a fingertip on Issei's forehead. Then the miracle light was absorbed into him.Norshin - The ritual is over. You now have every church in the world on your side.Issei - Ah, thank you.Kathryn - The Evenicle, though...With the solemn mood over with, Kathryn stared at the book in Norshin's hand.Issei - By the way, is there another out there? There's Somebody I know seems to have knowledge about it after all and he's not from the church I can assure you that.Norshin - W-Well...Silent - I would guess that during the Arthur Tragedy, someone took advantage of the chaos to take a peek at it.Kathryn - Oh yeah, had members in the church back then, huh?Norshin - ...Yes.Kathryn - Anyway, you're a now, Ise. I wonder what will the King reward you this time.Issei - I won't ask for anything though.Croix - Hmm, how about I reward you with another kiss. Of course, it will only on the cheek though~
