Sigrid Wants to Be Pope

The reflections of the stars swayed gently in the water, echoing the heavens above until it was hard to tell sky from ground. Beside the lake, Lanqi and Sigrid paid no heed to the clock ticking toward the early hours of the morning, nor did they care what day tomorrow would be, continuing to chat freely. "Eh? Didn't you say you didn't want to get too deeply involved with the Resurrection Church?" Sigrid looked at Lanqi in surprise. After all, her Holy Son was starkly different from the Holy Sons and Saintesses of the other Cardinals; he seemed to have no interest whatsoever in the seat of Cardinal, simply working alongside her to build their enterprise. "Be that as it may, I feel that if you became Pope one day, it would certainly be better than any of the other Cardinals taking the position," Lanqi replied, his eyes full of earnest agreement. "Besides, you look like you're pretty keen on becoming the Domination Pope, so of course I'll help you." "..." Sigrid's deep-purple eyes gazed into Lanqi's, and Lanqi did not look away. A spell of silence fell between them. "...Since you put it that way, then I will strive to become Pope and grant you the greatest protection," Sigrid said slowly. Her tone sounded nothing like grand bravado; it felt more like a solemn promise. "You can already protect me just by breaking your seal; you don't necessarily have to be the Pope," Lanqi said, sensing that Sigrid had just made an immense resolution. She had suddenly raised her goal. The difficulty of a goal relative to one's abilities was a key factor in one's psychological state: if a goal was set too high, it bred anxiety or frustration; conversely, if set too low, boredom set in and one lost interest. Only when the challenge and one's abilities were balanced could one enter the optimal flow state of complete immersion. As an educator, Lanqi knew this all too well. Both he and Sigrid were the type who preferred to keep their personal goals relatively low, choosing to be casual and laid-back rather than anxious. Lanqi wanted Sigrid to live comfortably and happily, free from unnecessary pressure. However, Sigrid shook her head, seemingly feeling that Lanqi had misunderstood her point. "Did you know? If I grow a bit stronger, the [Pope's Authority] will become a divine relic to me," Sigrid asked, her expression earnest. "What does it do?" Lanqi furrowed his brows as well, sensing that Sigrid had grown considerably more serious. "It might just be the catalyst for me to break through to the ninth tier," Sigrid told him. "And what of it?" Lanqi asked again. To him, an eighth-tier Sigrid and a ninth-tier Sigrid were both invincible; it was merely a matter of taking down combat-power measuring sticks a bit faster. "It means I will become the strongest woman in this world," Sigrid declared with domineering certainty. "Oh!" Just as Lanqi parted his lips with a flicker of realization, Sigrid raised a finger to point at the space between his eyebrows. "You are not allowed to think rude thoughts." "..." Before Lanqi had even uttered a sound, Sigrid had already cut him off, leaving him no choice but to shut his mouth. "Although..." Sigrid drew out her gentle voice. "Although what?" Lanqi looked at her, perplexed. She merely smiled and refrained from finishing, leaving Lanqi to guess what she meant. "..." Boss Cat raised its head to watch the two of them, its feelings utterly tangled. The moment it heard Lanqi make it clear he did not want to become a Cardinal, its suspended heart had finally settled. Yet hearing Lanqi say he was willing to keep helping Sigrid, it sensed trouble brewing once more. It didn't want to become the Pope's lap cat! How outrageous would that be?! And yet... why... did these two feel like... No, no, no—it was definitely not a Lan-Side shipper! "Regardless of the future, we still have to win tomorrow first," Lanqi murmured, staring out across the lake's surface rather than continuing their riddle. "Win or lose tomorrow, I trust you," Sigrid said, also gazing at the lake. "The more I hear that kind of talk, the more dangerous it sounds." Lanqi knitted his brows slightly. "Why?" Sigrid didn't understand how what she had said was dangerous. "Side, you must have read plenty of novels and storybooks, right? Generally, before danger strikes, the more certain lines are spoken, the less likely they are to come true," Lanqi explained, gesturing with his hands. "..." Sigrid seemed to catch on a little, then suppressed a smile at the corner of her lips as she fixed her gaze on Lanqi. "I still don't quite get it. Could you give an example?" she asked, blinking. "Sigh, Chronicles of the Holy War probably has scenes like that," Lanqi sighed. "For instance, if out of nowhere I suddenly said, 'Once everything is over tomorrow, please go on a date with me,' saying lines like that usually means something terrible is about to happen. Wouldn't you feel terrified?" Lanqi picked an example with what seemed like the lowest level of danger. "Not at all. I would be thrilled and think how remarkable my Holy Son is, daring to ask a Cardinal on a date. And then I'd agree to go on that date with you," Sigrid replied, her eyes brimming with approval. After speaking, she couldn't seem to hold back a sly smile and let out a soft chuckle. "...Did you deliberately trick me into saying that line just now?" Lanqi observed Sigrid suspiciously, feeling as though she had baited him. "This is the reward for having high affection points. If your affection points weren't high enough, I would have only glared at you." Sigrid explained with total solemnity, her eyes seemingly telling him that while he had previously sneered and asked what good high affection was, she was now demonstrating it for him. "How is this game still going on?" Lanqi was taken aback. Back when he and Sigrid had first set out toward the northern reaches of the Protos Empire, they had played this game constantly. He had assumed Sigrid had long grown tired of it, since she hadn't brought it up in quite a while, yet here she was bringing it up again. "Because right now I am Side—a fifth-tier Side. If you don't turn me back into the eighth tier, I can only stay as Side," Sigrid said, swaying her upper body gently from side to side in a playful manner, looking nothing like a Cardinal. Hearing this, Lanqi glanced at her with a smile. Even though daybreak would usher in a critical life-or-death trial for her, she didn't seem frightened in the least. Lanqi then turned his gaze back to the starry sky. Perhaps many things would unfold tomorrow; perhaps every glance at tonight's night sky was one less remaining; or perhaps, looking back on this night years from now, it would prove to have been a wonderful day. Lanqi had always been an optimist who didn't fret over what lay beyond tomorrow. Now, only the present mattered most. All that needed to be known right now was this— It was time to bring his journey in the Northern Continent to a close.