“It’s time for us to return to the Holy Land. But, before that, tell me what you did over these last few weeks while I was busy teaching Queen Xylena and dealing with other matters.” Sylvester sat in a large chair in a workspace assigned to him by the Queen—it was the Queen’s office.

And yes, the Queen was stuck to his side like a bee on nectar, following him around everywhere to learn whatever she could.

Despite the Queen cutely munching on some good old fried chicken that Sylvester had made, he maintained a stern expression while interrogating the five students he had taken in. It was time to see if they failed to be worthy of his time or earned themselves a ticket to the highest echelons of power.

“Let’s start from the fifth. Rex, what have you done during this time?” he interrogated.

The chubby, young-faced, blonde-haired Prince Rex stepped forward nervously, feeling this way for the first time with Sylvester. He didn’t want to disappoint his godfather. “Your Holiness, first, I helped with the road construction. They were miscalculating the slope and making it too steep for carriages to go through, so I helped them with the calculations. I read your book and learned the meth formulas.”

“Math—not meth.” Sylvester didn’t let the boy go so easily, “How do you calculate road slope gradient force?”

Rex rubbed his blonde hair to think firmly and ensured he gave the right answer. “Umm… If we have a road with the slope angle θ °, if we decompose the weight force W N of the vehicle along the longitudinal and vertical axes of the vehicle, we get the expression of the road slope force…”

Sylvester’s brows rose, shocked and proud, “You learned all that from the book?”

Rex energetically nodded, “I also learned to calculate the amount of power needed at the driving wheels for the vehicle to climb a hill with a slope. But then the volcano erupted, so I got busy with cleaning the city.”

Clap! Clap!

Xylena suddenly started to clap frantically, “I didn’t understand a single word, but I am proud. You sounded quite smart.”

Bam!

Sylvester knocked on his adopted daughter’s head, silencing her. “You ought to study all these subjects too. Not this thorough, but enough so that you won’t be fooled. As for you, Rex Magnus Highland. I appreciate your hard work and dedication to make me proud—Congratulations, you are now an honorary Archbishop of the Holy Land.”

“Really?!” Rex jumped for joy. “That means I can also preach? Pass judgment and work in the Holy Land? Can I also take the vow?”

Sylvester smiled jovially and teased the boy, “Vow of celibacy? Are you sure? You won’t be able to marry anyone later on.”

Instantly, Rex’s eyes darted towards Xylena for a second, and he instantly changed his mind. “Umm… No… Mum and Dad will be angry. Sorry, I won’t ask again.”

‘Ah, youth…’ Sylvester sighed, not against the boy’s interest in any way. Rex was ten, and Xylena was merely in her middle teens. The two had enough years to grow and look around.

“Bishop Noby, what about you?” Sylvester questioned the Elephantkin.

Noby, the old giant of a being, bowed his head respectfully before answering. “I traveled the city and noticed a thriving blacksmith industry, but its functioning is crude. So, taking into account the ores this kingdom possesses, I have designed a meticulous workshop that can efficiently and continuously produce iron using thermal energy from the lava moat to run the furnace. Here are the designs.”

The Elephantkin placed a parchment on Sylvester’s table.

‘So he designed a factory with a production line, automated by steam-powered machines.’ Sylvester glanced at it, ‘Not bad. He must have studied the power of steam from the Holy Land.’

It wasn’t perfect, but worth appreciating. “Good work, you are now an honorary Archbishop. Noah, you’re next.”

Awkwardly, Noah came forward and placed down a stack of papers. He feared being the biggest disappointment of the lot. “I… didn’t invent anything. But I wrote a book… a storybook. It’s a compilation of some little stories that I… hoped would entertain the kids at the orphanage.”

Sylvester didn’t expect much and opened the book. He flipped over page after page and read through lines at a very fast pace. Every five pages was one story, and each had a childish undertone. However, there was something more behind it.

“Indirect messages of morals, ethics, duty, and worship? You were an orphan?”

Noah nodded his head.

Sylvester stacked the papers back and placed them aside. “Being talented doesn’t mean one must be a great inventor, warrior, or thinker. Being a great musician, entertainer, or writer is equally appreciated—You are promoted to honorary Archbishop as well, Noah. This book shall be published and distributed to all monasteries, orphanages, and schools. Now, come forward, Emara.”

Second ranked, mother of two, meekly came forward. She held something wrapped in a piece of cloth in her hands. Her hands fumbled and shivered while standing before Sylvester’s table. “Y-Your Grace, I fear it isn’t suitable to show in front of children.”

Sylvester glanced at Ella and Rex, “They are far smarter than children. I’m sure they have read enough books to know the details of human biology. Don’t be ashamed, and don’t be doubtful of your creation, Emara.”

Emara’s eyes widened, “Your Holiness, y-you know what this is?!”

Sylvester nodded and watched her unwrap the cloth and present the item. “I do, and I feel regretful to not have thought of producing it when I call Bright Mothers my own mothers.”

“This is the thing, Your Holiness. It can…” Emara hesitated there. “Absorb blood during that time of the month and help women carry on with their work as usual.”

Sylvester picked it up and observed it with no hesitation. It looked to be made of heavily pressed cotton strips, layer upon layer. Just to test it, he created water and poured it over. “You have done a good job. For further protection, an ultraviolet disinfectant box can be made. These shall be mass-produced by Bright Mother’s Economic Aid Association and distributed to Bright Mothers for free. For the public, the price shall be kept negligible. This won’t merely help women work, but also avoid some genital diseases or infections—you’re promoted.”

“Just stop now, Father,” Xylena blurted. “You’re embarrassing me.”

Bam!

Sylvester softly knocked on her head again. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. The Lord made us this way, and we must respect his creation.”

She sighed, accepting his teachings, “I know, I know, Father. I will distribute these to the women in my kingdom with my own hands. That should be enough to make them use it.”

Sylvester nodded and focused on the next, first-ranked. The bias couldn’t be more evident in his voice, “And what has our dear Ella achieved?”

Ella was short, but her prideful and emotionless demeanor only made her more adorable in Sylvester’s eyes. She seemed like an angry chipmunk to his eyes, no different than grumpy Chonky.

“I studied,” Ella proclaimed. “I read as many books in the library as I could. But there’s still eighty left.”

“So many books? But what do you wish to do with all that knowledge when you have no practical experience?” Sylvester asked, still smiling warmly.

Ella sternly stared into Sylvester’s golden eyes. “I’ll become the Pope. I also plan to use this knowledge practically, but first, I must make my foundation strong by learning the history of all the kingdoms, the battles, the people, the cultures, the rituals, and everything else.”

‘This girl… She keeps on surprising me. I’ve never heard a woman say she wants to be the Pope,’ Sylvester didn’t know what to feel about her ambitions.

“Pfft… Women can’t become the Pope,” Rex suddenly laughed, pointing his finger at Ella childishly.

“Who said that?” Sylvester came to the girl’s defense. “By the time I retire, the world will be different. She can be the Pope then—anybody can be.”

“Really? Can I also be the Pope?” Rex’s eyes beamed with excitement.

“You’ll have to take the vow of celibacy and never marry.”

“Forget what I said, Godfather,” Rex immediately shut his mouth, his joy turning into compromise. “I’ll try to become a good king.”

With that, Sylvester stood up, satisfied with his five students. “If any of you had failed, I’d have left you here. But since you’ve worked hard, it is time we return. The five of you may go and prepare the carriage. I’ll come downstairs in a moment.”

The five quickly left, leaving Sylvester and Xylena alone in the room.

“I know, I know… I was just playing around. I’ll be serious from now on,” Xylena mumbled, expecting a scolding.

However, Sylvester moved closer and embraced her in a familial hug. Patting her back and caressing her head, he knew he was the only father figure she had, the only closest family she considered blindly trustable.

Taken aback, she jolted and then relaxed into his arms and rested her face on his shoulder, feeling emotional.

“I’m proud of you, Xye,” he praised. “I walked around the city, and your name was never spoken with a curse, always with a blessing.”

Somewhere along the line, before he even knew it, Sylvester found his way of life had changed. No more scheming and extracting the greatest benefit from all around him was his goal. Now, respecting the personal connections and caring for those he valued held a higher priority—especially after losing Sir Dolorem, a reminder that he will live with the curse of outlasting all those he cherished.

“I don’t wanna live here. Can’t I just come with you and live in the Holy Land? It’s tiring here… I feel so alone,” she complained like a child would since he was all she had to be childish with.

Sylvester chuckled and caressed her hair, “Being the Queen is your destiny. But if you feel lonely, perhaps I should look for a suitable groo—”

Bam!

She punched his chest, “Not with that again.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop. But I’ll be leaving Emperor Raz stationed here. He’s a very kind… creature, and will keep you safe and entertained. With his undead army, you can get much of the large-scale infrastructure built, such as viaducts. I’ll also send a capable Cardinal as your advisor soon so your burden can be lessened.”

She hugged him tight again, knowing he’d be going. Physically, it felt strange since Sylvester did look so young, but at the same time, for some reason, she saw him as an old man in her heart.

“Remember, never stop training your abilities. I will always be there to fight every battle by your side, but even I can’t appear everywhere instantly. Sometimes, you’ll have to fend off the enemy’s first strike on your own,” he said and placed a stone in her palm, covered with ancient Elder Runes. “Use magic on this if you’re ever in trouble and need my help. I’ll come right away.”

“Really?” Xylena immediately used magic on the stone.

Ting!

A ring on Sylvester’s right index finger lit up brightly in red, vibrated, and rang.

Bam!

Once again, the Queen of Blackhart received a soft knock on her head from the only man who could do so.

“Farewell.”

Xylena followed Sylvester all the way out of the castle and watched him sit on the carriage seat to steer it. Just as he drove away, she ran along while waving.

“Take care,” she shouted. “I’ll pray so that you can grow a nice beard soon.”

“…”

Normally, he’d never let that slide. But this time, it was alright.

“Haha…” He simply laughed. “What do you think, Chonky? Can I grow a beard?”

Miraj, sitting on the horse’s back, looked back at Sylvester, “Umm… No.”

“…”

“But nyo problem! Take my softy fur and make a beard!”

Surprisingly, he didn’t find that an outrageous suggestion.

‘Perhaps that would suit my actual age better.’

_________________

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