Summoners War: Only I Summoned Divine Beasts - Chapter 1540: Good or Evil

Chapter 1540: Good or Evil

“Please receive this, Teacher.” Sera presented the books to the Pope.

“These are…” The Pope raised his eyebrows.

“They are better books than the ones that are circulating around right now.”

“…” The Pope closed his eyes. He indeed received the benefit from Nathan. “Sera…”

“Yes?” Sera remained calm the whole time. After reaching this far, she thought she had done enough for the Holy Kingdom.

There were not many pleasant memories she had in the Holy Kingdom when she was branded as the fallen saintess.

However, it didn’t change the fact that the Pope had been supporting her. So, she came to him to repay him.

But Sera knew that this repayment might end up hurting Nathan sooner or later, so she remained calm during the entire process to show that she had understood the bigger picture.

If the Holy Kingdom planned to suck Nathan dry, she would probably end up having a falling out with them.

The Pope, on the other hand, said, “I have nominated you as the Holy Daughter.”

“!!!” This was the first time she had heard about it. The Holy Daughter had a different name. The Pope’s Successor.

At this rate, she might end up becoming the next Pope.

“But I don’t plan to become the next Pope. I am content with my current life.”

“I know that. However, this title means that you may succeed to my position if you want it in the future. If you don’t want it, you can still accept the title but not take part in the succession process.

“The turbulent times are approaching. I don’t know what will happen to our world, but I know one thing for sure.

“This turbulent time will be so chaotic that no one will know what’s going on anymore.

“I believe Nathan will be the key to this turbulent time. That’s why I want you to receive this title. If you think you can help him more by becoming the Pope, you just have to demand that position from me and finally sit on this seat through the legitimate process.

“If you think that this position is of no use to you or him, you can ignore it.”

The Pope didn’t force her to take it. He had foreseen that the aliens would attack them on a scale that no one had ever seen before.

The signs could already be seen everywhere. Even the Sword Saint died because of one of those signs.

The Pope looked at the ceiling and said, “Back when I was only a small priest, I had always dreamed of making the people happy.

“Maybe the simplest way of living might be the happiest. I have made a lot of people happy, but some of this happiness is rather disgusting…”

The Pope closed his eyes with a pained expression. The people in his mouth also included the people in power. It was rather obvious what kind of happiness would be so disgusting in his eyes.

“I have been thinking for quite some time. Just because you are different from everyone else doesn’t mean you’re wrong. You may actually be the only one who is correct and everyone else has been wrong the whole time.”

“Teacher?” Sera didn’t understand why the Pope started talking as if it was the last time he would talk to her.

“Sera. Do you still remember your dream?”

“Yes. I want to make sure people don’t go hungry.”

The Pope smiled. “Do you still hold it in your heart?”

Sera nodded without hesitation. “I won’t be able to achieve my dream if the alien destroys this world. So, I choose to fight right now.”

“In that case, please remember this one thing.” The Pope paused for a moment. “There is no end without a beginning. There is no good if people don’t know evil. There is no crime if people don’t judge that a few actions are crimes.

“There might come a time when you find yourself in a rather peculiar situation. When you feed the people in this world, they might end up becoming reliant on you. When you stop feeding them, they will think you have gone bad or something.

“However, there is no way for a mortal to make all the people happy.

“No matter how hard it is for you, please see it through. You can only find out whether your choice is correct or not after seeing the end. But even that end might create a new beginning that will lead to a closer truth.”

Sera couldn’t fully comprehend his words, but she understood that the Pope had changed along the way. As she was pursuing his dream, the people around him influenced him.

There was no such thing as a straight path. One’s experience, one’s environment, one’s friends or foes… All of them would pull one’s path to the side.

But they could only continue to move. She had to see whether the goal she reached would be the same as her original dream or not.

Sera nodded politely. “I have been taught.”

The Pope smiled gently. “I have always wanted to ask you one question. What do you think? Are people good or evil?”

Sera was quite surprised by the question. If she remained as devout as before, she would choose the former without hesitation.

But after experiencing the world, her answer had changed.

“I believe people are like water. The water has no color. They are pure, neither good nor evil. If they are enticed by sin, they will become evil. If they are following the correct path, they are good.

“So, they are neither good nor evil. The only one who can determine such a thing is the teacher, who will come in many ways. Even the environment can become our teacher as long as we listen to it.

“I, for my part, want to become the teacher who will guide people to the correct path.”

The Pope saw her growth from that answer.

“Teacher. I will have to excuse myself.” Sera stood up and started walking away.

When she opened the door, the Pope called her name one more time. “Serafina.”

Sera halted her steps.

The Pope gave her the same smile as the first smile she gave at their first meeting. A smile without any trace of intention.

“Congratulations on your engagement to Nathan.”

“!!!” Sera’s body shook. She lowered her head to show her gratitude before leaving the room.