Reward

The Tribunal was dead silent. Lu Li watched as the red-robed figure drew closer and closer, his heart pounding slightly in his chest.

He was confident that Julia wouldn't kill him on a whim, but if she truly wanted to do something to him, he would have no power to resist.

Still... did he really want to resist?

Lu Li's gaze fell on her cold, aloof face, then slowly drifted downward.

Although most of her body was hidden beneath the loose-fitting red robe, her exquisite, curvaceous figure was still discernible—every curve perfectly formed, without a single flaw.

Julia was taken aback by his bold gaze. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she cleared her throat in mild discomfort.

“Your Holiness, your actions today were a bit too out of line.”

Seeing her stop, Lu Li breathed a sigh of relief. So she had come to lecture him.

“I do not think so.”

Lu Li shook his head and said in a serious tone, “Compared to executing a knight, preserving devout, fresh blood for the Holy State is what I believe to be the right thing to do.”

Who asked you about that?

Julia stared intently at the youth's face, then let out a soft sigh.

“Does it hurt?”

Clearly, Julia had caught on to something, seeing right through the vulnerability beneath the youth's strong facade.

Hearing this, Lu Li could no longer hold up his act. The poker face he had used every ounce of his strength to maintain instantly collapsed, and his young face contorted in pain.

“It hurts! Hiss... It hurts like hell...”

Who wouldn't want a gentle, older-sister figure who could see through their bravado and let them drop their defenses?

However, Julia's next words instantly shattered Lu Li's dream.

“It should hurt. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?” Her tone was stiff, her expression unreadable.

She had been busy handling front-line affairs for the past few days. By the time she received word that the Holy See had gone to the Tribunal, the trial was already nearing its end.

Even so, she had put aside all her tasks to rush over here.

“You really don't know how to be gentle, do you?”

Lu Li gritted his teeth and regained his composure, as if the painful expression from a moment ago had been completely feigned.

“In my eyes, Your Holiness is first the Holy See of the Holy State, and only then a man,” Julia said calmly.

She wasn't wrong. From the moment one became the Holy See, gender ceased to matter as much.

“So, did a busy person like you rush all the way here just to mock me?” Lu Li shrugged.

He wasn't that petty, nor did he truly mind Julia's mild impudence. He was simply curious why this young Cardinal was always acting so confrontational toward him.

“What I mean is, you could have told me,” Julia said. “I could have resolved this matter for you.”

“To be honest, I didn't expect you to concern yourself with such a trivial matter. And I am not very good at asking others for help.”

Lu Li paused, then continued, “I once read a line in a book: ‘While you can still crawl, never rely on someone else's shoulders to walk. Because they will eventually cast you aside, and by then, you might not even be able to crawl anymore.’”

“Which book?” Julia frowned and asked.

It was naturally a book from another world. The youth lied with a straight face, “I forgot.”

“Your Holiness, you are the Holy See of the Holy State,” Julia said, her tone turning a bit more serious, clearly disagreeing with the youth's philosophy. “To bring the gospel to the believers is your duty, and to rely on us is your right.”

“Right? You mean power?” Lu Li asked. “I've never really thought about it. Is my power that great?”

Julia hesitated for a brief moment before nodding slightly. “You are the Pope; naturally, you possess supreme power.”

The youth arched his eyebrow. His eyes were clean and clear, and his slightly raised brow made him look like a joyful bird about to escape its cage.

A sudden wave of unease washed over Julia's heart. She looked at the young Holy See, and sure enough, he parted his lips to say:

“In that case, the world is so big, and I want to go see it.”

“No!”

Julia decisively refused this inappropriate use of his power.

The world was indeed vast, but it was also highly dangerous. Without ensuring absolute safety, she would not allow this child to take a single step outside the Holy City.

“Tch—”

“I knew you were lying.”

Lu Li pouted.

He had read about it in books: the territory of this world was incredibly vast, and humans were not the only intelligent race. It also included extraordinary creatures such as elves and dragons.

Of course, their numbers were far scarcer compared to humans, and most did not reside on the main continent.

For instance, dragons inhabited Dragon Island, while elves lived in special planar dimensions.

If given the chance, Lu Li would love to go see them.

“Aside from that.” Julia's eyelid twitched. She wanted him to exercise his power, not make a wish.

She wasn't the Holy Chalice; she wasn't responsible for granting wishes.

Wait... does the Holy Chalice even have that function?

Lu Li was annoyed by her response. What did she mean by “aside from that”?

Since she couldn't make it happen, she shouldn't have made such big promises. She made it sound as if she could do anything else he asked, which was utterly ridiculous.

“Then kneel down right now and kiss my toes.” The youth stretched out his foot and gave Julia's calf a gentle, harmless kick, his eyes full of provocation.

In his eyes, this was a form of humiliation and punishment for the young Cardinal, but he was actually relying on modern logic out of habit.

For Julia and the believers across the continent, however, kissing the Pope's toes was less of an insult or punishment and far more of an honor and a reward.

In their eyes, the Pope's body was sacred and inviolable; unless permitted by the Pope himself, they were not allowed to touch his body at will.

Once they received such favors as a hug or a kiss, it signified that their devotion had been recognized by the Pope, bringing them one step closer to the divine.

Throughout the history of the Holy State, those qualified to kiss the Pope were few and far between, and not a single person had ever kissed the Pope's toes.

In the scriptures of the Holy Court, it was written: The Lord walks upon the mortal realm, bearing the suffering of all living beings and spreading the gospel of salvation.

Within those words, the term “walks” carried extraordinary significance, and walking relied entirely upon the feet.

Thus, compared to kissing his cheek or hand, Lu Li allowing Julia to kiss his toes was practically an unprecedented, supreme honor!

Julia had to consider whether this was her only chance in this lifetime!

Seeing that she actually seemed tempted, a chill suddenly ran down Lu Li's spine.

Is this woman actually a pervert? Kissing toes isn't a punishment to her, but a reward?

At that thought, just as he was about to withdraw his raised foot, someone else moved even faster than him.