Reincarnated as an Instructor in an Adult Game

Under Sharle’s guidance we arrived at the royal guest parlor on the second floor of the castle. This was the place used for meetings with other countries, for heroes and close aides, and for confidential talks. In front of the door Sharle told me who “everyone” inside was and I smiled wryly. She followed it in a small voice with “I’ll be nearby.” Lea would go into the room with me and was laughing quietly. I steadied my breathing, steeled myself, and had Sharle open the door.

Inside I looked at the people seated at the round table. My face was serious, but inwardly I kept smiling wryly the whole time. Karinal stood in attendance behind Relia and Tia. Across from them was Pope Mirishu, wrapped in a mysterious atmosphere, and behind her her escort, a woman named Kuna.

Glossy, beautiful white hair. She apparently did not show much emotion and was expressionless. People often misunderstood the blank face, but her personality was mild and kind. When she visited orphanages and the like she even smiled. Her body was quite slim, but not skin and bones. She had a moderate amount of flesh. Even up to that point I had listed the parts that made Pope Mirishu popular with players, but what caught the eye first was the size of her chest. So that people could tell she was the Pope even from far away, the colors of the vestments she wore were a white-and-black contrast, different from ordinary solid navy. Those vestments looked stretched tight over her chest. In the profile it had been about the size of a watermelon, but… seeing it now I was surprised. Was it not quite a bit bigger than a watermelon? I was pretty sure it was written that she did not wear a larger size because her chest would sway, so she deliberately wore a tight one to hold it down. No, even so… that was too big. I felt like I could hear the vestments screaming.

When I confirmed Lea had closed the door, I dropped to one knee on the spot and lowered my face. I quietly waited for words from Relia, Tia, and Pope Mirishu. Then Lea on my left stepped a little forward and I was surprised. I opened my mouth to speak to Lea in a small voice, but she stopped me with her right hand and I closed it. Lea took both edges of the skirt of the simple black gothic-lolita-style dress she was wearing between her fingers, spread it a little, and greeted them.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Pope Mirishu. I am Lea Criera. First, thank you to both princesses for keeping the promise to release Raide. Next I would like to ask the princesses. Is this place official? Or unofficial?”

“Lady Lea, we accept your thanks. The answer to the question is that we are treating it as unofficial. Originally Pope Mirishu is not visiting the royal capital.”

“Then may I ask why you have Raide kneeling?”

The instant Lea spoke those words a faint tension ran through the room. I could not help lifting my face and looking at her. Her tone had been calm so I almost mistook it for anger, but the mouth I could see in profile was smiling. Lea stopped spreading her skirt, folded both hands in front of her stomach, and looked like a new side of her. It was fresh. I wanted to watch a little more, but I could not just stare. I spoke in a voice small enough that only Lea would hear.

“Lea, another country is involved. It can’t be helped.”

“Un. I know. But then they should do it official. If they do it official Raide is not needed here, and the countries can talk. A ’country-to-country’ talk does not need an ’individual.’”

“That’s true, but…”

“If it’s unofficial you must not make him kneel. Kneeling shows which side is in the higher position. It’s already too late, though?”

I had spoken at a volume only Lea could hear. Lea turned her face toward me so everyone in the room could hear. I take back what I said. She was angry… this was.

What Lea was asserting was correct, and honestly I was stuck on how to soothe her. In unofficial settings the chancellor and King Adom had not made people kneel. That was consideration from above, wanting people to speak as equals as much as possible and not putting tension on the other side. Of course our side still had to be careful with wording. This time no one had stopped me, so I had ended up kneeling. You could say the flow of talking as equals as much as possible in this place was already gone.

Well, I was stuck… what to do. There was a way for the higher side to recover from here, but… first, I had not seen many other countries or nobles do it. The odds were thin. I was thinking hard when I heard someone stand and looked that way. Pope Mirishu was walking toward us with slow steps. She stopped in front of me. When I tried to lower my face she stopped me with one beautiful white hand.

“Lady Lea. First I apologize in the name of Pope Mirishu Kail for having him kneel. It is late, but would you speak without formality? There is much I wish to ask.”

Pope Mirishu bowed deeply together with her escort and my eyes went wide. As expected of someone holding the Holy Kingdom of Kail together at the young age of twenty-two. What a capacity. I looked at Relia and Tia and they were also bowing deeply toward me. I panicked a little inside. The way for the higher side to recover was for the higher status to apologize to the lower status that it had been a mistake. I spoke to Pope Mirishu, who was still bowing, in as calm a voice as I could.

“Please stop. I accept the apology, and I would like you to raise your face. I understand Pope Mirishu’s and the princesses’ feelings. I promise I will not stand on formality. I will only be careful with my wording. Please allow me that.”

“Yes. That is fine. Thank you.”

Pope Mirishu smiled faintly and held her right hand out to me. I was confused but took it gently with my right hand and stood. That was when I saw it. Relia and Tia had sly smiles on their mouths. No way… I glanced sideways at Lea and she was smiling the same way toward Relia and Tia. Hey, hey. Was this a plan from the start? Did they move the room so it would go this way?

…That’s terrifying. I got tricked too.

After squeezing the joined right hands a few times, Pope Mirishu nodded small, turned, and went back to her seat with her escort. I looked at Lea. She was looking up at me with a smile. Sharle had come close at some point and murmured by my ear.

“This is what it means for everyone to join forces as a result of consultation. Please remember it, all right?”

I nodded small as if answering that I would remember, and smiled wryly in my heart. I followed behind Pope Mirishu to the round table and sat in the chair Lea pulled out. If I turned left there was Pope Mirishu. On the right sat Relia and Tia. Karinal had prepared it, I guessed. He set a teacup in front of me and used a phrase I had heard before, “handful,” which put me in a spot. I had not had any water since waking up so the tea tasted good. When I set the cup on the table, Pope Mirishu started speaking as if she had been waiting for that.

“Raide-sama. Thank you for capturing the Cardinal. And thank you for saving the dark side who were being controlled. Gratitude is not enough.”

“…If I may. The Cardinal is giving speeches in the Holy Kingdom of Kail. Is this not a fake?”

“You… why do you know that? That is something happening inside the country. I do not think other countries know it.”

“I knew… then, could you let that flow? What I want to say first is that I moved for my students. As a result I am glad I was also able to save Pope Mirishu.”

Lea was here, and she could tell lies from truth by smell, so even if I slipped by with a lie I would be pressed later. In that case it was wiser to tell everything I knew from the start and fudge from there. For the record, when I mentioned the Cardinal’s speeches Relia and Tia had a slightly distant look, and Erika’s face overlapped enough that I almost burst out. I felt bad after everything they had done, but I could not lie in this place so I wanted them to forgive me. Lea sat beside me hiding her mouth with one hand, laughing happily without a sound, and Pope Mirishu was consulting about something with her escort. I had worried my lovers, but thanks to sleeping like a rock my head was working.

Well then. This is going to take a long time… I took a sip of tea.