Chapter 67: The Confused Switch

"I understand..."

Though the two guardian knights vaguely sensed something strange about the "Pope", they could never guess the truth behind it all. They simply gave Cyra a puzzled look before returning to the darkness.

Of course, I knew they didn't actually leave, but instead hid and lingered around us, continuing to secretly protect Cysper. I thought it wouldn't matter if they revealed themselves since the Pope didn't hide his identity anyway. But Cysper insisted on doing it this way, saying nicely that he didn't want the journey's excitement disrupted. So in the end, I could only let it be.

After all, for someone who hadn't traveled far for thousands of years, his obsession was quite strong.

Since the two had practiced impersonating each other before, there was no need to wait until switching back to return to the camp.

We had been gone for quite a while, so some preparations and simple food had already been made. Brennan and Yulanda were anxiously awaiting our return.

However, the appearance of a deer had them excited again. After all, ingredients of that level were quite rare and best dealt with quickly. Unfortunately, the three of us had no experience in that area, so we could only sit and watch them work.

"..."

Seeing this, Cysper unexpectedly sighed, looking somewhat disappointedly at the ignored rabbit he had hunted himself. Disappointed, he could only pick up the lute he had tossed aside and begin playing his "Castle in the Sky" again.

"Eh? Cyra, you can play the lute too?"

Unable to resist the pleasing music, Yulanda turned her head, surprised to see it was not the Pope playing.

"I think it sounds quite nice, the melody is beautiful. I've never heard this song before. Who would have thought angels could be so multi-talented!"

Brennan hastily shared his opinion too.

"You guys..."

Hearing this, Cysper suddenly remembered he was currently Cyra and couldn't help looking dumbfounded. But the redhead's comment clearly irked him too. They had never commented when he played before, but switch bodies and suddenly someone was kissing up.

"Well, angels do live very long, so learning an instrument probably isn't that big a deal."

Seeing this, Cyra hurriedly explained using Cysper's body.

"But didn't she say last month that she was a newborn angel from that incident?"

Brennan clearly didn't believe the "Pope's" words and immediately refuted them.

"...Cyra has a great musical talent, in Edenmere we all fondly call her the Angel of Music!"

I had no choice but to blatantly lie for them, not knowing if such lies would bring down lightning strikes upon me. Cyra was absolutely tone-deaf before; being tone-deaf doesn't mean no musical sense at all, but she definitely had no special musical talent.

"She's just too perfect!"

Yulanda gazed at the supposed "Cyra" and said. An angel, beautiful, and musically gifted! As a girl, she couldn't help but envy her. Little did she know it was just a body swap - even the original guy was miles away from her imagination.

This finally satisfied Brennan's doubts. But the commotion had killed Cysper's desire to keep playing. Cyra felt the same - after nearly exposing themselves, she didn't dare act carelessly either. The two could only sit stiffly, awaiting the meal.

"Let's discuss tomorrow's battle plan after eating! It looks like we'll reach our destination in half a day at most. First, we need to deal with that phoenix. Without getting rid of it, we can't enter the cave and those inside can't come out."

Brennan proposed, carrying his plate over.

"Your Holiness, after helping us defeat the phoenix, will you join us in entering the cave? You're not in a hurry to return to the holy capital, are you?"

Yulanda was concerned about Cysper's arrangements, certainly hoping for as much help as possible. The Pope was a formidable ally - even with Cyra and I as angels present, facing that phoenix-guarded cave made her feel a lack of confidence.

"Of course! Of course I won't leave so soon..."

Seeing Yulanda's gaze fixed on her, Cyra hesitated a moment before hurriedly answering for Cysper.

"This trip will take me at least a few months, so I'll definitely join you all in entering the cave!"

This wasn't a lie - Cysper had indeed told us this. His thinking was understandable; having finally escaped that "prison" he was trapped in for thousands of years, he certainly wanted to enjoy this freedom to the fullest. His previous attention to our departure stemmed from this too. As long as there was a glimmer of hope to leave, he would surely seize the opportunity and exhaust all means to try. If this happened to me, I believe I would be the same.

"Are you sure you can neglect matters in the True Church and Cresthaven Papal Dominion for so long while away from the holy capital?"

However, Brennan asked doubtfully. In his view, regardless of the Pope's status, for a nation's ruler to adventure with them and be away for so long seemed very strange.

"No problem! The Pope has been running things in the holy capital for so many years, he surely has contingencies in place for when he's away. A few short months will be no problem!"

Seeing Cyra struggling to respond, Cysper hurriedly explained from an outsider's perspective.

"Yeah! I still have those cardinal subordinates, they can definitely handle things!"

Hearing this, Cyra quickly agreed.

"Oh..."

During the meal, the two men had been sitting together, but Brennan carried his plate away with a look of disdain, sitting alone elsewhere. This puzzled me.

"I never expected the Pope's eating manners to be so effeminate, giving quite a delicate and feminine impression!"

Yulanda whispered to me. Across from us, the supposed "Cysper" had unconsciously brushed aside his bangs several times, only for his current short hair to thwart the habit awkwardly.

"Heh..."

I felt the corner of my mouth twitch involuntarily, unsure how to react. If Cyra was just an ordinary girl it wouldn't seem so strange. But the fact that she was in a different form made the situation bizarre.

Then again, thinking further, it did seem normal. Having been here for months, her long hair often got in the way during meals, necessitating that motion - I did the same habitually without even noticing.

Turning to the Cysper inhabiting Cyra's body, the Pope's noble upbringing gave him quite the elegant dining manner, even more refined than Cyra's original self. Genteel and graceful, with the poise of a noble lady - giving me yet another sense of disorientation.

I couldn't help but bite down hard on a chunk of roasted venison. These two really needed to switch back soon, or I wouldn't be able to take it!

The next day at noon, we swiftly arrived at the cave entrance on Sulide Volcano's mountainside where Adrian had entered. Covering the distance that normally took three days in just half the time was quite fast.

Just as Brennan described, an immense phoenix lay resting before the cave mouth, as if napping. But we dared not approach recklessly, only observing cautiously from afar.

Unlike the male phoenix Nicola had defeated in Makalan City, this female phoenix's plumage lacked the male's vibrant beauty, but her size was considerably larger, indicating greater strength. Moreover, the flames emanating from her body had charred all the surrounding vegetation, exposing a vast clearing that made sneaking in extremely difficult.

"From this cave entrance, the interior space seems quite spacious, definitely able to accommodate a phoenix flying in. But it has only stayed outside all this time, unwilling to enter - it seems there really is an issue with this cave!"

I scouted from the air above before reporting back to the others.

My prolonged observation detected no signs of human activity within. I have no idea what situation Adrian and Vivianne encountered after entering. If all was well, they should have lingered near the entrance despite the phoenix's presence.

"So should we rashly charge in too, repeating their mistake? Or would it be wiser to make further preparations first, maybe even seek help from a nearby village?"

Cyra suggested worriedly. She and Cysper had already switched back. The village she mentioned was the same one that issued the nine-headed serpent extermination quest to Vivianne's group, located at the base of Sulide Volcano - likely the nearest village.

"But if we do that, it will take too long. I'm afraid we'll miss the chance to rescue Adrian and the others!"

We had already come this far, it was unacceptable to just leave. Though I understood Cyra's safety concerns had merit, I still shook my head, unwilling to give up so easily.