The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 51

Chapter 51: A Summon

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“Ojou-sama.”

“Wha-What?! Huh? B-But… Thi-This is? Bu-But…?”

Diane, visibly confused, darted her gaze around in panic.

“Yes. This is most improper. As the leader of the faith, it’s unbecoming for you to raise your voice in the sacred chapel at such an hour.”

“B-But! Can you blame me? My beloved Ryuuto-sama—his image is being posted on this kind of social media! And what’s with this irritatingly trendy background music? Also, who is this young lady?”

With a face full of dismay, Diane turned to Fumino for answers.

“Umm, she’s one of my followers. A believer from the Tokyo branch, Kokona Kuroda-chan. She’s also 16, just like you, Ojou-sama. And yes, there’s no mistaking it. This is Ryuuto-sama himself.”

“How can you remain so calm about this?!”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like I can do anything about it. This is just how things are.”

“Summon her.”

“Huh?”

“Contact this Kokona girl immediately and have her come to the cathedral at once. Tell her that if she’s late even by a second, her entire extended family will be eradicated.”

Pointing her slender white finger sharply at Fumino, Diane gave her order sharply.

“Ojou-sama, we’re not in the Middle Ages anymore. A fledgling religion like ours doesn’t have that kind of power. Are you sure we need to summon her, Ojou-sama?”

“Tha-That’s just how serious I am about this issue! A-Anyway, it’s only a figure of speech, okay? I-I’m not going to eradicate her for real! A-Anyway! Fumino! Just hurry up and contact her already!”

“Yes, yes. Oh, got a quick reply.”

“What did she say?”

“Uh… She says, ‘Sorry, I’m working my part-time job right now, so no can do.'”

“Tell her the association will cover her taxi fare and lost wages from her part-time job! And stop using Instagram DMs for important conversation!”

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“Ah, Ojou-sama. It looks like she’s almost here.”

Fumino, who had been staring at her smartphone, spoke while holding a plastic bottle.

“How much longer does she intend to keep us waiting?”

“It seems she left work early and went home, but then she accidentally fell asleep.”

“I see. It seems we really need to drill the teachings of our association to her again.”

Diane said while tapping away on her smartphone while reclining on what looked like an expensive sofa from IKEA. Her headpiece was disheveled, and her long honey-colored hair flowed across her body. It was already 5 in the morning. Even the youthful Diane seemed to be starting to show signs of fatigue, yawning in a rather unrefined manner. However, even while yawning, the beautiful Diane still looked graceful. 

“It’s already morning though. Well, I’m on the night shift, so it’s not a problem for me.”

“Good grief. Staying up late is bad for your health, you know?”

“Ojou-sama, weren’t you sleeping so soundly during the day?”

“That was…! It was inevitable! The lunch was so delicious that I ended up eating too much!”

“Well, despite that, I’ve heard from the girl working the day shift that you ate a lot of sweet snacks during your afternoon tea.”

“Must be Ayako, right? That girl! Even though I specifically told her not to say unnecessary things to you!”

“Well, having a weakness for sweet stuff is also one of Diane Ojou-sama’s charms.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, looks like she has arrived.”

“Did she DM you again?”

“No. She made a post on Instagram. Here.”

There was an image of the grand cathedral’s entrance and then, there was the image of Kokona, still donned in her convenience store uniform as she took a selfie with the security guard.

“Get her here already!”

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“Allow me to introduce myself. Your Holiness, I hope you are in excellent spirits today as well—”

Kokona knelt on one knee, lowering her gaze as she began her formal greeting. However, Diane interrupted her partway through.

“There’s no need for meaningless formalities. More importantly, answer my questions at once.”

“Yes.”

“When someone is speaking, do not play with your smartphone. Bishop Minami, confiscate it.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

“Aww, but I was just about to post to my Stories!”

“Are you addicted to your phone?! Kokona, right? It seems you are in dire need of a 100-day retreat here in the grand cathedral to detox from your digital dependency.”

“Your Holiness, anything but that! Please, I beg your forgiveness!”

“Do you abhor being separated from your smartphone that much…?”

Fumino said while holding her own phone in one hand. For Kokono, it was only natural for her to be addicted to her smartphone given her age. However, it was hardly convincing when the person passing judgment was glued to her own device the entire time.

“Ohoho, this is my cathedral and my castle. In other words, I am the law here.”

“Even though you use your phone a lot yourself…”

“Ahem! Now, let us get to the main point. Kokona, it seems you’ve taken a photograph that could be misinterpreted as suggesting you are close to the world’s greatest hero and this nation’s champion, Ryuuto Sakazaki. Now, tell us, how exactly did you come to know him?”

“Ah, well… He just came to the convenience store I worked at as a customer.”

“IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?!”

Diane exclaimed, leaning forward in disbelief.

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T/N: Anything but my phone!!! (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)