Episode 195
"E-Excuse me... Your Holiness."
"What is it?"
The newly appointed bishop who had been tasked with persuading Isollet, watching the Pope with an anxious expression, posed a question.
"Are we... going down to the underground of the Order now?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"I-I see."
Having ascended to the position of bishop less than a month ago, he was extremely nervous.
Even for someone not yet receiving full executive treatment as a bishop, the rumors about the Order's underground were considered an open secret among most insiders.
Going to the Order's underground, something he had only heard about through rumors until now, was something that required mental preparation even for him, who had been through all kinds of trials and tribulations to reach this position.
"Ah, you're the new bishop, aren't you? Then, you've never been to the underground before?"
"Y-Yes. That is correct."
Thanks to that, he who had been about to ask if he could be given just a moment, hastily replied to the Pope's words and began to gauge the atmosphere.
"W-Well then..."
"Don't worry too much! There's no need to be so cowed."
Whether the Pope noticed his behavior, he spoke in a hearty voice while patting his back to reassure him.
"It's something all bishops go through at least once."
With a slightly chilling smile, he finished speaking and began walking toward the underground again.
"........"
Following behind the Pope with his legs slightly trembling, overwhelmed by the atmosphere, the bishop...
"Here we are."
"Ah..."
When the Pope stopped in front of an old door, he stepped back with a startled expression.
"T-This is..."
Because his divine power and intuition were screaming that this door must not be opened.
"What is there to hesitate for?"
"J-Just a moment!"
- Creeeaak...
However, before he could say anything, the door was opened by the Pope.
"...Huh?"
The bishop, who had slightly closed his eyes then cautiously opened them to a squint, soon had no choice but to tilt his head in confusion.
"W-What is this?"
Inside the cellar, from which an extremely eerie energy was emanating, were merely glittering artifacts of the Sun God Order.
"What did you expect? Did you think some monster was lurking inside?"
"N-No, sir."
"Then hurry and go inside. Time is of the essence."
Thanks to that, the Pope pushed the bishop, who was scratching his head, into the cellar.
"B-But... why is the 'youngest holy knight' here..."
- Zzzzt...
".....?"
After closing the cellar door, he took out a scroll and began applying magic to the door.
"What are you doing now?"
"Can't you see? I'm locking the door."
"Why would you need to..."
When the bishop, who had been looking at the Pope in bewilderment, asked again, the Pope, who let out a slight sigh...
"It would be troublesome if you were to run out of here."
"...What?"
Having answered thus, he pointed behind the bishop.
"What do you mean by that..."
The bishop, who was muttering while inadvertently looking behind at the Pope's incomprehensible behavior...
".....Hrk!"
Suddenly opened his eyes wide and froze in place.
"W-What, what is this?"
His dilated pupils met the gaze of bloodshot eyes that had suddenly appeared in the empty space that had been wrapped in deep darkness until just moments ago.
"Ah, ugh... ughhh..."
Though it was a situation where he should naturally be jumping around in surprise, the bishop could not take a single step from that spot.
Because ever since his eyes met the pupils moving this way and that, his body had frozen for some reason.
"W-What... what is this...?"
Thanks to that, the bishop, who had been sweating cold sweat for a while being eroded by fear, used every ounce of his strength to barely move his mouth and asked the Pope who had been beside him until then.
"Are you asking because you don't know?"
Then, the Pope, who had begun to wear a cold expression...
"Isn't it the true Sun?"
Answered with a cold smile.
- Slither...!
And at that moment, the meaning of the Pope's words was revealed.
"Gah, aaagh!!"
From the eyeball floating in the air, grotesque tentacles began to grow and extend toward the bishop.
"S-Save me! Please save..."
The bizarre lifeform spewing wriggling tentacles centered around the pupil seemed to evoke the image of a black sun.
"The Sun has bestowed its light upon you."
"......urk."
As the tentacles touched the bishop's neck and face, the Pope, who had closed his eyes with hands devoutly gathered...
"May this too be a grace."
"Mmm..."
With the corners of his mouth raised, he whispered in a low voice.
"...I congratulate you on becoming one of our true members."
Having finished speaking, the Pope walked toward the wall...
- Graius.
".....!"
At the eerie voice suddenly coming from behind him, he stopped walking and quickly turned around to kneel.
"I greet the true Sun."
"Creeak... creak..."
The Pope, who spoke calmly without paying any attention to what fate the bishop before him was suffering...
"However, for what matter..."
- It has been truly a long time since seeing you, since two children invaded this place a few months ago.
"......"
When the bizarre lifeform began to speak, he started sweating cold sweat involuntarily.
- The time has come for the 'Made Child' to step forward.
"I-Is that so? However... right now, stabilization is..."
When the bizarre lifeform said that, the Pope, who was speaking in great agitation...
"...Eek!"
As blood seeped from his ears and eyes, he urgently pressed his head to the ground and pleaded.
"This humble one has committed the folly of interrupting the words of the truthful one! Please forgive me..."
- There will be no next time.
"...Th-Thank you. Thank you."
Thus, the bizarre lifeform watched the Pope who began to breathe a sigh of relief as the blood flowing from his eyes and ears stopped...
- A need to check the Saintess has arisen.
"...What?"
Soon, it began to speak in a cold voice.
- The Star God, the creator god of this dimension, seems to have finally intervened.
"What? How did he..."
- An unidentifiable variable has arisen in the world. It is likely a hidden card he prepared through the Saintess.
The Pope's mouth fell open at those words, while the bizarre lifeform, who had been watching him, turned its pupil to the bishop who had been trembling beside it.
- If things continue like this, disruption to the plan is an inevitable course. Therefore, we too must deploy a variable at this point in time.
"Grr..."
Soon, the bizarre lifeform, which severed the connection it had maintained through tentacles with the bishop and issued that command...
- Release the 'Made Child' into the world. To deal with that loathsome hero.
"......"
- Sending such an opponent for that kind of fellow is only fitting.
"...I understand."
When the Pope bowed his head and answered...
- Do not let your guard down. I say again, there is no second chance.
It finished speaking with eyes narrowed.
""...........""
When the bizarre lifeform, having closed its eyes like that, completely disappeared, silence began to flow in the underground.
"Hoo..."
Only then did the Pope, who let out a deep sigh, rise from his seat and headed toward the wall, muttering.
"I always feel this but..."
- Rumble...!
At the same time, when he knocked on the wall three times at regular intervals, the solid wall split to both sides, revealing a hidden entrance.
"...it feels like my lifespan is decreasing."
Having finished muttering like that, the Pope began to slowly descend the endlessly extending stairs.
"...Save."
Unaware of the fact that there was an intruder.
.
- Zzzing...
When the firmly closed iron door opened, a vast space was revealed.
- Thud, thud.
The Pope, having emerged from the long stairs and entered the vast space, quietly moved his steps toward the center of the space...
"......."
Soon after arriving at the center of the room, he stopped walking and fell into silence.
"Rise."
Before long, the Pope spoke to the girl who had been crouching in the center of the room...
"The time to go out into the world again has come."
He spoke in a solemn voice.
"Outside the world... you say."
Then, the girl with a mysterious atmosphere, gray long hair, and clear eyes raised her head and asked.
"Yes, the schedule has been moved up. Starting today, you are the youngest holy knight of the Sun God Order that we have been promoting."
The girl, hearing those words, wore a dazed expression then rose from her seat, while the Pope, quietly watching her...
"Just do as you have been taught. The moment you step out of here, you are not a manufactured saintess, but a bright, cheerful, pure, and lively holy knight."
"...Yes."
"If you deviate even slightly, I assume you can imagine the price. We can know everything."
"...Yes."
The Pope, who made a satisfied expression at the girl's answer, soon frowned and opened his mouth.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Before you go out, there is something you must do."
"Yes?"
"Narrow your eyes and offer a prayer to the Sun as you have learned."
"Are we finally entering actual combat today?"
"Yes, I personally permit it."
At those words, the girl knelt on the floor, narrowed her eyes and gathered her hands...
"O Holy Sun, I offer my prayer to you today... Your humble lamb, I, daring to set aside shame, earnestly beseech..."
She began to pray while emanating divine power from her entire body.
"...Please show me what lies behind."
And from that point, the girl began to slowly freeze.
"Huh? W-Wah?"
Eventually, she began to wear a blank expression that didn't match the mysterious atmosphere.
"Hah, hah... W-What is this...?"
After some time passed, the Pope, watching the girl who had stopped praying and was breathing heavily while asking that question...
"What did you see?"
Asked in return.
"Various scenes were visible. However, most were wrapped in darkness, so I could not see well."
"My, it seems the 'Demon God' caused 'interference.'"
At those words, the Pope sighed and shook his head.
"H-However... there were scenes that were clearly visible."
"Really?"
The girl quickly continued speaking.
"For instance, scenes of lumps of flesh colliding with lumps of flesh were frequently visible."
After those words ended, silence flowed for a moment.
"One of the lumps of flesh in the first scene I saw was 'Frey,' the world's greatest villain, who continued to appear as a lump of flesh afterward..."
"Hmm."
"And the other one was..."
"Was there a scene where you appeared?"
The Pope, interrupting the girl who had begun to explain after breaking the silence, asked that, and the girl, who had closed her mouth for a moment...
"There was... I think..."
Soon answered while making an expression of disgust at the mere thought, covering her mouth.
"It was terrible. It's a relief it's not something that will actually happen..."
"That is something that will actually happen."
"What!?"
At the Pope's following words, the girl who had been covering her mouth opened her eyes wide.
"The ability you possess is a 'prophecy' ability. The scenes you saw are things that will actually happen in the future."
"B-But..."
"...Why do you hesitate?"
When the girl made an expression of disbelief and tried to say something, the Pope asked with a cold expression.
"Do you not believe my words?"
"......"
"The words of me, an apostle of the Sun?"
"...No, sir."
The girl, who answered pale and drained of color...
"Then... will I end up whispering love to that man as I saw?"
Soon began to ask in a trembling voice.
"I don't want to. It's frightening. I'm scared. To think I would make such an expression toward that loathsome man, I..."
"If you dislike it, then change the future."
The Pope said to the girl in a warm voice.
"Only you in this world know the future. Therefore, depending on what you do, your future will change as well."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes, therefore..."
He declared solemnly.
"...use any means and methods to kill Frey."
The girl made a tense expression at that declaration.
"That is the only path to protect you, the Empire, and furthermore, the world."
Having finished speaking in a plausible manner, the Pope turned his back and headed toward the stairs, then...
"...When you are ready, come out."
Adding a brief word, he began to climb the stairs.
""...........""
And the long silence that began to flow.
"...Frey."
In that silence, the girl, who had not yet escaped the shock and was covering her mouth with an expression of disgust...
"Before I end up in that state, I will definitely kill you and change the future."
She muttered thus and took one step.
"Coo."
".....?"
And at that moment, a pigeon flew toward her.
- Shaaa...
Before she could even prepare, the pigeon burrowed into her embrace.
"Ah..."
The girl, who had been filled with humiliation and contempt in her mysterious appearance, briefly lost consciousness.
"........."
And after that, the girl who had been dazed for a while uttered in a low voice.
"The pervasive darkness... has lifted slightly."
In the eyes of the girl, who stood quietly emitting brilliant light alone in the darkness...
"Why was I holding him..."
A single tear was flowing.
"Why was I weeping with that expression..."
Meanwhile.
From the girl's body, a pigeon with a foolish expression seen somewhere before emerged.
"Coo~♪"
Flying away somewhere while making a cheerful cry.