CH 115

It seemed that the delivery power of the news was lacking, so I spoke more clearly.

“I want to replace inefficient duties with the rights The Holy One has. Sending a talent like me to the rear is a huge loss. I will be in charge of the front line, so I will leave external activities to other Saints.”

“Th-there are no other Saints.”

“It will happen soon. Just wait.”

“……”

Having pointed out undiscovered dungeons, my remarks were credible. Eyes of trust pierced me from all sides showing how much they really believed in me.

[‘The Spoiler Inspector’ gives a strong warning.]

I got goosebumps everywhere over my body.

It was also dangerous to talk about a future that has not yet happened. I changed the subject so that the cardinals would have no time to pry.

“Rather than that, I’d like to tell you about the next dungeon to close.”

The faces of the cardinals, who were swollen with hope for the birth of a well-behaved and dignified Saint, turned muddy.

Decal asked back, breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Yo-Your Grace. I’m sorry to ask like this, but you’re not just going to tell us the name of the area again, right……?

“Of course not. I think the ability of the Vatican Scouting Team has been fully confirmed. If you are willing to approve the subjugation, I will tell you the exact location.”

Vesalius quickly stepped out.

“Is this dungeon located inside the Vatican or in any other Holy Ground?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

It wasn’t something I was trying to hide.

They would not want a dungeon sink to happen in the middle of the Vatican, as it did 10 years ago, because they unintentionally left a dungeon open without knowing where it was. 

“Permission granted.”

“I approve.”

Now it was my turn to unpack the information.

“The next dungeon is the ‘Library of All Things’ located in the Prohibited Books Warehouse of the Vatican. I’ll go right in, tomorrow morning.”

Chapter 22. One answer to the Truth

Early in the morning, inside one of the numerous chapels in the Vatican.

The stained glass window, which the church was proud of, did not show off its beauty, because thick velvet curtains blocked all the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the east. This was arranged to fit the taste of the VIP.

Sururu.

A human figure blended with the darkness.

The person who appeared without as much as a sign in the desolate chapel was a man with long black hair. His height drew a dark shadow in the air as he went to the farthest corner of the chapel.

There was a small space where two wooden cabinets were erected and attached to each other. It was the confession room.

Click.

Reed went inside and shut the door. The person to officiate the sacrament of confession had already entered and was waiting.

Because of the lattice partitions and thick curtains that divided the center, it was impossible to see the other person. However, they did not need cumbersome procedures such as verification.

“Greetings again, ‘Darkness conceived by the light.’”

Pope Benedict greeted the man with the utmost courtesy.

A dismal silence passed without a returning greeting. Benedict waited patiently, and it was a wise choice.

Reed opened his mouth.

“Sooner or later, the sparks of a holy war will rise.”

“Are they moving……”

“They already moved.”

“Which enemy do we have to face?”

“Rejoice. I choose a den of non-believers so this church could be motivated.”

“……The Magic Republic of Ragneif.”

Benedict lowered her aged eyes and was lost in thoughts for a moment.

The Holy Country with deep-rooted beliefs in religion and the Republic, which pursued sorcery and magic, had long been at odds with each other.

The two countries were at odds with each other not only because of their foundations based on different powers but also in their average national character.

It was only natural, because one side was a group of conservative and exclusive religious people who relied on a transcendent being, and the other side was a selfish elitist group interested only in their own achievements.

Wizards did not serve God well in terms of culture, because they regarded pursuing the world’s laws and truth as their mission in life. They even openly asserted that divine power was only one of the three major powers and it had nothing to do with the existence of God.

This was truly blasphemy from the standpoint of the Church.

It was common for the Church to refuse to send priests to the parishes of the Republic.

There were even several extreme movements among some church members to define magic as heresy and punish wizards as heretics.

It was about 200 years ago that the gap between the two countries deepened irreversibly.

Even though a plague broke out in the Republic of Ragneif, the denomination refused their request for help.

Saint Lucrezia, who couldn’t watch it be, made up her mind to go to the Republic alone.

It was fortunate that many people’s lives were saved and the plague subsided thanks to her, but the problem started after this.

The Council of Ragneif did not return the Saint to the Church.

They even imprisoned the Saint for a long time in a luxurious but prison-like palace. 

This was called the disgraceful incident of the “Captivity of the Saint” and has served as a legitimate cause for the Church to hold on to a long-harbored grudge for the Republic to this day.

Since then, the Church has withdrawn all parishes from the Republic and has not dispatched healers to any punitive forces.

For the past 200 years, the Republic of Ragneif had no choice but to make difficult dungeon subjugation on its own, relying on alchemy or a handful of white mages.

Therefore, from the point of view of the Republic, their long-harbored grudge against the Church was also legitimate.

Furthermore, until this day, local conflicts continued due to, disputes over rights to dungeons where potion materials were produced, subjugation and heresy judgment activities carried out while crossing each other’s borders, and so on.

If a detonator exploded in such a deep-rooted grudge, the future of the two countries was obvious.

“A lot of blood will flow.”

“To make that happen, you, who claimed to be my agent, will have to put in a lot of effort.”

“……”

The Pope bit her wrinkled lips.

Reed savored her anguish for a moment as it melted into her silence.

Then, he cleverly whispered to Benedict, so she could face even more of her own conflicts and contradictions.

“It’s very funny how the Pope is the first human to join hands with the evil that will lead the world to chaos. How will your all-knowing, omnipotent, and good God accept this fact?”

“……It’s all for the sake of the cause.”

After she finished speaking, Benedict’s eyes were shining in a straight line. As long as she believed that everything was for the bigger cause, she was determined to follow blindly.

“A skit of a fanatic. How unappealing.”

Losing interest, the man slowly decided to finish his business here. A tone of command that seemed to stab directly into the soul fell in the Pope’s ear.

“Resume the sacrament.”

“……Do you have something to confess?”

“Yes.”

‘Newborn Chaos and Evil’ who laughed at the action of admitting to his sin, said.

“I killed the owner of the Wizard Tower last night.”

✠

The day after the Snow Queen subjugation report was finished.

As scheduled, I headed to the basement of the main hall where the forbidden book storage was located to enter the next dungeon, the ‘Library of All Things’.

When Thesilid and I arrived, the two Orders of Paladins who acted as overseers were already waiting.

“Sir Senail is nowhere to be seen.”

“I heard that she’s on probation after being disciplined for her mistake at the Ice Castle.”

When I nodded my head at Thesilid’s explanation. Rex, the leader of the Knights of Grace, hurriedly greeted me.

“It’s a morning full of God’s protection, Your Grace the Holy One.”

“Nice to meet you, Sir Rex.”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

The answer he wanted was clearly visible, so I smiled a little.

“Of course. It was comfortable because the Ministry of Doctrine took great care of my place.”

I expressed my intention to overlook the incident of the detention in solitary confinement and the pranks of my diet restrictions.

Rex’s face turned red.

In fact, the shelter and assistance given to me were wonderful. In a large, elegant, and luxurious room, four female priests were always on standby to take care of my convenience.

I was treated like a noble lady of Rofan.

‘Is this a trial version of the genre change ticket?…’

[‘The Creative Business Manager’ suddenly gets inspiration for a new product for sale.]

[‘The Scales that Judges the Soul’ shows great interest.]

“Oh, and the meal was delicious too.”

This was the most satisfying.

Rex put on a relieved expression. But he didn’t relax, as if he didn’t consider the penance to be complete.

“If you have any inconvenience, please tell me at any time. Your Grace has the right to make more demands than ordinary Saints.”

“I’m grateful enough for such words.”

The next one was Clovis, the Captain of the Knights Templar who greeted me and conveyed important information.

“The Forbidden Book Warehouse is located at the end of this hallway. Access is strictly controlled, so one cardinal must be present to enter. Please wait for a moment.”

“All right.”

A witness? Again? The Vatican seems to really like the witness system.

Then, all of a sudden, a mischievous curiosity arose.

“Is the participant from the Prosecution or the Gospel Offices?”

There must have been an exhausting faction fight on both sides over that one spot. However, Clovis’ answer deflected my expectations.

“Neither one of us. The participant just happens to be coming over there.”

As I turned my head, there was a familiar face.

“It’s been a while, Ellet.”