Chapter 324: If you say that you'll win anyway then you mustn't cheat

324 – If you say that you’ll win anyway then you mustn’t cheat

「What do you mean the Divine Word Religion is finished?」

The one who spoke wasn’t Ooshima-kun but Yamada-kun. While being supported by imouto-chan, he got unsteadily to his feet. The Treatment Magic has healed his wounds for a start, and because of my secret assistance his lost blood has been replenished as well. However, even though what was lost for a moment has been replenished, it will take some time for that to spread throughout his entire body. Yamada-kun should be suffering from something similar to anemia right now, but I guess this is what’s called “standing on your feet by sheer willpower”.

「In the literal meaning. This marks the end of the Divine Word Religion’s longlasting era.」

The pope smiles cheerfully. He’s not putting a brave face on it. Hm? Really, what is this guy thinking?

「This place is inappropriate. Let’s move to somewhere else to talk. Or perhaps you need to rest a little? I’m sure some time will be needed to prepare a place anyway.」

「I’m fine. Let’s talk.」

In response to the pope’s concern, Yamada-kun immediately shakes his head.

「In that case, please follow me. Ahh, what will you do, Shiro-sama?」

Erm? Mm. What to do-o? It’s not like I’m uninterested in knowing what the pope is up to, but wouldn’t it be kinda wrong for me to accompany them?

In which case, wouldn’t it be better to peek as much as possible? I think so. I’m like the pope in that I’m the type to predict all sorts of scenarios and make flawless preparations before starting the fight. Therefore, if trouble is going to sprout, the correct thing to do is to nip it in the bud ahead of time. With Potimas now dead, the pope is one of the few people who can oppose me. There’s no harm in being vigilant. I mean, since the Pope has the Temperance Ruler skill, eliminating him under the cover of darkness would be the quickest solution now that the cooperative relationship formed between us until the elves were beaten is over.

But... hey... Wouldn’t that simply be a one-sided game? Eliminating the pope right now is the most efficient solution. That is for certain. But, that option... is bad. What’s bad you ask? Wouldn’t the results of such a choice be uninteresting? Not to me. To the spectator. Exactly. For this story, that certain terrible spectator who is capable of overturning the very foundations of it would likely be bored if the ending was given away already by going with that option.

Well, that’s basically why I can’t take that option, even though it would be nicely efficient for me. Sigh. That evil god really is a good-for-nothing. She definitely doesn’t want me to have it easy.

Yeah. I know. It’s unlikely to be smooth sailing from here on. That’s why I’ve even made careful preparations for some detours. It’s okay. It should go well. I’ll believe in my own power.

Righteo! In that case, I’m cancelling peeping on the pope. Let’s do something else.

That being said, there’s not much I can do right now I guess. Since Yamada-kun and co are gone, resuming the debriefing session with the reincarnators wouldn’t work. Mera and co are working hard on the post-war efforts anyway. Even if I use my main body to assist with hacking the System, my clones are always working on it anyway.

The hacking of the System is going well. Under my original expectations I had thought I’d need imouto-chan to take Chastity, but with the hacking having progressed this far, that wasn’t even necessary. It was a bit heavy-handed, but I was able to interfere with the Ruler Authority and gain control over it. So the unoccupied Ruler Authority for Chastity fell into my hands and I was able to grab Diligence that was held by Potimas immediately following his death. By gaining her consent I was able to receive both Gluttony and Humility from the Demon King. The only one remaining is the pope’s Temperance. The remaining one is the problem though. I’m more or less able to continue making progress by being heavy-handed, but the efficiency is bad. Well, either way, I guess it’s at the point where I just need to persist with it a bit more.

Since the System hacking is currently going well, if there’s a problem to speak of, then it would be sensei I guess. The other recinarantors are still able to recover. Since they were simply confined in the elf village, their minds and bodies are perfectly healthy. However, even though sensei’s body is healthy, her mind is not. I guess I’ll go see how she’s doing.

Translation notes:

“If you say that you’ll win anyway then you mustn’t cheat” – the more literal translation of the title is “If you declare that you’ll capture on your first attempt then you can’t look at strategy guides”. A sort-of gamers equivalent of “you can’t have your cake and eat it”.