NOVEL NEXT Chapter 228
“Thank you for your consideration. Thanks to you, the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess can continue its faith.”
The Pope bowed deeply to Lucius and me, expressing his gratitude.
‘I thought it was a bald head or a wig.’
Surprisingly, the Pope’s hair was lush, golden blonde.
Since it reached his waist, I assumed it was a wig, but regrettably, it was real hair.
“Witch?”
“Yes?”
“It seemed like you had something to say to me.”
“……Well, it’s nothing much.”
I subtly pointed to Lucius.
“Lucius made really significant concessions. He could have revealed the truth of the world and seized full control over it.”
“I know that. So I sincerely thank you for keeping it a secret.”
The truths of the world that the Saintess was unaware of.
Surprisingly, the Pope seemed to know quite a bit.
“How much do you know, Your Holiness?”
“I know everything. Every Pope has a duty to confront the secrets of the world, and I’ve come to know them.”
The Pope lowered his head, appearing very bitter.
“Although it’s filled with lies, the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess had to uphold its doctrine. Otherwise, we could end up like the Order of the Red Moon Goddess.”
“Faith is essentially the strength of the order.”
“Indeed, that’s a true witch for you.”
A religion without faith is bound to decline.
Especially the Divine Power, which is ‘the power for the gods to intervene in the Intermediate Realm’, is dependent on how many believers in that god exist within the Intermediate Realm.
Look at the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.
At the very least, it seems to have a certain faith among half of humankind.
There was a time when the faith in the Moon Goddess wavered greatly across the entire Intermediate Realm due to the Great Demon Lord Belphegor, but the Order managed to overcome that crisis well.
Not that I should be the one to say it.
“Up until now, the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess has disguised Spirit Devices as Holy Spirit Devices, made ancient things from the world’s origins appear as if they were orchestrated by the Moon Goddess, and referred to mere ‘swords’ as ‘Holy Swords.'”
Lucius would unearth and expose that lie.
The sea that the Pope worried about.
“Honestly, I was afraid. It seemed like the Saintess was inadvertently confronting the truth, and Commander Liriez seemed more focused on her personal advancement.”
“Haha…”
Saintess Yan had traveled to Belselphia and Sky Island.
Liriez was currently preoccupied with her own goddess rather than the Moon Goddess.
The Pope’s worries seemed quite justified.
“I’m really relieved. Although many problems still lie ahead, if Sir Lucius had also turned against the order, it would have been truly difficult for us.”
Why?
“…Because there are still remnants of the Demon King’s Army.”
The crisis on the continent wasn’t over yet.
“Sir Lucius, do you know that there are seven Demon Kings in total?”
“Yes. I’m well aware. I don’t know specifically who they are, but I’ve heard about them while passing by from my Master in the past.”
Seven Holy Swords.
Seven Demon Kings.
Seven Archangels.
“Then I will explain quickly.”
It was a structure that seemed almost pieced together, and I had mentioned it a few times while passing.
“The Papal Office has been operating an Inquisition and gathered information from the Demon World. Through that process, we discovered that ‘Asydia,’ the remnants of Great Demon Lord Bel Phegor, are summoning the Demon Kings to the Intermediate Realm.”
Swish.
As the Pope pulled the rope beside him, a white screen fell from above.
“As you can see.”
Lazy Demon King Bel Phegor.
Corrupted King Lucifer.
Furious King Satan.
Gluttonous King Leviathan.
Lustful King Asmodeus.
Greedy King Beelzebub.
Magic King Mammon.
‘These are all familiar names.’
Putting the nicknames aside, all seven Demon Kings were names I recognized well.
“Of these seven Demon Kings, the ones currently presumed to be in the Intermediate Realm are these three.”
The Pope pointed to three names.
Bel Phegor.
Lucifer.
Asmodeus.
…That was exactly right.
The other four Demon Kings had currently become one beside Lucius and one beside Liriez here.
“I have a question. How did you determine the whereabouts of the Demon Kings?”
“The Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess has been continuously trying to capture Asydia. We obtained information from what we gathered from Asydia.”
“From Asydia….”
“Yes. This is just a guess, but.”
The Pope pointed to the names with a complicated expression.
“I understand that once a demon is summoned to the Intermediate Realm, it becomes difficult to resummon them once sent back.”
“Is that information also from Asydia? You seem suspiciously knowledgeable about demons.”
“This is information I have gathered as Pope. The Papal Office has its own records, you know.”
It was a somewhat impolite question, but the Pope responded with a kind smile.
“Rest assured. I am a loyal servant of the Moon Goddess.”
Just a loyal Pope, huh?
‘500 years ago, the Pope was behind all sorts of crimes.’
What should I say, if asked who in the Intermediate Realm was the least trustworthy, the Pope would surely take the cake.
Isn’t he the one who seems to be secretly plotting something behind the scenes?
In fact, 500 years ago, the Pope not only colluded with the Demon King’s Army but also forced priests into terrible acts.
Thanks to that, the Saintess of 500 years ago, Tsun Diere, struggled to clean up after it all.
In the end, I might have greatly reduced the faith in the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess by exposing the Pope’s true identity.
“I have faith only in the Moon Goddess. It is my mission to convert and teach everything in this land that denies the Moon Goddess. The demon races try to trample the teachings of the Moon Goddess, hence I simply strike their heads with the scriptures.”
It’s a rather radical statement for a Pope, but considering his position, it made sense.
“If, Sir Hero, you were to actively deny the Moon Goddess, I would do my utmost as Pope to stop you.”
“…….”
“Sir Hero?”
“I have no thoughts on the matter.”
Lucius calmly opened his mouth.
“The truths of the world and the doctrines of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess have no relation to me. I simply grew up in an ordinary village and became a hero by the selection of that person.”
“That person refers to…?”
“My Master.”
Lucius pointed at me.
“……?”
The Pope tilted his head as he inexplicably referred to me as ‘that person’ even though I was right next to him.
“Oh, I see now. Was it about the essence? Understood.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Somehow, it seemed a strange camaraderie had formed between the Pope and Lucius.
“Then Sir Lucius, as a rescuer of the Empire and not just a hero, I would like to make you a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“Become the Emperor.”
The Pope pulled another rope.
Then, instead of data on the Demon Kings, the map of the world unfolded before our eyes.
“Now that the Arpe Empire is practically collapsed, many nations are gradually sending troops across this vast land.”
“Wait a moment.”
I hadn’t intended to interrupt, but.
“Sending troops? Not considering sending them?”
“They are already acting swiftly. As soon as they realized that Sir Lucius had no interest in the Empire’s territory, the various kingdoms began to move.”
“No, the speed doesn’t make sense.”
We had only just left the Empire to arrive here a week ago.
“Are you saying the armies are already on the move?”
“Yes. Astonishingly fast. It’s not the pace of small kingdoms moving their armies but rather the speed at which the Empire’s turncoats are worming their way into other kingdoms.”
The Pope continued with a voice full of open disdain.
“As soon as they realized that Sir Lucius was uninterested in preserving the Empire, they began selling off the Empire’s land. The Eastern and Northern regions are bearable as they have less influence from the Demon King’s Army, but the Western and Southern regions bordering the Anari Principality are just a matter of rushing in and planting their flag.”
“Humans, I swear…!”
This isn’t the first time such a thing has happened, but it can’t be helped that it feels unpleasant every time it does.
“So you want Sir Lucius to exert influence over the Empire?”
“It doesn’t have to be just the Empire. The Anari Principality would be good, and our Order would be the best fit. If that happens, perhaps we could finally establish the ‘Holy Empire’ for the first time since the creation of the Order of the Crescent Moon Goddess.”
“…….”
There is a possibility.
If things go well with Saintess Yan Diere, and if Lucius says he will team up with the Order, there’s no downside.
After all, Lucius is a god existing on this earth right now.
If he were to awaken the Holy Sword of the Earth to the third stage—Spirit Device awakening—it would be entirely possible to rip the continent apart and slice each nation into islands.
“I have no intention of falling out with Sir Lucius. What about you?”
“…Thank you for the suggestion. I will consider it carefully.”
Lucius nodded quietly.
“But since it’s a rather significant issue, I cannot ignore consulting my Master.”
“Haha, in the end….”
“Yes.”
Lucius stood up.
“I would like to ask my Master. After all, he always provides the right judgment.”
“What about the person next to you?”
“The Master who is currently here is certainly a Master, but whether it’s the ‘right judgment’ is somewhat questionable.”
Lucius’s voice was very resolute.
“When my Master created the clones, he said that all focus would be placed on Lucius.”
Did I say that?
“The judgments of these people all result in ‘my benefit.'”
“…Then what about your Master?”
“My Master has shown me the direction for peace in the world, even if it means I might incur losses.”
I acknowledge that.
Because that’s me.
“I want to make a choice for the world.”
Crap.
I should have let the main body hear this.
I gave Lucius a thumbs up while secretly pulling out the magic stone I had prepared without the Pope’s knowledge.
The recording crystal.
“……Ha.”
Lucius turned his head and smiled.