Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? (LN) - Volume 16 - Chapter 3

Shun 1

I told everyone present that I wanted to search for a solution where no one had to be sacrificed, instead of taking either side.

There are seven people here: Katia, Fei, Sue, Yuri, Elder Ronandt, Natsume, and me.

I’m well aware that it’s absurd to try to change the fate of the world with only seven people.

But I also know that Julius wouldn’t have given up even in this hopeless situation.

So I won’t give up, either.

I may as well struggle until the very last, even if it’s in vain.

My strength is probably less than what Wakaba and her people have in one pinky finger.

But since it can’t do any harm, I’ll give it a shot anyway.

I’d rather tackle things head-on and fall than give up without even trying.

“Yeah, sure, but what are you gonna do exactly?”

While I’m brimming with determination, Natsume shoots me a bored-sounding question.

The others all agreed with me, except for him, the only person who doesn’t seem motivated to try.

He didn’t refuse either, though, so I assumed it was a passive agreement.

Ever since he woke up after the battle in the elf village, Natsume has barely even shown any signs of life.

Maybe that’s to be expected when you consider he just found out he’d been brainwashed and working as a pawn for Wakaba’s side.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I forgive him for what he did.

But it doesn’t seem like he expects to be forgiven, either. He told us to use the rest of his life to make him atone as we see fit, like he doesn’t even have the will to live for himself anymore.

As much as it bothers me that he also doesn’t seem all that motivated to take his atonement into his own hands, I may as well make him go along with all this, at the very least.

“Well, we don’t know nearly enough about what’s going on to form a plan. I think we need to start by gathering information before we do anything else.”

Everything we’ve learned so far, both from Taboo and from Wakaba and company, is brand-new to all of us.

Even if we take for granted that it’s all true—we’d never get anywhere if we doubted any of it at this point—I think we should still try to get more details from the people in the know.

“And so, Elder Ronandt, I’d like to return to the elf village for a while. Would you be willing to help with that?”

“But of course. Why, I’ll take ye anywhere ye’d like, as long as I’ve been there before.”

Ronandt flashes a confident grin.

It’s no wonder people call him humanity’s strongest mage.

He’s got a very powerful presence.

I certainly feel better knowing that we have an authority on Spatial Magic here, and that he’s willing to help us.

Without his teleportation prowess, all we’d be able to do is wander around lost in this unknown location.

That was probably what Wakaba was hoping for, but Elder Ronandt’s arrival solves that problem.

From what I understand, Elder Ronandt had never been here, either. Nonetheless, he was able to get here by way of the connection between me and Fei, with whom I made a familiar contract.

Clearly it went well, even though it was apparently his first time attempting such a thing.

When he told me all this, I couldn’t help but feel it was an unbelievable stroke of good luck.

The pieces fell into place for my rescue just in time, as if it was meant to be that way all along.

It’s almost too good to be true, in fact.

I do actually have one theory about all this.

My unique skill, Divine Protection.

The effect of Divine Protection is fairly vague: It makes it easier for me to gain the results you desire in any situation.

And since it’s not the sort of thing you can visibly confirm, there’s no way of knowing how much of all this is a result of the skill.

Personally, I’ve never once felt an unmistakable blessing at work from this skill.

So I always assumed it just meant that my luck was slightly improved.

But now, with things seemingly laid out in my favor right in front of my eyes, I’m starting to wonder if maybe this skill has a more dramatic effect than I realized.

And if my hunch is right, then I have a faint idea of why Wakaba would have gone out of her way to send me to this isolated place.

Maybe she saw me as too much of an unpredictable variable?

I have a powerful meta ability against the Demon Lord because I’m the Hero, and on top of that, I possess the wild card known as Divine Protection.

From Wakaba’s point of view, it would make sense to want to remove me from play entirely.

I don’t know for sure if that’s really the reason, but I’m willing to bet it’s not far off.

I need to find that out for sure, among other things.

Elder Ronandt completed his long-distance teleport spell while I was lost in thought, and now we’re back in the elf village.

Except…

“Nobody seems to be here…”

Katia’s murmured observation is right: The place is completely deserted.

“Nope, no good. I checked from up above, and there’s nooobody here as far as I can see.”

Fei comes flying down in dragon form with the same results.

“There were so many people here before. How did they all leave in such a short amount of time…?”

I knew the elves had been wiped out, but there should still have been the remnants of the imperial army and the demon army.

How in the world had several troops’ worth of people gotten so far away so quickly that Fei couldn’t find a trace of them?

“Well, there’s no point wondering about it. It’s the ends that matter, not the means, eh? And since it ends up that no one’s here, we’ll just have to choose our next actions accordingly.”

Elder Ronandt is right.

I can’t just stand here thinking about how they moved so many people.

While I’m worried about the safety of the people who are now out of reach, like Anna and Hyrince, it won’t do them any good to keep thinking about it.

Instead of trying to figure out a question to which I’ll never find the answer, it’s more important to focus on what we should do now.

“Should we go after them?”

As soon as I muttered it out loud, I realized it wasn’t realistic.

“We haven’t the slightest idea where they went. And since we don’t know how they’re traveling, there’s no telling if we could even catch up to them at all.”

As if to confirm my instinct, Katia points out the problems with this idea.

We wouldn’t even know which direction they went in, and if they used teleportation or something like it, we’d be even less likely to find them at all.

And the longer we dawdle, the further the situation slips out of our control.

There’s no time to waste.

“But in that case, what should we do instead…?”

My first instinct, asking Wakaba and the others for more information, was a bust.

Since the only plan was to figure things out once we had more information, not being able to get that information at all leaves us at a standstill.

“If you wish for information, surely there is one other with knowledge of the situation.”

My eyes widen at Elder Ronandt’s remark.

“The Word of God Pontiff.”

The head of the faction opposing Wakaba and her side.

He certainly would be likely to know more than we do.

After all, he’s the one who falsely presented Natsume as the new hero to the world.

That means he clearly has some connection to Wakaba, who was manipulating Natsume.

I don’t know how much information they shared, nor how they ultimately wound up parting ways to lead opposite sides.

But that’s just one more question I could ask him myself.

“I can bring us to the Holy Kingdom of Alleius if you’d like. Shall we go?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

I nod firmly at Elder Ronandt.

There’s no telling whether he’ll talk to us if we show up uninvited.

But the fact is, I don’t have any other leads.

Why waste time worrying about it when you can just take action, right?

Elder Ronandt’s long-distance teleportation activates once more.

The scenery changes in front of us to the interior of a dome-shaped building.

At our feet is something that appears to be a teleport gate.

“Where are we?”

“The Holy Kingdom of Alleius has teleport gates that connect to every nation in the world. This is the gate that connects to the empire. That is how I arrived when I first came here, you see.”

As he speaks, some soldiers on guard (I think?) come running up to us.

“I am Ronandt Orozoi, Head Mage of the Imperial Court! I seek an audience with the Pontiff of the Word of God!”

Ronandt bellows at the soldiers as they approach.

The effect on the soldiers is immediate.

But judging by the way they’re exchanging glances and wavering about, they certainly don’t seem like elite guardians of the teleport gates, an all-important facility of Alleius.

“Good heavens! Quit milling about and go convey the message, would you?!”

At that, the soldiers finally go running out of the room.

“…Perhaps we should not get our hopes too high, eh?”

Elder Ronandt shakes his head as he watches the soldiers scurrying away.

I have to agree.

If they’re anything to go by, the Holy Kingdom of Alleius must be in a fair amount of chaos, too.

It’s hard to imagine that the pontiff, no doubt already a busy man, would have time to meet with us when we’ve turned up without an appointment from out of the blue.

This might have been a fool’s errand.

But contrary to my expectations, we only waited for a few minutes.

Then the soldiers returned and informed us they would take us to see the pontiff.

“I do appreciate your coming all this way. Though given the circumstances, I’m afraid I cannot provide as much hospitality as I would like, for which I sincerely apologize.”

When we reach the pontiff, he greets us much more humbly than his position would imply.

He looks around at each of our faces with a gentle smile.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who sensed something far more mysterious lurking beneath that soft expression.

Then, when his eyes come to rest on Natsume, it turns to a show of surprise.

“Oh? Why, Prince Hugo. You are alive and well?”

“Hah! Bet it woulda been better for you if I was dead, huh?”

“Not at all. I am more than pleased that you survived.”

The pontiff’s tone sounds nothing but sincere as he gazes warmly at Natsume.

In response, Natsume looks taken aback.

…This man has a mysterious power all right.

I could easily get swallowed up by that gentle atmosphere of his.

So this is the Word of God Pontiff.

The leader who seeks to save humanity instead of the world.

“Please, have a seat anywhere you like. I am about to take the liberty to explain what direction our faction intends to take from this point on, and what we are going to do next.”

The pontiff gestures to a long table suited to a meeting.

There are already several people seated there.

“You’re quite well-prepared, eh?”

“Well, we were already about to have a strategy meeting, you see. Since your timing was so impeccable, I thought I would invite you to join us.”

Elder Ronandt raises his eyebrows at the table, where the number of empty seats just so happens to perfectly coincide with our numbers.

“Hrmmm. I suppose we can leave it at that. But we didn’t come here to join your little team, just so you know ahead of time. We’ll hear what you have to say, but don’t go counting on us to help, eh?”

“E-Elder Ronandt?! Why?!”

“That’s quite all right. I’d be more than pleased if you would hear us out first, then make your own decision.”

I start spluttering when Elder Ronandt makes a proclamation that could easily be taken as a borderline threat, but the pontiff just nods magnanimously.

Looking a little peeved at this reaction, Elder Ronandt takes his seat a bit more forcefully than necessary.

The rest of us follow suit, sitting around the table as well.

Just then, I glance at Yuri from the corner of my eye.

Gazing at the pontiff intently, with eyes as deep and dark as the abyss…

Erm, should I not have seen that?

I’m creeped out, to be honest…

As a devout follower of the Word of God religion and the candidate for sainthood, it’s all too easy to imagine that Yuri must have a lot of feelings about recent events.

Now I’m even more worried about Yuri flying off the handle than I am about Elder Ronandt making a scene.

My concerns about this meeting continue to deepen as I look around at the faces of the other people at the table.

There are seven of them, too, including the pontiff.

And while I’ve never met any of them, they’re all so distinctive that I doubt I’ll ever forget them after this.

To sum them up by appearance alone, there’s a half-naked muscular man, a lovely young woman with a relaxed air, a person of indeterminate gender wearing a shady smile, a skinny man with a mohawk, a listless-looking lady, and a somewhat dense-looking punk.

The two women and the androgynous person look proper enough that they’re not out of place at a meeting like this.

But the other three…

A half-naked guy, a mohawk man, and a punk…

They stick out like two very sore thumbs in a holy and important place like the headquarters of the Word of God religion.

Especially the mohawk man and the punk.

The half-naked guy manages to fit in well enough by having a craggy, solemn air about him, but the other two look so ridiculous that I want to demand what post-apocalyptic setting they wandered in here from.

Then again, the half-naked guy would fit in that kind of setting, too, as some kind of buff autocrat…no, enough already! This is no time for such a ridiculous train of thought.

Their lineup was so distractingly strange that I lost sight of things for a second.

But while the three men are odd enough to draw most of the attention, the two women and the one androgynous person are clearly no ordinary individuals, either.

I can sense without needing to Appraise them that they’re very powerful indeed.

“Perhaps we ought to begin by introducing ourselves. As I believe you may already know, I am the sixty-first pontiff of the Word of God, Dustin the 61st. And my esteemed guests here are the ancient dragons who have protected this world since time immemorial.”

Ancient dragons?!

The pontiff’s words startle me so much that I can’t help taking a second look at the lineup.

I already knew from Fei’s example that wyrms can take human form.

So I suppose it’s no surprise that their evolved form, dragons, can do so, too—no, if anything, it would be stranger if they couldn’t.

But while that part makes sense, I’m more surprised that dragons, especially ancient ones, would be here now.

Dragons are powerful monsters, with a danger rank of at least S, if not higher.

Ancient dragons must be even more so; I imagine they rate as legendary-class monsters, said to be untouchable by even the strongest of humans.

After all, as their name implies, they’re dragons that have lived a very long time.

They say that dragons do not die of old age, nor do they become weaker as they get older.

In other words, the longer a dragon lives, the more powerful it becomes.

I can’t even imagine how immensely strong an ancient dragon must be.

But since we only barely defeated a freshly evolved earth dragon in the Great Elroe Labyrinth with a full party, I’m sure they’re far beyond anything we could handle.

“I’m Nguyen, chief of the fire dragons.”

While I’m still recovering from the fact that these are ancient dragons, the half-naked man introduces himself in a way that shocks me even further.

If he’s the chief of the fire dragons, that must mean he’s not just an ancient dragon—he’s in charge of all the fire dragons, including other ancient ones.

I was surprised enough to find out that he was an ancient dragon, let alone a leader among them…

But there were even more surprises in store.

“I am Iena, chief of the water dragons.”

The gentle-looking woman introduces herself as a chief, too.

“I’m the chief of the dark dragons, Reise.”

“Name’s Hyuvan, chief of the wind dragons, see.”

“Call me Nia, chief of the ice dragons.”

“Is it my turn?! I’m the great Gohka, chief of the lightning dragons!”

The ancient dragons each introduce themselves.

And they’re all chiefs…

This is insane.

I’m amazed that so many powerful beings are assembled in this place, but I guess it’s not entirely unbelievable, since the world quest is such a unique and dire situation.

Since they’ve all introduced themselves, we introduce ourselves, too.

Then, when everyone is done, the pontiff picks up where he left off.

“Now, we have quite a predicament on our hands.”

“No kiddin’. And here we just finally finished off that damned Potimas Harrifenas…”

The half-naked man, Nguyen the fire dragon, nods gravely.

As I look around, I see the other dragon chiefs all seem to agree with him.

I guess all the dragons considered Potimas an enemy, too.

And since we came running to the elf village to rescue the elves, their apparent enemies, that would make us…no, let’s forget about that at the moment.

No point in worrying right now.

We might have to atone for it or something once everything settles down, but for now, we just have to focus on the problem at hand: the world quest.

Even if it’s just delaying the inevitable, I’ll forget about everything else for now.

Besides, if I start stressing about unresolved problems, then I’d have to go all the way back to the events that set us on the path to the elf village in the first place—the murder of my father, and the insurrection that it brought about in the Analeit Kingdom, my homeland.

Of course I’m worried about what’s happening in my homeland right now.

But since we’ve already decided that the world quest is the top priority, I’ve got to push that to the back of my mind.

My abilities just aren’t enough to tackle all these problems at once.

“Now, we in the Word of God religion have decided to support the ebony god, known also as Lord Güliedistodiez.”

The pontiff already announced as much during the speeches that were broadcast to everyone as part of the world quest.

His speech was in direct opposition to the Demon Lord who spoke before him.

She’s asking humanity to die in order to save the goddess.

He’s asking the goddess to die in order to save humanity.

These are mutually exclusive positions, leaving no room for negotiation.

A clash between their two sides is inevitable; the ebony and ivory gods, essentially representatives of each position, have already begun their battle.

I’m sure the pontiff is far past the point of backing down.

“But at present, all we can do to support the ebony god, Lord Black Dragon, is to pray on his behalf. However, we have no intention of simply watching from the sidelines, either.”

The pontiff’s smile vanishes.

That alone seems to darken the entire room.

“There is another way to prevent the destruction of the system, aside from Lord Black Dragon’s victory. Namely, an emergency suspension that can be enacted by utilizing ruler authority directly in the system’s core at the deepest part of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.”

I can hardly believe my ears.

There’s really another way?

I don’t think the summary of the world quest mentioned anything like that.

“Few people possess ruler authority, and even fewer know that it can do such a thing, I am sure. Even I can hardly say for certain if this approach would succeed. Though the Taboo information implies that ruler authority can be used to directly interfere with the system, such a thing has never occurred in all of history. And since the ivory god appears to have her hands in the system already, I have my concerns that she may somehow reject any outside interference, even with ruler authority. Even so, I have no choice but to try.”

I see.

So the pontiff is giving it a shot even if the outcome is unclear, not acting based on a high probability of victory.

“I must say, this sounds like a rather poor bet.”

“It is indeed.”

Just as Elder Ronandt points out, the odds don’t seem very high.

On top of that, who knows if he’ll even make it to the bottom of the Great Elroe Labyrinth?

We’re talking about the biggest labyrinth in the world.

Mankind still doesn’t dare to venture past the Upper Stratum, and even the Middle Stratum has turned back many renowned adventurers in the past.

The Lower Stratum beyond it is virtually unknown territory.

And the Bottom Stratum? Humanity hasn’t even ascertained its existence.

“I’ve seen with my own eyes the terrors of the Great Elroe Labyrinth. I’ll have ye know, even my strength was of no use in the Bottom Stratum.”

Elder Ronandt has been in the Bottom Stratum?!

And even he wasn’t strong enough to cut it down there?!

It must be even worse than I thought…

“I believe the assistance of my present company, the ancient dragon chiefs, will render such concerns moot.”

Oh, right.

Although it’s easy to forget, since they’re all in human form, these people are all ancient dragons—and chiefs to boot.

They must be unbelievably powerful. Maybe they can even handle the monsters of the Great Elroe Labyrinth without breaking a sweat.

“The true problem lies not with the Great Elroe Labyrinth itself, but with Lady Ariel the Demon Lord and her army, who are no doubt guarding it as we speak.”

The pontiff steeples his fingers, looking serious.

……?

For a moment, I can’t even figure out what he’s trying to say.

He makes it sound almost as if the Demon Lord’s forces are already lying in wait at the labyrinth.

But that can’t be possible.

Because she and her army were in the elf village just a few hours ago.

Considering the distance from the elf village to the Great Elroe Labyrinth, there’s no way they could have reached the entrance yet.

“Yes, Lady Ariel and company have already reached the Great Elroe Labyrinth. It appears that they requisitioned an elf weapon and used it for transportation.”

You’re kidding, right?

I can’t keep up with all these surprises.

Each new piece of information defies everything I thought I knew.

“Erm, what do you mean by a weapon?”

“An enormous flying ship, evidently a spaceship. It is unclear what sort of armaments it is equipped with. However, we have confirmation that the imperial soldiers who attacked the elf village are being protected in a village near the entrance to the Great Elroe Labyrinth. According to eyewitness accounts, it appears to have accommodated everyone who remained in the elf village.”

A spaceship, huh…?

Ha-ha. I guess I really am out of my depth here…

“Do you know if our friends are with them? Like Anna and Mr. Hyrince?”

“Regretfully, we have not been able to ascertain that yet.”

Maybe this wasn’t the place to ask, but I couldn’t help it out of concern for my friends.

The answer wasn’t what I wanted to hear, though.

So we still don’t know if Anna and Hyrince are safe…

Worrying won’t help them, though.

How does the pontiff even know so much about the current state of the faraway Great Elroe Labyrinth anyway?

It feels like I’m getting one small glimpse of the terrifying power of the Word of God organization.

But if even their leader doesn’t know whether my friends are safe, there’s no way someone like me could find out, either.

All I can do is pray for their safety.

I’m sure they’ll be fine.

Mr. Hyrince was the shieldsman of the hero party, and Anna is no slouch at magic, either.

…Although that’s not much comfort after seeing the strength of people like Sophia and Kyouya.

Even so, I’ll just have to cling to what little comfort I have.

“We will be attempting to infiltrate the system core, and no doubt Lady Ariel and company will attempt to stop us. The Word of God will take on Lady Ariel and her faction with all of our strength. I have already sent emissaries to all nations to request their support.”

“You’re going to drag the rest of the world into your war?!” I blurt out despite myself.

“They are already involved, I am afraid,” the pontiff answers calmly. “The fate of the entire world hinges on the outcome of this conflict, after all.”

He has a point, but this still doesn’t seem right!

“Hrmmm. I wonder if increasing your numbers will really do much to improve your chances, eh?”

Elder Ronandt comments on something else that I was wondering about.

Having seen Sophia’s and Kyouya’s strength with my own eyes, I don’t think outnumbering them would mean being able to beat them.

Even my attack power couldn’t put a scratch on Sophia.

Which means no matter how many soldiers you sent in against her, they wouldn’t be able to scratch her, either, if their stats are lower than mine.

You’d just be sending them to a pointless death.

I’m sure the pontiff is well aware of that.

“It is unlikely, I will admit that much.”

Sure enough, the pontiff confirms our suspicions.

“Then what is your goal?”

Elder Ronandt’s glare deepens as he presses the subject.

He’s trying to figure out why the pontiff would call for more people if he knows they won’t make a difference in the battle.

“It’s a matter of personal feelings. If the system is destroyed, those most likely to die will be individuals with more skills—that is to say, those who have the power to fight. Will they sit and await the end, or will they believe in their own strength and join the fight? I wish to let each of them decide that for themselves. We will not force anyone to participate, of course.”

I guess that kind of makes sense…?

It’s true that in this situation, a lot of people will want to do something, anything, to make a difference.

That’s certainly how I feel.

So in a way, I can see the logic behind giving them somewhere to fight if they choose.

It might be better than sitting around helplessly.

“Hmph! And what are you really after?”

“Recovering any amount of energy we can.”

“Wha—?!”

When Elder Ronandt irritably repeats his question, the pontiff answers completely casually.

But contrary to his easy tone, his words are unbelievably cruel.

“You mean…you’re sending them to die, to fuel the system?”

I’m fully aware that my expression has gotten darker and my tone lower.

“Just so. Whether we win or lose this battle, we will still require an enormous amount of energy either way. And skills improve quite quickly in a life-or-death battle, as well as leveling up. It’s a very promising opportunity to collect more energy.”

“What…? What do you take human lives for?!”

I clench my fists and glare at the pontiff, unable to tolerate the indifferent way he’s treating people as nothing but an energy source.

“A necessary sacrifice.”

“…!”

I almost jump out of my seat, but Elder Ronandt puts his hand out to stop me.

“Nothing you say will stop this man. For now, we had best hear what he has to say.”

“…Right.”

I reluctantly sink back into my chair.

Elder Ronandt is right: The pontiff probably won’t listen to me, no matter what I say.

And I’m not strong enough to stop him by force.

For now, I should just stay silent and listen.

It’s not like my emotional outbursts changed anything during the discussion with Wakaba and the others, either.

If anything, all I did was make a scene for no reason.

Nothing I said struck a chord with Wakaba and her group. I didn’t affect anything.

My words don’t have enough power for that.

No amount of empty platitudes can change the minds of people who are truly determined, like the pontiff or Wakaba. By comparison, anything I say just rings hollow.

I can’t stand being so powerless!

“So most of those forces are doomed to die. And you’ll use them as a cover while you and your handpicked squad infiltrate the Great Elroe Labyrinth, eh?”

“That’s exactly right.”

“Hrmmm, I see. Well, I shan’t comment on the soundness of that strategy for the time being. What I want to know is what comes after that.”

Elder Ronandt levels his gaze at the pontiff.

“If you do emerge victorious, what exactly do you plan to do next, eh? At this rate, we’re still on the slow path to destruction, as anyone who has read Taboo can tell. The ivory god’s side is aiming to turn that around, even if it’s by extreme measures like destroying the system. But what of the ebony god’s side? Would you care to explain what you intend to do about it?”

“…You never fail to impress, Elder Ronandt. Always seeing through to the heart of the matter and asking the hardest questions of all.”

The pontiff wore a smile that was more like a grimace.

Of course. This might be a battle with the fate of the world at stake, but there’s still the matter of what happens once it’s over.

If anything, the aftermath is what the battle is all about.

The ivory god’s side intends to sacrifice more than half of humanity to complete the restoration of this planet once and for all.

So what about the ebony god’s side?

“This is what the text of the world quest said: ‘If the ebony god wins, Goddess Sariel and her successor, the ebony god, will be sacrificed, and humanity and the planet will be saved.’ So your people intend to offer up your leader as a sacrifice, is that right?”

“…Our lord himself asked it of us.”

Nguyen speaks up solemnly to answer Ronandt’s question.

So the ebony god is their “lord”?

The pontiff did call him “Lord Black Dragon” earlier. Maybe dragons are all the ebony god’s followers or something.

“If that is what he wishes, then far be it from me to say otherwise, I suppose. But that is not what I am asking. Pontiff, I want to hear your honest-to-goodness opinion. Will it be enough?”

“…It will not.”

“Huh?!”

I look back and forth between the pontiff and Elder Ronandt, aghast.

It won’t be enough?

Does he mean that if the ebony god wins and sacrifices himself, there still won’t be enough energy?

And from the way Elder Ronandt asked the question, did he somehow suspect this already?

“Just as I thought. From what I gather of the ebony god’s personality, he would surely have sacrificed himself long ago were such a thing sufficient to save the world.”

My jaw is still on the floor.

Elder Ronandt really is amazing.

He only just recently acquired Taboo, yet he’s already able to assess the ebony god’s personality and his likely course of action.

Now that he mentions it, I guess a god who’s willing to sacrifice himself, but hasn’t done it already, must have a good reason for holding off until now.

And that reason is simple: It wouldn’t be enough.

“And? What do you intend to do to make up for that deficit, eh?”

“I will destroy the Word of God religion.”

…What is the pontiff even saying?

I can’t wrap my head around all this anymore.

“The church has lost its authority in the wake of recent events. All this time, we have covered up the truth about this world, forced humans and demons to continue fighting, and been the cause of all major conflict. Our church is the root of all evil, the perpetrator that drove the Goddess Sariel to the brink of death. With all this to set the stage, the goddess religion will wage all-out war against us, and we will be defeated.”

I don’t understand. What does all this mean?

“So you would sacrifice yourselves alongside the ebony god, then?”

“Indeed.”

The pontiff confirms Elder Ronandt’s interpretation.

“…That will result in the death of many, if still less than half of humanity.”

“This, too, is a necessary sacrifice. We are far beyond the point of being able to settle things without any loss of life.”

Necessary sacrifices…

That probably includes the pontiff himself, too.

If things play out the way he described, surely the leader of the Word of God religion would not be spared.

The Word of God is the largest religion in the world, worshipped by most nations.

If they were to clash with the second-largest religion, the goddess worshippers, there would surely be a lot of bloodshed.

And while the Word of God has far more power originally, I’m sure many nations would side with the goddess religion instead.

Besides, given that the goddess religion has managed to thrive all these years despite being far outnumbered by the Word of God religion, they must be strong in their own right.

A war like that could easily divide the world in two.

So even if the world quest was over, we’d still be a far cry from peace.

“Even so, I do wish to keep the number of lives lost as low as we possibly can,” the pontiff continues. “And I believe there is a way we can do just that.”

“Of course…there’s another god.”

This last comment comes from Katia, who’s been silently listening until now.

Even sacrificing both the Goddess Sariel and the ebony god wouldn’t make for enough energy.

But there is one other god.

The one who’s fighting the ebony god right now: the ivory god…Wakaba.

In other words, the pontiff’s people are planning not just to defeat Wakaba, but to sacrifice her to the system.

“Damn, that’s cold.”

Even I have to agree with Natsume’s muttered comment.

I do have a grudge against Wakaba for killing my elder brother Julius, of course.

I’m sure Natsume resents her for using him, too.

But even then, the pontiff’s methods are so incredibly heartless that I can’t help feeling like it’s going too far.

Still, I’m sure the pontiff will do it.

Because it’s a necessary sacrifice.

The pontiff really does intend to kill every last god in order to save humanity.

“Though of course, none of this matters unless we can secure victory.”

The pontiff puts on a warm, guileless smile.

I don’t know how he can smile like that when everything he’s said is so cold.

It’s mysterious and downright disturbing, far beyond the realm of my comprehension.

But the words that follow seem to reveal a truthful glimpse at his innermost anguish, in stark contrast with his unsettling smile.

“At any rate, such is our plan of action. I am more than aware that it is built on an immense number of sacrifices; I know, too, that we are repaying the kindness of the gods with terrible ingratitude, a shameless and unforgivable act. Even so, we have no other option but to win.”

Maybe that gentle smile is really a mask to hide his true feelings.

His tone is so tormented that it makes me wonder.

The pontiff stands.

Then he bows his head to us deeply.

“Is there any way that you would be willing to lend us your strength to help lead humanity to victory?”

I’m the Hero, and I have the Mercy skill, too.

Elder Ronandt is a Spatial Magic master, and has even been to the Bottom Stratum of the Great Elroe Labyrinth.

With his help, they could easily teleport deep into the labyrinth.

Then there’s Natsume, who has the Lust and Greed skills.

I’m sure having more members with ruler authority would give them a better chance of success at accessing the system core and preventing its destruction.

We still have serious value in many ways, even if might not make much difference on the battlefield.

I’m sure the pontiff is desperate to recruit us no matter what.

That’s why he’s bowing his head like this.

A man who’s clearly so willing to go to any lengths necessary for his goals could easily cast aside his pride to entreat someone for help.

Elder Ronandt gives me a pointed look.

He’s signaling for me to explain things in my own words.

“Please, raise your head.”

At that, the pontiff looks up.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we can’t help you.”

The tension in the room heightens sharply as soon as I speak those words.

All the stares feel like a blade held against my throat.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to continue.

“However, that doesn’t mean we’ll be siding with the ivory god, either. We will refrain from joining either faction and instead search for a way to resolve things without any sacrifices.”

The pressure seems to lighten just a little.

Instead, both the pontiff and the ancient dragon chiefs stare at me as if they’re dealing with a stubborn child.

From their perspective, I’m sure what I’m saying sounds naive, if not downright delusional.

Like the nonsensical babbling of a kid who refuses to face reality.

Even so, I refuse to give up.

“‘I know I’m just dreaming. I don’t care if people laugh at me for being unrealistic. But there’s nothing wrong with having a goal to strive for. Mine is a world where everyone can live happily in peace. And I’ll keep chasing that ideal until I die.’ …That’s what my elder brother, Julius the Hero, once said.”

The pontiff’s eyes widen ever so slightly at those words.

“I’m going to strive for the same goal that my brother did.”

Now the pontiff closes his eyes, as if he’s given up on convincing me otherwise.

“Heh-heh! You said it, kid! I might just hafta join ya, then!”

That bellowed declaration comes from Hyuvan, the mohawk-sporting chief of the wind dragons.

“Now hang on…”

“Ba-ha-ha! That spider dame did us wind dragons a solid not long ago, see! I was never too keen on goin’ up against her in the first place! So how can I say no to jumpin’ on this crazy train?!”

Despite Nguyen’s attempts at placating him, Hyuvan heaves himself up like a drunkard, jumps across the table to land behind me, and throws his arm over my shoulders.

Does this person (?) have any concept of personal space?!

“Perhaps I shall join you as well, then.”

Another unexpected voice chimes in.

It’s Nia, the lovely, languid-looking woman who called herself the chief of the ice dragons.

“Nia?”

Iena, the water dragon, addresses her with a prickly-sounding tone.

“Why, I owe a debt of gratitude to the ivory god as well, dear elder sister.”

“You just don’t want to fight if you don’t have to.”

“It’s nothing of the sort, I assure you.”

Iena fixes her with a frosty gaze, which Nia handily avoids.

Maybe my initial impression of Iena as a gentle-seeming soul was wrong.

“Hang on. Hyuvan, Nia…do you realize what you’re saying?”

“Hell yeah I do! No takebacks!”

“Well, whatever will be, will be.”

At their responses, Nguyen puts a hand to his forehead as if fending off a headache.

“You would disregard our lord’s decree?”

Iena’s voice grows icier as she addresses the pair.

“Sure! No regrets here!”

Hyuvan responds cheerfully, without an ounce of ill will.

Iena is the first to react.

She stands up slowly from her chair, anger rolling off her in waves.

“Iena, wait.”

“No, I shan’t.”

“But if we fight among ourselves, our enemies on the ivory god’s side will reap the benefits, wouldn’t you say?”

Reise, the chief of the dark dragons, manages to talk Iena down.

She returns to her seat with a click of her tongue.

…Iena, who looked like the gentlest of them, might actually be the most combative.

“Why don’t we just let Hyuvan and Nia do as they please, hmm?”

But Reise’s next words cause Nguyen to stand up instead.

“Reise!”

“At this point, they’re bound to leave whether we allow it or not anyway. Even if we make them stay, they’ll be no use to us if their hearts aren’t in it, now will they? I doubt they’d go as far as to stab us in the backs or anything, but it’s probably best not to have worries like that in the first place by keeping them here.”

Reise shrugs.

“Besides, I must say I sympathize with Hyuvan and Nia. I don’t want our master to die, either.”

“No, but…”

Iena’s expression clouds, as do those of the other dragon chiefs.

Looking at them, it seems clear that they’re all deeply devoted to the ebony god.

“At a time like this, we oughtta decide for ourselves what we wanna do for once instead of blindly following orders like usual, don’t you think?”

The other ancient dragons look conflicted as they contemplate Reise’s words.

“Well, like I said, I’m throwin’ in my lot with these kiddies.”

“As am I.”

Hyuvan and Nia refuse to change their minds.

“…I shall carry out our orders, nevertheless.”

“…Me too.”

Iena and Nguyen won’t budge from the other side.

“I dunno what’s goin’ on, but we gotta thrash Ariel, yeah?!”

Gohka, the chief of the lightning dragons, is apparently sticking with the pontiff, too.

(How does he still not know what’s going on, though…?)

All eyes turn to the last of the chiefs, Reise.

“Tell me, Hero.”

For some reason, Reise is looking at me.

“Just how passionate are you about chasing this ideal of yours?”

“Passionate?”

“Oh yes. Do you intend to make it happen no matter what the cost? Or are you just vaguely hopeful that you might manage somehow? I want to know what’s going through your mind.”

I think for a moment about their question.

“To be honest, I have no way of knowing whether we can make it happen or not. If anything, I’m sure the odds of us failing are much higher than succeeding. It’s probably just about impossible. But personally, I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to give up without even trying. So as unlikely as it may be, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.”

I can tell even as I’m speaking that I’m not explaining myself very eloquently.

But these are my honest feelings.

Reise’s eyes close for a moment.

“All right, then.”

Then they open their eyes and look at me again.

“I’m going to join up with our hero here, too.”

Iena and Nguyen stare at Reise in surprise.

Judging by their reactions, he must usually be really faithful to the ebony god’s orders.

“I’m in the mood to roll the dice on all his talk about giving it everything he’s got, that’s all.”

As Reise says this, they pierce me with a stare so sharp that it sends a shiver down my spine.

It’s like a signal that I’d better not go back on my word, or else.

I resist the urge to flinch and stare right back instead, trying to prove that I truly meant every word.

“…It appears I shall have to rethink my entire strategy.”

The pontiff sounds exhausted.

From his perspective, he’s just lost three of his strongest fighters.

That must be a headache all right.

“…It is much too late for me to change our direction now. But do know that I am in full support of your endeavor. I wish you the best of luck.”

You too, Pontiff.

I didn’t say that response out loud.

I can’t join forces with either the ebony god’s or the ivory god’s side. I won’t.

But I don’t want either of them to die, either.

So in my heart, I prayed for the pontiff and his people to be safe.

Please, let there be a way for this to end without a single sacrifice.

Even if it is a fantasy that’s too good to be true, I’ll search for it all the same.