And now this “lovely” nation is turning people into demons. You must be kidding me.
“I heard that Blanche once summoned a hero in the past,” I said, turning to the sisters.
“Rumors do indeed claim that they did,” Nadia answered.
“Are the duke and his relatives the only people involved in those types of ritual?”
“No. They are usually accompanied by knights and mages for protection. However, they likely do not know the specifics of the summoning rituals.”
“Hero summoning... My father once researched it, but it seemed to already be a lost tradition three hundred years ago,” the pope said.
Yeah, well, it would’ve been nice if it had stayed lost forever.
“Apparently, Blanche has resurrected this tradition, not to summon a hero this time, but for something else. At least, that’s what Dongahar said in his farewell letter,” I said.
“A farewell letter... Dongahar, you moron,” the pope muttered.
“This is the letter.” I handed it to Rosa, and she passed it to the pope. “I have thought about it a lot, and I don’t think Dongahar lied to us. As such, I’m thinking of leaving for either Blanche or Illumasia in the near future.”
“Catherine, what do you think?” the pope asked.
“Under normal circumstances, I would suggest first making Luciel’s ascension to sagehood official to quiet the rumors and dispel the doubts surrounding the Church, but...” Catherine stopped there and looked at Galba.
“Luciel, according to my information, Illumasia is currently in a state of chaos,” Galba told me. His sharp gaze sent a chill down my spine.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I thought it was odd that they suddenly agreed to a ceasefire with Luburk, so I decided to investigate. It seems that a faction of nobles has formed in opposition to the emperor’s decision not to send the Lion of War to the battlefield. This has led to the rise of an anti-imperial resistance movement in the empire,” Galba explained.
“So, unless this whole thing is a trap, it might be in our best interest to make our move sooner rather than later,” I said pensively. “Oh, by the way, what are you doing here, Galba?” He looked exhausted, a stark contrast to Catherine beside him, who seemed oddly satisfied.
It was the pope who replied. “Catherine informed me of his intelligence-gathering abilities, and I had him take an oath of confidentiality. He will now work as a secret agent under my direct supervision.”
“What?! Seriously, Galba?” I gaped at him. “Can you really do that and oversee Merratoni’s Adventurer’s Guild at the same time?”
“I need to discuss it with Brod. Speaking of which, can you take me to Merratoni tomorrow? It’d be a huge help.”
I mean, if he had truly made the choice to juggle working for both the guild and the pope, he’d most likely be fine, but I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed a bit hesitant around Catherine.
“Master said he’s sleeping in the big training field tonight, so you can probably go talk to him now if you want,” I said.
“Then I’ll go with you once we’re done here.”
Yeah, he really was acting weird. But I decided not to address it and let sleeping dogs lie for the moment.
The pope let out a soft sigh. “Could you please tell me about your plans, Luciel?” She had just finished reading Dongahar’s farewell letter, and her eyes were red.
“Yes, Your Holiness. As I said earlier, I’m thinking of traveling to either Blanche or Illumasia to investigate their experiments on demonization,” I replied.
“It will be difficult for you to carry out your investigation. The empire will be watching you closely as soon as you set foot in their territory.”
“I’ll think of something,” I assured her.
“You sound quite confident.”
“Let’s just say that I have my own worries and fears. Anyway, I meant to ask: Won’t Blanche send a new spy to HQ now that they’ve lost Dongahar as their point of contact?” I asked.
“How? The cream of the crop of the nation’s knights are stationed here.”
“The knights lost to my master and one of my followers, even though they were weakened, I can’t feel at ease under the circumstances. Just imagine what would happen if the situation were different and my squad were to attack HQ.”
At my words, Catherine’s gloating expression turned into one of frustration, and Granhart—who’d been listening to our conversation in silence—frowned.
“I’m aware that the knights have their own style of fighting. But if they find themselves facing a group with a single stronger opponent, they may be decimated without a chance to fight back, even if they are at full strength,” I continued.
“I trust that you must be criticizing them for a reason,” the pope replied.
“Indeed. I was thinking of leaving Nadia and Lydia here with you. That way, Catherine will be able to focus all her energy on training the knights.”
“Sir!” the sisters exclaimed in unison.
“Lydia, this would give you the opportunity to learn spirit magic from Her Holiness herself. As for Nadia, you’ll be protecting the two of them. Your combat style would complement theirs well,” I explained.
“Will you not need their power in Illumasia or Blanche?” the pope asked.
“I will. That’s why I would like to ask you to help them train so that they can be fully prepared when the time comes. As for Catherine, I would like you to completely revamp the knights in the meantime.”
Catherine stared at me in silence for a moment before turning to the pope and dropping to one knee. “Your Holiness, may I take the liberty of accepting Luciel’s proposal?”
“If that is your wish, then I do not object.”
“Thank you. I promise to turn the Church’s knights into the strongest force they can be.”
Good. Now, Catherine could fully devote herself to training the knights and—c’mon, Galba! At least try to hide your relief.
“Oh, and I found this in Dongahar’s desk. I was the only one able to touch it. I can feel some strange power coming out of the gem part, do you know what it is?”
The second I took the gem thingy out of my magic bag, the pope and Estia—no, the Spirit of Dusk, based on her aura—appeared right in front of me. Wait, what? I hadn’t even seen them move! Had they used a teleportation spell? But I would’ve felt some fluctuation in the ambient mana if they had... Then again, the pope was Lord Reinstar’s daughter. Perhaps she was as extraordinarily powerful as her dad... Who knew?
“You said that you found this in Dongahar’s room?” the pope asked me.
“Yes.”
She took the gem from my hands and exchanged glances with the Spirit of Dusk as if to confirm it was in fact what she thought it was.
I decided I might as well explain exactly where I had found it, just in case the information was relevant. “It was inside a drawer in the desk of Dongahar’s book storage room. Do you know what it is?”
“It’s a spirit crystal—a gem that contains a spirit’s power. Oh, I’m so glad. I’m so, so glad!”
The pope was so overwhelmed with joy that she broke down crying, and the Spirit of Dusk cast a grateful gaze in my direction...but I was too confused to process what was going on.