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.