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.”