Shiro and I waited for Tamamo to come back with her “conclusive evidence” about the building collapse.
While we waited, I told Shiro what I had found out on my way here.
“I see… So the Black Scales that attacked Laman the Hero are somehow connected to Gilvert Trinity. And if it’s true that he was using forbidden magic inside the building…this is darker than I expected.”
“You know what forbidden magic is, Shiro?”
“It is a general term for magic which God has forbidden the beings of this world to use. For example, magic such as reviving the dead, material transfiguration, time manipulation, life alteration, and mental tampering.”
“Oh… The spells themselves sound like they must be super rare.”
In one sense, they sounded impressive.
“Rarity aside, the fact is that research regarding them is still incomplete.”
“That reminds me. This sounds a lot like when the Scales of Judgment talked about transforming the body.”
“That’s because they are a sacred artifact. In short, it is acceptable for forbidden magic to be used by the power of an artifact forged by God themself. But any earthly being who uses the magic will indiscriminately receive a heavy penalty. And it wouldn’t end at the person’s magic simply being sucked away. They could lose their body, or it could cause a natural disaster…”
“Whoa. That’s intense.”
I was pretty sure I got it now. To be designated as forbidden by God meant that there were rules against the very forces of this world. And those rules were different from the rules that humans decided among themselves. For now, it didn’t seem like God’s rules would go against Tsukasa’s trials.
“I guess if those kinds of spells were allowed in this world, Tsukasa and I wouldn’t have been summoned in the first place. You could just ask a dead person who killed them, or turn back time so that an incident never happened.”
“And how would you feel, Master, if you were to become that kind of judge?”
“You’re joking, right? That’d basically be cheating.” It was so funny that it wasn’t even funny.
“To return back to the topic at hand, if such a dark existence was behind the building’s collapse…then doesn’t that mean that Princess Ecstasia is innocent?”
“Hold up, we definitely don’t know enough yet to be able to say that for sure.”
“You did say you would protect Princess Ecstasia.”
Shiro stared at me unwaveringly as she sat on the sofa.
“Uh… Can you cut it out with that look…?” Trying not to be too intimidated, I spoke my thoughts out loud. “Anyway, this case is pretty huge. I think it’s important that we make it black and white. Being the highest court in the kingdom, Tsukasa won’t be able to make a ruling if there are any doubts surrounding it, and if the trial is halted without knowing the truth, everyone will be stuck in this state of uncertainty. And the princess will quit using magic. Our ordinary lives will never come back that way.”
“So you’re saying that going ahead with the trial is in itself a way of protecting Princess Ecstasia.”
“If she didn’t do anything wrong, it will become clear in time. We need to find out what forbidden magic was used within the kingdom. And as for the search for Lyra…let’s think about it after Tamamo comes back with her evidence.”
“I am worried about Ms. Lyra. And I am eager to see Tamamo’s decisive evidence.”
“I agree. Oh yeah, what were you doing up until you met up with me, anyway?”
“You mean after I left the Grand Bench.”
Shiro told me what she had seen from her point of view.
“So that’s what happened with the princess…and Ileana…”
The princess had confessed to the crimes, but Tsukasa would surely be able to find some way around that.
Ileana had been a chief vassal to the previous king and the princess, and helped promote their administration. If anyone could find detailed evidence of a flaw in the Copy-Paste Spell, it would be her.
“Okay,” I said. “Now all we have to do is wait until dawn for Tamamo’s ‘conclusive evidence.’”
Shiro nodded.
✦ ✦ ✦
Morning came.
But Tamamo didn’t return.
✦ ✦ ✦
Around noon, Shiro and I whispered to each other in the shadows of a deserted building.
“The crowd of people in front of the congregational hall are people hoping to join the church. What about on your side?”
“It turned out all the doors to the cathedral were locked. I wasn’t able to find out anything about the inside of the building.”
We had waited all night in vain, expecting Tamamo to come back with her “conclusive evidence.”
We weren’t sure if Tamamo had double-crossed us, or just failed, but we couldn’t keep waiting any longer.
After taking a rest, Shiro and I had split up as we left the Chiyodaku Kingdom Courthouse.
We set off to investigate the church’s headquarters. It was the same northern direction that Tamamo had pointed toward and within walking distance.
After a quick survey of the vast grounds and the buildings that it comprised, Shiro and I met up away from prying eyes.
“We can’t tell anything from the outside.”
“The church seems to have a policy of secretive organizational management in the name of their tradition. The important buildings such as the cathedral are locked off, and the congregational hall is apparently where the congregation members are conferred miraculous blessings.”
I drew close to Shiro as we talked. Her support was a huge help as always.
“That reminds me. I wonder if Gilvert is really trying to gather more followers than in the era of the previous high priest like Tamamo mentioned.”
“The era of the previous high priest? That would be just after Laman the Hero defeated the Demon King. With the rise in population, the number of the church’s followers also rose, and at its peak it was said to comprise some tens of thousands of followers. However, I have learned that the number began to fall starting around forty-five years ago when the debate over the separation of church and state began.”
I understood the gist of it. But I got the feeling that there was no point in asking Shiro any more about the history of the church right now. There was only one thing left to do—
“All right. I’ll go in alone and sneak in among the prospective members.”
I needed to do an undercover investigation of the church’s headquarters.
I wasn’t sure if it was really okay for a member of the court to do that, but I had to do it to find out the truth.
“It’s too dangerous. Won’t you allow me to accompany you, Master?”
Her beautiful, ice-blue eyes gazed at me with concern.
“One of the high priest’s goals was to split us up. I think he’s afraid of your abilities. And I think it’s fair to think that’s why he sent Tamamo to go meet with you. We should keep acting like we’ve had a falling-out. If from his point of view it looks like I threw away Tsukasa to run after you, but wasn’t able to gain back your cooperation in the end, I think he won’t be as wary of us.”
“I see… So we must prioritize avoiding the suspicion of the subject of our investigation.”
She seemed to be convinced by that.
“Let’s split up again. The only problem is that we can’t make any communications from the inside.”
“In that case… It seems that new members are given their own rooms. After you have joined the Church, please leave behind something that will allow me to track your scent. I will meet up with you there, Master.”
“Let’s do that. I knew I could count on you. And I’m happy that you’ve gone back to calling me Master.”
“At present, you are the one who has presented the most broad-minded plan with regard to protecting Princess Ecstasia. Therefore, I have resumed calling you Master.”
“Again with the roleplaying, I see.”
“You used that word last night as well. What is the meaning of this ‘roleplay’?” She stared up at me with her innocent, expressionless eyes. “I am not playing. I am serious.”
“O-okay…”
Our gazes met again. I couldn’t help but be flustered at her cuteness.
What does a virgin like me know about roleplay anyway?
“M-maybe I can explain it to you later. We don’t have time to dawdle. Let’s go.”
We needed to stay on our toes to find more clues for this major case.