[Vatican State — The Curia — DRDC]
“I sometimes wonder whether Joker truly intends to destroy our world. What do you think?”
Rolf and the others were confused by Sakaguchi’s—the head of the DRDC—question. Joker and his allies had materialized an army of monsters to march on foreign countries and were seizing the rights to several dungeons. He had fought armed forces head-on and was responsible for the deaths of dozens of people. His goal was to make use of the Monster Stampede set to happen in ten years to bring ruin to humanity. Or perhaps he was only using this as an excuse to get as much money as he possibly could out of advanced countries. Not only had Rolf and the rest of the Crusaders considered this, but so had several politicians and analysts.
“I know it may not seem like it, but I can’t help but wonder. If Joker were the only human in his army and had only surrounded himself with monsters, I would surely agree with everyone else. However, he has plenty of human subordinates. I don’t believe he’s only using them to film and edit his videos. They must be entering the dungeons with him as well.”
“What would that change? It just means that they’re a group of terrorists, doesn’t it?” Alberta asked.
Sakaguchi shook his head.
“I’ve lived a long life, and there is much I can see now. No one follows the desperate. They follow those who give them hope. These men decided to work under the Demon King and fight for the future he promised them because they’ve found hope there. If that future truly was about the downfall of humanity, would they hold such hope?”
“So what you mean to say is that these terrorists are only using the Monster Stampede as a threat and putting on a show to blackmail the rest of us? Sure, he has pretty words to throw around, but we’re not pushovers!”
“Marco! You’re being rude to His Eminence!” Alberta cut in.
Marco shrugged as Alberta picked up where he had left off.
“Still, Marco is right,” she added. “If the Demon King’s true aim is to coerce us by holding the Monster Stampede and the threat of the dungeons over our heads, shouldn’t it be dealt with through diplomatic means? Our mission as God’s vanguard is to stand up to the dungeons and accomplish the Reconquista. I don’t believe murdering someone for the sake of politics is what we were meant to do.”
Rolf and the others nodded in agreement. The Crusaders had been reborn under the direct order of the pope after hundreds of years, and their presence had given the people of Europe hope. Every time they succeeded in clearing a dungeon, the news outlets of that country reported on it extensively, which prompted thousands to gather in churches on weekends to offer prayers.
It would be unforgivable for these very Crusaders to commit murder, not on behalf of the Catholic faith, but on behalf of the European Union. If such an act was to take place, their very raison d’être would be threatened. As such, Rolf and his fellow Crusaders were very opposed to this mission.
“Brezil has only requested that we somehow find a way to stop the Legion’s invasion. They have not explicitly asked for Joker’s head, so you needn’t concern yourself with that.”
“Wouldn’t the end result be the same any—”
Sakaguchi raised his hand, stopping Alberta’s argument.
“Please listen to what I have to tell you first. I do not think Joker is simply a terrorist. He may be hiding something. If he just wanted to shake the world by making use of the threat of the Monster Stampede, he would have no need to invade foreign countries. After orchestrating a coup in Venisuela, he could have used the new government to negotiate with the UN or another country. What need did he have to call himself the Demon King, put together an organization, and invade other countries? I want you to find out what his goal is.”
“So what you are really asking us is to get in contact with Joker?”
Sakaguchi nodded. Rolf held his chin in his left hand as he reflected on the situation at hand.
“He deliberately gave himself the name Demon King. I think this must be linked to his goal,” Sakaguchi continued. “Naturally, this is nothing more than my assumption. Joker is as strong as you are. No one but you can approach him and initiate talks.”
“I understand,” Rolf finally said after a pause. “If Joker really is an insane terrorist or is trying to coerce us for profit, we will do whatever we can to detain him. If it isn’t possible, we will injure him until he cannot move anymore, but we won’t kill him. The law shall deal with him after that. We still have one issue, however. If he is indeed hiding something, I’m afraid we won’t be able to decide what to do.”
“If that happens, please come back immediately. You do not need to worry about killing him or capturing him. Retreat at once, and report to the Vatican. To be honest, I am hoping that Joker truly is an insane terrorist or that he is doing this out of greed. If he has another goal... Well...”
Sakaguchi did not finish his sentence. The Crusaders looked at each other, waiting for him to continue. After a few moments of silence, Chloé Fontaine could not bear it anymore.
“If he does, then...?” she asked.
“I’m afraid the Book of Revelation will come to pass. Armageddon might be upon us,” Sakaguchi finally said.
The Crusaders did not dare to question him further after taking in his grave expression.
✦ ✦ ✦
[United States of Gamerica — White House]
President Ronald Howard’s spouse—in other words, the First Lady, Mireia Howard—was at the White House, discussing the future with the president’s aides and her family.
“We still have no idea when President Howard is going to wake up. According to the doctors, his brain suffered some damage, so even if he regains consciousness, he may have to deal with permanent aphasia. For him to fully recover, there is no choice but to use a dungeon item. If we have him drink a High Potion or an Extra Potion, he will be cured in no time.”
Units tasked with entering the dungeons had been formed within the Gamerican army, and dungeons were being investigated. During these activities, potions had been found, and it wouldn’t be impossible to get their hands on one to cure the president if they were to make use of his influence.
“Extra Potions allow the body to revert back to a fully healthy state. His blood pressure and cholesterol levels would also go back to normal, and he would be able to tell everyone he’s now perfectly healthy. If we can make this work, the election can still be won.”
“The president was always robust. If his health issues are resolved, he’ll be able to handle his duties for the next four years with no problem.”
The president’s aides were getting all fired up, but as soon as they asked the vice president to secure a potion, Mireia Howard stopped them. She was Ronald’s third wife and twenty-four years younger than him.
“We know close to nothing about the dungeon items. What if they have side effects? I’m against giving anything of the sort to my husband. To be honest, I always thought that a second term would be too much for him, considering his age. We also have the Howard Organization to manage, and I want us to have some time to enjoy as a family,” she said.
Howard’s company—which his son currently oversaw—brought in almost ten billion dollars annually while Howard’s personal assets were worth over two billion dollars. Howard’s previous wives would obviously come to pester Mireia in the future when the time to read his will came. The family was sure to think of all of these little disagreements when making decisions.
None of the people present in the room were oblivious to the First Lady’s calculations. However, the aides just looked at each other wordlessly and decided to drop the matter at once.
Ronald Howard had not been an easy president to serve, but he’d had great leadership skills, worthy of a man who had built an empire in one generation. The issue was the way he’d made use of his leadership. The self-centered “Gamerica First” ideology that he had pushed would never work in the current context. After all, the issue at hand did not concern a single person, a single government, or even a single country; it was an issue that concerned the whole world.
“Contact Republican Party headquarters. And get ready to talk to Congress...”
Everyone stepped out of the room, ready to fulfill their tasks.