The townspeople were bewildered by the event that had just transpired. Powerless, they could do nothing but fear the impending demise the one called the Demon Queen had promised.
“D-did you see that just now?”
“You saw it too? What was that? That entire mountain was frozen in an instant…”
“Mama, I’m scared…”
“Everything will be okay, dear… Everything…will be okay…”
Hysteria hadn’t yet settled in, but it was only a matter of time. Fear would soon spread and multiply, before bursting forth at the seams.
“We just need to find this Claire woman and we’ll be okay, right?!”
“I-I know her! She’s one of those former Bauer aristocrats!”
“But wasn’t she the hero who overthrew the corrupt aristocracy?”
“Who gives a damn! If we don’t hand her over, we’ll be the next ones to get iced!”
Just as panic set in, a voice spoke in everyone’s mind.
“Do not fear.”
A voice that reverberated like soft rain on earth.
“What is it this time?!”
“Forgive me for speaking unannounced. I am Clarice Répète III, Pope of the Spiritual Church.”
“Her Holiness?!”
The people were surprised to hear another voice so soon after the Demon Queen’s. This voice was unlike the one before it, however. It was unrushed—slowly, so slowly, weaving one word after the other.
“I know the words of the one who calls herself the Demon Queen have struck fear within you. My heart aches when I think of the terror you must feel.”
The voice was without emotion, yet something about its cadence calmed the nerves.
“But do not be deceived. We must not heed the voices of the wicked. Please recall Chapter 3, Verse 2 of the Holy Scriptures.”
Thou shalt be tempted by demons. It was a simple passage, but that only made it all the more impactful. The passage was known by many, not just the most zealous of believers.
The people recalled, then, the values they had cultivated, nurtured, and upheld within their hearts. The plain yet unmistakably present sense of justice inside of them revealed itself, dispelling any confusion they had felt.
“The Demon Queen demanded we bring Claire François to her. To this, I ask why? Why would the Demon Queen, in all her power, ask us to do such a thing? Could she not achieve it herself?”
The pope followed up by bringing the Demon Queen’s demand under scrutiny, highlighting the contradiction between the Demon Queen’s power and her order. The people caught on quickly.
“Yes. The Demon Queen, in fact, cannot do so herself. Why? Because Claire François is the one being who can strike down the Demon Queen.”
That much was a bald-faced lie that the pope had thought up together with us, but we prayed it would have the intended effect.
Hope began to return to the faces of the people.
“The Demon Queen perceives Claire François to be a threat. She would have her way with the world if not for Claire. Do not be deceived. The moment we hand this woman to the Demon Queen is the moment we meet our doom.”
The pope heavily reiterated the fact we couldn’t surrender Claire.
“As we speak, the Nur Empire to the east is fighting the demons. The Demon Queen is also there, scheming to destroy humanity. My people, please hear what I have to say. I believe that now we must come together as one.”
The pope’s voice began to grow impassioned.
“This is not a battle for the Nur Empire alone. This fight will decide the fate of all humanity. Defeat is not an option. I understand well that not all are able to take up the sword. But even the feeblest have a strength within.”
What is that strength? everyone wondered.
“The strength of courage. The courage to stand against wickedness and repel fear. Trust in your fellows, and trust that tomorrow will come. We can every one of us fight by resisting evil, and together, we can win this war.”
Even without being able to lift a sword, even without being able to use magic, we could all fight.
“Stand with me now. You need not do so alone. Whether you be with family, friends, companions, or an acquaintance met on the road, let us stand as one now.”
After a pause, the pope finished with, “I, Pope Clarice Répète III, declare this to be the beginning of our holy war.”
“Was that acceptable, Rae Taylor?”
“You did perfectly, Your Holiness.” I gave the pope my seal of approval with a thumbs-up. From what TAIM had shown me, it seemed the telepathy broadcast had been a great success with the people.
I was also telepathically linked to the pope thanks to TAIM. Unlike earlier with the people, we could see each other, not just hear one another’s voices.
“I hardly deserve any credit. Everything was thanks to the wonderful script prepared for me.”
“Not at all. This was all thanks to your splendid performance!”
“Do you truly think so?” Her face was as devoid of expression as always, but she somehow seemed faintly happy.
“But I do agree, the script was pretty good as well,” I said. “It was written by humanity’s three finest rabble-rousers after all!”
“Who do you think you’re calling rabble-rousers?” Claire huffed.
“That’s mean!” Philine complained.
“I implore you to choose your words more carefully, Rae,” Dole chided.
I’d meant that as a compliment but was quickly met with three voices of disapproval. The three of them—Claire, Philine, and Dole—were the ones who had composed the pope’s script. Claire wrote the base draft, Philine supplemented with the Spiritual Church elements, and Dole added the finishing touches, resulting in an uplifting speech that had stirred even the murkiest of hearts. Incidentally, Dole was currently on his way back to Bauer, so TAIM was connecting him up to us telepathically as well.
“It looks like there are some in Bauer who want to join this holy war. How about it, Thane?”
I turned to the voice behind me and saw Rod addressing his brother. Thane was connected to us telepathically too, as with Dole.
“I won’t allow it,” Thane said. “I see nothing good coming of having voluntary forces join this battle.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rod said.