It’s true that I don’t want to get involved with the Temple, but that doesn’t mean I want to cut ties either.
So, as Lydia shielded and wrapped around me, I was taken aback when she also readied her sword under the excuse of being my knight.
I mean, seriously, fighting between the two of them? It’s one thing to argue, but a sword fight? That’s just too much.
So, I leaned my head out from between Lydia’s arms and spoke.
“Karen the Inquisitor! How about we don’t fight and just be secret friends?”
“…Huh?”
“Secret friends! You know, we talk secretly sometimes and eat delicious things…”
After pondering it over, I realized that the option of not getting involved with the Temple was already off the table. I never expected Karen to idolize me to this extent.
So, I figured there was only one option left.
“Like, we can team up and take down those heretics, right?”
“…….”
“…….”
The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant, leaving just the two women exchanging incredulous looks.
Of course, I had my reasons for suggesting that. It wasn’t simply because I liked the term ‘secret friends’.
…Really.
Now that it’s come to this, there’s no need to hide the information I have any longer.
Instead, I could gradually reveal it while steering things the way I want with Karen. Ultimately, establishing my relationship with her and the Temple.
Being their mascot as a saint (not really) would be a lot better than the alternative.
“First, let me ask. What do you want to do about the One Who Devours the Twilight, Karen the Inquisitor?”
“Obviously, I want to erase him completely from this world.”
“And how much are you willing to sacrifice to do that?”
“…Everything, if necessary.”
“Alright! Then it’s time for a secret discussion just for you, Karen the Inquisitor.”
With a smirk, I positioned myself beside Lydia instead of behind her.
“You know, Pope Claudia III is secretly supporting the One Who Devours the Twilight.”
“……?”
“That crazy woman believes that if the world falls into chaos once again in the name of the God, the Goddess of Love will descend.”
“Wait a minute. Why would her Holiness the Pope…?”
“The reason is simple. The Pope loves the Goddess of Love. So much that she wants to possess her.”
“……”
Karen, who seemed utterly flabbergasted, could only mumble in disbelief. I gave her a bittersweet smile.
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved with the Temple. I knew something like this would happen.”
“…Ah.”
“So…”
Karen trembled in shock. Meanwhile, Lydia nodded as if understanding everything.
I never expected to convince Lydia too. Well, it doesn’t really matter since it’s all true.
The head of the heretics was actually the Pope! The Pope was secretly colluding with cultists to expand her church’s influence!
Isn’t that a cliché? I was just following along. The reasons might be a bit different, but still.
The Pope, with her eyes on the Goddess, makes it all the more interesting.
Of course, thinking about what the Pope might do makes it impossible to laugh.
She rose to a position of Pope just to get closer to the Goddess, and she’s even made a pact with heretics to summon the Goddess.
She could honestly do anything without surprising anyone.
It’s horrifying how a whimsical idea I jotted down turned into something so dreadful.
Shrugging off my shoulders, I softly asked.
“So? Are you okay, Karen the Inquisitor? The Temple you’ve devoted your life to may not be as clean as you think.”
“……”
I stepped closer to the tight-lipped Karen.
“The Inquisitors are a unit completely under the Pope, right? Your orders come directly from her.”
“……”
I grabbed her trembling arm weakly.
“Your oath to become an Inquisitor, vowing to forsake all glory and happiness for the Goddess while willingly shedding blood, was fundamentally flawed from the beginning.”
“……”
Then, I suddenly gripped Karen’s arm tightly. So she couldn’t escape anywhere. Strongly.
“Oh dear. Poor thing. You should have just remained blind and deaf to everything.”
“……”
I stood on my tiptoes and whispered in her ear.
“How does it feel to have your faith and devotion questioned?”
“……”
Karen’s expression was now almost in tears. I gently embraced her and patted her back.
“It must be hard. Feels like the world’s crumbling down, and you probably don’t want to believe my words. …I know how it feels since I’ve been there.”
Thinking back to the betrayal I felt when I was ousted from the ceiling, Karen finally looked at me instead of the air.
She opened her trembling mouth.
“S-So what should I do… Saint… why are you telling me all this….”
“Of course, it’s because you want to, Karen the Inquisitor. You said it yourself, right? You don’t mind paying any price to eradicate the heretics.”
“But it’s too heavy a burden for me. What should I do…Please, show me the way…”
Now she started to sob. I never expected her to react this strongly.
I released the hug, took a half-step back, and gazed up into her eyes.
As if to show her my sincerity, or maybe to remind her of the Goddess’s grace bestowed upon her.
“It’s simple.”
I pulled out the most beautiful 3-star Goddess figurine… no, Goddess statue I had ever seen and handed it to Karen.
“What you should believe in isn’t the Pope, nor the Temple, nor even me.”
Could it be that this was the first time an Inquisitor had seen a well-crafted Goddess statue? Karen gaped at the figure with wide eyes.
“You should only listen to the whispers of the Goddess and your conscience in your heart.”
“……!”
“Have you forgotten? The Goddess instructed us to love ourselves above all else.”
Gently wrapping my hands around hers that were holding the statue, I smiled.
“I’m not going to tell you not to feel guilty. However, remember that the Goddess doesn’t bestow her grace on just anyone.”
Lastly, I replicated the principle of taking footsteps in reverse.
Instead of hiding my existence, I chose to reveal it to the world.
Every part of me—my breath, my movements, the flow of my gaze—was strongly imprinted in Karen.
Even the subtle fragrance from the grace of the Goddess.
“This scent is….”
Karen muttered quietly, lost in her thoughts. I turned my back to her, and there Lydia stood, trembling as if she had seen something terrifying.
Oh no! It seems like Lydia saw the whole ‘persuasion’ scene!
There’s no helping it. Even if Lydia said not to, I had no choice but to pull out this effective trump card.
“Shh!”
I placed a finger to my lips and mouthed.
“It’s a secret, my knight?”
“……”
Lydia flinched but quickly regained her composure. However, for some reason, her usually expressionless face looked full of regret and sorrow today.
…Well! It’s probably just my imagination!
I tried to brush it off and moved back beside Lydia, waiting for Karen to gather her thoughts.
*
After a while, once she seemed to finish her thoughts, Karen nodded with her usual firm faith in her eyes.
“Thank you. I greatly appreciate your help.”
“Oh, come on! I told you, right? Let’s be secret friends. Friends help each other.”
“Helping each other… What would you like me to do for you, Saint?”
“First, let’s drop the title ‘Saint’.”
“Yes, Jonah.”
Karen obediently corrected the title. Nodding in satisfaction, I opened my mouth.
“Now, could you tell me what mission you received and how you ended up here?”
If things go well, I might uncover how far along the One Who Devours the Twilight’s plans have progressed and their recent activities.
I had that in mind when I asked, but….
“The One Who Devours the Twilight seems to be scheming something on the first floor of the Labyrinth, and the mission was to find out their objective and, if possible, stop them.”
“Huh? The first floor?”
Does that even make sense? The first floor is where most adventurers pass by, making it exceedingly difficult to hide and operate.
Knowing this, them coming and going from the first floor would mean there’s something significant going on.
“Have you encountered the One Who Devours the Twilight on the first floor?”
“Yes. They were killing monsters in front of the World Tree’s illusion.”
“That’s not unusual for the Labyrinth.”
“Interestingly enough, they were killing brutally. After doing so, they displayed the bodies without retrieving the magic stones.”
“……”
The moment I heard that, it felt like I got hit on the back of my head.
I don’t know where they acquired this knowledge, but they seem to be trying to summon the Guardian of the First Floor.
“I can’t believe it.”
Stealing wishes is unforgivable!
