Chapter: 640
Everyone surrounding the Pope squinted at his greeting.
They thought he was joking even in such a dire situation. Erginius would’ve believed that, too, under normal circumstances.
If only they didn’t know the true nature of the power he used to recreate his own head.
“How is that possible? How can the Apostle of the Evil God wield the divinity granted by the god?”
“Because the Almighty is a merciful being.”
Only after facing Erginius’s horror did people realize that the Pope’s words were not lies, and they were taken aback.
Yet strangely, the Holy Knights and Lasha, who should feel betrayed by his statement, were not fazed at all.
“Did you know?”
As Feibi, who was familiar with the knights, trembled while asking, they nodded their heads.
“Regardless of the past, His Holiness still believes in the Almighty.”
Despite the serious tone, it was hard to take their words to heart.
The notion that they stood beside the Apostle of the Evil God out of nobility seemed less convincing than the idea that they had been brainwashed by the Evil God’s Apostle.
In fact, most people shot angry looks at the Pope. Amidst the sharp gazes of others, he smiled casually, only to lower his eyes when he met Lucy’s.
“So you already knew about me.”
“That you’re a disgusting piece of trash?♡”
“Haha! How can you be so noble! I could never even begin to emulate that kind of holiness relying on the Almighty’s grace!”
After a long time laughing like a madman, the Pope finally looked at Lucy with a face so calm it seemed dead.
“If it’s you, you could probably kill me.”
The first to feel the sudden shift in atmosphere was Benedict.
Reacting to the gaze of a lunatic staring at his daughter, he clenched his hands tighter without a moment’s hesitation.
Following suit, other powerful figures raised their weapons to exclude their enemy.
However, the weapons that should have struck the enemy fell harmlessly to the ground.
Time froze for all the assembled champions trying to block the Pope.
Except for two people. Lucy and Erginius.
“Is this Agra’s power?”
“It’s temporarily ended their time. As the God of Darkness, you must understand. Powers can be quite ambiguous.”
The Pope reached Lucy, waving his hand, and knelt down, respectfully extending a hand.
“Please join me. I need you.”
In response to that question, it was Erginius who replied with a rough voice on Lucy’s behalf.
“Do you want to send me off?”
“Of course, you could stop me at any time. But, is that alright? You’ll have to part ways again.”
The Pope asked while looking at the frozen Fairy Queen, as Erginius’s eyes bulged with veins.
“Do you think I’ll yield to such nonsense?”
“O great mage. I am Agra’s Apostle. Just moments ago, I obtained powers from the shard. It wouldn’t be difficult to lead the Fairy Queen into darkness.”
“Then I suppose it isn’t hard for me to tear you apart…”
“Don’t be such a wimp♡ Does the chicken-king prefer weak men?♡”
Erginius quickly turned his head only to encounter Lucy’s gaze and bit his lip.
“…I’m sorry.”
Hearing that resentful apology, Lucy chuckled lightly and then slammed the Pope’s head into the ground.
The sight of the armored helmet smashing the back of the Pope’s head made the Holy Knights scream and rush forward, but the Pope raised a hand to stop them.
“Stay still.”
“But Your Holiness!”
“It’s an order. Stay still.”
“Seriously♡ Can’t you see the disgusting trash enjoying himself?♡ He’s gonna wet himself soon!♡ You can’t interfere just because you’re jealous!♡ If you want to get trampled, line up!♡ You pervy freaks!♡”
Most of the Holy Knights frowned at Lucy’s fierce smile, but they didn’t dare charge in. The Pope’s command was absolute.
“O Apostle of the Almighty, I will tell you everything. So please, accompany me. It won’t take long.”
“Alright♡”
“I will tell you everything you wish to know… Huh?”
“I’ll follow you♡ You disgusting old man♡ Just promise me this: until I leave, you’re all my slaves!♡ I’m going to treat you like the trash you are! Happy?♡”
“If the Apostle’s punishment is what awaits, I will gladly accept.”
Lucy kicked the Pope’s face and stood in front of Lasha.
“Get on your knees.”
“Brat, it seems there’s some misunderstanding. I’m an ally of that old man, not his subordinate.”
“You trashy old man♡ The slave isn’t listening?♡”
“Lasha.”
“Hey, old man. I’m not your follower.”
“Lasha!”
“Ugh, damn it.”
Cursing, Lasha finally knelt on the floor, and Lucy, as if it were obvious, climbed atop her.
“Just you wait, brat. Later I’ll…”
Thwack! Lucy smacked Lasha’s butt so hard it echoed through the room, grabbing the trembling Lasha’s hair and whispering in her ear.
“I won’t mention the ride thing♡ What were you even learning at that age?♡”
While Lasha suppressed her anger in humiliation, the Pope rose and pulled a scroll from his robe and tore it.
A blue light rose around him, dissolving the bodies of the Pope’s party.
“Well then, I’ll see you again, Lord Erginius.”
As the teleportation magic ended and Erginius found himself alone, he threw his staff to the ground.
*
As some time passed, and the power of the Evil God wore off, everyone checked the surroundings, inevitably lowering their heads.
“It couldn’t be helped.”
After the long silence, Cardinal Johan finally spoke.
“The power of Agra halted everything. Miraculously, no one died.”
“Our daughter sacrificed herself! That kind-hearted, gentle girl is only alive because she held hands with the enemy! Do you see this as a miracle?”
Benedict yelled furiously, then chewed on his lips upon seeing Johan’s troubled expression.
“I’m sorry, Cardinal Johan.”
“No, you have every right to say that.”
“I don’t think so. I promised to protect my daughter. I even swore that oath. And yet, I couldn’t do anything. As a father, I was utterly useless.”
Benedict shook his head, and Feibi stepped closer, gently comforting him.
“Count Alrn, that’s the case for everyone. We all cherished the Young Lady, and we’ve been helped by her until now, only to be helped again. It’s a sad situation, but it’s unavoidable.”
“Saintess, there’s no such thing as unavoidability. I should have protected my daughter. I must!”
“Count Alrn.”
“Benedict Alrn. Your daughter made that choice herself.”
At Erginius’s words from a corner, Benedict shot him a glare.
“Are you telling me my daughter chose it?! She must have had no choice! Otherwise, we would have been in danger!”
“Benedict.”
“What on earth did you do?! With the authority of God, why did you let it go so easily?!”
“Benedict Alrn! You can strike me as much as you want until your anger fades! I’ll hear all your accusations! But for now, just listen to what I say!”
As Benedict glared at him as if he might explode, he eventually collapsed to the floor, and Erginius sighed deeply.
“There weren’t just one or two choices. I could’ve freed you from the Evil God’s power, faced the enemy myself, or withdrawn everyone. Anything was possible since the Pope’s actions had broken the balance.”
“Then why Lucy?”
“Lucy Alrn knew this well. She had Ruel by her side. She must have weighed all options. Despite that, she chose to follow the enemy instead of fighting.”
Hearing Erginius’s words, those present noticed something strange.
Lucy Alrn wasn’t the kind to give up, even amid despair.
No matter how dire the situation, if there was a chance of holding onto hope, she would stretch out her hand, willing to reclaim it. She was the type to turn hope into reality.
So for her to willingly give up resisting and follow the enemy meant… there must be something they didn’t know.
“Benedict Alrn. Do you think your daughter is an easy person to break?”
“…Of course not. Lucy is far better than this foolish father.”
“In that case, do your best and wait patiently. There’ll definitely come a time.”
With those words, the despondent group began to rise one by one. Lucy Alrn hadn’t sacrificed herself.
She had merely moved forward to prepare for the future. If that were true, then they couldn’t afford to collapse.
As they each clenched their fists, a light footstep entered. The First Queen appeared.
Benedict, whose mood had darkened, pointed his sword at her, and the First Queen raised her hands in surrender.
“Count Alrn, I’ve come for a discussion.”
“Speak.”
“Seeing as Rene is Rene, it seems His Majesty has suffered a defeat. He wouldn’t be dead, having the power of Agra, just sealed away somewhere. And from the resonance of energy left here, it appears the Pope came and went.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I propose a deal. I’ll share everything I know about the Pope’s agenda and ensure my active cooperation moving forward. In return, please return His Majesty once everything is settled.”
The First Queen looked around at the youthful gazes of her enemies before turning her head toward Erginius.
“You needn’t worry about me betraying you. I’m merely Erginius’s puppet.”
*
In a quiet mansion whose location was unknown. In a room where every window was blocked, preventing a glance outside, Lasha knelt before Lucy.
“Brat, I can tolerate you sitting on me. I get that it’s something I once did. But this, this isn’t right!”
“What’s not right?♡ I’m just a kid. If you don’t explain well, I won’t get it♡”
As Lucy tapped her chin with her toe mockingly, Lasha, clenching her fists tight, shouted while pointing at what Lucy held.
“I’m the Apostle of the Destruction God! I’m Lasha, the monster hunter! Why do I have to wear a dog collar?!”
“It suits a beast perfectly♡”
“It’s a matter of pride!”
“Pfft!♡ Pride?♡ Do you even have that with you crawling around like the pet you’ve made yourself?♡”
“Brat, keep it within bounds.”
“Then explain it to me♡ Why can’t I wear this?♡”
“That’s… well…”
“Ahhh~♡ You’re worried I’ll find out about your hidden tastes, aren’t you?♡”
“What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“Did someone riding you feel good?♡ Does getting hit like a horse make you feel excited?♡ Are you perhaps searching for strong opponents to fight because you want to get subdued…?♡”
“Shut up! Before I kill you!”
Lasha sprang up with murderous intent, but Lucy just chuckled, resting her chin on her hand as she mocked her.
“If that’s not the case, then there shouldn’t be a problem♡ If you’re not a pervy happy pet, what’s the issue?♡ Right?♡”
As Lasha glared at the swaying collar in front of her, she swallowed hard and grasped it with trembling hands.
“Why are you hesitating?♡ Surely you don’t want to experience worse, do you?♡”
“Could you just manage to keep that mouth of yours shut for even a moment?!”
“Why?♡ Aren’t you happy when you hear my cute voice?♡”
“Damn it!”
While so many agonizing thoughts flashed across Lasha’s eyes, Lucy thought to herself.
She was so incredibly glad she followed the Pope.
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