Well, even if it’s destined to fight like that, the outcome isn’t decided overnight.
The current Pope may be old, but he still seems to be in good health and getting the job done. If you really want to get picky, even the tasks that a Saintess like me could handle have been pushed aside just because I’m a student, so the Central Church has been dealing with everything directly.
For example, the story about the Demon God I uncovered. Finding all the bits about Baal in the existing scriptures and inflating it into a volume that could be used by the sect was something that, if you think about it, I really should have been leading.
If there’s anyone who knows more about Baal than me—well, including Rina, who’s also a demon—there are probably only the Demon lords who haven’t shown their faces yet. So, if we’re talking about who is most suitable to pump out a book’s worth of content, naturally, it’s me.
Of course, I really didn’t intend to take on that task.
The Church, which treats me like a divine entity, has reached the point where, unless I step up first, they won’t make requests specifically for me. Fortunately, I wouldn’t be dragged into that new compilation project.
Instead, it seems a ton of graduate students from the Theology department have been thrown into it.
…Hmm, saying all that makes a little corner of my conscience poke at me.
“Ehe!”
No, wait, that’s not it—I really was being poked in the side by someone’s finger.
It didn’t hurt particularly, but it was definitely ticklish.
“What are you so deep in thought about? You can’t even hear when someone calls you.”
It turned out Rina was the one poking me.
“Isn’t there a more ordinary way to call me? Like tapping my shoulder or something?”
“It doesn’t really matter, does it? Anyway, it worked as intended.”
“……”
Next time I call Rina, I’m definitely going to return the favor.
Of course, completely disregarding that, if I were to nitpick over that here, I’d look rather petty, so I decided to tuck that thought away in a corner of my heart and move on.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“I got a contact last night.”
Rina scratched the back of her head with her finger.
“It looks like it’s going to happen just as she said. Somehow, it seems I’m going to end up moving up to the top position of the Inquisition.”
As Rina pointed to Linea, she merely shrugged. …Well, deciding to directly work under Rina is quite a feat for Andrea. It’s not like she didn’t have any friction with Rina before, and she knows perfectly well that Rina is a demon.
Given that Rina doesn’t show any signs of agitation upon hearing this, it’s pretty safe to assume I heard the same thing last night as well. Even if they don’t actively assign tasks to me, they still pass on information to me. Even if they don’t outright say they’re counting on me, the tone suggests they’re subtly hoping for my help.
Of course, I’m completely clueless and wouldn’t pick up on that tone unless explicitly stated.
Ah, anyway—I didn’t understand that.
But—
“And they want me to help create the scriptures for the Demon God.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Isn’t that obvious? Even if the Church considers my status to be close to reaching the heavens, Rina has only just proven her faith and received divine revelation. At this point, it would actually be weird for her to not get canonized, but given Rina is a demon, we can rationalize it. Even if she were to be canonized and become a Saintess, Rina would still not be evaluated on the same level as me.
Sure, they might be seen as equal ‘at some point in the future.’ But for now, my accomplishments overshadow hers immensely. I was there when we caught the Witch and provided significant help, but in the end, I was the one who caught the Witch directly.
That’s right. Standing on the unprecedented position of a Saintess, who has made an unparalleled achievement never seen in human history, and the Sister who, though she has many accomplishments, has yet to be canonized—obviously, there would be less burden in asking the latter for something.
Well, Rina might genuinely faint upon hearing she’s going to be a Saintess, but it seems like she herself hasn’t considered it, so we can put that off for later.
“Anyway, so what?”
That’s the question I needed to answer right now.
So? Are you asking for help? I’m not inclined to do that. If the Central Church requested it, that might be a different story.
In other words, while having too great of a reputation from before becoming a Cardinal can be detrimental, having an authority that drops too low during a fight can also be problematic. The crux of winning or losing hinges on effectively maintaining this aura of authority.
Before I become a Cardinal, I need to complete the Demon God sect and appoint Rina as its head. If Rina becomes a Cardinal before I do, then I’ve already lost this battle.
But if you think I’d help rewrite the scriptures just because of that, that would be a grave misunderstanding.
Scriptures aren’t just whipped up and printed in a day; they’re created over decades, even centuries. Getting entangled in that now would be a disaster.
What I need to do is not create scriptures but properly quell the backlash or opposition that arises as the sect is formed. If I effectively use the authority I currently possess, I can swiftly eliminate any troubles that come up along the way.
…Of course, if Ariel’s sect gets established first and I end up being its head, everything flips upside down. I wouldn’t have any justification to oppose or prevent the establishment of that sect, so I had to proceed with caution.
Hiding such murky plans that floated in my mind deep down, I adorned my face with a bright smile and looked up at Rina.
From Selena’s direction, I could hear an exaggerated “Wow~,” but I chose to ignore it.
“If the Saintess were to help draft the scriptures, the work would really be efficient. You’re the only authority in the whole Church, aren’t you?”
I think that once the sect is completely established in the future, Rina will surely be revered as a Saintess.
Of course, saying such a thing now might provoke Rina to the extent that she’d run away risking her life, so I decided to suppress that idea for now.
“If someone who may end up being the head of another sect writes the scriptures, intervening too much would make the division of sects quite meaningless. It wouldn’t just be sharing doctrines; they’d be sharing institutional rights necessary for the Church to operate too. If from the preparatory stages before its establishment, opposition gets too deeply involved, wouldn’t we end up with scriptures that heavily favor one side?”
“……”
Upon hearing my words, Rina narrowed her eyes. After squinting at me for a while, she slowly opened her mouth.
“But that can’t be helped, right? Even if the sect is split into two and the powers within the Church are shared, in the end, one side will have a robust sect with a 500-year history, while the other is just a newborn sect. In any case, doctrines need decades to be refined before they’re usable, and there’s going to be a massive difference in the number of believers or clergy. Even if the rights are split in half, if one side has too few people, won’t the power of each individual become too overwhelming in the newborn sect?”
“And?”
“Separately from the fact that individual power becomes too great, those people will have very little experience wielding their power, so it’s natural that they’d make all sorts of mistakes initially. But as I just mentioned, if one person’s power is too great, the losses stemming from their mistakes will also be huge, right? Each person is important, so what will they do if one of them falls?”
Hmm.
That made sense. If the numbers are small, it might be easier to guard against corruption, but conversely, once corruption starts, it could spread quickly. With fewer people, a number that in the existing sect might be called “a tiny fraction” could be considered “the majority” in a newborn sect.
“But then, wouldn’t it be even more necessary to solidify things within the sect? The more we become entwined with other sects, the more collusion there will be. Since we’re starting from scratch, wouldn’t it be better to create it cleanly from the beginning?”
“But—”
Rina opened her mouth immediately to rebut me, but just then, my smartphone vibrated on the wooden desk, cutting her off.
I quickly picked up my vibrating smartphone that was making almost as loud a noise as a ringtone and looked at the screen—
A call was coming in from an unknown number.
…An unknown number?
Among the people who could call me, was there anyone not stored in my smartphone? If it wasn’t one of my friends spilling the beans or one of the staff leaking it, then my phone number was at least ‘confidential.’
“……”
And the kids sitting around me knew that fact. In fact, because of such reasons, it was extremely rare for me to receive calls. Almost all important communications end up becoming official documents and reports, and if there’s a message to relay, someone comes in person. Even the President is reluctant to call me, so if I receive a call—
Ah.
Finally recalling the one possible person who might call me, I answered right away.
Yeah, I had forgotten about that.
What’s needed to capture a Witch? It’s information. Witches are basically minions of demons, so they hardly ever show their faces. Their roles are too important, and losing them poses a significant risk.
Of course, they’ve never disappeared until now.
Given that the number of witches continues to grow, it’s clear they can be created if enough effort is made. They just need to corrupt a sufficiently devout individual with enough holy power, and after that, a demon can directly infuse them with their own power.
The problem lies in the process of corrupting the sufficiently devout individual; while it can generally happen from time to time, the demons have to create circumstances that seem favorable for them, painting the situation as hopeless and convincing them somehow.
In the past, it probably wouldn’t have been “entirely possible,” but it would’ve been “reasonably possible” to create opportunities, which is how the number of witches has steadily increased. If we assume it started with one Elf Witch, then it has gradually multiplied steadily over 500 years, suggesting there’s been at least one every hundred years.
But what era are we living in now?
Three out of the seven witches have vanished in less than a year, less than six months, even.
Considering the Church’s context, they’ve been able to track down believers who have remained uncovered for centuries, and they even realized that this God clearly supports Human Society.
It’s a time overflowing with hope.
If someone is thinking of switching over to the Demon faction in this age, they must be someone quite strange.
Ever since I caught the Witch of Hate directly, there’s been hardly any movement of demons or beasts visible among Human Society. They’re all probably lying low.
So, in the end, I had to look for traces of witches beyond the walls.
I told them to report back to me anytime they noticed movements of demons or beasts gathering to break down the walls, as that would likely indicate the presence of a witch. Of course, I couldn’t just hand out my number to anyone, so I decided to use Remir, who already knew what I was trying to do.
[Saintess!]
Even though the message must convey that the state of the walls is quite dire, the voice coming through the phone was overly cheerful.
“Did you call regarding the matter I asked?”
[Yes. There haven’t been any reports of witches sighted yet; however, those ‘high-ranking demons’ you told me about have been seen causing trouble several times. Fortunately, there hasn’t been any significant damage so far.]
Saying there haven’t been major damages doesn’t mean there haven’t been any damages, does it?
“Can the walls still hold?”
[Actually, it’s at a level where we could hold the line without requiring help from others. Even though many more soldiers are gathering than usual, this place was categorized as a frontline after all.]
Just because there are walls doesn’t mean there’s bloodshed occurring everywhere. No matter how much the demons and witches can create magic points, they can’t just slam them down anywhere at will. Even if they’re somewhere nearby, a witch must reach that location before a magic point can be formed. It’s better to concentrate forces in specific locations since spreading them thin results in easier defenses.
Most armies concentrate on specific spots. Demons and witches aren’t fools. The more important facilities beyond the walls are, and the closer they are to the critically important 1st District, the more frequently they get attacked.
You might ask if it wouldn’t be easy to tunnel in from shallower points, but… as long as humans don’t intend to push forward, even those shallower spots become difficult to breach. Given the time it takes to prepare such armies, it’s better to continually harass the most important locations, ensuring constant bleeding.
Ultimately, it’s the humans who suffer sacrifices, but the demons and beasts can continue to be summoned as long as they have magic.
If there were any opportunities where the demon army showed gaps, humans could penetrate and change the tide, but conversely, if this kind of battle persists, the disadvantages fall on Human Society.
Of course, that’s under the assumption that I’m not there.
“Are they trying to lure me in?”
[Given how high-ranking demons that have never taken the lead are starting to appear, I think it’s quite possible.]
Multiple high-ranking demons, huh.
…At least, I felt like I could rule out the possibility of the Witch of Resentment being involved.
But still, considering they’re witches, that could be a benefit.
While competition exists among witches, they do have some information available.
“If that’s the case, I can’t just sit back.”
If they’re trying to lure me, then if I don’t show up, the witches will likely refrain from appearing.
Moreover, even if I’m in good condition, the likelihood of them turning up remains low.
I’ll have to do my best to fight at full strength while waiting for the witches to appear.
[I’ll detail the location and send it to you. I’ll notify the Central Church in advance so that you can move without inconvenience. May I ask when you plan to move?]
While it’s great that they’re efficient, sometimes this level of formality feels a little off. Especially since Remir usually speaks in a casual tone without any formality. When they suddenly switch to this business-like manner, it’s a bit awkward.
Whether or not Remir noticed that, I couldn’t tell.
“…Uh, well, since it’s just about the weekend soon, I’ll go then. In the meantime, please make sure the soldiers hold up their defenses thoroughly to avoid further injuries. Even if there are more guys, I should be able to handle things once I arrive. Just in case, it would be great if you could tidy up the situation on your side and send it to me.”
[Understood! Then I’ll send the information right away!]
As the call ended, the friends who had kept quiet until then, focused on my call, opened their mouths.
The first to speak was, naturally, Rina, who was right next to me.
“Should I go too?”
“If you’re willing to help, I’d be grateful. But this isn’t something you have to force yourself into.”
I replied readily. Back in the day, when Rina only used swordsmanship, she would have had little utility, but now that she can use holy power against demons, it could be quite effective. Even if it’s not on the level of Ariel’s holy powers, Baal’s physical long-range attacks are very efficient.
Plus, it would boost the soldiers’ morale.
“I’ll go too.”
With a strong sense of justice radiating from his head to his toes, Jian stepped up, and I nodded.
Jian could probably defeat a demon in a duel without much difficulty. Even if he were to accidentally drop into the middle of the army, he could probably sweep them all away. Even if high-ranking demons and witches were to assault him simultaneously, that wouldn’t be enough to match his strength.
Unless the demons and witches attacked together, anyway.
“…To be honest, I want to follow too, but…”
“…Well, it seems we’d actually be more helpful here, huh?”
Selena and Satsuki said regretfully.
“I’m really sorry.”
I responded in a genuinely apologetic tone. While I must take Linea and Aurora with me as a Saintess, the same doesn’t apply to Selena and Satsuki.
It’s not that these two are weak. However, that doesn’t mean they can easily perform well on the most intense battlefield.
In fact, if Jian hadn’t been present in the last battle, those two likely wouldn’t have returned.
There’s no guarantee that we would always stick together just because we’re going along.
“But…”
The gloomy-looking Selena suddenly asked as if she just remembered something.
“Why do you say you’ll go this weekend? Usually, when something like this happens, you leave right away from the Academy. Not to mention, if you said you’d leave today, nobody would have stopped you.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Hmm.
…Honestly, after having to yell at the President right after school broke up and then missing so many classes that I could hardly keep up, I thought if I missed even more classes, it’d definitely lead to a failing grade. If I admit that, I fear that Selena might come along to give me extra tutoring all the way to the battlefield.
Caught in deep thought about whether or not to answer honestly while the friends around me stared intently, I could only sit there with that awkward frozen expression on my face for quite some time.
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