“…Here we go.”
With a determined look, Sophia broke the silence.
“The Cathedral wasn’t built by the usual suspects.”
“Bianchi!”
As Sophia opened her mouth, the Cardinal shouted in haste, but upon meeting my gaze, he immediately deflated. Once fear is imprinted, it’s quite effective, and it seems he has no intention of attacking us anytime soon, even after his wounds have healed considerably.
Well, considering all the knights are neutralized and bound, attacking would only get him killed.
“Please, continue.”
At my words, Sophia spoke in a slightly trembling voice. “I was born long after this place was created, so I don’t know the details. But… I’ve heard that this place was completed using what was originally prepared.”
She’s still not fully in control of her powers and is quite low-ranking among the Order, so she probably hasn’t heard the whole story.
“Sophia, you—”
As I looked at Sophia, Charlotte opened her mouth, then quickly closed it. What’s the point of questioning now, she seemed to think.
It was truly a ‘Wise Man’ moment, for sure.
“I’m sorry.”
Sophia just lowered her head and remained silent. Now that I think about it, I had promised to share various things with her once everything was over. Given the situation, it doesn’t seem like we’ll have time for a chat.
Should I feel happy about that, or disappointed?
“So, what’s the plan going forward? What can we do with that fragment?”
“For now, we’d like to keep the fragment safe.”
At my words, Charlotte stared at me silently.
This is Velbur territory. And here’s a secret organization that has taken up a suspicious object without permission.
Logically, it would make sense for the Kingdom of Velbur to keep it, but—
“…You won’t betray me, will you?”
Charlotte merely asked. I recalled the conversation I had with her just a little while ago.
“I won’t betray you, even if it costs me my life.”
I said this expressionlessly, but it seemed Charlotte felt it differently.
She didn’t give a smile or soften her attitude, but she omitted further commentary.
I took that as her trust in me.
*
What we did after that wasn’t really that difficult.
The Velbur Kingdom forces were already deployed around the Cathedral without our knowledge. It seemed the king concluded that my words were true the moment we found the entrance to the facility.
We were the ones who entered, but that doesn’t mean the Velbur Kingdom was just sitting idly by. They were poised to send in a large army if we didn’t emerge or report back within a few hours.
We barely escaped just before the Velbur Kingdom forces openly advanced on the Cathedral.
Coming out was simpler than going in, as we exited through the Cathedral.
The Papal State’s knights in the Cathedral looked utterly flabbergasted when they saw us coming out, as they never imagined we’d defeat the Gryphon and the Order.
Or maybe they were already on edge before that.
“…Ugh.”
As Mia came out, she looked like she was going to throw up for a moment.
Not everyone inside had died, but at least the enemies we encountered on our way out had been turned into mush.
Seeing the remains of the beasts was already quite nauseating, but comparing the bodies of beasts and humans, the latter was bound to be much more shocking. That’s why I tried to keep the kids away from the second floor.
However, the bodies here were in worse shape than those on the second floor that I created.
It seemed the Gryphon made its way through here; the wall near the entrance was destroyed, and the entrance itself was forcibly smashed open.
…I distinctly remember releasing it towards the underground tunnel.
Could it have gotten lost and smashed through the walls while looking for an exit?
The soldiers and knights guarding the entrance were barely able to recognize what was going on.
Enraged by what had happened, the already confused Gryphon seemed to have rampaged as it exited.
The few surviving soldiers could only express their horror upon seeing us.
I had put the tattered Cardinal at the front, but I realized that wasn’t even necessary.
“Charlotte!”
As we emerged through the entrance, the waiting king rushed towards us, his face pale.
“Are you alright!? I saw the Gryphon burst out from inside! What was happening in there!?”
With a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder, the king examined her condition, resembling a father more than a majestic ruler.
Alice probably never got to see that side of him.
“I’m fine. That Gryphon…”
Charlotte paused for a moment and asked with slight concern, “Did that Gryphon attack the Kingdom’s forces?”
“No, I did see it burst out of the Cathedral entrance, but it didn’t touch anyone other than those inside. It soared into the sky without any lingering thoughts. Never in my life did I think I’d see a Gryphon, especially on Velbur territory.”
Saying this, the king seemed to feel relieved only after checking Charlotte’s condition once more.
“…”
Perhaps regaining some of his bearings, the intensity of his gaze shifted back to us, and it was sharper this time.
Especially his gaze directed at me.
Though the king hadn’t witnessed what happened underground directly, it seemed he had a strange notion that somehow, I was connected to the Gryphon’s emergence.
Well, I happened to encounter it there too.
I had just attempted a strategy that wouldn’t be possible in the game, but could fit within the set rules.
“I wish to summon you all to the palace immediately for detailed testimonies… but the situation is urgent.”
That’s undoubtedly true.
Whether to reveal or cover up the fact that a Gryphon flew up in the middle of Lutetia and that insanity was happening inside the Cathedral would entail an incredibly complicated process.
And we’d probably have to run like crazy for a while. Regardless of what the Emperor was scheming, I’ve effectively done something that he wouldn’t approve of.
…Hmm.
Should I just rewind time?
I seriously contemplated that for a moment.
However, my serious pondering was blown away by the king’s next words.
“Something unusual is happening on the Papal State’s land right now.”
“…”
Huh?
“Shortly after you went underground, a strange light was observed coming from the Papal State.”
A strange light, you say?
“It seemed like a barrier covering the entire Papal State. In fact, it’s visible even in the middle of Lutetia.”
…
Seeing my expression, the king seemed to think it would be better to show us the spectacle directly.
As the king turned and walked out of the Cathedral, we exchanged glances before following him.
And what the king mentioned… turned out to be quite literally true.
*
The Papal State was originally a part of the land of Velbur that was ceded to create it. This fact alone is known, and its motif is the Vatican.
Of course, while a country modeled after Italy exists in this world, the creation of lore is entirely up to the producers, after all.
However, unlike the Vatican in the heart of Italy, the Papal State isn’t located in the middle of Velbur—it’s situated on a small parcel ceded from the Velbur border region, squeezed between the Kingdom of Iberia (which is based on Italy) and the Kingdom of Velbur.
Thus, it’s not really close to Lutetia. Using transportation, one could pass in less than a day, but it’s still distant enough to have several other regions in between.
Yet, even from such a distance, the sight of the ‘barrier’ rising over the entire Papal State was starkly visible.
It wasn’t merely a pillar of light rising.
“What the heck is that…?!”
Sophia muttered as she stared at the scene.
“…”
I had no idea how to respond to her murmurs.
I didn’t know anything about what was happening either.
The Emperor, who was supposed to be preparing plans for war, didn’t display powers of that magnitude affecting an entire nation.
The game I played had an impressive scope, but—
…
Is that perhaps the Goddess’s power?
I have no idea how it’s being utilized, but in this universe, it seems that would be only natural for such power. Even in previous works, the powers of the Goddess were something entirely different from conventional magic.
…
No, don’t you think it should be wrapped up when something is finished?
What if something even bigger happens after this?
sigh
Seriously, enough already.
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