As soon as the door of the church was opened, there were people dressed in white robes.
　They are the congregation of the Demon Pope.
　They hide their identities with pointy hats that are integrated with their robes.

　Such people are quietly lining up at both ends of the spacious room.
　The red carpet leading up to the altar - with their bodies turned to the aisle side.

　It's impossible for them not to notice my presence. But I didn't twitch.
　There was a small bonfire in front of the altar, and the Demon Pope's figure was in front of the altar.

　His hair was snow-white, reaching around his waist.
　White skin that exuded a mystical aura.



　The demon pope said that when he noticed me stepping into the church.
　It's a voice that comes through well for being so thin.
　He seems to be focused on the bonfire and doesn't even look at me.

''Amadeus-sama........''

　Rana called my name in an anxious voice.

'Hmm?'
The voice...

　Apparently, the 'voice' was getting stronger.
　Sweat was oozing down Rana's forehead.
　The cut was beautiful, a rarity for the always cool Rana.
　She was restless, scurrying around.

'Are you holding an all-school assembly?'

　I said sarcastically.

I said sarcastically. I'm in the middle of a sublime ritual based on the teachings of God. And you are, as I recall, a member of the Church of Mercy's bloodline...

　The Demon Pope turned his gaze to me.

''It's been a long time since I've seen you, Ankh Amadeus. It's the first time I've seen you in person, though. The white costume eliminates and equalizes the gaps.... I do not believe you have heard from us in the last few years.
I came to get my country. I'm not here to give you another line of thought.

　The demon pope snickered at my words and then ordered his congregation.

'End it.'

　The faces of the congregation lining up on either side of me turned to me in unison--.

''The Wave of Erosion, Disappearing Aura.''

　My body was enveloped in a red-black sphere.
　The sphere instantly expanded and invaded all of the congregation, which would have been over a hundred.
　After the sphere shrank and disappeared, not a single member of the congregation was left there.



　At the sight of this, the Demon Lord muttered.
　I can't see him upset, but does that mean he's just a pawn for this guy?

''Lana, can you still hear me?''
Yes.

　So the voice doesn't belong to the congregation.

　Our voices echoed well in the silent church.
　I slowly made my way to the Demon Pope.
　The demon pope still remained at the bonfire, and he didn't seem to be running away. He doesn't seem to be running away.

"You are very calm. It's a far cry from Tom Paar and the nuts.
I see. So that was your doing, after all.

　They faced each other across the bonfire.
　The flames flickered across the Demon Pope's white skin.

''I'm guessing you're not safe down there.
You don't need to ask.
'There's that. I can't take my eyes off the bonfire now. If you want to kill it, it's now or never.
What are you doing?

　I asked.

''Huh, you're arrogant. It's trespassing. You wouldn't teach a stranger things in a friendly manner. Please, by all means, take it away, you are in my way.
I'm not a stranger to the idea of...

　I changed my mask into a particle of light and took it off.

　When the Demon Pope saw my bare face, he looked like he was caught off guard for a moment.
　But after a few beats, he let out a snort like a sigh.

''........I see. In other words, we were spotted by you from the time of that Inquisition, right? Adventurer Nito.
'It's public knowledge. There are people who know of your vileness, even if not me. There are many who know.
'That's not true. You are in the overwhelming minority. We, the Yagis, are needed by the people.
Human beings only.
We are the ones who will bring people together and make a nation. Peace and tranquility are being built.
A peace that is reserved for man alone. In other words, a false peace. It's a sham.
It's a tricky thing to say, isn't it? Of course, what is wrong with human beings having peace? What's wrong with humans having peace? Adams, the father of magic, spread the law of magic to make people prosperous. You who touches the magic power are also Adamus' children. Therefore, you should also serve for the prosperity of others.
'A dead man has no voice. Did Adams say that it was okay to oppress the race for the sake of human flourishing?
What do you mean by "abuse"?
'....Tonpar made a collection of beastmen, and the nuts ate their flesh. Schneizel is silent. I heard that King Artemias was involved in the mediation. The story goes on and on. This is what you call playing with your life. Whenever you found beastmen and demons who had no relatives, you rolled them down the pipe called "yama-tachi" and played with them. You even attacked the villages to secure them. It was those who were brought in by force that Tompard and Nuts were killing.
That's very perverse. I would like to say one thing. I would like to say one thing: they have become part of the noble human race that will continue to reflect the world in the years to come, and for that we should be grateful. They should be grateful for that. This is an honor for them. They couldn't live satisfactorily on this continent anyway. Because discrimination against other races is common knowledge.

　The Demon Pope moved slowly from in front of the bonfire.
　Then the fire from the bonfire fell down and disappeared as if it was sucked into the floor.
　The wanderings were strange, and it seemed as if there was something under here.

　The Demon Pope walked past me and continued his words as he walked towards the center of the room.

'We do not interfere with those who dare to mix with humans, even those who dare to mix with us. The demon race lives in the great forest and the beastmen live in cages.

　The 'cage' in this case, as the Magi Pope calls it, is Neitzschert-Katarria, the land of beasts.

The elves live in the deepest part of the forest, the dwarves are in the rocks, the dragons are in the mountains. The dragon is a mountain range. The elves live in the trees and forests. Each has its own place in the world. But, at any rate, there are those who try to leave their optimal environment to join us. We need to give those people a good beating. They need to be punished for trying to know the world beyond their stature, and they need to be taught the punishment for trampling the earth. Don't let them get carried away with their actions. Of course, they will be prepared to do so.

　Next to me, Rana was desperately trying to hold on.
　She was trembling with the desire to kill the Demon Pope.

''By the looks of it, are you dark elves over there? I feel sorry for you guys. There is no place to live for a dark elf who is rejected even by the elves. This world is equal. Some will be saved and some will not. There is no bias. That's all there is to it.

　Rana stepped forward in a form of anger. Her magic power is raging.
　I stopped her with my arm. But she's about to jump on me.

"That's nothing more than a technicality.
..........
'You have to be in a position of superiority all the time to feel good about yourselves. This sophistry is a sign of fear. They are afraid that their history of prosperity will be violated by what they have built. The demons are superior in magic and the beastmen are superior in physical strength. Dragons are superior in both. Elves excel in the senses, and dwarves are generally specialized in technology. Spirits are a treasure trove of knowledge. Humans, on the other hand, have nothing.
"...Nothing, huh? That's a very interesting thing to say. You're a human being, aren't you?
It's up to you to be aware of that. If you're only a weed when you live strong, you might as well burn it. It's worthless. A weed can only produce disgust. Human beings are such creatures. We are essentially nothing.
'Well I see, it seems you need some time. Time to face the teachings of Adams.
What?
'I don't know, my student was killed by you earlier, and you're going to be my student instead. There are plenty of seats available.
'Master Amadeus, let's kill him now. This guy doesn't talk. Besides, this place gives me the creeps.

　Rana's still acting strangely. She rushed me.

'So much for useless talk. Are we alone here, Demon Pope?
'We're alone?　What do you mean by that?

　Lana nodded as she looked at the situation.
　After all, it seems there is something else here besides us and the Demon Pope.
　But I wondered if the Demon Pope understood or not, with a white skin that wanted to say innocent.

　Then I remembered the bonfire. The Demon Pope had said it was a ritual.
　From what he said and did, the Demon Pope was unable to turn his attention outside the church during the ritual.
　This fawning expression would make the other party read deeper, but if it was a bluff, I don't know why he let me through the church so easily.

'It's a strange place, Ixos,'
..........
'But if you look at what's there, there's only one church. This doesn't even tell me what it's for or why it's floating around.
It's a symbol, just like that white cloak of yours.
Why are you floating?
"...why?　Nothing. It's just the Kingdom of God, so it would be strange to have it on earth. Man is a creature obedient to his preconceptions. 'I don't know why, but it's floating,' and from that mystique, faith deepens and the idea that Adams was right is cemented.
I'm just asking why you're floating.
..........

　The Demon Pope was silent as he looked into my eyes.

''It can't be floating around for nothing. There must be a reason for it. Let me assure you, I'm not interested in knowing your intentions. It's not why we're floating, it's why we're floating. There's got to be a power source somewhere or something.

　For example, it's flight magic.
　But if the power source is magic power, it's a tricky one.

　The bottom of the magic power will run out if you use a certain amount of it, and if you're going to float something of this scale, the amount of consumption should be tremendous.
　This guy's magic power alone wouldn't be enough, and even the congregation that had just gathered here shouldn't be able to supply it permanently.

　That's where the "voice" that Rana has been talking about from earlier becomes a concern.
　The way I read it, there's something under that bonfire.

'Under the bonfire'.
....

　The Demon Pope's eyes changed.

''There's something over there. What's there?''
What do you mean?　There's nothing to--
No, it's not. It's right underneath here I think we'd be quicker to dig it up.

　I turned my head directly down.

'What are you thinking...'

　The Demon Pope's tone of voice was impatient.

''What are you upset about?''
No!　What are you doing!
Rana, hold still. We'll see what's going on down here.

　I held up my right hand and ignored the Demon Pope's desperate cries--.
　I hit the floor of the church hard.
　At that moment, the impacted floor rippled and cracked.
　The stained glass windows broke all at once, and the church began to shake loudly.

''d*mn!　Shit!

　The Demon Pope's mood, which had been cool (tinny), had changed drastically.
　He looked around the collapsing church and was distraught.

I can see the turmoil in your heart. But why are you so obsessed with this thing?
'Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh ... dammit!

　His distraction was different.

　The Demon Pope was probably a man.
　But because of her medieval appearance, she has a female vibe. The same goes for his voice.
　Such a beautiful man screams as he wrinkles his face with his hands.

'That's not the face of a guru, is it?'
Hey, guru!

　With an expression that collapsed with snot and tears, the Demon Pope started to get angry as if he had changed.

''I am the Supreme Leader!　I'm not with you!

　The Demon Pope had clearly aged.
　His wrinkled expression was not caused by his own hands.

　The ceiling and outer walls collapsed before the ground.
　At the same time, certain things buried there in the ground were revealed.
　Rubble falling from the sky.
　A dazzling blue light appeared from underground.

　The ceiling and outer walls have been removed, leaving a country with only the ground in danger, and while facing the Demon Pope, we looked at the bare crystals in the ground.

''This is........''
Amadeus, here it is.

　Rana pointed with a look of conviction.

'Don't!　Stay away from that!

　The Demon Pope was furious.

''What is this?''
It's good to know!
A great number of magical powers can be felt. Are these not magical crystals?
I don't need to know!

　The Demon Pope stared at her with a look that almost jumped out at her and yelled at her.

'Ama, Lord Deus........' choked out Rana.
'What's the matter?'

　Rana had changed her blood color.
　She stared at it in the ground with an even more murderous look in her eyes than before.
　I felt uncomfortable in profile.

　When the blue light that leaked out was converging, I saw it too.

''This........''

　I was angry - I was angry.

　It was the carcass of a small creature, in the shape of a man.
　It had wings like a translucent butterfly on its back, like a warped, dead leaf.

'It's a fairy. Or a spirit, too.
This is....

　It was like a bug at the bottom of a fluorescent lamp. It was such a scene.
　A large number of fairies were trapped inside the giant blue crystal.
　Above the numerous corpses, there was a barely alive fairy figure.
　It stood on wobbly legs, looking up at us.
　Its cheeks were slender and its limbs were skinny.

'What is this? .....

　I asked the Demon Pope.
　But it was Rana who answered.

"It's a lantern.
"Lanterns?
'Yes we elves used to call it that.
We?　What do you mean?
'It diffuses the light of the fairies. In my hometown, they were used in the streets. Inside, it's a good place for the fairies to live and it's their home.

'Not so. The elves and the fairies helped each other to survive. When night falls, the fairies go to sleep. They would stay in the midst of it until dawn, and we would spend the night by the light of the lantern, the light of the fairies.
I see but this is.

　Rana turned her gaze to the Demon Pope.

''What the hell are you...?''

　The distraught Demon Pope's expression had completely changed to that of an old man.
　His white hair had fallen out, and his snow-like skin had turned ragged.

　The Demon Pope said, ''It's the Black Prison.

"That's a black dungeon, not a lantern.
"The Black Dungeon?

　While Rana was questioning the Demon Pope's words, I poured the "Wave of Erosion, Dispersion Aura" into the black dungeon and made my mouth.

''Heal Aura,''

　A light green sphere enveloped me. It expanded and healed the weakened spirits.
　But I was only able to heal those who were barely standing still.
　I couldn't save the corpses that were crowded at the bottom of the black prison.
　When the magic was released, those at the bottom had disappeared and were gone.

　Wondering at the sight, Rana said.

'There is no death in fairies. Even if their life span, as we call it, has expired, they can come back again and again.

　The moment I heard those words, the line inside me snapped with a pout.
　Even though I felt a reddish-blackness oozing from deep within me, I directed my anger at the Demon Pope and drew him to my side with my 《Existence》 - black shadow.

"Wah, wah, what's this?

　The shadow temporarily took the form of a hand and caught the Demon Pope.
　The Demon Pope flailed in his hand, "Let go, stop.

''So that's what this is about.''

　I stared at the Demon Pope in front of my face and asked.

'Wha, what?'

　I shouted at the Demon Pope, who was in love with me--

''I'm asking if that's what you mean!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. What does that mean? The meaning of what you're asking--

　I slammed the Demon Pope to the ground.
　The Demon Pope leaked out his agony. I stomped my foot on his face further and checked it again.

''It's something that promotes permanent circulation, isn't it, this. Isn't it!''

　I asked in an angry voice.
　The Demon Pope answered from his mouth, which was smeared with spit and blood underneath my feet.

''Gosh, your answer.......you understand very well.

　At those words, the corners of my mouth naturally lifted.
　I had a big smile on my face as I looked down at the Demon Pope.