359-353  Double Enchantment




 I didn't have to face any demons or demon tribe, and I was able to safely come to the window where the Pope's room was from outside.
 I just opened the window and tried to go inside, but I was played because the Pope's wards were also put up here, so I was played.
'Ouch.'
 Moreover, it seemed to be considerably stronger than the ward I just used, and the moment I touched it, my palm was burnt black.

 I had expected the warding, but as expected of this power........
 It's true that it's to protect the Pope, the head of the church, so it can't be helped in some ways, but I wanted the Pope to tell me about this ward in advance.
 With that in mind, I decided to activate the sanctuary ward as before, neutralizing the magic power and attempting to penetrate the interior.

 But unfortunately, the moment the wards collided with each other, it turned out that I couldn't neutralize them, so I had to find another route....
 This is because I never thought that the attribute magic power of a ward would change while it was being neutralized.
 Moreover, since the attributes that change have no lawfulness and change randomly, it was impossible to neutralize the magic power of the ward.

 I had no choice but to return to the closest passage where there were no warding wards and this time I decided to walk to the Pope's room.
 However, I didn't realize that not being able to search for signs and magic was so inconvenient.
 It's scary to get used to it, when I never had to search for signs and magic power that much before I trained with my master and Lord Leinster.......  
 Just to be sure, I activated the Sanctuary Armor Sanctuary Armor on myself and prepared myself for encountering demons and monsters before proceeding.
 The miasma remained everywhere inside the building, and I realized that the miasma could not be dealt with by the purification wave, which made me realize that my image was still too weak.
 But the first priority was the Pope, so I hurried to the Pope's room without purifying the miasma unless it was too bad.
 Then, as I ran up the last staircase and saw the door to the Pope's room, I saw multiple figures in front of the door.

 I don't know if they are friend or foe, but I didn't hesitate to raise my illusory sword and unleash my holy dragon sword on the figures who didn't notice me.
 Then the shadows were helplessly swallowed by the holy dragon.

 I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier and more fun.  
''Luciel-kun!
 And the moment they found out it was me, it was Galva-san who screamed in surprise.
 I was also able to confirm that it was Catherine and Rosa with Galva-san, and since it didn't seem to be a problem, I was relieved to approach her and talk to her.
'How are you feeling, Galba-san?'
'....Yeah. My body was a little heavy from the miasma, but I'm feeling so much better now.
'I see. That's good to hear, then. By the way, why aren't Mr. Galba and the others among the popes?
"Mr. Luciel, more importantly, what is this dragon all about?
 At that moment, it was Catherine who interrupted the conversation.

 I decided to briefly explain the holy dragon sword, as I thought it would take less time to explain it.
''It's the holy dragon I unleashed with this illusory sword. It destroys demons and demons, turns people who have become demons back into people, and heals and cleanses the rest of them of their defilements.
Yeah. I'm sorry for interrupting you.
''No, even though we couldn't tell if you were friend or foe because of the wards, I'm sorry to have startled you.
 I was a little surprised that Catherine-san responded normally, but I was convinced that Galba-san, smiling beside me, was supporting me.

''And yet, how on earth did Luciel-kun manage to come to this church headquarters with its wards in place?
'Yes. You said that the Pope can't go in or out... could it be possible to transfer?
''No, I managed to get in by making contact with the wards put up at the church headquarters and the Sanctuary Barrier and neutralizing them with magic power. I just couldn't get in between the Pope...
'Master Luciel, it's probably a different ward.
 Rosa-san, who looked pale from earlier, seemed to know about the warding, so I decided to ask her for details.

''Rosa-san is familiar with warding?''
No, but when I was a sycophant, the Pope once told me about wards. That there are two kinds of wards that can be activated if the situation arises.
Two kinds of...?
'Yes. One of the wards that covered the church headquarters was a ward put up by the Pope. And the other, I remember, was the ward that was put up between these popes.
'So you're saying that the Pope now maintains two wards?
'No, I believe it was activated by a magical tool made by the Pope's father.
 .........I think the one who has the most trust in the Pope is actually Rosa-san.
 But still, the magic tool made by Lord Leinster........
 I have a feeling it's going to be quite troublesome.

''If the purpose of the wards that Pope-sama put up was to separate the church headquarters from the outside world, do you know what kind of mechanism Lord Leinster's magic tool is?
''That much........ I just remember hearing that after activating the magic tool, you have to keep pouring your magic power into it.
 I see. That's why you were looking anxiously at the Pope's room earlier.
 But, well, I'm sure Lord Leinster wouldn't give the Pope a grimoire to suffer.
 I'll just have to open the door and check inside.
 Oh, before that, let's just check it out first.

''I see. Finally, may I ask why you all were out of the Pope's room?
'That's what we don't really understand either. One minute the Pope suddenly got his head in his hands, and then he suddenly set up a wreath at the church headquarters. And the next thing we know, we got a report that the miasma was pouring out of the basement of the church headquarters.
''When the Pope heard the report, he personally issued instructions to divide the Knights into a labyrinth investigation and a standby group, and he also instructed the healers at church headquarters to purify any undead-type demons that appear.
 It's good that Catherine-san looks very happy, but I wanted her to stop sending the War Maiden Holy Knights to the labyrinth if possible.
 Your level has risen quite a bit, but since you're at the church headquarters, your equipment is probably supplied by the church.......
 If you had at least drunk the object X, I wouldn't have had to worry so much about it........

'Then I was ordered to leave the room to be alone for a bit.
 So the three of them were at the door.
 Maybe the handmaids have been ordered to leave the room as well, so the Pope's the only one between them, right? I didn't think that something would transfer from Nerdal.......let's not think about it.
 Well, at any rate, the fact that the Pope's head is definitely due to the Spirit Queen's telepathic story.
 Then we'd better get inside fast. 

Very well. I would like to check on the Pope for a moment.
 As he said this, he put his hand on the door of the Pope's room.
 Then, just like before, smoke comes out of my hand here as well.
 I opened the door to show him the door as I continued on my heels to avoid feeling the pain, and there was the fallen figure of the Pope in the magic circle.