366



　For a moment, I felt impatient, as if I had made a mistake in the place I had transitioned to.
　But when I looked around, I saw that it was definitely the reception area of the church headquarters.
　If that was the case, why was the Pope, who had avoided appearing in public so much, there?　And while I was fully armed........
　The moment I almost opened my mouth, completely shaken up, I was about to open it.

Luciel-kun, you're dressed pretty badly, but I'm glad to see you're okay. And I'm glad to hear that you were able to join up with the Holy Order of the War Maiden.
　Garba-san called out to me.
　Thanks to that, I managed to stop myself from calling the Pope's name in front of Lumina-san and the others.

''Yes. But still, why Garba-san and the others?''
　I turned my gaze once to the Pope and then asked Garba-san.
''It seems that there was a change in the magic circles that were appearing in various places. I got word that demons and demons started appearing from there.　　
　Don't tell me that a demon or demon tribe that broke through the sanctuary wards has appeared?　

Could it be that some damage has already been done in various places?
No, I didn't get a damage report.
Then why would you...
　I turned my gaze to the Pope again.

　And it was Catherine, who was with me, who answered my question.
''It's because the Pope has decided to protect this holy city ... the country.
The Pope?
　But what does that have to do with the Pope being fully armed?

Yes. It seems that the wards that Lord Leinster had put up this time are slowly losing their effectiveness.
Lord Leinster's Wards - is that not only in this Holy City, but within the Republic of St. Surreal?
''Yes. From now on, there will be strong demons coming into the St. Surreal Republic.　
'So you're saying that the Pope is going to put the wards back up then?
'No, apparently no matter how much the Pope can maintain Lord Leinster's wards, it's hard to put them back up.
Then why?
"Because the Pope has decided to fight the Evil One himself directly.
What?
　My mind goes blank when I hear Catherine's words.
　Catherine continues to tell me.

The Pope has a work in his body that can weaken or nullify the power of the evil gods.
'But the Evil One wants the Pope's life, you know?　And even the Holy City, once the wards are gone...
　Or is it impossible to repel the evil gods without His works?

''The Holy City will definitely be defended by us knights, even if it means risking our lives. And as for the defense of every village and town within the St. Surreal Republic, I've already sent a request to the Adventurer's Guild to send high-ranking adventurers to defend it, so you can rest assured.
　d*mn, that's a quick move. The only question is whether the Pope is really capable of fighting the evil gods.
　She's Lord Leinster's daughter, so if it's only about her level, job, and skills, she'd definitely be an asset.
　But to fight something, you need your heart ... and your courage more than anything else.
　But I'm sure Catherine knows more about that than I do, but.......

'You didn't stop the Pope?
''That's why we're entrusting the Pope to Luciel-kun. Lumina, the War Maiden Holy Knights will also put the protection of the Pope's protection above this.
'So, your elf is the Pope. I understand, sir.
　Lumina-san replied as if nothing had happened, but the rest of the War Maiden Holy Knight Squad looked at Pope-sama and their eyes widened as they propped their heads up on one knee as they looked at him. Come to think of it, did Lumina-san know that the Pope-sama was a High Half-Elf?

'Lumina-san, did you know that the Pope is of elven blood?'
　But even if you knew he was a High Half-Elf, how could you notice that the Pope now is in a much more grown-up state than when he was among the Popes.......

'I never saw the Pope in person. But I've seen the Pope's clear and powerful magical colors many times before, so.......
　　

''I see........ If you've been found out, I want to ask you something directly. Pope, please let me confirm a few points.
　I turned back to Lumina-san and turned my body back to the Pope and asked him.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make your life easier. From now on, I'm going to ask them to be your bodyguards.
　The War Maiden Holy Knights all rose and seemed to be wondering if they should turn their gaze to the Pope, and their gaze was fixed on Lumina-san and me.

''Are you really prepared to fight against demons, demonic tribes, and evil gods?''　
　I looked into the Pope's eyes and listened. I'm sure they all wanted to hear the same thing.
　I could see everyone's eyes focused on the Pope.

''Mm. What Luciel wants to hear is if you can fight without fear, right?　We used to fight demons and demonic tribes frequently, so it wasn't a problem.
　The Pope replied with his chest, but there was a part of him that stuck with me.

'Um, frequently...?'
I was with my father and his friends. "I was with my father and father's friends, but I couldn't control my strength. I was always scolded to never fight outside the maze.
　The conversation is getting so weird that I'm afraid to listen to it....

'Then wouldn't the Pope have been able to traverse the Labyrinth of Trials?
My father has strictly ordered me not to use my power in the Holy City. If you use it, you will bring misfortune. This is what his aides at the time told him.　
　He said before that the reason the labyrinth appeared was because the wards were lifted, and I'm sure that's why he started holed up in the building, which is a pity.
　Well, as far as I'm concerned, as long as you can fight, there's no problem. The only thing left to do is to take countermeasures against the evil gods........

I see..... By the way, what exactly is the work of the countermeasure against the evil gods?
Even if they are touched by the evil gods, they do not turn into undead or demonized, but can create a temporary protective spell and ward that can nullify ... or weaken the miasma-based barriers used by evil gods and demons.
　I see. Not only because she's Lord Leinster's daughter, but also because she's the natural enemy of the evil gods, was her life being threatened?
　Well, it's information I would have liked to know a bit earlier if I could, but either way, it wouldn't have mattered if the Pope hadn't made the decision to leave the Holy City.

''That's reassuring.''
You are in charge.
'Yes, sir. But before we do that, the order is reversed, but let's exchange information about what happened from the time I dove into the labyrinth to the time I joined you earlier.
　The Pope had flown off on all sorts of things he'd seen, but he wanted the information now anyway.

'Right. Is that all right with you, Pope?
We could have joined up with Luciel. Then there is no hurry.
'Oh, but first, I need to ask one thing of you, Catherine...'
'I just have a bad feeling about this. What is it?
''Actually, there were quite a few knights and healers in the Labyrinth of Trials, so I'm keeping them in the stable of the hermit's stables, but...''
　I feel like my expression is slowly slipping away from Catherine-san, but I'm probably not mistaken.

''Hah~ You don't need to say any more. Pope, I will now return to my duties as a Knight of the Kingsguard to my duties as Knight Commander.
Hmm. Catherine, you are very lucky to be here.
Although I will not be able to join you in the future, I will definitely protect the Holy City. Therefore, Pope, please be sure to return to the Holy City in one piece.
Take care of the Holy City.
'Ha. Now then, Luciel, will you hand over the knights and the healers to me over there?　
Yes, sir.
　Thus, I handed over the knights and healers to Catherine, who asked her to enter the hermit's stables, and after telling her to protect the Pope, Catherine led them to the training grounds.

　After seeing Catherine and the others off, he asked the remaining Galba-san about the battle situation in each area and told them that they too had defeated the self-proclaimed demon king.
　I found out that there are no problems so far in dealing with the magicians in each place, but it seems that quite a few demons and demonic tribes have already invaded the area.

''Even so, no matter how much you call yourself a demon king, you're still that tattered because you fought someone who claims to be a demon king.
Yeah, well.
　Honestly, I didn't think he was that strong because of his chemistry with the self-proclaimed Demon King as well.
　Well, that was definitely because he was training with his master and Lionel to push him towards the Evil God War........

''That's right. At this time, since you defeated the self-proclaimed Demon King, shouldn't Luciel-kun also call himself a self-proclaimed hero?
'My title of S-level healer is enough for me.
Oh, yeah? _
Please don't do this to me.
　Galva-san, you look like you're having a mess of fun!

Hahaha. Now let's get back to the topic at hand. Luciel, you think the worst case scenario is that the evil gods may have already resurrected, right?
''Yes. That self-proclaimed demon king said that he had recovered all the demon stones, but the evil god-sama hadn't revived. And there were several large demonic stones that fell on the side he defeated.
'I see. I should share that information with the Adventurer's Guild. Luciel-kun, can you do me a favor and ask me a favor?
　I get a little defensive at Galva's seriousness.

''What is it?''
I need you to take me to Yenis.
Ennis?
　I was a little surprised because I thought it was Glandle, where the Adventurer's Guild headquarters was located, based on the story.

''Yeah. The inhabitants of Yenis have a lot of temper tantrums, so someone has to lead them, and above all, Yenis has the most important base of humanity, the Luciel Trading Company.''
What?
Why are you surprised?　The Luciel Chamber of Commerce sends and receives information from all over the world in near real time, and they even have a food pantry that uses spacetime magic to prepare for the possibility of a food crisis, right?　I'm told it was all directed by you, Luciel?
　If I recall a little bit after Galva-san told me, I did indeed set up the information transfer because it was convenient, and I had given instructions to make the food pantry because I didn't want to discard the food I had tried to make.
　But that's just because I felt it was necessary after receiving various reports and advice. When did that become the most important base for humanity?　

We've given them instructions, but we didn't think they'd recognize it as one of humanity's most important bases.... Well then, shall we jump to it right away?　Is that okay with you, Pope?
"I don't wish to offend Lord Galba, but could you send me to the aerial city-state of Nerdal first?　We need the spirits to be able to fight the evil gods with all their might.
　This is more of a priority for the Pope to make sure he's ready for this. The stronger the Pope is, the more people he can protect, not to mention the Pope himself, the more people he'll have to protect.　

''Is that all right with you, Mr. Galba?
I have no problem with the Pope being the priority.
So what do you want to do, Lumina and the others?
Our priority is to protect the Pope, is that clear?
　You'll be tired, but with Nerdal, there won't be any fighting, just fine....

Okay. Then we'll transfer to Nerdal first, if you can hang on.
　Then Pope-sama grabbed my right hand, and Lumina-san grabbed my left hand, but for some reason they didn't form a circle from there, and the War Maiden Holy Knights formed up like a tree diagram from Lumina-san.

　Pope-sama looked a little lonely, so I tried to call out to her, but Galba-san put her hand on my shoulder and said.
''As expected, I'm in awe of holding hands with Pope-sama.
　I called out to him when I was convinced that the Pope was indeed such a being with those words.
''It's certainly awe-inspiring to suddenly join hands with a being you worship. Let's go then.''
　The first thing we did was to move to the aerial city-state of Nerdal.