第６３８堀：何事もチャレンジである (Part2)
"Well, they aren't at the point of throwing up or fainting, so their resolve is clearly genuine," I said, addressing the three people intently watching the monitor.
This was enough. They would be able to withstand the real thing. It was a far more convincing piece of evidence than any clumsy explanation I could provide.
"……Indeed."
"……Certainly. If they can handle this for a week, it’s more reassuring than any half-baked training."
"To be honest, this was the main concern. The negotiations with the Archbishop will be handled by the Princesses, and the rest will depend on Kagura and her group's efforts."
That’s right. The negotiations would be handled by Princess Carrie and Princess Stasia.
One might wonder, *Then why do we even need Kagura and the others?* But it’s not that simple. Kagura and her friends are witnesses to the incident, and while calling them "bodyguards" to prevent hostile factions within the headquarters from acting might be a stretch, they serve as a deterrent.
Some fool might think, *What can two princesses do?* But if there are many people present, wouldn't they hesitate? That’s the logic.
Well, Steve and his team are secretly acting as guards, and there are others protecting them along the way, so there’s no issue regarding combat strength.
Also, setting aside Princess Carrie and Princess Stasia, if we claim this is testimony from students like Kagura, some idiot will surely try to deny it immediately and insist they are the ones in the right.
That’s when we gather everyone, present the photos and videos, and deliver the checkmate. All we have to say is, "If you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't mind us investigating anywhere, right?"
The members of the Intermediate God faction will effectively be tightening the noose around their own necks.
They’ll self-destruct, the Archbishop will realize the gravity of the situation, and he will likely issue notifications and investigations to various countries. If we follow up by framing it not as a failure of the Haire Church, but as a case of certain individuals being corrupted by the Demon King’s evil cult, it will be easy to separate them, and the Haire Church will end up on our side.
The Intermediate God faction will be flushed out all at once, isolated, and wiped out.
That’s the ideal scenario I’ve laid out, but in the end, it’s just a theory. In all likelihood, the Intermediate God faction will gather somewhere for a final showdown. How we deal with them when that time comes will be a problem for that moment.
"Now then, watching Kagura’s training is fine, but we have our own work to do."
I said this to pull the attention of Duke Kamishiro and the Academy Principal back to us, as they had been glued to the training footage.
"A-ah, yes. I cannot be lounging about while my daughter is working so hard."
"Indeed. As the Academy side, and as adults, let’s get done what needs to be done."
"Then, regarding the former nobles who have entered the priesthood at the Haire Church headquarters..."
And so, a difficult conversation began. It was about how to handle the former nobles, a topic we had touched upon the previous day. To put it broadly, it was a decision on whether or not to involve them—whether or not it was acceptable to "erase" them.
Since this wasn't a matter I could intervene in, I would simply accept the conclusion they reached. However, since the focus was on negotiations, we all felt that "erasing" them was unlikely. We intended to use them as witnesses at the scene, after all.
The biggest problem in this discussion was...
"That is settled, but the issue is the personnel management group suspected of involvement. When we probed into those people, as expected, it was solidified by individuals from the same place of origin."
Hearing the report on the Church headquarters' personnel department that Georgin had investigated, everyone wore an "as I thought" expression. Without acknowledging their reactions, Georgin handed over a document.
"It is the site of the final battle of the Mad King’s War. The land where Goddess Haire was born, and the place where the Intermediate God was defeated. They are all from the Cyper Cathedral. Once we secure the protection and cooperation of the Archbishops at the headquarters..."
So, the Cyper Cathedral would likely be the site of our final battle...
"However, my information is quite old. If you want to verify it, you will need to borrow Yuki-sama's power."
"Understood. I’ll send an intelligence unit there. If the target is clear, it’s easier to work with."
Should I send Britt’s team to the Cyper Cathedral? It would be best to leave the headquarters to Steve’s team. Once we have confirmation and bring the Archbishop over to our side, we’ll strike all at once.
Now, will Britt finish investigating the Cyper Cathedral first, or will we win over the Archbishop at the headquarters first...?
"GYAAAAAAH!"
At that blood-curdling scream, I turned my attention back to the monitor and saw Kagura and the others running around with expressions of absolute terror.
"..."
"Oh, to see such faces on young girls..."
Duke Kamishiro lamented.
...I suppose it couldn't be helped since it was for the sake of verifying the training, but I should probably keep it a secret from Kagura that I saw these faces. They aren't career soldiers, and if people saw them like this, they’d never be able to get married. This stays between us.
Still, the experience of building a haunted house really paid off. They were being frightened at the most exquisite moments. It just goes to show that one should try everything.
Everything is a challenge. That applied not just to Kagura and her friends, but to me as well.
So, building a haunted house is actually a valuable experience, huh!