第６４２堀：ああ神よ と書いて 聞き飽きたと読む (Part1)
Chapter 642: Writing "Oh God," Reading "I'm Sick of Hearing It"
Side: Dressa
"People of Haiden and Findall. I am truly, truly grateful for this."
" " "Thank you very much." " "
The ones bowing their heads as they spoke were the leadership of the Haire Church, led by Archbishop Enor VIII and a crowd of his subordinates.
When I first heard that the church had lasted 500 years but only had eight archbishops, I thought that was quite low. But according to Yuki, Beastmen are physically robust and tend to live longer. Since it’s a region without monsters, and each person serves for about 60 years, he didn't seem to find it strange at all.
Well, when you put it that way, and considering there are no monsters and the thieves are the biggest threat to the church, it makes sense.
Anyway, that’s beside the point.
As you can see from the situation, we are currently being welcomed inside the Haire Church headquarters as "saviors."
The idiots had practically pushed us into this by conducting torture in the basement right under our noses.
At first, I thought about watching from the sidelines to see how Princess Carrie and her group would handle getting the Archbishop to the torture site. But it turned out the list of torturers Steve handed over included people known to Princess Carrie and Kagura. The two of them flew into a rage, stormed the administrative office, abducted the Archbishop, and then, while dragging along the Haire followers who had gathered to "rescue" him, we all charged into the torture chamber.
What followed was a scene of utter chaos.
The Archbishop didn't lose his lunch, but about half of the followers who had tagged along collapsed at the sight of the torture chamber.
We were kept busy capturing the personnel who managed the facility and rescuing and treating the victims held within.
Moreover, the idiots had openly attacked us, shouting, "Long live Lord Aquenos!!"
Wait, was it Enokidake (Enoki mushroom)? No, that’s a fungus... Ugh, I can't be bothered to remember the names of every single god.
If they were allies, it would be one thing, but if they’re just going to get in Yuki’s way and drag him down, "Enokidake" is good enough for them.
No, wait. Didn't Lady Luna say that calling them "Enokidake" was an insult to the mushrooms?
Then "Enokidake" is out. After all, they’re delicious.
I need to think of a more appropriate name...
Well, names aside, we captured the attackers in a single blow. However, the skirmishes in areas where we weren't present turned quite bloody. Some of the resisting idiots used Magic Gear to summon monsters, which threatened to throw the headquarters into total chaos. It looked like there would be massive casualties, but thanks to Yuki and Steve having swapped out all the Magic Gear beforehand, the monsters that appeared were just the Lizardmen from the Weed wetlands, who scared a few people and then immediately ran away. So, there were no human casualties caused by monsters.
After all that, the brainwashed fanatics of the mid-tier god sect were rounded up, and the meeting finally began in a calm atmosphere.
"No, this must be the guidance of Lady Haire. However, I apologize for the rough treatment we initially subjected you to."
Princess Carrie responded to the Archbishop’s gratitude.
Well, you and Kagura were certainly running wild, weren't you?
The moment we arrived at the headquarters, you charged in and ordered Kagura to hoist the Archbishop up.
Those of us who didn't know the situation were left wondering what on earth was happening.
"No. Now that I see it, I believe that was the best method. I never imagined that the Mad King Aquenos had brainwashed my followers and was doing such things. No matter what you had told me, I wouldn't have believed it."
Ah, so the name was Aquenos.
"However, if the Mad King who impersonated a god is acting in some capacity, then the current conflict between Haiden and Findall is..."
"Yes. We believe it was instigated by the Mad King. There is evidence that some high-ranking officials within Haiden received Magic Gear from the church."
"Good heavens..."
"Perhaps the goal was to destroy and tarnish our friendship, which has lasted for 500 years? The fanatics we captured at the Onock church claimed they were doing it for Lady Haire, not Aquenos. It can be interpreted as a strategy to lower Lady Haire’s standing."
"...I see. That is why they infiltrated my church."
And so, the conversation proceeded without any major friction.
They were surprised by the photos and videos Yuki had prepared, but they were sharp enough to realize their value as evidence and even asked to be allowed to use them. The title of Archbishop isn't just for show, it seems.
They immediately sent word to various countries regarding the conflict between Haiden and Findall and the events at the headquarters, requesting mandatory investigations of churches in every region.
Well, if they didn't do anything, the prestige of the Haire Church would fall to the ground.
However, someone still has to take responsibility.
It isn't the Archbishop's personal fault, but there is such a thing as management responsibility.
"...Once this incident settles down, I will resign as Archbishop. If I do not, I cannot face those who lost their lives."
...Right. We saved some lives, but others were lost.
No, there are probably more lost lives than saved ones.
After all, this had been going on long before we were summoned to this continent.
"I understand your position, but we predict that this incident will not be resolved for quite some time."
"...What do you mean?"
"The demonic hand has already reached the Kingdom of Rila, Findall, Haiden, and the Haire Church. This is not the end. Even if you issue orders, Archbishop, we don't know how many of the Mad King's followers can be captured, nor how much Magic Gear has leaked into the world. In the worst-case scenario, it will be a repeat of the ancient Demon King War or the Mad King War."
" " "..." " "
When Princess Carrie said that, the Archbishop and his men were struck speechless.
Naturally. Even if the Archbishop orders investigations, arrests, and information sharing, the Mad King's followers won't just let themselves be captured quietly.
I’m sure they’ll start an uprising somewhere.
Yuki and Steve’s investigations have already revealed that the Magic Gear we confiscated is clearly only a small fraction of the total.
"...How do you think we can minimize the damage?"
"As you said, Archbishop, it is important for the Haire Church to inform the various countries of the situation and issue warnings. That will surely flush out the Mad King's followers. I don't think the Haire Church will be forced to take massive responsibility for this. With your resolve to resign, the various countries will likely be satisfied."
"...I see."
"However, the danger is that by informing countries of the existence of Magic Gear that can control monsters, some people might think it's a good idea to worship the Mad King. It’s an easy way to increase military strength. Ambitious countries might move to protect and incorporate the Mad King's followers instead."
"..."
This was also something Yuki had mentioned.
If that happens, this new continent will be plunged into a great war.
It will truly be a reenactment of 500 years ago.
"Well, since you will be providing the production methods for the Magic Gear, even if enemy forces emerge, they should be few in number."
After all, it’s a stupid premise that requires torturing people to offer up their magical power and flesh.
If there’s a country that knows that and still tries to use Magic Gear, they’ll face an internal rebellion first.
Even if a country somehow wins a civil war and the Mad King's side takes over, Yuki predicts that other countries will immediately form an alliance out of fear, and most of the citizens will likely flee.
I don't think he's wrong.
But there is still one crucial thing we haven't talked about yet.
I was wondering when he would bring it up, and finally, he began to speak—that was...