Informal Meeting ①
Ended up having Oni-kun join us somehow, but we’ll manage.
So, we’ve abducted the Vampire Child who still hasn’t grasped the situation and transferred her.
We’ve arrived at the Grand Shrine of the Divine Word!
As last time, we burst into the Pope’s office.
The Pope paused his paperwork as we arrived, and the Guard stationed nearby reacted swiftly, causing servants and clerks to blink in confusion.
Last time, we’d spoken with Kosaka-kun, so they’d cleared the room.
Huh. So the place is usually quite crowded.
“Ah—”
The Guard started to move, but the Pope spoke.
“Case Three. Disseminate this accordingly.”
“Hai!”
The Guard responded to the Pope’s order and exited the room, leaving us behind.
The Pope’s words were cryptic, hard to grasp—but probably Case Three refers to my arrival, right?
They must have trained for multiple anticipated scenarios, preparing for any eventuality?
This might be a failed negotiation.
“Preferably, you would arrive not through teleportation, but in person.”
Ignore the Pope’s comment.
No one welcomes a sudden appearance with open arms.
How would one explain that and get past it?
“Please, this way. We’ve prepared a conference room. Kindly wait in the antechamber until then.”
Something like “You came in all at once, so you can wait a bit—there’s preparation required on our end, you know” seemed implied, but likely just my imagination.
Nod in acknowledgment.
“Then, please follow me.”
An attendant, directed by the Pope, leads us forward.
As instructed, I was led to the antechamber and idly sipped the tea offered.
"Hey, where is this?"
The Vampire Child asked a question that was, frankly, unnecessary.
"Saint Aelius Church Kingdom. The man from earlier was the Pope."
The Saint Aelius Church Kingdom was the central sanctuary of the Divine Word Sect.
And the Pope was the head of the Divine Word Sect.
That should have been enough for even the Vampire Child to understand the situation.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Correction.
Seemed to have made things worse.
"Shiro. How much do you know about the Divine Word Sect?"
Instead of the expected Vampire Child, Oni-kun offered a sharp observation.
Perhaps it would be better to leave negotiations with the Pope to Oni-kun.
"Almost everything."
He already knew quite a bit originally—then I added further details.
I came here today with that in mind— to ask whether the Church of the Divine Word intends to align with us.
“So this visit is about the Demon Clan and the Church of the Divine Word secretly uniting?”
Oni-kun’s ESP is terrifyingly accurate.
Well, a little leap was unavoidable.
Strictly speaking, we’re still before that stage.
“ Ideally…”
“So this is essentially a negotiation site.”
Oni-kun’s expression tightened. He understood the current situation.
He seemed to be recalibrating his awareness— realizing just how pivotal his position had become.
Depending on the outcome, this could become a historically significant moment of covert alliance between the Demon Clan and humanity.
“Wait a minute! What do you mean!? Explain it clearly!”
The Vampire Child was shouting, but ignored.
I was the fool who’d placed trust in her.
I’ll leave the negotiations to Oni-kun.
Whatever happens, will happen.
Well, the Vampire Child has a longstanding grudge against the Divine Word Church. Meeting their top figure here isn’t a wasted effort.
The Vampire Child might go berserk and ruin everything. But it’ll work out somehow.
If it doesn’t, the Demon King’s stomach just won’t have a hole in it.
Also, Balt might suffer overwork death.
No harm comes to me, so there’s no problem.
While I monopolized the offered sweets, Oni-kun explained the current situation to the Vampire Child—stuttering, step by step.
Can’t tell if they’re enemies or allies. These two are confusing.
Well, they’ve had a falling out over yesterday’s incident. But they weren’t that incompatible to begin with.
They could reconcile if they face it properly.
Mediating is too troublesome. Not interested.
Apparently, it took about thirty minutes before everything was finally ready.
The Vampire Child and Oni-kun were exchanging information as if in a mutual discussion, yet they asked me nothing—wise of them.
The two were arguing intensely, but I filtered most of it through one ear and out the other, so I could not answer if asked.
I am not the type to respond honestly, even if asked.
Recognizing this, the two praised me for being well understood.
I was led to a fairly grand conference room by a servant.
Moreover, it was warded against sound transmission and scrying, indicating the Church of the Divine Word's serious intent toward this meeting.
They’re serious, all right.
It made me feel guilty for approaching this casually.
Even if told to summon resolve, my consciousness was focused solely on minimizing speech—leaving no room for anything else.
The conference room held a large table at its center. I was guided by a servant and seated without protest.
I ended up in the middle—flanked on either side by the Vampire Child and Oni-kun.
No, well, that’s expected, but really, me in the middle?
Opposite me were figures of high rank, unmistakable by their bearing.
Among them, a noticeably younger individual, out of place.
Kusama, the reincarnated representative of the Divine Word Church, sat rigid with tension.
Normally loud and boisterous, he froze with fear in moments of crisis—Kusama, the commoner with a volatile temperament.
Can he really handle this?
Well then, what now?
Oni-kun, do your best.