Informal Discussion ⑥

Today barely made it—second part.

Pope's perspective

If you choose to disregard goodwill, there is no obligation to cooperate.

I recognize my failure in those words.

Did I not say it myself?

Let us speak plainly.

To ignore those words, to doubt Shiro's statements—this is the result.

Thus, we have been judged by her.

Not worth cooperating with.

That must be avoided at all costs.

Mentioning the Black Dragon's name implies, at the very least, that Shiro has contact with that figure.

Whether Shiro herself is the Administrator or not remains uncertain, but merely being connected to the true Administrator is not something to be dismissed lightly.

Moreover, the crisis facing the world appears to be far more severe than we anticipated.

The nature of soul fatigue remains unexplained in detail, leaving only speculation. However, certain predictions can be made.

If the Black Dragon is involved, the significance is high.

Too high.

Even if Shiro implied as much—how could we, residents of this world, be expected to know?

The stage of probing the belly has passed.

The current request for assistance involves countermeasures against the elves.

No request for cooperation regarding the crisis of the world has been made.

In essence, the Godword Church holds little significance for Shiro-sama.

The world-saving activities spoken by Shiro do not require the cooperation of the Divine Word Church.

It had been conveyed from the beginning.

A failure resulting from misinterpreting the situation and overestimating the position of the Divine Word Church.

It is no longer possible to further undermine the credibility of the Divine Word Sect.

The thread of salvation for the world—already tenuous—may be lost entirely.

“Let him speak, if he must.”

The general commanding the military forces of the Divine Word Church opened his mouth.

Before he could speak again, I uttered my words.

“Refrain, General.”

The word “Refrain” brought a smug expression to the General’s face. The moment the word “General” followed, his expression collapsed.

“Eh?”

“I said ‘Refrain.’ Understand this: if this negotiation fails, your head alone will not suffice.”

A warning directed at others besides the General—those whose expressions had soured at Shiro’s words.

And a demonstration of how seriously I regard this negotiation.

To be honest, the General’s actions cannot be undone by any weight I possess.

He may already have lost Shiro’s favor.

If that were to happen, I might have no choice but to offer the General’s head—and those of his entire family and retainers—to Shiro’s favor.

The General is short-tempered, but he has been a comrade-in-arms through countless battles.

He cannot be lost here.

“Apologies from my side. If you’re displeased, I’ll have them removed.”

My clumsy response finally made the others realize the opponent they faced was above them.

Even though I had warned them in advance, none had ever confronted someone of higher rank before—so the realization lacked depth.

“Fine.”

A single word.

Irrelevant either way.

That word seemed likely to be followed by silence.

Shiro showed no sign of rising from their seat.

They still deemed it worthwhile to exchange words—just barely.

Then, an opportunity for redemption remains.

Failure from this point forward is not permitted.

Every statement must be made with utmost care.

"Your words, Shiro-sama, have made me fully aware of my own inadequacy. Therefore, I respectfully request the use of your power. I recognize this is an audacious request, yet I humbly ask that you consider it."

Begin by establishing even a tenuous cooperative relationship.

If negotiations fail here, the Church of Divine Word may fall behind global developments by one or two steps.

A cooperative relationship may allow for the acquisition of trust.

With trust, deeper matters may be revealed.

First, cooperate toward the destruction of the elves.

If the elves, shielded by barriers and currently untouchable, can be defeated, it would be an unparalleled offer.

Destroying the elves would bring no net loss to the Church of the Divine Word, nor to the world.

Therefore, cooperation toward that end is unanimously approved.

Beyond this point, there is no alternative but to earn Shiro’s trust first.

Whether trust can be gained depends entirely on future actions.

“Today, hearing this is sufficient. For now, you may interpret my willingness to align our efforts as agreement, yes?”

“Yes. I will surely serve you, Shiro.”

Immediate response.

From Shiro’s words, it is clear that no further discussion is intended today.

There is much more to discuss, but there is nothing to be done about it.

From the moment this meeting began, our only path was “yes.”

Having answered “yes,” there is nothing left to say to Shiro.

Perhaps she might have spoken more, but that was ultimately irrelevant.

The negotiation did not collapse, yet it could not be called a success.

Rather, it should be interpreted as failure, narrowly avoided.

She had barely escaped abandonment.

That impression remained unshaken.

"Then, let us arrange a meeting soon to align our future plans. I will return."

Shiro rose to leave.

"Wait."

Sophia stopped him.

"My words are not yet finished."

It seemed the meeting would continue.

And in an unfavorable direction.