Unofficial Conversation — Behind the Scenes

Third Entry Today

Pope's Perspective

I entrusted the cleanup of the conference room and made my way to my private quarters.

I closed the door, confirmed I was alone, and collapsed into the chair.

My legs tremble now, even though it is too late.

I exhaled heavily.

No matter how many times one experiences it, the fear of death does not fade.

I survived this time, but what of ten days from now?

Death is frightening.

But greater than that is the fear that the world might fall while I am gone.

I boasted in the meeting that things would proceed without me, and indeed, the Church of the Divine Word would not falter in my absence.

Still, the anxiety remains—what if something occurs while I am gone?

I forced my trembling knees to steady, rose, and reached for the bottle on the shelf.

I usually refrain, but today, allowing this seal to be broken is permitted.

That brief meeting had pushed my body and mind to their limits.

“Can you prepare two glasses?”

I turned at the sudden voice. There, seated gracefully in a chair, was the Black Dragon.

“Even you seemed deeply shaken by that encounter.”

“Peeping is hardly commendable.”

He dismissed my criticism with a casual wave, deepening his smile with languid elegance.

I swallowed the sigh rising in my throat, set two glasses on the table, and sat across from the Black Dragon.

I poured wine into his glass, then filled my own with the same measure.

“Then, to our health.”

The clear glasses met with a soft clink.

Wine flowed from the tilted glass into my mouth, delivering a sharp sensation to my aged throat.

This wine, drunk after so long, proved slightly too strong for my aged frame.

"What was that like?"

After a brief silence, Black Dragon tilted his cup and asked as he poured the second serving himself.

"I don't know."

I answered honestly.

During this meeting, I failed to comprehend the girl named Shiro, who claimed to be the Administrator.

I could not gauge her nature. I felt instead that I was being tested.

The final words—“I have clearly seen your resolve”—spoke more than anything else about that reality.

Tester and tested.

The dynamic was manifest in the balance of power.

"Indeed. I don't fully understand her either."

Black Dragon chuckled, pleased, and stirred his wine.

"Is it true she's the Administrator?"

"Revealing that might seem unfair—but it doesn't matter. She is undeniably the Administrator. She exists deeper within the system than I do."

Accepting the Black Dragon’s words, a sense of fatigue settled in.

“Does that mean the situation is dire enough for the Administrator to act personally?”

“Dire enough.”

The Black Dragon spoke plainly, reaching for the third cup.

“But not hopeless. Either she completes her task, or I am erased. Ultimately, that is the only outcome. I need only follow her prepared scenario. Pretending ignorance is sufficient.”

The Black Dragon spoke of his own erasure as if amused.

“Are you certain?”

“Certain of what?”

“That you will become the next system’s sacrifice.”

“Ah. That.”

“Yes. After the Goddess’s demise, your reason for remaining in this world will vanish. Let alone succeeding her.”

I said before, but I cannot abandon you now. Saliel would not wish it. A world without Saliel holds no value for me. To spend my final life in service to the world Saliel loved—this is not a poor fate.

Though I sense certain matters troubling her, questioning her will likely yield no answer.

She does not rely on anyone.

There was no one to stand beside.

No one to trust.

Thus, only one.

I do not possess the worth to stand at her side.

Perhaps that is why.

The Black Dragon’s mood has been unusually favorable.

Because a being worthy to stand beside her has appeared.

“What is this? Do you know what I am called in secret by that one?”

“I cannot imagine.”

“A coward.”

How utterly amusing.

To one who stands at the apex of this world, calling me a coward.

Brave? Or something else entirely?

Entirely unlike the image of quiet dignity from the solemn gathering.

"I am aware, of course, that such a label is unavoidable. I have consistently refused to make choices. Therefore, I possess no right to choose now. I merely move as the scenario has prepared. I will witness whether this scenario is completed, or whether it stumbles and fails mid-course. Either outcome is acceptable to me."

From the words of Black Dragon, it becomes clear that Shiro is determined to accomplish something far beyond my expectations.

And to speak this to me—this is, implicitly, a warning: do not interfere.

"I only pray that this so-called scenario does not turn against humanity."

My response is settled.

Even if Black Dragon commands me, I will not obey if it does not serve humanity.

I have lost the right to choose.

To act outside of humanity’s service—this choice.

"Is that so. I’ve become a meal."

When I realized it, the wine bottle was empty.

Only a single sip remained in my glass.

Most of it had been consumed by Black Dragon.

By the time I registered that fact, his form had vanished from the seat across from me.