Second Informal Meeting ①

Pope's Perspective

"Hello."

I was caught off guard.

Grossly.

The one who casually raised a hand in greeting—there was nothing I could do but bow my head.

I could not show this expression.

Even if my subordinates saw me bowing to the Demon Lord.

It would be better than showing even a momentary look of fear.

"Long time no see. Or should I say, first time meeting?"

Regaining composure, I lift my face and return the greeting.

The monster in the form of a young girl still wears the same smile as before.

Did she not notice my fear? Or did she notice, and choose to pretend not to?

The latter, most likely.

"Either way, doesn't matter. Let's just get started already."

The casual demeanor is more disconcerting than memory recalls.

Once, beneath a fixed smile, anger had been unmistakable.

Now, only a softened emotional state is perceptible.

Yet beneath the surface, hatred for this world still burns fiercely, undimmed.

Longevity has made altering speech and gesture effortless.

After all, this being differs from me—unbroken by death since before system activation, the oldest phantom beast.

Ariel, the Primordial Spider.

The strongest entity in the world, aside from the administrator, existing before system activation.

To think such a being, long dormant, would now be the Demon King.

A sense of being outmaneuvered settles in.

A little thought would reveal the connection between the nightmare of the labyrinth, Shiro, and this individual.

The recognition had been entirely absent until this very moment.

Perhaps because it was widely understood that the nightmare of the labyrinth and Lady Ariel were in opposition.

Ariel’s final recorded movement was an assault on the nightmare labyrinth nesting near the central city of the Saliera Kingdom’s Kelen province.

From there, the last action we know of Lady Ariel was deduced to be her opposing the labyrinth's nightmare—a spider creature, which should have been her subordinate.

Since then, Ariel’s whereabouts have remained unknown. She was believed to have stepped down from the stage of history.

Only cursing their own foolishness.

The timing of when Ariel disappeared and when the Nightmare of the Labyrinth vanished cannot be said to have been identical, but they were close.

It would not be surprising if the two opposing forces had reconciled during that interval.

Upon reflection, the details align with surprising frequency.

The relationship between the Nightmare of the Labyrinth and Ariel.

The new Demon King, unlike in the previous generation, has aggressively pursued military expansion.

Most importantly, the Black Dragon has warned that this entity is "without mercy."

Points connect. Lines form.

What was invisible becomes visible all at once.

"Hey hey? Come back to the mortal realm?"

Ariel speaks, clapping her hands.

Though in real time my thoughts lasted only briefly, Ariel must have known I had been lost in thought.

"Apologies. This habit—no matter how many times I reincarnate, it will not change."

You're overthinking it. Try clearing your mind a bit and just go with the flow.

Wouldn’t that be ideal if I could.

I sit across from Ariel, resting my cheek on my hand.

Someone nearby frowns at Ariel’s lack of decorum, but no one speaks—perhaps because I was the first to bow, and that set the tone.

After the last meeting with Shiro, the other executives must have realized who holds authority.

Shiro sits beside Ariel.

The fact that Ariel takes the center seat suggests this gathering is being led by her.

"So then, shall we begin? Though I haven’t been told what we’re discussing today. We agreed in principle to jointly defeat the elves, right?"

Ariel looks back and forth between Shiro and me, asking.

Shiro nodded silently, and I followed suit.

"Indeed. The destruction of the elves is one of our long-standing objectives. If such a goal is achievable, cooperation is not a burden."

Eliminating the elves—more precisely, their leader, Potimas—was, in effect, for the sake of the world.

If it were possible to destroy him, then allying with the demonic races, normally enemies of humanity, would not be a hardship.

"Uh-huh. So, regarding the elves, that's the general idea. Frankly, we're not ready yet. We'll act when conditions align. That's acceptable?"

"Yes."

We would not be able to act immediately if given orders to do so.

Ariel’s proposal was timely—perfectly suited to our current situation.

"Then, that’s settled. Now, about the upcoming large-scale assault using demonic forces—what is the Divine Word Church planning to do about it?"

As if making small talk, Ariel-sama inquires about the Demon Clan’s future movements and seeks to learn of our actions.

"Regrettably, that falls beyond the scope of cooperation. We cannot disclose such information."

Cooperation is limited solely to the eradication of the Elves.

The Demon Clan’s impending invasion lies outside that scope.

Therefore, there is no reason to surrender information carelessly.

They must understand that.

After all, Shiro-sama has already informed us of the Demon Clan’s movements in advance.

There is likely a design here—to compel the Human side to prepare for war, increasing casualties on both sides.

If so, the Human side must also desire genuine combat.

Refusing to disclose information here is, therefore, a clear indication that the Divine Word Church also intends to engage the conflict with full commitment.

The agreement will not be broken.

“Ah, that’s right.”

As expected, Lady Ariel nodded without showing any sign of displeasure.

“Hmm. Then, I suppose we don’t need to disclose such information either. Just so you know, neither I nor Shiro will be engaging directly. So rest assured. We’ll proceed by pitting the demons against humans. If you wish to conserve your forces, there’s no need to join in forcefully. That said, human casualties will increase accordingly.”

Though stating she would not disclose information, Lady Ariel had, in fact, shared something vital.

The fact that Lady Ariel and Shiro would not participate directly was significant.

Should they join, human annihilation would be inevitable.

But since they would not, a course of resistance remained possible.

Ah, excuse me—about that battle, I intend to participate on the side of the Demon Clan. I leave it to you.

Yet, as if to shatter my hope, Lars spoke.