Second Informal Meeting②

The Pope’s expression shifted in response to my declaration.

The one who showed no sign of disturbance was, as expected, the Pope.

Kusama looked overwhelmed, his eyes rolling.

But the real target was not the clergy of the Divine Word Church, but the ones seated beside me.

I glanced briefly at their faces.

Sophia’s expression clearly read, “What is this fool saying? Is he trying to die?”

She wears her thoughts on her face—easy to read.

The issue lies with the other two.

Shiro showed no change at all—just as expected.

This makes things difficult.

In contrast, the Demon Lord Ariel was smirking, his lips curling slightly.

I met this Demon Lord for the first time this morning.

Though I had heard hints of his existence from Shiro and Sophia before, today was the first time I had faced him directly.

I had only heard whispers about Shiro having a Demon Lord, but Sophia had told me more details.

She said he had saved her life as a child, and afterward treated her with kindness and care.

My impression upon seeing him in person was the exact opposite of Sophia’s.

This was undeniably not a kind or gentle being.

In fact, it was not even human.

“Hi hi, nice to meet you. I’m Ariel. I’m the Demon Lord. Call me Ariel-chan, okay? Be friendly!”

I lacked the courage to address her by the honorific she requested, despite her clear preference.

I was barely able to suppress the twitching of my face.

No need for a skill check—just one look at the girl-shaped entity before me was enough to confirm it was beyond my reach.

And it became clear—Ariel was certainly not the kind of person Sophia described, kind and gentle.

It was indistinct, but a presence like the dense stench of countless lives extinguished hung in the air.

There was no actual odor.

Yet, having taken many lives myself, I could somehow sense the difference.

A stench far more intense than my own.

Sophia, the god called Black, Shiro.

Entities beyond my own existence.

Among them, Ariel was the one that evoked the greatest sense of danger.

Perhaps in raw combat power, Black and Shiro would prevail.

But with Ariel, there was no hesitation.

No hesitation toward killing.

A different kind of unease, unlike what I felt from Shiro.

The unease felt toward Shiro was the uncertainty of what he was thinking.

But the unease felt toward Ariel was the opposite.

The anxiety of knowing too well what one is thinking.

Ariel did not conceal intent to kill, nor did she lack clear purpose.

The presence of any obstacle to that purpose would be eliminated without hesitation, as assured.

In that case, there are only two paths I can take.

Observe passively without intervention, or cooperate.

I chose the path of aiding Ariel, and by extension, Shiro.

It would be a lie to say there was no hesitation.

Shiro is still hiding something, and I do not know whether this is the correct choice.

Yet it is time to make a decision and take action.

The Pope before me spoke.

To strive so that the corpses amassed over time are not in vain.

I wish to choose a path where the deaths of those I have slain are not in vain.

Just my own ego.

They won’t accept that, the people I’ve killed.

Still, better than doing nothing.

Even if it leads to further massacres.

“That’s why you humans should work hard. Might end up destroying you all single-handedly, Lars-kun.”

Ariel’s voice taunted the pale-faced followers of the Divine Word Church, their expressions twisted in amusement.

I didn’t expect to hear such a declaration from me, yet they proceed without a word.

Still, one must not be swayed by appearance or careless speech.

“So, that’s it for discussion? Honestly, we’re mostly enemies except for the Elven raids. Oh, about future contact—leave this child here. If anything comes up, tell her.”

Ariel summoned a single creature.

The creature appeared at first glance to be a girl, but upon closer inspection, it was evident to be an intricately crafted puppet.

"Puppet Tarract? However, this one is far more refined in appearance than the ones I’ve seen before."

The Pope spoke with a tone that was half admiration, half disbelief, studying the creature summoned by Ariel.

"Nice, isn’t it? It’s a joint development between me and Shiro-chan."

"Ah, I see. No objections from my side."

"Yep. So, until the time comes to raid the elves, I’ll leave it with you. You may use it freely in the meantime."

"Thank you."

The puppet, known as Puppet Tarract, bowed deeply.

The Pope’s expression flickered with surprise—unexpected, it seemed, that the puppet could speak at all.

"None can rival my automaton, made capable of speech through Shiro's magical modification. It can perform any task—use it as a servant, deploy it in combat, as you see fit."

"This is an unexpected gift indeed."

The Pope spoke, yet no one believed this to be an act of goodwill.

Ariel was effectively embedding an agent within their ranks.

Should the Church of the Divine Word make any suspicious move, Ariel would know immediately.

Judging by appearance alone, Puppet Tarract's combat capability is exceptionally high.

In certain circumstances, it might even be sufficient to seize control of the Church's central authority.

Should conflict arise, it would be the first to draw its fangs.

And the Church would be unable to resist.

To refuse would provoke Ariel—an unknown threat far greater than the one already present.

"Then, meeting's over! Dustin, lend me your ear for a sec. Let's have a little private chat."

Ariel, smiling, tugging at the Pope's arm as if inviting a friend to a drink.

Casual, easygoing.

Yet for just an instant, the Pope's face twitched—enough to suggest the offer was not as benign as it seemed.

Ariel would not kill the Pope here, but whatever came next would not be gentle on the man's stomach.

"Anyway, Shiro-chan, you two wait here a moment."

Without waiting for the Pope's approval, Ariel stood and left the conference room.

Shiro watched in silence. Sophia stood frozen, unsure what to do.

Then I'll just speak with Kusama for a bit.

Ariel called to Kusama and stepped out of the conference room.