Secret Friends (2)
I really didn't want to get tangled up with the temple, but that didn't mean I wanted to make them my enemies either. So when Rydia stepped forward to shield me like a knight and even declared herself my sworn protector, ready to draw her sword if things escalated, I was caught off guard for a moment.
No matter what, having those two fight each other felt wrong. Especially if it went beyond words and turned into actual swordplay. I poked my head out from between Rydia's arms and spoke up.
“Inquisitor Karen! Instead of fighting, how about we become secret friends?”
“...Pardon?”
“You know, secret friends. We could sneak off for chats now and then, share some delicious food...”
I'd thought it over carefully, but the option of avoiding any connection with the temple had already flown out the window. I hadn't realized Karen would deify me to this extent. In that case, there was really only one path left.
“And we could team up to beat the crap out of heretics together.”
“......”
“......”
The tense, hostile atmosphere vanished in an instant. All that remained were the two women exchanging bewildered glances. Of course, I'd said it with a plan in mind. It wasn't just because the term secret friends sounded appealing to me.
...Really.
Since things had come to this, there was no point in hiding all the information I possessed. It would be better to dole it out bit by bit, steering my relationship with Karen—and by extension, with the temple—in the direction I wanted. That seemed far preferable to becoming the temple's mascot as some fake saint, just to fulfill her wishes.
“First, let me confirm something. Inquisitor Karen, what exactly do you want to do with Those Who Swallow the Twilight?”
“Naturally, I wish to erase every last one of them from this world.”
“And how much are you willing to sacrifice to make that happen?”
“...If necessary, I would offer everything I have.”
“Perfect! Then it's time for a secret story just for you, Inquisitor Karen.”
I flashed a sly grin and stepped out from behind Rydia to stand beside her instead.
“Pope Claudia III has been secretly aiding Those Who Swallow the Twilight.”
“......?”
“That crazy bitch believes that if the world falls into chaos again in the name of the divine—just like it did a thousand years ago—the Goddess of Love will descend once more.”
“W-wait a moment. Why would Her Holiness the Pope...”
“The reason is simple. The Pope is in love with the Goddess of Love. She loves her so much that she wants to possess her completely.”
“......”
Karen's mouth opened and closed wordlessly, too stunned to speak properly. I offered her a bitter smile.
“This is exactly why I didn't want to get involved with the temple. Who knows what kind of mess I'd stumble into?”
“...Ah.”
“So...”
Karen's body trembled with shock. In contrast, Rydia nodded as if she understood completely. I hadn't expected even her to be convinced. Well, since it was all true, it didn't really matter.
The true leader of the heretics was the Pope! The Pope had secretly joined hands with the cultists to expand the church's influence! It was a pretty common cliché, after all. I'd simply followed the trope. Though I'd set the reasons a bit differently.
A Pope from the Church of Crosshair who coveted the Goddess. It had a certain entertaining ring to it. Of course, when I thought about what that Pope might actually do, I couldn't laugh at all.
She had climbed to the position of Pope solely to get closer to the Goddess, and when even that wasn't enough, she'd allied with heretics to summon her. She was the kind of person who wouldn't hesitate to do absolutely anything. This was what happened when a setting I'd scribbled for fun became reality—it turned utterly horrifying.
I shrugged once and asked in a low, suggestive voice.
“So? Are you alright with this, Inquisitor Karen? The temple you've devoted your entire life to might not be as pure as you thought.”
“......”
I took a step closer to Karen, whose lips were pressed tightly together.
“The Heretic Inquisitors are a direct unit under the Pope, belonging to no one else, right? You'd receive your orders straight from her.”
“......”
I grabbed the arm of the woman whose face had gone deathly pale, her body shaking.
“The way she personally appointed you as a Heretic Inquisitor, and that oath you made to abandon all glory and happiness for the Goddess, willingly staining your hands with blood—it was flawed from the very beginning.”
“......”
Then I gently stroked her arm, as if offering comfort.
“Perhaps you've been helping the heretics all this time under the pretense of serving the Goddess. Your comrades might have been nothing more than sacrifices offered to them.”
“......”
Suddenly, I gripped her forearm tightly. So she couldn't run away. Firmly.
“Ah, you poor thing. It would've been better if you'd remained blind and deaf, seeing nothing, hearing nothing.”
“......”
I rose onto my tiptoes and whispered into Karen's ear.
“How does it feel to have your faith, all your devotion until now, completely invalidated?”
“......”
Karen's face now looked like she was on the verge of tears. I pulled her into a light embrace and patted her back.
“It must be devastating. Like the whole world is collapsing, and you don't want to believe a word I say. ...I know because I've been through it myself.”
Recalling the sense of betrayal I'd felt when the Pickaxe had emerged from the ceiling, I spoke those words. Only then did Karen's gaze shift from empty air to me. In a trembling voice, she finally spoke.
“Th-then what should I do... Saint... Why are you telling me all this...”
“Obviously because you wanted it, Inquisitor Karen. Didn't you say it yourself? That you'd pay any price to eliminate all heretics.”
“But this burden is too heavy for me. What am I supposed to do... Please, show me the way... I beg you...”
Now Karen was outright sobbing. I hadn't expected such an intense reaction. I released the hug, took half a step back, and stared straight into her eyes. As if to show her my sincerity—or to remind her of the divine grace she'd received from the Goddess.
“It's simple.”
I pulled out the most beautiful 3-star Goddess figurine—no, statue—I'd ever seen and placed it in Karen's hands.
“What you should believe in isn't the Pope, or the temple, or even me.”
Had even a Heretic Inquisitor never seen such a finely crafted Goddess statue before? Karen's eyes widened as she stared blankly at the divine figure.
“Listen only to the Goddess and to the conscience whispering in your heart.”
“......!”
“You haven't forgotten, have you? That the Goddess taught us to love ourselves above all else.”
I gently wrapped my hands around hers as she held the statue and smiled.
“I won't tell you not to feel guilty. But please remember that the Goddess doesn't bestow her grace on just anyone.”
Finally, I perfectly reversed the principle of Sound-Eating Steps. Not to hide my presence, but to reveal it to the world. My breathing, my gestures, the flow of my gaze—everything that made up me was powerfully imprinted on Karen. Even the faint scent I'd gained through the Goddess's blessing.
“This scent is...”
Karen murmured softly, lost in her own thoughts. I turned away from her, only to find Rydia there, shivering as if she'd witnessed something utterly terrifying.
Oh crap! From Rydia's perspective, she'd seen my entire 'persuasion' just now. No helping it. She'd told me not to, but I had no choice but to pull out my ultimate technique, as effective as it was.
“Shh!”
I pressed a finger to my lips and added silently, mouthing the words: It's a secret, my knight?
“......”
Rydia flinched but quickly regained her composure. Still, for some reason, her usually expressionless face seemed filled with regret and lament today.
...Whatever! Must be my imagination!
I brushed it off as best I could and returned to Rydia's side, waiting for Karen to collect her thoughts.
After some time had passed, Karen, having finished thinking, bowed her head with the same resolute, faith-filled eyes as always.
“Thank you. You've given me tremendous help.”
“Aw, come on. Didn't I say? Let's be secret friends. Friends help each other out.”
“Help each other... What would you like me to do for you, Saint?”
“First, let's stop with the 'Saint' thing.”
“Understood, Yona.”
Karen obediently corrected the title. I nodded in satisfaction and continued.
“Can you tell me what mission you received this time, and how you ended up in this situation?”
If things went well, I might learn how far Those Who Swallow the Twilight's plans had progressed and get an update on their current status. That's what I'd been thinking when I asked, but...
“The mission was to investigate what Those Who Swallow the Twilight seem to be plotting on the first floor of the labyrinth, uncover their objective, and stop them if possible.”
“The first floor?”
That didn't make sense. The first floor was the most heavily trafficked area for adventurers, making it extremely difficult to operate in secret. The fact that they were coming and going from there despite knowing that meant there had to be something significant.
“Did you actually find any of Those Who Swallow the Twilight on the first floor?”
“Yes. They were killing monsters in front of the World Tree's illusion.”
“Killing monsters in the labyrinth isn't exactly unusual.”
“What was unusual was how brutally they killed them. After doing so, they displayed the corpses openly but didn't even collect the magic stones.”
“......”
The moment I heard that, it felt like I'd been smacked in the back of the head. I didn't know where they'd learned it, but those bastards were trying to summon the floor guardian of the first floor.
“This is insane.”
I won't let you steal my wish ticket!