The World Inside the Game
I brought the Hero, who still couldn't come to his senses, and the mage who was wary of me just as the reports had described, back to the church.
After leading the two to the reception room and telling them to wait, I headed to Grandfather's office.
Upon arrival, I assured the knight guarding the door that everything was fine, then knocked myself.
—Knock knock.
"Grandfather, it's me."
—Come in.
After bowing to the knight, I opened the door and approached Grandfather.
"I'm back, Grandfather."
"Yes. How is the Hero?"
"He seems useless."
"Hmm…"
I relayed everything I'd observed while following them. There was no will in him at all, and his eyes turned indifferent the moment he looked at anyone who wasn't a mage. Though I'd only watched him briefly, he had disappointed me far more than I'd expected.
"At this rate, he won't even match the soldiers fighting on the front lines."
"I'm concerned."
"So, if possible, I'd like you to see him yourself, Grandfather. I'm still inexperienced at reading people."
"Heh heh."
"I hope I'm wrong about him."
Originally we were supposed to meet them at the evening welcome banquet, but the Hero's condition looked far worse than imagined. I asked Grandfather to meet them beforehand.
"Very well. Let us go see them now."
"Thank you, Grandfather."
"Think nothing of it. It is my beloved granddaughter's request, after all."
"Hehe."
Feeling his hand gently pat my head, I accompanied Grandfather to the reception room.
—Knock knock.
"Hero, it's Leila. May I come in?"
—Y-Yes!
Hearing the voice from inside, I opened the door, let Grandfather enter first, then followed and closed it behind us.
The moment he saw Grandfather, his face went slack with shock. I sighed. That expression was practically shouting, "I know you very well."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hero. Though unworthy, I am Augustus, currently serving as Pope of this Holy Kingdom."
"Ah… Yes! Your Holiness the Pope…?"
"Haah… In formal settings we say 'His Holiness,' but you need not follow our etiquette, Hero. Simply calling me 'Pope' is sufficient."
"Yes…."
"So, what is your name, Hero?"
"Leila, that is rude."
"…I'm sorry."
Seeing how displeased I was, Grandfather gently chided me not to be too harsh. I took a step back for now.
"…My apologies. My name is Ian. I was summoned from another world and have been given the role of Hero for the time being."
"I-I am Millia, a mage of the Red Magic Tower…!"
Both of them looked extremely uncomfortable with my presence.
"Grandfather, they seem uneasy with me here, so I'll go help prepare for dinner."
"Go ahead."
Given how visibly wary they were, it would be difficult for Grandfather to speak freely. Curious as I was about their conversation, I decided to excuse myself.
* *
Following the self-proclaimed Saintess Leila—who, despite her small frame, radiated a sharp and imposing presence—we arrived at the reception room I vaguely remembered from the game.
After she left, telling us to wait, I turned to Millia, who was still trembling at the fact that we were inside the Papal Palace, and asked what had been on my mind.
"Millia."
"Uh… Yeah?"
"Was that nun from earlier really the Saintess?"
I'd seen the Stigma in her eyes, but I wanted to consider whether multiple people could possess it.
"Uh-huh… You wouldn't know, Ian. That person is this generation's Saintess."
"…There aren't any others?"
"At least as far as I know, since the Church's announcement twelve years ago, I've never heard of another Saintess. Is something wrong?"
"…No. It's just strange that someone so small is the Saintess."
"But the Saintess is older than me, you know?"
"Huh?"
She looked fifteen at most. How old was she really? Millia sometimes looked mature for her age, but was that girl older than nineteen-year-old Millia?
"When I saw her at the Saintess appointment ceremony twelve years ago, she was ten… so she should be twenty-two now."
"Whoa…?"
"She looks really young, doesn't she? Unlike me, she's small and cute. I envy her."
"I like Millia the most."
"Saying things like that is embarrassing, so stop…"
Since she liked small, cute things and had a complex about her own body, Millia seemed to quite like the Saintess.
But twelve years had already passed? In the game, Saintess Dorothy had only been announced two years before the story began. According to the setting, Saintesses bearing the adult Stigma appeared once every few decades or even centuries, and the Stigma only manifested its power after adulthood. As for its location—while I'd seen many NPCs with Stigmas during gameplay, I'd never once seen one in the eyes.
Everything was different. Still, she clearly wouldn't possess the same cheat-like divine power that Dorothy, said to have the greatest holy power in history, had wielded. That meant we absolutely couldn't defeat the Demon King. Isolating the Demon King with the Saintess's overwhelming divine power had been one of the victory conditions.
While I was lost in thought, someone knocked on the door.
—Knock knock.
—Hero, it's Leila. May I come in?
"Y-Yes!"
When the door opened, an elderly man with a vaguely familiar face entered, followed by the Saintess named Leila.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Hero. Though unworthy, I am Augustus, currently serving as Pope of this Holy Kingdom."
Right. I belatedly remembered that the old man had been called by that name. At the word "Pope," I tried to show proper respect but couldn't recall the correct form of address.
"Ah… Yes! Your Eminence…?"
"Haah… In formal settings we say 'His Holiness,' but you need not follow our etiquette, Hero. Simply calling me 'Pope' is sufficient."
"Yes…."
Leila had been glaring at me with open displeasure since the moment she first saw me. Was she a tsundere-type heroine?
"So, what is your name, Hero?"
"Leila, that is rude."
"…I'm sorry."
Watching me get scolded, the Pope stopped her. The oppressive atmosphere eased, so I quickly began my introduction before she could resume.
"…My apologies. My name is Ian. I was summoned from another world and have been given the role of Hero for the time being."
"I-I am Millia, a mage of the Red Magic Tower…!"
Millia, who wasn't used to stepping forward, trembled while clutching the hem of my clothes. It was cute.
"Grandfather, they seem uneasy with me here, so I'll go help prepare for dinner."
"Go ahead."
As if sensing our discomfort, Leila left. I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew…"
"Heh heh… You must have had quite a time."
"Huh…! I'm sorry! It's not that…"
"It's fine. She wasn't always like this, but with so many worries lately, she seems to have been a bit harsh toward you, Hero. I'll tell her to apologize properly later, so please don't take it to heart."
"No… It's all right."
The Pope's kind smile made the earlier chill vanish like an illusion. Millia looked equally relieved.
After inviting us to sit comfortably, the Pope took the seat across from us. I spoke up.
"Um… Excuse me, but is the Leila who just left really the Saintess?"
"Yes. She serves as the Church's one and only Saintess. Though she's grown a little livelier compared to her childhood, that side of her is also quite charming."
If even the Pope said so, then Dorothy either didn't exist in this world or wasn't the Saintess.
"But you called him Grandfather?"
In my memories, the Pope and Dorothy had felt more like colleagues.
"Yes. Due to various circumstances, I took her in as my granddaughter when she was young."
"Ah…"
"Huhu. Now, would this old man be permitted to ask a few questions?"
"Yes. Ask anything."
"How much do you know?"
I shot to my feet, suddenly wary. The phrase "how much" meant he had seen through the fact that I possessed knowledge of this world. My answer could change everything.
"There is no need to be so wary. It has only been two months since you arrived in this world, yet you seem to know quite a lot."
"What do you mean…?"
"For us, it is a good thing if you know much, Hero. If Leila had found out, it might have been dangerous."
Before I could ask how, he continued.
"I often tell Leila this as well, but despite appearances, I did not obtain the position of Pope through mere luck. I have a decent eye for people."
Come to think of it, he was known among successive Popes for his exceptional insight. Since he didn't seem hostile, I sat back down.
"…I happened to come across some information about this world in my original world."
"I see. Then, how much do you know about the Demon King?"
"…That he's extremely meticulous. That the Four Heavenly Kings serve under him, and that the armies they command still threaten the entire continent."
"You seem to know the general information one would know. Let us move on."
Gulp.
"Hero, what are your plans going forward?"
"…For now, I suppose I need to set out on a journey. I'm lacking in power, so I plan to gather more companions while growing stronger."
"Hmm…"
Holding Millia's anxious hand, I voiced my thoughts. To return to my original world, I would probably have to defeat the Demon King. Even if I couldn't return, I had to defeat him to live in this world. Recalling the hellish difficulty, I had been escaping reality, but during my time with Millia I had made up my mind. If I couldn't see Millia's wedding dress and pure-love pregnancy ending, then I would create it myself. I couldn't use Dorothy as bait, but since I now knew the prerequisites for defeating the Demon King, I would find another way. After all, this was a game world—sacrificing a few people as bait should be acceptable.
"Understood. You must be tired after dealing with my granddaughter's tantrums right after arriving. Please rest for now. There will be a modest welcome ceremony this evening, so I will send someone to notify you when preparations are complete."
"Yes. Thank you."
"Th-Thank you."
"Well then, I shall take my leave."
Once the Pope left the reception room—
"Haaaaaaah~"
"Hueeeeh~"
Millia and I collapsed onto the sofa, tension draining away.
"That was no joke…"
"…Yeah."
Just like Millia said, it really had been no joke. If she was a Saintess, wasn't she supposed to be a priestess? I hadn't even noticed her presence until she spoke earlier. And that chill I'd felt until we reached the reception room—what was that? Wasn't the Saintess supposed to be a symbol of benevolence who embraced people through prayer?
"Millia."
"Uh-huh?"
"Do you know anything else about the Saintess?"
"Hmm… I heard she's incredibly kind and forgives even sinners if they repent."
"And?"
It didn't match the image from earlier at all, but it fit the general idea of a Saintess.
"Come to think of it, I heard she also holds the position of Holy Knight… though I've never heard of her actually doing anything in that role."
"You said Saintess, right? But Holy Knight?"
"Yeah. I heard she received the Holy Knight title in the past. I'm not sure if it's true since I only heard it as a rumor."
"Being a Holy Knight doesn't seem easy…"
"But Holy Knights all wear shining armor and carry weapons, and I've never heard of the Saintess doing that, so it might just be a rumor."
Indeed, the Holy Knights I knew always wore pure white armor as a symbol. Moreover, a knight without a weapon? That was definitely just a rumor.
"But kind, huh…"
"Huu… She was scary…"
"…I've got an idea."
As we talked, a plausible reason came to mind.
"…Probably because of me…"
"Why you?"
"Well, actually…"
The truth was, even back in the Empire, the first destination recommended had been the Holy Kingdom—to become companions with the Saintess. I also vaguely recalled hearing that an oracle had descended, saying the Saintess was preparing… Honestly, I'd been so excited about meeting Millia that I hadn't remembered any of this until now.
When I relayed that to Millia—
"Hyik… Then… the Saintess has been waiting all this time for you to come, Ian?"
"…Probably."
"Ha… Hawawa… She probably also knows that I was the reason you didn't go find the Saintess all this time… What do I do…?"
"……Let's apologize together with all our might."
"…Yeah."
For now, there was still plenty of time until evening. Since we were at the church, I thought I should resolve my curiosity about the special ability.
"I'm thinking of looking around the church for a bit. What about you, Millia?"
"I want to rest a little… I'm too tired…"
"Okay. I'll be back soon."
"Uh-huh. Have a good trip."
Smiling at Millia sprawled across the sofa, I headed out of the reception room.
Surely, if I prayed before the statue in the chapel, I could learn the effects of the special ability.
"Um… Excuse me."
"What is it, Brother?"
"Could you tell me where the nearest chapel is? I'd like to offer a prayer…"
"You must be a devout Brother. The chapel is right down that way."
"Thank you."
"May the Lord watch over your path."
After leaving the reception room, I stopped a passing priest and received kind directions. Bowing in thanks, I followed his instructions and soon found the chapel.
Entering and heading toward the statue, I saw that someone was already there. The moment I spotted the light green hair and the revealing white nun's habit of the person kneeling in prayer, I felt a slight urge to turn and run.
"Did you come to pray too, Hero?"
"Yes…"
"You don't need to worry about me. Please make yourself comfortable."
"…Thank you."
As if noticing my gaze, Leila stood up. Her eyes, when she looked at me, held a completely different, gentle feeling compared to earlier. She considerately stepped aside, and after expressing my gratitude, I decided to focus on why I had come.
Was I supposed to pray here? How exactly did one pray? As I concentrated with that thought—
"Huh?"
I heard some kind of reaction from beside me. Looking at Leila, who was frowning strangely as if she'd heard something odd—
"Haah… Yes."
She sighed as though conversing with someone, then turned to look at me.
"The Goddess has spoken."
"Yes?"
"She says you possess a special ability."
"Ah."
"She told me to inform you of how to use it."
"Aha."
It seemed the Goddess's voice descended through the surrounding clergy.
"Would you give me your hand for a moment."
"…Yes?"
She said she'd tell me how to use the ability, yet without any explanation she suddenly asked for my hand. What?