Operation Commences
Afterward, James was escorted back to his lodging. The Pope wanted to remain with him longer and continue their conversation, but the Camerlengo, Yosef, had intervened, citing the matters that still needed to be handled regarding the Holy Grail, the Holy Paten, and Cardinal Augustino.
The Camerlengo must have a mountain of work ahead of him.
In truth, there was no time to lose. Before anyone could be sent to Las Vegas the following day, the Vatican had to consult with the American government and move against the thieves targeting the Vatican Museum.
We still have to decide when to reveal the Holy Grail and the Holy Paten, too...
Before the Holy Grail and Holy Paten that had entered the Vatican could be made public, they required careful scientific and historical verification. The Vatican would not reveal them until every test was complete and it was certain they were truly the cup and plate used by Jesus Christ. Everything had to be checked in advance, before any unnecessary misunderstanding or distrust could spread.
James looked at his reflection in the mirror of his room and thought, If I took one sip, I’d know immediately.
His baby-smooth, translucent skin was shining brightly.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ll need any more skin care from now on.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked at the door.
“Brother James?”
“Ah, Father Stefano.”
It was the priest who had guided James to the Pope and the Camerlengo, and he had come to visit because he could not quite contain his curiosity.
“...Did your conversation go well?”
“Yes. The Holy Father was so pleased that I wished you could have been there with us, Father Stefano.”
He could not yet speak openly about having handed over the Holy Grail and Holy Paten, so he had to keep that information from Stefano as well.
“Thank heaven. That is a relief.”
“Is something the matter? Ah! My business here is finished, so I no longer need to stay, is that it?”
“...No, it is not that. The Camerlengo has ordered that Brother James be moved to the guest quarters.”
“Father Yosef said that?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Father Yosef really does go to such lengths.”
“...Let us go.”
“Understood. If you insist on holding me here like this, I suppose I can stay a few more days.”
“......”
Until the facts are confirmed, I suppose there is nothing for it.
Father Stefano believed James was being kept here so they could be certain he had not lied about the Holy Grail, but in reality, it was only a matter of a guest being elevated to honored guest status.
“Wow. This place is really amazing.”
“It is normally used when heads of state visit...”
“Please tell them it doesn’t feel burdensome at all. Heh.”
“......”
Click. Click.
James was busy taking photos with his phone.
* * *
The next evening, the Pope convened an emergency meeting and informed the cardinals.
“...The location of the Holy Grail has been confirmed. After a preliminary verification through photographs, it is without question the Holy Grail of the Lord.”
“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
“!!”
“I would like to mobilize as many of you as possible to secure the Grail, but this matter requires the expertise of specialists...”
After glancing around the room, the Pope pointed to one cardinal.
“Cardinal Augustino.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“You once oversaw the Vatican Museum, and you have considerable experience managing its works of art and relics, so you are more qualified than anyone else for this great undertaking.”
Most of the cardinals nodded at the Pope’s words.
The Camerlengo, Yosef, was watching Cardinal Augustino from the Pope’s side.
Yes. ...It is definitely not him.
It had been the Camerlengo, Yosef, who had suggested that Cardinal Augustino be included in the Holy Grail recovery mission.
I will catch them all in one net.
The calculation was that if Augustino were dispatched there, he would somehow make contact with them.
“In addition, since Cardinal Andrea, who currently oversees the Vatican Museum, cannot leave his post lightly, have Stefano of the Vatican Museum accompany the recovery of the Holy Grail to the Vatican.”
“Yes! Your Holiness.”
“I am sure you all understand now why this meeting was held in secret. Information regarding the Holy Grail must, of course, remain confidential, so anyone who leaks what was discussed here today must be prepared to bear the appropriate punishment.”
“Yes! Your Holiness.”
“Cardinal Augustino, please remain behind. I will tell you the Grail’s location, so you must be especially careful about security.”
...Is this really going so smoothly?
David bowed, keeping his true thoughts thoroughly hidden.
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
Afterward, with Father Stefano and Cardinal Augustino present alongside the Camerlengo, the general location of the Holy Grail was conveyed.
“Stefano, you will move according to Cardinal Augustino’s orders. You are to obey the cardinal alone.”
“Yes, Holy Father.”
“Cardinal Augustino, take the anti-wiretap device from Father Stefano and keep it with you at all times. We do not know when or where this information might leak.”
“Yes. I shall certainly do that.”
This too had come from the Camerlengo’s advice.
“May you return safely to the Vatican with the Holy Grail.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
* * *
Cardinal Augustino returned to his room carrying the device Stefano had given him.
Just the thing I needed.
Beep. Whirr.
After activating the machine, he made the call in perfect peace.
“It’s me. Frank.”
“David, you could have just texted me. Why call? What exactly did you take my warning for...?”
Frank was about to hang up, but David remained relaxed.
“I just activated the anti-wiretap machine. That means no one can listen in on our call.”
“...You really can get anything in there, can’t you? Well, it’s not a prison.”
“There’s almost nothing you can’t get in prison either.”
“Pfft. Fair enough. Anyway, why are you calling?”
“I had bad news, so I couldn’t avoid contacting you. Though there’s good news too.”
“What? Bad news?”
“The bad news is that the Pope did not announce the Holy Grail’s location. He only told the cardinal assigned to recover it.”
“Damn it... Then what’s the good news?”
“I’m that cardinal. I confirmed the location of the Holy Grail.”
“Hah! You’re the one in charge? That’s insane. The Vatican handed the fish to the cat.”
“And I’m going to Las Vegas.”
“If you’re in charge, of course you have to go. Where is it? Tell me quickly.”
David had confidently declared himself the one in charge, but this was exactly where he was running into trouble.
“...But that bastard Pope didn’t tell me the exact location.”
“What? Why the hell does the Vatican handle things like that?”
Come to think of it, that only meant their procedures were airtight.
“When we arrive from the Vatican, the Camerlengo will contact me again and tell me where to go.”
“Damn it. You left out another bad part!”
“The Holy Grail is an extraordinary object. It can’t be helped. But if I hadn’t become the one in charge, I never would have learned its location.”
“You might wind up facing us directly if this goes wrong. Find a way around it!”
“The general area is Las Vegas, just like we discussed before. Once we land and I receive the contact, I’ll pass it straight to Frank, and I can keep the others pinned down at the hotel.”
“Oh! Then our men can just wait in Las Vegas? We slip in first before the Vatican even moves?”
“......”
David was worried about what would happen after that.
“But now that I’m the one in charge, if we fail to recover the Holy Grail, I won’t be able to keep this up much longer. Frank, we have no choice but to change the plan.”
“......”
If David had simply been an information source without being responsible for the operation, they might have been able to target the Vatican Museum afterward. But now that he was heading to Las Vegas as the one in charge, it was obvious that his own position would change drastically depending on the outcome of the Grail.
“Listen, David. I already told you this: obtaining the Holy Grail and robbing the museum are separate matters.”
“Frank, now that I’m the one in charge, there’s no other way. One of the two has to be abandoned. If someone steals the Grail first because I’m keeping the others occupied, who do you think will be suspected? Only me.”
“Damn it!”
If David were removed from the Holy Grail recovery mission, they would lose track of its location. But if they went through with the plan as it stood, the problem would come after the theft. The location had only been told to the one in charge, so if the information leaked, naturally the one in charge would become the prime suspect. And if he deliberately delayed the schedule, there would be no way out.
“...Then can’t we smuggle the Grail out later along with the art?”
The idea was to sneak the Grail out with the museum’s art and relics after it had entered the Vatican. But while David had been posing as Cardinal Augustino, he had learned something new.
“The Vatican’s most important relics are not kept in the museum.”
“What?”
“They go into a secret vault set apart in the Pope’s residence. No matter how high-ranking a cardinal is, infiltrating that place is impossible.”
“This is driving me crazy. But we can’t just give up on the Grail either...”
“Frank. The Holy Grail is worth more than any piece of art we’ve ever planned to steal. Even on the black market, it would fetch the value of hundreds of works.”
“Haa... We’ve spent so long preparing this...”
“There’s still a chance. I’ve already gathered everything about the museum’s internal security, so if we wait for the period when vigilance slackens, we should be able to act.”
“If we go in without an inside man, the risk will be huge, but we have no choice. Still, you’d better make sure you understand the internal security system perfectly, David.”
“Leave it to me. I’ve already collected all the materials on the museum’s security situation and internal blueprints. With just this, robbing the museum will be nothing.”
David had hidden the relevant materials deep within his quarters. Convinced that he would be leaving the Vatican in the near future, he had sealed them away so that no one could see them even if they entered his room.
“...When you come out of the Vatican this time, make sure you bring the materials back out. We’ll have to revise the plan completely.”
At Frank’s permission, David brightened and answered at once.
“Okay. I will.”
He was thrilled at the thought that once this operation was over, he would finally be able to leave the Vatican.
This tiresome life is finally coming to an end!
* * *
“......”
In the Vatican central operations room, Father Yosef was frowning deeply. No one was allowed to enter this place lightly, and unlike the Vatican’s halls filled with classical art, it was packed with electronic equipment. The cameras watching over the Vatican were all transmitting their footage here.
“...It seems certain now that he is not Cardinal Augustino, Camerlengo.”
Beside Yosef stood the captain of the Swiss Guard, along with the people working in the central operations room. Their faces were as grim as his as they listened to the intercepted conversation.
“...Haa.”
Yosef had been using Stefano’s anti-wiretap device as a listening instrument, and at last they had uncovered undeniable proof.
David... So the men targeting the museum really were operating in the Vatican.
The situation was chilling. He had never once imagined that a cardinal might have been switched out. If James had not told them, the Vatican Museum would have been robbed before long.
Then where is the real cardinal...?
“As soon as the man leaves the Vatican, search for any trace of Cardinal Augustino. You should begin with the hospital, yes?”
“...Then what should we do about that one?”
Now that it had been revealed he was no longer Cardinal Augustino, even the way they referred to him had changed.
“We cannot catch him now. The outside accomplices, including him, are to be apprehended by the American and Italian governments, so they will be dealt with through them. We must sweep those men out all at once.”
Their crime was the kidnapping and murder of Augustino, a cardinal of the Vatican.
Please... just be alive. ...Lord, please watch over Your servant.
Yosef prayed silently, but the chances that Cardinal Augustino had survived until now were slim.
“However, the internal security data and Vatican blueprints he claimed to have secured cannot be allowed to leak. When the guard unit leaving for Las Vegas departs, the materials in his bag must be swapped. Use the surveillance cameras to confirm the materials he has hidden, and prepare identical replacements on the outside.”
Yosef’s orders continued.
“Also, in step with the movement of the American government, we must secure his person and identify the Vatican accomplice. There is a good chance that he remained here. His phone must contain records, so coordinate with the Italian police and check the reception areas. We must uproot this completely while we have the chance.”
“Yes, Camerlengo!”
The Vatican Guard began to move.
---