Chapter 142: Hero? – 4

Chapter 142: Hero? – 4

It was certainly difficult to create potions that I previously couldn’t make, or that required the system’s assistance, purely with my own power.

In the first place, it was natural, considering it was a potion that granted wishes and a miracle potion that was practically equivalent to resurrection.

…Thanks to that, I had to make and drink stamina potions again, which I hadn’t needed in a long time.

Now, they’re even divided into two types: one for genuinely restoring stamina, and another for recovering ‘only’ fatigue while boosting concentration.

*This really makes me nostalgic. Back when you first fell into this world.*

‘Did you think I’d be doing this back then?’

*Well… drinking brewed stamina potions seems to be the same, but anyway.*

Honestly, when I saved the Duke and became friends with Christie, the Duchess, I thought it was possible.

Getting involved with the main characters was scary, but I still thought this wouldn’t deviate too much from the ‘normal life’ I wanted.

……I didn’t know it would start with that and lead to such deep involvement with Melini, the Saintess, Hero, and Elena, who’s been around since the beginning.

‘Now that I think about it, both potions I’m making right now are deeply related to Christie and the Saintess, aren’t they?’

*…Did you just realize that? Seriously? They were given as branch rewards in the first place, you know?*

‘……A person can forget things sometimes.’

To be honest, I was so impressed by the potions’ performance that I hadn’t really thought deeply about it.

But if these branch rewards, given as potions, apply to all main characters, would potions related to Melini, as well as the Hero or the Demon King, also be given?

Whatever else, I’m very curious about the potions related to the Demon King.

*Your current guess is correct. As you complete branches, potions related to that main character are provided.*

‘Like these, which are powerful but hellishly difficult to make?’

*Exactly. Speaking of which, I’ll give you the potion related to Melini now. You’ll be reunited soon anyway, so it’s the same whether you get it then or now.*

‘…Is the system collectively going to hell? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?’

*How would I know? It might be because I’m very interested in you, who’s trying to defy God… or I might have predicted future gains. Anyway, take it.*

For a moment, I wondered what I would ultimately do in this world that would benefit the system, but… I decided to let it go for now.

Even if it was a little suspicious, the system had never done anything harmful to me.

Well… occasionally it asks if I’ll do difficult branches or things that might put my life at risk, but it has never actually made me do anything impossible.

As I looked at Ria and the system with slightly suspicious eyes, the Holy Sword subtly spoke to me.

*’An interesting relationship. You’re treated as equal partners now, but if things went wrong, you could have become a subordinate being.’*

“Could you please stop with those ominous words?”

‘*That won’t happen to you. In a non-physical sense, is it really that easy to subjugate someone from another world?*

*However, looking at it this way, your partner is indeed a considerably powerful being.’*

*Stop with the strange talk and go back inside, will you? Even if you’re the Holy Sword, if you spread strange slanders, I won’t be merciful, you know?*

Saying that, Ria and the Holy Sword disappeared together, claiming they would talk for a bit.

…I thought I heard a faint scream and a cry of ‘Just save me!’ from somewhere, but I ignored it.

……At times like this, the Holy Sword old man seems to have a lot in common with the Hero.

***

“I’m going crazy… Why did that old man disappear again on his own…!”

The Saintess was confined, and I am not in a position to defend her either.

The Pope suddenly went mad, claiming God’s voice had been delivered, and tried to confine and excommunicate the Saintess, but fortunately, thanks to numerous believers who opposed this, there had been no particular punishment yet…

Still, the unease was real.

Well, as a bonus, I, who was being slandered for losing the Holy Sword, also hadn’t been punished yet.

No, I don’t know why those who know the Holy Sword has a will are blaming me for that old man disappearing on his own.

The point was that the Holy Kingdom had been chaotic in many ways recently.

Even with the Demon King observed in the Empire’s capital, confusion and corruption seemed to overflow not only in the Holy Kingdom but also within the Empire.

“Hah… This is why I hate politics. If something’s wrong, it’s wrong, but why does the crime change depending on the person, and guilt or innocence get divided?”

While it couldn’t be as bad as the corrupt Holy Kingdom, the Empire also seemed on the verge of a rebellion or something similar if it weren’t for a figure like the Duke.

The Emperor was greedy, the nobles tried to eliminate each other, and the imperial citizens were uninterested in politics.

I was someone who didn’t even glance at politics for fear of getting caught up in troublesome affairs, but this time, I really wondered if I should speak up.

“Hero. There is something you must do.”

“…Something?”

“His Holiness the Pope personally instructed it. He said strange rumors are circulating in the Empire.”

While I was thinking that, the Pope’s envoy arrived.

Perhaps because I was having strange thoughts, his gaze seemed even sharper.

By the way… rumors?

“The rumor was that the Demon King went to the Empire’s capital because the Hero was there. More precisely, it’s a rumor that the true Hero has appeared.”

“……So?”

For a moment, words asking if he was mocking me rose to my throat, but I endured with superhuman patience.

It was already upsetting that the Holy Sword old man had run off somewhere, but why was he deliberately telling me that I was suspected of being a fake Hero?

Moreover, since he said it was something to do, it seemed like he wanted me to handle it directly.

“His Holiness the Pope completely denies such absurd rumors and has entrusted the Hero with the execution of that fake.”

“…So, it’s also a chance to raise my honor and reputation as the Hero.”

“Yes, that’s right. You’ve become more astute than before.”

……No matter how I heard it, it sounded like he was asking if I understood this with my brain, but I gritted my teeth, smiled, and sent the envoy back.

It’s true that I didn’t use my brain to live comfortably, but isn’t that just treating me like a complete idiot?

It seemed that ever since the rumor about me losing the Holy Sword spread, the Pope and some cardinals had been openly treating me like an idiot.

“By the way… a fake, huh?”

The documents the envoy left behind contained information about the person presumed to be the ‘fake.’

However, judging by the quality of the information, it seemed that God hadn’t directly said there was a fake; rather, the Pope had investigated because he simply didn’t like such rumors.

Information directly whispered by God isn’t vague and only describes characteristics like this; it clearly states why that person must be dealt with.

Therefore, it was highly likely that this information in my hand, and the person it described, wasn’t truly impersonating the Hero, but rather someone the Pope simply wanted to kill.

People don’t know it well, but from my position, having been in the church since childhood, it’s obvious. What is the human Pope’s will, and what is God’s will.

The confinement of the Saintess… that truly seemed to be God’s will, which made it even more confusing, but anyway.

“Identified as possessing a sword that appears to be the Hero’s Holy Sword, possessing an alien power different from ordinary magic, difficult to detect through divine power, suggesting the ability to wield divine power…?”

Suddenly, one person came to mind.

…And also, that she might very well have taken the Holy Sword.

Last time I saw her, she seemed to have strong resistance to divine power, and she seemed to be able to communicate with the Holy Sword old man.

Before, I would have wondered what kind of crazy bitch this was, but now it looked a little different.

What in the world is she trying to do, going so far as to take the Holy Sword?

“Additional information, confirmed to have contacted the Demon King…?”

Since the Holy Sword old man is with her, she probably didn’t try to side with the Demon King, so what is she really trying to do?

Surely she’s not saying she’ll offer both the Holy Sword and the Hero if only she’s spared… is she?

Even if it didn’t seem like her, she was such an unpredictable person that I couldn’t tell.

In any case…… whether it was the Pope’s command or to get my Holy Sword back, it seemed I had no choice but to go find her.

But, was that fellow someone who stayed quietly at home…?

***

“Lucia? Is it okay for you to come in here?”

“I only came in for a moment thanks to a potion effect, so no one outside knows.”

I felt like someone was looking for me from somewhere, but I cleanly ignored it and handed the potion to the Saintess.

She hadn’t been confined for long, but seeing how much she had wasted away, she must have suffered quite a bit.

Moreover… she seemed to have been greatly disappointed in the Pope and this Holy Kingdom, and furthermore, in God.

“Um, could you do me a favor?”

“…Rather, I’m the one who should be asking for a favor. What is it?”

“……It seems impossible to fix this Holy Kingdom anymore. I think it would be better to just, completely rebuild it.”

Even so, I didn’t expect such radical words to come out of the Saintess’s mouth.

Whether she had gained some enlightenment during her confinement, my slightly flustered reflection was visible in the Saintess’s deepened eyes.

Of course, I had come to ask if she would be okay with it, as continuing with me would mean turning against the Pope and even God, but I didn’t expect the Saintess to say it first.

“Lucia.”

“Huh?”

“You knew, didn’t you? That God… wanted war, wanted blood?”

I don’t know how she knew, but the Saintess seemed to have realized that God desired the Great War.

And also, that the Holy Kingdom and the Pope were either unaware of this or were complicit.

“…Yes. In that process, I also had a bit of a… well, So…”

“You don’t have to say it. From the moment God suddenly told them to arrest me, I assumed you and God had clashed.”

“……Knowing that, you’re not casting me out?”

Honestly, I thought that if she was a devout Saintess, she would follow God even if God wanted war.

In the original world, she was the most enthusiastic participant in the war, after all.

However… the current Saintess merely shook her head quietly.

“I serve God and follow him. But… that doesn’t mean I’ve dedicated everything to him. In the first place, I’m a fake, aren’t I? So… sometimes, I’ll try to go against God’s will a little.”

“Are you sure?”

“Even knowing I’m a fake, the reason I follow him is because that way, I can give more people happiness and hope.

And… this incident directly contradicts that. So, there’s no reason to follow.

Moreover, if I were a truly chosen Saintess, it would be one thing, but I’m a being created by the church to give hope to believers, aren’t I? Then shouldn’t I fulfill that role?”

The Saintess’s eyes, as she spoke those words, were more powerful and resolute than ever.

At those eyes… I quietly, and unconsciously, nodded.

And so…… from the rejection of God’s will, a new Holy Kingdom was beginning to emerge.