Chapter 135: Demon King, and – 1

Chapter 135: Demon King, and – 1

The center of the Grand Cathedral, a solemn courtroom.

Defendants in penitent postures, yet lawyers defending them.

Conversely, accusers reciting their sins and demanding punishment.

Participants pondering whose words were right, listening to the accusers and lawyers.

Finally, the Pope, listening and delivering a judgment with gravity, solemnity, and dignity… what a load of crap.

Inquisitors who didn’t even understand why they were dragged here, and thus showed no sign of remorse, and lawyers who kept repeating that it was blasphemous,

And even the Hero, who was making the accusation, but kept stuttering slightly, whether due to nervousness or her characteristic terrible acting.

Although she was borrowing the dignity, authority, and trustworthiness of the Holy Sword, the lawyer and the attending cardinals didn’t seem to be listening at all.

The Imperial delegation… was literally acting as if they were just there to eat popcorn.

Of course, they would also want to humiliate and tear into the Holy Kingdom, so if the Pope sided with those cardinals and delivered an absurd judgment, they would react then.

But… putting everything else aside, the most impressive thing was the Pope’s attitude.

He paid no attention whatsoever to the inquisitors, who were the subject of the accusation, and kept staring intently at the cardinals, making it unclear what he was trying to do.

To say he was just going along with the cardinals’ wishes, there was no emotion in his gaze……

Conversely, to say he disliked the cardinals, there was still no emotion in his gaze.

‘…He’s already made up his mind, is that it?’

*’It seems so. Even if he ignores the words of that Hero-nim, those inquisitors, and their stooges, he’s not even particularly focused on my words, the Holy Sword’s.’*

‘The problem is I can’t guess which way he’s leaning, though……’

After a long, boring back-and-forth, the Pope finally opened his mouth.

No, more precisely, he moved his hand and manipulated an immense amount of divine power.

Soon, a gigantic sword of light began to form on the ceiling of the courtroom.

It was natural that everyone’s gaze, including mine and the Saintess’s, turned towards the ceiling.

A sword of light that exuded a feeling closer to awe, an inability to face it, rather than a sense of holiness.

No one could look directly at that sword, except for me, who had resistance to divine power, and the Saintess and a few cardinals who could skillfully wield divine power.

As I watched that scene, various thoughts naturally bloomed in my head… but the most striking one was, indeed, that it was dangerous.

Even though I had resistance to divine power, I was certain that if I took a direct hit from that, it would be quite difficult to stay alive.

*’The Pope is indeed the Pope. That damn power is the same now as it was then.’*

‘…I think I know why you call it damn, but what exactly is that?’

*It’s a divine authority directly bestowed by God. Should I say it’s a power beyond the human realm?*

‘Why does it feel like I haven’t seen you in a long time? Ria.’

*Well… there wasn’t really anything for me to guide you on. And even if it wasn’t conveyed to you, I had many conversations with the Holy Sword.*

I was about to ask what they had talked about… but before I could, the divine power gathered on the ceiling began to descend rapidly.

Precisely towards the inquisitors and their lawyer, and… the cardinal who, the Saintess had whispered to me, supported the inquisitors.

The next moment, with a flash… only their bodies, burning in light, remained in that spot.

***

It had the shape of a sword, but it was not a sword.

It was formed of divine power, but it was not merely divine power.

It was clearly made by humans, but it was not human power.

Judgment pronounced on behalf of God. That was the true nature of the sword that descended in the form of light.

“…By the will of God, I sentence you.”

The Pope’s mouth opened, and words came out, but it was not the Pope’s voice.

A deep, heavy voice echoing everywhere.

Holiness aside, it had an oppressive presence that anyone could perceive.

Therefore, most people, just by hearing that voice, crumbled their posture and simply paid homage to the power of God that had descended, borrowing the Pope’s form.

“Ha… still loves the theatrics, doesn’t he?”

“……”

“Huh? Why are you silent… Ah, it must be hard for you guys.”

“I’m… sorry, Elena-nim.”

Of course, there were those who weren’t.

I, too, was among them, watching this scene from a distance in perfect stealth, as if it were ridiculous…

And so was the girl, who was among others, pretending to be overwhelmed, but in reality wasn’t, and thus, after observing others, pretended to be overwhelmed a beat late.

“Truly… if you’re around, the future changes in interesting ways, Lucia.”

The omnipotent ability to see the future. A true divine authority bestowed by God, beyond the ability to merely act as His proxy.

My father was wary of it, and also jealous.

Well… I admit I messed with the Holy Kingdom a bit for a better future, but who knew he’d go crazy over just that and try to restrain me?

…Actually, I knew it was one of many possibilities in the future, but I never thought my father would do that with a minuscule 0.001% chance.

Anyway, having become a fugitive, I didn’t wander… instead, I immediately gathered those who would create a new world.

The future shown by God had a war between the Demon King and the Hero planned, followed by peace.

I saw various ways to avoid the war… but the result was always a future leading to destruction.

So I secretly came to the Holy Kingdom to instigate the war… but I saw a scene that was completely absent from the future I had seen.

“A trial? For the inquisitors?”

“Yes, that’s right. Seeing as you didn’t know, it must have been a very rare possibility in the future.”

“……”

Lucia, a being recently discovered, whom this authority did not affect.

I don’t know why. I merely speculate that the girl is outside this world designed by God, and thus not subject to prophecy.

At first, it was curiosity. It was also a coincidence.

I merely sought out the girl who created a substance not in my prophecies, and after that, I simply observed her.

The potion was interesting but weak, and she even almost died after being framed as a heretic in the middle, so it was just treated as periodically observing a variable.

……I never knew that girl would stir up the future so greatly.

Clear futures became blurry, and even when summing up all possibilities of the future, missing possibilities began to appear.

Previously, it was at a level that could be ignored, but now, about 10% of the future was completely outside my prophecy, making it impossible to ignore.

Therefore, I intended to accelerate the war, and that’s why I came to the Holy Kingdom… but I saw the Pope’s personal inquisitors being struck by divine punishment and turning to dust.

To be precise, it was a result obtained by immediately prophesying the future after learning about the trial, but seeing it with my own eyes was truly amazing.

Because in no previous future had the inquisitors been so cleanly annihilated.

Rather, they were used when the Pope needed to deal with troublesome cardinals, but they were never directly sentenced to divine punishment by the Pope like this.

From my perspective… seeing the tiresome targets who had chased me since childhood, and until now, being incinerated, felt good.

Pity? Fear? Once I knew the future, everything was under my calculation.

Knowing the outcome, there was no fear, and knowing they were destined to die anyway, there was no pity.

The same went for instigating the war. Guilt? This continent’s life would only be happy if it happened anyway. There was no such thing.

…The story went a bit off-topic, but the point was this:

The existence of the potion, which was too weak to be ignored in the past, and Lucia, who created it, was now becoming too massive to ignore.

Therefore, I was even considering eliminating Lucia… but my thoughts changed a bit.

Until now, I had considered the future Lucia changed as a variable and an obstacle, but now, seeing the inquisitors, the hotbed of corruption, being incinerated before my eyes, it seemed that wasn’t necessarily the case.

I, too, had wished for the reform of the Holy Kingdom, but it was something I hadn’t been able to achieve due to time constraints.

Well… it would have been great if the Pope had died too as a bonus, but unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen.

“…Our new recruit spot, is it still open?”

“…Of… course it is.”

If used well, I might even be able to create the future.

If I can control a being who denies the possibilities of the future set by God and pioneers a new future, it’s not impossible.

“It’s been a long time since we’ll meet directly, Lucia.”

I hope you function not as a variable that hinders me, but as one that helps me.