episode_0100

“For the Saintess!”

“For the Goddess!”

Holding onto a slim hope that there might be a way to stop this relentless noise, I spoke to Cecilia.

“Surely even these people will tire eventually? They can’t keep this up for dozens of minutes straight.”

“Who knows? They might continue until Chris creates a passage large enough for all of us. To them, those chants aren’t just hymns—they also serve as encouragement. Everyone has their own way of masking fear.”

“So this racket is their masking method?”

“Yes. There have been times when they marched all day chanting like this. They won’t tire from something like this so quickly. You might as well give up and quietly prepare yourself.”

As Cecilia spoke, she lightly tapped her own ears. Realizing what she meant, I could only point at her accusingly.

“You—how cheap of you to use magic like that alone!”

“Hoho. It’s a simpler spell than you’d think. All these people share a commonality in their magical energy. I just had to identify the wavelength of their divine power and tune it accordingly—”

I turned my head away before she could finish. She was clearly teasing me. Though she made it sound easy, it was like asking someone to write different characters with both hands—no, a hundred hands. Someone like me, who struggled even with two, stood no chance.

But before Cecilia could react to my sulking, something unexpected happened.

“Lady Cecilia! The building’s condition is unstable.”

“Huh?”

“Lady Christine seems to be doing her best, but time is—”

One of the inquisitors guarding us spoke with concern, eyeing the church walls that had begun to crack.

“How many people are left? And the remaining shelters?”

“Two more, Saintess!”

“Wait a minute—only two left? What are you saying? Didn’t all of you receive a revelation from Sain—no, the Goddess, and rush out in a frenzy?”

“Marcel Gravis. This church is a place every devout follower of the Goddess, both inside and outside the empire, wishes to visit at least once. Of course, the Pope continues the arduous task of selecting only the most faithful among them.”

Arduous task? More like counting how much money they could stuff into his back pocket.

“And? I understand this place is like holy ground. But how does that relate to the current situation?”

“Aside from the original church guards, there are many who, even outside the empire, secretly dedicate their lives to serving the Goddess. They too exist.”

“Outside?”

“Yes. Though subterranean to the empire, the prophecy the Pope received this time resonated more clearly than ever. That’s why even those who usually carry out the Goddess’s will outside were resting in their assigned quarters within the church. Among them, especially those entrusted with classified missions—”

“Got it, got it. So some were hiding in secret, covert locations, and even if they heard the Goddess’s revelation, they couldn’t escape in time.”

“Correct. They likely heard Her voice, but given their locations…”

“Where?”

“Underground. They couldn’t risk being discovered, right? I only learned of it myself after being recognized as the Saintess.”

“Well, that’s…”

Fortunately, the inquisitors’ training wasn’t for nothing. Despite Cecilia and Christine frantically navigating the church’s labyrinthine underground, no one was left behind. After Cecilia once again pulled off a deception under the guise of her Saintess authority, an impossibly long procession began moving.

“This is madness. How can there be this many inquisitors? This is practically an army. What does the Pope even need a private force for?”

“Please mind your words, Marcel Gravis. Even for the Gravis ducal house, disrespectful remarks about the Pope could cause trouble.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Though the Pope’s reasons for having so many inquisitors were obvious, I kept silent. Once his true nature was exposed in the upcoming mass purge, waiting until then wouldn’t be an issue. The only thing nagging at me was Cecilia’s personal squad of inquisitors.

Those who defied the Pope’s orders ought to be completely independent.

I leaned in close to Cecilia’s ear again.

“Cecilia. Those guys under your command—”

“They’re already handling it themselves. Unlike these inflexible people, they listen to me quite well. They probably ignored the order to return to the church altogether.”

How reliable. One less worry. I turned back to Chris.

“Chris! We can’t keep moving like this forever. How much longer until the spell is ready?”

The walls were already webbed with cracks, teetering on collapse. The only reason the underground hadn’t buried us yet was the church’s protective magic acting as adhesive.

“I can finish the spell anytime! It’s just that setting up a portal in an unstable place risks collapse—then we’d all be doomed! One wrong move and we could be sliced in half! We need a safer spot—”

“If we don’t do something now, we’re dead anyway! Just set it up!”

“Fine, fine!”

“Everyone, stop! Hold your positions!”

Chris, Cecilia, and I were at the front, so those at the back had to quiet down before Chris could begin preparing the spell.

“Haaah… haaah… Okay. Good. Christine. It’s nothing hard, right? You’ve always done this. You’re the best mage. You can do this. You can. You can.”

Muttering pitifully to herself, Chris began rapidly swirling both hands.

Instead of chanting, she channeled her mana directly into the dismantled barrier underground, repurposing it as if manipulating existing magic.

Chris, too, seemed aware of the danger—her displeased expression sharpened as she swiftly sketched a massive door in midair.

A translucent membrane formed along the lines of the traced portal.

Though it resembled the portals I’d seen in earlier loops, the speed at which Chris conjured this one was incomparable.

Were portals always this easy to make?

“Chris! Are you sure it’s safe?”

“It was unsafe the moment I set it up here! Quit talking and help organize people!”

“Cecilia!”

“That’s it! Everyone, proceed through the gate in order!”

Thankfully, the fanaticism of the inquisitors paid off. Like sheep following a shepherd, they filed through the narrow portal without complaint or hesitation.

“Speaking of which, where’s the exit point?”

“The Imperial Palace.”

“What?”

“The Imperial Palace. There are plenty of empty rooms there anyway. Elia already knows everything she needs to. With all this ruckus, she’s bound to realize something’s up.”

“The Palace would indeed shield us from outside scrutiny,” Cecilia added. “Even if questioned, the influence of House Gravis should suffice to suppress any investigation.”

“If you say so. Just make sure you both come apologize to Elia with me later.”

Outside this topic, I’d never challenged the Hero’s Party in magic. Christine evacuating us now, and Elia, mistress of the Imperial Palace—both were second to none in spellcraft.

Explaining our reasons at length before someone like her would be futile. It’d be more effective to march in with a sign saying Just kill me now.

Logically and emotionally.

“We’ll go ahead and wait for you, Saintess!”

“All personnel have exited! Just the three of you left!”

“The three of you must make it out safely for our sake too!”

The cracks in the walls deepened, fragments now crumbling loose.

“Cecilia!”

“You two go first! If I’m not here, this entire place might collapse!”

“Quit the half-baked martyr act and grab my hand! We need to exit at the same time as Chris!”

“I structured it to hold even if I leave first, but the security and weakening barriers in the church are too strong!”

“Fine.”

Cecilia released the wall and took my remaining hand instead.

Left hand—Chris. Right hand—Cecilia.

Had this been some luxurious life sandwiched between beauties, I might’ve joked about it.

“Let’s go. I’ll pass through first. One, two—”

“—!”

Something flashed past—too primal to call intuition. A feral sensation raked over me.