"What do you mean the Divine Word Church is finished?"
The one who spoke wasn't Oshima-kun but Yamada-kun.
Supported by sis, he stands up on slightly unsteady legs.
His injuries are healed by treatment magic, and the blood he lost—thanks to my quiet assistance—has been replenished too.
But even after restoring what was lost, it takes time for everything to circulate through the body.
Yamada-kun should be close to anemic right now, so he's probably standing on sheer willpower alone.
"I mean exactly what I said. The long era of the Divine Word Church is coming to an end."
The Pope smiles brightly.
There's no trace of sadness or gravity in his expression.
Hmm?
Seriously, what is he thinking?
"Rather than here, let's move somewhere else to talk. Or perhaps you'd like to rest a little? I imagine you need time to process everything that's happened so suddenly."
"No. I'll hear what you have to say."
Yamada-kun answers immediately, shaking his head at the Pope's suggestion.
"Then please, follow me. Ah, what shall we do about Lady White?"
Hmm?
Hmmmm.
What should I do?
Part of me does want to find out what the Pope is after, but wouldn't it be weird for me to sit in on this?
So I shake my head sideways and decline to participate.
Then, after a beat, I teleport away from the scene.
Yeah, right!
I did leave via teleportation—but the divided body clinging to sis stayed right where it is.
This way, I can eavesdrop on every last detail of whatever the Pope is scheming! Heh heh heh!
"Aha."
That was the plan, anyway.
Sis, who'd been walking alongside Yamada-kun, suddenly noticed something and shoved her hand inside her clothing.
Then she grabbed hold of something and pulled it out.
Yep.
That "something" was my divided body.
"Hah!"
Gyaaah!?!
*Crunch, crunch*—it got crushed!?!
My precious divided body!?!
How could you do this to me!?!
Son of a—.
Haaah.
Well, I guess it can't be helped.
The look on sis's face at the moment she crushed it practically read: "Should I really let go of this grudge, though~?"
I've put her through quite a lot, after all.
Can't blame her for holding a grudge.
I really can't complain about losing one little divided body.
I'll silently accept the loss of one divided body.
And I'll add sis's soul to the system collapse protection list.
Consider this fair compensation for her work up to now—after which I'll stop involving myself with her.
The reward I'd originally offered—namely, not killing her brother, i.e., Yamada-kun—was never something I intended to do in the first place, so this is a proper payment rendered for services rendered.
Well, it comes with the caveat that she doesn't turn hostile against me, but still.
……Ah, forget it.
Besides the divided body on sis, I've got others watching the Pope and his group.
So if I really wanted to peek, I could do it easily.
But I'll pass.
The Pope has almost certainly factored in the possibility that I'm observing him, so he won't show his hand that easily.
Nine times out of ten, he's already predicting how things will unfold from here and searching for countermeasures against me.
He didn't spend all those years going up against
He probably can't read everything I'm planning, but he's surely made preparations for unforeseen circumstances.
Contacting Yamada-kun was likely part of that.
In that case, shouldn't I be keeping an eye on him after all?
That's what I think.
I'm the same as the Pope—I like to predict every possible scenario and prepare thoroughly before making my move.
So if a troubling seed exists, it's correct to pluck it out early.
With Potimas gone, the Pope is one of the few people who could become my enemy.
There's no harm in being cautious.
Actually, since the Pope holds the Temperance Dominator Skill, and our cooperation—limited to defeating the Elves—has been dissolved, the quickest solution would be to ambush and dispose of him.
But still.
That'd just make it a one-sided game.
Eliminating the Pope right now is definitely the most efficient option.
That much is certain.
But that choice would be a mistake.
What kind of mistake?
If I make a choice with such a predictable outcome, it won't be interesting.
Not for me.
For the audience.
Right. For the worst kind of audience—the one who could tear this entire production apart from its foundations—a conclusion that's completely transparent is sure to be boring.
So, even though it's efficient for me, I can't take that option.
Ugh.
That Evil God is really the worst.
He absolutely has no intention of letting me enjoy myself.
Yeah.
I know.
Nothing's going to go smoothly from here on out.
That's exactly why I took the long way around and prepared so meticulously.
It'll be fine.
I'm sure it'll work out.
Trust in my own power.
Alright!
So, eavesdropping on the Pope is off the table.
Let me do something else instead.
That said, there's not much I can do right this second.
Since Yamada-kun and the others are gone, I can't exactly resume the briefing session for the other reincarnators.
Mera and the others are handling the postwar affairs.
And the hacking of the System continues through my divided bodies without my direct involvement.
The System hacking is going well.
Originally, I'd planned to have sis claim the Purity authority, but with the hacking progressing the way it has, that's no longer necessary.
It took a bit of force, but I was able to interfere with the Dominator authority and seize it for myself.
So the vacant Purity is now in my hands, and the Diligence that Potimas held—I snatched it right after he died.
The Gluttony and Humility that the Demon King had were transferred to me with his consent.
All that's left is the Pope's Temperance.
That last one's the real problem, though.
I could push forward forcefully with things as they are, but it wouldn't be efficient.
Well, either way, it's down to one final push.
With the System hacking going well, the remaining issue really comes down to Sensei.
The other reincarnators can still bounce back.
They were only imprisoned in the Elves' village—physically and mentally, they're perfectly healthy.
But Sensei, even though his body is fine, is not so mentally.
Maybe I should go pay him a visit.