Pope
This was a place built to withstand a siege when the Holy Empire of Saint Aleius came under attack.
Given who we were up against, such defenses were more for comfort than true protection, but something was better than nothing.
Hero Shurein, his sister Suresia, and the Duke’s daughter,
After completing the evacuation with these three, we were now waiting for the two who had gone after the attackers to return.
Also present was a woman who had been acting as our guard.
However, she was slumped on a sofa, elbows propped up, looking thoroughly inconvenienced.
She hardly seemed to be in a guard-like posture.
But this was likely a sign of her confidence—confident enough in her abilities to handle most situations even while looking like that.
Her true identity was a dragon, subordinate to the Black Dragon.
And not just any dragon, but an ancient one.
After a short wait, the door was knocked upon, and before I could respond, someone else said, "It’s open."
Taking that as permission, the door swung open.
"Nea. At least lock the door."
The one lodging the complaint was a burly man.
"Locked or not, what’s the difference?"
The woman replied listlessly, without a shred of remorse.
"Enough with the bickering."
The one trying to calm the now visibly veins-popping burly man was a person of indeterminate gender.
"Were they defeated?"
First, I needed to confirm whether the previous attackers had been taken down.
"No. We let them escape."
"Pathetic."
"Hey, now."
The burly man glared at the woman who muttered that, and the indeterminate one held him back.
"They vanished while we were in pursuit. Not a teleportation. That was likely a summon.
"I see. Then pursuit would be impossible."
Summoning was a Skill that allowed for pseudo-teleportation.
While it was restricted to only the summoner’s location, it could be applied in situations like this for an escape.
If Ariel had summoned them, their destination would be the
We couldn’t chase them to such a distant place.
"Lady Shurein and the others, you may be meeting them for the first time. Allow me to introduce them. They are subordinates of the Black Dragon—the three ancient dragons."
"Aye. We’re in human form now, but our true forms are dragons. I am the Fire Dragon, Guwen. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
"I am the Ice Dragon. The name is Nea."
"I’m Races, the Dark Dragon. The other old dragons are awfully stubborn, so if anything comes up, you can rely on me."
"Look who’s talking, you lump of malice."
"Heh heh heh."
After hearing the ancient dragons’ self-introductions, Lady Shurein and the others stood up.
"I am Shurein Zagan Analeit."
«……Suresia.»
"I am Karnatia Seri Anabald."
Hearing their introductions, Guwen nodded magnanimously.
"Aye. The Hero and his sister. And his wife, then."
"His wife!?"
«……Huh?»
At Guwen’s last remark, Karnatia let out a startled shriek, while Suresia’s voice dripped with killing intent.
"Hmm? Was I wrong?"
«……Yes. You were wrong.»
Shurein said somewhat awkwardly that Karnatia was not his wife.
In response, Suresia looked satisfied, while Karnatia wore a complex expression that mingled slight dissatisfaction.
I see.
It seemed Shurein was the type to easily attract women’s affection.
If not for our current crisis, it might have been heartwarming to watch. Unfortunately, now was not the time.
"Now that we’ve all introduced ourselves, let’s discuss our future plans."
"Right."
Guwen remained standing, arms crossed, listening to the conversation in that posture.
Races leaned against the wall near the door.
They were likely remaining vigilant against another attack.
The puppet taratect monster named
But vigilance was never a bad thing.
I was now in a position where I could not afford to die.
"Well then. I believe I’ve explained how we came to be divided into two factions. For convenience, let’s call Ariel and her group, who are working to save the Goddess, the Divine Faction. And us, working to save humanity, the Human Faction. There are two critical junctures in the conflict between the Divine and Human Factions. One is the battle between the Black Dragon and White—perhaps it’s clearer to refer to her as Lady
To begin with, we couldn’t even reach them where they were fighting in the smaller otherworld. Besides, our power was so vastly inferior that we would only be a hindrance.
Despite this battle’s outcome potentially deciding the victory between the Divine and Human Factions, we had no means to intervene.
"However, we cannot simply sit and watch. The second critical juncture is preventing the System Collapse."
The System Collapse that White was attempting to bring about.
To achieve it, the unlocking of the Keys via the Ruler’s Authority was necessary.
The so-called self-destruct switch that would trigger the System Collapse.
To press that switch, all of the Ruler’s Authorities from the fourteen Ruler Skills were required.
Of course, as long as I possessed one of them, gathering all of them was impossible.
But it seemed White had forced her way past that limitation.
"However, the legitimate Keys are still in my possession. That means it should be possible to re-lock them."
In other words, if we could re-lock the Keys, we could prevent the System Collapse the Divine Faction was trying to cause.
I, who possessed the Ruler’s Authority, was the trump card for opposing the Divine Faction.
That was precisely why I could not die.
Thanks to the power of the Skill of Restraint, I could reincarnate even after death while retaining my memories.
Therefore, I hadn’t feared death for a long time.
Was this the first time since stabilizing the Divine Word Church as an organization that I felt the crushing weight of *must not die*?
I never thought I, of all people, would fear death again.
If I died now, everything I had built up would be lost.
Saving the human race.
That was the sole purpose I had been driving toward.
To end without even accomplishing that?
That was the one thing I could not allow.
"I will now make preparations and proceed to re-lock the Keys. ...The more Keys that are re-locked, the higher the probability of preventing the System Collapse will be."
"So, you want me to come along too?"
I shook my head at Shurein’s words.
"Honestly, yes. But this is not a decision to be made lightly. I suspect that re-locking the Keys requires the strong will of the individual. If Lady Shurein does not wish it, the Keys may not respond."
I had no proof.
But I had a premonition that re-locking the Keys was impossible without a firm will.
"Therefore, whether you come with me or not is entirely up to Lady Shurein’s judgment."
Hearing my words, Shurein lowered her head.
The fate of the world had suddenly been thrust upon her.
An immediate answer was impossible.
Rather, I hoped she wouldn’t answer without hesitation.
The fate of this world was not something light enough for a snap decision.
"It probably isn’t something you can answer immediately. Nor can I complete my preparations instantly. In that time, please gather your thoughts. But please understand—we only have a few days to spare."
Even as I hoped she wouldn’t answer too quickly, I couldn’t afford to give her much time to deliberate.
Even as we spoke, the Black Dragon was still fighting.
"Our destination is the deepest layer of the Great Ello Dungeon. Its innermost sanctum—the place where the Goddess is sealed."
No matter what answer Shurein gave, that would be the site of the final battle.