"Well then, since introductions are out of the way, shall we move on to the main topic?"
After a brief pause, the Pope continued.
You're incredible, old man.
You're really going to press on in this atmosphere?
There's no way I could do that.
Hang in there, old man. Don't lose, old man. I know nothing about any of this.
"So then, shall we today have an open and honest discussion about the contents of this book?"
The book the Pope produced was the one I had handed over earlier.
It contained information about the current state of the world, the Demon race's projected movements going forward, and additional details about the Reincarnated people.
Most importantly, it included a proposal to build a cooperative framework against the Elves.
What it did not yet contain was my plan for saving the world.
I might reveal it depending on how this meeting went, but in the end, the Pope would most likely become my enemy.
Given that, I figured it would be enough if we could at least cooperate for the time being, united against our common enemy—the Elves.
If the answer was yes, future movements would become easier. If no, things would get a bit harder.
But it would only be "a bit" harder—it wouldn't change the overall trajectory.
I gave the Pope a slight nod.
I had zero intention of opening up, but he probably felt the same way.
"First, I will present the Divine Word Church's perspective on the discrepancy in our understanding of the current state of the world."
Hm?
Discrepancy?
"The content written here suggests that the world will collapse in the near future. However, according to the Divine Word Church's analysis, we have at minimum a hundred years before total collapse, and possibly several times that long. I would like you to explain this discrepancy."
Oh no.
This might be bad.
"That assessment is incorrect."
"No. It shouldn't be incorrect. The current MA energy fill rate is certainly critical. However, replenishment should be possible. If Goddess
I'd underestimated him.
The difference in power was obvious, and no matter how this negotiation turned out, the outcome wouldn't change.
That's what I'd thought.
But I had been underestimating this old man far too much.
I never imagined he would understand the System this accurately.
If he already knew this much, I might be forced to reveal my plan.
But that would be dangerous.
This old man might notice the single biggest flaw in my plan—one that even the Demon King and the Administrator, Black, hadn't reached.
Specifically, the mass death of all life in this world when the System collapses.
That was precisely why the Pope would inevitably become my enemy in the end.
Because this man, who knew about Taboo yet still prioritized the survival of the Human race above all, would have no choice but to oppose me.
If that was the case, I absolutely could not reveal my plan here.
Even if the Pope eventually discovered the truth, he wouldn't be my enemy.
In the end, he was nothing more than a Ruler.
But that information reaching Black would be a problem.
If Black learned the truth right now and ordered me to scrap my plan, I still didn't have the power to defy her.
Everything would be ruined.
I had to prevent that at all costs.
What should I do?
If I couldn't give a reasonably convincing answer here, it would breed distrust.
Having cooperation refused would be one thing, but if it led them to uncover the truth...
I didn't think that was likely, but the fact that I couldn't say it with certainty was terrifying.
This old man was exceeding my expectations in every way—he knew far too much.
"Pardon me. May I speak?"
Oni-kun raised his hand.
The Pope granted permission.
"Just now, you spoke only in terms of MA energy. You didn't mention anything about the erosion of the souls of this world's inhabitants."
Damn it.
It had backfired—I'd told Oni-kun more about the world's current state and future plans than even the Divine Word Church knew.
I'd been thinking about leaving the conversation to him, but right now, the last thing I needed was him blurting out extra information.
But stopping him abruptly here would be just as bad.
Doing so would practically broadcast that I desperately didn't want those facts getting out.
The Pope might use even that as a clue to inch closer to the truth.
But Oni-kun speaking would lead to the same result.
What was I supposed to do!?
Oni-kun—was he saying this on purpose, fully aware of the situation!?
Oni-kun's probing gaze was directed not only at the Divine Word Church side, but at me as well.
Was he trying to cross-reference the truth from his conversations with the Divine Word Church while simultaneously probing my true intentions?
This was bad.
I'd thought I was bringing along a powerful ally, but I might have taken on a catastrophic liability instead.
Help, vampire kid!
Ah, no good.
She was glaring at the Divine Word Church side with those dead-eyed stares.
In a different way, she was just as dangerous!
I'm done for.
The karmic retribution for things going too well without thinking was detonating right here and now.
What do I do about this?!
The Divine Word Church Pope at the front gate, Oni-kun at the back gate.
And the vampire kid outside the gate for good measure.
This is a crisis that exceeds my processing capacity, yahoo!
Stay COOL!
I'm still okay.
Even if I damage my image a little here, as long as I keep my secrets, I can still rebuild. I should be able to, anyway.
Attention all sub-bodies, this is the main body speaking!
I am now transitioning into what could be called my first-ever serious discussion mode since birth!
All sub-bodies, support the main body's thought process!
Repeat: sub-bodies, support the main body's thinking, and do your utmost to keep the mouth moving smoothly!
Hehehe.
Even a me whose communication ability is at one-hundredth of one percent—if I combine the power of over ten thousand sub-bodies, that's a hundred people's worth!
Tremble before my silver tongue!
All for the sake of smoothing things over!