Once the ice melts and the current Pope's death becomes clear to everyone, then I, Matthew, should become the Pope and be the founder of the revival of the Holy Cruel religion!
"That seems unlikely. Before becoming Pope, shouldn't you focus on rebuilding first? If you even can, that is."
"Who's there?!"
Just the usual breaking and entering.
Breaking in and isolating space — it's practically a habit at this point.
"Your arch-nemesis, that's who. By the way, I looked into it, and the assassins you sent belong to 'Hell Enter,' but they're mid-tier at best. Did you really think that level could do anything to me?"
"You... Alan! How dare you break the curse we placed! The 'Glorious History of the Faraway Church' that the church had been keeping secret got exposed, so donations dried up and we couldn't pay those exorbitant commission fees!"
"I'm always being told 'know that excuses are a sin,' you know. That one especially loves saying it."
"Silence! You have no right to lecture us about good and evil! I'll declare you a heretic right here, right now!"
"Ah, this is trouble. A heretic, huh?"
"And I shall personally deliver judgment! The sin of opposing us is grave — heretics have no afterlife! 'Holy judgment, deliver immaculate condemnation now and here! Divine Judgment'!"
Three pillars of light — fewer than when the Pope used the spell — come hurtling toward me.
"'
Reverse
' — because magic I've seen once will never work again."
As I wave my hand, the three pillars of light vanish without a trace.
"Impossible! That's my greatest and most powerful magic!"
"Sorry, but I've seen the Pope use it before. If anything, you're weaker than Pope Makane. Playtime's over — fire or ice, which do you prefer?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?!"
"Oh, right, you don't have to answer. It's a waste to use 'Permanent Frost' on a small fry like you. Know the weight of your sins, Judgment Flame, Saint Fire!"
"What... is that!? No way, uwaaaahhh!"
The Cardinal, wrapped in the crimson flames of judgment, predictably burst into a spectacular inferno.
But then the flames shifted from red to blue, and his screams grew even louder.
A small fry, but guilty of grand sins.
"Impossiblllllle! We are supposed to be the judges! This cannot be! Judgment is always a one-way process from top to bottom!"
They were all awfully full of themselves.
Everyone was supposed to be equal under the law... ah, but that was probably a thought from my previous life.
Anyway, it seemed he committed even worse deeds than that self-proclaimed saint candidate inquisitor.
"Heretic, don't think this is overrrrr...!!"
The blue flames blazed even higher, and the Cardinal, screaming his defiance, was burned away completely without even leaving ashes.
Ugh, I'll have to go explain to Marquis Moul again.
They were supposed to be hunting down the remnants, but I went and finished off the main one myself.
◇◇◇
"Find out the identity of that assassin. Also, investigate who might have done this to them."
The biggest assassin guild, 'Pandemonium'.
Upon hearing about the frost-covered fellow assassin who had suddenly appeared in the Fourthru Great Temple, its boss immediately sent subordinates to investigate the area.
The investigation revealed that the reasonably-priced assassin guild 'Hell-Enter' had accepted a commission from the church to eliminate a boy named Alan, an Orichalcum-rank adventurer.
Now that I thought about it, there had been a report that the commission from our guild had fallen through because the church and we couldn't agree on the price.
"To think they'd start blabbering just because their client died... that's why 'Hell-Enter' is always going to be just that mediocre. Alan, huh? Seeing is believing, so let's go have a look."
Thus, the boss disguised himself as an ordinary person and made the trip from the royal capital all the way to the Great Temple of Forcelu, where he actually saw the ice statues.
There was the fellow assassin who must have attacked Alan and been repelled in return, and Pope Makain, who until recently had also served as an Elector and grown drunk on power.
Both were preserved exactly as they were, their faces twisted in agony and despair.
The message was plain as day for anyone with eyes to see: cross me, and this is what awaits you.
"This... is someone you absolutely must not mess with. Even if the caster died, this ice wouldn't melt for a hundred years — maybe not even a thousand. Stay far, far away from this one. Knock on wood, knock on wood."
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse], [Divine Eye], [Sword God], [Fist God], [Spear God], [Scorching Magic], [Frozen Ice Magic], [Clear Gale Magic], [Rock Iron Magic], [Holy Magic], [Dark Magic], [Space-Time Magic], [Thunder God Sword], [Phantom Thief Gentleman], [Ninja Master], [Seeker of Truth], [Eldritch Might], [Pain Relief], [Complete Status Ailment Resistance], [Dark Spirit Protection], [Super Intuition], [Heaven's Gate], [Abyss Contractee], [Magic Hand], [Treasure Search], [Seduction], [Eloquence], [Fortune's Favor], [Growth Speed ×10], [Growth Limit Breakthrough]
Rank: Orichalcum
Thank you for reading!