Continuing from Shun's perspective.
We arranged to meet with the Pope to convey our intention to fight on his side.
Kathia had already steeled her resolve to join before I had, and it seemed
"If Niisama is joining, then of course."
That was what she'd said.
I might not be in a position to judge other people's reasons, but was that really enough of a justification?
Well, as Kathia said, only the person themselves can truly understand the weight of their resolve.
Surely, deep down, Sue held an unwavering conviction.
And so we came to meet the Pope. But in the room we were led to, a tense, prickling atmosphere enveloped the space.
The source of that air was a person seated across from the Pope.
"You are..."
That person reacted to my voice and glanced over with a brief look.
At the same time, two people seated right beside them turned toward me and raised a hand in greeting.
"Tagawa. Kushitani."
"Yo."
It was Tagawa and Kushitani, who should have been in the elf village.
Looking more carefully, Kusama and Ogi were standing behind the Pope.
We were gestured to take our seats.
"How did you get here?"
"Via that person's teleportation," Tagawa said, looking toward the person seated across from the Pope.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is the Hero, Lord Shurein."
"I know that much."
The Pope made the introduction, and I offered a slight bow.
In response, that person answered with a bored expression.
"I am Ronant. I am your brother's master."
"!"
Ronant.
He was the Imperial Court's foremost court mage, and the one who had taught
And he was also the one who had intercepted us when we tried to infiltrate the Kingdom's royal castle around the time the execution of Reston-niisama and the others was published.
Perhaps because of that memory, I instinctively tensed up.
"Now, now, no need to be so wary. I'm on your side, for the time being."
Lord Ronant waved his hand with a look of annoyance.
"On my side?"
I asked, my suspicion showing.
"The Empire's forces were being used, yes, but they were still following
"Well, naturally. I do admire that person, but when someone tells you to die, you can't exactly say 'understood' and go along with it."
Lord Ronant said this with a sour expression.
"That person?"
"The Nightmare of the Dungeon. No, I suppose it's easier to understand if I say White."
White.
That was the name by which
But the Nightmare of the Dungeon?
"You may already be aware, but the Nightmare of the Dungeon refers to a spider-type monster of mythical class that once appeared in the Great Ello Dungeon. It is believed to be the same being as White."
"Eh?"
The Pope's explanation drew a startled exclamation from me.
I had heard a little about the Nightmare of the Dungeon from Basgas, the dungeon guide, when we were passing through the Great Ello Dungeon.
That was Wakaba-san?
Not just me — Kathia, Tagawa, and the others were equally shocked.
"It is not only White. As for Lord Raas — you may know him better as Kyouya. He, too, was observed as a singular ogre in the region known as the Demon Mountains."
"Oh?"
While we were rendered speechless by the revelations, Lord Ronant murmured with evident interest.
"So Wakaba-san and Sasaki both started out as monsters?"
Tagawa leaned back against his chair and let out a breath.
Kyouya and Wakaba-san — they'd both started from circumstances completely different from ours.
If that was the case, then joining the Demon King's side was understandable.
They'd had experiences I couldn't even imagine, so they couldn't possibly share the same way of thinking as us from our previous lives.
And yet, I'd said to Kyouya something like, "Do we have to throw away our Japanese values?"
Recalling Kyouya's face at that moment left me feeling hollow.
"So then, Rihoko and
"Her path was different again, but she likewise arrived here through a series of unusual circumstances."
Tagawa asked the Pope about Sophia as well.
...This guy just about called her Rihoko just now.
"She was caught up in the war between the Saliela Kingdom and the Outz Kingdom, lost her parents and her homeland, and was then protected by Lady Ariel. That is the sequence of events."
That was also...
An absolutely devastating series of events.
He'd probably just hit the highlights and summarized her circumstances for us, but even just that much painted an awful picture.
For Sophia, the Demon King Ariel was her savior.
Well, of course she'd cooperate with that side.
"What exactly is Melazophis?"
Tagawa pressed on with another question.
It seemed this was the topic he was more interested in.
"He was a retainer who served Sophia's parents. It appears that during their flight, he was turned into a vampire by Sophia's hand."
"A vampire!?"
The word slipped out of me before I could stop it.
"That's correct. Sophia and Melazophis are both vampires. In fact, Sophia is a true ancestor — the first of her kind since the original Demon King, Fodui."
There was so much additional information that my jaw hung open.
More importantly, how did this person know all of this?
"Hmph. Impressive indeed."
Lord Ronant snorted approvingly as he looked at the Pope.
"But even knowing the enemy's information, whether you can win is another matter entirely. Do you have a chance?"
Lord Ronant fixed the Pope with a sharp gaze.
As expected of Julius-niisama's master.
The pressure was overwhelming.
"We will win."
The Pope met this without flinching and declared it firmly.
"Very well."
With that, Lord Ronant stood.
"Then I shall wield this power to its fullest."
He extended his hand toward the Pope.
The Pope also stood and grasped it.
"In the end, my apprenticeship never came to pass, but if that's the case, I'll simply have to surpass him with my own strength."
With those words, Lord Ronant smiled fearlessly.
"Then, I would ask that you use the power of your spatial magic to gather as much of our fighting force as possible."
The Pope said this to Lord Ronant with a sweet smile.
In that instant, the smile vanished from Lord Ronant's face, and he looked stricken.
"You... you intend to use me as a delivery man...?"
"No one else in the world can do what Lord Ronant can."
Turn the Empire's foremost court mage into a errand runner.
What an extravagant way to use someone.
"Fine! Let's do it, then!"
Lord Ronant accepted without refusal, agreeing readily.
He looked somewhat resigned to his fate, but still...