"…Are Ermes and the others going to be all right?"
At that same moment. In a separate passage within the Hidden Sanctum.
One of the four remaining members of the Third Princess faction — who had split off to act independently — spoke with a worried voice. It was Katia.
"Are you worried? About Ermes, I mean."
"Father… yes. Ah, no — of course I don't think Ermes would carelessly lose, even against an Archbishop…"
"I feel the same. But… an Archbishop is certainly not the kind of opponent one can afford to be careless around. And besides, they have far more uncertainties to worry about than we do."
Katia answered Jurgen's question, and Albert picked up where she left off, voicing the substance of her anxiety.
As they said, Ermes's combat ability was unquestionably off the charts even among the Third Princess faction. Together with Lucius, as individual combatants they were by far the strongest.
…However, it wasn't only Ermes on the other side, nor were they the only ones facing enemies.
Especially the Second Princess Leila. She most likely had some sort of scheme related to this Archbishop subjugation operation, and Ermes might — if things went poorly — get dragged into it before he even fought the Archbishop.
At that point, how Chrono, the neutral noble, would move was also unclear — and on top of that, they were saddled with Liliana, who still had concerns about her individual capabilities, to put it bluntly. Sara and Nina were there as well, but could they respond adequately if something unexpected happened…
The list of worries was seemingly endless.
"…Well, there's no use worrying about it."
At that point, Lucius — the other companion and the group's main fighting force — spoke up.
"Since we've already split up, there's nothing we can do from this side. I'm concerned about Nina myself, but if I let that worry weigh me down and we end up in a situation where I become a burden, that would be putting the cart before the horse."
"That's… yes, you're right."
A perfectly reasonable opinion. That quick ability to switch gears — was it the mark of a mage with abundant combat experience? As Katia was thinking this, Lucius continued.
"…That said, I understand there are many things on one's mind.
After all — since just after the initial breach, we haven't encountered a single enemy. There's no dangerous magic power in our surroundings, and we have no choice but to leave the navigation to him."
As he said this, he glanced toward their guide — a young man who seemed to be one of Leila's subordinates. The young man lowered his head somewhat apologetically.
Lucius told him not to worry about it, then resumed speaking.
"There's also the matter of countermeasures against the Archbishop. There's so little information to begin with that there's nothing to discuss on that front. Plus, we're in the dark depths of a dungeon — it's understandable to feel dispirited.
So then… let's see."
Finally, he raised a finger and offered this suggestion.
"Why don't we change the subject?"
"Change the subject?"
"Indeed. Talking about worries and anxieties in a place like this will only drag down morale. If we're going to talk about something, it might as well be something positive.
How about this — you all have grand ambitions, don't you? After this Archbishop subjugation operation is over, there will still be plenty you need to do."
"Y-yes."
"Then talk about that. What you'll do after the Archbishop is slain — some might call it counting your chickens before they hatch, but at a time like this, even that kind of forward planning would be constructive."
"…I see. Thank you, Lord Lucius."
"Don't mention it! Leave the scouting to me — it's about all I'm good for, after all!"
Ha ha ha — Lucius let out a crisp, hearty laugh.
He looked every bit the straightforward brute Katia had heard about from Nina.
And yet… it was clear that his string of suggestions just now had been motivated by concern for their morale. Through that, one could catch a glimpse of the caliber of a true commander who stood above many soldiers.
(…He really is an exceptional man.)
Reassessing Lucius in her mind, Katia followed his advice and turned her thoughts away from negative worries and toward the future. If not exactly positive, at least constructive.
(…After the Archbishop is defeated, that is.)
If everything went well, the Archbishop faction — which was already riddled with internal schism — would collapse on the spot.
At the same time, her relationship with Princess Leila's Second Princess faction would be reset to square one, and the cooperation they had enjoyed would cease — but.
On the other hand, the Second Princess faction — in other words, the Church faction — had been literally cut in half. It was unavoidable that they would be weakened. The Archbishop's subjugation would automatically lower their threat level, one could argue.
Meanwhile, they themselves had already established a bridge to the neutral nobles through Chrono. If that went well, they could potentially become the largest faction in one fell swoop.
If that was the case, then what was needed, and what remained to be worried about — two things came readily to mind.
First was the Organization. Besides Laplace of the First Prince faction, it seemed there were already members of the Organization embedded somewhere within the Second Princess faction. And according to Jurgen, it would be naive to assume they weren't also present among the neutral noble faction.
It would be necessary to identify who the Organization's people were and how they intended to move.
The other concern — and it was at this point that Katia turned her gaze toward her father.
"Father."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Now that you mention it… how are negotiations with the other noble houses going? The Northern Alliance has en masse fallen under your umbrella, and you've already begun talks with the neutral faction, haven't you?"
That was her other concern.
No matter how many houses joined a faction, it didn't mean every single one of them would simply say "from today forward, we follow you."
Quite the opposite — having shifted the faction so drastically, friction of all sizes was inevitable. Until now, Jurgen had delegated that to Jurgen…
"But even for you, Father, you've never had experience negotiating and mediating with this many noble houses at once. It would be hard to imagine no problems have arisen…"
"Oh, that. …Don't worry, everything's fine so far."
"Really? I know this may be presumptuous of me, but if you're pushing yourself… I am the Duke's daughter, and though my help would be modest, I'd be happy to assist—"
"—
It's all right."
Involuntarily, her shoulders flinched.
Because from the last words Jurgen had uttered, she sensed something she had never heard before — a depth of tone that seemed somehow different from anything she knew.
Whether Jurgen himself was aware of it, he shook his head slightly, as if flustered, and said, "My apologies."
"…I don't want you to misunderstand. Your offer itself genuinely makes me happy. That you — who until now has been kept away from the darker aspects of noble politics — would voluntarily offer to step in like this… as your father, I'm truly glad to see you've grown."
"Ah, y-yes."
"However."
Katia was somewhat flustered by this unexpected — to put it bluntly, uncharacteristically sincere — praise, but Jurgen continued.
And once again, in that same unfathomable tone, he said:
"Even so… I still can't show you 'that kind of thing.'"
"——"
Before Katia could ask what he meant—
"…Sorry to interrupt the conversation, but might I have your attention?"
For reasons unknown, Lucius cut in.
Reflexively, Katia wanted to retort — it was the very man who had encouraged them to talk who was now cutting her off. But she quickly thought better of it, realizing Lucius would have no reason to do something so meaningless without cause, and turned to look.
Sure enough, Lucius wore his trademark easygoing expression — though there was, unmistakably, a hint of urgency in it.
"Hey. You, our guide — may I ask you something?"
"…What is it?"
He directed the question at the unexpected person.
"I'm a mage with territory to manage, you know. Resolving problems within my domain is my bread and butter, and naturally I have considerable experience with dungeon exploration as well."
"…Yes."
"Based on that experience, I can tell you that dungeons are generally designed so that the deeper you go toward the center, the more important the area becomes. This Hidden Sanctum may have been modified, but since it's fundamentally dungeon-based, that basic rule still applies."
"…"
The guide fell silent. Lucius, meanwhile, continued in his usual measured tone while gathering magic power.
"So then — I've been keeping my bearings while scouting since a while back, and when I integrate all the data… the path we've been following is quite complex and tangled, but in terms of overall direction…"
He declared:
"Your guidance has been taking us further and further from the center since a while ago. What exactly is going on?"
"——!" "!" "…!"
Sensing something was wrong.
Jurgen, Katia, and Albert all tensed simultaneously, readying themselves. But in that very instant—
"I knew you'd notice."
A voice rang out.
An eerie, ghastly voice — one that stirred an involuntary sense of dread.
The group raised their guard further and turned toward the source. Emerging from the darkness, sliding out of the shadows as if crawling forth from the void, was an elderly man in distinctive clerical robes that the group recognized.
"…Is that all? Just four of you? I see one familiar face among them, and three strangers I don't know. You don't look like much to chew on, but every last one of you has the look of a sinner.
Well then — I should introduce myself, I suppose. I am Nikola von Renberg. In certain circles… I'm known as 'the most unforgiving Archbishop.'"
True to form, the moment he gave his name, the young guide bowed his head with undisguised terror and then — swiftly, as if fleeing — sprinted away from the scene at full speed.
"Hm, thank you for your service… or I would have said, had it been welcome. It seems it was not.
Oh well. What matters is what lies before us now."
Archbishop Nikola fixed them with a piercing gaze.
That gaze — almost supernatural in its intensity — was accompanied by an overwhelming outpouring of magic power. To make matters worse, the magic signatures of Church soldiers were multiplying around them at a terrifying rate. The four were pinned in place, unable to move freely.
"You see, among the Archbishops, I pride myself on being the finest at 'condemnation.' I have judged, twisted, and carved apart countless sinful souls.
Perhaps because of that, I've come to understand something — the 'stench of sin.'"
As Archbishop Nikola spoke, he pointed a finger at them.
"…You reek of it. It's enough to make one's nose curl. The others aren't much better, but what I sense from you is particularly foul. But then again, it should be — because I already know."
Returning to those first words, Nikola aimed his uncanny finger at—
"—
I know your sin, Jurgen von Trackia!"
It was a simple matter.
Second Princess Leila had lured Ermes and the others into a trap and delivered them before Archbishop Gregorio.
Those who carried out her orders could hardly expect safety. And by that same logic — Katia and her group had been delivered before Archbishop Nikola in exactly the same way.
Even if they couldn't grasp every detail, Katia and the others understood at least that they had been set up. They readied themselves for battle as Archbishop Nikola, flanked by his subordinates, closed in.
Yet the final declaration Nikola had uttered — so lurid, so ominous — stirred a nameless anxiety in Katia's heart, as if something were about to change, as if she were about to learn something terrible.
Regardless.
Whether it was deliberate or sheer coincidence, it happened at precisely the same moment.
In this supremely disadvantageous situation, the Third Princess faction found itself pitted against two Archbishops.