"I8. Read it."
After much deliberation, my conclusion was to have I8 examine the contents.
If there was some trap that would cause harm upon reading, we could simply sacrifice I8 and be done with it.
I8 noticed my intentions, pausing for just a moment, before silently taking the book and beginning to check its contents.
His expression was hidden behind the cloth marked with the eye emblem of the Demon Suppression Squad, but behind it, he surely wore the face of a man who had steeled his resolve.
Those who belonged to the Demon Suppression Squad had to be prepared to accept death at any time, in any place.
"
While I8 finished reading, I needed to hear from Sajin about that girl.
"Yeah. That girl is
Something about Sajin's words felt faintly off.
What was bothering me?
Beautiful girl?
Sajin had called that girl a beautiful girl?
That was strange.
In my own perception, I didn't think of that girl as having particularly outstanding looks.
Thinking that far, a chill ran through me.
I couldn't clearly remember that girl's face.
"Sajin, could you see that girl's face clearly?"
"Huh? What are you saying, like that's obvious? You finally losing it or something?"
What was going on here?
Rummaging through my memories, I could only recall the girl as being "white."
Me, of all people—the one with the Record skill.
Did this mean that something had been obstructing my perception?
But why?
And why hadn't it affected Sajin?
Had the spell been crafted to work only on specific individuals?
Or had Sajin simply known her beforehand, making the spell ineffective on him?
Either way, I couldn't understand the purpose.
If the perception obstruction had been effective even on Sajin, wouldn't they have failed to realize he was a reincarnator?
What had they planned to do in that case?
Or perhaps they were testing whether someone could break through the perception obstruction?
I didn't know.
My speculation went no further than conjecture.
It seemed impossible to grasp the girl's intentions.
All I could understand was the terrifying ability of concealment that hadn't even let me notice the existence of that spell.
Combined with the fact that she'd disguised herself in her previous life's appearance, that girl's special Skill might well be some kind of hallucination ability.
"Wakaba-san is like the embodiment of a cool beauty—a perfect, gorgeous girl. Like, seriously, it's like she walked straight out of a manga or something, absolutely unreal. You know, that kind of face where you'd think 'Is she a celebrity or what?' She wore glasses to try to not stand out, but come on, there's no way those hide that beauty, right? Those were totally just for show. And her figure—amazing. Like, is this what the golden ratio is? I was moved to tears. And her hair! Super silky, long, and straight! You could practically see a halo around her—no, she IS an angel! Her black hair was great too, but that pure white hair Wakaba-san had just now was great too. She was already unreal, but that silvery, glowing white hair was so fantasy-like and divine, you know? Damn. Seriously, damn."
What was wrong with this guy?
"You were smitten, weren't you?"
"No way! It's not some vulgar emotion like that! This is worship!"
Here we were, in the very heart of the world's largest religious organization, and he was casually talking about worshipping someone who wasn't even a god.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd failed in raising him.
"I see. Enough about her appearance. What mattered was what kind of person she was."
"I dunno."
For a moment, I couldn't process what he'd said, and my thoughts went blank. Me, of all people.
He didn't know? After going on at length like that?
"Mystery is part of Wakaba-san's charm, you know!"
"Don't be ridiculous. That tells me nothing."
"She was the type who didn't really interact with people. Quiet, expressionless. You could never tell what she was thinking. We just watched that mysterious beauty from a distance, that's all. That was enough to satisfy us."
Sajin finished with a knowing look, as though he'd achieved some kind of enlightenment.
I really had made the wrong choice in personnel, hadn't I?
I was starting to think it would have been better to pull Yurine back from the academy in the Analite Kingdom and put her through shadow-unit training instead.
"Your Holiness, I've finished reading."
Just as I was thoroughly exasperated by Sajin's idiocy, I8 called out to me.
"Hmm. Any changes in your condition?"
"No. As far as I can tell through Appraisal, there are no Status abnormalities. Unless it's a delayed effect, I believe there is no direct harm."
"That phrasing makes it sound like there's indirect harm."
"The contents are extraordinarily unique. There is the possibility they could be harmful."
I8 answered evasively.
Hmm?
This reaction was unexpected.
I8 was a capable man as a shadow operative. For him to use such half-measured language, whether the contents were dangerous or not—this was rare.
"I8, I want your honest opinion. Do you think the contents of this book are something I need to see in person?"
"Yes. If what is written here is true, then I humb believe that the judgment can only be made by Your Holiness."
"Is this urgent? If not, I'll read a copy."
"In my personal judgment, it would be best for you to read it as soon as possible. However, if we consider the possibility of a delayed trap, it would be safer to make a copy first."
I considered for only a moment before snatching the book from I8's hands and beginning to read.
The possibility of a trap was negligible to begin with.
Whoever could infiltrate the heart of the Divine Word Religion—under such heavy security—as easily as they had, wouldn't need to resort to something roundabout like a trap. They could have carried out an assassination with ease.
If something were to happen to me as a result of this, then I was simply a man whose time had come. My body might end, but I had subordinates who would carry on my will.
Contingency plans and handover procedures for worst-case scenarios had been in place since the day I became Pope.
But this book was something else entirely, in a different sense altogether.
I struggled to suppress the urge to clutch my head.
"Why is there a spider?"
Sajin, who had been peeking at the book from the side, murmured the question.
The contents of the book were outrageous enough, but the doodles scrawled in the margins were equally so.
"So Wakaba-san had this playful side, too?"
"You fool. This is a hidden message."
At first glance, it was an adorable drawing of a spider, but this was an important message.
First, the spider's body was white.
When one said "spider," the first thing that came to mind was the oldest divine beast among them, but her kin had black bodies.
And this one lacked the sickle-like front legs.
A white-bodied monster with sickle-like front legs.
For me, who possessed the Record skill, the chaos that creature had caused was as vivid as something from just recently.
"The Labyrinth's Nightmare."
A mysterious monster connected to the Divine Word Religion as well.
This drawing was pointing to that creature.