The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations
We Will Fight (1)
Bwooo―!
The grand sound of horns resounded as the banners symbolizing the Pope and the Holy Empire fluttered, opening the way.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Temple Knights, clad in pure white armor, marched forth with flawless steps.
Among them, beneath golden sunlight that fell like a radiant veil, the Pope revealed himself.
Wearing a resplendent platinum crown and a golden mask that gleamed with divine brilliance, he looked as if the very authority of heaven had descended into human form.
"His Holiness has arrived!"
People cried out and lowered their heads.
The Pope spoke no words, yet with sheer overwhelming presence alone, he ruled over the place.
I gripped my spear tightly and met the Pope's gaze directly.
The Pope stared at me for a long moment before slowly opening his mouth.
"...It has been a long time."
"Have you been well, Your Holiness?"
"Because of you wretches, I have not had a single peaceful night."
His voice trembled with suppressed fury. Then, he turned his head to Deneb.
"False Saintess. Who gave you such a title?"
Deneb could not utter a reply.
Never once had she called herself by that name.
Since she began wielding the power of the Sacred Stones, others had naturally started calling her that.
Ilaniel stepped forward and spoke.
"It is regrettable to meet under such circumstances. However, as our Blessing Stone chose Deneb, she is not unworthy of being called Saintess."
Grondal also spoke up in her defense.
"Pope! Our Guardian Stone has acknowledged Deneb as its master! This is the will of the Dwarves, so cease your greed at once!"
At this, the Pope let out a bitter laugh, his voice sinking colder than usual.
"Who decided she was the master? You only kept the Sacred Stones in safekeeping. You were never their true owners."
Grondal roared furiously.
"We have inherited and safeguarded them for generations! If we are not their masters, then who is?"
The Pope raised his chin arrogantly and declared.
"The master of the Sacred Stones is none other than I."
"What did you say?"
"I am the one who will use their power to eradicate the Demonic Abyss and save this world. Do you truly not understand what that means?"
"You overestimate yourself."
Grondal snarled as he gripped his axe tight. He was never one to sit quietly before arrogance.
Ilaniel reached out to restrain him and asked.
"Pope, I did not expect your character to be of this nature. So what are you suggesting? Do you mean to take them by force?"
This time, the Pope turned his gaze upon me.
Though Julien was the commander, he knew that I was always the one taking the lead.
"You said you wished to speak with me, did you not? Then speak. What is it you wanted to say?"
"I intend to present Your Holiness with three choices."
"Choices? Puhuhuhuhu…"
The Pope's shoulders shook as he laughed.
That mere mercenaries would dare to force choices upon the ruler of the continent—
It was absurd, yet strangely amusing.
"Very well, speak. I shall hear you out."
"Let us reconcile."
"…What?"
"In the end, fighting against the Demonic Abyss is everyone's duty. Acknowledge Deneb as the Saintess and stand together against it. I mean for us to reconcile peacefully."
"I refuse. Tell me the second."
"You are impatient, aren't you? Then lend it to us."
"..."
"You need not acknowledge her as a Saintess. But once the war is over, we will hand the Sacred Stones to you, Your Holiness. For now, isn't the war against the Demonic Abyss more important?"
All I needed was to stop the Demonic Abyss. That was all Julien and Deneb wanted as well.
That was the true role of the Hero and the Saintess, and the very wish of Deneb, emissary of the goddesses.
After victory in the war, such trinkets as Sacred Stones would no longer matter.
But to the Pope, such words were worthless.
"I refuse. To save this world, I must obtain the power of the Sacred Stones. Therefore, there is no reason to wait until the war ends."
"Even though the Sacred Stones recognized Deneb?"
"That is only your claim. I have not acknowledged it."
I let out a small laugh and spoke.
"Then does that mean the Sacred Stones acknowledged you, Your Holiness?"
"What?"
"You possess one as well, don't you? I ask—are you even able to wield its power?"
"You wretch…"
An immense force surged out of the enraged Pope.
The pressure was so overwhelming that it instantly crushed everything around us.
Drrrrrrr…
"Guh, k-keugh!"
"Your Holiness! Please restrain yourself!"
"Urghhh…"
Even the most skilled Cardinals and Temple Knights could barely breathe under the suffocating weight.
My companions and I raised our own strength to resist his overwhelming force.
Yet the Pope's aura grew stronger and stronger, as if it would devour every living being present.
At last, Ilaniel and Grondal unleashed their own powers, pushing back against the Pope's aura.
Kwooom!
Even the mere clash of forces spread shockwaves through the area.
Everyone was stunned by the Pope's might.
To think he had overpowered Transcendents here with nothing more than a brief flash of anger!
Ilaniel and Grondal were especially shaken beyond measure.
'The Pope… was this strong all along?!'
'Impossible… He far surpasses any former Pope.'
It was almost unbelievable that by amassing Divine Power, the Pope could radiate such overwhelming strength.
I, too, was taken aback.
'I knew he was strong, but…'
Inside the veil, I could never gauge his true power. I had only guessed his strength from the reactions of those around him.
Yet experiencing it firsthand, I realized the Pope's power was beyond imagination. And this was only a fraction of what he possessed.
'What is this? How can he be this strong?'
In the grand scheme, Divine Power was one of the forces that made up the world. The problem was that Divine Power was not something one could simply amass through effort.
It was innate. Sometimes it increased, but no one truly understood why or how.
The Pope, however, had amassed an absurd amount of this extraordinary power.
Only one utterly blessed, utterly loved by the goddesses themselves could have such a body.
Just like Parniel and Piote once had.
'With power like that, should he not already have been recognized by the Sacred Stones?'
And yet, the Pope could not even control the Sacred Stone he already possessed.
I felt something strange about that. No—something stranger still.
"Haaah… haaah…"
The Pope, having subdued his power, looked restless and pressed. So unlike the calm figure who once sat so leisurely within the veil.
I sensed that something about his state was not normal.
Divine Power was erupting irregularly from his body, and the phenomenon only grew stronger with time.
'That's…'
It was as if frost and flame clashed violently, opposing forces colliding in chaotic overflow.
'Why…?'
Divine Power was the purest of energies. By its nature alone, such phenomena should never occur.
I could not tell if the Pope was deliberately forcing his strength outward, or if he was losing control over it.
Then, as he pressed down on the power, his trembling hand grasped his mask. In that moment, strange patterns of light flashed across it.
And it wasn't only the mask. The same phenomenon shimmered across several ornaments he wore.
'Magic.'
Those ornaments weren't mere decoration. I couldn't discern the exact workings, but clearly those magical tools were affecting him somehow.
But then my attention was drawn elsewhere.
'That bracelet I just glimpsed…'
It was identical to the one Deneb wore. Inlaid with a gleaming violet gemstone.
'The Sacred Stone.'
With this, all four Sacred Stones were gathered here. If Deneb obtained it, she could awaken as the true Saintess.
While I quietly set my sights on the Sacred Stone, the Pope spoke again.
"The third… tell me…"
He was straining, as though suppressing something deep within.
I studied him closely, then answered.
"Step down."
"…Step down?"
"Yes. Simply withdraw from your place and grant all authority to Deneb. We will take care of saving the world."
"..."
"There is no need for Your Holiness to tire yourself with such matters. Why insist on doing it all yourself?"
At my words, the Pope smiled faintly behind his mask.
All three conditions I had given were, in truth, the same. They all meant I would never hand over the Sacred Stones.
Objectively speaking, my proposals were not bad.
Someone capable of wielding the Sacred Stones' power had appeared. With countless witnesses, no one could call it false.
Thus, the Pope need not risk himself. He could entrust the task to the Saintess and aid the United Human Army in achieving victory.
There was but one problem…
He had no intention of doing so.
The Pope slowly scanned his surroundings, then spoke in a heavy voice.
"That, too, I refuse."
"Then negotiations have broken down. Do you intend to remain in this standoff?"
I was certain the Pope would not move his armies. Indeed, he had no such intention.
But he had another thought in mind.
"I will make a new proposal."
"And what might that be?"
The Pope pointed one by one at me, Julien, Kyle, and Deneb—the very companions who had been together since the beginning of this journey.
"You four shall face me directly. If you refuse even this…"
Once again, his aura swelled and spread.
"…then I will risk war itself and move my armies."
He intended to uproot the Saintess and every threat here, with his own hands.
I grinned.
It was, in fact, the very outcome I had hoped for.
This conflict could only be resolved if either the Julien Mercenary Corps or the Pope conceded.
'As expected, he chose this path.'
I had deliberately not suggested a battle myself. If I did, it could later be twisted into dispute.
But since the Pope was the one to propose it—
The Holy Empire would have no choice but to abide by the result.
The Cardinals, priests, and knights around him all paled and rushed to dissuade him.
"Your Holiness! This must not be!"
"How can you even consider dueling with mere mercenaries!"
"Please take back your words! Do not sully your hands—entrust it to us instead!"
Yet the Pope would not bend.
He could neither relinquish the Sacred Stones nor march his armies. This was the best course left to him.
"Julien Mercenary Corps, will you accept my proposal?"
"Direct and bold—I like it. We accept. But… are you sure you will be fine alone?"
"No matter who comes, none would be of help to me."
Indeed, the Holy Empire's officials were not stopping him out of concern for his safety. What they worried about was only his dignity.
After all, even when I had first met him, his entourage never once showed concern for his well-being.
'That just proves how strong the Pope truly is.'
I found myself actually looking forward to seeing just how strong he truly was.
Unlike me, who felt a thrill rising, Ilaniel and Grondal wore deeply worried expressions. They knew all too well the enormity of the Pope's power.
"Is there truly no other way?"
"If you lose, that bastard Pope will take everything!"
I brushed aside their concerns again and again, insisting it would be fine.
In the end, both sides desperately desired the Sacred Stones. That being the case, it was better to settle things with a decisive match.
The Pope turned back to his men and declared,
"This is a contest between myself and the Julien Mercenary Corps. The Holy Empire must accept its outcome."
I, too, looked around at my allies and spoke the same.
"If we lose, we will hand the Sacred Stones over to His Holiness. This is the only way to resolve the conflict, so everyone else must stand aside."
Though Ilaniel and Grondal tried several more times to dissuade me, I did not budge. The Pope was the same.
In the end, both armies had no choice but to withdraw far back.
Thus, aside from those the Pope had named, all others stepped away.
But three figures remained.
Ereneth and Marika stared at the Pope and spoke.
"I may be an Elf, but I am also part of the Julien Mercenary Corps. I will fight with them."
"May I join as well?"
The Pope replied as though he could not care less.
"Do as you please."
In truth, his interest lay elsewhere.
"Lionel, do you intend to fight me now?"
Lionel looked at him with a face as if all life had drained away.
Until now, he had not had the chance to speak—the situation had moved too swiftly.
Now at last able to speak, Lionel said slowly,
"Your Holiness… did you truly intend to kill me?"
"Yes. Heresy is an unforgivable crime."
"I only followed your command."
"Then why did you not bring me the Sacred Stones?"
"..."
"Why did you acknowledge the so-called Saintess's miracles?"
"..."
"If you are truly innocent, then kill that witch here and now and bring me the Sacred Stones."
Lionel closed his eyes.
In truth, his mind brimmed with countless words. He had pondered day after day how he might persuade the Pope.
He had worried so much that he barely even spoke with his companions on the journey here. They knew his troubles, and in quiet kindness, had pretended not to notice.
For their sakes, Lionel desperately wanted to convince the Pope.
But now he saw that no words would avail him. The Pope's heart was fixed.
And that figure before him… was not the image of one who preached the love of God.
Lionel slowly opened his eyes again.
In a trembling, broken voice, he declared,
"I… will fight Your Holiness."
At last, his heart was set.