Chapter 140
Olivia’s body began to tremble.
But Chris didn’t stop.
Even if it hurt.
She had to face the truth.
“And lastly. The glass flower from the Sky Island, the meteorite shard submerged in the Dead Sea, and the eye of the ancient dragon. Materials that Duke Vinz acquired at astronomical cost. Do you know what these materials are used for?”
“…What are they?”
Chris spoke slowly.
“The Emerald Tablet.”
“!!”
“A relic slumbering in the Holy Kingdom. Do you know if the materials I just mentioned have any effect on the Emerald Tablet?”
She did.
There was no way she didn’t know.
In the end, tears streamed down from Olivia’s eyes.
“When combined with countless sacrifices, they serve to complete the Emerald Tablet. And if a blood descendant of the Constellation possesses the completed Emerald Tablet, they can wield authority equal to that of a Constellation.”
“…….”
A bloodline that carries the blood of the Constellation.
It refers to the Arhen royal family of the Holy Kingdom.
“All of this points to one thing.”
Eventually—
“The one behind this incident is Pope Pentagel III.”
Chris revealed the entire truth.
“Pope Pentagel III seeks to complete the Emerald Tablet and become a god himself.”
* * *
Yes.
This was the full story behind the ‘Fall of the Star’ incident.
A horrifying incident caused by the pope, who is revered as the most sacred figure in the world.
“All because of greed.”
Chris sneered.
What Pentagel III desired was to rule over the Gold Cross.
Not as a mere symbolic spiritual leader as he is now, but as its true master.
“And he nearly achieved it.”
But his dream didn’t last long.
It was because of the Four Demon Kings’ Court.
The Court had cooperated in this matter to make the pope their pawn.
As long as the Court held the secrets of the pope’s sins, he could never defy them.
The pope knew this, but blinded by greed, he chose to endure it.
Because of a pope controlled by the Court, the Gold Cross slowly rotted from within, and in the final moment, the Court struck the decisive blow.
Right before war broke out, they revealed the truth of the pope’s sins.
Naturally, the entire Gold Cross was thrown into chaos, and it collapsed from internal conflict before even engaging in battle.
Amidst all this, Olivia’s fate met its ruin.
‘I have to stop this, no matter what.’
The problem was Olivia.
Right now, she was alone in a state of shock.
‘To Olivia, the Pope was, in his own way, not a bad father.’
So it was only natural that she was shaken, but there wasn’t much time to give her.
‘The Pope will soon sense that something is wrong. If we delay any longer, it’ll get more difficult.’
No later than today.
They had to move to confront the Pope within that time.
While Chris was deliberating, there was a knock at the door.
“May I come in?”
“!!”
It was Olivia.
Surprisingly calm voice.
Her face as she entered the room was the same.
Chris had expected her to be in tears, but she was simply quiet and composed.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m not.”
“…….”
“But the shock isn’t as bad as I expected. I… might’ve already suspected it.”
Olivia wore a bitter expression.
“I already knew that my father, behind his outward appearance, had a vile side.”
She knew the rot within the Holy Kingdom better than anyone.
So it wouldn’t make sense for her to be completely unaware of the Pope’s true nature.
“In truth, what shocked me was something else.”
“What was it?”
“Before that, I have something to ask. The talk about forming a ‘Pact’ with me. Is that still valid?”
It was something brought up when Chris first met Olivia.
“Of course. As I said then, I want to continue working with you, Princess. You could call it an alliance. We won’t betray each other, and we’ll give our full support in each other’s affairs.”
Using the formal structure of a Pact was for the sake of trust.
Once bound by a ‘Pact’, betrayal became impossible, and it allowed for far deeper cooperation.
“I see. Then, what is your goal? Please state it truthfully under the Pact.”
If one made a false statement while under a Pact, the Pact would be nullified.
“To reach the peak of the Magus Empire.”
“!!”
“And to stop the coming catastrophe. That is, to prevent the war that will erupt between the Magus Empire and the forces of light. To that end, I intend to intervene in the Union’s matters as well. When that time comes, I hope you will lend me your strength, Princess.”
Was Chris’s answer unexpected?
Olivia fell silent for a moment.
“Do you not believe me?”
“No, I believe you. You seem different from the others.”
He was unpleasant and cold-hearted at times.
But judging by what Chris had done in Duke Vinz’s domain, he was certainly no villain.
Compared to the hypocrites of the Holy Kingdom who gild their faces with the title of Saint, he was far more righteous.
“Then, I have something I want as well.”
“What is it?”
“Help me bring judgment upon my father.”
“!!”
Olivia spoke to Chris with eyes heavy and sunken.
“This is the condition I ask of you.”
A brief silence followed.
Of course, judging the Pope was the rightful course of action.
But it was unexpected that Olivia would bring it up first herself.
“…It’s because of my brother.”
Olivia bit her lip hard.
“I found out while investigating Duke Vinz’s laboratory. That Duke Vinz framed my brother’s mother.”
Duke Vinz, a manipulator-type mage and a highly skilled alchemist, fabricated evidence claiming that Chris’s mother had colluded with demons.
“…But no matter how cleverly it was disguised, there’s no way Father— the Pope— wouldn’t have seen through it. He made that judgment deliberately. In other words, it was Father who labeled Chris’s brother as the spawn of a demon.”
“…….”
Olivia’s voice trembled precariously.
“I… I… Why didn’t I realize it? Even though I knew Father was, in truth, a dreadful person. Why did I turn away and ignore it?”
If Olivia hadn’t turned away from the horror of the Pope under the excuse of her own helplessness…
If she hadn’t…
She might have realized that the one who framed Chris was the Pope himself.
But while she was looking away, Chris died.
That thought surfaced in her mind, and Olivia could no longer endure it.
Clenching her fist tightly, Olivia spoke in a trembling voice.
“As the Saintess who must take responsibility for the Holy Kingdom— and for my brother as well… I will bring judgment upon my father.”
Chris nodded heavily.
“Understood. I will help you bring judgment to the Pope. After all, my goal was to bring down Pope Pentagel III as well. But— there is one condition.”
“…What is it?”
“After the Pope is judged, I want you to let go of the thoughts about your brother.”
“……!!”
Chris spoke firmly.
“I understand your longing for him. But it will only continue to eat away at you.”
Olivia bit down on her lip hard.
“That has nothing to do with you, does it?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
Chris replied.
“You’re going to be my ally now. I won’t allow you to fall apart from misguided emotions.”
Just as Olivia was about to shout something—
Tap.
His hand rested on Olivia’s head.
She instinctively tried to brush his hand away, but couldn’t.
Strangely enough.
As if—
Like in the past, when Chris used to gently pat her head.
It felt warm.
“You can grieve for now. I’ll help you take revenge. But once it’s done, let it all go.”
“I… I…”
“Your brother wouldn’t want to see you like this either.”
“!!”
Olivia couldn’t say a word.
He was right.
Chris wouldn’t have wanted to see her fall apart like this.
No— more than that.
In a way she couldn’t even understand—
The way his hand stroked her hair reminded her so vividly of Chris, that she couldn't speak at all. She simply closed her eyes.
Just like when she had been with her brother before.
* * *
They immediately set out for the Pope.
There was no time to waste.
Suddenly, urgent news came in.
“B-Bad news!! The White Lion Knights of the Kingdom of Luxen have mobilized! They say they’re investigating the disturbance in Duke Vinz’s territory!”
Count Roy shouted, his face pale.
‘So the Pope is making his move.’
Chris narrowed his eyes sharply.
The Pope must have noticed something had happened in Vinz’s territory and took action.
“W-What should we do? The Kingdom of Luxen is right next to Duke Vinz’s domain. And the commander of the White Lion Knights is a six-star Master-Class knight…”
Alros stammered, face equally pale. Count Roy, too, looked completely drained of color.
Chris glanced at the two panicked men and casually said,
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’? You two will handle it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Zuphien, Princess Olivia, and I are going after the Pope. Alros, you’ll be in charge of holding off the White Lion Knights. Count Roy will assist you.”
“W-Wait, me?!”
Alros and Count Roy both turned ghostly white, while Chris gave a slight grin and mounted his horse.
“Do your best. If you leverage the reputation of the Dark Demonic House and the background of the Neutral Nation of Burssen, you should be able to stall them for at least a day.”
“W-Wait! H-Hold on—!”
“I’m counting on you.”
Taat!
He kicked his heels, and the horse neighed loudly as it dashed forward.
Zuphien, Olivia, and Evan followed behind. Left behind, Alros and Count Roy stood dazed, muttering blankly.
“…What a bastard.”
“…Demonic bastard.”
Muttering near-identical words, the two flinched and looked at each other.
A faint kinship flickered in their eyes.
“…Stay strong, Sir Alros.”
“…You too, Sir Roy.”
Because of the shared ‘demon’ that was Chris, the two—one from the faction of demons, the other from the faction of light—bonded across enemy lines with the camaraderie of comrades-in-arms.
* * *
As they were riding hard, Evan spoke.
“We’re heading to the Holy Kingdom? The border will be heavily guarded. The four of us won’t be able to break through alone.”
Even though the Holy Kingdom's military strength wasn’t the greatest, the four of them alone couldn’t take it on directly.
“Wouldn’t it be better to pull back and seek reinforcements?”
“Reinforcements? From whom? We don’t have anyone to help us.”
Chris was right.
They were in Gold Cross.
Getting help from the Dark Demonic House was impossible here.
And none of the other nations in Gold Cross would lift a finger to strike at the Pope.
Unless there was undeniable proof that the Pope was behind everything…
No, even if there were solid proof, they wouldn’t step forward easily.
Dragging this out would only give the Pope more time to prepare.
They had to strike while the Pope was still unaware and unguarded.
This was their only chance—just the four of them—to take him down.
“Fortunately, we won’t need to go all the way into the Holy Kingdom. Uh…”