Act 6: Chapter 24: The Whereabout of The Staff
After dispatching the《Divine Execution Knight,》I lined up Ideo, Belleria, and Cardinal Wardell, forcing them to sit in a row on the spot.
「Ridiculous… This is the force I prepared, risking my entire life, to defeat a higher being, you know? And yet, everything is for naught…」
Cardinal Wardell muttered this in a dazed manner, the color drained from his face.
「…Cardinal Wardell, I'm sorry for saying this, but their level just isn't high enough. Taking on a higher being with this? It's absolutely impossible. Did you seriously think you could manage it?」
「Don’t underestimate me! There are five《Divine Execution Knights》! I had them dispatched on separate missions to guard other places, so I couldn’t call them back immediately! Ugh, if they had all attacked at the same time, there might still have been a chance…!」
「That's impossible! Honestly, that wouldn't happen since the level gap is even bigger than what you expected.」
Surely, depending on the methods, five level-300 people might be able to take down someone like Ramiel or Sophia.
However, even under favorable situations in terms of numbers and with the element of surprise, there was a limit to everything.
I had no idea about Zero, but Nobunaga and Veranta could easily dispatch them.
To begin with, the《Invisible Hand of God》had already abandoned their relationship with the higher beings.「As I mentioned earlier, the《Invisible Hand of God》is currently in opposition to the higher beings. I'm also part of the faction opposing the higher beings. We don't know what the higher beings will try next. You should have realized by now that we cannot protect the《Saint Staff》in Rupelm. Please give up and hand it over to us.」
「Hmph, I can't believe a single word you say! You filthy dogs of the higher beings! Even if you're opposing them, why should I hand over Jonas-sama's staff to scum like you?!」
Cardinal Wardell shouted loudly.
「… Sorry, old man. We cannot protect the《Saint Staff》. I'm sorry for saying this, but we're no match for him.」
「Your Eminence, if the《Invisible Hand of God》is truly in conflict with the higher beings, it might be wiser to trust the party currently negotiating peacefully and hand it over. We must avoid letting the《Saint Staff》fall into the hands of factions who are willing to stop at nothing.」
It seems that Ideo and Valeria agreed that it might be fine to hand over the《Saint Staff》to us.
Rather, it seems they believed that continuing to resist would only have detrimental effects.
It seemed that all three had assumed that the《Divine Execution Knight》could stand up to the higher beings, but at least Ideo and Valeria had come to realize during this battle that there was absolutely no chance of victory.
I looked at Cardinal Wardell.
Ideo and Valeria followed my lead, exchanging awkward eye contact with their superior.
Cardinal Wardell stomped the floor angrily with his feet.
「I… I just want to protect the true faith of the Jonas Church… With that single-minded devotion, I have dedicated my life to it…! Yet, this… this…」
He spoke with a trembling voice, tears streaming down from his eyelids.
「And yet… Nothing has changed since that day fifty years ago… nothing…! If that's the case, then what have I been doing all this time… what was it all for…?!」
Cardinal Wardell finally curled up and began to cry.
「But, but, I think that having five level 300+ warriors prepared is still quite impressive itself! As for the higher beings, I'll take care of them!」
「UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」
…In the end, Cardinal Wardell finally calmed down after crying for nearly 30 minutes.
He had been working for the world, betting his life on it, only to realize that he was still as powerless as before in the end.
Given his sense of regret, it might not be fair to call him weak-hearted, but somehow, I couldn't help but imagine the younger, careless playboy version of Cardinal Wardell from his earlier days.
After Cardinal Wardell stopped crying, we were somehow able to be guided back to the location of the《Saint Staff.》
「…Actually, the《Saint Staff》has already been moved from the cathedral's basement, and it is now being kept in the palace where the Pope, the head of our Jonas Church, resides. We must go there, but the storage location of the《Saint Staff》is a restricted location, and even I cannot enter without the Pope's authority.」
Cardinal Wardell murmured those words on the way back from the basement.
「So you really had no intention to entrust the《Saint Staff》to us from the very beginning…」
I heaved a sigh as I spat those words.
Now, I had to persuade another person.
With the fate of the world at stake and a situation where every moment counts, why must I be subjected to such a roundabout way?
「Do you think the Pope can be persuaded?」
「I need a little time. To ask for it right away is very…」
「I don't have the luxury of taking my time. Can't you, with your authority, manage to retrieve it discreetly?」
「T-There's no way I can do something like that! Moreover, today marks the day of Jonas-sama's passing. You need to at least wait until tomorrow…」
We couldn't afford to wait for that long…
It was difficult to demand that the retrieval of the《Saint Staff》be handed over, especially to the point of interrupting the ceremony.
No, considering the worst-case scenario, it might actually be better to do that as soon as possible.
「…… Just tell me the map of the palace. I'll sneak in and take the staff. Please make sure the aftermath doesn't become a big issue.」
「What are you talking about!?」
「Obviously, I don't want to resort to such forceful measures either, but this is the most practical option! It's not that I want to disrespect the Jonas Church or you, but the fate of the world is at stake even as we talk right now!」
「B-But, but…!」
Said Cardinal Wardell as he held his head with his hands.
At that moment, I could hear screams from outside.
And it wasn't the scream of one or two people.
It was an overwhelming number of screams, like hundreds or thousands of them.
「W-What's happening?」
Cardinal Wardell asked with a flustered face.
「Could it be that… The pawn of the higher being has already arrived in the palace?」
It seemed that hurrying would be the best course of action.
======My first CN project, why waifu though? Well, coz the main heroine's job is buying soy sauce till the end of act 1
New Project:
Harem, Hero, Demon King, Seven Deadly Sin, Seven Virtue, Sacred Beast, Sword and Magic, Dystopian Future, DESTINY PROJECT HAD IT REALIZED!, Dungeon, Dragon, 72 Demons, Reincarnations
===TN: Those Who Can't Wait For more Jil-kun's, I've Uploaded Advance chapters in Fox<–HERE and in PATREON(CHEAPER)===
More and Cheaper(10/$10) Advance Chapter :
(~’.’)~Archive to my old Projects in Ko-Fi~(‘.’~)