133 – Holy Grail (1)
‘…… It’s okay, you can do it.’
With small deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, Beatrice strengthened her resolve.
Now it was time to put the plan into action.
It rattled.
Open the door. A noise that is not very unpleasant resonates.
Beatrice glanced behind her for just a moment and then took her steps.
Jeobug, jerk.
Large space, but dark interior. At the same time, the quiet atmosphere without any human presence created a somewhat eerie scene.
Church Headquarters.
One of the four areas of the system, it is the sole base of the Holy Church whose autonomy has been recognized by the imperial family.
Beatrice was walking in that very place.
‘…… Just in case, just in case, it doesn’t work out, what should I do then?’
To be precise, should we say that it is the center of the church building, an upper-floor hallway that is clearly visible even from afar?
Beatrice naturally liked this open space, as she could see the cityscape unfolding below the sacred site at a glance.
When you walk around the headquarters, you have no choice but to pass by this hallway at least once.
If you look outside during the day, bright sunlight is shining down on the city.
When you look outside at night, you can see the soft moonlight, which somehow makes you feel at ease.
If you say it’s a superb view, you can say that in your own way…….
‘…… It’s uncomfortable.’
For Beatrice, at least for now, this space did not provide peace of mind. No, I couldn’t.
Her eyes once again looked anxiously downward.
Anyway, isn’t Beatrice now acting with a half-hearted intention to break the rules of the church?
As she had lived half her life according to the rules of her order in one way or another, she couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach.
Of course, you may not necessarily think of it that way.
Because there is still hope.
If the Pope, the highest decision-maker of the Holy Order, grants her permission to use the Holy Grail at her request, then yes. Surprisingly, you may be able to solve the problem without much fuss.
If you use just a few drops of holy water, Flügel’s condition will definitely improve noticeably.
As Beatrice thought so, she bit her lip slightly.
She didn’t want to do it, but her nervousness was showing on the outside.
‘Yes, she could really do it if she could just get His Holiness’ permission… ….’
In fact, she knew very well.
The personality of the Pope and his beliefs.
It was only natural that the current Pope had been in charge of teaching sacred magic by her side ever since she first visited the church headquarters ten years ago.
To her, her Pope was the closest adult and trusted superior within her church.
Beatrice’s expression changed to a somewhat stuffy feeling.
I passed through the hallway and stood in front of the stairs leading to the highest floor of the church headquarters located on a hill.
To reiterate, Beatrice knew the Pope well. It was an inevitable relationship.
She recalled the image of the Emperor with a reluctant expression.
First of all, his youthful appearance comes to mind, which is unusual for a person who has lived for well over a hundred years.
No, wouldn’t it be better to say that his appearance is young, if not younger?
If I had to classify it, it would be too young. I mean, a young boy.
The Emperor was that kind of person.
From what she heard, her body became younger the moment a human reached the highest point that a human can achieve while possessing divine power. In fact, she did not see that scene in person, so even she was a part of Gingaminga. Am. She
Although it seemed to make sense when she thought about the level she could vaguely glimpse.
‘I remember the first time I saw it. That was probably when I had just turned twelve…… ?’
I was suddenly reminded of old memories, but that wasn’t really important right now. At this time, why did I think of the Emperor’s appearance first?
The reason was nothing special.
Kazan, the 41st Pope of the Holy Order.
Despite having the appearance of a boy, he could truly be said to have a mentality befitting his three-digit age.
So, it is an old and narrow-minded way of thinking.
‘You must not allow His Holiness and Flügel to meet. Never.’
Once upon a time, a girl who learned about the world by his side also had a similar mindset, but Beatrice decided not to bother thinking about that right now.
That’s enough for now. What was important was the Pope’s attitude toward the ‘dragon’.
In the first place, it was the Emperor who received an oracle and told him to destroy the magic sword half a year ago. It was the Emperor’s decision.
The cardinals also did not express a different opinion on that decision.
That’s how much Beatrice knew. If nothing else, I had no choice but to at least know very well how the church regarded dragons.
Suddenly she thought so.
If the Emperor happened to encounter Flügel, he would be confident that he would not be surprised if he tried to destroy her without even thinking about sharing a word with her.
Of course, it will be stopped separately from that.
In the end, however, what Beatrice has to think about now is whether she can persuade the Pope well enough to obtain permission.
She thought. Is it possible?
‘Hmm.’
I immediately shook my head.
It would be close to impossible.
Even if you somehow manage to obtain permission to use the Holy Grail by arming yourself with nonsensical speech, if it is discovered that the Holy Grail is being used as the soul of a dragon, it will be over the moment.
Beatrice did not have the confidence to stop the Pope…….
‘…… So I really can’t help it. If possible, try to persuade him without bringing up the topic of Flügel, but if that doesn’t work, you must obtain the Holy Grail through another route.’
It was a bittersweet experience, but the results of the persuasion attempts were somewhat predictable.
Therefore, Beatrice prepared her second plan in advance.
So to speak, Dante is the plan.
Everything depended on his performance.
“Whoa…” ….”
Beatrice took a breath.
She reached the door before she knew it.
A gate that is large enough to exceed the height of an adult man and is curved in an arched shape.
On the white background was a picture of the goddess with her blurry form and the angels protecting her.
The top floor of the church headquarters, the land closest to the goddess.
Beyond this was the center of the Holy Land.
“…… Ha.”
At that point, Beatrice let out the breath she had taken in again.
Along with the sensation of the air in her lungs being rushed out, the tension that had stiffened her entire body felt like it was fading just a little.
Knock knock.
“His Holiness the Pope, are you there?”
Beatrice knew even as she knocked on her door. Emperor Kazan usually prays to the goddess on the top floor of the headquarters during this time.
It was like something that was always done without exception.
Perhaps even today, I am kneeling beyond here, gazing at a higher state of divinity through communication with the goddess.
So all she had to do was hold on to the Emperor.
-Hmm?
It was at that moment that the boy’s low, out-of-place voice came through through the door.
-Why are you here at a time like this? Didn’t you leave after saying that you would continue to live in the imperial castle as long as you stayed in the archipelago? Just two days ago.
“…… Ah, that’s it.”
And at that voice, Beatrice couldn’t help but be taken aback in a slightly different way. If you think about it, something like that happened.
She rolled her eyes for a moment and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“Well, I explained it properly. All the students at the academy are staying in the castle, but if I return to the academy alone, I think the picture will look strange. I guess it’s because I also have to socialize with new friends…….”
Words that can be said to be reasonable explanations and excuses in their own way.
Beatrice briefly checked my story, but as expected, there were no problems.
So, after finishing her sentence like that, she opened her door.
The most important thing is to focus all of the Emperor’s attention on himself.
-I never thought you could make friends. Umm… ….
If the Emperor’s words had not struck like a dagger right after, the plan would have proceeded as planned.
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Beatrice stood tall and raised her head.
“Your Holiness?”
-Anyway, it’s a pleasure. There were more than one person who was worried about you because you couldn’t get along with your peers…….
“Your Holiness?? “What do you mean by that?”
-I’ll stop talking about this. Now, come in.
Kkeak… ….
Before I could say anything more, the door opened by itself. It was the divine power of the Emperor.
“…… Phew.”
Beatrice opened her lips for a split second, then pressed her forehead a couple of times before stepping inside.
It was a space that was said to be God’s domain, but in fact, there was nothing particularly special about it.
Compared to the very harmonious combination of white and gold, the structure was plain. There was almost no furniture.
The sacred flame that fills the walls up, down, left and right is the only part that stands out.
Even though it has been quite a while since I came here, it is still a desolate space.
Beatrice’s impressions were exactly that.
“It wasn’t dawn yet.”
The Emperor’s voice was heard again at that time. Beatrice turned her head towards the end of space.
There was a boy there.
“What business did you have for coming here this early in the morning?”
White hair and white eyes. Her blurry focus and illegible pupils just happen to be directing her gaze towards her.
Beatrice first greeted the Pope by slightly bowing her head.
“See you, His Holiness.”
“I think I’ve been telling you for over ten years that you don’t have to be rude like that.”
“But this is how I learned it.”
Beatrice smiled brightly and soon approached the Pope. Even though he is still focused on prayer.
Of course, Beatrice was not the type to understand prayers performed while talking to someone.
Isn’t he a priest who devoted himself to religion for nearly a hundred years? It all has meaning, I can only guess.
Beatrice distracted him from his distracting thoughts and immediately opened his mouth.
“Your Holiness.”
“What is it?”
“…… “It’s a nice day.”
However, it was unavoidable that the words I said like that ended up making me nervous in just a moment and turned into random words.
Beatrice was briefly silent, and only then did the Pope turn his head.
“What is it?”
“…… What?”
“I asked what you were hiding.”
“… ….”
For a moment, Beatrice felt the sensation of being suffocated.
The pressure comes even though he hasn’t really created any momentum.
Her two pupils briefly glanced at the Emperor’s face, observing his gaze. Cautious glances, gestures, and facial expressions and attitudes.
It was not the Emperor who could not notice her strange behavior.
“…… Now that I think about it, it was ten minutes ago. She felt a strange presence enter the sanctuary. Since it was so weak, I thought it might have been a slightly larger bug hiding in there, but…….”
His white eyes look at Beatrice. Look straight ahead. He started applying pressure as he could.
Beatrice’s head was going lower and lower.
It was then that the Emperor, after briefly laughing, turned his gaze to the other side.
For some reason, Beatrice seemed to know that he was now looking at the ‘sanctuary’.
The moment when the Pope opened one eye that had been closed, and his gaze returned to Beatrice.
Beatrice had to swallow her breath.
I was caught.
“Now I see that a bug is a bug, but it seems to be a bug that has a connection with you. “It would be uncomfortable if you were a friend, so I’ll stop calling you a bug first.”
Beatrice rolled her eyes back and forth without saying anything. She
She was looking for a way, but she didn’t have it.
She had no choice but to blame her for her foolish mistake a moment ago. What should she do, should she force it at all?
The time of worry was not long. It couldn’t be long.
“Are you not going to answer?”
Her emperor got up from his seat and stood in front of her. Still, the emperor, who looked up at her from a lower eye level than her, immediately raised one of her hands.
The slightly raised hand is thrown away immediately afterward.
Wow!
Beatrice didn’t even have time to express her doubts.
Whaaa!!
“…… Ugh?!”
Suddenly a bright light erupted. In a moment of blurred vision, Beatrice was still able to look at the Pope’s grave expression.
His lips parted.
“The sanctuary’s security technique has been raised by three levels. “Not as a ‘border,’ but as a complete ‘exclusion.'”
And at those words, Beatrice failed to manage her expression any further.
Her complexion hardened in an instant.
“Soon your friend will be kicked out. You might get seriously hurt. “It’s unfortunate, but you should think of it as punishment for trespassing into the sanctuary.”
Nevertheless, the Emperor paid no heed and just continued talking.
His eyes instantly turned to Beatrice.
“What are we going to do? “Are you going to set your purpose even now?”
“… ….”
“In that case, the level can be lowered from ‘exclusion’ to ‘expulsion’. “Your punishment will also be adjusted depending on the legitimacy of your intentions.”
Beatrice, who was silent, did not avoid the Pope’s gaze.
But that didn’t stop me from saying anything.
It is not easy to make excuses, explanations, or excuses. Trespassing into a sanctuary is a crime in itself that deserves to be severely punished.
In addition, it is expected that the Emperor would have also realized the exact purpose of this.
Anyway, even if it was a sanctuary in the basement of the headquarters, the only thing worth targeting there was the Holy Grail.
Wow… ….
Beatrice clenched her fists roughly and chewed her lips.
The expression on his face has long since become anxious without anything to hide.
Somehow, Beatrice seemed to know. Even putting aside his own slip of the tongue, there is a high probability that the Pope would have noticed something strange about his attitude long ago.
The reason he thought so was simple.
“Do you think hiding your true feelings in front of me will work?”
“… ….”
She didn’t realize it, but from the moment she stood in front of the door, the Emperor was exerting an unusual amount of divine power.
Moreover, it prevents her from noticing the flow of divine power.
It wasn’t difficult to read the target.
Unique technique, foreseeing vision.
It was a type of sacred magic, but if you look at it closely, it was ‘something’ closer to the unique magic of the archmages.
That’s right, because from the beginning, it was a technique created by the Emperor himself.
The creation of a technique that is neither a modification nor a transformation. Moreover, the level of difficulty of such a spell was close to hundreds of times that of general-purpose sacred magic, so in fact, the Emperor was the only one who could use it.
And the eyes of the Emperor.
Reading the future of the world.
Jibril’s astrology is a very different ability from that ability. I’m not talking about the essence. The nature of foresight itself was different.
Perhaps it can be said to be the most irrational ability in the world.
A religious leader on the continent who received the blessing of the goddess after the saint. Emperor Kazan.
He who uses a forward-looking vision always has the help of all things.
When he tries to read the weather, the sky changes color, when he tries to read someone’s lifespan, the skills of the doctor attending to him change completely, and when he tries to read the future, he suddenly discovers a book of prophecy somewhere.
It was that kind of ability.
And the current Emperor was activating that ability close to 100%.
“It’s a dragon. “He is the child of the Sky Dragon.”
No doubt, the scene of the sanctuary unfolds clearly in his field of vision.
Beatrice was so sure.
“Is that really the identity of the magic sword that the oracle spoke of? “In addition to the extinct dragons, there were living entities.”
The Emperor’s self-talk.
Of course, Beatrice did not answer.
Of course, the Pope did not expect an answer.
The Pope did not ask her for an answer, nor did he actively request an explanation from her.
I just repeat things to myself to remind myself of what I have seen and guessed.
“I never thought that they would try to steal the Holy Grail to save such a dragon. Sky Dragon and Blue Dragon Celine will be your enemies as well.”
However, he did not forget the existence of Beatrice and immediately looked straight at her.
His white eyes faintly sank.
“I want to know what happened, but I don’t think I can tell you right now. Since we don’t seem to be in a situation where we can have a calm conversation right now, I will prioritize excluding intruders. “We can’t waste the chalice and holy water on something like that.”
It was at that moment that he took a step.
Pass past Beatrice and head toward the entrance.
Where is he going? Is his destination a sanctuary?
Beatrice did not think long.
She stretched out her hand.