Chapter 521 - Debriefing with Haku.
LDM 521 – Debriefing with Haku.
After I had talked with the saint and returned safely, I changed the face back to Narikin’s.
With this, we won’t be found out anymore. But, if I change lodgings or run away in a hurry after this, that would raise some suspicion. And because of that, Narikin won’t leave Kuromaku town. To see it the other way, it could be said that we cannot move right now.
Since they may have come to their senses by now and are laying siege to catch the terrorist(me) who escaped, that’s why let’s aim for their darkest blind spot.
“Use Kehma’s face, please!”
“What will we tell the saint if she sees that face?”
“Just say [I’m Kehma’s twin brother, Narikin].”
“… I guess so.”
Well, since I have created a large number of witnesses, so even if they find Narikin and question him why he knows about how the saint was manipulated, he can use an excuse [Of course, I know it, I saw it].
But as long as the face has changed, there will be nothing to connect him to terrorists. That’s why for now, I will leave it to Narikin to keep an eye on Kuromaku and the Holy Kingdom.
Now I just have to wait for the melons and nightcaps I left with Haku’s men to arrive!
===
A few days later.
===
While we couldn’t get any useful information from Narikin and the others because the gossip in town was all about terrorists and saints, we were invited to a debriefing in the name of a tea party by Haku.
We arrived and found out Haku was waiting with a wrinkled brow on her face.
“Kehma. What’s your excuse this time?”
“Haku… I have no idea what you’re trying to say….”
Haku then let out a big sigh.
I’m sure I’ve done everything Haku asked me to do, including creating havoc to buy time.
“The Pope has disappeared.”
“What?”
The Pope suddenly disappeared? Well, not that sudden…
I look at Rokuko, and she only goes ‘fumu’ and nods.
“Isn’t that because Kehma provoked the saint?”
“No, no, no. My words back then are full of bullshit.”
“Rokuko-chan is right. After that incident, the saint led a large number of followers to storm the Pope. While screaming [Bring down the Pope] with her mass.”
Wow, did she really charge into the church? I’m sure she must have accumulated a lot of resentment over the years. Certainly, she was overly energetic when she shouted those words.
“I see. Yup, it’s definitely Kehma’s fault.”
“I heard that the Pope’s room was completely cleaned, along with various documents in it… fortunately, we managed to infiltrate the room before the assault began, so there was not much problem on that part.”
At least I’m glad to hear that I could buy enough time.
“Hadn’t Kehma been informed of the revolution yet?”
“… Well, yeah. Basically, we can only gather information through the rumor from my place.”
“No word from that Chaos Dogs?”
“No, she hasn’t said anything to me. She’s just there as a maid for Narikin.”
Anyway. It seems that the saint really tried to subjugate the Pope, and the Pope fled.
That Pope must have had something to hide.
“What they are going to do now that the Pope has disappeared… To be exact, what the Light God Religion going to do?”
“According to rumors that they are looking for the terrorist from that time to make him senior priest, well, why don’t you do just that? If everything goes well, you can probably become the next Pope.”
“Saint… why are you so easy to deceive….”
“In the first place, a senior priest was a position that should unconditionally be given to Hero. If Kehma took that position, we could safely say that there were no lies at all.”
Was that like an S-rank adventurer in the empire?
And apparently, they also served as Pope candidates.
“However, since no heroes have been summoned to the Holy Kingdom in over a hundred years, the only senior priests we have now are merely normal people. But now that the Pope has disappeared, a priest who is a former candidate for sainthood would be the most likely candidate.”
“Won’t the saint become the Pope?”
“If that saint became the Pope, it would be the end of the Holy Kingdom, but fortunately or unfortunately, there exists a rule that a saint cannot become the Pope.”
I see. If the Hero who was the main instigator of the Pope’s expulsion enters the fray, there will be a good chance that he will be selected as the Pope.
And right at this moment, a cut melon was served and placed on the table.
It’s the Holy Kingdom’s melon that I gave to Haku’s men. It’s fresh and vibrant because time stopped inside the [storage]. And, I was already had enough of eating these…
“Come to think of it, what were you investigating in the town of Kuromaku?”
“It’s about the Pope’s identity… Oh, I have to tell you this. In fact, we’ve planned several investigations into the Pope in the past. But each time, we couldn’t find him, so we couldn’t start.”
Hmm? I tilt my head at Haku’s strange phrasing.
“…Apparently, the Pope can [erase his existence].”
“Erase his existence? Like hiding from the world?”
“No, it was not like that; it was almost like he didn’t even exist.”
I see. In other words, Haku had been sending investigators every time, but since the Pope had erased his existence, it could be said that [they couldn’t start].
And because they don’t even know where to start, even if she sent the same investigators to the same place, the Pope would keep erasing his presence every time, which kept them in the loop…. What’s with that ultimate skill at the first move?
“… isn’t that an ultimate move? How did you keep going after that?”
“It looks like there is some restriction, and it’s not easy to use. In fact, this time… it only thanks to Kehma’s big effort, the information finally reached us.”
“Oh! That means Kehma played a big role this time! You can expect a big reward from my sister for this!”
“…… Haku. To [Erase an Existence] it’s already not something a human could do, is it?”
“Yes. In other words, it is the work of the Light God. Since I, as a god, couldn’t detect it, I’m sure of it.”
“That’s right. only a God of Light could deceive my sister’s perception!”
“Or [Father], since he is a Dark God. But considering the opponent, it would be the Light God. Especially if you consider the effect, that only proved more evidence.”
Yeah, it’s a God of Light Religion, after all. And we talk about the Pope. It’s only fitting that he’s using the power of the Light God.
“Sister, so you’re saying that the Pope is the Light God himself?
“That not the case, a God of [Father] class can’t be active in the mortal realm for a long time… It could be an angel, but then there’s no reason for it to run away. The fact that he ran away suggests that he is not a person…., but rather a being that is not good for the God of Light Religion.”
Who exactly is the Pope? Before we could fully investigate his true identity, he vanished.
“Thanks to you, I’ve got a lot of ideas of what is he. I’m a bit bitter that the Pope escaped, but it was still the best thing that could have happened. Great reward is coming for you, Kehma.”
“Oh, thank you.”
I’ve also managed to sell a lot of melon, and it looks like I’ll never be short of money. …well, it’s not like I was troubled by money.