Episode 30: A Distorted Doctrine and the Faith of the Saint ⑦ ~The Pus of Vested Interests~

　
"That's an outrageous story. ……Then are you so great that you can put people down like that?”

　The pope nodded with exaggerated gestures in response to my words.

"You are the Celestial Knight! I see, so you were living in shame after all. ……When the advance party didn't return, Roger-dono also considered that possibility.
　I will answer your question out of compassion―――It goes without saying!
　I am the Pope, the highest authority in the Holy Church. And so, the reborn Holy Church is no longer an outdated entity worshiping a goddess, but an organization that believes in human supremacy and worships me!!”

　What? Do you think you're a living god or something? Is this guy stupid?

"Well, faith is believing without questioning. From now on, the Holy Church will be controlled only by those who believe in me and my power as an absolute entity.
　For it is the only way to overcome this time of destruction!
　The outdated structure of the Holy Church, which worships a goddess who has given up on humanity, will not be able to survive this apocalypse.
　With the power that the empire has created serving as a foundation, I will establish a new order――――"

"What's the point of all this talk? In the end, it's just the sidelined factions that couldn't get a piece of the pie who are now trying to get under the empire's wing to create new privileges for themselves and enjoy a sweet life."

　I picked out the essential points from the Pope's rambling speech and pointed them out. Irene next to me looked like she thought I was being too direct, but I'm not good at beating around the bush. The devil was laughing at me, but I'll just leave her be.

"I took the trouble to explain my noble and sublime ideals to you, a sewer rat, in a way that even you could understand, but――――You have got some nerve! That insolence towards me—you must be prepared to pay with your life, right?”

　Oh, did I hit a nerve?
　……They say that con artists and shady characters tend to talk a lot and beat around the bush, and it's true. No matter what you say, that's what you really mean, isn't it? Putting aside my inner thoughts, the pope was seething with anger. ……What a petty person you are.

"All troops, advance! I will award the vacant seat of archbishop to whoever defeats the Celestial Knight."

　The entire army was stirred by the pope's words. ……Ah, so he thinks the archbishop is dead. He's still alive, but whatever. With this unexpected opportunity for promotion, the enemy is getting more fired up.

"Come, glorious soldiers of the New Holy Church, trample them underfoot!!”

　In tune with the pope's voice, the soldiers charged into the plain with a battle cry. ……Unfortunately, however, the soldiers' invasion route is controlled and limited by the ice barriers that were set up in advance to guide their path.
　
"Just as planned. Well, it's my turn now."

　With that, Falty drew the Sovereign Lunar Bow and rained arrows down on the soldiers, who died with cries of agony. The enemies were efficiently wiped out, and any enemies that were missed were finished off by the gunnery team. ……But no matter what, the pope remains unfazed. The attitude of not caring that his fellow soldiers are being shot like wild birds, or rather, treating it as if it were within the realm of possibility.

"That composure is creepy, isn't it?"

　Almost at the same time as Irene spoke, cavalrymen riding four-legged beasts resembling bulls were sent into battle. These beasts were about twice the height of an adult male and, if well trained, could be ridden instead of horses. These powerful beasts are said to be as strong as a company of soldiers, being superior in horsepower and charging power, and now there are three of them on the battlefield!
　They charged forward while destroying the ice barriers, but it's not good to have the barriers destroyed.

"Raoul, aren't those giant horned beasts? I can attack that too if I narrow down the number of arrows, but magic arrows don't kill easily, and the speed of extermination will slow down, allowing them to push up the front line."

　Hearing Falty's voice as she continued to shoot arrows, Irene stopped me from moving forward and stepped in front of me to respond.

"Falty, just keep shooting as you are. I'll take care of the giant horned beasts…… I have no regrets about my own way of life, but the pope's words were a little unpleasant to me, so I'd like to clear things up."

　Saying that, Irene repeatedly used the saint's healing spell on herself. Irene is not injured, but what happens if she continues to activate the skill beyond recovery without any injuries? The answer is――――The expansion and super-strengthening of the body.

“Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

　Irene's height―――In familiar units, she grew to over 2 meters, and her muscles expanded explosively. Since her robe was custom-made from highly elastic fabric for this secret technique, it would not tear, but her limbs were thick like logs and bulging with muscles, and her ample breasts, which pushed up the robe from within, became pectoral muscles. Her facial features remained the same, but her eyes were white as she glared at her enemies. ……There stood a huge woman with muscles bulging like they were about to burst. This is the secret weapon of the saint, known only to the members of the hero's party.

"M-Monster……!?”

　The enemy soldiers on the front lines who witnessed Irene's transformation, or rather metamorphosis, cried out in shock and trembled.

"I'm a monster? No, I am a saint……!!”

　With that, Irene charged forward and caught one of the giant horned beasts head-on, grabbing its horn and lifting it straight up. She kicked the falling cavalryman, who had lost his balance, causing him to burst into pieces with a sound like a water-filled balloon being popped.
　Then, while lowering the giant horned beast horizontally, she spun it around her own feet, gaining plenty of centrifugal force like a cannonball throw, and released it, causing it to crash into another giant horned beast, killing both instantly.

"It's as disgusting as ever…… Please go easy on them because it would be a problem if the 'fence' broke."

"Oh, what's 'going easy'?”

　Saying that, Irene knocked down the soldiers, scattered them, and ran toward the last one. I had previously said that excessive recovery leads to aggressive behavior, and seeing Irene rampaging around, I realized once again that this was true.
　While this was happening, the last giant horned beast was completely terrified and trying to escape, but it was blocked by the surrounding soldiers and barriers and unable to move as it wanted, so it tried to break through the barriers to create an escape route. Hey, don't break the fence!

"I'm sorry, but you have to die!!”

　With that, she charged forward and swung her arm, striking the giant horned beast's head. The last of the giant horned beasts was literally blown into the air and slammed into a distant cliff, dying instantly.

"Hmm, so that's the Saint's trump card. There was no trace of her beautiful appearance. She had become a truly hideous creature."

　Even though the giant horned beast was easily crushed, the pope remained elegantly seated.

"――――However, it was good entertainment. Then let's play our trump card too."

　With that, he snapped his fingers, and the troops led by the Pope parted into two and revealed what they had been hiding in the back――――A massive cannon, which had been hidden by a cloaking spell, appeared.
　……Are you serious? The advance party brought muskets, and now cannons……In terms of size, it has a caliber about the same as a battleship's main gun. Did they place it on a wheeled platform and tow it with horses or other animals? If the Empire built this, then it must have power beyond comparison with anything we faced in the kingdom or principality.

"Fufufu. I never thought Roger-dono's plan would work so well…… It was a game where the cards were already laid on the table. You guys never had a chance. Now, let us conclude this discussion―――― Goodbye, scum."

　With that, the Pope waved his hand, and the cannon fired.
　……Damn you, Rogeeeeeeer!! Is this a plan devised by that piece of trash?!!!!!
　In order to prevent Falty from using her trump card to counter the cannons, he sacrificed a large number of soldiers from the start to pin her down, and then sent in the giant horned beasts at a different time to drag Irene out of the battlefield and prevent her from escaping.
　If they start firing in this situation, I'll have no choice but to put up a barrier to protect Falty and Irene, but the firepower of the enemy will likely blow us all away――― Ah, that's just like Roger. It's a shitty plan that was made with a good understanding of the abilities and personalities of all members of the hero's party.
　To turn this situation around, should I pull out the evil sword, an unknown factor that even Roger doesn't know about? However, if I use the evil sword with all my strength and get knocked out like when I fought Hroboros, I'll end up in a desperate situation, unable to move a muscle. ……But I have no choice. I'll use the evil sword, and if I feel like I'm about to lose consciousness, I'll stab myself in the stomach to stay awake――――

"The Queen of Ice and Snow has arrived!”

　As I pondered this, I heard a voice above me, and I looked up to see Setsu-chan―――― The Queen of Ice and Snow, floating in the air.

"Setsu, why are you here?!”

　Irene cried out in surprise, but Setsu-chan didn't answer, stretching both hands above her head as if gathering something. The aurora's radiance gathered into a sphere, and when she threw it, it collided with the magic cannonball fired from the cannon at the midpoint between us and the Pope, canceling each other out with a cloud of steam.

"――――Thank you, Setsu-chan, you saved us!”

"Eh-hehe."

When I thanked her, Setsu-chan stood in midair with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out. It was unexpected help, but we were saved.

"Ggh-ghhh, one of the calamities……You witch, using a calamity as your servant!!”

"I'm not using her as a servant or anything. Besides, Setsu is my beloved child, so please stop calling her a calamity."

　In response to the pope's frustrated words, Irene grabbed a soldier, threw him to the ground, and trampled him.
　
"―――Increase the cannon's output! As it is, it's not powerful enough to blow them away!! Let's blow away that filthy calamity!! You bastards, buy me some time with your lives!!”

"I won't let you do that. Help arrived unexpectedly, but…… it's over for you guys."

　It's embarrassing as an adult to be helped by a child, but anyway, this was the missing piece I needed. ……Now, let's see how it turns out.

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 ToC  

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