by Okina Baba
“Whoa. How do you know about this hole-in-the-wall place?”
“My master was friends with the lord of this town, who told me about this place.”
His offhand explanation makes my heart skip a beat.
It sounds like the lord of this town has met Merazophis. If he was friends with my father, there’s no way he wouldn’t know about Merazophis.
Maybe this person would take Merazophis in.
As the thought distracts me, Merazophis and Ariel take a seat.
Merazophis places me in the seat next to him. It’s a chair for adults, but I can still sit in it all right.
Although I’m not sure if it would work that way for a normal baby.
Just as we’re sitting down, an old man emerges from the back of the restaurant.
“May I take your order?”
“Two of the chef’s special and something that would be easy for a baby to eat, if you happen to have it?”
“Certainly.”
With that, the old man disappears again.
We’re the only customers in the rather dim room.
There are no waiters or anything to be seen, either, so it seems like the man might be running the restaurant entirely on his own.
“Not much of a business-minded fellow, is he?” Ariel asks doubtfully.
“I do not think that profit is a priority for him.” Merazophis smiles dryly. “That was the owner. I am told that he used to work for the lord in question. He’s quite talented, but he retired due to age. However, he still wanted to keep cooking, so he chose to open this small restaurant in an out-of-the-way place.”
“Ooh, so he can just cook once in a while?”
“Precisely. Thus, one presumes that only those in the know ever come to this restaurant.”
That makes sense. There’s no sign on the door, so if you didn’t know about it, I doubt you’d even realize there was a restaurant inside.
He must keep it up as a sort of hobby now that he’s retired from his main job.
So money is secondary.
There are all kinds of ways to live, aren’t there?
Maybe even for Merazophis or me…
“Is something the matter, young miss?”
“Oh! No, it’s nothing.”
I respond automatically to dispel Merazophis’s concerns.
I can’t do it.
I can’t ask him if he wants to be free.
Merazophis doesn’t look convinced by my response, but he doesn’t press the matter.
Because the door of the restaurant has just opened, and another customer has walked in.
The tinkle of the bell draws all our eyes to the door.
The newcomer is an old man, perhaps a little younger than the owner of the restaurant.
I don’t want to stare for too long, so I turn away, only to see Ariel gazing at the man with the smile fading from her face.
Immediately, a chill runs down my spine.
She isn’t using the Intimidation skill, and she isn’t murderous like I’ve seen her before.
But she’s definitely ready for a fight.
That’s the sense I get, at least.
“Pardon me.”
Ignoring Ariel’s stare, the man sits down.
At the table right next to us, even though there are plenty of other seats open.
The reason becomes clear with Ariel’s next words.
“Long time no see.”
The smile returns to Ariel’s face, and she greets the man in a friendly manner.
So they know each other? That would explain why he sat next to us.
But judging by Ariel’s initial reaction, I don’t think she’s necessarily too happy to see him.
“Indeed. It’s good to see you again. Or should I say, it’s a pleasure to meet you?”
That’s strange. Why would he say that if they’ve already met?
“Either way works, right?”
Merazophis looks just as flummoxed as I am by the man’s words, but Ariel doesn’t seem to care.
“So, to what do I owe this honor, Mister Word of God Pontiff?”
Ariel’s words take a moment to sink in, so I don’t react right away.
“May I take your order?”
For better or worse, the chef hurriedly reemerges from the back before anyone can make another move.
“I’ll have one of whatever she’s having, please.” The pontiff gestures to Ariel.
“Certainly.”
Oblivious to the tension in the air, the restaurant owner goes back to the kitchen.
I take another look at the pontiff.
He seems to be a perfectly ordinary, friendly old man.
His clothes aren’t anything special, either, and far from being bloated as one might expect from the rich, he’s actually quite thin.
If you didn’t tell me, I would have never guessed that this man is the head of the Word of God religion, the biggest religion in the world.
Frankly, even after hearing Ariel say it, I still find it hard to believe.
What would someone so important be doing here without even a single guard?
“Pretty careless to show your face in front of me without an escort, don’t you think? Not to mention, you’re in enemy territory.”
Ariel points out just what I was thinking.
“Not to worry. There are few who happen to know my face.”
“Well, I recognized you.”
“Even so, it would be pointless for me to worry about that. No amount of security could defend me from you, after all. In which case, it makes no difference whether I meet you alone or with guards in tow. In fact, it’s better this way, since it means I will be the only victim if you should choose to attack me.”
The pontiff speaks as naturally as if discussing the weather.
Which just makes it harder to fully grasp his meaning.
Only after Ariel heaves an exasperated sigh do I realize what those words mean.
The pontiff is saying he doesn’t care if he dies.
And judging by Ariel’s attitude, he isn’t just bluffing—he really means it.
He’s come here alone to meet someone who might easily kill him, simply because it’s more efficient than bringing guards.
I can’t imagine the amount of nerve it would take to do such a thing.
As I process all this, the unassuming old man before me starts to seem like a much more mysterious, disturbing character.
For the first time, I recognize him as the pontiff of the Word of God, a role no ordinary man could take.
“Let me ask you again. What do you want? You didn’t just come here for a friendly chat, did you?”
“Indeed.”
The pontiff nods at Ariel’s words, looking as though he’s ruminating about something.
Briefly, his gaze turns toward Merazophis and me.
“I suppose there’s no point in trying to sound each other out in a roundabout way. Very well. I have three points to discuss. The first is that I would like you to cease your involvement with the Goddess religion. The second is to request that you share any information you might have on the elves. And the third is in regards to your two companions there.”
He wants to talk about us?
I can barely keep up with what’s happening.
Looking helplessly at Merazophis, I see his face set in a grim expression.
It’s almost like the look he had when he was facing those elf assassins in the mansion.
The face of someone staring at an enemy.
That’s right. The person in front of us is an enemy.
He’s the leader of the Word of God religion, who cooperated with Ohts to help destroy our hometown.
After Potimas, the man before my eyes is perhaps our clearest enemy.
“I see. All right, let’s hear it from the top, then.”
“Regarding the first point, Ohts is planning a further invasion.”
“What?!” Merazophis lets out an exclamation of shock at this in
formation.
Ignoring him, the pontiff continues. “Naturally, we of the Word of God will be aiding them as well. Thus, it would be most inconvenient for us if you were to participate in battle on the side of Sariella.”
What an incredibly selfish demand.
I can’t help but be angry.
Merazophis seems to feel the same way, judging by how tightly his fist is clenched under the table.
I’m sure he’s far more furious than I am, but he simply looks on in silence without any further outbursts, so I must do the same.
Our best bet here is to let Ariel handle things.
“Hmm. Sounds like a pretty beneficial request for you.”
“If I might make an additional request that would be even more beneficial, we’d be highly appreciative if you would hand over that subordinate of yours who caused the most recent battle—the white spider monster people call the Nightmare of the Labyrinth.”
I almost let out a little exclamation myself at this next bit.
I’m not sure which part makes me react like that, but I hurriedly bite my tongue.
Still, hearing White come up in the conversation definitely has me surprised.
“And why is that, just out of curiosity?”
“That creature is the reason war broke out. We cannot simply let it go free.” The pontiff pauses. “Unless it is already dead, in which case, all the better.”
His expression doesn’t change in the slightest.
However, his words sound sharper than before.
“I thought you weren’t gonna try to sound me out?” Ariel counters blandly.
Sound her out? What does she mean?
The pontiff chuckles. “I said there was no point, but I never said that I would not try.”
“Shameless, aren’t you?”
Ariel sighs again.
“You want to know my relationship with the Nightmare of the Labyrinth and whether it, or myself, is going to assist Sariella from now on. That’s what you’re after, right? You could’ve just asked instead of trying to provoke me into saying it.”
Ariel’s voice is somewhere between bored and irritated.
The pontiff was trying to get information out of her by making unreasonably aggressive demands.
But of course that sort of trick won’t work on Ariel. She saw right through his intentions with ease.
How foolish could he be to try something so basic against her?
“Oh dear. It appears I’ve failed.”
The pontiff doesn’t seem particularly disappointed.
Instead, he glances at me—or more precisely, at Merazophis.
! So he wasn’t watching for Ariel’s reactions. He was watching for Merazophis’s!
Given Merazophis’s background, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had an outburst over the pontiff’s words.
Even if not, he might at least react in a way that would let the pontiff guess certain information.
I was wrong to assume this man was foolish.
He knows what he’s doing after all.
I look up at Merazophis, silently warning him not to make any telling movements.
Evidently, he’s reached the same conclusion as I have, because he meets my eyes directly and gives a slight nod.
“First of all, Dustin, that thing’s not my subordinate.”
Ariel raises her voice slightly as she addresses the pontiff.
Dustin must be his name, I suppose?
“Although you’ve probably already guessed that much. Anyway, as far as that goes, I’ve got things under control. That’s all I can say on that particular matter.”
Ariel’s words are too vague to really be considered “information.”
She barely said anything at all, but the pontiff still nods as if satisfied.
“If you say you have things under control, Lady Ariel, then that is all I need to hear. However, I am curious as to how all this might affect Sariella in the future. Do you have anything to say in regards to that?”
“I don’t plan on doing anything else in Sariella. Just gonna stop in for a visit at the capital and then go home. As long as nobody sticks their nose where it doesn’t belong in the meantime, that is.”
“Fear not. I do not intend to do anything that might draw your ire.”
“Yeah? Not sure if I buy that. You’ve already failed at reining things in once. Besides, those things you’re using…”
“I assure you my grip on the reins is perfectly stable. However, it is true that unwelcome and unexpected interlopers did cause problems previously. For that, I sincerely apologize.”
“Uh-huh. So you’re serious this time, huh?”
“We are always serious. We simply must ascertain that our plans are all the more airtight this time. Which is why we would like to avoid any wild-card factors.”
“I see. So those wild cards are me, you-know-what, and Potimas, I suppose?”
“Just so.”
Ariel and the pontiff continue their exchange.
Try as I might to follow, there are certain vague keywords and left-out information that make it difficult for me to fully understand.
The parts that do make sense to me swirl around wildly in my head.
These things might have a major effect on Merazophis’s and my future, after all.
“Then for my first point, I shall take it that you do not intend to work with Sariella. As for the second point, about the elves, perhaps it is best that we discuss it along with the third. Namely, who exactly is that child whom the elves are targeting?”
The pontiff’s eyes are squarely on me.
He still has the expression of an amiable old man, but his gaze is piercingly sharp.
Merazophis raises a hand as if to shield me from that gaze.
His back is to me right now, so I can’t see his face, but I’m sure his expression is very grim indeed.
In spite of that, the pontiff continues to stare at me.
“Naturally, I am not asking for a name such as, say, Sophia Keren. What I want to know is who is on the inside. Do you, by chance, have memories of your previous life?”
Utterly shocked, I catch my breath.
I never could have expected that he would correctly guess something so unlikely.
I can tell my reaction has shown him he was correct, because for the first time, his expression wavers.
“Goodness. I did not think it likely, but…it is true? Does that mean there is a bug in the system?”
The pontiff’s relaxed attitude has gone out the window.
His expression looks distressed, but he speaks no further for the moment.
The sudden change surprises me, but not as much as the unexpected vocabulary he used.
System? Bug?
What does that mean?
“Heeey, buddy? Come back to reality, will ya?”
Ariel raises her eyebrows at the silent pontiff.
“I beg your pardon. It seems I am doomed never to escape this bad habit no matter how many times I am reborn.”
“It’s not good to overthink things too much, y’know. Why don’t you just empty your head and relax a little?”
“If I could do that, I most certainly would.”
The pontiff smiles with self-derision.
I feel as if I’m seeing his real expression for the first time.
“The system is operating normally. Don’t worry about that.”
Right after Ariel speaks, the chef emerges from the back with plates in hand.
The pontiff closes his mouth before speaking and watches in silence as the man delivers our plates.
The restaurant owner silently places the food on our table, withdraws into the back, then comes out with more plates. Either he’s being sensitive to the unusual atmosphere in the room or he hasn’t noticed it at all.
At any rate, he repeats the process a few more times, lining up all kinds of dishes on the table.
His background as a lord’s head chef is clear: Just by glancing at each dish,
I can tell they’re fresh and delicious.
A rich, enticing scent fills my nostrils.
But unlike everyone else’s food, the plate in front of me is just baby food, a mush of vegetables or who-knows-what.
I knew this was coming, but it’s still a little depressing.
“Well, we wouldn’t want the food to get cold while we have our stuffy conversation. Let’s eat first, shall we?”
Once the owner disappears into the back, Ariel reaches for her food.
Although the pontiff arrived after us, his food is ready, too, possibly because he ordered the same thing as Ariel.
The pontiff says a little prayer before beginning to eat his food.
Merazophis, too, says grace before he eats.
Their prayers are different: Merazophis’s, which I’m used to hearing by now, is of the Goddess religion, while the pontiff’s must have been the Word of God version.
While the Goddess prayer offered thanks to the Goddess, the Word of God prayer seemed more like one of penitence.
Before eating his own food, Merazophis scoops up my baby food with a spoon and offers it to me.
Normally, I would eat it myself, but the pontiff is here. If I want to pretend to be a normal baby, I have to let Merazophis feed me.
Although I’m not sure there’s much point in keeping up the act at this point. It’s embarrassing, and the pontiff already knows I’m not normal. Nonetheless, I let him feed me.
Ariel and the pontiff eat in silence.
The atmosphere in the room is so painfully stifling that we can’t even enjoy the taste of the presumably delicious meal we’re eating.
Well, mine is baby food, so it’s probably nothing to write home about anyway.
We finish our meals in silence.
For a while after, no one speaks.
“The system is operating normally. However, it’s true that an irregular situation has occurred.” Finally, Ariel breaks the silence. “As a result, I had no choice but to act. Frankly, not even I can tell what’s going to happen from here on out. But I think it’s pretty clear that the times are changing. You Word of God people’s attempt to crush the Goddess religion is just one link in that chain, no?”
The pontiff simply sits there docilely, not answering Ariel’s question.
But…wait a second.
What did Ariel just say?
The Word of God is trying to crush the Goddess religion?